Mazda Motor Corporation

Kenji Kurisu

Hiroshi Yoshimura

Takuji Fujiwara

Kazuo Sasaki

Mitsutoshi Abe

Keiji Bota

An automatic transmission shift control system includes a hydraulically controlled valve mechanism for connecting and disconnecting a supply of hydraulic pressure to frictional coupling elements. Connection and disconnection of the hydraulic pressure supply locks and unlocks the frictional coupling elements in order to automatically shift an automatic transmission into desired gears. A time regulator regulates a duration time for which the valve mechanism is kept actuated and with which a speed at which the frictional coupling element is locked changes. The time regulator is controlled so as to variably regulate the duration time according to conversion efficiency of a torque converter. This conversion efficiency is, for example, determined from a speed conversion ratio and a torque conversion ratio.

Control system for automatic transmission using torque converter speed

An automatic transmission includes a multi-speed transmission gear mechanism having an input shaft, an output shaft and a plurality of friction coupling elements. A hydraulic control system selectively supplies a hydraulic pressure to the friction coupling elements, thereby selectively applying the friction coupling elements to cause the transmission gear mechanism to shift to a speed which is determined according to a predetermined shift pattern. The control system sets a target hydraulic pressure to be applied to the friction coupling elements according to the kind of the shift to be effected and the engine load, and, when it is detected that the transmission gear mechanism is to make a backout upshift due to reduction in the engine load, increases the target hydraulic pressure by an amount which is determined according to the throttle opening and the turbine speed.

Growing community of inventors

Hiroshima, Japan

Kenji Kurisu