192 clutches and power-stop control – Vortex-flow drive and clutch – Including drive-lockup clutch
Reexamination Certificate
2000-04-13
2001-12-25
Bonck, Rodney H. (Department: 3681)
192 clutches and power-stop control
Vortex-flow drive and clutch
Including drive-lockup clutch
C192S070180
Reexamination Certificate
active
06332516
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to hydrokinetic coupling apparatus, especially for motor vehicles, such as is described for example in the document WO-A-94/07058.
In that document, the apparatus includes a generally transversely oriented wall which is arranged to be coupled in rotation to a driving shaft, and which carries, fixed thereto, a central guide ring.
A piston is mounted for axial movement sealingly along the guide ring, and defines, with the transverse wall and with the guide ring, a variable volume chamber which is bounded on the outside by a disc, together with friction liners which are adapted to be gripped, respectively, between the piston and the disc and between the disc and the transverse wall.
Each friction liner is fixed to one of the elements consisting of the disc, the piston and transverse wall between which it is adapted to be gripped.
It has previously been proposed, in the document FR-A-2 634 849, to couple the piston in rotation to the said axially fixed transverse wall, with axial mobility being obtained by means of tangentially oriented tongues which are fixed to a driving member disposed in the variable volume chamber.
In practice, this driving member is in the form of a disc which is fixed by a splined coupling to the guide ring carried centrally by, and fixed to, the said transverse wall.
As a result, the fitting of the guide ring on the transverse wall is not as easy as might be desired, because the said guide ring is equipped in advance with the disc carrying the tangential tongues coupled to the piston.
In addition, the solution is neither simple nor inexpensive, because of the splined mounting of the disc on the guide ring.
In addition, the feed to the variable volume chamber has to be obtained with the aid of channels which are formed in a known way in the said ring, and the said channels have to be arranged in such a way as to have regard to the presence of the disc, the nature of this arrangement being such as to increase the axial distance between the piston and the transverse wall.
An object of the present invention is to reduce these disadvantages in a simple and inexpensive way, while continuing to benefit from easy sliding of the piston along the guide ring and from the provision of a sub-assembly consisting of the driving member, the tangential tongues and the piston.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
In accordance with the invention, a hydrokinetic coupling apparatus with a lockup clutch, of the type described above, is characterised in that the driving member for the tongues is fixed by laser transparency welding to the said transverse wall, and in that the driving member is included in advance in a sub-assembly which also comprises the tangential tongues and the piston.
Thanks to the invention, the guide ring is simplified, because no splined coupling need be provided, since the driving member is secured to the transverse wall by welding.
Another result of the invention is that it is possible to locate the feed channels for the variable volume chamber in a desired way because no disc is fixed on the guide ring.
This also enables the axial dimension between the transverse wall and the piston to be reduced. In addition, advantage is taken of the configuration of the axially fixed transverse wall. In this connection, this wall has, in its middle part, a portion which projects axially away from the piston with respect to the central part of the said wall. It is in this middle wall portion that the driving member is fitted, which enables axial size to be reduced.
The driving member, preassembled in a sub-assembly which also consists of the tongues and the piston, can be positioned with respect to the transverse wall prior to the welding operation, with the aid of, for example, a removable jig for centering the piston with respect to the transverse wall. This jig may for example include a centering piece which is fitted into the bore of the central portion of the transverse wall, centering the piston externally.
By virtue of the welding operation, it is thus possible to reduce the tolerances in the kinematic chain that goes from the driving member to the piston, while having the above mentioned sub-assembly. The sub-assembly enables simple fastening means to be used, such as rivets, screws or bolts. The sub-assembly enables the piston to be quickly fitted on the transverse wall.
Fitting of the guide ring can be carried out as a final step.
Thanks to all these arrangements, satisfactory sliding of the piston along the guide ring, that is to say without any risk of jamming, can be guaranteed.
The following description illustrates the invention with reference to the attached drawings, in which:
REFERENCES:
patent: 5209330 (1993-05-01), Macdonald
patent: 5613582 (1997-03-01), Jackel
patent: 5826690 (1998-10-01), Maingaud et al.
patent: 5902498 (1999-05-01), Mistry et al.
patent: 6079530 (2000-06-01), Arhab
patent: 6123177 (2000-09-01), Arhab
patent: 4306598 (1994-09-01), None
patent: 2634849 (1990-02-01), None
patent: 94-07058 (1994-03-01), None
Patent Abstracts of Japan vol. 17, No. 449 (M-1465) & JP 05-104268 Apr. 4, 1993.
Bonck Rodney H.
Liniak Berenato Longacre & White
Valeo
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