Hydraulic coupling having improved hydraulic porting path design
AssigneeEaton Corporation
InventorsMatthew George Fox, Patrick John McMillan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A hydraulic coupling for use in a vehicle drivetrain to couple a pair of rotary members and includes a coupling mechanism supported in a casing and that is operable to couple the pair of rotary members together. A piston is responsive to pressurized fluid generated by a pump to move between first and second positions, thereby engaging the coupling mechanism. The pump has an outlet located in a direction away from the piston. An internal passage provides fluid communication between the outlet of the pump and an expandable chamber formed adjacent the piston. A control valve controls the flow of pressurized fluid from the pump between the sump and the expandable chamber.
Claims12
A hydraulic coupling for use in a vehicle drivetrain including a pair of rotary members, said hydraulic coupling comprising:
- a casing operatively supporting the pair of rotary members;
- a coupling mechanism supported in said casing and operable to selectively couple the pair of rotary members together;
- a piston moveably supported in said casing between a first position and a second position defining an expandable chamber;
- a pump operable to provide a source of pressurized fluid in response to differential movement between the pair of rotary members, said pump having an outlet in a direction away from said piston;
- an internal passage providing fluid communication between said outlet of said pump and said expandable chamber;
- a control valve having an open position wherein pressurized fluid is directed toward a sump and a closed position wherein pressurized fluid is directed to said expandable chamber to move said piston to said second position to activate said coupling mechanism to couple the rotary members together.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.