The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 14, 1992
Filed:
Nov. 26, 1990
Makoto Hagiwara, Tokyo, JP;
Viscodrive Japan Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A viscous coupling comprises first and second torque-transmitting members (1, 2) rotatable relative to each other, defining an operating chamber at least partially filled with a viscous fluid; a plurality of first plates (16) engaging and rotationally fast with the first torque-transmitting member; a plurality of second plates (17) interleaved with the first plates, and rotatably mounted on the second torque-transmitting member (2); clutch plates (18) engaging the second torque-transmitting member and disposed alternately with the second plates; a control member (9) operable to compress the clutch plates axially to clamp the second plates between them, and seals (14, 15) operable between the first torque-transmitting member and the control member and between the second torque-transmitting member and the control member, at sealing surfaces (9A, 2A) which are substantially of equal effective diameter to one another. Because the surfaces are of equal diameter, the pressure of the viscous fluid within the operating chamber does not have any effect on the force exerted by the control member on the clutch plates.