Coupling assembly
US6287207A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 7, 1999 |
| Grant date | Sep 11, 2001 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 7, 2019 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF16D3/72
- WIPO fieldTransport
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
An assembly for coupling two selectively rotatable shafts is provided. The assembly includes a first cross-member which is fixedly coupled to the first rotating shaft, and a second cross-member which is fixedly coupled to the second shaft. A third member is pivotally coupled to the first and to the second cross-member and selectively pivots about a first axis. A fourth member is pivotally coupled to the first and to the second cross-member and pivots about a second axis which is substantially perpendicular to the first axis. The third member and the fourth member cooperate to transmit torque from the first rotating shaft to the second shaft and substantially aligns the first and second longitudinal axes of symmetry of the first and second shafts while maintaining the alignment as torque is transmitted from the first rotating shaft to the second shaft. The third and fourth members are also movable from a first collapsed position to a second expanded position, thereby allowing the first rotating shaft and the second shaft to independently move along the aligned longitudinal axes of symmetry.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.