Patents by Inventor Kenneth C. Yuergens

Kenneth C. Yuergens has filed for patents to protect the following inventions. This listing includes patent applications that are pending as well as patents that have already been granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO).

  • Patent number: 8607952
    Abstract: A clutch has an outer aluminum housing and an inner housing arranged coaxially with respect to one another to support a plurality of first and second alternating, interiorly arranged, radially extending, friction members for axial movement between engaged and disengaged positions. The outer aluminum housing can have a cylindrical side wall and a radially inwardly extending end wall. A plurality of spline teeth can be formed at angularly spaced locations along the cylindrical side wall. Each spline tooth can have radial wall portions extending inwardly and longitudinally terminating at a circumferential wall portion extending between the radial wall portions to define the spline teeth. A sheet metal liner can be wrapped around to form a continuous, generally cylindrical, corrugated ring with inwardly extending spline teeth covers connected to a collar.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 1, 2011
    Date of Patent: December 17, 2013
    Assignee: BorgWarner, Inc.
    Inventors: Martin P Keating, Kenneth C Yuergens, Yosuke Kimpara, Keith Honkala
  • Publication number: 20110315505
    Abstract: A clutch has an outer aluminum housing and an inner housing arranged coaxially with respect to one another to support a plurality of first and second alternating, interiorly arranged, radially extending, friction members for axial movement between engaged and disengaged positions. The outer aluminum housing can have a cylindrical side wall and a radially inwardly extending end wall. A plurality of spline teeth can be formed at angularly spaced locations along the cylindrical side wall. Each spline tooth can have radial wall portions extending inwardly and longitudinally terminating at a circumferential wall portion extending between the radial wall portions to define the spline teeth. A sheet metal liner can be wrapped around to form a continuous, generally cylindrical, corrugated ring with inwardly extending spline teeth covers connected to a collar.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 1, 2011
    Publication date: December 29, 2011
    Applicant: BorgWarner Inc.
    Inventors: Martin P. Keating, Kenneth C. Yuergens, Yosuke Kimpara, Keith Honkala
  • Publication number: 20110278131
    Abstract: A clutch has an outer housing and an inner housing arranged coaxially with respect to one another to support a plurality of first and second alternating, interiorly arranged, radially extending, friction members for axial movement between engaged and disengaged positions. The outer housing can have a longitudinally extending cylindrical side wall and a radially inwardly extending end wall. A plurality of longitudinally extending, teeth-receiving notches can be formed at evenly angularly spaced locations along the cylindrical side wall. Each notch can have radially inwardly bent wall portions extending longitudinally to define teeth-receiving sidewalls of the outer housing. The inner housing assembly can have a hub and an elongate sheet metal strip having bent tabs and evenly spaced corrugations stamped along an entire longitudinal length. The strip can be wrapped around to form a continuous, generally cylindrical, corrugated ring with inwardly extending bent tabs connected to the hub.
    Type: Application
    Filed: February 2, 2011
    Publication date: November 17, 2011
    Applicant: BORGWARNER INC.
    Inventors: Martin P. Keating, Kenneth C. Yuergens, Yosuke Kimpara, Keith Honkala
  • Patent number: 6745880
    Abstract: A two-way clutch assembly (10) having an inner race (14), an outer race (20), and an engagement mechanism (22) disposed therebetween and operable to shift between a first position providing torque translation between the inner and outer races (14, 20) in one rotational direction while allowing relative freewheeling rotation between the inner and outer races (14, 20) in an opposite rotational direction. Furthermore, the engagement mechanism (22) is operable to shift to a second position that provides torque translation and relative freewheeling rotation between the inner and outer races (14, 20) in rotational directions opposite to that provided by the engagement mechanism when disposed in the first position. An actuator assembly (24) is operatively connected to the engagement mechanism (22) and acts to simultaneously move in an axial direction and rotate about the axis of rotation (A) in an indexing manner to shift the engagement mechanism (22) between the first and second positions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 3, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 8, 2004
    Assignee: BorgWarner, Inc.
    Inventor: Kenneth C. Yuergens
  • Patent number: 6224487
    Abstract: A torsional vibration damper has an outer drive plate connected to a pair of retainer plates by an outer array of damping springs disposed partly in windows formed in the outer drive plate and partly in first windows formed in the retainer plates, and an inner drive plate which is connected to the retainer plate by an inner array of damping springs disposed partly in second windows formed in the retainer plates and partly in windows formed in the inner drive plate. The adjacent peripheries of the drive plates have a plurality of notches that are defined by radial tangs that are arranged in confronting pairs when the torsional vibration damper is in a neutral position. The retainer plates are spaced apart and connected to each other by drive blocks that are disposed partly in each notch of the outer drive plate and partly in each notch of the inner drive plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 1997
    Date of Patent: May 1, 2001
    Assignee: BorgWarner Inc.
    Inventor: Kenneth C. Yuergens
  • Patent number: 5878860
    Abstract: A plate and facing assembly (10), including a plate (12) and a facing (14) mounted on the plate. The facing (14) defines a substantially circular outer groove (20) and a substantially circular inner groove (22) spaced from the outer groove. The facing (14) defines a waved groove (24) between the outer and inner grooves (20, 22). The outer, inner and waved grooves (20, 22, 24) are interconnected by a plurality of flow grooves (28, 30, 32) defined by the facing (14). The grooves (20, 22, 24) interact to channel the flow of fluid.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 22, 1997
    Date of Patent: March 9, 1999
    Assignee: Borg-Warner Automotive, Inc.
    Inventors: Nirmal Pavangat, Abdul-Hafiz Afaneh, Kenneth C. Yuergens, Yih-Fang Chen
  • Patent number: 5655635
    Abstract: A torque converter includes a subassembly that comprises a lock up clutch and a torsional damper. The torsional damper has an input plate that is part of the lock up clutch. Front and back sheet metal retainers are attached to the input plate to retain a plurality of torque transmitting springs. An outer castellated margin of an output plate is disposed between the front and back sheet metal retainers and engages the torque transmitting springs for being driven by the input plate via the sheet metal retainers. In one embodiment the plates are also connected by a lost motion drive connection that limits relative angular travel to protect the torque transmitting springs from being overloaded. In another embodiment two identical sheet metal retainers are flange driven to simplify construction further and conserve more space.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 3, 1996
    Date of Patent: August 12, 1997
    Assignee: Borg-Warner Automotive, Inc.
    Inventors: Kenneth C. Yuergens, John P. Yanko
  • Patent number: 5246399
    Abstract: The two-stage torsional vibration damper includes an outer hub driven by a orque input drive member, a ring member, rotatably supported in the outer hub, an inner hub rotatably supported in the ring member, and a torque output member at the center of the inner hub. A front spring retainer plate is attached to one side of the ring member and a rear spring retainer plate is attached to the other side of the ring member. The spring retainer plate retains outer spring assemblies in spring assembly apertures in the outer hub and retain inner spring assemblies in spring assembly apertures in the inner hub. Torque is transmitted from the outer hub to the outer spring assemblies to the spring retainer plates to the inner spring assemblies to the inner hub. The outer spring assemblies can be compressed until rotation of the inner hub relative to the ring member is stopped.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 1991
    Date of Patent: September 21, 1993
    Assignee: Borg-Warner Automotive Transmission & Engine Components Corporation
    Inventors: John P. Yanko, Malcolm E. Kirkwood, Kenneth C. Yuergens
  • Patent number: 4694941
    Abstract: A drive hub for a torque converter lock-up clutch and damper assembly wherein a one-piece hub provides radial location for the driving and driven members and a pressure seal to provide the requisite pressure differential across the clutch pressure plate for application of the clutch during torque converter use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 16, 1986
    Date of Patent: September 22, 1987
    Assignee: Borg-Warner Automotive, Inc.
    Inventors: David A. Hall, Kenneth C. Yuergens