Hydraulic friction clutch
AssigneeBehr GmbH & Co.
InventorWolfgang Reeb
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A hydraulic friction clutch has a drive shaft, a drive disk fastened non-rotatably thereto, and an output, which is define by an housing. The housing is rotatably journaled relative to the drive shaft via bearings. The drive disk has a profiling to increase the transmittable torque and rotates in a working chamber formed in a space formed inside the housing. The housing has a supply chamber communicating with the working chamber via a bidirectional duct(s). Working fluid is introduced and drained to and from the working chamber solely through the bidirectional duct(s). Working fluid is introduced and drained from the working chamber substantially from the outer radial region of the working chamber.
Claims21
A hydraulic friction clutch comprising:
- a drive member;
- a driven member adapted to be rotatably driven by an input, the driven member having an engaging portion adapted to engage the drive member, the driven member and the drive member being journaled for relative rotation therebetween;
- a working chamber in which the drive member is adapted to rotate and engage the engaging portion of the driven member, the working chamber being adapted to hold working fluid and having at least one bidirectional communication duct for passage of the working fluid therethrough;
- a supply chamber radially spaced from the working chamber and communicating with the working chamber through the bidirectional communication duct for supplying and draining the working fluid to and from the working chamber, wherein an amount of coupling between the drive member and the driven member is controlled by an amount of the working fluid in the working chamber;
- and
- a controller for controlling passage of the working fluid to and from the working chamber to control the amount of coupling between the driven member and the drive member,
- wherein the bidirectional communication duct extends substantially radially between the working chamber and the supply chamber and extends to a radially outermost region of the working chamber.
A hydraulic friction clutch according to 11, wherein the housing has a bore defining the supply chamber, in which the piston is displaceably received, the piston having an annular groove seating a sealing ring.
A hydraulic friction clutch according to 19, further including a partition dividing the supply chamber from the working chamber.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.