192 clutches and power-stop control – Vortex-flow drive and clutch – Including drive-lockup clutch
Patent
1994-07-19
1997-01-07
Lorence, Richard M.
192 clutches and power-stop control
Vortex-flow drive and clutch
Including drive-lockup clutch
192212, 464 67, F16H 4502, F16F 1512
Patent
active
055907504
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
The present invention is concerned with torsion dampers for lock-up clutches adapted to work between a driving element and a driven element of a fluid coupling apparatus, especially for motor vehicles.
It is also concerned with lock-up clutches having such a torsion damper.
As is known, a clutch of the kind usually referred to as a lock-up clutch, for a fluid coupling apparatus acting between a driving element and a driven element, in particular for a motor vehicle, has a torsion damper, a piston mounted for axial movement with respect to the driven element, and at least one friction liner associated with the piston and adapted to be gripped between the piston and a counter piston.
The torsion damper has an input part, an output part, and springs interposed circumferentially between the input and output parts, for the purpose of coupling the latter together.
Such a clutch is described for example in the documents U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,875,562, and 5,119,911.
In the document U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,562, the piston is configured so as to form the input part of the torsion damper, and carries a friction liner which is arranged to make contact with a transverse wall of the housing of the fluid coupling apparatus, with the wall defining the counter piston.
The housing defines a casing and is adapted to be coupled to a driving shaft.
The output part of the damper is in fixed relationship with the turbine wheel of the fluid apparatus.
The turbine wheel is in fixed relationship with a hub which is adapted to be coupled to a driven shaft.
Thus the casing constitutes a driving element, while the hub of the turbine wheel constitutes a driven element, and the lock-up clutch is adapted to work between the casing and the turbine wheel.
In the document U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,562, the torsion damper comprises the piston retaining the springs (or resilient members) externally, together with a guide ring which is carried by the piston and which retains the springs internally by means of retaining lugs. The piston and the guide ring have abutment lugs for acting on the circumferential ends of the springs.
The input part thus comprises two components, while the output part comprises a damper plate which is in fixed relationship to the turbine wheel.
This damper plate has engagement lugs which penetrate between the circumferential ends of two consecutive springs so as to act on these latter.
Each of these lugs penetrates radially between two associated engagement lugs of the piston and guide ring respectively.
Functionally, the torsion damper is thus in three parts.
In a variant as shown in FIG. 6 of the document U.S. Pat. No. 4,875,562, the guide ring, being fixed with respect to the piston, retains the springs radially inwardly by means of retaining lugs, and radially outwardly by means of a flange, so that the torsion damper functionally comprises two parts, with a peripheral guide ring in the form of a half shell having a portion for retaining or supporting the springs, together with abutment portions for the springs.
However, the shape of the guide ring is complicated and it is difficult to make.
In addition, the space available for the springs is reduced, and fitting of these latter is not easy.
In addition, the springs are not well supported radially by the retaining lugs, which offer only a small abutment surface.
In order to overcome this drawback, consideration can be given to the adoption of a solution of the same type as that described in the document EP-A-0 358 318, in which the input part of the damper comprises two curved components, in facing relationship with each other and configured so as to retain the springs.
These components are disposed laterally on either side of the engagement lugs of the damper plate. As a result, the torsion damper is functionally in three parts, and the springs, especially when they are long, are not well retained radially when they are subjected to the action of centrifugal force.
An object of the present invention is to overcome these drawbacks and thereby to provide, in a simple and inexpens
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patent: 4875562 (1989-10-01), Fujimoto
patent: 4919241 (1990-04-01), Koshimo
patent: 4987980 (1991-01-01), Fujimoto
patent: 5105921 (1992-04-01), Fujimoto
patent: 5119911 (1992-06-01), Bochot et al.
patent: 5141474 (1992-08-01), Fujimoto
patent: 5195622 (1993-03-01), Tauvron et al.
patent: 5209330 (1993-05-01), Macdonald
Arhab Rabah
Billet Rene
Ginaldi Michel
Graton Michel
Maingaud Daniel
Lorence Richard M.
Valeo
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