Ntn Corporation

Aichi Kikai Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Munehisa Imai

Kenichiro Ito

Hiromi Nojiri

Tsutomu Yasue

Atsushi Asano

The bidirectional differential clutch enables to transmit or cutoff both clockwise and counterwise rotation at the input side. The clutch comprises an input gear having a first cylindrical surface, an output gear having a second cylindrical surface disposed with a space to the first cylindrical surface so as to be relatively rotatable, a plurality of engaging members interposed in the space, a holding member inserted into the space, the holding member having a pocket storing the engaging members, the engaging members being for operation from a neutral position in which both cylindrical surfaces are not engaged with each other to an operational position in which both cylindrical surfaces are engaged with each other, a sub-gear producing differential velocity in correspondence to the rotation of the input gear, and the holding member being linked with the sub-gear to slide in a peripheral direction by the differential velocity to operate the engaging members to the operational position. The engaging members may be rollers or sprags.

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Nagoya, Japan

Munehisa Imai