Hydrodynamic coupling

#This application is related to and claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119 and 35 U.S.C. §365 of International Application No. PCT/EP2011/002697, filed Jun. 1, 2011, which claims priority to DE 10 2010 022 848.6, the disclosures of which are expressly incorporated herein by reference.

#The present invention concerns a hydrodynamic coupling according to the preamble of claim 1.

#Such a hydrodynamic coupling comprises, as it is described for instance in the patent specification DE 197 07 172 C1, a pump wheel and a turbine wheel, which form together a toroidal working chamber. The working chamber can be filled optionally more or less with a working medium to vary the power transmission of the hydrodynamic coupling from the pump wheel to the turbine wheel by changing the filling level of the working chamber with working medium. Such a hydrodynamic coupling is hence designated as a fill-controlled hydrodynamic coupling.

#The invention will now be described by way of example using an embodiment and the figures.

#The figures are as follows:

#FIG. 1 shows an axial section through a hydrodynamic coupling realised according to the invention;

#FIG. 1 shows an axial section through the hydrodynamic coupling, guided through the rotational axis 25 thereof. The pump wheel 1 as well as the turbine wheel 2 rotate via the rotational axis 25. The pump wheel is driven via a drive unit 15, on hand in the form of a drive shaft, which carries a belt pulley. The turbine wheel 2 drives an output 16, on hand in the form of a output shaft, which carries a belt pulley.

#The pump wheel 1 and the turbine wheel 2 together build a toroidal working chamber 3, in which a hydrodynamic circular flow forms under the effect of the driving of the pump wheel 1, by means of which the drive power is transmitted from the pump wheel 1 to the turbine wheel 2. The filling level of the working chamber 3 with working medium, which forms the circular flow, is variable. A storage chamber 8 is provided for compensation purposes, which chamber is designed as a stationary chamber, whereas all the limiting walls of the storage chamber 8 do not rotate, and which encloses the working chamber 3 or the pump wheel 1 and the turbine wheel 2 in circumferential direction.

#An adjoining chamber 22 provides a connection for conveying the working fluid with the working chamber 3, which adjoining chamber is in this instance more or less arranged on the same diameter as the working chamber 3 inside the hydrodynamic coupling and extends on an axial side or both axial sides of the working chamber 3. A dynamic pressure pump 23 protrudes into the adjoining chamber 22 and its mouth is opposed to the rotational direction of the pump wheel 1 and of the turbine wheel 2, so that the working medium contained in the adjoining chamber 22 is introduced into the tube of the dynamic pressure pump 23 by means of a dynamic pressure forming before the mouth.