Patent ID: 8485335

Claim:
A torque coupling assembly, comprising: a rotationally driving assembly, including a rotationally fixed driving axle element and a rotatable driving shell element with an axial axis of rotation; a rotationally driven assembly, including a rotationally fixed driven axle element and a rotatable driven shell element with an axial axis of rotation; a frame element, including at least two axially spaced mounting elements for mounting of said driving assembly and said driven assembly; wherein said driving shell element includes an associated axial driving projection anchored thereto, including a tip portion located axially distal from said driving shell element and a root portion axially proximal to said driving shell element, and an axially relieved portion circumferentially adjacent said driving projection; wherein said driven shell element includes an associated axial driven projection anchored thereto, including a tip portion located axially distal from said driven shell element and a root portion axially proximal to said driven shell element, and an axially relieved portion circumferentially adjacent said driven projection; wherein, in an assembled or installed position, said driving assembly and said driven assembly are both connected to said frame and said driving projection is aligned to engage said driven projection with an axial overlie engagement to rotatably transmit torque between said driving shell element and said driven shell element; wherein, in a removed or uninstalled position, one of said driving assembly and said driven assembly are disconnected from said frame and displaced in a generally radial direction relative to said frame and to the other of said driving assembly and said driven assembly; wherein at least one of said driving assembly and said driven assembly includes ramped lead-in geometry adjacent at least one of said driving projection and said driven projection; including a control shaft associated with at least one of said driving assembly and said driven assembly, wherein said control shaft is at least one of axially and rotatably movable relative to the associated one of said driving assembly and said driven assembly; wherein said control shaft is axially moveable from an axially distal extended position to an axially proximal retracted position, wherein said control shaft is engaged to the opposing non-associated one of said driving assembly and said driven assembly in said axially distal extended position, and wherein said control shaft is disengaged from the opposing non-associated one of said driving assembly and said driven assembly in said axially proximal retracted position; and including a linear detent mechanism to retain said control shaft in at least one of said axially extended position and said axially retracted position.