Patent ID: 6974011

Claim:
A directional clutch for transferring torque about an axis of rotation, said clutch comprising: an outer race having a circumferentially extending raceway located around the axis, the raceway being uninterrupted in the circumferential direction; an inner race having recesses that are spaced circumferentially around the axis and open toward the raceway on the outer race, each recess having a first ramp and a second ramp which converge, the first ramps of the recesses being presented in one circumferential direction and the second ramps being presented in the other circumferential direction; rolling elements in the recesses of the inner race and along the raceway of the first outer race; a cage having pockets which receive the rolling elements such that the circumferential position of the cage relative to the second race controls the positions of the rolling elements in the recesses; and an actuator that moves relative to the inner race and operates through a rolling element to control the circumferential position of the cage and other rolling elements relative to the inner race.