From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Invention for an improved fluid drive transmission mechanism to replace manual gears and clutches in an automobile.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 147\4\ scan0158 | |
| Date | 13th January 1941 guessed | |
| IMPROVED FLUID DRIVE TRANSMISSION MECHANISM. This invention relates to fluid drive transmission means for prime movers such as internal combustion engines and is primarily directed though not specifically limited to the type of transmission means interposed in the drive shaft of an internal combustion engine of an automobile to eliminate the use of manually controlled selection gears and clutch mechanism. It is known to utilize a fluid fly-wheel of the hydraulic coupling type with preselection gearing in connection with the drive transmission of an automobile, the gearing being controlled by braking elements. It has also been proposed to construct hydraulic clutches, couplings or the like with complementary members arranged on drive and driven shafts respectively, whereby a flexible pressure fluid such as oil acting between said members will cause the member on the driven shaft to gradually conform with the motion of the drive member. Such transmission means however are costly to manufacture, complicated in construction with resultant substantial increase in the output cost of an automobile; whereas the present invention comprehends principally the simplification of the transmission gear, cost reduction and increased efficiency over a wide range of variable speeds between the drive shaft and driven shaft of the engine. With the above stated objective in view, this invention consists essentially of a fixed casing forming a vaned fluid reservoir, a vaned rotor operatively disposed within said reservoir and a differential gear drive coupled to the said rotor, a drive shaft and a driven shaft whereby upon the fluid pressure developed by the said rotor in said reservoir exceeding the -1- | ||