Patents Examined by William A. Trousdell
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Patent number: 5178039Abstract: A modular transmission is provided having a variety of flexible modules. These include very basic speed gearbox and range gearbox modules to which other modules can be added. The other modules can include a front wheel drive module, a supplemental reduction module, and an intermediate module. The intermediate module can include additional ranges and/or a creeper gear. The entire structure is highly flexible, and allows ready construction of a transmission to meet a particular customer's needs out of standard components which can be produced in mass quantities.Type: GrantFiled: January 22, 1992Date of Patent: January 12, 1993Assignee: Deere & CompanyInventors: Ralph E. Shirley, Volker Huckler, Uli Eckhardt
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Patent number: 5052991Abstract: In an overdrive planetary gear unit of an automatic transmission, a helical planetary pinion has its front portion cut to form an cutout portion and to have an axial-direction cross section asymmetrical in the direction of its rotation axis in order to uniformize, in the axial direction, the load imposed upon a bearing disposed around the circumference of the pinion shaft.In a front planetary gear unit of a main transmission of the automatic transmission, a helical planetary pinion has its rear portion cut to form an cutout portion and to have an axial-direction cross section asymmetrical in the direction of its rotation axis in order to uniformize the load imposed upon a bearing disposed around the circumference of the pinion shaft.It is thereby possible to reduce the weight of each planetary pinion and, hence, the centrifugal force acting on the pinion.Type: GrantFiled: April 17, 1990Date of Patent: October 1, 1991Assignees: Aisin AW Kabushiki Kaisha, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki KaishaInventors: Kozo Yamaguchi, Toyoji Negi, Tadashi Kondo, Kunihiro Iwatuki
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Patent number: 5024633Abstract: A power transmission has a gear portion, a hydrostatic portion and a flywheel which can be selectively interconnected for transmitting power from an engine to an output shaft. The flywheel can be accelerated by the engine to a predetermined speed to store energy which is used in cooperation with the engine to provide driving power for acceleration of the vehicle. The power transmission has three ranges of operation with the engine in selective combination with the flywheel, gearing and hydrostatic portion. A fourth range is available through the gearing only.Type: GrantFiled: July 9, 1990Date of Patent: June 18, 1991Assignee: General Motors CorporationInventor: Michael R. Schmidt
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Patent number: 5009116Abstract: A power transmission has a housing comprised of an end support, a casing, an end cover, a converter housing, an input shaft, an output shaft and a pair of identically dimensional countershafts. A bushing and oil feed sleeve are positioned on each end of each countershaft for cooperating with the end support connecting the housing for alignment therebetween and with the casing for alignment therebetween. Each countershaft has a pair of ratio gears rotatably disposed thereon and meshing with respective output gears rotatable with the output shaft and a friction clutch is provided for each ratio gear. Four of the friction clutches which are disposed on the countershafts are identical in construction. A fifth clutch assembly, in line with the input shaft, can be shortened, if desired, by the elimination of one friction plate and one reaction plate.Type: GrantFiled: March 30, 1990Date of Patent: April 23, 1991Assignee: General Motors CorporationInventors: James P. Ordo, James A. Raszkowski, Donald Klemen
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Patent number: 5009117Abstract: A power transmission has a housing comprised of an end support, a casing, an end cover, a converter housing, an input shaft, an output shaft and a pair of identically dimensional countershafts. A bushing and oil feed sleeve are positioned on each end of each countershaft for cooperating with the end support connecting the housing for alignment therebetween and with the casing for alignment therebetween. Each countershaft has a pair of ratio gears rotatably disposed thereon and meshing with respective output gears rotatable with the output shaft and a friction clutch is provided for each ratio gear. Four of the friction clutches which are disposed on the countershafts are identical in construction. A fifth clutch assembly, in line with the input shaft, can be shortened, if desired, by the elimination of one friction plate and one reaction plate.Type: GrantFiled: March 30, 1990Date of Patent: April 23, 1991Assignee: General Motors CorporationInventors: James P. Ordo, Harry E. Latshaw
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Patent number: 5009118Abstract: A power transmission has a housing comprised of an end support, a casing, an end cover, a converter housing, an input shaft, an output shaft and a pair of identically dimensional countershafts. A bushing and oil feed sleeve are positioned on each end of each countershaft for cooperating with the end support connecting the housing for alignment therebetween and with the casing for alignment therebetween. Each countershaft has a pair of ratio gears rotatably disposed thereon and meshing with respective output gears rotatable with the output shaft and a friction clutch is provided for each ratio gear. Four of the friction clutches which are disposed on the countershafts are identical in construction. A fifth clutch assembly, in line with the input shaft, can be shortened, if desired, by the elimination of one friction plate and one reaction plate.Type: GrantFiled: March 30, 1990Date of Patent: April 23, 1991Assignee: General Motors CorporationInventors: James A. Raszkowski, Donald Klemen