Patent ID: 6309317
Filing Date: 2001-10-30
Classification: F16D

Abstract:
A centrifugal clutch assembly and a device for use in combination with an engine, said clutch assembly comprising a shaft which carries a first sheave axially moveable on said shaft, a second sheave axially fixed on said shaft, a drive belt between said first sheave and said second sheave, a return spring operating on said axially moveable sheave, a roller fixed relative to said second sheave and a pivot pin fixed on and moveable with said first sheave; said device comprising:an elongated body pivotally coupled to said pivot pin and having first and second opposed ends and with an arcuate outer edge camming surface in contact with said roller so as to provide a camming motion to move said elongated body laterally relative to said roller;an aperture formed within said elongated body and disposed adjacent said first end thereof and constructed so as to mate with said pivot pin to allow said elongated body to pivot relative to said pivot pin for creation of said camming motion, the point of contact between said camming surface and said roller being determined by centrifugal forces operating on said elongated body and said pivot pin;a closed hollow chamber formed within and positioned internally of said elongated body with said hollow chamber having a chamber axis extending between said first and second opposed ends; andweighting means within said chamber and freely moveable reciprocably therein in response to centrifugal force from rotation of said shaft, wherein the relative position of the weighting means defines a counterweight ramp axis and with a counterweight ramp angle being the angle defined between the counterweight ramp axis and the direction of the centrifugal force, whereby in use, the movement of the weighting means within said chamber alters the effective mass on the counterweight ramp angle, thus altering overall effective weight of the weighting means, so as to optimize positioning of said weighting means relative to said centrifugal force to controllably alter the centrifugal force effecting said elongated body, the arrangement being such that said camming contact point and said sheave positions are maintained so that engine speed is maintained substantially at its maximum power output.