Gm Global Technolgoy Operations, Inc.

John E Mahoney

John D Malloy

A control valve mechanism has concentric spool valve members that are selectively positionable to provide control pressure. The control pressure may be used for the selective actuation of fluid operated friction torque transmitting devices, such as clutches and brakes, in a power transmission.

Control valve assembly with concentric spools

A fluid operated friction torque transmitting device has an apply piston disposed in a housing. An apply chamber having a predetermined area is formed on one side of the piston, and an opposing or compensating chamber of lesser area is formed on the other side of the piston. A torque transmitting shaft and an inner hub portion of the housing cooperate to form a rotary valve member which is operable to connect the apply chamber to high fluid pressure and the opposing chamber to low fluid pressure, when torque is transmitted from the input side of the transmitter to the output side of the transmitter; and to connect both the apply chamber and the opposing chamber to high fluid pressure when torque is being transmitted from the output side of the transmitter to the input side of the transmitter.

Variable capacity torque transmitter

A preselected multiratio transmission has three selectively engageable input friction clutches and three selectively engageable synchronized mechanical ratio clutches. The friction clutches are connected with respective input shafts each of which shafts has two input ratio gears rotatably mounted thereon and one of the synchronized clutches connected therewith. Each synchronized clutch is operable to control two gear ratios. A countershaft has a plurality of output ratio gears connected therewith, which gears mesh with respective ones of the input ratio gears. The countershaft is drivingly connected with a transmission output means. The synchronized clutches are operated to preselect a drive ratio which is then completed by the engagement of the friction clutch associated therewith and the substantially simultaneous disengagement of either of the other friction clutches which may have been engaged. The judicious selection of friction clutches and synchronized clutches permits the transmission to be operated in a conventional step ratio pattern or in a plurality of skip ratio patterns.

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West Bloomfield, MI, United States of America

John E Mahoney