Automotive Products, Inc.

Ap Tmf Limited

Other

Automotive Products Company

Ap Atm Limited

Leamington Spa

501 Automotive Products Plc

Alastair J Young

David Parsons

John P Burke

John Spooner

John P Chippendale

Wilfred N Bainbridge

David R Arrowsmith

Adam Johnson Lambert

Harry M Windsor

Anthony John Curtis

Roger P Jarvis

Robert John Murphy

John Francis Fitzpatrick-Ellis

Harry D Temperley

Stuart John Sleath

Richard David Maitland Cooke

Wolfgang Dieminger

Heinz Mergarten

Franz Sedlmeier

Michael Letzer

Maurice Taylor

Werner Wastl

Gerhard Ronner

Winfried Keller

Omar Moirano

Werner Kroger

A constant lift device for a friction clutch s comprises a lever ( ) pivotally connected to the pressure plate ( ) of the clutch. An abutment ( ) on the lever contacts the clutch cover ( ) during disengagement to limit the lift of the pressure plate ( ). The pivotal position of the lever ( ) relative to the pressure plate is controlled to maintain the lift of the pressure plate ( ) substantially constant over the life of the clutch. The means for controlling the pivotal position of the lever ( ) includes a pin ( ) mounted for sliding movement relative to the pressure plate ( ). The pin ( ) contacts the lever and is inhibited from sliding movement towards the flywheel to prevent pivotal movement of the lever towards the flywheel but is able to slide in a direction away from the flywheel as the clutch wears to adjust the angular position of the lever. Due to the lever ratio the pin ( ) slides by an amount which is less than the amount of wear.

Friction clutch with wear adjustment and constant lift device

A twin mass flywheel ( ) in which first ( ) and second ( ) flywheel masses can rotate relative to each other about an axis (C) under the control of one or more connection means ( ) whose center of gravity moves radially with respect to the rotation axis as the flywheel masses rotate relative to each other. The centripetal loads acting on the connection means ( ) as the twin mass flywheel rotates, tend to bias the first and second flywheel masses towards a pre-determined relative rotational position to provide speed sensitive damping of the relative rotation. The connection means may take the form of a mass ( ) which moves along a first track ( ) associated with the first flywheel mass ( ) and a torque transmitting connection acting between the mass ( ) and the second flywheel mass ( ) in the form of a second track ( ) also followed by the mass ( ). Numerous other forms of connection means are also disclosed some of which us links ( ) in place of one of the tracks.

Twin mass flywheels

A torsional vibration damper, for example a twin mass flywheel ( ), has an input element ( ) and an output element ( ) which are relatively rotatable against the action of a damping means which includes a plurality of linkages ( ). Each linkage includes a plurality of interconnected links ( ), at least one of which is flexible in an axial sense relative to the remainder of the damper to accommodate forces applied to the flexible link as a result of relative tilting of the damper elements ( ) during use of the damper. Various designs of generally radially extending flexible bob weight links ( ) and additional connecting links ( ) are disclosed.

Torsional vibration dampers

A torsional vibration damper comprising an input member for connection with a vehicle engine and an output member for connection with a vehicle transmission, the members being mounted for limited relative rotation about a common axis against a damping means comprising one or more circumferentially acting compression springs. Each spring acts between a first abutment formed as an integral part of the input member and a second abutment formed as an integral part of the output member. The damper may also include one or more elastomeric springs or blocks which are subjected to compression in end zones of the relative rotation of the input and output members. Other inventive features of the damper include support members for avoiding fouling of the elastomeric springs or blocks by the compression springs and the use of cantilevered pivot pins for the connection of bob-weight connecting linkages connected between the input and output members. Various friction damping arrangements are also disclosed which can be speed and/or displacement dependent. A method of assembling the damper is also disclosed.

A damping device ( ) includes co-axially arranged first and second parts ( ) which can rotate relative to each other by a limited amount about an axis ( ) of the damping device. The device also includes at least one linkage device ( A) comprising an anchor link ( ) pivotally connected via a first pivot ( ) to the first part ( ) and having a torque transmitting connection ( A) with the second part ( ). The linkage device ( A) acting to resist relative rotation of the first and second pars ( ). There is also provided a resilient means in the form of coil spring ( A) which acts generally circumferentially between the linkage device ( A) and the first part ( ) to resist relative rotation of the first and second parts ( ).

Damping device

A clutch assembly ( ) comprising a clutch cover ( ), a pressure plate ( ) mounted to the cover, a diaphragm spring ( ) biasing the pressure plate away from the cover to engage the clutch, a lever ( ) for releasing the clutch and a hydraulic slave cylinder ( ) mounted on the cover via a support bearing ( ) for movement of the lever to release the clutch. A vibration isolating member ( ) such as a layer of polymeric material ( ) on a race ( ) of the support bearing ( ) is provided between the support bearing and the slave cylinder. The race ( ) of the support bearing ( ) is connected to a piston ( ) of the slave cylinder slidably received in an annular bore ( ) in a housing ( ) of the cylinder to define a working chamber ( ). The housing ( ) is connected with the lever ( ) so that pressurization of the working chamber ( ) axially displaces the housing to move the lever and disengage the clutch.

Growing community of inventors

Kenilworth, United Kingdom

Alastair J Young