Valeo Embrayages

Valeo Embrayges

Zane Yang

Alexandre Depraete

Sungchul Lee

Michel Bacher

Gyubong Jeon

Liguang Cai

Rabah Arhab

Alfonso Medellin

Josip Kovac

A hydrokinetic torque-coupling device for coupling driving and driven shafts. The torque-coupling device includes a casing, an impeller wheel and a turbine wheel hydrodynamically drivable by the impeller wheel, and a lock-up clutch. The lock-up clutch includes a lockup piston axially movable toward and away from the casing, a first disc carrier non-movably secured to the casing, a second disc carrier radially offset from the first disc carrier and drivingly coupled to the turbine wheel, at least one drive disc non-rotatably and axially movably mounted to the first disc carrier, at least one driven disc non-rotatably and axially movably mounted to the second disc carrier and disposed adjacent to the at least one drive disc so as to define a clutch pack, and a clutch biasing spring disposed between the casing and the clutch pack so as to bias the clutch pack toward the lockup piston.

Hydrokinetic torque coupling device with lock-up friction clutch

A damper assembly includes a driven plate, an intermediate plate, and elastic drive elements. The intermediate plate includes a radially outer base wall and opposite side walls. The elastic drive elements are interposed, between tabs of the driven plate and tabs of the intermediate plate to permit relative rotational movement therebetween. The elastic drive elements reside in cavities defined, in part, by a substantially annular radially inwardly facing surface of the intermediate plate. A first region of the radially inwardly facing surface in closest proximity to the elastic drive elements has a first radius. A second region of the radially inwardly facing surface axially interposed between the first region and the first side wall has a second radius that is greater than the first radius.

Torque converter damper assembly

A hydrokinetic torque coupling device includes a casing having opposite sidewalls and an outer wall extending between and connecting the opposite sidewalls, an impeller coaxial aligned with the rotational axis, a piston engagement member extending substantially radially inward from and non-moveable relative to the outer wall of the casing, and a turbine-piston coaxially aligned with and hydrodynamically drivable by the impeller. The turbine-piston includes a turbine-piston shell having a turbine-piston flange with an engagement surface that is movable axially toward and away from an engagement surface of the piston engagement member to position the hydrokinetic torque coupling device into and out of a lockup mode in which the turbine-piston is mechanically locked to and non-rotatable relative to the piston engagement member.

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

A hydrokinetic torque-coupling device for coupling driving and driven shafts. The torque-coupling device includes a casing having a locking surface, an impeller wheel and a turbine wheel hydrodynamically drivable by the impeller wheel, a lockup piston axially movable toward and away from the locking surface, a friction disc including a generally radially orientated friction ring and at least one driving tab, and a torsional vibration damper comprising the friction disc, elastic members and an engagement member elastically coupled to the friction disc through the elastic members. The friction ring has a radially outer peripheral surface defining a centering surface of the friction disc. The engagement member includes at least one centering tab extending toward the friction ring and having a centering surface disposed adjacent to and facing the centering surface of the friction disc to center the friction disc with respect to the engagement member of the torsional vibration damper.

Hydrokinetic torque coupling device with centered friction disc

A hydrokinetic torque coupling device features an impeller, a casing having a first engagement surface, a damper assembly, a turbine-piston including a drive component with a second engagement surface, and a clutch plate having clutch plate engagement surfaces interposed between and axially movable relative to at least one of the first and second clutch plate engagement surfaces. The turbine-piston is axially displaceable relative to the casing to move the second engagement surface axially towards and away from the first engagement surface for positioning the hydrokinetic torque coupling device into and out of a lockup mode in which the first and second engagement surfaces and the clutch plate engagement surfaces frictionally interlock with one another to non-rotatably lock the casing relative to the input part of the damper assembly.

A hydrokinetic torque coupling device comprises a casing rotatable about a rotation axis, a torque converter including an impeller wheel and a turbine wheel disposed in the casing coaxially with the rotation axis, a locking piston including an annular piston body and a plurality of drive teeth unitary with the piston body, and a torsional vibration damper comprising a input member non-rotatably coupled to the drive teeth of the locking piston, elastic members and an output member elastically coupled to the input member trough the elastic members. The locking piston is axially moveable so as to selectively engage the locking piston against the casing. The input member has window-shaped mating openings complementary to each of the drive teeth. The drive teeth drivingly engage the mating openings of the input member so as to non-rotatably couple the locking piston and the input member.

Lock-up clutch and torsional vibration damper for hydrokinetic torque coupling device, and related methods

A torque converter is provided that includes an impeller having an impeller shell with a first surface, an axially displaceable turbine-piston hydrodynamically drivable by the impeller and including a turbine-piston shell and a turbine-piston flange with a second surface, and a clutch plate interposed between and axially displaceable relative to at least one of the first and second surfaces. The turbine-piston is axially movable relative to the impeller to move the second surface of the turbine-piston flange towards and away from the first surface for positioning the torque converter into and out of a lockup mode in which the first and second surfaces and the clutch plate surfaces frictionally interlock with one another so that the impeller is mechanically locked to and non-rotatable relative to the turbine-piston.

Torque converter and hydrokinetic torque coupling device having turbine-piston lockup clutch, and related methods

A hydrokinetic torque coupling device includes an impeller, a casing having a first engagement surface, a turbine-piston hydrodynamically drivable by the impeller, and a bearing device. The turbine-piston is axially displaceable into and out of a lockup mode. The bearing device includes a non-axially oriented spring and a substantially incompressible rolling member urged by the spring against an oblique contact surface associated with the turbine-piston to thereby exert a variable axial force against the turbine-piston shell for biasing the turbine-piston out of the lockup mode. The variable axial force exerted by the bearing device against the turbine-piston shell decreases as the turbine-piston is axially displaced towards the lockup mode.

Growing community of inventors

Troy, MI, United States of America

Zane Yang