TECHNICAL FIELD

This disclosure relates generally to vehicles and, more particularly, to tilger apparatus for use with rotating bodies.

BACKGROUND

Some motor vehicles having automatic transmission functionality employ fluid couplings such as torque converters that are interposed between an engine and a transmission to facilitate transferring torque therebetween. Typically, such torque converters utilize a lock up clutch and one or more dampers (e.g., tuned spring and mass dampers) that are configured to reduce torsional vibrations and/or sudden rotational movements generated by the engine when the lock up clutch is engaged, which increases part life for components of the transmission and/or other moving components of a vehicle driveline.

SUMMARY

An aspect of the present disclosure includes a tilger for a rotating body. The tilger includes an annular body movably coupled to a rotatable portion of the rotating body. The tilger also includes a spring interposed between the first annular body and the rotatable portion. Rotation of the rotatable portion relative to the annular body is to compress and decompress the spring. The tilger also includes a ring positioned on an outer surface of the annular body and configured to expand as a rotational speed of the ring increases to decrease a total inertia of the annular body and the ring applied to the spring.

In a further aspect of the present disclosure, the ring includes an inner surface that maintains engagement with the outer surface of the annular body while the rotational speed of the ring is below a first predetermined rotational speed.

In a further aspect of the present disclosure, the ring disconnects from the annular body when the rotational speed of the ring is at or above the first predetermined rotational speed.

In a further aspect of the present disclosure, the inner surface of the ring separates from the outer surface of the annular body to form a gap between the inner and outer surfaces when the rotational speed of the ring is at or above the first predetermined rotational speed.

In a further aspect of the present disclosure, the first annular body includes an annular groove positioned at or near an outer radius thereof in which the ring is positioned.

In a further aspect of the present disclosure, the annular groove defines first and second walls that extend along respective sides of the ring to prevent the ring from exiting the annular groove.

In a further aspect of the present disclosure, the ring is c-shaped such that the ring has first and second ends that are spaced from each other.

In a further aspect of the present disclosure, the first and second ends of the ring move away from each other as the ring expands to increase a diameter of the ring.

In a further aspect of the present disclosure, the ring includes a recessed area positioned thereon between the two ends to balance the ring.

In a further aspect of the present disclosure, the ring includes a first portion and a second portion that are movably coupled together.

In a further aspect of the present disclosure, the ring includes a first spring coupled between first ends of the respective first and second portions and a second spring coupled between second ends of the respective first and second portions to provide tension to the ring.

In a further aspect of the present disclosure, the ring is a first ring and the tilger further includes a second ring positioned on the first ring, the second ring configured to expand as a rotational speed of the second ring increases to further decrease the total inertia applied to the spring.

In a further aspect of the present disclosure, the second ring disconnects from the first ring when a rotational speed of the second ring is at or above a second predetermined rotational speed.

In a further aspect of the present disclosure, the rotating body is a vehicle torque converter and an outer surface of the second ring engages an inner surface of a cover or an impeller of the vehicle torque converter when the rotational speed of the second ring is at or above the second predetermined rotational speed.

In a further aspect of the present disclosure, the first ring disconnects from the first annular body when the rotational speed of the first ring is at or above a first predetermined rotational speed greater than the second predetermined rotational speed.

In a further aspect of the present disclosure, an outer surface of the first ring engages an inner surface of the second ring when the rotational speed of the first ring is at or above the first predetermined rotational speed.

In a further aspect of the present disclosure, the first and second rings have respective cross-sectional areas that are rectangular.

In a further aspect of the present disclosure, the rotating body is a vehicle torque converter.

In a further aspect of the present disclosure, the rotatable portion of the vehicle torque converter is a damper plate of a torsional damper consisting of a damper input portion, a damper output portion or an intermediate portion located among successive damping elements or a turbine shell.

In a further aspect of the present disclosure, an outer surface of the ring engages an inner surface of a cover or an impeller of the vehicle torque converter when the rotational speed of the ring is at or above the first predetermined rotational speed.

Another aspect of the present disclosure includes a vehicle torque converter. The vehicle torque converter includes a cover to receive an engine torque. The vehicle torque converter also includes an output portion to receive the engine torque from the cover and provide the engine torque to a vehicle transmission system. The vehicle torque converter also includes a damper system operatively interposed between the cover and the output portion to dampen relative rotational movement between the cover and the output portion when a clutch of the torque converter is in an engaged state. The damper system includes a rotatable portion and one or more rings supported by the rotatable portion that at least partially define a natural frequency of the damper system. Each of the one or more rings is configured to change between contracted and expanded states in response to rotation of the rotatable portion to change the natural frequency.

In a further aspect of the present disclosure, the one or more rings are configured to (a) successively disconnect from the rotatable portion as a rotational speed of the rotatable portion increases and (b) successively reconnect to the rotatable portion as the rotational speed decreases.

The foregoing paragraphs have been provided by way of general introduction, and are not intended to limit the scope of the following claims. The described embodiments, together with further advantages, will be best understood by reference to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

