Alternatively Operative Assemblages Patents (Class 192/48.9)
  • Patent number: 6491148
    Abstract: An override device is presented having a manual control, an inlet gear, and an outlet gear, which are mounted to rotate about the same axis. The inlet gear rotates the outlet gear. The manual control has a cam which, in co-operation with an intermediate part suitable for following the cam, serves to disengage the rotation of the inlet gear under torque exerted on the manual control. The manual control drives the outlet gear. The Inlet gear rotates by having a set of friction disks and spring part suitable for exerting a force to compress the disks against one another. The intermediate part carries at least one pusher-forming element, which at the end of a displacement exerts force opposing that of the spring part and relaxes the friction force on at least some of the disks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 1, 2000
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2002
    Inventor: Fernand Rodrigues
  • Patent number: 6471026
    Abstract: A multiple-clutch device, possibly a double-clutch device, for arranging in a drivetrain of a motor vehicle between a drive unit and a transmission. the clutch device has a first clutch arrangement associated with a first transmission input shaft of the transmission and a second clutch arrangement associated with a second transmission input shaft of the transmission for transmitting torque between the drive unit and the transmission. The clutch arrangements are constructed as plate clutch arrangements, one of which has a greater effective friction radius than the other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2000
    Date of Patent: October 29, 2002
    Assignee: Mannesmann Sachs AG
    Inventors: Wolfgang Kundermann, Jörg Sudau
  • Patent number: 6457572
    Abstract: A first clutch area produces a first torque-transmitting connection between a drive element and a first driven element, and a second clutch area produces a second torque-transmitting connection between the drive element and a second driven element. A common engaging/disengaging mechanism actuates the first clutch area and the second clutch area to produce and to nullify the first and second torque-transmitting connections.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2002
    Assignee: Mannesmann Sachs AG
    Inventors: Andreas Dau, Andreas Orlamünder, Reinhard Feldhaus, Jörg Randow, Gerhard Röll, Bernhard Schierling, Michael Peterseim
  • Patent number: 6427547
    Abstract: An automated dual-countershaft twin-clutch multi-speed transmission adapted to transfer power from the engine to a driveline of a motor vehicle. The transmission includes a first master clutch operable to establish a releasable drive connection between the input shaft and a first countershaft, a second master clutch operable to establish a releasable drive connection between the input driveline, and a geartrain for selectively establishing a plurality of forward and reverse speed ratio drive connections between the countershafts and the output shaft. The transmission further includes power-operated shiftable overrunning clutches for selectively engaging constant-mesh gearsets associated with the geartrain, and a transmission controller for controlling coordinated actuation of the first and second master clutches, and the shiftable overrunning clutches to permit non-power interrupted (“powershift”) sequential gear changes automatically without input from the vehicle operator.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 6, 2002
    Assignee: New Venture Gear, Inc.
    Inventor: Thomas C. Bowen
  • Publication number: 20020084161
    Abstract: A stepping mechanism comprising a motor, a motor gear connectable to the motor and rotatable by the motor, a first one-way clutch and a second one-way clutch when the motor rotates the gear in a first direction so as to operate the first one-way clutch in a first mode and the motor rotates the gear in the second direction so as to operate the second one-way clutch in a second mode, wherein the first and second one-way clutch do not operate at the same time.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2000
    Publication date: July 4, 2002
    Inventor: Walter Wafler
  • Patent number: 6401894
    Abstract: A multiple-clutch assembly includes a housing and a first clutch having a first drive member rotatably supported within the housing on a drive hub and a first driven member rotatably supported within the housing on a first driven shaft. A first clutch pack is interposed between the first drive and driven members and operable to selectively connect and disconnect the first drive and driven members for transferring and interrupting torque between the first drive and driven members. A second clutch is supported within the housing coaxial with respect to the first clutch and includes a second drive member rotatably supported within the housing on the drive hub and a second driven member rotatably supported within the housing on a second driven shaft. The first and second driven shafts are disposed concentrically relative to one another.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 11, 2002
    Assignee: Borg-Warner Automotive GmbH
    Inventors: Harald Merkel, Thomas Edward Braford, Jr.
  • Patent number: 6397994
    Abstract: An automated powershift multi-speed transmission adapted to transfer power from the engine to the driveline of a motor vehicle. The transmission includes an engine clutch assembly having a primary clutch operable to establish a releasable drive connection between the engine and a first input shaft, and a secondary clutch operable to establish a releasable drive connection between the engine and a second input shaft. The transmission also includes an output shaft adapted to transfer power to the driveline, and a geartrain for selectively establishing a plurality of forward and reverse speed ratio drive connections between the input shafts and the output shaft.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 4, 2002
    Assignee: New Venture Gear, Inc.
    Inventor: Thomas C. Bowen
  • Patent number: 6378675
    Abstract: A clutch device which serves to connect the drive) of a motor vehicle with a multiple-speed shift transmission has, for this purpose, two friction clutches which can be engaged or disengaged independently from one another in that they are connected via their respective driven sides with a transmission input shaft. At least one of the friction clutches is in a working connection at its drive side with a driving member of a hydrodynamic clutch which can be activated at least under predetermined operating conditions of the drivetrain for transmitting torque introduced by the drive. At the same time, a driven member of the hydrodynamic clutch can be connected with one of the transmission input shafts.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2002
    Assignee: Mannesmann Sachs AG
    Inventors: Wolfgang Kundermann, Jörg Sudau
  • Patent number: 6318496
    Abstract: A steering booster system for a motor vehicle has an electronic control unit which senses by way of force or torque sensors the amount and direction of forces and torques applied to a manual steering wheel and correspondingly controls, via a transmission arrangement, the steering-force-assisting connection of an electric motor into a steering gear line coupling the manual steering wheel and the steered vehicle wheels. The manufacture of the system is simplified and the controllability of the force transmission between the electric motor and the steering gear line is improved by providing that the transmission arrangement has an electrically switchable clutch for each steering direction, i.e., left or right. The two clutches are arranged such that, when the rotating direction is the same at the input of the transmission arrangement assigned to the electric motor, they in each case cause another rotating direction at the output of the transmission arrangement assigned to the steering gear line.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 1998
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2001
    Assignee: Mercedes-Benz Lenkungen GmbH
    Inventors: Karl-Hans Koehler, Michael Peetz, Albrecht Pluschke, Gerd Speidel