Usui Kokusai Sangyo Kaisha Limited

Usui Kokusai Sangyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Ltd.

Yuichi Ono

Kazunori Takikawa

Hiroshi Inoue

Mitsuaki Hatori

Yoshiyuki Mita

Hiroshi Inuoe

A fluid clutch comprises a driving disc rotationally driven by a driving section, a rotatable casing enhousing the driving disc, a blower attached to the casing, and an oil supply means for supplying an oil from an outside to a torque transmission gap between the driving disc and the casing. Further, a driving section may be connected by means of a flexible joint to either one of the casing or the disc. The fluid clutch can always attain optimum control by adjusting the amount of the oil at a high accuracy and rapidly depending on various kinds of operation conditions. A breezer also is provided for releasing gas from the torque transmission chamber when pressure exceeds a predetermined upper limit, and for enabling inflow of atmospheric air to the torque transmission chamber when pressure is less than a predetermined lower limit. The clutch is endurable to external vibrations.

Fluid clutch

An axial-flow fan to be attached to an output shaft of an internal combustion engine is provided with a circular resistance plate disposed between the fan and the engine housing. The resistance plate extends perpendicularly to a fan driving output shaft of the engine, while surrounding the output shaft. Air flow flowing against the resistance plate is deflected in the radial directions, deviating from the output shaft. This air flow turns back toward the upstream side of the fan, turbulent flow is effectively minimized, and the absorption power of the fan is remarkably reduced.

Fan with a resistant plate

Herein disclosed is a temperature sensitive fluid type fan coupling apparatus which comprises: a sealed container including a casing and a cover, a partition dividing the inside of the sealed container into an oil sump and a torque transmission chamber housing the drive disc; a dam formed in a portion of such an inner circumference of the sealed container as faces the outer circumference of the drive disc, on which the oil is collected at the time of rotation; a circulation passage communicating with the dam and leading from the torque transmission chamber to the oil sump; a valve member fitted in the oil sump for opening an outflow adjusting orifice leading to the torque transmission chamber, if the ambient temperature exceeds a preset value, and closing the same if below the preset value; and a spiral temperature sensing element mounted on the front face of the cover and associated with the valve member if spirally deformed in accordance with the temperature change. The effective contact area of the oil at a torque transmission gap is increased or decreased to control the torque transmission from the rotating shaft at the drive side to the sealed container at the driven side. The output adjusting orifice is formed through a portion of the inner circumference of the cover forming the oil sump. A sealing portion for sliding in the circumferential directions to open or close the outflow adjusting orifice is formed at the leading end of the valve member.

Temperature sensitive type fluid fan coupling apparatus

Herein disclosed is a temperature sensitive type fluid fan coupling apparatus which comprises: a sealed container including a casing and a cover, the container being borne through a bearing on a rotating shaft, which has a drive disc fixed to its leading end, and having a cooling fan attached to its outer circumference; a partition dividing the inside of the sealed container into an oil sump and a torque transmission chamber housing the drive disc, a dam formed in a portion of such an inner circumference of the sealed container as faces the outer circumference of the drive disc, on which the oil is collected at the time of rotation; a circulation passage communicating with the dam and leading from the torque transmission chamber to the oil sump; a valve member fitted in the oil sump for opening an outflow adjusting orifice leading to the torque transmission chamber, if the ambient temperature exceeds a preset value, and closing the same if below the preset value; and a temperature sensing element mounted on the front face of the cover and associated with the valve member if deformed in accordance with the temperature change. Thus, the effective contact area of the oil at a torque transmission gap, which is formed between the opposed wall faces of the drive disc and the sealed container in the vicinity of the outside, is increased or decreased to control the torque transmission from the rotating shaft at the drive side to the sealed container at the driven side. The opening of the output adjusting orifice to be opened or closed by the valve member is formed to intersect the partition generally at a right angle.

A temperature sensitive fluid-type fan coupling device comprises a closed enclosure including a casing journalled on a rotary shaft through a bearing and having a cooling fan at its outer periphery, and a cover, a partition adapted to divide the interior of the closed enclosure into an oil chamber and a torque transmission chamber within which a drive disk is located and including a oil flow adjustment opening, a dam mounted to the inner periphery of the closed enclosure in a face-to-face relation to the outer periphery of the drive disk, an oil flowing toward the inner periphery of the closed enclosure during spinning of the closed enclosure, a circulation passage extending from the torque transmission chamber to the oil chamber through the dam, a valve element mounted within the oil chamber and having one end operable to open the flow adjustment opening when external temperature exceeds a given temperature and close the flow adjustment opening when external temperature is below the given temperature, a temperature sensitive element mounted to the front of the cover and deformed according to temperature fluctuation to move the valve element, and a magnet mounted to bias the valve element in a direction to open the flow adjustment opening.

Temperature sensitive fluid-type fan coupling device

There is disclosed a temperature-controlled fan fluid coupling which supplies cooling air to the engine of an automobile according to the operating conditions at all times. The coupling includes a rotating shaft, a driving disk fixed to the shaft, and an enclosed housing consisting of a cover and a casing. The coupling further includes a dam for collecting oil, a circulation passage, a valve member for opening and closing a hole formed in a partition plate, and a temperature-sensing element. Radially protruding fins or recessed walls are formed to force oil to the dam.

Temperature-controlled fan fluid coupling

A fan fluid coupling for use with an automotive engine. The coupling comprises a sealed housing, a partition plate that partitions the inside of the housing into an oil reservoir chamber and a torque transmission chamber, a resilient tonguelike valve member, and a rod member. The partition plate is provided with an outflow-adjusting hole located close to the outer end of the partition plate. The hole is a slot extending circumferentially of the partition plate. One end of the valve member is fixed to the partition plate. The valve member is curved upward. The front end of the valve member is in resilient contact with the rod chamber against which a bimetallic strip is pressed.

A thermosensitive hydraulic fan coupler for an automobile engine, which allows a suitable amount of air to be supplied to the engine in accordance with the travelling condition of the automobile through the rotation of a fan is provided. The fan coupling according to the present invention is provided with an idle oil chamber and a specific dam within the former adjacent the oil circulation passage between the oil chamber and the torque transmission chamber with the dam serving as an opening and closing mechanism so that in addition to the effects of preventing the generation of abnormal fan noises and promoting an warming-up operation of the engine, it can more effectively prevent the phenomenon of 'attendant rotation' of the driven side of the coupling immediately after restarting the engine.

Thermosensitive hydraulic fan coupling

A fluidized fan coupling device is provided to substantially eliminate accompanying rotation followed engine start up. The device includes a sealed housing with a partition plate dividing the interior of the housing into a torque transfer chamber and an oil reservoir. The housing is rotatably mounted to a shaft which extends into the torque transfer chamber. A driving disk is mounted to the shaft and is disposed in the torque transfer chamber. An oil outflow regulating hole extends through the partition plate and is provided with a valve that responds to changes in temperature. The partition plate also has an oil circulating aperture to permit flow of oil from the torque transfer chamber to the oil reservoir only when the engine is stopped. An idle oil groove in the outer periphery of the torque transfer chamber communicates with an oil circulation passage which extends from the idle oil groove to the oil reservoir. A dam is provided in the idle oil groove to urge the oil through the oil circulation passage. Thus, a portion of the oil accumulated in the torque transfer chamber flows through the oil circulating aperture after the engine has stopped. Any remaining oil is accumulated in the idle oil groove and is urged by the dam through the oil circulating passage immediately after engine start up to substantially eliminate accompanying rotation.

Thermosensitive fluidized fan coupling device

A fan fluid coupling for controlling the rotational speed of a fan that cools an automobile engine. The coupling comprises an enclosed housing, a partition plate that divides the inside of the housing into an oil reservoir chamber and a torque transmission chamber, a driving disk, a dam, a passage extending from the torque transmission chamber to the oil reservoir chamber, a bimetallic strip, a valve member, an idle oil reservoir chamber, and a circular hole formed in the driving disk for placing the idle oil reservoir chamber in communication with the torque transmission chamber only when the associated engine is at rest. At least one small hole is formed in the wall defining the idle oil reservoir chamber, and this hole is in communication with the torque transmission chamber.

A temperature-sensing fan fluid coupling for use with an automobile engine. The coupling comprises a sealed enclosure, a partition plate having an outflow control hole, a thermostat mounted upon the front surface of the enclosure, a rodlike link member in contact with the thermostat at its one end, an interlocking member against which the link member bears, and a resilient tonguelike valve member. One end of the valve member is fixed, while the other end is in resilient contact with the front end of the interlocking member. The thermostat is connected to the valve member via the link member and the interlocking member. As the ambient temperature changes, the thermostat deforms to cause the valve member to more or less open the hole.

Temperature-sensing fan fluid coupling

A temperature-sensitive fan-coupling apparatus is provided with a driving side and a driven side. The driving side comprises a tightly sealed housing. The driven side comprises a rotary member from which fan blades extend. The rotary member includes a following disc disposed in the housing with a torque transmission gap existing between the following disc and the housing. A partition plate is mounted to the rotary member to define an oil reservoir therebetween. An aperture extends through the partition plate to provide communication between the oil reservoir and the torque transmission gap. A temperature-sensitive member is mounted external to the driven end of the apparatus and to one end of a connecting rod which extends through the rotary member and into the oil reservoir. A valve member is mounted to the end of the connecting rod in the oil reservoir and is disposed to selectively cover or open the hole in the partition plate to control the flow of fluid between the oil reservoir and the torque transmission gap. Movement of the valve member is controlled by the temperature-sensitive member.

Temperature-sensitive fluid type fan coupling apparatus

A valve member of a temperature sensitive fluid fan coupling for an engine cooling fan is formed from a plate material having a weight provided at its free end. The modulus of section of the longitudinally central portion of the plate material is reduced to impart flexibility thereto so that it is flexible in the direction of rotation. Accordingly, it is possible to enhance the effect of the action of the weight which causes the valve member to be displaced so as to cancel the pivotal displacement of the valve member caused by the displacement of a bimetal. Thus, it is possible to eliminate the discontinuity in the temperature sensitivity of the speed of rotation of the fan and hence lower the noise level, reduce the fuel consumption and minimize the change in temperature of cooling water.

Valve member of temperature sensitive fluid fan coupling

A thermal response type fluid fan coupling device which is constituted by a sealed chamber which is divided into an oil accumulating chamber and a torque transmission chamber, and which accommodates a driving disc, by a separating plate having an oil flow adjusting hole, in which a dam is provided in a circulated passage connecting the torque transmission chamber and the oil accumulating chamber, and a valve member for opening and closing the flow adjusting hole in accordance with change in ambient temperature is provided so as to control torque transmission from the driving side to the follower side by changing the effective oil contact area in a gap for transmitting torque between the driving disc and the case and the cover, wherein an idle oil accumulating chamber which is connected to an oil introducing gap which is connected to the torque transmission chamber is provided at the position outer than the dam in the radial direction, and oil introducing means for connecing the oil accummulating chamber and the torque transmission chamber only when the device is stopped is provided.

Growing community of inventors

Numazu, Japan

Yuichi Ono