Patent ID: 7040470

Claim:
An overload clutch for a torque transmission, comprising: a rotatable drive member coaxially coupled to a rotating driven member, one of said drive member and driven member, hereinafter referred to as the first member, comprising: an annular band delimiting a central space, the annular band having a cylindrical inner face provided with at least one engaging element, the other one of said drive member and driven member, hereinafter referred to as the second member, being mounted within said central space and comprising: a radially expandable mechanism provided with at least one coupling element, the radially expandable mechanism being movable between an expanded position, where said at least one coupling element is positively engaging said at least one engaging element to couple said first member to the second member for rotation together, and a retracted position, where said at least one coupling element is disengaged from said at least one engaging element, thereby releasing the first member from the second; and a biasing means for normally resiliently urging the expandable mechanism in said expanded position and for allowing the same to move to said retracted position when a predetermined torque overload is applied to the torque transmission wherein the biasing means is a remotely controllable actuator generating a force for urging the expandable mechanism in the expanded position.