| 摘要 |
A gear selector device comprises a plurality of rheological clutch members each having plates (16, 17) which are respectively connected to a freely rotating cog (14) and a shaft (15). The cog (14) meshes with a rotating cog 12 on a further shaft 11 and when an electric potential is applied to a selected pair of clutch plates the appropriate cog (14) is locked to the shaft and the drive is transmitted to that shaft. Sequential operation of successive clutch members allows gear ratios to be changed. The rheologic fluid between the plates may be the gear's lubricating fluid. The clutches may consist of opposed plates profiled to increase their effective area or may comprise a sleeve surrounding shaft 15. The applied voltage may be varied to slip the clutch. <IMAGE> |
