Patent ID: 9022195
Filing Date: 2015-05-05
Classification: F16D,F16H

Abstract:
1. A bi-directional overrunning clutch comprising: a housing adapted to be engaged with and rotated by a drive mechanism, the housing including an inner cam surface; a pair of hubs substantially coaxially aligned with each other within the housing and adapted to engage first and second shafts of a primary drive axle; a roller assembly associated with each hub, each roller assembly including a roll cage having a set of slots positioning a plurality of rollers in an annular space between the hub and the inner cam surface of the housing, the rollers being spaced about an associated hub and adapted to wedgingly engage between the hub and the inner cam surface when one of the hubs and the housing is rotated with respect to the other of the hubs and the housing; an end cap associated with each hub and attached at each end of the housing; a friction disk mechanism associated with each hub and roller assembly for indexing the roller assembly relative to the hub, each friction disk mechanism including a friction plate engaged with or formed on the roll cage so as to rotate in combination with the roll cage and positioned to contact a contact surface on the hub during operation, and a spring compressed between the end cap or hub and the roll cage for biasing the friction plate into frictional contact with the contact surface of the hub; and a roll cage intermittent coupler located between each roll cage, the coupler configured to engage the roll cages so as to permit indexing of one roll cage relative to the other; wherein the inner can surface has a forward cam surface and a reverse cam surface, such that when the housing is being driven with respect to at least one of the hubs, the rollers wedgingly engage between the forward cam surface and the at least one hub; and wherein when one of the hubs is overrunning by rotating faster than the housing and the other of the hubs, the roll cage coupler is configured to prevent the roil cage associated with the overrunning hub from rotating with the overrunning hub, thereby limiting the ability of the rollers to engage between the reverse cam surface of the housing and the one hub; and wherein the contact surface is on a hub spacer that is connected to the hub so as to rotate in combination therewith and wherein the spring is mounted in a recess in the hub on the opposite side of the friction disk from the hub spacer, and wherein the engagement of the friction disk and the roll cage is provided by the spring biasing the friction disk into frictional engagement with a portion of the roll cage, the frictional engagement causing indexing of the roll cage relative to the housing during operation of the clutch.