Hydrokinetic torque converter mechanism with dual performance range

Claim 1

A HYDROKINETIC MECHANISM COMPRISING A DRIVING MEMBER, A BLADED MAIN IMPELLER , BLADED AUXILIARY IMPELLER AND A BLADED TURBINE DISPOSED IN TOROIDAL FLUID FLOW RELATIONSHIP, IN A COMMON TORUS CIRCUIT, EACH IMPELLER HAVING A FLOW ENTRANCE SECTION AND A FLOW EXIT SECTION, THE FLUID FLOW EXIT SECTION OF SAID MAIN IMPELLER BEING LOCATED AT A RADIALLY OUTWARD REGION OF THE CIRCUIT, SAID AUXILIARY IMPELLER BEING DISPOSED ADJACENT THE EXIT SECTION OF SAID MAIN IMPELLER, THE BLADES OF THE MAIN IMPELLER AND THE BLADES OF THE AUXILIARY IMPELLER DEFINING FLUID FLOW PATHS, THE MOTION OF A PARTICLE OF FLUID AT ANY POINT IN SAID CIRCUIT BEING DEFINED BY BOTH AN ABSOLUTE FLOW VELOCITY VECTOR AND A VELOCITY VECTOR REPRESENTING FLOW RELATIVE TO BLADED PORTIONS OF SAID MECHANISM, SAID VECTORS DEFINING AN INCLUDED ANGLE WHEN THEY ARE EXTENDED FROM A GIVEN POINT IN SAID CIRCUIT, ONE PATH BEING A CONTINUATION OF THE OTHER, THE INCLUDED ANGLE BETWEEN THE TANGENTIAL COMPONENT OF THE ABSOLUTE FLOW VELOCITY VECTOR FOR A PARTICLE OF FLUID AT THE EXIT SECTION OF THE MAIN IMPELLER AND THE VELOCITY VECTOR FOR THAT PARTICLE OF FLUID EXTENDING IN THE DIRECTION OF THE MAIN IMPELLER EXIT ANGLE BEING GREATER THAN THE ANGLE BETWEEN THE CORRESPONDING VECTORS AT THE EXIT SECTION OF THE AUXILIARY IMPELLER, SAID MAIN IMPELLER COMPRISING AN IMPELLER SHELL, MEANS FOR DRIVABLY CONNECTING SAID IMPELLER SHELL TO SAID DRIVING MEMBER, A CLUTCH MEMBER DISPOSED WITHIN SAID SHELL AND CONNECTED TO SAID AUXILIARY IMPELLER, A FIRST ANNULAR FRICTION CLUTCH SURFACE CARRIED BY SAID CLUTCH MEMBER, A SECOND ANNULAR FRICTION CLUTCH SURFACE CARRIED BY SAID SHELL ADJACENT SAID FIRST SURFACE AND IN CLOSE PROXIMITY THERETO, A FLUID FEED PASSAGE MEANS COMMUNICATING WITH SAID CIRCUIT FOR SUPPLYING HYDRODYNAMIC FLUID THERETO, FLUID FLOW RETURN PASSAGE MEANS EXTENDING FROM SAID CIRCUIT INCLUDING A PORTION DEFINED IN PART BY THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID SHELL AND SAID CLUTCH MEMBER, SAID CLUTCH MEMBER BEING ACTUATE TO A FRICTION SURFACE ENGAGING POSITION WHEN THE PRESSURE IN SAID PORTION OF SAID FLOW RETURN PASSAGE MEANS IS LESS THAN THE PRESSURE OF THE FLUID IN SAID CIRCUIT.