Torque generation device

A torque generation device comprising:

• a rotor that is connected to a shaft and is rotatable about a rotary axis of the shaft;
• an external member that is disposed outside the rotor and is rotatable about the rotary axis relative to the rotor;
• a magnetically responsive material disposed in a gap between the rotor and the external member;
• a magnetic field generating unit that generates a magnetic field passing the magnetically responsive material;
• and
• an adjusting unit provided between the shaft and the external member along an outer circumference of the shaft, wherein
• the adjusting unit has a containing space in which an adjusting sealing member is provided,
• the magnetically responsive material is sealed in the gap, the containing space, and a path connecting the gap and the containing space and is sealed in an adjustment space provided from a position where the adjusting sealing member is provided to the path in the containing space,
• the adjusting unit is configured such that a capacity of the adjustment space is changeable in accordance with a change in volume of the magnetically responsive material,
• the adjusting sealing member is a ring member having a shape elastically deformable at least along an axial direction of the rotary axis, and
• the ring member is constituted by two V-rings whose cross sections orthogonal to a circumferential direction about the rotary axis each have a V-shape, and each of the two V-rings has, as the V-shape, two arm parts extending from a base end position to a terminal end position in a direction along the rotary axis, and the two arm parts are configured such that start ends thereof are joined to each other at the base end position and a distance therebetween increases in a radial direction toward the terminal end position, and the start ends of the two V-rings are in contact with or in proximity with each other in a direction along the rotary axis.

A torque generation device comprising:

• a rotor that is connected to a shaft and is rotatable about a rotary axis of the shaft;
• an external member that is disposed outside the rotor and is rotatable about the rotary axis relative to the rotor;
• a magnetically responsive material disposed in a gap between the rotor and the external member;
• a magnetic field generating unit that generates a magnetic field passing the magnetically responsive material;
• and
• an adjusting unit provided between the shaft and the external member along an outer circumference of the shaft, wherein
• the adjusting unit has a containing space in which an adjusting sealing member is provided,
• the magnetically responsive material is sealed in the gap, the containing space, and a path connecting the gap and the containing space and is sealed in an adjustment space provided from a position where the adjusting sealing member is provided to the path in the containing space,
• the adjusting unit is configured such that a capacity of the adjustment space is changeable in accordance with a change in volume of the magnetically responsive material,
• the adjusting unit is configured such that the adjusting sealing member is movable along an axial direction of the rotary axis in the containing space, and
• the adjusting unit includes a ventilation part that allows outside air to flow out of the containing space and into the containing space.