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:
Sep. 10, 2002
Filed:
Nov. 29, 2000
Georg Kwoka, Much, DE;
GKN Viscodrive GmbH, Lohmar, DE;
Abstract
A viscous coupling having two rotatable parts in the form of a hub and a housing for the transmission of torque between the rotatable parts caused by a positive speed differential between the rotatable parts, which are supported inside one another, which are rotatable relative to one another around a common longitudinal axis, and which form an annular chamber which is filled with a highly viscous fluid and in which first coupling plates non-rotatably connected to the first one of the two rotatable parts, e.g. the hub, and second coupling plates non-rotatably connected to the second one of the rotatable parts, e.g. the housing, are arranged alternately in the longitudinal direction. There is provided a freewheeling assembly comprising two rings which, if torque flows in a first direction at a positive speed differential between the first rotatable part and the second rotatable part, has a locking effect in both directions of rotation of the two rings at least above a relative rotational acceleration, and which, if torque flows in a second direction at a negative speed differential between the first and second rotatable parts, has an unlocking effect in both directions of relative rotation of said first and second rotatable parts, the freewheeling assembly is effective between a selected one of the first and second rotatable parts and a plate carrier which carries at least part of the coupling plates of the selected one of the first and second rotatable parts.