Ford Global Technolgoies, LLC

Robert Orley Burkhart

John Butwin

Derek Kinch

Hrudaya Mahapatro

Gregory Michael Pietron

Yuji Fujii

Anthony G Koenings

Wei Zhuang

Lev Pekarsky

Diana Yanakiev

Seung-Hoon Lee

James William Loch McCallum

William Emil Tobler

Ted Duane Snyder

Mark Davis

Mohamed Redissi

David Popejoy

Ravindra Velamakanni

Lev Perkarsky

Boya Zhang

Daniel Smokovitz

A solenoid valve includes a support bushing and an armature pin axially movable within the support bushing. The solenoid shield further includes a valve rigidly secured to the armature pin. The valve includes a diverter sleeve having an overlap portion that is radially spaced from at least a portion of the support bushing and extends along a length of at least a portion of the support bushing. The diverter sleeve further includes a deflector surface disposed at an angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the armature pin.

Solenoid valve diverter sleeve

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

An accumulator includes a cylinder for containing a working fluid and a first volume of pressurized gas, the gas and fluid being separated by a displaceable piston and a first seal contacting the piston and the cylinder, a reservoir carried on the piston for containing a second volume of pressurized gas, and a device that permits gas flow from the second volume into the first volume.

Self replenishing accumulator

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 valve-actuator includes a chamber, a spool that opens and closes connections between ports in the chamber, an actuator including a housing containing a piezoelectric stack having a bore, and a spring contacting the spool through the bore and forcing the stack toward the chamber, the stack expanding and contracting in response to a voltage, the spool moving in the chamber in response to said expansion and contraction.

Hydraulic valve actuated by piezoelectric effect

A valve-actuator for a hydraulic valve includes a valve chamber, ports spaced mutually and opening into the chamber, a spool axially located in the chamber for opening and closing hydraulic connections between at least two of the ports as the spool moves axially in the chamber. An actuator includes a housing having mutually spaced surfaces, and a piezoelectric element located in the housing between the surfaces, the element expanding and contracting in response to an electric signal applied to the element. A temperature compensation and motion damping circuit comprising feedback resistors and a thermistor. The spool moves axially in the chamber in response to expansion and contraction of the element.

An actuator system includes a piezoelectric pump; an accumulator including a cylinder, a piston located in the cylinder, a port located at a first side of the piston and hydraulically connected to the pump outlet and a switching circuit, a relief port hydraulically connected to the reservoir and located at a second side of the piston, and a spring biasing the piston toward the port; and a hydraulically actuated servo including a front port hydraulically connected to the switching circuit, a back port hydraulically connected to the reservoir, and the servo causing the friction element alternately to engage and to disengage in response to a magnitude of hydraulic pressure in the servo.

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Novi, MI, United States of America

Robert Orley Burkhart