Temperature responsive coupling

Claim 2

A viscous fluid coupling comprising: first and second relatively rotatable members mounted about a common axis; a working chamber defined by said members and containing an inventory of viscous fluid for transmitting torque from one of said members to the other of said members by fluid shear stress in response to relative rotation of said members; a fluid reservoir; first and second passage means for communicating said working chamber with said reservoir; means for pumping fluid from said working chamber to said reservoir via one of said passages; valve means associated with one of said passages and movable between a first position blocking fluid flow in one of said passages and a second position allowing fluid flow in said one passage; and temperature sensing means mounted on one of said members at a position radially disposed with respect to said common axis and including means containing a liquid-solid phase change substance having a high coefficient of expansion during phase change and operative to move said valve means between said first and second positions in response to said phase change occurring over a predetermined temperature range.

Claim 3

The coupling of claim 1, wherein: said first member defines a housing having an interior containing said second member and an exterior; said reservoir is defined by said housing, and said temperature sensing means is mounted on said first member and is responsive to ambient temperature exterior of said housing.

Claim 4

A viscous coupling comprising: a first rotatable member defining a housing rotatable about an axis; a second member disposed in the interior of said housing and rotatable about said axis; a working chamber defined by said members and containing an inventory of viscous fluid for transmitting torque from one of said members to the other of said members by fluid shear stress in response to relative rotation of said members; an annular reservoir defined by said first member and the outer diameter of said reservoir being defined by an annular wall portion projecting axially outward from said housing; first and second passage means for communicating said working chamber with said reservoir; means for pumping fluid from said working chamber to said reservoir via said first passage; valve means associated with said second passage and moveable between a first position blocking fluid flow from said reservoir to said working chamber via said second passage and a second position allowing fluid flow from said reservoir to said working chamber via said second passage; temperature sensing means for sensing temperature changes exterior of said coupling and mounted on said annular wall portion, said sensing means including means containing a liquid-solid phase change substance having a high coefficient of expansion during phase change and operative to move said valve means between said first and second positions in response to said phase change occurring over a predetermined temperature range.

Claim 5

A viscous coupling comprising: a first rotatable member defining a housing rotatable about an axis; a second member disposed in the interior of said housing and rotatable about said axis; a working chamber defined by said members and containing an inventory of viscous fluid for transmitting torque from one of said members to the other of said members by fluid shear stress in response to relative rotation of said members; an annular reservoir defined by said first member and the outer diameter of said reservoir being defined by an annular wall portion projecting axially outward from said housing; first and second passage means for communicating said working chamber with said reservoir; means for pumping fluid from said working chamber to said reservoir via said first passage; valve means associated with said second passage and moveable between a first position blocking fluid flow from said reservoir to said working chamber via said second passage and a second position allowing fluid flow from said reservoir to said working chamber via said second passage; temperature sensing means for sensing temperature changes exterior of said coupling and mounted on said annular wall portion, said sensing means including means containing a liquid-solid phase change substance having a high coefficient of expansion during phase change and operative to move said valve means between said first and second positions in response to said phase change occurring over a predetermined temperature range.

Claim 6

The coupling of claim 3, wherein: said valve means includes an arcuate valve member having one end pivotally connected to said housing and the other end covering said second passage when said valve means is in said first position and said temperature sensing means includes a piston connecting said phase change substance with said arcuate valve member and operative to pivotally move said valve member to said second position in response to said substance changing from a solid to a liquid.

Claim 7

The coupling of claim 4, wherein: said valve means includes resilient means for moving said valve member from said second position to said first position in response to said substance changing from a liquid to a solid.

Claim 8

A viscous fluid coupling comprising: a first rotatable member defining a housing rotatable about an axis; a second member disposed in the interior of said housing and rotatable about said axis; a working chamber defined by said members and containing an inventory of viscous fluid for transmitting torque from one of said members to the other of said members by fluid shear stress in response to relative rotation between said members; a reservoir defined by said housing; first and second passage means for communicating said working chamber with said reservoir; means for pumping fluid from said working chamber to said reservoir via said first passage; means for communicating fluid from said reservoir to said working chamber via said second passage means; valve means associated with said second passage and moveable between a first position blocking fluid communication from said reservoir to said working chamber; and temperature sensing means radially disposed with respect to said axis and mounted on the exterior of said housing, said sensing means including means containing a liquid-solid phase change substance: 1. having a high coefficient of expansion during phase change, 2. responsive to changes in temperature ambient to the exterior of said housing, and 3. operative to move said valve means from said first position to said second position in response to said substance changing from a solid to a liquid over predetermined temperature range of said ambient temperature.

Claim 9

A viscous fluid coupling comprising: a first rotatable member defining a housing rotatable about an axis; a second member disposed in the interior of said housing and rotatable about said axis; a working chamber defined by said members and containing an inventory of viscous fluid for transmitting torque from one of said members to the other of said members by fluid shear stress in response to relative rotation between said members; a reservoir defined by said housing; first and second passage means for communicating said working chamber with said reservoir; means for pumping fluid from said working chamber to said reservoir via said first passage; means for communicating fluid from said reservoir to said working chamber via said second passage means; valve means associated with said second passage and moveable between a first position blocking fluid communication from said reservoir to said working chamber; and temperature sensing means radially disposed with respect to said axis and mounted on the exterior of said housing, said sensing means including means containing a liquid-solid phase change substance: 1. having a high coefficient of expansion during phase change, 2. responsive to changes in temperature ambient to the exterior of said housing, and 3. operative to move said valve means from said first position to said second position in response to said substance changing from a solid to a liquid over predetermined temperature range of said ambient temperature.

Claim 10

The coupling of claim 6, wherein: said containing means is a wax filled power element.

Claim 11

A viscous fluid coupling comprising: a first rotatable member defining a housing rotatable about an axis; a second member disposed in the interior of said housing and rotatable about said axis; a working chamber defined by said members and containing an inventory of viscous fluid for transmitting torque from one of said members to the other of said members by fluid shear stress in response to relative rotation between said members; an annular reservoir defined by said housing and having an outer wall portion exposed to the exterior of said housing; means for varying the volume of said fluid inventory in said working chamber, said means including means moveable between a first position for reducing said volume to a minimum amount and a second position for increasing said volume to a maximum amount; temperature sensing means radially disposed with respect to said axis and mounted on the outer wall portion exposed to the exterior of said housing and including means operative to move between said first and second positions in response to changes in temperature ambient to the exterior of said housing.

Claim 12

A viscous fluid coupling comprising: a first rotatable member defining a housing rotatable about an axis; a second member disposed in the interior of said housing and rotatable about said axis; a working chamber defined by said members and containing an inventory of viscous fluid for transmitting torque from one of said members to the other of said members by fluid shear stress in response to relative rotation between said members; an annular reservoir defined by said housing and having an outer wall portion exposed to the exterior of said housing; means for varying the volume of said fluid inventory in said working chamber, said means including means moveable between a first position for reducing said volume to a minimum amount and a second position for increasing said volume to a maximum amount; temperature sensing means radially disposed with respect to said axis and mounted on the outer wall portion exposed to the exterior of said housing and including means operative to move between said first and second positions in response to changes in temperature ambient to the exterior of said housing.

Claim 13

The coupling of claim 8, wherein said moveable means includes: means for pumping fluid from said working chamber to said reservoir; means for returning fluid to said reservoir; an arcuate valving member pivotly disposed in said annular reservoir, and connected to said operative means, said valving member operative to block fluid return to said working chamber via said returning means when said operative means is in said first position and allow fluid return to said working chamber via said returning means when said operative means is in said second position.

Claim 14

A fluid coupling comprising: first and second relatively rotatable members mounted about a common axis and defining a working chamber containing an inventory of fluid for transmitting torque from one member to the other member in response to relative rotation between said members; a fluid reservoir defined by one of said members; first and second passage means for communicating said working chamber with said reservoir; means for pumping fluid from said working chamber to said reservoir via one of said passages; valve means associated with one of said passages and moveable between a first position blocking fluid flow in the associated passage and a second position allowing fluid flow in the associated passage; and temperature sensing means mounted on one of said members at a position disposed radially outward of said rotational axis and on the exterior of said coupling, said sensing means operative to move said valve means between said first and second positions in response to sensed temperature changes occurring exterior of said coupling.

Claim 15

A fluid coupling comprising: first and second relatively rotatable members mounted about a common axis and defining a working chamber containing an inventory of fluid for transmitting torque from one member to the other member in response to relative rotation between said members; a fluid reservoir defined by one of said members; first and second passage means for communicating said working chamber with said reservoir; means for pumping fluid from said working chamber to said reservoir via one of said passages; valve means associated with one of said passages and moveable between a first position blocking fluid flow in the associated passage and a second position allowing fluid flow in the associated passage; and temperature sensing means mounted on one of said members at a position disposed radially outward of said rotational axis and on the exterior of said coupling, said sensing means operative to move said valve means between said first and second positions in response to sensed temperature changes occurring exterior of said coupling.

Claim 16

The fluid coupling of claim 10, wherein said sensing means includes: means operative to produce forces of a magnitude substantially uneffected by rotational forces acting on said valve means;

Claim 17

The fluid coupling of claim 10, wherein said sensing means includes: means containing a phase change substance having a high thermal coefficient of expansion and operative to move said valve means in response to said sensed temperature changes causing a phase change of said substance.

Claim 18

The coupling of claim 12, wherein said first member defines a housing having an interior containing said second member and an exterior, said reservoir is defined by said housing, said containing means of said temperature sensing means is mounted on the exterior of said housing, and wherein said sensing means further includes: means connecting said containing means with said valve means and operative to move said valve means to said second position in response to an increase in said sensed temperature causing a phase change of said substance.

Claim 19

The coupling of claim 13, wherein said temperature sensing means further includes: spring means biasing said connecting means toward said containing means and operative to move said valve means to said first position in response to a decrease in said sensed temperature causing a phase change of said substance.

Claim 20

The coupling of claim 14, wherein said substance is a liquid-solid phase change substance.

Claim 21

The coupling of claim 15, wherein said substance is a wax which changes to a liquid in response to increased temperatures.

Claim 22

The coupling of claim 14, wherein said containing means causes said substance to expand radially inward with respect to the rotational axis of said coupling, said connecting means moves radially inward with respect to said rotational axis in response to said substance expanding radially inward, and said spring means biases said connecting means radially outward with respect to said axis.

Claim 23

The coupling of claim 17, wherein said housing includes an annular wall portion projecting axially outward from said housing and defining an outer circumferential boundary of said reservoir and said temperature sensing means is mounted on said wall portion.