Abstract:
A two speed windlass includes a driving shaft, a clutch and a planetary gear speed reducing mechanism. The clutch is used to connect the driving shaft to the planetary gear speed reducing mechanism to control the speed of the driving shaft The speed of the two speed windlass, thus, can be reduced by the speed reducing mechanism. The integral speed also can remain the same by synchronously driving the speed reducing mechanism.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
         [0001]    1. Field of the Invention  
           [0002]    The present invention relates to a two speed windlass, and, more particularly, to a two speed windlass utilizing a clutch to control the connection or separation between a driving shaft and a speed reducing mechanism so as to perform a two speed function.  
           [0003]    2. Description of the Related Prior Art  
           [0004]    A conventional windlass having speed reducing mechanism is shown in FIG. 4 including an internal gear  71 , an input shaft  72 , a planetary gear  73  and an output gear  74 .  
         SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
         [0005]    However, it is found a disadvantage in the subject matter of the above-mentioned prior art that it is configured to reduce the speed only without the function of changing speed.  
           [0006]    Another disadvantage found is that it does not perform the function of changing the rotation direction.  
           [0007]    Thus, there is still a need for improving the subject matter of prior art in terms of providing a windlass which can change its speed and/or rotation direction.  
           [0008]    Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a two speed windlass which can quickly reels in the rope first and then slowly reels in the rope without obviously steppedly reducing the speed.  
           [0009]    To accomplish the object of the present invention, the present invention provides a two speed windlass which includes a power source. A driving shaft having a first end is connected to the power source. A hollow shaft has a first end to allow the driving shaft to pass through. The hollow shaft is located on a stand by a first bearing and has a second bearing to allow the driving shaft to rotatably pass through. A clutch is mounted between the hollow shaft and the power source and the clutch is allowed to rotate together with the hollow shaft when the clutch actuates. A planetary gear speed reducing mechanism has a circular gear. The planetary gear speed mechanism is connected to the hollow shaft by the circular gear. The driving shaft extends through the planetary gear speed reducing mechanism to reduce the driving speed from the driving source. A delivery shaft is driven by the planetary gear speed reducing mechanism and drives a reel so as to rotate together with the reel. 
       
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0010]    The other advantages and/or benefits caused by the present mention will become patently apparent after reading the following detailed description of an illustrative preferred embodiment of the present invention together with referring to the associated drawings in which:  
         [0011]    [0011]FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the preferred embodiment of the two speed windlass in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0012]    [0012]FIG. 2 is the other cross-sectional view of the preferred embodiment of the two speed windlass in accordance with the present invention;  
         [0013]    [0013]FIG. 3 is the other cross-sectional view of the preferred embodiment of the two speed windlass in accordance with the present invention; and  
         [0014]    [0014]FIG. 4 is an exploded view of a conventional windlass. 
     
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0015]    With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, a preferred embodiment of the two speed windlass in accordance with the present invention includes a power source  10 , a driving shaft  11 , a hollow shaft  20 , a clutch  21 , a planetary gear speed reducing mechanism  40  and a delivery shaft  47 .  
         [0016]    The power source  10 , for example, is embodied by a motor.  
         [0017]    The driving shaft  11  has a first end connected to the power source  10  so that the driving shaft  11  can rotate in clockwise or counterclockwise by the power source  10 . The driving shaft  11  also has a second end opposite to the first end.  
         [0018]    The hollow shaft  20  has a first end to allow the second end of the driving shaft  11  to pass therethrough. The hollow shaft  20  is located on a stand  30  by a first bearing. The hollow shaft  20  also has a second bearing therein to allow the driving shaft  11  to rotatably pass therethrough. The hollow shaft  20  further has a second end opposite to the first end.  
         [0019]    The clutch  21  is an electromagnetic clutch in this embodiment. The clutch  21  is mounted between the first end of the hollow shaft  20  and the power source  10 . The clutch  10  rotates together with the driving shaft  11 . When the clutch  10  actuates, the clutch  10  will be attracted toward the hollow shaft  20 . Thus, the hollow shaft  20  will rotate together with the driving shaft  11  by the clutch  10 .  
         [0020]    The planetary gear speed reducing mechanism  40  has a circular gear  41  encircling therearound. The circular gear  41  is embodied by an internal gear in this preferred embodiment. A first side of the planetary gear speed reducing mechanism  40  facing the power source  10  is connected to the second end of the hollow shaft  20  by a side of the circular gear  41  facing the power source  10 . The second end of the driving shaft  11  extends through the center of the planetary gear speed reducing mechanism  40  to reduce the driving speed from the driving source  10 .  
         [0021]    The planetary gear speed reducing mechanism  40  further has a second side opposite to the first side.  
         [0022]    The delivery shaft  47  is driven by the second side of the planetary gear speed reducing mechanism  40  and drives a reel  50 . Thus, the delivery shaft  47  rotates together with the reel  50 . A rope  60  is wound on the outer surface of the reel  50 .  
         [0023]    More particularly, the planetary gear speed reducing mechanism  40  further includes a first planetary gear combination  43  and a second planetary gear combination  46 .  
         [0024]    The first planetary gear combination  43  includes multiple planetary gears and a first rotating arm  43 . Each multiple planetary gear of the first planetary gear combination  43  tangentially engages with the circular gear  41 .  
         [0025]    Each planetary gear is pivotally mounted on a corresponding end of the first rotating arm  43  at a face of the rotating arm  43  facing the driving shaft  11 . The first rotating arm  43  further has a connecting gear rod  44  protruding from a face of the first rotating arm  13  opposite to the driving shaft  11 .  
         [0026]    The second planetary gear combination  46  is connected to the first planetary gear combination  43  by the connecting gear rod  44  of the first planetary gear combination  43 .  
         [0027]    The second planetary gear combination  46  has multiple planetary gears and a second rotating arm  45 . Each planetary gear of the second planetary gear combination  46  tangentially engages with the circular gear  43 . Each planetary gear of the second planetary gear combination  46  is pivotally mounted on a corresponding end of the second rotating arm  45  at a face of the second rotating arm  45  opposite to the driving shaft  11 . The second rotating arm  45  further has a delivery shaft  47  protruding from a face of the first rotating arm  45  opposite to the driving shaft  11 .  
         [0028]    More particularly, the reel  50  encircles an outer side of the speed reducing mechanism  40 . The reel  50  accommodates the hollow shaft  20  which is located between the clutch  21  and the speed reducing mechanism  40  from an end of the reel  50  opposite to the delivery shaft  47  by a single rotating bearing  51 .  
         [0029]    Referring to FIG. 3, with the preferred embodiment of the two speed windlass in accordance with the present invention, when the rope  60  is reeled out from the reel  50 , the driving shaft  11  is allow to rotate in the desired direction. In this case, the clutch  21  does not actuate. Thus, the power output from the driving shaft  11  is delivered into the speed reducing mechanism  40 . Through speed reducing engagement among the first planetary combination  43 , the second planetary combination  46  and the circular gear  41  together with the speed reducing function from the first rotating arm  42  and the second rotating arms  45 , the rotating speed of the delivery shaft  47  is reduced. Thus, the reel  50  is controlled to slowly reel out the rope  60 .  
         [0030]    With reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 again, in case that the rope is desired to be reeled in after the rope is reeled out with a certain length, the power source is so controlled that the rotation direction is different from that when the rope  60  is reeled out. Therefore, The rope  60  is reeled in to encircle the reel  50  in the direction in need (see FIG. 1). At this moment, since the clutch  21  actuates, the driving shaft  11  rotates together with hollow shaft  20 . Therefore, the reel-in speed of the rope  60  is the same as the rotation speed of the power source  10  and driving shaft  11 . In this manner, the rope  60  is reeled in by a fast speed.  
         [0031]    However, occasionally depending on the differently requisite applications or situations, the reel-in speed of the rope  60  should not be too fast or the reel-in speed of the rope  60  should be changed from fast to slow. In such a situation, the clutch  10  according to the present invention is designed to separate from the hollow shaft  20  rendering that the hollow shaft  20  becomes an independent individual. Therefore, the power from the driving shaft  11  is delivered into speed reducing mechanism  40 . Through the speed reducing engagement among the first planetary gear combination  43 , the second planetary gear combination  46  and the circular gear  41  together with speed reducing function of the first rotating arm  42  and the second rotating arm  45 , the speed of the driving shaft  47  is reduced. Thus, the reel  50  is controlled under a slow speed situation and the rope  60  is slowly reeled in.  
         [0032]    Having thus detailedly described the preferred embodiment of the present invention, it will become apparently to those skilled in the art that the detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrative only and thus various modifications, changes and substitutions can be made without departing from the spirit of the following claims of the present invention. All of such modifications, changes and substitution as stated above are still within the scope of the present invention.