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US4893527A Expired / Lapsed US ⏱️ 0.0 years remaining

Speed change control apparatus for automatic transmissions

Assignee: Toyota Central R&D Labs Inc
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Filing: 1987-09-23
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Granted: 1990-01-16
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Expires: 2007-09-23
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Abstract

Abstract A speed change control apparatus for an automatic transmission having a plurality of friction elements in which a gear stage is established by engaging one of the friction elements and disengaging one of the others. The speed change control apparatus includes control valves connected to respective ones of the friction elements, a duty solenoid valve connected to each oil line supplying a respective one of the control valves with control hydraulic pressure, and control means for engaging one friction element by outputting an engagement duty signal to one duty solenoid valve to control the control hydraulic pressure, and disengaging one of the other friction elements correspondingly by outputting disengagement duty signals to one of the other duty solenoid valves to control the control hydraulic pressure.

Inventors

  • 👤 Choji Furusawa
  • 👤 Masato Shimei
  • 👤 Toshiaki Ishiguro
  • 👤 Katsuhiko Hattori
  • 👤 Hiroyuki Yamaguchi

Bibliographic Details

Application Number —
Jurisdiction US
Data Source google_patents
Last Synchronized 2026-10-30 05:49
CPC Classifications
F; F16; F16H; F16H61/00; F16H61/04; F16H61/06; F16H61/02; F16H61/0202; F16H61/0251; F16H2061/0255; F16H61/061

Claims Analysis

Total Claims: 22
Claim 1
Independent Claim 134 words
Speed change control apparatus in an automatic transmission having a plurality of friction elements in which a gear stage is established by engaging one of the friction elements and disengaging one of the others, said speed change control apparatus comprising: control valves connected to respective ones of said friction elements, each control valve having a control oil line for supplying it with control hydraulic pressure; a duty solenoid valve connected to the control oil line of each control valve; and control means for engaging one friction element by outputting an engagement duty signal to one duty solenoid valve to control its control hydraulic pressure, and for simultaneously disengaging one of the other friction elements by outputting a disengagement duty signal to one of the other duty solenoid valves to control its control hydraulic pressure.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim 134 words
Speed change control apparatus in an automatic transmission having a plurality of friction elements in which a gear stage is established by engaging one of the friction elements and disengaging one of the others, said speed change control apparatus comprising: control valves connected to respective ones of said friction elements, each control valve having a control oil line for supplying it with control hydraulic pressure; a duty solenoid valve connected to the control oil line of each control valve; and control means for engaging one friction element by outputting an engagement duty signal to one duty solenoid valve to control its control hydraulic pressure, and for simultaneously disengaging one of the other friction elements by outputting a disengagement duty signal to one of the other duty solenoid valves to control its control hydraulic pressure.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim 31 words
The speed change control apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said control means comprises means for controlling the pattern and timing of said hydraulic pressures applied to said solenoid valves.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim 38 words
The speed change control apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said control valve includes a spool and a first oil chamber acting on the spool, and said control oil line is connected to the first oil chamber.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim 30 words
The speed change control apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said control oil line is connected to a modulator valve providing a constant pressure to the control oil line.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim 29 words
The speed change control apparatus as defined in claim 4, wherein an orifice is provided in said control oil line between the duty solenoid valve and the modulator valve.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim 25 words
The speed change control apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein said control valve includes a spring urging said spool towards the first oil chamber.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim 60 words
The speed change control apparatus as defined in claim 3, wherein said control valve includes a second oil chamber acting on the spool against the first oil chamber, and a pair of inlet and outlet ports which are communicated and discommunicated by said spool, said outlet port being connected to one of the friction elements and the second oil chamber.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim 38 words
The speed change control apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein said control valve includes a plunger slidably disposed between said spool and the second oil chamber, said plunger moving between positions abutting and spaced from said spool.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim 24 words
The speed change control apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein the spring is disposed in a chamber disposed between said two oil chambers.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim 20 words
The speed change control apparatus as defined in claim 7, wherein the spring is disposed in the second oil chamber.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim 24 words
The speed change control apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said duty solenoid valve is of a normally closed or normally open type.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim 34 words
The speed change control apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said control means includes a period of time in which the control hydraulic pressure is stepwise increased for one of the friction elements.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim 35 words
The speed change control apparatus as defined in claim 12, wherein said control means includes a period of time in which the control hydraulic pressure for one of the other friction elements is stepwise decreased.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim 27 words
The speed change control apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said control means includes a period of time in which the control hydraulic pressure is constant.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim 146 words
In an automatic transmission having a plurality of friction elements in which a gear stage is established by engaging at least one of the friction elements and disengaging at least one of the others, a speed change control apparatus comprising: control valves connected to respective ones of said friction elements, each control valve having a control oil line for supplying it with control hydraulic pressure; a duty solenoid valve connected to the control oil line of each control valve; and control means for engaging one friction element by outputting a duty signal to any one of the duty solenoid valves to control its control hydraulic pressure, for engaging and disengaging the associated friction element; said duty signals for engaging and disengaging following a predetermined modulating rate characteristic map which is independent of a speed ratio between an input shaft and an output shaft of the transmission.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim 146 words
In an automatic transmission having a plurality of friction elements in which a gear stage is established by engaging at least one of the friction elements and disengaging at least one of the others, a speed change control apparatus comprising: control valves connected to respective ones of said friction elements, each control valve having a control oil line for supplying it with control hydraulic pressure; a duty solenoid valve connected to the control oil line of each control valve; and control means for engaging one friction element by outputting a duty signal to any one of the duty solenoid valves to control its control hydraulic pressure, for engaging and disengaging the associated friction element; said duty signals for engaging and disengaging following a predetermined modulating rate characteristic map which is independent of a speed ratio between an input shaft and an output shaft of the transmission.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim 143 words
In an automatic transmission having a plurality of friction elements in which a gear stage is established by engaging at least one of the friction elements and disengaging at least one of the others, a speed change control apparatus comprising: control valves connected to respective ones of said friction elements, each control valve having a control oil line for supplying it with control hydraulic pressure; a duty solenoid valve connected to the control oil line of each control valve; and control means for engaging one friction element by outputting an engagement duty signal to one duty solenoid valve to control its control hydraulic pressure, and for simultaneously disengaging at least one of the other friction elements by outputting disengagement duty signals to at least one of the other duty solenoid valves associated with said other friction elements to control its control hydraulic pressure.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim 143 words
In an automatic transmission having a plurality of friction elements in which a gear stage is established by engaging at least one of the friction elements and disengaging at least one of the others, a speed change control apparatus comprising: control valves connected to respective ones of said friction elements, each control valve having a control oil line for supplying it with control hydraulic pressure; a duty solenoid valve connected to the control oil line of each control valve; and control means for engaging one friction element by outputting an engagement duty signal to one duty solenoid valve to control its control hydraulic pressure, and for simultaneously disengaging at least one of the other friction elements by outputting disengagement duty signals to at least one of the other duty solenoid valves associated with said other friction elements to control its control hydraulic pressure.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim 19 words
The speed change control apparatus as defined in claim 1, wherein said friction elements are associated with forward speeds.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim 46 words
The speed change control apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein the transmission further includes a friction element establishing a forward range, and said control apparatus further outputs a corresponding duty signal for a duty solenoid valve associated with this friction element for the forward range.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim 48 words
The speed change control apparatus as defined in claim 17, wherein the transmission further includes a reverse speed which is established by engaging any two of said friction elements, and said control apparatus further outputs corresponding duty signals for duty solenoid valves associated with the two friction elements.

References Cited (Backward Citations)

US3956947A Cited
US4519273A Cited
US4513639A Cited
US4753135A Cited
US4680988A Cited
US4671139A Cited
US4706522A Cited

USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows

Annuity Stage Window Opens Payment Deadline Surcharge Period Until Estimated Fee Status
3.5 Years (Year 4) 1993-01-15 1993-07-17 1994-01-16 $2000.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
7.5 Years (Year 8) 1997-01-15 1997-07-17 1998-01-16 $3760.00 Window Closed / Lapsed
11.5 Years (Year 12) 2001-01-15 2001-07-17 2002-01-16 $7700.00 Window Closed / Lapsed

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