192 clutches and power-stop control – Clutches – Fluent material
Utility Patent
1999-12-20
2001-01-02
Lorence, Richard M. (Department: 3681)
192 clutches and power-stop control
Clutches
Fluent material
C192S058910
Utility Patent
active
06168000
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
A clutch is a friction device used to connect and disconnect a driving force from a driven member. The clutch is designed to provide smooth and positive engagement and disengagement of the engine and manual transmission in engine-powered vehicles. The clutch provides the necessary linkup of the engine and drivetrain that pen-nits power transfer to the driving axles and wheels as well as the necessary halt to power transfer that allows the engine to operate while the transmission does not. Generally speaking, clutch designs can be defined either as a single-plate or multiple-plate design. The single-plate design comprises the driven plate assembly and the pressure plate assembly while the multiple-plate design comprises a plurality of clutch plates and a plurality of friction discs.
The clutches in the prior art are relatively complex devices and have to be precisely mounted and always kept properly aligned to prevent slippage, vibration, and noise. Since they have to sustain a significant clamping force, the clutches are also very susceptible to wear and tear. Consequently, any improper driver's action inevitably results with a clutch damage.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a clutch which will connect and disconnect the driving force between drive and driven members by using a hydraulic fluid to provide a gradual application of force and a rapid halt of power transfer. Consequently, the present invention will eliminate the need to develop friction between relatively hard surfaces and, thereby, enable much smoother engagement of the engine and transmission. It will also minimize the possibility for any wear and tear and eliminate the need for adjusting maintenance. In comparison with the clutches hi the prior art, this design has much simpler physical configuration, lower weight, and smaller volume.
One embodiment of the present invention comprises one triangular rotor, an elliptical housing, an eccentric shaft, a main shaft, a power input gear, and a shifting mechanism. The rotor is enclosed within the housing and mounted onto the eccentric shaft which is firmly connected to the input gear. The eccentric shaft is further mounted onto the main shaft while the shifting mechanism is located within a central opening in the main shaft. The shifting mechanism comprises a shifting piston, a retracting spring, and a push rod which is operated by a lever arm connected to a clutch lever. A plurality of lockup balls are also provided within the main shaft and a plurality of fluid passages are provided within the rotor, the eccentric shaft, and the main shaft. Hydraulic fluid is provided around the rotor within the housing and within the fluid passages.
According to the process of the present invention, the rotor orbits around the eccentric shaft within the housing and serves as a power input member. The elliptical motion of the rotor alternately creates fluid chambers whose volume either increase or decrease in dependence to the rotor's positions. Since the rotor's orbiting permanently increases the volume of some fluid chambers and decreases the volume of other fluid chambers, the hydraulic fluid is permanently displaced from the disappearing fluid chambers and flows in the newly created fluid chambers. The fluid passages are designed so as to provide a fluid communication between all fluid chambers and this communication can be cut only by the shifting piston. Thus, when the piston is positioned to allow the unrestricted flow of fluid, the rotor is able to transfer the fluid from one chamber to another and the power flow is completely cut off.
When the piston is moved to restrict the fluid flow between the chambers and passages, the fluid starts being trapped between piston lobes and housing walls. This, in turn, causes the fluid pressure to increase and exert the force onto the housing walls thereby transmitting the driving force to the housing and forcing the housing to rotate in the same direction as the rotor. Since the housing is firmly connected to the main shaft, the driving force is further transmitted to this shaft which extends into the transmission.
As the piston moves to block more fluid passages, the fluid circulation is more and more restricted and the fluid pressure is more and more increased. This results in more and more driving force transmitted to the housing which, in turn, increases the housing's rotating speed. When the piston comes in the position where it completely covers all fluid passages, the fluid circulation is completely cut off and the housing is forced to rotate at the same speed as the rotor. At this instant, a full-scale power flow is established between the drive and driven members and a mechanical lock-up between the main shaft and the eccentric shaft is performed by lock-up balls as described later in the description of the preferred embodiment.
As soon as the piston is moved back and it uncovers a section of the fluid passages, the fluid circulation is enabled again and the fluid pressure starts to drop. The smaller fluid pressure acting against the housing's walls results in smaller driving force transmitted to the housing. Consequently, the housing starts to rotate slower than the rotor and the power flow is cut off when the piston again uncovers all of the fluid passages and enables unrestricted flow of fluid.
Yet another embodiment of the present invention comprises one triangular rotor, an elliptical housing, an eccentric shaft, a main shaft, a power input gear, and a shifting mechanism. The rotor is enclosed within the housing and mounted onto the eccentric shaft which is firmly connected to the input gear. The eccentric shaft is further mounted onto the main shaft while a plurality of fluid passages are provided through the housing's walls. The hydraulic fluid is provided around the rotor within the housing and within the fluid passages. Two fluid valves are provided in the housing's walls and they intersect the fluid passages.
According to the process of the present invention in the second embodiment, the rotor orbits around the eccentric shaft within the housing and serves as a power input member as described above for the first embodiment. The entire chamber forming and fluid displacing process is identical as described above and the fluid passages are designed to provide fluid communication between all fluid chambers. The housing is also finally connected to the main shaft and serves as the output member. The fluid valves are designed to either allow or restrict the flow of fluid through the fluid passages and, thereby, either enable or prevent the flow of fluid between the fluid chambers.
When the valves are in their opened positions, they do not influence the flow of fluid which enables the rotor to transfer the fluid from one chamber to another. This results in the unrestricted flow of fluid and the power flow is completely cut off. When the valves start closing the fluid passages, they start restricting the flow of fluid between the chambers and passages and the fluid starts being trapped between piston lobes and housing walls. This, in turn, causes the fluid pressure to increase and exert the force onto the housing walls thereby transmitting the driving force to the housing and forcing the housing to rotate in the same direction as the rotor.
Further closing of the valves causes more and more restricted fluid circulation and more and more increased fluid pressure. This results in more and more driving force transmitted to the housing which, in turn, increase the housing' rotating speed. When the valves are completely closed, the fluid circulation is completely cut off and the housing is forced to rotate at the same speed as the rotor thereby providing the full-scale power flow.
As soon as the valves start to open again, the fluid circulation is enabled and the fluid pressure starts to drop. As described for the previous embodiment, the smaller fluid pressure acting against the housing's walls results in smaller dri
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