Hydraulic torque converter

Claim 1

IN COMBINATION, A DRIVE MEMBER, A DRIVEN MEMBER, A HYDRAULIC TORQUE CONVERTER COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF RELATIVELY ROTATABLE VANED ELEMENTS TOGETHER DEFINING A SUBSTANTIALLY TOROIDAL FLUID CIRCUIT, A PLURALITY OF SAID VANED ELEMENTS COMPRISING IMPELLER MEANS FOR CHANGING THE ANUGULAR MOMENTUM OF THE FLUID LEAVING THE IMPELLER MEANS TO THEREBY IMPART KINETIC ENERGY TO THE FLUID AND ONE OF THE IMPELLER ELEMENTS BEING DIRECTLY CONNECTED FOR ROTATION IN UNISON WITH SAID DRIVE MEMBER, ANOTHER OF SAID VANED ELEMENTS COMPRISING TURBINE MEANS CONNECTED WITH SAID DRIVEN MEMBER AND ADAPTED FOR ABSORBING KINETIC ENERGY FROM THE FLUID IN ORDER TO DRIVE THE DRIVEN MEMBER, STILL ANOTHER OF SAID VANED ELEMENTS COMPRISING STATOR MEANS FOR CHANGING THE DIRECTION OF FLOW OF THE FLUID PRIOR TO ITS RE-ENTRY INTO THE IMPELLER MEANS FOR ENABLING THE MULTIPLICATION OF TORQUE BY THE CONVERTER, THE REMAINDER OF SAID IMPELLER ELEMENTS BEING ROTATABLY MOUNTED WITH RESPECT TO SAID ONE IMPELLER ELEMENT AND THE ANGLES AND TOROIDAL DISPOSITION OF THE EXITS OF THE VANES OF THE DIFFERENT IMPELLER ELEMENTS BEING DIFFERENT, SAID REMAINDER OF IMPELLER ELEMENTS BEING ADAPTED TO IDLE AND EXERT SUBSTANTIALLY NO EFFECT ON THE FLUID, MANUALLY OPERATED FRICTION CLUTCH MEANS DISPOSED WITHIN THE TORUS DEFINED BY SAID VANED ELEMENTS FOR SELECTIVELY CONNECTING THE REMAINDER OF SAID IMPELLER ELEMENTS WITH THE ONE WHICH IS DIRECTLY CONNECTED WITH SAID DRIVE MEMBER FOR CHANGING THE EFFECTIVE FLUID EXIT OF SAID IMPELLER MEANS TO THEREBY PROVIDE MULTIPLE SELECTIVELY OPERABLE TORQUE CONVERSION RANGES, FLUID PRESSURE ACTUATED PISTON MEANS FOR EFFECTING ENGAGEMENT OF SAID CLUTCH MEANS, A SOURCE OF FLUID PRESSURE, AND MEANS DEFINING A FLUID PRESSURE CONDUIT EXTENDING GENERALLY RADIALLY THROUGH AT LEAST ONE VANE OF ONE OF SAID VANED ELEMENTS FOR ESTABLISHING FLUID COMMUNICATION BETWEEN SAID SOURCE AND SAID FLUID PRESSURE ACTUATED MEANS.