192 clutches and power-stop control – Vortex-flow drive and clutch – Including drive-lockup clutch
Patent
1997-01-03
2000-06-27
Marmor, Charles A.
192 clutches and power-stop control
Vortex-flow drive and clutch
Including drive-lockup clutch
192109R, F16D 3300, F16H 4502
Patent
active
060795301
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention relates to hydrokinetic coupling apparatus, especially for motor vehicles, such as is described in the document WO-A-94/07058.
This apparatus comprises a wall which is orientated generally transversely, and which is adapted to be coupled in rotation to a driving shaft and carries a guide ring fixed centrally on the said wall. This wall is part of a housing which surrounds a turbine wheel that is fixed in rotation to a driven shaft.
A piston is sealingly mounted for axial movement along the said ring, and defines, with the wall and the ring, a variable volume chamber which is bounded on the outside by a disc and by friction liners, which are adapted to be gripped, respectively, between the piston and the disc, and between the disc and the wall.
Each friction liner is fixed to one of the elements consisting of the disc and, respectively, the piston and the transverse wall between which it is adapted to be gripped.
The transverse wall becomes inflated outwardly when the hydrokinetic coupling apparatus is driven in rotation by the driving shaft, due to the presence of oil in the housing which constitutes a casing.
More precisely, the transverse wall swells to a greater extent in the centre than in the region of the friction liners.
As a result, the guide ring, fixed to the transverse wall, follows the movement of the latter so that a relative movement occurs between the piston and the guide ring, with the disadvantage that a poor surface area is then offered to the piston. This piston may even escape from the guide ring.
In general terms, the piston can, following the above mentioned inflation effect, cease to cover the sealing ring which is interposed between the latter and the guide ring, when the lock-up clutch is disengaged.
It should be emphasised that ram-like impacts also occur, so that relative displacement is produced between the piston and the guide ring.
In addition, it is desirable to reduce axial size in the region of the guide ring.
An object of the present invention is to overcome these drawbacks in a simple and inexpensive way, and to respond to this requirement.
In accordance with the invention, abutment means, facing towards the transverse wall and carried by the transverse wall, are provided for limiting the movement of the piston in a direction away from the transverse wall.
Thanks to the invention, the relative displacement effects between the piston and the guide ring are reduced.
The piston follows the movement of the transverse wall, and the axial size is reduced in the region of the guide ring.
The said guide ring offers a good surface area to the piston under all circumstances, so that the piston is thus unable to escape from the latter when the lock-up clutch is disengaged (or separated). This abutment thus limits the movement of the piston towards the turbine wheel.
Thus the piston runs no risk of interfering with the hub of the turbine wheel, or with a radial web of a torsion damper.
The abutment means in accordance with the invention enable the sealing ring to be protected, by ensuring that it is covered under all circumstances, for example by the piston. The variable volume chamber is thus always sealed.
In addition, the axial displacement of the piston between the positions in which the lock-up clutch is disengaged (or separated), and in which the lock-up clutch is engaged (or bridged), is minimised, so that the response times are reduced.
The said abutment thus enables the tangential resilient tongues to be preserved (by limiting the deflection of the latter), these tongues being interposed in certain embodiments between the piston and the transverse wall so as to couple the piston in rotation with the said transverse wall, while leaving the possibility for axial movement of the piston to take place.
The abutment means may be mounted in the said chamber and be formed in a drive member, which is fixed to the transverse wall and which serves for fastening of the tangential tongues, which in this case are interposed between the piston and the said member.
Thi
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patent: 5477950 (1995-12-01), Maloof
patent: 5480012 (1996-01-01), Polubinski
patent: 5667043 (1997-09-01), Dehrmann et al.
Marmor Charles A.
Rodriguez Saul
Valeo
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