Patent ID: 8382594

Claim:
A torque limiter comprising: a first body; a second body, the second body being rotationally attached to the first body about an axis; a biasing mechanism, the biasing mechanism comprising at least first and second compression springs and an adjustment device, the first compression spring occupying space between two planes that are perpendicular to the axis and intersect the first compression spring, the second compression spring at least partially occupying space between the two planes, the first compression spring having a maximum compression condition, the first and second compression springs being configured and adapted to create a torque threshold below which the second body cannot be rotated about the axis relative to the first body and above which the second body can be rotated about the axis relative to the first body, the torque threshold being adjustable via the adjustment device throughout a first torque range and a non overlapping second torque range, the biasing mechanism being configured and adapted such that the first compression spring progressively compresses as the torque threshold increases throughout the first torque range, and such that the first compression spring is in its maximum compression condition and the second compression spring progressively compresses as the torque threshold increases throughout the second torque range.