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US 4,361,055 AGranted
Torque converter
AssigneeJuris Murnieks
InventorRobert Kinson
Life of this patent
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AssigneeJuris Murnieks
InventorRobert Kinson
Estimating the term…
A torque converter is disclosed which comprises a gimbal assembly having a gyroscope mounted for rotation within one of the rings thereof. The spin axle of the gyroscope and the entire gimbal assembly are adapted to rotate about the precessional axis of the gyroscope. The gimbal ring is further adapted to oscillate about a torque axis that is perpendicular to the precessional axis to set up gyroscopic forces in the converter. The spin axis of the gyroscope is independently connected to the output gear of a differential drive unit and the input gear of the unit is connected to the drive shaft of the engine. A planetary gear section is interposed between the input and output gears of the drive unit that is adapted to turn the loaded output shaft of the converter. Oscillating means rock the gimbal ring about the torque axis at some fixed multiple of the engine speed while the entire gimbal assembly is turned about the precessional axis at some fixed multiple of the load speed. A precessional force is thus applied to the differential drive unit which controls the amount of energy delivered from the engine to the load. A timing mechanism automatically adjusts the relative position of the spin axle in regard to the torque axis so that the engine speed to load speed ratio may be varied to give constant engine speed or constant load speed or any desired ratio of speeds.
The method of transmitting energy from a prime mover to a loaded output shaft that includes the steps of
The method of transmitting energy from an engine to a loaded output shaft including
A torque converter having an infinitely variable ratio of input to output speeds that includes
A torque converter including
A torque converter that includes a differential drive unit having an input gear connected to an engine shaft, an output gear connected to the spin axle of a gyroscope having a wheel capable of being rotated at relatively high speeds and a planetary section for connecting the input and output gears that contains a ring gear arranged to drive a loaded output shaft, a gimbal for supporting the gyroscope in one ring thereof so that the spin axle of the gyroscope can independently turn about its precessional axis and oscillating means for rocking the ring of the gyroscope about a torque axis that is perpendicular to the precessional axis of the gyroscope at a rate that is a fixed multiple of the prime mover speed, and means to turn the gimbal about the precessional axis of the gimbal at a rate that is some fixed multiple of the loaded output shaft speed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.