Patent ID: 11933380
Assignee: MILWAUKEE ELECTRIC TOOL CORPORATION
Field: Mechanical elements (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC F  B | IPC B  F

Claim 0:
1. A method of operating a clutch mechanism in a rotary power tool having a motor, the clutch mechanism including an input member and an output member, the method comprising the following steps, in order:
biasing a follower, which has a circular cross-sectional shape, with a compression spring carried by the output member, against a mating segment of a cam surface of the input member;
rotating the input member about a rotational axis;
applying a normal force from the cam surface to the follower along a line of action that is parallel with a longitudinal axis of the compression spring;
imparting a moment to the output member, such that the output member co-rotates with the input member;
allowing a reaction torque applied to the output member to approach a predetermined value; and
rotating the input member relative to the output member, thereby compressing the compression spring and displacing the follower along the line of action, wherein the follower moves relative to the input member, sequentially,
to a first transition segment of the cam surface that is adjacent the mating segment,
to an interior surface segment of the input member that is adjacent the first transition segment, the interior surface defined by a minor radius having an origin at a geometric center of the input member,
to a first connecting segment of the cam surface on a side of the cam surface that is opposite the first transition segment, and
back into the mating segment of the cam surface,

wherein the first connecting segment has a radius that is greater than a radius of the mating segment and less than the minor radius of the interior surface.