Patent ID: 9541181
Date: 2017-01-10
CPC Classifications: F16H

Claim:
1. A torque converter rotatable about a rotational axis and having a torus chamber, comprising: an impeller coaxially aligned with the rotational axis and comprising an impeller shell and a plurality of impeller blades; a turbine-piston coaxially aligned with and hydrodynamically drivable by the impeller to rotate about the rotational axis, the turbine-piston comprising a turbine-piston shell and a plurality of turbine blades, the turbine-piston being axially displaceable relative to the impeller shell to position the torque converter into and out of a lockup mode in which the turbine-piston is mechanically locked to and non-rotatable relative to the impeller; and a restrictor positioned radially outward of the impeller blades and the turbine blades at an opening of a fluid passageway connecting the torus chamber to an environment outside the torque converter, the restrictor constructed and arranged to restrict the fluid passageway; the impeller shell having a first surface and the turbine-piston shell comprising a turbine-piston flange having a second surface facing the first surface and axially displaceable toward and away from the first surface to position the torque converter into and out of lockup mode; the restrictor comprising an annular restrictor plate extending radially outwardly between the first surface of the impeller shell and the second surface of the turbine-piston flange of the turbine-piston shell and having at least one passage restricting hydraulic fluid flow between the torus chamber and the environment outside the torque converter.