Automotive Products, Inc.

Automotive Products (usa), Inc.

Other

Ap Aero, Inc

Leslie P Branum

Keith V Leigh-Monstevens

Richard A Nix

Michael L Schwartz

Brian D Mabee

David C Barker

Edward L Tury

David L Wrobleski

Mark W Rei

Gregg A Thoe

Julie A Hartig

Keith V Leight-Monstevens

Darrin F Wilber

Pamela B D'Hulster

An external slave cylinder particularly suited for use in a hydraulic clutch release system for a motor vehicle. The cylinder includes a cylindrical body defining a bore, a piston slidably mounted in the bore, a seal positioned between the piston and the bore, a pushrod engaging the rear end of the piston and extending out of the bore, and a preload spring. The spring comprises a conical coil spring positioned exteriorly of the bore, bearing at the reduced diameter rear end thereof against the rear end of the pushrod, and bearing at the large diameter front end thereof against the rear end of the body in surrounding relation to the pushrod. The seal has a cup-shaped configuration and fits over a nose portion provided on the front end of the piston. The seal includes a peripheral lip portion sealingly engaging the bore and a base portion closing the area within the peripheral lip portion and seated against the front end of the piston. The full cup-shaped configuration of the seal eliminates the usual internal leak path between the inner periphery of the seal and the piston.

External slave cylinder for hydraulic clutch release system

A master cylinder assembly including an elongated tubular shell defining a bore sized to slidably receive a piston, an opening at one of the shell for passage of a piston rod for driving engagement with the piston, a high pressure outlet proximate the other closed end of the shell for connection to a conduit connecting to a slave cylinder, and a shell fitting in the form of a socket formed in the closed end wall of the shell. The assembly further includes a spout defining a plug fitting at one end for coupling insertion into the socket of the shell and a fitting at its other end for connection to a hose for connection to a remote reservoir, and an integral reservoir structure including a main body bowl portion and a spout formed integral with the lower end of the bowl portion and defining a plug at its free end for insertion into the socket in the end wall of the shell. If it is desired to provide a remote reservoir assembly, the spout is positioned in the socket of the shell and suitably secured in position and if it desired to provide an integral reservoir assembly the spout portion of the integral reservoir assembly is positioned in the socket of the shell.

Modular master cylinder construction

A damper for use in a hydraulic clutch actuator to attenuate vibrations transmitted from the crankshaft of the engine of the associated vehicle to the clutch pedal. The baffle includes an elongated cylindrical housing positioned in the conduit interconnecting the master and slave cylinders of the actuator coaxial with the axis of the conduit and including a spring biased piston mounted in the bore of the housing. The housing is open at its rear end and closed at its front end by an end wall defining an outlet port for the damper and the piston includes a central through passage defining the inlet port of the damper at the rear end of the through passage. A baffle is provided at the front end of the piston to provide a circuitous path between the central passage of the piston and the outlet port of the damper. The front face of the baffle includes a hemispherical surface which deflects attenuations entering the housing from the slave cylinder and routes the attenuations through the circuitous path defined by the baffle.

Damper for hydraulic clutch actuator

An annular elastomeric seal, a piston utilizing the seal, and a fluid cylinder assembly utilizing the seal. The seal includes an axially forward portion defining a circumferentially inner and a circumferentially outer deflectable lip seal and an axially rearward portion defining a circumferentially inner and a circumferentially outer arcuate heel seal. When positioned in an annular groove in a piston and with the piston slidably received in the bore of a cylinder, the annular seal provides fluid pressure sealing at the deflectable lip seals, provides secondary fluid pressure sealing at the arcuate heel seals, provides air sealing at the arcuate heel seals, and functions at the arcuate heel seals to preclude the entry of contaminants into the sealing interfaces. The seal is especially effective when employed in a hydraulic pressure cylinder of the center feed type since it allows the usage of a single annular seal positioned in a singular annular groove in the piston.

Seal

A dual mode clutch control system for a motor vehicle in which the operator has the choice of operating the clutch manually or having the clutch operated in a power mode in response to movement of the gear shift lever. Two embodiments are disclosed. In both embodiments, a mode selector switch is provided which is movable between a manual mode and a power mode. In one embodiment, the power mode is provided by a master cylinder assembly in which the piston of the master cylinder is normally moved by an input rod connected to the clutch pedal but in which an annular pressure chamber is provided in communication with the piston to which pressurized fluid may be delivered from a pressure source when the mode selector switch is positioned in the power mode. The source of pressurized fluid may comprise a motor driving a pump and an accumulator for storing pressurized fluid from the pump. With the system in the power mode, pressurized fluid is delivered from the accumulator to the master cylinder in response to movement of the gear shift lever. In the other embodiment, the power mode of the system is provided by an electric motor including a ball screw assembly drivingly connected to the piston of a master cylinder and the manual operation of the clutch is provided by a pushrod connected to the clutch lever and passing through a central bore provided in the screw of the ball screw assembly for engagement with the piston.

Dual mode motor vehicle clutch control system

A damper for use in a hydraulic clutch actuator to attenuate vibrations transmitted from the crankshaft of the engine of the associated vehicle to the clutch pedal. The baffle includes an elongated cylindrical housing positioned in the conduit interconnecting the master and slave cylinders of the actuator coaxial with the axis of the conduit and including a spring biased piston mounted in the bore of the housing. The housing is open at its rear end and closed at its front end by an end wall defining an outlet port for the damper and the piston includes a central through passage defining the inlet port of the damper at the rear end of the through passage. A baffle is provided at the front end of the piston to provide a circuitous path between the central passage of the piston and the outlet port of the damper. In an alternate embodiment, the damper further includes the male half of a quick connect coupling so as to facilitate the use of the damper in a clutch actuator of the type including separate prefilled modules which are connected by the quick coupler following installation of the separate modules.

A control system for a motor vehicle of the type including a clutch and an manual gearbox. The control system includes an electric power module for shifting the gearbox, an electric power clutch assembly for engaging and disengaging the clutch, an electric throttle control assembly, and a control module arranged to control the gearbox power module, the clutch power module, the clutch power assembly, and the throttle control assembly in response to receipt of an operator instigated shift command signal. The control module initially operates to disable the throttle control system and disengage the clutch, thereafter operates to energize the gearbox power module in a sense to shift the gearbox to the selected position, and thereafter operates to reengage the clutch and restore operator control of the throttle control assembly. In one form of the power clutch assembly, an electric motor is positioned within the clutch housing in concentric relation to the clutch shaft and includes a screw drive assembly which is operative to move the clutch release bearing linearly to engage and disengage the clutch. In another form of power clutch assembly, an electric motor powers a hydraulic master cylinder and the output of the master cylinder is delivered to a slave cylinder associated with the clutch to engage an disengage the clutch in response to energization of the motor. In another form of power clutch assembly, an electric motor drives a pump which maintains a predetermined level of pressurized fluid in an accumulator and a solenoid valve delivers pressurized fluid from the accumulator to a slave cylinder in response to receipt of a shift command signal so as to disengage the clutch. Also disclosed are gear select lever assemblies designed to provide a two part shift command signal in which the initial signal is utilized to disengage the clutch and disable the throttle control system, and the second signal is utilized to shift the gearbox to the selected position.

Motor vehicle control system

A master cylinder of the center feed type including a cylinder defining an axially extending pressure chamber and including a reservoir port proximate the front end of the cylinder for connection with a fluid reservoir; a piston slidably positioned in the cylinder and adapted for coaction with a piston rod extending into the rear end of the cylinder; a valve assembly in the pressure chamber including a valving member proximate the reservoir port and a valve stem secured to the valving member and extending axially rearwardly in the pressure chamber; and a retainer on the front end of the piston. The retainer includes a socket at its rear end for telescopic receipt of a reduced diameter nose portion on the front end of the piston and includes a plurality of rearwardly extending finger portions including head portions at their free, rear ends defining camming surfaces which coact with a camming surface defined by the head portion of the valve stem to cammingly separate the free ends of the finger portions in response to axial insertion of the head portion of the valve stem therebetween so as to snappingly connect the valve stem to the piston assembly in response to relative axial movement therebetween. The retainer is ultrasonically welded to the nose portion of the piston and coacts with the piston to define an annular outwardly opening seal groove at the interface of the retainer and the piston.

Center-feed master cylinder with retainer for valve stem

A piston assembly including a plastic piston defining a socket at its rear face and a metallic annular insert member positioned within the socket and receiving the piston rod of the piston assembly in acting to increase the effective area over which the loading from the piston rod is applied to the plastic piston so as to allow the plastic piston to be used in environments where it might otherwise fail due to the high stress loading. The annular insert also includes prongs struck from the main body portion of the insert member and coacting with an annular shoulder on the piston rod to preclude axial withdrawal of the piston rod from the piston and further includes an annular flange portion which acts to facilitate positioning of the insert member in the socket in the piston and further acts to define the fully retracted or extended position of the piston in coaction with a snap ring on the inner periphery of the associated cylinder.

Piston assembly

An electric shift apparatus for controlling a motor vehicle manual transmission. The apparatus includes a power module adapted to be bolted to the housing of the transmission, a control module adapted to be positioned in the passenger compartment of the vehicle, and a gear selector assembly positioned on the steering column assembly of the vehicle. The operator selects a transmission position by movement of an appropriate gear lever on the steering column, a signal corresponding to the selected position is transmitted to the control module, the control module compares this signal to a signal provided by limit switches in the power module indicating the instantaneous position of the transmission, and the control module generates a signal to the power module coded to impart the specific combination and sequence of crossover and shift movements to the transmission select lever required to move the select lever from its indicated crossover and shift position to the crossover and shift positions corresponding to the operator selected position. The required linear movement of the shift lever is provided by a ball screw assembly powered by a first electric motor and the required angular or crossover movement of the select lever is provided by a speed reduction unit driven by a second electric motor.

Growing community of inventors

Troy, MI, United States of America

Leslie P Branum