Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

John Butwin

Robert Orley Burkhart

Derek Kinch

Hrudaya Mahapatro

Anthony G Koenings

Wei Zhuang

Gregory Michael Pietron

Yuji Fujii

Diana Yanakiev

Seung-Hoon Lee

James William Loch McCallum

Stephen Michael Cicala

Robert Cary Haase

Maria Eugenia Protopapas

Mohamed Redissi

David Popejoy

Michael J Monaghan

Wolfgang Wickler

Lev Perkarsky

A control valve for an automatic transmission includes a valve body and a solenoid module. The body has a chamber, control pressure port, exhaust port, and reference surface. Metering edges are formed in the body at the control port. A spring transmits force between first and second spools in the chamber. The solenoid module has a pin for displacing the first spool and is located by contact with the reference surface. The solenoid module also has a first stop surface limiting pin movement and a second stop surface contacting the reference surface.

Regulator valve with integrated direct acting solenoid

A control valve for an automatic transmission includes a valve body including a chamber and a control pressure port, metering edges formed in the valve body at the control pressure port, a reference surface formed in the valve body, a spool displaceable along the chamber, and a solenoid module including a pin for displacing the spool, and located in the chamber by contact with the reference surface.

A latch valve includes a first port containing line pressure, a second port containing control pressure, a third port located between the first and second ports, alternately connecting the first and second ports to a transmission control element, and a fourth port containing control pressure that tends to close the second port and open the first port in opposition to a spring force.

Latch valve for actuating a transmission control element

A system for pressurizing transmission control elements includes an accumulator for containing pressurized fluid, first and second check valves, a booster valve supplied with accumulator pressure, and an actuator that causes the booster valve to open a fluidic connection between the accumulator and the control elements through the check valves in response to an engine restart signal.

Accumulator for maintaining hydraulic pressure following an engine restart

A system for regulating pressure supplied to a transmission control element, includes a control pressure source and line pressure source, a latch valve that opens and closes communication with the line pressure source in response to control pressure, and a regulator valve including a spool for regulating line pressure and producing control element pressure when the latch valve is closed, and an auxiliary piston responsive to line pressure and contacting the spool for connecting line pressure to the control element when the latch valve is open.

Latching pressure regulator

A closed loop shift control apparatus and method based on friction element load controls a torque transfer phase when shifting from a low gear configuration to a high gear configuration for an automatic transmission system. When pressure actuated friction elements are selectively engaged and released to establish torque flow paths in the transmission, measurements or estimates of torsional load exerted on the off-going friction element are used to predict the optimal off-going friction element release timing for achieving a consistent shift feel. The ideal timing to release the off-going friction element is uniquely defined when torque load exerted onto the off-going friction element becomes substantially zero. An on-coming clutch engagement process is controlled by a closed loop control based on measurements or estimates of on-coming clutch torque capacity for a constant shift feel under dynamically changing conditions.

Closed-loop torque phase control for shifting automatic transmission gear ratios based on friction element load sensing

A method for cleaning a solenoid-operated regulator valve wherein command current applied to a solenoid actuator establishes a defined response of a valve. Cleaning current pulses applied to the solenoid establish a response that does not interfere with the effectiveness of the valve function. The pulse width, pulse amplitude, pulse direction and pulse period are determined by the degree of contamination of the valve environment.

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Ann Arbor, MI, United States of America

John Butwin