US Patent 11498663 Clutch assembly for autonomous taxiing of aircraft

A landing gear system includes an axle having an internal cavity and a wheel rotatably coupled to the axle. A drive shaft is mounted within the cavity to be rotatable about an axis. The landing gear system further includes a rod slidably mounted within the drive shaft and a clutch. The clutch has a first portion that is coupled to the rod and rotates with the drive shaft. A second portion of the clutch is fixedly coupled to the wheel. The rod selectively reciprocates along the axis between a first position and a second position to engage and disengage the clutch.