Patent ID: 8702550

Claim:
A method for taxiing an aircraft with an electric taxi system (ETS) comprising the steps of: driving a wheel-mounted electric motor at a determined motor driving speed in either a first rotational direction or a second rotational direction opposite the first rotational direction; engaging a selectively engageable clutch to drive a wheel of the aircraft at a wheel speed that corresponds to the motor driving speed by transmitting torque in either the first or the second rotational direction from the motor to a wheel of the aircraft through the clutch, wherein the step of engaging the clutch comprises the steps of: rotating a driving member with the motor; rotating a transfer member through links interconnecting the driving member and the transfer member; applying a braking force to the transfer member to move the transfer member to engage with a driven member wherein applying the braking force to the transfer member produces a circumferential translation of the transfer member relative to the driving member and a corresponding axial displacement of the transfer member and engagement of the transfer member with the driven member; rotating the transfer member with lug-to-lug torque transfer from the driving member, and rotating a driven member attached to the wheel with lug-to-lug torque transfer from the transfer member; and disengaging the clutch whenever the wheel rotates at a rate that exceeds the wheel speed that corresponds to the motor driving speed so that the wheel can rotate freely relative to the motor.