Control system for automatic transmission for vehicles

Claim 2

In an automatic transmission for a vehicle having a hydraulic torque converter, a gear unit and a plurality of frictional engaging means each equipped with fluid pressure operated servo means for accomplishing the selective meshing engagement of the gears in said gear unit, a shift control system comprising: a source of fluid pressure; a hydraulic actuating circuit including a plurality of solenoid operated valve means less in number than said frictional engaging means and connecting said fluid pressure source to said fluid pressure operated servo means for controlling fluid under pressure supplied to said fluid pressure operated servo means; manual shift control means including electrical switch means having a plurality of switching positions for producing a variety of combinations of energization and de-energization of said solenoid operated valve mEans; and automatic shift control means actuated in a specific position of said manual shift control means to control the energization and de-energization of said solenoid operated valve means in response to electrical signals responsive to the driving conditions of the vehicle.

Claim 3

In a multi-forward speed and one-reverse speed automatic transmission for a vehicle having a hydraulic torque converter, a gear unit and more than three frictional engaging means each equipped with fluid pressure operated servo means for accomplishing the selective meshing engagement of the gears in said gear unit, a control system comprising: a source of fluid pressure; a hydraulic actuating circuit having three solenoid operational valve means connecting said fluid pressure source to said fluid pressure operated servo means for controlling fluid under pressure supplied to said fluid pressure operated servo means; manual shift control means including electrical switch means for controlling the energization of said solenoid operated valve means so as to set said transmission at either the neutral position, the reverse position or a plurality of forward positions including an automatically shifted forward position; and automatic shift control means actuated in said automatically shifted forward position of said transmission to control the energization of said solenoid operated valve means in response to electrical signals responsive to the driving conditions of the vehicle for producing a plurality of forward drive speed ratios.

Claim 4

In a multi-forward speed and one-reverse speed automatic transmission for a vehicle having a hydraulic torque converter, a gear unit and more than three frictional engaging means each equipped with fluid pressure operated servo means for accomplishing the selective meshing engagement of the gears in said gear unit, a control system comprising: a source of fluid pressure; a hydraulic actuating circuit having three solenoid operational valve means connecting said fluid pressure source to said fluid pressure operated servo means for controlling fluid under pressure supplied to said fluid pressure operated servo means; manual shift control means including electrical switch means for controlling the energization of said solenoid operated valve means so as to set said transmission at either the neutral position, the reverse position or a plurality of forward positions including an automatically shifted forward position; and automatic shift control means actuated in said automatically shifted forward position of said transmission to control the energization of said solenoid operated valve means in response to electrical signals responsive to the driving conditions of the vehicle for producing a plurality of forward drive speed ratios.

Claim 5

In a forward multispeed and a single reverse speed automatic transmission for vehicles comprising a gear shift mechanism and engaging means with hydraulic servo means for accomplishing gear shifting of said gear shift mechanism, a control system comprising: a hydraulic pressure source; a hydraulic actuating circuit including three solenoid operated fluid passage switching valves and fluid passages interconnecting said three solenoid operated fluid passage switching valves, for setting states of hydraulic pressure supply from said hydraulic pressure source to said hydraulic servo means of said engaging means according to eight combinations of energization and deenergization of said solenoids to thereby establish in said gear shift mechanism all gear positions including a neutral position and a reverse drive position; an electric power source; manual speed change control means comprising an electric switch having a plurality of shift positions for controlling the connection between said electric power source and each of said solenoids for establishing in said gear shift mechanism at least the neutral position and reverse drive position; and automatic speed change control means disposed between said electric power source and said solenoids for determining the energization or deenergization of each of said solenoids in response to a running state of a said vehicle to establish in said gear shift mechanism therefor each of said forward drive positions.

Claim 6

In a forward multispeed and a single reverse speed automatic transmission for vehicles comprising a gear shift mechanism and engaging means with hydraulic servo means for accomplishing gear shifting of said gear shift mechanism, a control system comprising: a hydraulic pressure source; a hydraulic actuating circuit including three solenoid operated fluid passage switching valves and fluid passages interconnecting said three solenoid operated fluid passage switching valves, for setting states of hydraulic pressure supply from said hydraulic pressure source to said hydraulic servo means of said engaging means according to eight combinations of energization and deenergization of said solenoids to thereby establish in said gear shift mechanism all gear positions including a neutral position and a reverse drive position; an electric power source; manual speed change control means comprising an electric switch having a plurality of shift positions for controlling the connection between said electric power source and each of said solenoids for establishing in said gear shift mechanism at least the neutral position and reverse drive position; and automatic speed change control means disposed between said electric power source and said solenoids for determining the energization or deenergization of each of said solenoids in response to a running state of a said vehicle to establish in said gear shift mechanism therefor each of said forward drive positions.

Claim 7

A control system according to claim 3, in which said manual speed change control means has a shift position for setting automatic speed change and said automatic speed change control means is capable of energizing said solenoids only in said shift position.

Claim 8

A control system according to claim 4, in which said manual speed change control means connects said electric power source to said automatic speed change control means only in said shift position for setting automatic speed change.

Claim 9

A control system according to claim 4, further comprising an electromagnetic relay which is closed only in said shift position for setting automatic speed change to connect said automatic speed change control means to said solenoids.

Claim 10

A control system according to claim 4, in which said manual speed change control means has, in addition to said neutral position, said reverse drive position and said shift position for setting automatic speed change, shift positions for sEtting said forward drive positions, respectively.

Claim 11

A control system according to claim 3, in which said hydraulic actuating circuit sets a hydraulic pressure supply state to establish said neutral position in said gear shift mechanism when all of said three solenoids are in a deenergized state and said manual speed change control means cuts the connection between said electric power source and all of said solenoids when said manual speed change control means is in the shift position for setting the neutral position.

Claim 12

A control system according to claim 3, in which said hydraulic actuating circuit establishes in said gear shift mechanism the neutral position and reverse drive position, when a first solenoid of said three solenoids is in a deenergized state, in accordance with combination of energization and deenergization of the other two solenoids, and sets a hydraulic pressure supply state to establish in said gear shift mechanism each of said forward drive positions, when said first solenoid is in an energized state, in accordance with the combination of energization and deenergization of the other two solenoids.

Claim 13

In three forward speed and a single reverse speed automatic transmission for vehicles comprising a gear shift mechanism and engaging means with hydraulic servo means for accomplishing gear shifting of said gear shift mechanism, a control system comprising: a hydraulic pressure source; a hydraulic actuating circuit including three solenoid operated fluid passage switching valves and fluid passages interconnecting said three solenoid operated fluid passage switching valves, for setting states of hydralic pressure supply from said hydraulic pressure source to said hydraulic servo means of said engaging means to establish in said gear shift mechanism a neutral position and a reverse drive position, when a first solenoid is in a deenergized state, in accordance with the combination of energization and deenergization of the other two solenoids and to establish therein each of three forward drive positions, when said first solenoid is in an energized state, in accordance with the combination of energization and deenergization of the other two solenoids; an electric power source; manual speed change control means disposed between said electric power source and said three solenoids and comprising an electric switch having shift positions for setting in said gear shift mechanism a neutral position, reverse drive position, first forward drive position, second forward drive position and automatic speed change position, respectively; and automatic speed change control means disposed between said electric power source and said solenoids for determining energization or deenergization of said solenoids to cause said gear shift mechanism to perform automatic speed change control between the first and third forward drive positions in response to a running state of a vehicle when said manual speed change control means is in the shift position for setting automatic speed change.

Claim 14

In three forward speed and a single reverse speed automatic transmission for vehicles comprising a gear shift mechanism and engaging means with hydraulic servo means for accomplishing gear shifting of said gear shift mechanism, a control system comprising: a hydraulic pressure source; a hydraulic actuating circuit including three solenoid operated fluid passage switching valves and fluid passages interconnecting said three solenoid operated fluid passage switching valves, for setting states of hydralic pressure supply from said hydraulic pressure source to said hydraulic servo means of said engaging means to establish in said gear shift mechanism a neutral position and a reverse drive position, when a first solenoid is in a deenergized state, in accordance with the combination of energization and deenergization of the other two solenoids and to establish therein each of three forward drive positions, when said first solenoid is in an energized state, in accordance with the combination of energization and deenergization of the other two solenoids; an electric power source; manual speed change control means disposed between said electric power source and said three solenoids and comprising an electric switch having shift positions for setting in said gear shift mechanism a neutral position, reverse drive position, first forward drive position, second forward drive position and automatic speed change position, respectively; and automatic speed change control means disposed between said electric power source and said solenoids for determining energization or deenergization of said solenoids to cause said gear shift mechanism to perform automatic speed change control between the first and third forward drive positions in response to a running state of a vehicle when said manual speed change control means is in the shift position for setting automatic speed change.

Claim 15

A control system according to claim 10, in which said manual speed change control means places said first solenoid in a deenergized state in the shift positions for setting the neutral and reverse drive positions and places the same in an energized state in the other shift positions, and said automatic speed change control means performs automatic speed control by determining energization and deenergization of the two solenoids other than said first solenoid.

Claim 16

In a four forward speed and a single reverse speed automatic transmission for vehicles comprising a gear shift mechanism and engaging means with hydraulic servo means for accomplishing gear shifting of said gear shift mechanism, a control system comprising: a hydraulic pressure source; a hydraulic actuating circuit including three solenoid operated fluid passage switching valves and fluid passages interconnecting said three solenoid operated fluid passage switching valves, for setting states of Hydraulic pressure supply from said hydraulic pressure source to said hydraulic servo means of said engaging means thereby to establish in said gear shift mechanism a neutral position and a reverse drive position, when a first solenoid is in a deenergized state, in accordance with the combination of energization and deenergization of the other two solenoids and to establish therein each of four forward drive positions, when said first solenoid is in an energized state, in accordance with the combination of energization and deenergization of the other two solenoids; an electric power source; manual speed change control means disposed between said electric power source and said three solenoids and comprising an electric switch having shift positions for setting in said gear shift mechanism a neutral position, reverse drive position, first forward drive position, second forward drive position, third forward drive position and automatic speed change position, respectively, and for placing at least said first solenoid in a deenergized state in the shift positions for setting the neutral and reverse drive positions and placing at least said first solenoid in an energized state in the other shift positions; and automatic speed change control means disposed between said electric power source and the two solenoids other than said first solenoid for determining energization or deenergization of said two other solenoids to cause said gear shift mechanism to perform automatic speed change control between the first and fourth forward drive positions in response to a running state of a vehicle when said manual speed change control means is in the shift position for setting automatic speed change.

Claim 17

In a four forward speed and a single reverse speed automatic transmission for vehicles comprising a gear shift mechanism and engaging means with hydraulic servo means for accomplishing gear shifting of said gear shift mechanism, a control system comprising: a hydraulic pressure source; a hydraulic actuating circuit including three solenoid operated fluid passage switching valves and fluid passages interconnecting said three solenoid operated fluid passage switching valves, for setting states of Hydraulic pressure supply from said hydraulic pressure source to said hydraulic servo means of said engaging means thereby to establish in said gear shift mechanism a neutral position and a reverse drive position, when a first solenoid is in a deenergized state, in accordance with the combination of energization and deenergization of the other two solenoids and to establish therein each of four forward drive positions, when said first solenoid is in an energized state, in accordance with the combination of energization and deenergization of the other two solenoids; an electric power source; manual speed change control means disposed between said electric power source and said three solenoids and comprising an electric switch having shift positions for setting in said gear shift mechanism a neutral position, reverse drive position, first forward drive position, second forward drive position, third forward drive position and automatic speed change position, respectively, and for placing at least said first solenoid in a deenergized state in the shift positions for setting the neutral and reverse drive positions and placing at least said first solenoid in an energized state in the other shift positions; and automatic speed change control means disposed between said electric power source and the two solenoids other than said first solenoid for determining energization or deenergization of said two other solenoids to cause said gear shift mechanism to perform automatic speed change control between the first and fourth forward drive positions in response to a running state of a vehicle when said manual speed change control means is in the shift position for setting automatic speed change.

Claim 18

In an automatic transmission for a vehicle having a hydraulic torque converter, a gear unit and a plurality of frictional engaging means for accomplishing the selective meshing engagement of the gears in said gear unit, a shift control system comprising: a source for supplying pressurized fluid; a hydraulic actuating circuit including fluid passage switching valves for distributing the pressurized fluid selectively to said friction engaging means, and a plurality of solenoids for controlling actuation of the fluid passage switching valves, the number of said solenoids being less than that of said engaging means; an automatic shift control means connected in circuit with said solenoids for controlling the operation of the designated solenoids in response to the driving conditions of the vehicle; and a manual shift control means connected in circuit with said solenoids and said automatic shift control means, said manual shift control means having a plurality of switches for controlling the operation of the designated solenoids in response to each actuation of the same, at least one of said plurality of switches serving to operate said automatic shift control means.

Claim 19

In an automatic transmission for a vehicle having a hydraulic torque converter, a gear unit and a plurality of frictional engaging means for accomplishing the selective meshing engagement of the gears in said gear unit, a shift control system comprising: a source for supplying pressurized fluid; a hydraulic actuating circuit including fluid passage switching valves for distributing the pressurized fluid selectively to said friction engaging means, and a plurality of solenoids for controlling actuation of the fluid passage switching valves, the number of said solenoids being less than that of said engaging means; an automatic shift control means connected in circuit with said solenoids for controlling the operation of the designated solenoids in response to the driving conditions of the vehicle; and a manual shift control means connected in circuit with said solenoids and said automatic shift control means, said manual shift control means having a plurality of switches for controlling the operation of the designated solenoids in response to each actuation of the same, at least one of said plurality of switches serving to operate said automatic shift control means.