Chrysler Corporation

Daimlerchrysler Corporation

Chrysler Group LLC

Chrysler Motors Corporation

Other

Fca US LLC

Thomas D Nogle

Berthold Martin

Roy S Nassar

Valentin Botosan

Charles J Redinger

Charles K Streetman

James R Klotz

Steven A Mikel

Mohamed Fahs

Maurice B Leising

Howard L Benford

Gerald L Holbrook

Tomasz K Kietlinski

Willem S Haven

William Nortman

Thomas M O'Brien

Gerald L Helbrook

An apparatus and a method for engaging a friction element, e.g., a clutch, in an automatic transmission. The apparatus includes a piston contained within a housing that is used to apply pressure to and operate the friction element. The piston divides the housing into first and second chambers that are supplied with fluid by various valves. The pressure of the fluid in the chambers controls the position of the piston.

Apparatus and method for automated transmission clutch fill during engine start-stop operation

A transmission and a method for loading an engine in a vehicle. The transmission includes a gear set, an input shaft coupled to the gear set, and a plurality of friction elements coupled to the gear set. The transmission also includes a control system to direct a subset of the plurality of friction elements to engage the gear set to stall the input shaft thereby placing a load on the engine. The load causes additional heat that may be used to warm up the vehicle's passenger compartment and/or defrost the vehicle's windshield.

Apparatus and method for rapid warm-up of a combustion engine

A pump cover for use in a transmission of a vehicle, wherein the transmission includes a transmission housing and a fluid pump disposed within the transmission housing. The fluid pump includes a pump housing defining an outer recess. Similarly, the transmission housing defines an inner recess. The pump cover comprises a generally circular plate having a centrally disposed aperture. The generally circular plate defines an outer portion and an inner portion. The outer portion of the generally circular plate is adapted to engage the inner recess of the transmission housing. Likewise, the inner portion of the generally circular plate is adapted to engage the outer recess of the pump housing. Thus, the generally circular plate cooperates with the transmission housing and the pump housing to enclose and seal a fluid volume adjacent the fluid pump, thereby minimizing the need for fluid seals within the fluid pump.

Stamped pump cover

The present invention provides a torque converter support for an automatic transmission which uses a driving gear of a fluid pump to support the torque converter. The driving gear is supported by a journal area of the fluid pump. The torque converter impeller hub, attached to the torque converter, is engaging the driving gear and has at least one rib therearound. A hollow bore of the driven gear rides against the rib, offering structural support to the torque converter impeller hub and torque converter. The driven gear also has a hub. The hub has an outer surface which rides against the journal area and provides the base support for the system.

Sleeveless support of pump gear drive

The present invention provides a fluid pump for an automatic transmission which has at least one driven gear which has a hub portion insertable into the housing of the pump. By using this apparatus, the driven gear needs only to be aligned in one portion of the pump housing. This eliminates the need to align bores in both halves of the pump housing and to align the post section of the driven gears with the bores in the pump housing.

Integral hub driven gears

A solenoid assembly for an automatic transmission of a motor vehicle. The solenoid assembly includes a housing, a valve, an armature and an electromagnetic device. The valve is mounted within the housing. The valve is operative in a vented state and a non-vented state and includes a plunger and ball combination movable between a first position for establishing the vented state and a second position for establishing the non-vented state. The armature is associated with the valve and is movable in response to the presence and absence of a magnetic field for selectively moving the plunger and ball combination between the first and second positions. The electromagnetic device is operative for creating the magnetic field. The electromagnetic device includes a core and an energizable coil. The core has an upwardly extending outer post with a generally rectangular cross section in a horizontal plane. The energizable coil defines an opening for receiving the first upwardly extending outer post. The core preferably includes a plurality of vertically stacked plates.

Solenoid assembly for an automatic transmission of a motor vehicle

An adjustable solenoid assembly having a solenoid manifold and a first pair of rods mounted to the solenoid manifold. The solenoid assembly further includes a plate member having a pair of slots for receiving the first pair of rods. The pair of slots cooperates with the pair of rods to enable the solenoid manifold to be translated to a fixed position relative to the plate member and enable dimensional variations between the first pair of rods to be accommodated.

Adjustable solenoid assembly for an automatic transmission

A solenoid assembly for an automatic transmission of a motor vehicle. The solenoid assembly includes a housing having a core opening passing vertically therethrough. A valve is mounted within the housing. The valve is operative in a vented state and a non-vented state. The valve includes a plunger movable between a first position for establishing the vented state and a second position for establishing the non-vented state. An armature is associated with the valve and is movable in response to the presence and absence of a magnetic field for selectively moving the plunger between the first and second positions. An electromagnetic arrangement for creating the magnetic field includes a core and an energizable coil. The core is inserted into the core opening from an underside of the housing. A first retaining member retains a portion of the core against the underside of the housing. A variable transducer is used to establish a reference plane including two upper surfaces of the coil. The transducer is used to adjust the armature relative to an associated valve such that a predetermined air gap is established between one of the upper surfaces of the coil and the armature.

Solenoid assembly for an automatic transmission of a motor vehicle and

A valve assembly having an advantageous construction for directing fluid flow between a fluid source and a fluid actuating device in a transmission of a vehicle. The valve assembly includes a manual lever being actuated in response to a manual input from an operator. The manual lever is positionable in a plurality of positions corresponding to predetermined operating modes of the transmission. The assembly further includes a valve body having valve member disposed therein. The valve member being movable for directing fluid flow between the fluid source and the fluid actuating device. A plate member slidably engaging the valve body is further provided. The plate member is operably coupled to the manual lever to linearly translate the plate member relative to the valve body in response to the manual input. Cam member is included for positioning the valve member at a predetermined position corresponding to the plurality of positions of the manual lever when the plate member is linearly translated.

Linear translation of PRNDL

An automatic transmission hydraulic control system is provided with lubrication and cooler circuits fed in parallel. The lubrication circuit is fed by regulated pressure which prevents lubrication starvation concerns under extremes of temperature and speed conditions. As the lubrication demand increases the controlled pressure increases the lube flow to meet the component lubrication requirements.

Automatic transmission hydraulic control system with parallel

A park lock mechanism for a transmission of a vehicle having a pawl pivotally mounted adjacent a park gear. The pawl selectively engages the park gear to prevent rotation of an output shaft. The mechanism also includes pawl actuator member having a generally flat portion on one end and an engaging surface on another end. The pawl actuator member selectively engages the engaging surface with or disengages the engaging surface from the park pawl. The mechanism further includes a manual lever, which rotates about an axis. The manual lever includes a first contact surface and a second contact surface; wherein the first contact surface is spaced closer to the axis than the second contact surface. Upon rotation of the manual lever in a first direction, the second contact surface drives the generally flat portion of the pawl actuator member to engage the pawl actuator member with the pawl. Upon rotation of the manual lever in a second direction, the first contact surface drives the generally flat portion of the pawl actuator member to disengage the pawl actuator member from the pawl. The force required to disengage the pawl actuator member and the park pawl is less than the usual, prior art force required to disengage the pawl actuator member and the park pawl. That is to say, the invention reduces the driver effort needed to disengage 'Park.'

Camming manual lever for pull-out load

An improved two-way check valve for controlling the flow of fluid to an element from either one of a pair of hydraulic sources in a hydraulic automatic transmission, the check valve having a flow cavity in which a pivotal flapper valve is mounted so as to alternately cover one of two inlet openings to the cavity.

Butterfly type two-way check valve for an automatic transmission

For a planetary gear unit including several tubular pinion gear shafts which are located by a carrier member in a generally circular pattern, an oil delivery and lubricating assembly which includes plural plug and funnel members, the plug portions being inserted within the tubular pinion gear shafts which thereby orients the funnel member exteriorly of the shafts to intercept lubricating oil and deliver it to a bearing positioned about the pinion gear shaft.

Lubricating device for a planetary gear unit

A lubricating device for use with a planetary gear unit that includes a plug member integrally formed with a funnel member and is located in an opening formed in the pinion shaft for effectively channelling oil to the bearings of the planetary pinion gear.

An input compounding torque converter is provided for converting and multiplying torque from a prime mover to an input shaft for a transmission. The input compounding torque converter includes an impeller operatively connected for rotation with a prime mover. The input compounding torque converter also includes a turbine fluidly connected in driving relationship with the impeller for receiving torque from the impeller and planetary gearset interconnecting the turbine and an input shaft of a transmission for multiplying torque from the turbine to the input shaft. The planetary gearset includes an annulus gear connected to the turbine, a planetary carrier connected to the input shaft, a sun gear, and a plurality of planetary pinion gears rotatably supported on the planetary carrier and engaging the sun and annulus gears. The input compounding torque converter also includes first and second one way clutches which are radially spaced with respect to one another and including a stationary reaction member having an intermediate portion disposed between the radially spaced first and second one way clutches.

Growing community of inventors

Troy, MI, United States of America

Thomas D Nogle