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US 3,972,399 AGranted
Temperature responsive coupling
AssigneeEaton Corporation
InventorWarren G. Bopp
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A temperature controlled fluid shear coupling adapted to drive a fan for an internal combustion engine. The coupling includes a driven member defining a housing adapted to carry the fan, a drive member adapted to be driven by the engine, a working chamber defined by the driven and drive member and containing viscous fluid, a pump for removing fluid from the working chamber to a reservoir, and temperature control assembly which varies the volume of fluid in the working chamber by controlling fluid flow from the reservoir to the working chamber in response to temperature changes. The temperature control includes a wax filled power element and a valving member. The valving member blocks fluid flow from the reservoir to the working chamber when the wax is solid and allows flow to the working chamber when the wax is a liquid.
Claims18
A viscous fluid coupling comprising:
- first and second relatively rotatable members mounted about a common axis;
- a working chamber defined by said members and containing an inventory of viscous fluid for transmitting torque from one of said members to the other of said members by fluid shear stress in response to relative rotation of said members;
- a fluid reservoir;
- first and second passage means for communicating said working chamber with said reservoir;
- means for pumping fluid from said working chamber to said reservoir via one of said passages;
- valve means associated with one of said passages and movable between a first position blocking fluid flow in one of said passages and a second position allowing fluid flow in said one passage;
- and
- temperature sensing means mounted on one of said members at a position radially disposed with respect to said common axis and including means containing a liquid-solid phase change substance having a high coefficient of expansion during phase change and operative to move said valve means between said first and second positions in response to said phase change occurring over a predetermined temperature range.
5 more elements
A viscous coupling comprising:
- a first rotatable member defining a housing rotatable about an axis;
- a second member disposed in the interior of said housing and rotatable about said axis;
- a working chamber defined by said members and containing an inventory of viscous fluid for transmitting torque from one of said members to the other of said members by fluid shear stress in response to relative rotation of said members;
- an annular reservoir defined by said first member and the outer diameter of said reservoir being defined by an annular wall portion projecting axially outward from said housing;
- first and second passage means for communicating said working chamber with said reservoir;
- means for pumping fluid from said working chamber to said reservoir via said first passage;
- valve means associated with said second passage and moveable between a first position blocking fluid flow from said reservoir to said working chamber via said second passage and a second position allowing fluid flow from said reservoir to said working chamber via said second passage;
- temperature sensing means for sensing temperature changes exterior of said coupling and mounted on said annular wall portion, said sensing means including means containing a liquid-solid phase change substance having a high coefficient of expansion during phase change and operative to move said valve means between said first and second positions in response to said phase change occurring over a predetermined temperature range.
5 more elements
A viscous fluid coupling comprising:
- a first rotatable member defining a housing rotatable about an axis;
- a second member disposed in the interior of said housing and rotatable about said axis;
- a working chamber defined by said members and containing an inventory of viscous fluid for transmitting torque from one of said members to the other of said members by fluid shear stress in response to relative rotation between said members;
- a reservoir defined by said housing;
- first and second passage means for communicating said working chamber with said reservoir;
- means for pumping fluid from said working chamber to said reservoir via said first passage;
- means for communicating fluid from said reservoir to said working chamber via said second passage means;
- valve means associated with said second passage and moveable between a first position blocking fluid communication from said reservoir to said working chamber;
- and
- temperature sensing means radially disposed with respect to said axis and mounted on the exterior of said housing, said sensing means including means containing a liquid-solid phase change substance:
- 1. having a high coefficient of expansion during phase change,
- 2. responsive to changes in temperature ambient to the exterior of said housing, and
- 3. operative to move said valve means from said first position to said second position in response to said substance changing from a solid to a liquid over predetermined temperature range of said ambient temperature.
10 more elements
A viscous fluid coupling comprising:
- a first rotatable member defining a housing rotatable about an axis;
- a second member disposed in the interior of said housing and rotatable about said axis;
- a working chamber defined by said members and containing an inventory of viscous fluid for transmitting torque from one of said members to the other of said members by fluid shear stress in response to relative rotation between said members;
- an annular reservoir defined by said housing and having an outer wall portion exposed to the exterior of said housing;
- means for varying the volume of said fluid inventory in said working chamber, said means including means moveable between a first position for reducing said volume to a minimum amount and a second position for increasing said volume to a maximum amount;
- temperature sensing means radially disposed with respect to said axis and mounted on the outer wall portion exposed to the exterior of said housing and including means operative to move between said first and second positions in response to changes in temperature ambient to the exterior of said housing.
3 more elements
A fluid coupling comprising:
- first and second relatively rotatable members mounted about a common axis and defining a working chamber containing an inventory of fluid for transmitting torque from one member to the other member in response to relative rotation between said members;
- a fluid reservoir defined by one of said members;
- first and second passage means for communicating said working chamber with said reservoir;
- means for pumping fluid from said working chamber to said reservoir via one of said passages;
- valve means associated with one of said passages and moveable between a first position blocking fluid flow in the associated passage and a second position allowing fluid flow in the associated passage;
- and
- temperature sensing means mounted on one of said members at a position disposed radially outward of said rotational axis and on the exterior of said coupling, said sensing means operative to move said valve means between said first and second positions in response to sensed temperature changes occurring exterior of said coupling.
4 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.