Torsion damping assembly

Claim 2

An assembly disposed for driving connection between rotatably mounted input and output driven of a driveline; the assembly including resilient means for transmitting driveline torque between the drives and an expandable chamber mechanism for to and fro hydraulic damping of driveline torsionals; the mechanism including first and second relatively moveable members, the first member and the resilient means disposed for serial driving connection between the drives, and the second member disposed for direct driving connection to one of the drives and in parallel driving connection with the resilient means; the members defining at least two chambers varying inversely in volume in response to flexing of the resilient means and containing an incompressible fluid for damping driveline torsionals in responsee to the volumes varying; characterized by: the driveline including a housing assembly having a compartment containing said incompressible fluid under pressure during driveline operation; the mechanism being disposed in said compartment; and means providing restricted communication of the fluid in said variable volume chambers with the pressurized fluid in said compartment, whereby said variable volume chambers are continuously charged with said pressurized fluid during driveline operation.

Claim 3

The assembly of claim 1, characterized by said expandable chamber mechanism being a vane damper having an annular housing assembly defined by said first and second members; said members being concentric to a common axis, being mounted for relative rotation, and having interior wall surfaces defining an annular chamber; said members each including a radially extending vane fixed thereto and disposed in the annular chamber in sliding, sealing relation with the interior wall surfaces of the other member for defining said variable volume chambers.

Claim 4

The assembly of claim 1, characterized by friction damping means providing a friction force for inhibiting the relative movement of said first and second members, said friction damping means operative to increase said friction force in response to increasing pressure in said chambers.

Claim 5

The assembly of claim 2, characterized by friction damping means providing a friction force for inhibiting the relative movement of said first and second members, said friction damping means operative to increase said friction force in response to increase pressure in said chambers.

Claim 6

The assembly of claim 2, characterized by said housing assembly, defining said compartment, being one of said drives and said resilient means including wound torsion spring means disposed between radially spaced portions of said hosuing assemblies.

Claim 7

The assembly of claim 2, characterized by one end of said spring means being connected to said first member and the other end being connectable to said compartment housing assembly.

Claim 8

The assembly of claim 6, characterized by an annular radially extending clutch palte disposed in said compartment housing assembly, said plate drivingly connected to said second member and to said other end of the wound torsion spring means, said plate being axially moveable into frictional engagement with said compartment housing assembly via said pressurized fluid in said compartment to effect a direct drive with the one drive defined by the compartment housing assembly.

Claim 9

The assembly of claim 6, characterized by said spring means being at least two spirally wound intermeshed torsion springs symmetrically disposed in parallel.

Claim 10

The assembly of claim 6, characterized by said spring means being at least two helically wound torsion springs disposed in parallel.

Claim 11

The assembly of claim 9, characterized by a surface disposed radially inward of said torsion springs and operative to limit flexing of said torsion springs.

Claim 12

The assembly of claim 9, characterized by a surface disposed radially outward of said torsion springs and operative to limit flexing of said torsion springs.

Claim 13

The assembly of claim 9, characterized by first and second surfaces respectively disposed radially inward and outward of said torsion springs and operative to limit flexing of said torsion springs.

Claim 14

The assembly of claim 12, characterized by said surfaces being cylindrical and concentric to said common axis.

Claim 15

The assembly of claim 2, characterized by second resilient means disposed within said variable volume chambers and operative to transmit driveline torque in parallel with the first mentioned resilient means in respnse to relative rotation of the drives beyond a predetermined amount.

Claim 16

The assembly of claim 5, characterized by said one end of said spring means being connected to said first member via a bracket disposed for limited rotation relative to said first member an the other end being connected directly to said compartment housing assembly.

Claim 17

The assembly of claim 15, characterized by resilient means having a low spring rate relative to said first mentioned resilient means for biasing said bracket and said first member to positions spaced between said limits.

Claim 18

In a transmission including a housing assembly having a variable speed ratio section disposed therein between input and output drives rotatably supported by the housing, a transmission oil for lubricating the ratio section, and a torsion damping assembly; the damping assembly including torsional energy isolating means and torsional energy damping means connected in parallel with each other, and the isolating and damping means connected in series between one of the drives and the ratio section when operative; the isolating means including resilient means for transmitting torque between the one drive and the ratio section and for allowing limited relative rotation between the one drive and the ratio section in response to torsionals in the torque; the torsional energy damping means disposed within a compartment defined by the housing assembly and immersed within pressurized transmission oil; the improvement comprising: an expandable chamber mechanism defining the damping means, said mechanism including first and second housing members having wall surfaces defining at least two chambers filled with the transmission oil, said chambers varying inversely in volume in response to the relative rotation between the one drive and the ratio section, whereby the pressure of the oil in the decreasing volume increases, means allowing restricted flow of the oil from a chamber decreasing in volume while allowing a flow of the oil into a chamber increasing in volume, and said means allowing flow including a predetermined spaced relation between adjacent wall surface of the housing for allowing oil flow between said chambers and the compartment defined by the transmission housing.

Claim 19

In a transmission including a housing assembly having a variable speed ratio section disposed therein between input and output drives rotatably supported by the housing, a transmission oil for lubricating the ratio section, and a torsion damping assembly; the damping assembly including torsional energy isolating means and torsional energy damping means connected in parallel with each other, and the isolating and damping means connected in series between one of the drives and the ratio section when operative; the isolating means including resilient means for transmitting torque between the one drive and the ratio section and for allowing limited relative rotation between the one drive and the ratio section in response to torsionals in the torque; the torsional energy damping means disposed within a compartment defined by the housing assembly and immersed within pressurized transmission oil; the improvement comprising: an expandable chamber mechanism defining the damping means, said mechanism including first and second housing members having wall surfaces defining at least two chambers filled with the transmission oil, said chambers varying inversely in volume in response to the relative rotation between the one drive and the ratio section, whereby the pressure of the oil in the decreasing volume increases, means allowing restricted flow of the oil from a chamber decreasing in volume while allowing a flow of the oil into a chamber increasing in volume, and said means allowing flow including a predetermined spaced relation between adjacent wall surface of the housing for allowing oil flow between said chambers and the compartment defined by the transmission housing.

Claim 20

The transmission of claim 17, wherein said means allowing flow includes a blow-off valve for relieving oil pressure in the chamber decreasing in volume.

Claim 21

The transmission of claim 17, wherein said expandable chamber mechanism includes: means operative to provide a friction force for inhibiting said relative rotation, said means operative to increase the friction force in response to increasing pressure in said variable volume chambers.

Claim 22

In a transmission including a housing assembly having a variable speed ratio section disposed therein between input and output drives rotatably supported by the housing, a transmission oil for lubricating the ratio section, and a torsion damping assembly; the damping assembly including torsional energy isolating means and torsional energy damping means connected in parallel with each other, and the isolating and damping means connected in series between one of the drives and the ratio section when operative; the isolating means including resilient means for transmitting torque between the one drive and the ratio section and for allowing limited relative rotation between the one drive and the ratio section in response to torsionals in the torque; the torsional energy damping means disposed within a compartment defined by the housing assembly and immersed within pressurized transmission oil; the improvement comprising: an expandable chamber mechanism defining the damping means, said mechanism including first and second housing members having wall surfaces defining at least two chambers filled with the transmission oil, said chambers varying inversely in volume in response to the relative rotation between the one drive and the ratio section, whereby the pressure of the oil in the decreasing volume increases, means allowing restricted flow of the oil from a chamber decreasing in volume while allowing a flow of the oil into a chamber increasing in volume, and said means allowing flow includes a one way valve allowing flow of the pressurized oil from the compartment defined by the transmission housing assembly into said chambers.

Claim 23

In a transmission including a housing assembly having a variable speed ratio section disposed therein between input and output drives rotatably supported by the housing, a transmission oil for lubricating the ratio section, and a torsion damping assembly; the damping assembly including torsional energy isolating means and torsional energy damping means connected in parallel with each other, and the isolating and damping means connected in series between one of the drives and the ratio section when operative; the isolating means including resilient means for transmitting torque between the one drive and the ratio section and for allowing limited relative rotation between the one drive and the ratio section in response to torsionals in the torque; the torsional energy damping means disposed within a compartment defined by the housing assembly and immersed within pressurized transmission oil; the improvement comprising: an expandable chamber mechanism defining the damping means, said mechanism including first and second housing members having wall surfaces defining at least two chambers filled with the transmission oil, said chambers varying inversely in volume in response to the relative rotation between the one drive and the ratio section, whereby the pressure of the oil in the decreasing volume increases, means allowing restricted flow of the oil from a chamber decreasing in volume while allowing a flow of the oil into a chamber increasing in volume, and said means allowing flow includes a one way valve allowing flow of the pressurized oil from the compartment defined by the transmission housing assembly into said chambers.

Claim 24

The transmission of claim 20, wherein said means allowing flow includes a blow-off valve for relieving oil pressure in th chamber decreasing in volume.

Claim 25

The transmission of claim 20, wherein said expandable chamber mechanism includes: means operative to provide a friction force for inhibiting said relative rotation, said means operative to increase the friction force in response to increasing pressure in said variable volume chambers.