Patents Examined by Dwight Diehl
  • Patent number: 5102379
    Abstract: A planetary gear system includes a plurality of planet gears, each having a journal bearing and a pin, end supported in a planet carrier. Each pin has a small diameter central portion axially extending for end support. A larger diameter outer portion is integral with the central portion at an inboard merged zone, and has cantilever sections extending outboard from the merged zone. Each pin is sized such that bending of the merged zone in one direction is countered by bending of the cantilever sections in the other direction to achieve a substantially linear bearing surface under load.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 25, 1991
    Date of Patent: April 7, 1992
    Assignee: United Technologies Corporation
    Inventors: Gino Pagluica, Cornelius V. Sundt
  • Patent number: 5101680
    Abstract: An inhibitor for a manual transmission shift control which aids in preventing unintended downshifts into first gear. The inhibitor blocks shifting from second gear to first gear following a first gear to second gear shift. No other shift sequence is affected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 1991
    Date of Patent: April 7, 1992
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventor: George A. Parsons
  • Patent number: 5101676
    Abstract: A sucker rod depth adjusting attachment for conventional oil well surface units for operating down-hole pumps includes a cross bar which rests atop the existing carrier bar and supports a matching adjusting bar by means of interconnecting, adjustable length rams. The ram locations are off-center of the well center and sucker rod depth is varied by adjusting the ram length. In an alternate embodiment, the carrier bar and cross bar are combined as a single part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 1991
    Date of Patent: April 7, 1992
    Inventor: Norman D. Collins
  • Patent number: 5101677
    Abstract: An electronic shift controller having a cast housing is externally mounted to a transmission housing and plug-in connectors directly couple signals between the controller and the transmission. A manually controlled shift selector shaft extends between the transmission and the controller to operate a forward/neutral/reverse shift valve in the transmission and shift selector switches in the controller. A simple harness couples power, speed and ignition sense signals to the controller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1991
    Date of Patent: April 7, 1992
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventor: Bruce T. Hammerschmitt
  • Patent number: 5098352
    Abstract: A disengageable four-wheel-drive transmission system for motor vehicles with transverse gearbox includes a gradually-engageable hydraulic clutch controlled automatically by an electronic control unit in dependence on operating parameters including the torque transmitted by the engine of the vehicle at the time in question. The electronic control unit is arranged to cause the clutch to be engaged gradually from a disengaged condition in which the drive is transmitted from the gearbox only to the front differential or the rear differential of the transmission system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 1990
    Date of Patent: March 24, 1992
    Assignee: Fiat Auto S.p.A.
    Inventors: Enrico Montanaro, Felice Garrone
  • Patent number: 5097717
    Abstract: A gear shift transmission for a motor vehicle has a transmission housing which comprises an axle housing, an intermediate plate and a housing bell. The input shaft and the output shaft of the gear shift transmission are supported in three places, specifically in a front bearing plate of the axle housing, in the intermediate plate, and in a rear bearing plate of the housing bell. The reverse gear and the lower forward gears are arranged in the axle housing, and the higher forward gears are arranged in the housing bell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 1990
    Date of Patent: March 24, 1992
    Assignee: Dr. Ing. h.c.F. Porsche AG
    Inventor: Meinrad Bardoll
  • Patent number: 5098350
    Abstract: A continuously variable drive train or power train which is a fluid mechanical drive system which is self-contained and self-controlled. It is useful as in power equipment drive train between a power source and a transfer case, for example, etc. It includes first and second rotatable bell housings, two fluid couplers, and a plurality of inter-connected planetary gear assemblies for transmitting rotational energy from a power source (e.g., an engine) to an output shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 1991
    Date of Patent: March 24, 1992
    Inventor: William A. Sackschewsky
  • Patent number: 5097719
    Abstract: A device for a bicycle comprising a drive transmission which is coupled to the drive wheel of the bicycle and includes a gear change mechanism with a number of different size chain sprockets, a shifting device coupled to the gear change mechanism and a freewheel coupling arranged between the drive wheel and the chain sprockets. Moreover, the device comprises a disengage mechanism (34-37) which is coupled to the shifting device (20) of the gear change device by means of a friction element (19) and a drive member (23) for enabling simultaneous disengagement of the freewheel coupling and change of gear.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 19, 1991
    Date of Patent: March 24, 1992
    Inventors: Oskar R. Lohman
  • Patent number: 5098357
    Abstract: A planetary gear device having a first and a second single-pinion planetary gear unit and a third double-pinion planetary gear unit, which are coaxially disposed so as to provide different speed reduction ratios. The three gear units have respective first, second and third sun gears, respective first, second and third ring gears, and respective first, second and third carriers rotatably supporting planetary pinions. The first and second sun gears are fixed together or selectively connectable to each other, and the first carrier, second ring gear and third carrier are fixed together or selectively connectable to each other. Further, the second carrier and the third sun gear are fixed together or selectively connectable to each other. The present arrangement allows shifting operations of the gear device, without concurrent disengagement and engagement of different clutches.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 1989
    Date of Patent: March 24, 1992
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshiyuki Asada, Toshitake Suzuki, Yasunori Nakawaki, Yasuhiko Higushiyama, Akiharu Abe, Naoki Moriguchi, Naoki Moriguchi
  • Patent number: 5094655
    Abstract: A rear wheel drive automotive vehicle is provided with a transaxle including a transmsision and a differential. The output shaft of the transmission extends rearward of a ring gear of the differential. A hypoid pinion gear is fixedly mounted on the rear end section of the output shaft and meshed with the ring gear. The pinion gear is rotatably supported on the inner surface of the rear section of a differential casing through a roller bearing. The roller bearing is detachable and adjustable in location relative to the differential casing rear section so that the pinion gear is readily removable to facilitate an adjustment operation of tooth contact between the pinion gear and the ring gear of the differential.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 12, 1991
    Date of Patent: March 10, 1992
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hitoshi Sato
  • Patent number: 5094127
    Abstract: An adaptive control system for vehicles using a time delay control method which applies a reference model for giving desired response characteristics, assumes that terms of an unknown section such as for variations of plant dynamics are constant for a minute time period, and estimates this variation of the unknown section to calculate a control input that follows said reference model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 16, 1990
    Date of Patent: March 10, 1992
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Akira Ishida, Masahiro Takada, Kazushige Narazaki, Osamu Ito
  • Patent number: 5094115
    Abstract: An operation apparatus for a vehicle automatic transmission mechanism includes first and second actuators, connected in parallel with a hydraulic valve, for driving the hydraulic valve to switch a travel range of an automatic transmission mechanism, a control unit for controlling the first and second actuators, and a transmission operation unit for outputting a range signal indicating a presently set travel range to the control unit. The transmission operation unit includes a stroke contact type operation switch on which travel ranges to be set are sequentially aligned along a predetermined path.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 1991
    Date of Patent: March 10, 1992
    Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
    Inventors: Osamu Michihira, Kiyoshi Sakamoto, Yasuhiro Takabe, Koki Makino
  • Patent number: 5094121
    Abstract: The present invention is a small transmission for riding lawn mowers and the like. The transmission includes a detent arrangement which aids the operator while shifting the transmission gears. The detent arrangement includes detent recesses which are formed in the casting of the housing, and a biased detent mechanism mounted on the shift fork of the transmission. The biased detent mechanism includes a projection on the shift fork which receives a spring and nose cone. The spring urges the nose into the detent recesses so that the shifting mechanism holds the transmission in the selected gear, and provides a positive feel of the changing gears. Alternatively, a spring biased ball may be mounted on the shift fork to engage the detent recesses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 1, 1991
    Date of Patent: March 10, 1992
    Assignee: Tecumseh Products Company
    Inventor: Roland L. von Kaler
  • Patent number: 5092200
    Abstract: The present invention is concerned with a transmission constructed in the two-staged structure including main speed changing units (1st, 2nd) and auxiliary speed changing units (H, L) which are provided with clutches (H, L, 1st, 2nd) which in turn are individually connected to electronic type pressure control valves (21 to 24) so as to enable the respective clutches to be controlled separately. When it is found that pressurized hydraulic oil delivered from a hydraulic pump has a shortage in amount at the time of starting of forward movement of a vehicle, feeding of hydraulic oil to the clutches (H, L) on the main speed changing unit side and the clutches (1st, 2nd) on the auxiliary speed changing unit side is effected with a certain time difference kept therebetween in order to suppress fluctuation in filling time due to reduction of an amount of hydraulic oil delivered from the hydraulic pump.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 1990
    Date of Patent: March 3, 1992
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Komatsu Seisakusho
    Inventors: Yoshio Asayama, Makio Tsubota, Yasunori Okura, Takayuki Sato
  • Patent number: 5090950
    Abstract: An automatic power transmission includes a primary transmission unit having plurality of gear elements for establishing predetermined speed ratios and a subsidiary transmission unit having an under-drive gear element for establishing at least one and a direct drive. Each gear element is associated with a friction element which controls associated one of the gear element for establishing one of a plurality of predetermined speed ratios. The friction element is connected to a hydraulic circuit which controls position of the friction element between engaged position and released position for establishing the one of speed ratios.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 1989
    Date of Patent: February 25, 1992
    Assignees: Nissan Motor Company, Ltd., Jatco Corporation
    Inventors: Taku Sugano, Kazuyoshi Iwanaga, Noboru Hattori
  • Patent number: 5090949
    Abstract: A transaxle housing is provided for a small-sized vehicle such as a grass-mowing lawn tractor and encloses an internally located hydrostatic transmission in association with speed reducing gearing and mechanical differential for reasons of compactness and simplicity of manufacture. The axle housing comprises two members connected together alone a parting plane to define a number of internal chambers, at least one chamber used to enclose the hydrostatic transmission and remaining chambers enclosing speed reducing gearing and differential. One housing element is provided with a vertical input shaft which is operatively connected through bevel gearing to a hydraulic pump, the pump mounted perpendicular and fluidly coupled to a hydraulic motor, the rotary axis of the hydraulic motor being coincident with the parting plane of the housing and parallel to the rotating axes of the half shafts of the transaxle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 25, 1992
    Assignee: Unipat AG
    Inventors: Christian H. Thoma, George D. M. Arnold
  • Patent number: 5090263
    Abstract: A gear coupler for coupling a gear to a shaft includes a first coupling member which is connected for rotation with the shaft and a second coupling member which is connected for rotation with the gear and engageable by the first coupling member. The second coupling member is capable of limited circumferential movement relative to the gear to allow the first and second coupling members to engage each other without the need to rotate the gear. The advantage of this arrangement is that gears can be engaged without the operator needing to exert excessive actuation force on any actuating system which controls the movement of the coupler.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 15, 1991
    Date of Patent: February 25, 1992
    Assignee: Massey Ferguson Services N.V.
    Inventors: Roger M. Weyman, John R. Barton
  • Patent number: 5088351
    Abstract: A vehicle speed control system comprising an automatic speed control system for controlling the vehicle velocity to a set velocity selected by an operator, and automatic transmission control system for controlling the speed stage of the automatic transmission of the vehicle in response to the deviation between the actual vehicle velocity and the set vehicle velocity of the automatic speed control means. The automatic transmission control system comprises two operating modes including a first mode when the automatic speed control system is controlling the vehicle velocity, and a second mode when the automatic speed control system is not controlling the vehicle velocity, and the automatic transmission control system prohibits the shift of the speed stage to a fixed speed stage when the automatic speed control system is controlling the vehicle velocity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 29, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 18, 1992
    Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Osamu Miyake, Nobuyasu Suzumura, Shoji Kawata
  • Patent number: 5088350
    Abstract: An automatic transmission for an alcohol engine is upshifted in accordance with one of first and second shift patterns. The transmission is upshifted at a higher vehicle speed in accordance with the first shift pattern, and the transmission is upshifted at a lower vehicle speed by the second shift pattern. Concentration of the alcohol is detected by an alcohol concentration sensor. The second shift pattern is provided when the detected alcohol concentration is higher than a reference value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 1991
    Date of Patent: February 18, 1992
    Assignee: Fuji Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Masaru Kurihara, Yoichi Saito
  • Patent number: 5087232
    Abstract: A gear train for transmitting the rotation from an input shaft to an output shaft is constituted such that a plurality of speeds are set by a plurality of planetary gear sets, each of which is provided with components including a sun gear, a ring gear and a carrier, and one of the planetary gear sets on one of the speeds does not participate in the transmission of torque from the input shaft to the output shaft. Also, single or a plurality of uniting clutches are provided to selectively interconnect at least either two of the components in the planetary gear set adapted not to participate in the transmission of torque.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 1990
    Date of Patent: February 11, 1992
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Toshiyuki Asada