Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Ford Motor Company Limited

Getrag Ford Transmissions Gmbh

Ford-werke Gmbh

Johann Kirchhoffer

Winfried Franz-Xaver Schulz

Eric Reichert

Werner Croonen

Thomas Wagner

Thomas Martin

Scott Raymond Crandall

Wolfgang Wickler

Robert Cary Haase

Hans-Peter Wirtz

Stefan Huepkes

Sebastian Schneider

Philip Stauss

Winfried F-x Schulz

Bert Brooks

Ruediger Volkert

Vladimir Premiski

Andreas Hegerath

Ralph S Walker

Friedel Lauscher

Shawn Adam Holland

Kurt Graef

John Edsel Robarge

Josef Fuss

Gerd Wollschlaeger

Andreas Tissot

Radovan Chudada

Christopher Chumchal

Thomas R Hamm

Robert Clay Haase

Wolfgang V Lippe

Sieghart Biederman

Uwe Hinsberger

Ted A Wroblewski

Tom Hamm

Ted Wroblewski

An on-board electrical network () of a motor vehicle () has a first voltage circuit (I) and a second voltage circuit (II), wherein the first voltage circuit has a first operating voltage higher than a second operating voltage in the second voltage circuit. The first voltage circuit is connected to the second voltage circuit via a DC voltage converter (). The first voltage circuit has a battery () and the second voltage circuit has a main battery () and an auxiliary voltage source (). By means of a first switching element () and a second switching element () at least one of transmission control unit () and/or integrated hybrid controller () are supplied with electrical energy from the main battery () and/or the auxiliary voltage source (). Control unit () and/or hybrid controller () can be selectably disconnected from either the main battery () and/or the auxiliary voltage source ().

On-board electrical network of a motor vehicle

A battery system includes a plurality of battery cell packs arranged in layers selectively connected in series and parallel by a control system controlling a plurality of switches. Each of the battery cell packs includes a plurality of battery cells. A plurality of first switches and a plurality of second switches are controlled by a control system to connect the battery cell packs in response to a desired current output of the battery system and/or a desired voltage output of the battery system irrespective of individual battery cell or battery cell pack voltages or currents associated with state of charge or operational performance. The control system controls the switches to selectively connect the battery cell pack(s) to the output connections in parallel and/or series to provide redundancy and reduce output voltage/current fluctuation otherwise associated with state of charge or underperforming battery cells/packs.

Switching architecture of battery cell packs

The invention relates to a method for operating an on-board electrical network () of a motor vehicle (), having a first voltage circuit (I) and a second voltage circuit (II), the first voltage circuit (I) having a first operating voltage which is higher than a second operating voltage in the second voltage circuit (II), wherein the first voltage circuit (I) is connected to the second voltage circuit (II), the first voltage circuit (I) having a battery () and the second voltage circuit (II) having at least one main battery () and a second main battery (), wherein the first main battery () and the second main battery () have essentially the same capacity, and wherein components of the motor vehicle () are supplied with electrical operating energy from the first main battery () and/or the second main battery () by means of a switch assembly ().

Method for operating an on-board electrical network of a motor vehicle

The invention relates to a method for operating an on-board electrical network () of a motor vehicle (), with a first voltage circuit (I) and a second voltage circuit (II), the first voltage circuit (I) having a first operating voltage which is higher than a second operating voltage in the second voltage circuit (II), the first voltage circuit (I) being connected to the second voltage circuit (II) via a DC-DC converter (), and the first voltage circuit (I) having a battery () and the second voltage circuit (II) having a main battery (), characterized in that the second voltage circuit (II) has an additional third auxiliary battery (), and wherein by means of a changeover switch assembly () components of the motor vehicle () are supplied with electrical energy from the main battery () and/or the auxiliary battery (), and in that the main battery () is disconnected from the second voltage circuit (II) by means of an isolating switch () during a startup mode.

On-board electrical network for a motor vehicle

A dual clutch transmission for motor vehicles has first and second input shafts, two clutches selectively coupling the input shafts the engine, two intermediate shafts arranged parallel to the transmission input shafts, gearwheel pairs configured to transmit power between the input shafts and the intermediate shafts, and output gearwheels arranged on each of the two intermediate shafts. The output gearwheels mesh with the differential wheel and are selectively coupled to the respective intermediate shaft by one of the coupling devices. An additional intermediate gearwheel set is provided, that one gearwheel of the intermediate gearwheel set is seated on the first or second intermediate shaft, that the other gearwheel of the inter-mediate wheel set is arranged on a third intermediate shaft, and that a third output gearwheel, which meshes with one of the output gearwheels of the first or second intermediate shaft, is seated on the third intermediate shaft.

Dual clutch transmission for motor vehicles

A dual clutch transmission for motor vehicles has first and second input shafts, two clutches configured to selectively couple the input shafts to an engine, two intermediate shafts arranged parallel to the input shafts, gearwheel pairs of which a fixed gearwheel is arranged on one of the input shafts and a freely rotating gearwheel is arranged on one of the intermediate shafts, freely rotating output gearwheels arranged on each of the two intermediate shafts and meshing with a differential wheel, and coupling devices configured to selectively couple the freely rotating gearwheels to the respective intermediate shaft, of which at least the coupling devices for the output gearwheels are of double acting design. A dual clutch transmission of this kind makes a large number of gears possible without significantly increasing the dimensions of the transmission or the weight thereof.

A dual-clutch for a motor vehicle includes an input, first and second outputs, friction plates for producing a drive connection between the input and the first and second outputs alternately, a housing including an inlet and an outlet, containing at least a portion of the friction plates, and a cooling system including a fan impeller rotating with the input and producing an air stream flowing through the housing from the inlet to the outlet.

Cooling system for a dry dual clutch of a dual clutch transmission

A clutch mechanism for motor vehicles, having a dry individual clutch or a dual clutch, transmits torque from an engine to the transmission or selectively to one of two transmission sections. The clutch has a central disk and, on at least one side, a pressure plate. In order to further improve the cooling effect, especially in the region of the central disk and of the pressure plates, the central disk and/or at least one of the pressure plates is composed of two partial plates, wherein the mutually facing inner surfaces of the partial plates are provided with intermeshing vanes such that the intermeshing vanes of the two partial plates form an interior space having through channels which brings about flow in a radial direction or in a direction having a radial component.

Clutch mechanism for motor vehicles

A gear mechanism for motor vehicles includes a double clutch gear mechanism with two part gear mechanisms and a double clutch which transmits torque from the engine optionally to one of the two part gear mechanisms, with a central disk connected to a drive disk, two outer pressure application plates which are also connected to the drive disk and are moveable in the axial direction relative to the central disk, and friction disks arranged between the central disk and the pressure application plates, wherein the friction disks consist of two support carrier disks arranged parallel to each other and moveably in relation to each other, between which leaf-like spring segments are provided. To eliminate vibration problems which can occur on start-up from standstill, on load-change processes and during the gear change, the leaf-like spring segments have different spring characteristic curves with which a multistage spring characteristic is achieved.

Gear mechanism for motor vehicles

A dual clutch transmission for motor vehicles, has two transmission sections, a dry dual clutch (), which transmits the torque from the engine selectively to one of the two transmission sections, and a cooling system having a fan impeller system for active air cooling of the dual clutch (). To optimize the individual functional parts of the cooling system and to reduce the clutch masses, it is proposed that the central disk () and/or at least one contact pressure plate () is/are designed as a fan impeller of the fan impeller system (). The central disk () and/or at least one of the contact pressure plates () has/have passages which extend radially or have a radial component.

Integrated cooling system for a dry dual clutch of a dual clutch transmission

The invention relates to a synchronizing device with a synchronizer body, a sliding sleeve, a gearwheel with coupling toothing and a synchronizer ring which is displaceable between synchronizer body and coupling toothing axially in and counter to the synchronization direction(s). With the specification of being able to position the synchronizer ring reliably in a neutral position, it is proposed that the synchronizer ring is fixed to the synchronizer body in the neutral position by means of a spring device.

Synchronizing device

A dual clutch transmission for motor vehicles, with two subtransmissions, with a dual clutch, with a central disk () connected to the driving disk () and belonging to the dual clutch, with two outer pressure plates () and with friction disks () which are arranged between the central disk () and the pressure plates () and which can be coupled individually to the central disk () and transfer the torque selectively to the sub transmissions via one of the clutch output shafts (solid shaft, hollow shaft). Dual clutch transmissions often suffer from noise and vibration problems which mostly arise during crawling actions, when starting from a standstill, in load alternation processes and during gear changes. In order to avoid this, the central disk () is decoupled from the driving disk () and is mounted on the hollow shaft (); furthermore, the central disk () is connected cardanically to the driving disk ().

Dual clutch transmission

A clutch device is described comprising a first clutch element, a second clutch element that is disposed in a coaxial manner in relation to the first clutch element, a first engagement means, a second engagement provided for engaging with the first engagement in a positively interlocking manner for transmitting a torque between the first clutch element and the second clutch element, and a spring biasing the first engagement element and the second engagement element in a circumferential direction against each other. The spring comprises a leg spring with a ring part and two legs, wherein the ring part is disposed in a substantially coaxial relation to the first and second clutch parts and the legs extend in a radially outward direction.

Clutch assembly with a leg spring

A multiple ratio transmission having a planetary primary gear unit producing forward ratios and a reverse ratio, and a planetary auxiliary gear unit in series with the primary gear unit producing a direct drive ratio and either an underdrive ratio or an overdrive ratio. The transmission produces six or seven forward ratios and two reverse ratios by combining the ratios of the primary and auxiliary gear units. Five friction clutches and brakes plus one one-way clutch control operation of the primary unit, and operation of the auxiliary unit is controlled by a clutch and a brake plus one one-way clutch. The same six or seven ratios can be achieved with a total of seven friction clutches and brakes in the primary and auxiliary unit by deleting the one-way clutches.

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Kö'ln, Germany

Johann Kirchhoffer