Patents Examined by William A. Trousdell
  • Patent number: 5178039
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 1992
    Date of Patent: January 12, 1993
    Assignee: Deere & Company
    Inventors: Ralph E. Shirley, Volker Huckler, Uli Eckhardt
  • Patent number: 5052991
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: April 17, 1990
    Date of Patent: October 1, 1991
    Assignees: Aisin AW Kabushiki Kaisha, Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Kozo Yamaguchi, Toyoji Negi, Tadashi Kondo, Kunihiro Iwatuki
  • Patent number: 5024633
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 1990
    Date of Patent: June 18, 1991
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventor: Michael R. Schmidt
  • Patent number: 5009116
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 1990
    Date of Patent: April 23, 1991
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: James P. Ordo, James A. Raszkowski, Donald Klemen
  • Patent number: 5009118
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 1990
    Date of Patent: April 23, 1991
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: James A. Raszkowski, Donald Klemen
  • Patent number: 5009117
    Abstract: 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: Grant
    Filed: March 30, 1990
    Date of Patent: April 23, 1991
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: James P. Ordo, Harry E. Latshaw