Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha

Noboru Murakami

Koichiro Hirosawa

Koichi Matsuo

Kazuo Ohara

Koichiro Hirozawa

Hiromi Hasegawa

Kazuo Ishikawa

Choji Furusawa

Tsunehiko Ogasahara

Shigeo Takahashi

Tomio Yasuda

Akio Hashimoto

Toshiyuki Inagaki

Yoshinobu Iwase

Tsunehiko Ogasawara

Kazuo Obara

A power steering system makes use of an electric motor to produce an auxiliary torque added to the torque which is applied to the steering wheel of a vehicle by the driver. The system includes a motor driver for driving the motor and a motor braking circuit for braking the motor. When the torque manually applied to the steering shaft of the vehicle is greater than a predetermined reference torque, an electronic control apparatus causes the motor driver to energize the motor according to the difference between these two torques. When the former torque is less than the reference torque, the control apparatus causes the motor braking circuit to brake the motor. In this way, the torque that the driver of the vehicle must apply to steer the vehicle is maintained equal to the reference torque, irrespective of the vehicle velocity. The reference torque is set by means of a variable-resistor.

Motor-driven power steering system

An inching control apparatus comprising a hydraulic pressure source, a plurality of clutches and, in a hydraulic circuit connecting the clutches to the hydraulic pressure source, a pressure regulating valve, an inching valve which receives output pressure from the pressure regulating valve for delivering inching control pressure, and a selector valve which receives control pressure from the inching valve for selecting engaging and disengaging the frictional engaging means. The inching valve delivers the output pressure from the pressure regulating valve directly when an inching pedal is not depressed by the driver's foot, and delivers a control pressure, which diminishes as the amount of pedal depression increases, when said amount of depression exceeds a predetermined amount. The inching valve controls the output pressure from the pressure regulating valve by operating an inching spool which is pushed through a first spring by an inching rod operatively associated with the pedal and biased by a second spring against the first spring, and which is equipped with first and second pressure-receiving portions operating against one another.

Inching control apparatus

A transmission for a vehicle, including a torque converter, a planetary gear system capable of forming gear trains of forward low-speed range and high speed range by engagement and release of brakes and a clutch, a manual valve for gear shifting a shift valve, an electromagnetic valve, and a hydraulic control circuit for applying a line pressure to the clutch and brakes. The valves are mounted in a valve casing having a flat wall surface in face-to-face relation with a flat wall surface of a transmission casing. Clamped fluid-tight between the two flat wall surfaces is a partition plate which is provided with apertures for intercommunicating conduits of the hydraulic control circuit formed on the opposite flat wall surfaces of the casings. The present invention employs partition plates with different numbers of communicating holes in different positions. A first partition plate interposed between the valve and transmission casings, provides an automatic transmission in which the planetary gear system is automatically shifted to and from forward low-speed and high-speed range gear trains according to the vehicle speed, with the manual shift valve in forward 'D' position. A second partition plate interposed between the casings provides a manual transmission in which the planetary gear system is shifted into a gear train of the forward high-speed range when the manual valve is put in forward 'D' position and into a forward low-speed range when the manual valve is put in forward 'L' position.

Transmission for vehicles

A speed change gear system of the type including an input shaft, an output shaft, three planetary gear sets each having a central sun gear, an ring gear, a set of planetary pinion gears meshingly connecting the sun gear with ring gear and a revolving carrier rotatably supporting the pinion gear, two clutches, and three brakes. The improved system provides four forward speeds including an overdrive shift and one reverse and comprises five integrally rotatable units formed by combining elements of three planetary gear sets, including a first integrally rotatable unit formed by the sun gear in the first planetary gear set, a second integral unit connectable with the input shaft through a first clutch and having the revolving carrier in the second planetary gear set, the intenal ring gear in the first planetary gear set and the sun gear in the third planetary gear set all operatively interconnected, a third integral unit connectable to the input shaft through a second clutch and formed by the sun gear in the second planetary gear set, a fourth integral unit including the ring gears in the second and third planetary gear sets which are operatively interconnected, and a fifth integral unit including revolving carriers in the first and third planetary gear sets operatively interconnected, wherein each of the brakes is provided for the respective second, third and fourth integral units.

Speed change gear system

Speed change gears of the planetary gear type suited for applications within fluid couplings used upon automotive vehicles includes an input shaft, a first clutch for releasing or coupling a second ring gear and a third sun gear simultaneously from or to the input shaft, a second clutch for releasing or coupling a first sun gear and a second sun gear simultaneously from or to the input shaft, a first planetary gear engaged with the first sun gear, a first ring gear engaging the first planetary gear, a first carrier rotatably supporting the first planetary gear, a second planetary gear engaged with the second sun gear and the second ring gear, a second carrier rotatably supporting the second planetary gear, a third planetary gear enmeshed with the third sun gear, a third ring gear interengaged with the third planetary gear and coupled to the first ring gear, a third carrier rotatably supporting the third planetary gear and coupled to the second carrier and to an output shaft, a first brake capable of locking the first sun gear and the second sun gear simultaneously to a casing, a second brake capable of locking the first carrier relative to the casing, and a third brake capable of locking the first ring gear and the third gear simultaneously to the casing.

Speed change gear

The stator assembly of a torque converter includes a stator wheel, a one-way brake for connecting the stator wheel to a stator shaft, a thrust washer provided on each side of the one-way brake and a pair of snap rings fixed to the stator wheel for locating the thrust washers. A gap is provided between the outer circumference of the thrust washer and the stator wheel to prevent undesirable engagement therebetween which would adversely effect the operation of the one-way brake.

Stator for a torque converter

A speed change gear system for providing at least four forward drive speed ranges and one reverse drive speed range includes three planetary gear sets of the single-pinion type, three clutches, and two brakes. As a result of the coupling and uncoupling of the clutches and brakes, the movable elements of each of the planetary gear sets are suitably coupled so as to attain the various speed ranges.

This invention relates to a fluid pressure supplying method for fluidically actuating a frictional engaging apparatus in a vehicle transmission, including the steps of supplying high pressure to actuate the frictional engaging apparatus, reducing the high pressure to a lower pressure when the frictional engaging apparatus is initially engaged, and increasing the fluid pressure to line pressure in the frictional engaging apparatus after the frictional engaging apparatus is fully engaged, thereby smoothly engaging the frictional engaging apparatus without giving a shock to the apparatus and reducing the engaging time of the frictional engaging apparatus.

Fluid pressure modulating apparatus for a fluidically actuated

A speed change gear system of the planetary type suited for applications to fluid couplings utilized upon automotive vehicles includes at least first, second, and third planetary gear sets suitably interposed between an input shaft and an output shaft, first and second clutches, and first, second, and third braking means. The first planetary gear set may include a first sun gear, a first planetary gear engaged therewith, a second planetary gear engaged with the first planetary gear, a first ring gear enmeshed with the second planetary gear, and a first carrier rotatably supporting the first and second planetary gears, while the second planetary gear set may include a second sun gear drivingly coupled to the first carrier, a third planetary gear engaged with the second sun gear, a second ring enmeshed with the third planetary gear, and a second carrier rotatably supporting the third planetary gear, and the third planetary gear set may include a third sun gear drivingly coupled to the first sun gear and the second ring gear, a fourth planetary gear interengaged with the third sun gear, a third ring gear enmeshed with the fourth planetary gear, and a third carrier rotatably supporting the fourth planetary gear and drivingly coupled to the second carrier and to the output shaft. The first clutch couples or uncouples the input shaft to or from the first sun gear, the second ring gear and the third sun gear, while the second clutch couples or uncouples the input shaft to or from the first carrier and the second sun gear. The first brake is capable of locking the first carrier and the second sun gear to the gear casing while the second brake is capable of locking the first ring gear to the casing and the third brake is capable of locking the third ring gear to the casing.

A speed change gear system for providing at least four forward drive speed ranges and one reverse drive speed range includes planetary gear sets of the single-pinion type and simple planetary gear sets of the double-pinion type as well as a plurality of clutches and brakes. As a result of the coupling and uncoupling of the clutches and brakes, the movable elements of the gear sets are suitably coupled so as to attain the various speed ranges.

The invention relates to a governor pressure controlling apparatus for vehicle transmissions including a governor pressure generator mounted on a rotational shaft for generating a governor pressure and provided with inlet and outlet ports, a governor pressure regulator provided with inlet and outlet ports and a regulating chamber, a first passage for communicating the inlet port of the governor pressure generator with a source of fluid pressure, a second passage for communicating the outlet port of the governor pressure generator with an inlet port of the governor pressure regulator, and a third passage for communicating another inlet port of the governor pressure regulator with the source of fluid pressure, whereby the regulated pressure obtained at the outlet port of the governor pressure regulator is controlled by governor pressure obtained from the governor pressure generator according to the rotational speed of the rotational shaft.

Governor pressure control apparatus for vehicle automatic transmission

A hydraulic control system for a vehicle transmission including a plurality of hydraulically operated functional brake and clutch devices for providing a plurality of driving stages of different speed ratios, the system comprising a pressure regulator valve for providing a regulated line pressure and shift valves for transmitting the line pressure to selected ones of the frictional devices. Pressure control valves are provided between the shift valves and the brake or clutch devices which are operated in low speed range of the transmission to provide a time delay in the increase of the pressure for actuating the devices. The pressure regulator valve is provided with pressure increasing chambers which receive the outlet pressure from the pressure control valves to increase the line pressure when the transmission is shifted to the low speed range such as the first and second speed forward drive stage and the reverse drive stage.

Hydraulic control system for vehicle transmission means

A speed change gear system of the planetary gear type suited for applications within fluid couplings used upon automobiles includes three simple planetary gear sets of the single pinion type and the double pinion type, three clutch units, and at least two brake units. The movable members of the three planetary gear sets are suitably coupled to each other, and the brake units are suitably locked and unlocked so as to attain the desired speed ranges, that is, at least four forward drive speeds and at least one reverse drive speed.

A speed change gear system of the planetary gear type suited for applications within fluid couplings used upon automobiles includes three simple planetary gear sets of the single pinion type and the double pinion type, two clutch units, and three brake units. The movable members of the three planetary gear sets are suitably coupled to each other, and the brake units are suitably locked and unlocked so as to attain the desired speed ranges, that is, at least four forward drive speeds and at least one reverse drive speed.

A pressure control circuit for use in connection with an automatic transmission of a vehicle is disclosed which comprises a pressure regulating valve for regulating a hydraulic pressure discharged from a pressure source and for actuating frictional engaging means, said pressure regulating valve including an accumulator, a valve spool and a spring urging said valve spool in one direction, said accumulator including a hydraulic chamber, into which is supplied the hydraulic pressure which will mechanically impart an additional force to said spring at a given value of the hydraulic pressure.

Growing community of inventors

Nagoya, Japan

Noboru Murakami