Patent ID: 8297138

Claim:
A torque converter comprising: a stationary mount, input and output shafts, a primary frame supported by the stationary mount for rotation about a primary axis and coupled for rotation with one of the input and output shafts, a secondary frame supported by the primary frame for rotation about a secondary axis perpendicular to the primary axis and coupled for rotation with the other of the input and output shafts, a plurality of flywheels supported by the secondary frame with their spin axes disposed at an angle to one another in the same plane, or in mutually parallel planes, and torsional springs acting between the flywheels and the secondary frame to cause the flywheels to oscillate in use, the rotation of the flywheel resulting in a gyroscopic torque coupling between the primary and secondary frames; an excitation system mounted on the primary frame for applying to each flywheel a periodic torque that varies with the angular velocity of the secondary frame and the angular position of the axis of the flywheel relative to the secondary axis, so as to cause each flywheel to oscillate in response to relative rotation between the primary and secondary frames.