192 clutches and power-stop control – Vortex-flow drive and clutch – Including drive-lockup clutch
Reexamination Certificate
2001-07-12
2003-04-01
Rodríguez, Saúl (Department: 3681)
192 clutches and power-stop control
Vortex-flow drive and clutch
Including drive-lockup clutch
Reexamination Certificate
active
06540053
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention pertains to a hydrodynamic clutch device, especially to a hydrodynamic torque converter or fluid clutch, comprising a housing arrangement with a housing hub area, in which a fluid passage space is provided, which space is in fluid-exchange connection with a working fluid space in the housing arrangement and which is also in fluid-exchange connection or can be brought into such connection with a fluid passage opening preferably provided in a power takeoff element.
2. Description of the Related Art
A hydrodynamic torque converter with a housing hub area designed in this way is known from U.S. Pat. No. 5,575,363. This known hydrodynamic torque converter
10
′, which is shown in
FIG. 5
, comprises a housing arrangement
12
′, which consists essentially of a en housing cover
14
′ and an impeller shell
16
′. In its radially inner area, the impeller shell
16
′ is permanently connected by welding, for example, to an impeller hub
18
′. The impeller shell
16
′ also carries a plurality of impeller vanes
20
′ proceeding in a row around the circumference and forms together with them and the impeller hub
18
′ an impeller wheel
22
′.
In the interior space
24
′ of the hydrodynamic torque converter
10
′, furthermore, there is a turbine wheel
26
′. This comprises a turbine wheel shell
28
′, which is permanently connected in its radially inner area to a turbine wheel hub
30
′ and which also carries a plurality of turbine wheel vanes
32
′.
A stator
34
′, which carries a plurality of stator vanes
38
′ on an outer stator ring
36
′ and which is mounted by way of a freewheel unit
40
′ on a support element such as a hollow shaft
42
′ so that it is free to rotate in one direction around a rotational axis A but is prevented from rotating in the opposite direction, is provided axially between the turbine wheel
26
′ and the impeller wheel
22
′. The hollow support shaft
42
′ is mounted concentrically inside the impeller wheel hub
18
′ and also surrounds concentrically a takeoff shaft
44
′, which constitutes the power-takeoff element. This shaft is or can be connected nonrotatably to the turbine wheel hub
30
′ by axially oriented sets of teeth and has a fluid passage opening
46
′ in its central area around rotational axis A, the opening passing axially through this area.
A bridging clutch arrangement
48
′ is also provided. This comprises a clutch piston
50
′, which, in the exemplary embodiment shown, is connected in essentially nonrotatable fashion to the housing cover
14
′ and thus to the housing arrangement
12
′. The radially outer area of this piston can be pressed against the housing cover
14
′ by way of an intermediate friction lining disk
52
′. The friction lining disk
52
′ is connected in essentially nonrotatable fashion by way of a carrier element
54
′ to the turbine wheel
26
′, that is, to the turbine wheel shell
28
′.
It can be seen that the clutch piston
50
′ is connected by way of a flexible carrier arrangement
56
′ to an additional support element
58
′ in such a way that it cannot rotate but is free to move in the axial direction. The support element
58
′ is permanently attached to a housing hub,
60
′. The clutch piston
50
′ is supported with freedom of axial displacement on an external circumferential area of the housing hub
60
′ by way of an intermediate sealing element
62
′. The housing hub
60
′, the outer circumferential area of which is permanently connected to the housing cover
14
′ by welding, for example, also has a centering pin
64
′, which can be inserted into a corresponding centering opening in a drive shaft (not shown). The housing hub
60
′ has a plurality of fluid channels
66
′ passing through it, these channels extending approximately in the radial direction toward the outside. They connect a working fluid space
68
′ formed between the clutch piston
50
′ and the housing cover
14
′ with a fluid passage space
70
′, formed in the radially inside area of the housing hub
60
′ and essentially surrounded by it. Another working fluid space
72
′, which is formed essentially between the clutch piston
50
′ and the impeller wheel shell
16
′, and which also contains the turbine wheel
26
′, can be supplied with working fluid through, for example, a ring-shaped intermediate space
74
′ formed between the support element
42
′ and the takeoff shaft
44
′. The working fluid space
68
′ is supplied with working fluid through the central fluid passage opening
46
′ of the takeoff shaft
44
′, the fluid passage space
70
′, and the fluid passage channels
66
′. Of course, the working fluid can also be carried away from the working fluid spaces
68
′ and
72
′ through the same fluid flow routes just described. By the appropriate supply and removal of fluid, a fluid pressure can be built up on either axial side of the clutch piston
50
′. In accordance with the pressure difference thus obtained, the clutch piston will then move toward the housing cover
14
′ to produce the bridging condition or away from it.
It can be seen that the fluid passage space
70
′, which ultimately is produced by the formation of an axial recess in the housing hub
60
′, which is made from a casting, for example, is sealed off on its axially open side in a fluid-tight manner with respect to the working fluid space
72
′ by a sealing element
76
′ installed between the turbine wheel hub
30
′ and the housing hub
60
′ and with respect to the space
74
′ by a sealing element
78
′, acting between the turbine wheel hub
30
′ and the takeoff shaft
44
′.
In order produce the bridging condition in hydrodynamic torque converters of this type, it is therefore necessary to build up a positive pressure in the working fluid space
72
′; that is, the clutch piston
50
′ must be displaced in the axial direction, and as this happens the working fluid present in the working fluid space
68
′ is forced radially inward against the action of the centrifugal force and thus passes through the fluid channels
66
′ and the fluid passage space
70
′. From there it enters the fluid passage opening
46
′ and finally arrives in a collecting pan. Because the housing arrangement
12
′ and thus also the housing hub
60
′ rotate during this process, turbulence or vortices are produced by Coriolis forces in the working fluid emerging from the radially inner terminal areas
80
′ of the fluid channels
66
′; this turbulence impedes the entry of the fluid into the fluid passage opening
46
′ and thus increases the flow resistance of the fluid.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is the object of the present invention to improve a hydrodynamic torque converter of the general type in question so that it is possible with a low-cost design essentially to eliminate the impediment to the free flow of the fluid in the area of the housing hub arrangement caused by the flow conditions which develop during rotation.
This object is accomplished in accordance with the invention by a hydrodynamic clutch device, in particular a hydrodynamic torque converter or fluid clutch, comprising a housing arrangement with a housing hub area, where, in the housing hub area, a fluid passage space is provided, which is in fluid-exchange connection with a working fluid space in the housing arrangement, and which also is in or can be brought into fluid-exchange connection with a fluid passage opening preferably provided in a power takeoff element.
It is also provided that at least certain areas of the fluid passag
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