Texas Instruments Corporation

Mclaren Automotive Group, Inc.

Horizon Photonics, Inc.

Henry Ty

Alfred J White

Narendra R Zaveri

Richard J Lisauskas

Matthew L Behler

Richard J Sweeney

Robert R Cullen

William M Yates, Iii

William M Yates Iii

Eric J Glasson

Joseph H Gondusky

George DeAmaral

Roger L Boisvert

Raymond M Sears

John Baptista

Gerald L McDermott

A limited slip differential for an automotive vehicle includes a torque input differential pinion carrier, two differential side gears and a pair of torque output axle half shafts. The differential also includes at least one friction clutch assembly having first friction clutch plates connected driveably to the differential pinion carrier and second friction clutch plates connected driveably to one of the side gears. An annular pressure chamber is defined in the carrier. An annular piston is movably supported within the pressure chamber and adjacent the friction plates of the friction clutch assembly. The limited slip differential further includes a positive displacement gear pump having pumping elements defining high pressure and low pressure ports whereby pressure in the pressure chamber creates a force on the piston that engages a clutch assembly to effect a friction torque bias in the differential through the friction clutch assembly. The piston includes at least one flow control orifice through which fluid may flow from the high pressure port of the positive displacement gear pump via the annular pressure chamber and a thermal compensating valve that is mounted on the piston and is operable to decrease the flow area of the flow control orifice upon increasing temperature. Furthermore, the thermal compensating valve is also operable to increase the flow area of the flow control orifice upon decreasing temperature.

Limited slip differential having thermal compensating valve for regulating torque bias

A micro-fabrication method of manufacturing optical assemblies and a temperature compensated optical isolator. The manufacturing method employs a lamination procedure to create an array of optics-receiving micro-fixtures. The method is well adapted for the automated manufacturing of optical assemblies. Desirably, the method provides for high speed, high volume production, thereby advantageously, maintaining low manufacturing costs. The isolator utilizes a bimetallic element to rotate a polarization element of the isolator in response to temperature variations. The isolator maintains an effectively constant isolation over a substantially wide temperature range. Advantageously, the isolator is simple, compact and a viable solution to a wide range of optical applications.

Temperature compensator for faraday rotator

A flow control valve for regulating the flow across an orifice to eliminate the effects of viscosity changes throughout a range of temperatures for the hydraulic fluid. The valve includes a base with an orifice and a slide valve element that registers with the orifice and that is movable by a double, helix-wound, bimetallic spring. The bimetallic spring extends linearly in the direction of motion of the slide valve element so that its effective length will change a predictable amount for a given temperature change, thereby progressively changing the size of the orifice as the spring moves the slide valve element to which it is connected.

Limited slip differential with temperature compensating valve

A temperature control system and a thermal valve for said system composed of a housing having a gas inlet port connected to the refrigerant return line and a gas outlet port disposed in a compressor interior. A helical thermostat metal coil is fixed within and at one end of the housing, the other end of the coil being free to rotate with change in temperature. The thermostat metal for the coil is preferably chosen so that no movement thereof takes place until some predetermined temperature is reached, at which temperature rotation of the free coil end commences. The free coil end, either along or in conjunction with a baffle or the like, normally blocks the gas inlet port and prevents refrigerant gas from entering the housing and passing therethrough onto the compressor motor. When the motor within the compressor heats up to the predetermined temperature, the thermostat metal helical coil proceeds to rotate and moves the end thereof or baffle attached to the end thereof away from the gas inlet port and permits refrigerant gas to enter the housing and pass therethrough to cool the motor therein. When the motor within the compressor is cooled below the predetermined temperature, the thermostat metal coil will have rotated in the opposite direction to again close off the fluid inlet port. In this way, the refrigerant gas is applied to the compressor motor only under conditions of overheating.

Thermal valve for compressor

A fluid flow control for an automative transmission system is shown in which a gate, attached to a free end of a thermostatic coil, is caused to slide on a control plate having first and second orifices dependent upon changes in sensed temperature between a position in which one orifice is covered and the other is uncovered and a position in which the one orifice is uncovered and the other is covered and an intermediate position in which one orifice opens as the other closes.

Dual exhaust fluid flow control distribution apparatus

A fluid level control valve has a base with an aperture formed therein. A cover is slidingly disposed over the aperture and is biased by a thermostatic element in a direction tending to close the aperture. In one embodiment the thermostatic element is an elongated strip having one end captured by tabs projecting from the base, and an opposite end is captured by a bracket formed on the base. The thermostatic element is formed with a V-shaped formed imparing portion which is aligned with the cover and the position of the bracket is adjustable to place a selected force on the cover through the thermostatic element. The calibrated valve is then fixedly attached to a housing with the aperture aligned with an aperture in the housing. In another embodiment a U-shaped thermostatic strip has one end mounted on the base with its opposite end biased against the cover.

Automotive oil level control valve apparatus

The disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for fabricating a double helix coil comprising the steps of and apparatus for coiling a wire into a first helix, removably securing one end portion of the first helix to an arbor, coiling the first helix about the arbor to form a coil having a second helix, detaching the one end portion of the coil from the arbor and removing the double helix coil from the arbor.

Method and apparatus for making a double helix thermostat metal spring

A fluid level control valve has a base with an aperture formed therein. A cover is slidingly disposed over the aperture and is biased by a thermostatic element in a direction tending to close the aperture. The thermostatic element is an elongated strip having one end captured by tabs projecting from the base, and an opposite end is captured by a bracket formed on the base. The thermostatic element is formed with a V-shaped force imparting portion which is aligned with the cover and the position of the bracket is adjustable to place a selected force on the cover through the thermostatic element. The calibrated valve is then fixedly attached to a housing with the aperture aligned with an aperture in the housing.

A temperature responsive valve particularly adapted for use in a manual valve of a vehicular automatic transmission control is shown in which the temperature responsive valve has a generally cylindrical housing with a reduced diameter section and a cylindrical valve element rotatably received in the reduced diameter section. A thermostatic coil is coupled to the valve element to control the angular position of the valve element. Apertures are provided in both the housing and the valve element forming a variable orifice for pneumatic fluid which flows into an open end of the housing and out of a minimum fixed orifice in the reduced diameter section and, depending on the temperature, may also flow through the variable orifice.

Temperature responsive flow control valve apparatus

A shock absorbing mechanism has a fluid filled pressure chamber with a piston mounted therein along with a restrictive orifice leading to an outer chamber. When shock is transmitted by the piston, fluid is forced through the opening against compressed gas contained in the outer chamber. The opening is formed in a movably mounted valve element normally biased against a valve seat but which is forced away from the valve seat by the fluid which had previously passed through the orifice after the force caused by the shock is abated. The size of the orifice in the valve element is controlled by a thermostatic coil mounted on the valve element. The coil is connected to a pin which pivots as the coil expands or contracts due to changes in temperature causing a flag mounted on the pin to slide over the surface of the valve element in which the orifice is formed.

Fluid flow control apparatus

An over-the-shoulder automotive safety seat belt system having a latch providing a tensionless comfort setting for the belt during use and having remotely operable thermostat metal means to release the latch and permit automatic belt retraction after use is shown to have an improved electrically operable latch release mechanism providing reliable latching and providing fast and reliable latch release operation at low power levels.

Safety seat belt system and latch release mechanism used therein

A fluid flow control for an automotive automatic transmission system is shown in which a flag, attached to a free end of a thermostat element is caused to slide over a control orifice to provide a minimum fluid flow at a high reference temperature of the fluid and above and a maximum fluid flow at a low reference temperature of the fluid and below.

A composite thermostat metal having layers of metal of relatively high and relatively low coefficients of thermal expansion metallurgically bonded together has a relatively thin, corrosion-resistant layer of an austenitic stainless steel metallurgically bonded to the low expansion side of the thermostat metal, the stainless steel material being selected from the group consisting of austenitic stainless steels which undergo austenite to martensite transformation and concomitant lowering of coefficient of thermal expansion during work hardening. The stainless steel material is work hardened to a selected extent for lowering its coefficient of thermal expansion so that it cooperates with the other components of the thermostat metal in providing the thermostat metal with suitably high flexivity while also providing improved corrosion-resistance properties on the low expansion side of the thermostat metal. In one embodiment, the thermostat metal embodies a second layer of austenitic stainless steel at the opposite or high expansion side of the thermostat metal, the second layer material being selected from the group consisting of austenitic stainless steels which are characterized by relatively high coefficient of thermal expansion and are substantially free of austenite to martensite transformation during work hardening, whereby the second layer also cooperates in achieving a desired high flexivity while providing corrosion resistance properties for the high expansion side of the thermostat metal.

Composite thermostat metal

A thermally responsive damper for opening the flue of a gas-fired apparatus when gas firing occurs and for otherwise closing the flue to prevent unnecessary energy losses utilizes a low cost, high flexivity, thermostat metal adapted to operate in the corrosive flue environment, the thermostat metal having a high expansion layer of a corrosion-resistant austentic stainless steel which does not transform as it is worked during manufacture of the thermostat metal and a low expansion layer of an alloy of 36 percent nickel and the balance iron. The thermostat metal also has a thin layer of a stabilized, high chromium, ferritic stainless steel on the outer surface of the lower expansion layer for protecting the low expansion layer from corrosion in the flue gasses and for permitting the achievement of high flexivity in the thermostat metal while also permitting economical manufacture of the composite material.

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Attleboro, MA, United States of America

Henry Ty