Hydrokinetic torque converter with lock-up clutch

Details Hydrokinetic torque converter with lock-up clutch Hydrokinetic torque converter with lock-up clutch

1996-09-16

1998-09-22

Bonck, Rodney H.

192 clutches and power-stop control

Vortex-flow drive and clutch

Including drive-lockup clutch

192212, F16H 4502

Patent

active

058101381

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to a hydrokinetic torque converter with a lock-up clutch.


BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In a torque converter known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,185,273 a clutch disc of the lock-up clutch is mounted axially slidably on the hub of the bladed turbine wheel of the converter by means of a plain bearing and, together with the impeller, bounds a first pressure chamber. Pressurising this pressure chamber by the converter fluid supplied to the converter brings about frictional connection of the clutch disc to an annular surface of the converter housing by means of a friction disc assembly. The friction disc assembly includes a carrier plate for the tangentially disposed compression springs of a damping system, and is connected non-rotatably to a gearbox input shaft of a vehicle transmission. When the lock-up clutch is engaged the torque delivered by the driving motor by-passes the converter as it is transmitted to the gearbox. In this situation the torque delivered to the gearbox is damped by the damping system. However, this damping does not occur when, with the lock-up clutch disengaged, the torque is delivered to the gearbox by means of the torque converter through the turbine wheel. In this case the converter fluid is supplied to a second pressure chamber formed between the clutch disc and the converter housing, and the higher pressurisation of this chamber compared with the first pressure chamber causes the frictional connection of the clutch disc to the converter housing to be broken.
From EP-B 0 001 839 a hydrokinetic torque converter is known in which the clutch disc of a functionally similar lock-up clutch is mounted axially slidably on the gearbox input shaft. The clutch disc is connected non-rotatably by drivers to a carrier plate for tangentially disposed compression springs of a corresponding damping system. The carrier plate of the damping system is welded to the hub of the turbine wheel, which in turn is connected non-rotatably to the gearbox input shaft by a splined connection. In this case, also, there are two pressure chambers, separated from one another by the clutch disc. Differential pressurisation of these pressure chambers by the converter fluid brings about direct frictional connection of the clutch disc to the converter housing through a friction disc, whereby the lock-up clutch is engaged and the torque, influenced by the damping system, is delivered to the gearbox input shaft through the hub of the turbine wheel. If on the other hand the frictional connection of the clutch disc to the converter housing is broken by the differential pressurisation of the two pressure chambers, direct influencing of the torque delivered to the gearbox by the damping system is excluded, since when the lock-up clutch is not engaged the torque is delivered directly to the gearbox input shaft through the hub of the turbine wheel. At the same time, however, on account of the non-rotatable connection of the turbine wheel hub to the clutch disc of the lock-up clutch through the carrier plate of the damping system, an additional inertial mass is obtained, which helps to stabilise the rotation of the turbine wheel.
Other designs of hydrokinetic torque converters incorporating damping systems and transfer members for transferring torque from the turbine wheel via the damping system are known from GB-A-2 271 411, GB-A-2 172 348, U.S. Pat. No. 5,103,947 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,924,977. In all of these designs the clutch disc is mounted on the hub of the inlet shaft of the gearbox, with the damping system disposed between the clutch disc and the turbine wheel casing.


OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to provide an improved hydrokinetic torque converter wherein the integrated damping system of a lock-up clutch constructed and functioning as described above influences the torque delivered to the gearbox input shaft even when the lock-up clutch is disengaged through the frictional connection of its clutch disc to the converter housing being broken.


SUMMARY OF

REFERENCES:
patent: 4002228 (1977-01-01), Borman
patent: 4169526 (1979-10-01), Malloy
patent: 4529070 (1985-07-01), Kobayashi
patent: 4577737 (1986-03-01), Niikura et al.
patent: 4924977 (1990-05-01), Crawford et al.
patent: 5103947 (1992-04-01), Okuzumi

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