Borg-warner Automotive Gmbh

Borgwarner Inc.

James David Warren

Carl Randall Vogt

Richard K Rader

Charles David Klooz

An integrated shift motor and electronic controller reduces weight and provides improved performance. The shift control motor includes an output shaft having a first sensor wheel and adjacent sensor which provide signals regarding the rotation and direction of rotation of the motor. The motor drives a gear train having an output member which is coupled to and rotates a shift rail. A sensing wheel is disposed on the output member and adjacent sensors provide signals regarding the angular position of the output member. The sensors drive a microcontroller which in turn drives the shift control motor. Preferably, the sensors, the drive motor, the gear train and the microcontroller are all disposed in a housing. The rotating shift rail includes a pair of spaced-apart followers which engage a cam member which bi-directionally positions a shift fork associated with a multiple position clutch or shift collar.

Integrated motor and electronic controller

Integrated shift motor and electronic controller

A heat sink apparatus dissipates heat from an integrated circuit which is connected to a printed circuit board. A support member is connected to the circuit board for supporting the integrated circuit with respect to the circuit board. A metal tab in thermal communication with the integrated circuit extends from the support member in a plane substantially parallel to the circuit board. An electrically insulating thermally conductive compressible pad is positioned in contact with the metal tab for receiving heat from the tab when compressed. A thermally conductive housing is positioned adjacent the pad for compressing the pad against the tab and for receiving heat from the pad when compressed. The housing includes a plurality of fins extending therefrom for heat dissipation. A method for dissipating heat from an integrated circuit which is connected to a printed circuit board is also provided.

Method for dissipating heat from an integrated circuit

An exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) system (10) includes a proportional solenoid valve (28) that regulates vacuum pressure to a vacuum-actuated EGR valve (12). The proportional solenoid valve (28) includes an inductive coil (30) that generates a magnetic field when energized. An electronic control unit (26) energizes the coil (30) with a fixed-frequency pulse-width modulated signal. The periodic magnetic field drives a ferromagnetic armature valve (44) open and closed--alternately admitting then closing-off a flow of. atmospheric-pressure air that is used to alter the vacuum pressure output to the EGR valve (12). The vacuum pressure is dependent upon the amount of current flowing through the coil (30) during each pulse. The resistance of the coil (30) is temperature-dependent and to maintain the current in the coil (30) constant over temperature, the coil (30) is connected in series with a resistive combination of circuit elements (48) having a temperature coefficient of resistance that is opposite that of the coil (30). The resistive combination of circuit elements includes a temperature-stable resistor (50) connected across a thermistor (48) to modify the temperature-response curve of the thermistor to more closely offset that of the coil (30).

Temperature-compensated exhaust gas recirculation system

An improved electric shift transfer case system (10) and electronic control circuit (16) therefor utilizes a microprocessor (73), interface circuit (72), and motor drive circuit (70) to control energization of a direct current electric shift motor (58) that is used to switch between drive modes in the transfer case (14) of a full or part-time four wheel drive vehicle. The motor drive circuit (70) includes four switching elements, such as transistors (74-77). The first and second switching elements connect respective first and second ones of the two motor terminals (58a,58b) to a supply voltage and the third and fourth switching elements connect the first and second motor terminals (58a,58b), respectively, to ground. The switching elements (74-77) each have a conductive state and non-conductive state selectable by a command input that is coupled to and controlled by data outputs of the microprocessor (73). The interface circuit (72) is connected between the microprocessor (73) and motor drive circuit (70) and is used to prevent the microprocessor (73) from commanding the motor drive circuit (70) into a short circuit condition or any other operating mode that involves an undesirable combination of conductive and non-conductive states of the switching elements (74-77).

Electric shift transfer case system for an automobile

An improved automobile transfer case system (10) and electronic control circuit (16) therefor utilizes a reset circuit (70), a microprocessor (72), and an output stage (74) to operate an electronically controlled coupling (38,58) that is used to switch between drive modes in the transfer case (14) of a full or part-time four wheel drive vehicle. The microprocessor (72) is connected to a source of operating power that is available even when the vehicle ignition is switched off. The microprocessor (72) runs in two modes, a low power standby mode and an operating mode. The microprocessor enters the standby mode when vehicle ignition is switched off and it has finished any tasks that were in progress when the ignition was turned off. The reset circuit (70) responds to the ignition being switched on to provide a hardware reset of the microprocessor (72) that wakes it up from its standby mode and places it into the operating mode. Once in the operating mode, the microprocessor (72) determines the current driving mode via a position encoder (60), as well as the desired mode via a switch (68), and thereafter makes any desired or needed shifts between driving modes. The reset circuit (70) includes a combinational logic circuit (78) and an RC circuit (80) which provides a time constant that determines the width of the reset pulse provided to the microprocessor (72). The reset circuit (70) receives a signal indicative of which mode the microprocessor (72) is in so that the microprocessor will not be reset if it is already in the operating mode.

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Clayton, NC, United States of America

James David Warren