Abstract: A variable capacity type viscous heater is provided in which the capacity reduction is carried out securely, and which can inhibit a viscous fluid from deteriorating the endurable heat generation even after a long period of service. For instance, it includes a heat-generating chamber, a collector passage, a supply passage, and a control chamber, which are formed therein. The collector passage is communicated with a central region of the heat-generating chamber, and is capable of opening and closing. The supply passage is communicated with a lower region of the heat-generating chamber. The control chamber is communicated with the collector passage and the supply passage. A silicone oil, held in the heat-generating chamber, is collected into the control chamber by the Weissenberg effect by way of the opened collector passage, thereby carrying out the capacity reduction.

Abstract: An improved viscous fluid type heater is disclosed. The heater has a heating chamber that has a inner peripheral surface and a pair of inner side surfaces and a heat exchange chamber disposed adjacent to the heating chamber. The heating chamber houses a cylindrical rotor that has an outer peripheral surface and a pair of outer side surfaces. The outer peripheral surface is opposed to the inner peripheral surface by a first space. The outer side surface is opposed to an associated inner side surface by a second space that communicates the first space. The rotor rotates and shears viscous fluid to generate heat in the spaces. The heat generated in the spaces is transmitted to the heat exchange chamber to heat circulating fluid circulating in the heat exchange chamber and an external fluid circuit. The rotor has a storing chamber defined therein. A first passage connects the first space with the storing chamber to shift the viscous fluid from the storing chamber to the first space.

Abstract: The viscous type heat generator includes a housing having a heating chamber and a heat radiating chamber. A rotor is rotatably arranged in the heating chamber so that a viscous fluid is subjected to a shearing action to generate heat. The rotor is fitted on a drive shaft in such a manner that the rotor can not rotate but can move axially relative to the drive shaft. The front and rear end surfaces of the rotor have wedge effect producing means for correcting an axial offset of the rotor in the heating chamber by the wedge effect caused by the pressure of viscous fluid while the rotor is rotating. This wedge effect producing means comprises at least three inclined recesses extending in the circumferential direction, the bottoms of which become gradually shallower in the direction opposite to the rotational direction of the rotor. The inclined recesses are arranged at circumferentially regular intervals and at radially equal positions from the center of the rotor.

Abstract: A heating method and apparatus for vehicles. A viscous fluid type heater is located in a vehicle fluid circuit. The heater has a heating chamber that holds viscous fluid and a rotor. The rotor rotates to shear the viscous fluid and produce heat. The heat is transmitted to a heat exchange chamber located adjacent to the heating chamber. The rotor rotates at variable rotation velocity, which affects the temperature of the viscous fluid. Circulating fluid in the fluid circuit and is heated in the heat exchange chamber. The heater includes a reservoir chamber communicating with the heating chamber to store viscous fluid. The heater has a valve that selectively connects and disconnects the reservoir chamber with the heating chamber to regulate heat production. The apparatus has a detecting device for detecting a temperature or a speed that is indicative of the temperature of the viscous fluid.

Abstract: A method for controlling a viscous heater for a vehicle. The vehicle has an engine, an engine cooling system for heating coolant, a passage, a radiator and the viscous heater. The radiator heats the passage using heat from the coolant. The viscous heater uses the driving force of the engine to heat the coolant separately from the engine cooling system. The method includes a step of cutting off the transfer of the driving force of the engine to the viscous heater when the engine is being started. The method also includes a step of transferring the driving force of the engine to the viscous heater when the engine is running.

Abstract: A viscous fluid type heat generator including a housing assembly defining a heat generating chamber and an additional chamber communicated through fluid passageway means with the heat generating chamber, these chambers forming a fluid-tight chamber for accommodating a viscous fluid, and a heat receiving chamber for permitting a heat exchanging fluid to circulate therethrough to receive heat from the heat generating chamber. A rotor element is mounted on a drive shaft for rotation together therewith in the heat generating chamber with a gap defined between the inner wall surfaces of the heat generating chamber and the outer faces of the rotor element. The fluid passageway means includes a fluid withdrawing passageway for withdrawing the viscous fluid from the gap into the additional chamber and a fluid supply passageway for supplying the viscous fluid from the additional chamber into the gap.

Abstract: A viscous fluid type heater including a heating chamber and a heat exchange chamber, which is adjacent to the heating chamber. The heating chamber contains viscous fluid and a rotor. The heat exchange chamber is connected to a coolant circuit. The rotor is rotated by a drive shaft to shear the viscous fluid and produce heat in the heating chamber. The heat is transferred to the heat exchange chamber from the heating chamber to heat coolant passing through the heat exchange chamber and circulating in the fluid circuit. The heating chamber has a rear wall. The rotor has a rear surface facing the rear wall. Viscous fluid located between the wall and the rotor is sheared when the rotor rotates. A support shaft is supported by the rotor. The support shaft is eccentrically coupled to the drive shaft, which forces the viscous fluid located between the wall and the rotor to be periodically displaced. This prevents prolonged heating of any part of the fluid, which extends the life of the fluid.

Abstract: An improved viscous fluid heater is disclosed. The heater has a rotor that is operably coupled to a drive shaft. The rotor is disposed in a heating chamber filled with viscous fluid. The rotor is rotated with the drive shaft to shear the viscous fluid and generate heat in the heating chamber. The rotor has a flat rotor body and a boss. The boss has an axial length greater than that of the rotor body. A mechanism is provided with at least the boss. The mechanism mounts the rotor on the drive shaft and transmits torque of the drive shaft to the rotor.

Abstract: A heating system for a vehicle is provided which does not require a large boarding space in an engine room very much, which can be manufactured at a reduced cost, and which can fully heat a passenger compartment of a vehicle when an engine is started. For instance, in the vehicle heating system, a water pump (WP) and a viscous heater (VH) is incorporated into an installation housing (1), a plate (2) and a cover (3) which are bonded to a cylinder block of an engine. The water pump (WP) and the viscous heater (VH) are driven by a drive shaft (11) which is shared by them. Moreover, the viscous heater (VH) includes an auxiliary water jacket (WJ.sub.2). The auxiliary water jacket (WJ.sub.2) is communicated with a main water jacket (WJ.sub.1) of the engine by way of a pump chamber (4) of the water pump (WP), and is further communicated with a heater core for heating a passenger compartment of a vehicle.

Abstract: A compressor has a casing and a compressing member located within the casing. A gas drawn from a suction chamber into a compression chamber is compressed to be discharged to a discharge chamber in accordance with the operation of the compressing member. The compressor has a drive apparatus located within the casing for driving the compressing member. The drive apparatus has a fixed drive member fixed to the casing and having a plurality of electrode strips arranged in a single direction with a predetermined pitch. A second member is fixed to the compressing member. The compressing member is driven by relative movement generated between the fixed and movable drive members in response to Coulomb force generated between the fixed and movable drive members when voltage is applied to the electrode strips.

Abstract: A viscous fluid type heat generator includes a housing assembly defining a heat generating chamber and a heat receiving chamber for permitting a heat exchanging fluid to circulate therethrough to receive heat from the heat generating chamber. A rotor element is supported by the housing assembly separately from the drive shaft to be rotationally driven by the drive shaft for rotation within the heat generating chamber. A viscous fluid is held in a gap defined between the inner wall surfaces of the heat generating chamber and the outer faces of the rotor element, for heat generation under a shearing stress applied by the rotation of the rotor element. Frictional coupling means are provided for frictionally coupling the drive shaft with the rotor element and for mechanically transmitting a rotation of the drive shaft to the rotor element to permit the rotor element to rotate in the heat generating chamber at a speed not higher than a predetermined thermal limit speed.

Abstract: According to the present invention, an oil storage chamber for temporarily accumulating a high-viscosity oil is formed below a heat-generating chamber for accumulating high-viscosity oil which generates heat when a shearing force is applied thereto. When an electromagnetic coil of an electromagnetic clutch is set off, i.e., a rotation of a rotor of a viscous heater is stopped, the high-viscosity oil in the heat-generating chamber moves into the oil storage chamber by own weight thereof, and a liquid level of the high-viscosity oil in the heat-generating chamber is greatly reduced. In this way, when the electromagnetic coil of the electromagnetic clutch is turned on to start the rotor of the viscous heater, a torque applied to the rotor is greatly reduced, with the result that a stress applied to the rotor is reduced.

Abstract: A viscous fluid type heat generator including a drive shaft for receiving a rotative drive force from an external drive source and mounting thereon a plurality of rotor elements to be rotated together with the drive shaft, a housing assembly in which at least one first heat generating component chamber confining therein a heat generative viscous fluid to which a shearing action is applied by the rotor elements, a second heat-generating-performance variable chamber confining a heat generative viscous fluid to which shearing action is applied by the rotor element, and a heat receiving chamber in which heat exchanging liquid flows therethrough to receive heat from the first and second heat generating chambers. The viscous fluid type heat generator further may includes a control chamber for controlling an amount of the viscous fluid in the second heat-generating-performance variable chamber, and a heat-generating-performance changing unit.

Abstract: A viscous heater is provided which can securely inhibit a viscous fluid from leaking even after extended use. For instance, the heater is provided with a shaft-sealing apparatus which seals a driving shaft between a heat-generating chamber and a bearing apparatus. The shaft-sealing apparatus is arranged so that it is cooled by a front water jacket which is disposed adjacent to it.

Abstract: A variable capacity type viscous heater is provided which can carry out the capacity control reliably, and which can inhibit the endurable heat-generating efficiency of a viscous fluid from deteriorating even after a long period of service. For instance, its rear housing 6 is provided with a control chamber 9 which is communicated with a central region of a heat-generating chamber 7, and which has an internal volume capable of expanding and contracting. When a rotor 14 is kept rotated, a silicone oil held, in the heat-generating chamber 7, expands the internal volume of the control chamber 9 by the Weissenberg effect in the capacity reduction. As a result, the heating is relieved, because the silicone oil, held in the heat-generating chamber 7, is collected into the control chamber 9.

Abstract: An automobile heating system adapted for being incorporated in an automobile climate control system and being mounted on an engine housing within an engine compartment of an automobile without occupying a large space. The automobile heating system may be manufactured at low cost, and satisfactorily heats the passenger cabin of the automobile and enables the engine to quickly warm up after the start of the engine. The automobile heating system is provided with an auxiliary heat source integrally combined with one of the auxiliary machines including an idler, a power steering hydraulic pump or an alternator.

Abstract: A viscous fluid type heat generator adapted for being incorporated in a heating system has front and rear housings in which a heat generating chamber containing therein a viscous fluid and a heat receiving chamber permitting a heat exchanging liquid to flow therethrough. The heat generator also has a drive shaft rotatably supported by an anti-friction bearing unit and having mounted thereon a rotor element rotating in the heat generating chamber to apply a shearing action by which the viscous fluid generates heat absorbed by the heat exchanging liquid flowing in the heat receiving chamber. The heat generator has an intermediate substance unit arranged between the heat generating chamber and the anti-friction bearing unit so as to provide a thermal isolation therebetween. The intermediate substance unit may be a shaft sealing unit, a closed vacant chamber or a combination of the shaft sealing unit and the closed vacant chamber.

Abstract: A viscous heater is provided which can be manufactured readily and less expensively. For instance, it includes a rear housing 6 which is constituted by a rear plate 2 and a rear housing body 3. The rear plate 2, the rear housing body 3 and a front housing 1 are overlapped and fastened by a through bolt 5, and thereby a rear water jacket RW is formed by the rear plate 2 and the rear housing body 3.

Abstract: A viscous fluid type heat generator is provided with a case unit having a front case and a rear case and has an inner surface defining a heat generating chamber, a heat receiving chamber formed in at least one of the front case and the rear case so as to extend contiguously with the heat generating chamber to form a heat exchanging fluid passage through which a heat exchanging fluid is circulated, a drive shaft supported for rotation in a bearing on the front case, a rotor element mounted on the drive shaft for rotation together with the drive shaft in the heat generating chamber, a viscous fluid filling up a space between the inner surface of the case defining the heating chamber and the outer surface of the rotor for heat generation by the rotation of the rotor element, and a connecting unit for connecting the rotor element to the drive shaft so that the rotor element is unable to turn relative to the drive shaft but is able to incline to the axis of the drive shaft and to move axially on the drive shaft.

Abstract: A multiple axes drive apparatus having a plurality of electrostatic actuators for applying driving forces in a plurality of different directions within a plane to a driven member. Each electrostatic actuator of the drive apparatus includes a first member that has a plurality of first electrode strips arranged in a single direction with a predetermined pitch, and a second member that has a plurality of second electrode strips arranged in the same direction as the first electrode strips with the same pitch. The members are located opposite to each other so one of the members moves along the single direction in response to a Coulomb force generated between the electrode strips when voltage is applied to the electrode strips.