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US 6,745,563 B1Granted
Axially reduced torque converter with axial pull stator
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorJohn Shue
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A torque converter for a vehicle having a substantially reduced axial length relative to a conventional circular-shaped torus cross section. The torque converter includes a turbine and an impeller, with a stator mounted generally therebetween. The stator is one piece and formed with axial pull shaped blades that have a reactor blade base axial length that extends for the majority of the radial length, a reactor shroud axial length that is less than the reactor blade base axial length, and a taper in the blade between the two axial lengths.
Claims10
A torque converter for use in a vehicle with an engine, which has a crankshaft, and a transmission, which has an input shaft and a stator shaft, the torque converter comprising:
- a cover, adapted to rotatably mount to the crankshaft;
- an impeller having an impeller housing rotatably coupled to the cover;
- a turbine, adapted to rotatably mount to the input shaft, located within the cover and impeller housing;
- and
- a stator assembly, located between the impeller and the turbine, having a one-way clutch adapted to mount to the stator shaft, and having a stator hub, a stator shroud, and a plurality of axial pull blades that extend in a radial direction from the stator hub to the stator shroud, with each of the axial pull blades intersecting the stator hub to form a respective one of a plurality of axially straight hub intersections and each of the axial pull blades intersecting the stator shroud to form a respective one of a plurality of axially straight shroud intersections, with the stator hub, stator shroud and stator blades integrally formed as a single unit and mounted on the one-way clutch, and with each of the axial pull blades having a first edge facing the turbine, a spaced second edge facing the impeller, and a blade base axial length defined between the first edge and the second edge and beginning at the respective hub intersection and extending radially outward for the majority of the radial length of each of the axial pull blades thereby defining a radially inner portion having a rectangular shape in the axial direction, and with each of the axial pull blades having a shroud axial length defined between the first edge and the second edge at the location where the respective axial pull blade connects to the stator shroud, with the shroud axial length being less than the blade base axial length, and with the first edge of each axial pull blade having a first taper portion extending from the radially inner portion to the shroud and the second edge of each axial pull blade having a second taper portion extending from the radially inner portion to the shroud.
2 more elements
A torque converter for use in a vehicle with an engine, which has a crankshaft, and a transmission, which has an input shaft and a stator shaft, the torque converter comprising:
- a cover, adapted to rotatably mount to the crankshaft;
- an impeller having an impeller housing rotatably coupled to the cover;
- a turbine, adapted to rotatably mount to the input shaft, located within the cover and impeller housing;
- a stator assembly, located between the impeller and the turbine, having a one-way clutch adapted to mount to the stator shaft, and having a stator hub, a stator shroud, and a plurality of axial pull blades that extend in a radial direction from the stator hub to the stator shroud, with each of the axial pull blades intersecting the stator hub to form a respective one of a plurality of axially straight hub intersections and each of the axial pull blades intersecting the stator shroud to form a respective one of a plurality of axially straight shroud intersections, with the stator hub, stator shroud and stator blades integrally formed as a single unit and mounted on the one-way clutch, and with each of the axial pull blades having a first edge facing the turbine, a spaced second edge facing the impeller, and a blade base axial length defined between the first edge and the second edge and beginning at the respective hub intersection and extending radially outward for the majority of the radial length of each of the axial pull blades thereby defining a radially inner portion having a rectangular shape in the axial direction, and with each of the axial pull blades having a shroud axial length defined between the first edge and the second edge at the location where the respective axial pull blade connects to the stator shroud, with the shroud axial length being less than the blade base axial length, and with the first edge of each axial pull blade having a first taper portion extending from the radially inner portion to the shroud and the second edge of each axial pull blade having a second taper portion extending from the radially inner portion to the shroud;
- and
- wherein a torus is formed by the impeller, the turbine, and the stator, and the torus has a torus axial length and a torus radial height, with the ratio of the torus axial length to the torus radial height in the range of about 0.5 to 0.9.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.