Abstract: A blocked jaw clutch assembly (156) of the type having sensor unblocking ramps (176, 178, 180, 182) is provided with structure tending to cause the blocking torque friction surface (188) carried by the blocker ring (124) to frictionally engage the blocking torque friction member (190) carried by the first jaw clutch member (108, 164, 188) with a circumferentially non-symetrical axial force.

Abstract: A method for controlling an AMT system (10) is provided including sensing and identifying faulty input signals (GNS) from the gear neutral--not gear neutral sensor (76), and, if the signal is faulty, modifying the logic method for control (42) to a logic method tolerant of the identified faulty input signal.

Abstract: An improved control system for an automatic change gear transmission (10) driven by a throttle (18) controlled engine (12) is provided. The control system includes a processing unit (30) for receiving inputs indicating at least throttle position (18), engine speed (20) and vehicle speed (28) and for processing these inputs in accordance with a program to determine the correct engaged gear ratio and for issuing command signals to a transmission shifting mechanism (26). The processing unit includes a program having a first mode of operation and a second mode of operation and is effective to operate in the second mode of operation after a shift until reset to the first mode of operation. The engine speeds (52, 48) at which downshifts and upshifts are commanded in the second mode of operation are modified from the normal engine speeds (42, 40) at which downshifts and upshifts are commanded in the first mode in accordance with the direction of the last shift.

Abstract: A modular tire valve assembly (11) for a central tire inflation system (10) comprising a valve body (212) having only a first (66) and a second (72) fluid connection from the exterior to the interior thereof is provided. The first fluid connection comprises a first port connected to a selectively pressurized and exhausted conduit (52) and the second fluid connection comprises a second port connected to the interior pressurized chamber (74) of an inflatable tire (12). The assembly includes first valve means (220) responsive to pressurization and exhausting of said selectively pressurized and exhausted conduit to establish or block, respectively, fluid communication between said first and second ports and second valve means (280) responsive to pressurization in said interior tire chamber to maintain said first valve means in the closed position thereof if said interior tire chamber is pressurized below a predetermined reference pressure.

Abstract: A semi-automatic mechanical change gear transmission system (11) including a manually operated non-synchronized mechanical change gear transmission (12), a plurality of two-position sensors (278, 280, 282, 284, 286 and 290) cooperating with sensor ramps (146, 148, 150, 152, 154 and 156) manually provided on the operated shift rails (104, 106 and 108) for sensing manual selection of engagement or disengagement of a particular ratio gear, speed sensors (48 and 50) for sensing the rotational speed of the jaw clutch elements associated with a particular selected ratio gear, a power synchronizer assembly (10) and a inhibit mechanism (304) associated with a standard interlock/neutral sensing assembly (254) to resiliently resist axial movement of the shift rails (104, 106 and 108) from the axially nondisplaced positions thereof in the absence of synchronous rotation of the jaw clutch members associated with a particular selected ratio gear.

Abstract: A design for a series of ring gear and pinion gear right angle gear-sets (100) utilizing a single common ring gear (114) and a plurality of pinion gears (112A-D), each having different numbers of teeth, is provided.

Abstract: A semi-automatic mechanical transmission system (10) and method for controlling same is provided. The transmission system includes a shaft selector lever (1) which may be moved forward or rearward from the centered position thereof to select upshifts and downshifts, respectively, and a central processing unit (38) receiving input signals from the selector lever and which will sense multiple movements of the shift select lever in a given direction and interpret same as request for multiple or skip shifts in said direction. The control also includes a display (2) comprised of three sections, a currently engaged gear ratio section (2'") a maximum permissible consecutive upshift indicating section (2') and a maximum permissible consecutive downshift indicating section (2").

Abstract: An improved automatic clutch control system for controlling a vehicle master clutch (14) drivingly interposed a throttle controlled engine (12) and a change gear transmission (10) in an automatic mechanical transmission system (AMT) is provided. The control provides at least one modulated clutch engagement mode of operation wherein the clutch is moved rapidly from the fully disengaged to the incipient engagement position (A), and is then moved in a modulated manner, according to logic rules, to the fully engaged position. A monitored clutch actuator (22) parameter is compared to a reference value (C) to determine the expected point of incipient engagement of the clutch. The reference value is periodically updated, to compensate for wear and the like, by monitoring the sensed or calculated value of the monitored clutch actuator parameter at the time a monitored system parameter (108, 110) responds in a manner predictable for the instant of incipient engagement of the clutch.

Abstract: An improved, multiple substantially identical countershaft assembly (16, 16A), change gear transmission (10) having at least two (20, 20A) countershafts is provided. The input gear (14) and each mainshaft gear (42, 44, 46, 48) is constantly engaged with a countershaft gear (24 and 24a, 26 and 26a, 28 and 28a, 30 and 30a, 32 and 32a) carried by each countershaft and all or substantially all of said input gear and mainshaft gears are provided with a number of gear teeth not evenly divisible by the number of countershafts whereby the level of noise generated by the meshing of the gear teeth is minimized.

Abstract: A central tire inflation system (10) comprising a pressure relief valve (180) fluidly interposed control means (142, 156, 164, 154, 172) and a tire valve assembly (56, 58) is provided. The control valve assembly is effective to selectively pressurize or exhaust a first conduit (170) connected to a first port (178) of the pressure relief valve, a second conduit (50, 52) extends from a third port (184) of the pressure relief valve to the tire valve assembly and a second port (182) is connected to atmosphere. The pressure relief valve is effective to establish fluid communication between said first and second ports thereof when the pressure in said first conduit exceeds the pressure in said second conduit and to establish fluid communication between the second conduit and the exhaust port (182) if the pressure in said second conduit exceeds the pressure in said first conduit.

Abstract: A vehicle air system (300) for a vehicle equipped with a source of pressurized fluid (302, 306), an air brake system (314), a central tire inflation system (316) and a central tire inflation system pressurized fluid reservoir (336) is provided. Preferably, the central tire inflation system reservoir is defined in part by the vehicle spare tire. The central tire inflation system rservoir is fluidly connected to the source of pressurized fluid, the vehicle air brake system and the central tire inflation system by a pair of parallel conduits (332, 334), one of which is provided with a one way check valve (340) allowing pressurized fluid stored in the reservoir to be supplied to the brake system of the central tire inflation system.

Abstract: A power synchronizer assembly (10) for selectively increasing the rotational speed of a mechanical change gear transmission (12) input shaft (22), main section countershaft (58) and ratio gears (82, 84, 86, and 88) independently of the rotational speed of the drive engine (14) is provided. The power synchronizer assembly includes a sun gear shaft (174) drivingly associated with the main section countershaft and carrying a sun gear (176) fixed thereto which is in constant engagement with the planet gears (180) of a planet gear carrier (178) rotatably driven by the transmission output shaft (28). A ring gear (182) surrounds and is in constant engagement with the planet gears and is selectively frictionally coupled for rotation with the transmission housing (68) by means of a band brake and band brake operating mechanism (186 and 188).

Abstract: A positive drive (10) utilizing clutch sleeves (46, 62) having internal splines (48, 64) for splined connection to clutch cams (30, 32) and certain of the clutch (42, 44) friction discs (54, 66) is provided. The positive drive utilizes a drive cam (22) comprising a radially inner ring portion (24) carrying cam surfaces (84, 86) for operative engagement with cam follower ramp surfaces (88, 90) of the clutch cams and radially outwardly extending arm portions (26) for mounting to the positive drive housing (12). Each of the clutch sleeves define axially extending balking fingers (100, 102) which extend through the circumferential space between the arm portions of the drive cam and which are located radially outwardly of the ring portion (24) for interengagement to limit the relative rotational freedom between the clutch cams.

Abstract: A convertible single speed single reduction drive axle (200) convertible to a shiftable two speed planetary double reduction drive axle (10) is provided. The convertible drive axle (200) utilizes a locking gear (204) and locking gear pins (206) with the same components as found in a two speed double reduction axle (10) with the exception of several components such as the sliding clutch gear (94), idler pinion gears (84), high speed clutch plate (90), clutch plate dowel pins (92), idler pinion pins (88), shift fork (112) and thrust washer (126), which are not utilized.

Abstract: A method for controlling an automatic mechanical transmission system (2) of the type comprising a throttling control device (19) controlled heat engine (12) a nonpositive coupling such as a friction master clutch (14) and a jaw clutch type multispeed mechanical transmission (10) utilizing a digital microprocessor (100) based electronic controller (30) is provided. The method includes providing logic routines for the microprocessor including a high priority algorithm for processing current inputs to determine current system status and to generate outputs including command outputs based upon current system status and a low priority algorithm for providing a signal indicative of the currently desired gear ratio to the high priority algorithm.

Abstract: The compound detent mechanism (104) for a manual change gear transmission (10) of the type wherein engagement and disengagement reverse gear is controlled by a first shift rail (58) and engagement and disengagement of the lowest forward speed is controlled by an adjacent second shift rail (56) is provided. Detent mechanism (104) is carried by the shift block assembly (88) associated with the first shift rail and includes a first piston (132) resiliently blocking transverse alignment of a shift element with the contact surfaces (96, 98) associated with the second shift rail (56) associated with the lowest forward speed and a second piston element (114) resiliently blocking shifter element transverse alignment with the contact surfaces (100 and 102) associated with the first shift rail (58) associated with the reverse speed ratio.

Abstract: An improved control system for an automatic change gear transmission (10) driven by a throttle (18) controlled engine (12) is provided. The control system includes a processing unit (30) for receiving inputs indicating at least throttle position (18), engine speed (20) and vehicle speed (28) and for processing these inputs in accordance with a program to determine the correct engaged gear ratio and for issuing command signals to a transmission shifting mechanism (26). The processing unit includes of operator actuated selection means (32) for selecting a mode of operation (D.sub.1 or D.sub.L) wherein vehicle performance is maximized and the control will evaluate and execute allowable skip downshifts.

Abstract: An automatic clutch control system for controlling a vehicle master clutch (14) drivingly interposed a throttle controlled engine (12) and a change gear transmission (10) having a clutch protection portion (70) to prevent the clutch from destructively overheating due to excessive slipping is provided. The clutch protection portion (70) includes a device for maintaining a variable parameter simulating clutch operating temperature (110) and devices (104 and 116) for causing said variable parameter to be increased and decreased, respectively, at first and second rates selected to simulate clutch heating and cooling rates, respectively. A signal generating device (126) is responsive to the simulated value exceeding a predetermined limit to generate a clutch protection output singal (84) effective to cause the clutch to be operated in a non-slipping, preferably fully engaged, mode of operation.

Abstract: A one-piece sheet metal fastener (10) for joining two or more panels (14, 16) having a combined axial thickness (18) within a given range and aligned apertures (22, 24) of a given diameter (24) is provided. The fastener comprises two sidewall portions (28, 30) joined by a bight portion (32) which are aligned in the initial configuration of the fastener and which may be nonresiliently deformed by relative transverse movement of tab portions (46, 48) extending downwardly from transverse opposite sides of each sidewall portion.

Abstract: A positive drive (10) utilizing a secondary clutch (76, 78, 132, 134) to frictionally couple the drive cam (22) and housing (12) to the output couplings (34, 36) regardless of engagement of the primary clutch (52, 54 and 66, 68) for preload and dampening purposes is provided. The magnitude of the torque transfer capacity of the secondary clutch between the drive cam and the faster rotating output coupling includes a fixed magnitude component supplied by a resilient biasing member (72 and 74) and a variable magnitude component which increases with increases in the magnitude of difference between torque transmitted to the slower and faster rotating wheels by the clutches associated therewith.