Patents Examined by Nathan O. Jensen
  • Patent number: 5813292
    Abstract: A method for fabricating a split path transmission system that achieves equal torque splitting between the forward and aft split load paths of each gear train thereof at a predefined operating point by providing an intentional timing difference between gears and pinions of the forward and aft split load paths of each gear train of the split path transmission system is disclosed. The method includes the steps of identifying the torque distribution curves of the forward and aft split load paths of one gear train of the split path transmission system. The method further includes a step of selecting a predefined operating point for the split path transmission system wherein equal torque splitting between the forward and aft split load paths of the one gear train is desired. Next, the forward and aft torque distribution curves are analytically modified as required to pass through the predefined operating point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 1995
    Date of Patent: September 29, 1998
    Assignee: Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation
    Inventors: Jules G. Kish, Robert J. Durwin, Timothy L. Krantz
  • Patent number: 5788597
    Abstract: In a process and apparatus for braking a hybrid drive vehicle, kinetic vehicular energy is converted by the driving electric motor into electrical power, which alternatively can be absorbed by charging a traction battery or by driving a combustion engine via a generator coupled to the engine, which is functioning as a motor. According to the invention, engine braking is activated if the traction battery is fully charged, if its temperature lies outside a predetermined charging temperature range, or if the charging current due to the electrical power supplied by the driving electric motor exceeds a predetermined limit value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 1995
    Date of Patent: August 4, 1998
    Assignee: Mercedes-Benz AG
    Inventors: Wolf Boll, Herbert Botzelmann, Peter Antony
  • Patent number: 5730675
    Abstract: A transmission which allows for relative rotation between an input shaft in an output shaft while lowering fuel consumption. An electric motor/generator has one element fixed to a reaction-force element of a planetary gear unit in low gear. Consequently, when the vehicle is halted, the relative rotation between the input shaft and the output shaft in the transmission can be utilized as a reaction-force to drive the motor/generator as a generator. Since electric power is generated by means of the motor/generator, the generated energy is collected and fuel consumption by the engine is reduced. In other gear stages, the motor/generator is adapted to receive the energy produced when the vehicle is decelerated by means of regenerative braking.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 31, 1995
    Date of Patent: March 24, 1998
    Assignee: Kabushikikaisha Equos Research
    Inventor: Kozo Yamaguchi
  • Patent number: 5724866
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for controlling a car equipped with an automatic transmission having a lockup clutch. According to the control method of the present invention, when the lockup clutch is in the lockup state, a variation of a generated torque is detected. When the range of the torque variation detected exceeds a predetermined value, an engine torque is reduced by controlling the engine, and the automatic transmission is controlled to compensate for a reduction of the driving torque due to a reduction of the engine torque. Thus, the speed change ratio is changed to the low gear side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 1996
    Date of Patent: March 10, 1998
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshimichi Minowa, Yutaka Nishimura, Ken'ichi Kawashima, Hiroshi Kuroiwa, Masahiko Ibamoto
  • Patent number: 5709129
    Abstract: A gearshift control system comprises an electrical control unit which operates hydraulic valves controlling a hydraulic gearshift actuator. The vehicle in which the system operates has a dashboard control to preselect a gear change, which is actuated by depressing the clutch pedal operating a switch, both the switch and control being connected to the unit. The system includes means for updating the electronic stored values representative of the position of the gearshift actuator. The system also includes means for aborting a gearshift if, after given time periods, either the shift has not been completed, or the clutch pedal is released. In any event the gearshift will be aborted if the clutch is released during a change. The system will not initiate a gearshift unless the clutch pedal is held down for a given period of time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 1995
    Date of Patent: January 20, 1998
    Assignee: Massey-Ferguson S.A.
    Inventor: Yvon Le Clezio
  • Patent number: 5697864
    Abstract: A shift control apparatus for an automatic transmission includes a first transmission gear unit equipped with a clutch to clutch shift mechanism and a second transmission gear unit which is operatively connected in series with the first transmission gear unit and which is equipped with a clutch to one-way clutch shift mechanism. A clutch controller controls the clutch-to-clutch shift mechanism and the clutch to one-way clutch shift mechanism in such a manner that rotational synchronization of the clutch to one-way clutch shift mechanism is caused to take place earlier than or at the same time as rotational synchronization of the clutch to clutch shift mechanism when gear shifting is effected over the first and second transmission gear units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 3, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 16, 1997
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shinji Watanabe
  • Patent number: 5697263
    Abstract: A device, having a planetary gear and a single motor, in use for switching and transmitting a driving force of the motor to any one of station gears and for driving each station gear in both rotational directions. The operation of locking levers for preventing a planetary gear from revolving around a sun gear is controlled by a cam. The cam is actuated by a driving force of the motor. A spring frictionally connecting the cam and an output shaft of a speed reduction system is interposed therebetween, and a magnet is disposed so as to restrict the movement of the cam when the motor rotates. A sun gear is connected with the output shaft of the speed reduction system with a "play" or gap in order that the rotation of the sun gear is reversed behind time corresponding to the play when the rotation of the motor is reversed, thus making it possible to start actuating the cam earlier than the sun gear for making sure that the locking levers are shifted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 16, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 16, 1997
    Assignee: Minolta Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Akira Funahashi, Michihiro Iwata
  • Patent number: 5695424
    Abstract: A planet carrier of an automotive automatic transmission includes an annular main body portion disposed around a pinion shaft between the carrier body and the pinion gear. A washer formed of a porous material such that lubricating fluid can flow therethrough to both sides of the washer is disposed around the pinion shaft. Further, a boss portion may be formed at the inner periphery of the washer opening, which portion is inserted between the surface of the pinion shaft and an inner circumference of the pinion gear. A fluid passage is defined according to installation of the washer, between the edge of the washer and the bearings of the pinion gear such that lubricating fluid is retained therein, which fluid flows around the pinion shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 24, 1995
    Date of Patent: December 9, 1997
    Assignee: JATCO Corporation
    Inventor: Muneo Mizuta
  • Patent number: 5692988
    Abstract: A kinematic arrangement of a multiple-speed automatic transmission for an automotive vehicle includes a simple planetary gear unit and a compound planetary gear unit, hydraulically actuated clutches and brakes applied and released selectively, and an overrunning clutch that produces a one-way drive connection between the carrier of the first gear unit and a nonrotating member such as the transmission casing. The simple planetary gear unit includes a sun gear, a ring gear surrounding the sun gear, a carrier, and a set of planet pinions in continuous meshing engagement with the sun gear and ring gear and rotatably supported on the carrier. The compound gear unit includes a sun gear, a ring gear surrounding the sun gear, a carrier, a first set of planet pinions in continuous driving engagement with the sun gear, and a second set of planet pinions in continuous engagement with the ring gear and the first set of planet pinions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 2, 1997
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Rudolf Beim, Daniel W. McCarrick
  • Patent number: 5692992
    Abstract: A shift assist apparatus for a marine drive includes a tube having a pair of biased springs, between which a sleeve at the end of a transmission cable is movably retained. A remote control cable is fixedly attached to the tube. High transmission cable shift forces associated with resistance to shifting cause the sleeve to move against the bias of one of the springs. A sensor detects this movement and sends an electrical signal to interrupt the engine ignition circuit, thereby preventing the firing of one or more cylinders of the engine. The interruption of the engine ignition reduces the torque on the shift mechanism, in turn reducing the shift forces in the transmission cable and enabling the operator to shift the transmission. When the shift operation is completed, the engine resumes normal firing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 14, 1996
    Date of Patent: December 2, 1997
    Assignee: Volva Penta of the Americas, Inc.
    Inventors: Lennart Arvidsson, Jan Grundberg
  • Patent number: 5685800
    Abstract: In an engine of an automobile, when fuel injection is restarted by the operation of the accelerator pedal from the state in which fuel supply has been cut off during deceleration, fuel injection is controlled according to one of a plurality of fuel injection patterns, which specify a specific cylinder for fuel injection and a specific cylinder for which fuel is not to be injected, and which correspond with various speed change ratios. The engine output torque is kept smooth by performing fuel injection according to that one of these patterns which corresponds to the speed change ratio when the accelerator pedal is operated. Preferably, the fuel injection patterns are determined starting from whichever cylinder initially comes up for fuel injection.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 23, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 11, 1997
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Nobusuke Toukura
  • Patent number: 5685803
    Abstract: A vehicle automatic transmission control system, in which when a gear to be shifted to is determined in response to the throttle opening and vehicle speed, hydraulic oil is supplied to a clutch for the gear to be shifted to. In an early period of the gearshift, the hydraulic oil is supplied to decrease a time lag between an output of the gearshift command and a start of clutch engagement. In the system, there is provided, instead of an expensive oil pressure sensor, a means for estimating or detecting the clutch oil pressure as a capacity of power which the clutch can transmit. When the estimated or detected pressure is high, the supply of oil to the clutch is prohibited so as to prevent sudden clutch engagement which would otherwise produce shock.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 1996
    Date of Patent: November 11, 1997
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hideo Furukawa, Tatsuyuki Ohashi
  • Patent number: 5683329
    Abstract: An apparatus for controlling a lock-up clutch between pump and turbine impellers in a fluid-filled power transmitting device of a motor vehicle, such that a slip control device controls the actual slip speed of the lock-up clutch so as to coincide with a transient target slip speed, the apparatus including a device for calculating a final target slip speed of the lock-up clutch which assures a maximum fuel economy of the vehicle during a steady-state running, a device for setting, as an initial value of the transient target slip speed, a difference between the speeds of the pump and turbine impellers immediately before an operation of the slip control device is initiated, and a device for reducing the transient target slip speed toward the final target slip speed at a rate which decreases as the transient target slip speed approaches the final target slip speed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 12, 1995
    Date of Patent: November 4, 1997
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Katsumi Kono, Shinya Nakamura, Atsushi Honda
  • Patent number: 5681237
    Abstract: A vehicle automatic transmission control system having a torque converter having an input connected to an internal combustion engine mounted on the vehicle and an output connected to a gear system of the transmission, which makes it possible to estimate an ATF temperature without using an expensive ATF temperature sensor. The estimation of the ATF temperature is configured such that based on the coolant temperature at engine starting, it calculates the temperature increase owing to heat inflow to the ATF per unit time and the temperature decrease owing to heat outflow from the ATF per unit time quantitatively and uses the sum of the calculated values to determine the estimated ATF temperature TATF. The parameters used for calculating the temperature include the state of the torque converter, the type of gearshift, a vehicle speed (temperature increase owing to stirring of the ATF), the state of a heat exchanger, and the like.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 29, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 28, 1997
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hideo Furukawa, Tatsuyuki Ohashi
  • Patent number: 5681238
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for controlling a car equipped with an automatic transmission having a lockup clutch. According to the control method of the present invention, when the lockup clutch is in the lockup state, a variation of a generated torque is detected. When the range of the torque variation detected exceeds a predetermined value, an engine torque is reduced by controlling the engine, and the automatic transmission is controlled to compensate for a reduction of the driving torque due to a reduction of the engine torque. Thus, the speed change ratio is changed to the low gear side.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 21, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 28, 1997
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Toshimichi Minowa, Yutaka Nishimura, Ken'ichi Kawashima, Hiroshi Kuroiwa, Masahiko Ibamoto
  • Patent number: 5679097
    Abstract: A control unit 11b which consists of a microcomputer compensates the detected intake manifold pressure Pb with an atmospheric pressure, obtains a first estimated position of the throttle when the amount of by-pass air is null and a second estimated position of the throttle when the mount of by-pass air is the maximum from the intake manifold pressure compensated with the atmospheric pressure and the detected revolution speed Ne, obtains the ratio of the amount of by-pass air currently under control to the maximum controllable amount of by-pass air, estimates the position of the throttle from the ratio and the first and second estimated positions of the throttle, and collates the estimated position of the throttle after compensation and the detected vehicle speed V.sub.s with the speed change map to shift the gear of the automatic transmission 3.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 21, 1997
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Toshio Ohtsuka
  • Patent number: 5678462
    Abstract: The invention relates to a hydrostatic travelling drive for a vehicle, having a primary-adjustable and secondary-adjustable hydrostatic driving gear, which comprises at least two hydraulic machines in the form of a hydraulic pump drivable by a drive motor of the vehicle and a hydraulic motor connected to the hydraulic pump by way of at least one operating line, both of which can be adjusted in their respective stroke volume in dependence upon a control signal changing with the load of the driving gear. To avoid disturbances of the secondary adjustment of the hydrostatic driving gear through momentarily or rapidly occurring fluctuations of the driving-gear load, as control signal for adjusting the hydraulic motor a travelling-speed signal generated by a sensor device and corresponding with the travelling speed of the vehicle is used which with increasing travelling speed effects a swinging-back of the hydraulic motor, i.e. an adjustment in the direction of its minimum stroke volume.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 7, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 21, 1997
    Assignee: Hydromatik GmbH
    Inventors: Heinz Bausenhart, Karl-Heinz Leibing
  • Patent number: 5679093
    Abstract: An engine control provides rapid decrease in the output speed of the engine when an upshift of the transmission is being actuated. The system selectively actuates a speed retardation system to decrease the engine output speed to match a desired engine output speed at the next highest gear ratio. In one embodiment, an engine control actuates engine braking to achieve this rapid speed reduction. In other embodiments, an additional load may be placed on the engine, such as the actuation of a fan. An operator is preferably provided with a shift intent switch that provides an indication to the engine control that an upshift will be actuated. The engine control waits for an indication that the transmission has been moved to neutral. Once this indication is received, the speed retardation system is actuated to rapidly reduce the engine output speed toward a desired value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 21, 1997
    Assignees: Rockwell International Corporation, Detroit Diesel Corporation
    Inventors: Thomas Desautels, Edward M. Bacon, Steve M. Weisman
  • Patent number: 5676018
    Abstract: A landing gear for semitrailers includes a two-speed single reduction gear assembly having fewer, smaller, and simpler parts, resulting in a compact single reduction gear assembly and cost efficient landing gear unit with a unique clutch-shifting mechanism to provide for shifting from one ratio to another. The single reduction gear assembly is disposed on and about vertically offset input and output shafts further resulting in an easy to crank and shift landing gear unit capable of achieving standard crank handle turn to vertical leg travel distance ratios. The low gear or low speed ratio of the landing gear unit can be varied within a broad range during manufacture, if desired, generally without increasing the overall size or complexity of the two-speed single reduction gear assembly. The landing gear can further include a universal mounting feature and is durable and simple to use.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 1996
    Date of Patent: October 14, 1997
    Assignee: Jost International of Grand Haven, Michigan
    Inventor: Ervin VanDenberg
  • Patent number: 5673591
    Abstract: An electric cylinder to reduce shock and damage to itself and a body to be transferred. The electric cylinder includes a rod head having a flange mounted on the distal end of a hollow piston rod, a circular polyurethane rubber plate mounted on a circular front surface of the flange, and a protection plate mounted on the front surface of the polyurethane rubber plate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 18, 1995
    Date of Patent: October 7, 1997
    Assignee: Sintokogio, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kunimasa Kimura, Shigehiro Toyoda