US 4,541,513 AGranted

Fluid power transmission

OwnerWilliam H. Payneinventor

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Abstract

A fluid power transmission adapted for combination with an engine to drive auxiliary equipment thereto including a rotor arrangement for direct driving connection to the engine crankshaft and a housing assembly rotatably supported on the rotor arrangement and forming therewith a fluid drive circuit to be in driven relation therewith. A centrifugally-actuated valve is radially disposed in the fluid circuit in the housing assembly to remain closed at rotational speeds of the housing assembly less than a predetermined optimum speed and to yield in response to centrifugal forces created upon rotation of the housing assembly at greater speeds for fluid flow in the fluid circuit to create slippage of the housing assembly about the rotor arrangement to limit increases in the rotational speed of the housing assembly over the optimum speed. The housing assembly includes a pulley wheel by which the auxiliary units are driven generally constantly at the optimum speed for maximum efficiency.

Claims29

Dependent claims

A fluid power transmission adapted for receiving a variable speed rotary input force and transmitting a relatively substantially constant speed rotary output force, said transmission comprising:

(a) rotor means adapted to be rotatably driven by said input force in direct variable speed relation therewith,
(b) housing means annularly mounted on said rotor means for relative rotation thereabout and having means sealably defining with said rotor means a fluid drive circuit for being in driven relation therewith, said drive circuit defining means including eccentric ring means disposed annularly about said rotor means for defining a fluid working chamber annularly therebetween, a fluid reservoir in said housing means, and fluid passageway means in said housing means for fluid flow respectively between said reservoir and said working chamber,
(c) a predetermined quantity of non-compressible hydraulic fluid contained in said drive circuit, and
(d) valve means disposed in said passageway means and having a valve operating member movable generally radially of said housing means, said valve operating member being biased into a normal radially-inward valve closing position to prevent fluid flow in said passageway means for essentially locking said rotor means and said housing means in direct driving relation, and being yieldable radially-outwardly variably in a predetermined direct responsive relation to centrifugal forces generated by rotation of said housing means in excess of a predetermined optimum rotational speed thereof for permitting positive displacement rotor means-impelled fluid flow through said passageway means at varying flow rates directly related to said excess rotational speed of said housing means for causing variable slippage between said rotor means and said housing means in direct relation to said excess rotational speed of said housing means, thereby substantially limiting increases in the rotational speed of said housing means over said optimum speed thereof.

1 more element

In combination with a driving engine and a driven unit auxiliary thereto, a fluid power transmission drivenly associated with said engine and drivingly associated with said auxiliary unit for receiving a variable speed rotary input driving force from said engine and transmitting a relatively substantially constant speed rotary output driving force to said auxiliary unit, said fluid power transmission comprising:

(a) rotor means operatively connected to said engine to be rotatably driven by said input force thereof in direct variable speed relation therewith,
(b) housing means annularly mounted on said rotor means for relative rotation thereabout and having means sealably defining with said rotor means a fluid drive circuit for being in driven relation therewith, said housing means being operatively connected to said auxiliary unit for driving thereof by said output force at said constant speed, said drive circuit defining means including eccentric ring means disposed annularly about said rotor means for defining a fluid working chamber annularly therebetween, a fluid reservoir in said housing means, and fluid passageway means in said housing means for fluid flow respectively between said reservoir and said working chamber,
(c) a predetermined quantity of non-compressible hydraulic fluid contained in said drive circuit, and
(d) valve means disposed in said passageway means and having a valve operating member movable generally radially of said housing means, said valve operating member being biased into a normal radially-inward valve closing position to prevent fluid flow in said passageway means for essentially locking said rotor means and said housing means in direct driving relation, and being yieldable radially-outwardly variably in a predetermined direct responsive relation to centrifugal forces generated by rotation of said housing means in excess of a predetermined optimum rotational speed thereof for permitting positive displacement rotor means impelled fluid flow through said passageway means at varying flow rates directly related to said excess rotational speed of said housing means for causing variable slippage between said rotor means and said housing means in direct relation to said excess rotational speed of said housing means, thereby substantially limiting increases in the rotational speed of said housing means over said optimum speed thereof.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.