Automatic friction clutch control of motor vehicles

Claim 1

IN A PNEUMATIC FRICTION CLUTCH CONTROL SYSTEM FOR MOTOR VEHICLES, THE COMBINATION COMPRISING A FRICTION CLUTCH, AN ACCELERATOR, MANUAL CLUTCH CONTROL MEANS AND A MANUAL ACCELERATOR CONTROL MEANS, FIRST AND SECOND PNEUMATIC SERVOCONTROL MEANS CONNECTED TO SAID CLUTCH CONTROL AND ACCELERATOR CONTROL MEANS RESPECTIVELY, MEANS TO AUTOMATICALLY ACTUATE BOTH SAID SERVO-CONTROL MEANS COMPRISING A FIRST ELECTROVALVE MEANS HAVING AN INLET AND OUTLET, SAID INLET CONNECTED TO A SOURCE OF AIR PRESSURE AND SAID OUTLET CONNECTED TO BOTH SAID SERVOCONTROL MEANS, A FIRST ELECTRIC SWITCH MEANS ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED BETWEEN A SOURCE OF POWER AND SAID FIRST ELECTROVALVE MEANS AND OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO A GEARBOX LEVER MEANS TO CLOSE SAID FIRST SWITCH ONLY WHEN SAID LEVER IS IN NEUTRAL POSITION THEREBY ENERGIZING SAID FIRST ELECTROVALVE MEANS WHICH ACTIVATES SAID SERVOCONTROL MEANS TO DISENGAGE SAID CLUTCH AND TO MOVE SAID ACCELERATOR TO IDLING, A DISTRIBUTOR MEANS HAVING FIRST AND SECOND CHAMBERS, A NORMALLY OPEN VALVE MEANS INTERCONNECTING SAID CHAMBERS, CENTRIFUGAL GOVERNOR MEANS RESPONSIVE TO ENGING SPEED CONNECTED TO CLOSE SAID VALVE MEANS UPON REACHING A PREDETERMINED ENGINE SPEED, A SECOND AND THIRD ELECTROVALVE MEANS EACH HAVING AN INLET AND AN OUTLET, THE INLET AND OUTLET OF SAID SECOND ELECTROVALVE MEANS BEING CONNECTED TO SAID PRESSURE SOURCE AND TO SAID FIRST CHAMBER RESPECTIVELY, THE INLET AND OUTLET OF SAID THIRD ELECTROVALVE MEANS BEING CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST SERVOCONTROL MEANS AND TO SAID SECOND CHAMBER RESPECTIVELY, A SECOND ELECTRIC SWITCH MEANS ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED BETWEEN SAID SOURCE OF POWER AND SAID SECOND AND THIRD ELECTROVALVE MEANS AND OPERATIVELY CONNECTED TO SAID CLUTCH CONTROL MEANS TO ENERGIZE SAID SECOND AND THIRD ELECTROVALVE MEANS UPON CLUTCH DISENGAGEMENT, SAID SECOND ELECTROVALVE MEANS CLOSING SAID NORMALLY OPEN VALVE MEANS UPON ENERGIZATION, SAID THIRD ELECTROVALVE MEANS UPON ENERGIZATION PROVIDING EXHAUST MEANS TO DISENGAGE SAID FIRST PNEUMATIC SERVOCONTROL MEANS WHEREBY UPON SAID GEARBOX LEVER PASSING THROUGH NEUTRAL WHILE CHANGING GEARS SAID CLUTCH WILL BE DISENGAGED, SAID ACCELERATOR MOVED TO IDLE AND SAID CLUTCH SMOOTHLY REENGAGED.