Patent ID: 8899390

Claim:
A damping mechanism comprising: a housing that includes an assembly outer race that includes an inner circumferential surface, wherein the housing defines a housing interior, an axle shaft that is rotatable with respect to the housing in a first direction and a second direction, a transmission assembly operatively associated with the axle shaft and disposed at least partially within the housing interior, wherein the transmission assembly includes an assembly intermediate race that has an outer circumferential surface, and wherein a fluid space is defined between the outer circumferential surface of the assembly intermediate race and the inner circumferential surface of the assembly outer race, a volume of fluid disposed in the fluid space, and at least a first vane disposed between the assembly intermediate race and the inner circumferential surface of the assembly outer race, wherein the first vane includes a first restriction space defined therein at a location between the outer circumferential surface of the assembly intermediate race and the inner circumferential surface of the assembly outer race, wherein when the axle shaft rotates in the first direction, the transmission assembly transmits rotation from the axle shaft to the first vane, and wherein when the axle shaft rotates in the second direction, the transmission assembly transmits less rotation to the first vane than when the axle shaft rotates in the first direction.