초록 ▼

An agitator for a washing machine of the vertical axis type has an upper auger portion with a helical vane thereon and a coaxial lower skirt portion having upstanding agitation and scrubbing vanes thereon. The lower portion is driven in to and fro oscillations, while the upper portion is driven in s

An agitator for a washing machine of the vertical axis type has an upper auger portion with a helical vane thereon and a coaxial lower skirt portion having upstanding agitation and scrubbing vanes thereon. The lower portion is driven in to and fro oscillations, while the upper portion is driven in stepwise, unidirectional rotations through a one-way, non-ratcheting clutch. The clutch has a double-lobed, cam carried with the lower, oscillating portion of the agitator. A pair of clutch members carried radially outwardly of the cam are each engageable on a spiral surface thereof with a corresponding thrusting surface of each of the cam lobes and on a generally radially extending surface with a capture and retraction surface of each cam lobe. Teeth on the outer portions of the clutch members and on an inner surface of the auger portion are selectively forcibly engaged on the driving oscillation and are positively disengaged on the reverse oscillation, to provide the desired one-way drive to the auger element.

대표청구항 ▼

A clutch for imparting a unidirectional rotation to an auger portion of an agitator in an automatic washing machine of the vertical-axis type, the clutch being driven by alternating oscillations of a lower portion of said agitator, the clutch comprising: a centrally splined cap member attached irrot

A clutch for imparting a unidirectional rotation to an auger portion of an agitator in an automatic washing machine of the vertical-axis type, the clutch being driven by alternating oscillations of a lower portion of said agitator, the clutch comprising: a centrally splined cap member attached irrotatably to the lower portion of the agitator and including a cam having a cam lobe with a generally radially outward, spiral first camming surface and a second camming surface extending generally in a radial direction; a cylindrical, driven inner surface on said auger portion spaced radially outwardly of the cam lobe; a clutch shoe carried radially between the cam lobe and the driven surface, the shoe comprising: an outer surface engageable with the driven inner surface of the auger portion of the agitator, an inner spiral surface engageable with the first camming surface of the cam lobe, the inner spiral surface and the cooperating first camming surface of the cam lobe extending radially inwardly toward the axis in the circumferential direction of corotation of the auger and lower agitator portions, and an end surface formed at the radially outermost portion of the inner spiral surface, engageable with the second camming surface of the cam lobe upon rotation of the lower agitator in the non-auger driving direction, the end surface and the second camming surface of the cam lobe being inclined forwardly of a line radial thereto in a direction of non-driving rotation of the lower agitator portion.