SYSTEM FOR TRANSMITTING AND/OR CONTROLLING ROTARY MOTION

摘要

The machines of the present invention are adapted to brake a rotor or pulley by the action of centrifugal weights or units which are arranged to produce a reactive braking action on the rotor or pulley. In one application, the machine constitutes a fire escape pulley device including a pulley on which a cable is wound to rotate the pulley under the load of a person suspended by the cable. A rotor bodily rotates with the pulley; a stationary annular cable arranged around the rotor and defines a radially undulating cam surface lacing radially inward toward the rotor, and one or more centrifugally responsive units are radially displaceable on the rotor to be centrifugally biased into rotation reactive engagement with the undulating cam surface. In another application, the machine constitutes a clutch having a rotation input member coaxial with an output member; the input member carries a spider wheel and the output member carries a easing located around the spider wheel; annular cams are fixed within the casing on axially opposite sides of the spider wheel, and centrifugally responsive units are carried by the spider wheel, displaceable radially of the latter, and rollingly engage a pair of cam grooves in the annular cams respectively.