Hydrokinetic torque coupling device having turbine-piston lock-up clutch, and related methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10018260-B2
Application number	US-201514808797-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 24, 2015
Priority date	Jul 24, 2015
Publication date	Jul 10, 2018
Grant date	Jul 10, 2018

Abstract

A hydrokinetic torque coupling device for coupling together a driving shaft and a driven shaft features a casing including a casing shell and an impeller casing shell, an impeller including the impeller shell, a turbine-piston including a turbine-piston shell, and an elastic element slidably engaging the turbine-piston and being connected to the casing. The elastic element is configured to bias the turbine-piston toward the impeller. The casing is rotatable about a rotational axis so that the impeller shell is disposed axially opposite to and fixedly connected to the casing shell. The turbine-piston is coaxially aligned with and hydro-dynamically drivable by the impeller.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A hydrokinetic torque coupling device for coupling together a driving shaft and a driven shaft, the torque coupling device comprising:
a casing rotatable about a rotational axis and having an interior volume, the casing comprising a casing shell and an impeller shell disposed axially opposite to and fixedly connected to the casing shell;
an impeller coaxially aligned with the rotational axis and comprising the impeller shell;
a turbine-piston coaxially aligned with and hydro-dynamically drivable by the impeller; and
an elastic element slidably engaging the turbine-piston and being connected to the casing, the elastic element configured to bias the turbine-piston toward the impeller.

2. The hydrokinetic torque coupling device as defined in claim 1 , wherein the turbine-piston comprises a turbine-piston shell including a turbine-piston flange and partitioning the interior volume of the casing into a first chamber between the impeller shell and the turbine-piston shell and a second chamber between the turbine-piston shell and the casing shell; wherein the impeller shell comprises a piston engagement portion having a first engagement surface; and wherein the turbine-piston flange has a second engagement surface facing the first engagement surface and movable axially toward and away from the first engagement surface to position the hydrokinetic torque coupling device into and out of a lockup mode in which the turbine-piston is mechanically locked with the piston engagement portion so as to be non-rotatable relative to the casing.

3. The hydrokinetic torque coupling device as defined in claim 2 , wherein the turbine-piston shell and the turbine-piston flange are axially movable towards an output side of the hydrokinetic torque coupling device in order to frictionally couple the first and second engagement surfaces and position the turbine-piston in the lockup mode, and wherein the turbine-piston shell and the turbine-piston flange are axially movable towards an input side of the hydrokinetic torque coupling device so that the first and second engagement surfaces are not frictionally coupled and the turbine-piston is out of the lockup mode.

4. The hydrokinetic torque coupling device of claim 3 , wherein the elastic element comprises an annular washer having a radially outer end portion mounted to the casing and a radially inner end portion slidably engaging the turbine-piston flange of the turbine-piston.

5. The hydrokinetic torque coupling device of claim 4 , wherein the annular washer includes at least engaging the casing shell one substantially annular fulcrum at the radially inner end portion of the annular washer, and wherein the at least one annular fulcrum slidably engages the turbine-piston flange of the turbine-piston.

6. The hydrokinetic torque coupling device of claim 4 , wherein the radially outer end portion of the annular washer is non-rotatably attached to the casing.

7. The hydrokinetic torque coupling device of claim 4 , wherein the radially outer end portion of the annular washer axially abuts an axial peripheral surface of the casing shell.

8. The hydrokinetic torque coupling device of claim 7 , wherein the radially outer end portion of the annular washer includes an annular contact flange engaging the casing shell.

9. The hydrokinetic torque coupling device of claim 8 , wherein the annular contact flange of the annular washer extends substantially radially outwardly and axially engages the axial peripheral surface of the casing shell.

10. The hydrokinetic torque coupling device of claim 9 , wherein the annular contact flange of the annular washer is non-rotatably attached to the axial peripheral surface of the casing shell.

11. The hydrokinetic torque coupling device of claim 8 , wherein the impeller shell of the casing includes an axial stop member facing an axial peripheral surface of the impeller shell; and wherein the annular contact flange of the annular washer is axially sandwiched between the axial stop member of the impeller shell and the axial peripheral surface of the casing shell for preventing axial movement of the radially outer end portion of the annular washer relative to the casing.

12. The hydrokinetic torque coupling device as defined in claim 2 , wherein the elastic element forms a restriction element configured to restrict fluid flow and create a pressure drop between the first and second chambers when the hydrokinetic torque coupling device is out of the lockup mode.

13. The hydrokinetic torque coupling device of claim 12 , wherein the restriction element comprises an annular washer having a radially outer end portion mounted to the casing and a radially inner end portion slidably engaging the turbine-piston flange of the turbine-piston, and wherein the annular washer comprises at least one fluid passage permitting fluid communication between the first and second chambers.

14. The hydrokinetic torque coupling device of claim 13 , wherein the at least one passage is situated radially outside of the turbine-piston flange.

15. The hydrokinetic torque coupling device of claim 1 , further comprising:
an output hub; and
a torsional vibration damper interconnecting the turbine-piston shell and the output hub.

16. The hydrokinetic torque coupling device of claim 15 , wherein the torsional vibration damper comprises a drive member non-movably connected to the turbine-piston shell and a driven member operatively coupled to the output hub, and wherein the drive member is axially movable relative to the driven member of the torsional vibration damper.

17. The hydrokinetic torque coupling device of claim 15 , further comprising a drive member interconnecting the turbine-piston shell to the torsional vibration damper, wherein the torsional vibration damper comprises an intermediate member, a first set of circumferentially extending elastic damping members drivingly coupling the drive member to the intermediate member, a driven member connected to and non-rotatable relative to the output hub, a second set of circumferentially extending elastic damping members drivingly coupling the intermediate member to the driven member, and a centrifugal pendulum oscillator mounted to the intermediate member.

18. The hydrokinetic torque coupling device of claim 15 , further comprising a drive member interconnecting the turbine-piston shell to the torsional vibration damper, wherein the torsional vibration damper comprises an intermediate member, a first set of circumferentially extending elastic damping members drivingly coupling the drive member to the intermediate member, a driven member connected to and non-rotatable relative to the output hub, a second set of circumferentially extending elastic damping members drivingly coupling the intermediate member to the driven member, and a spring mass system coupled to the intermediate member.

19. The hydrokinetic torque coupling device as defined in claim 1 , wherein the elastic element biases the turbine-piston toward the impeller until a contact of the turbine-piston with the impeller.

20. A method of assembling a hydrokinetic torque coupling device for coupling a driving shaft and a driven shaft together, comprising:
providing a torque converter comprising
an impeller comprising an impeller shell and a plurality of impeller blades, the impeller shell comprising a piston engagement portion having a first engagement surface;
a turbine-piston coaxially aligned with and hydrodynamically drivable by the impeller, the turbine-piston comprising a turbine-pis

Assignees

• Valeo Embrayages

Inventors

• Depraete Alexandre

Classifications

• F16H45/02 Primary

  with mechanical clutches for bridging a fluid gearing of the hydrokinetic type (control of torque converter lock-up clutches F16H61/14) · CPC title

• F16D25/0635

  with flat friction surfaces, e.g. discs · CPC title

• F16H2045/0247

  having a turbine with hydrodynamic damping means · CPC title

• F16H2045/0221

  with damping means · CPC title

• F16H2045/0205

  two chamber system, i.e. without a separated, closed chamber specially adapted for actuating a lock-up clutch · CPC title