Automotive Products, Inc.

501 Automotive Products Plc

Wilfred N Bainbridge

Alastair J Young

David Parsons

Harry D Temperley

Brian Joynes

Henry G Webster

Differential mechanism

A transmission comprises gear trains which provide increasing speed ratios and two clutches which are operable independently to provide alternative paths through the gear trains between an input and an output. The gear trains provide alternate ratios driven respectively through one and the other clutch. The input comprises a first shaft drivable by one clutch and a shaft drivable by the other clutch. A layshaft is provided through which drive in a selected ratio is transmitted from one of the first and second shafts to the other to drive the output which is also a shaft. One of the first and second shafts has a gear thereon which meshes with a gear on the output shaft.

Change speed transmission

The transmission is intended to effect synchronism between the speed of an engine and the speed of a transmission input shaft. An engine drive clutch and gearbox combination is provided which comprises automatic change speed to engage and disengage the drive clutch and to select a required gearbox ratio. A further clutch is also provided which is responsive to said change speed to control engine speed during a ratio change with the drive clutch disengaged. The further clutch reacts against the output shaft of the gearbox to synchronize engine speed with the speed of the transmission input shaft during the ratio change and enables drive to be transmitted between the engine and output shaft with the drive clutch disengaged.

Rotary transmission

The control valve comprises a member defining an orifice for fluid and a resilient plate arranged to control flow of fluid through the orifice by flexing movement relative to the orifice. The plate may comprise a disc which is freely movable between first and second stops. The plate is arranged to engage the first stop to control fluid flow in one direction through the orifice by said flexing movement and is arranged to engage the second stop to permit relatively greater flow when fluid flows in the opposite direction through the orifice.

Flow valve

A tandem master cylinder for a vehicle split hydraulic braking system which has disc brakes in one part of the system and drum brakes in the other half. One of the pistons in the master cylinder is prevented from developing a substantial pressure until a predetermined pressure is developed by the other piston by virtue of a control piston working in a blind bore in one of the pistons. Hydraulic fluid is trapped in a control chamber formed by the blind bore and the control piston by a first valve means and released by a second valve means at the predetermined pressure. The arrangement allows pressure to the disc brakes to be delayed while pressure to the drum brakes is overcoming the effects of the usual pull-off springs.

Hydraulic master cylinder

A tandem master cylinder for a vehicle split hydraulic braking system which has disc brakes in one half of the system and drum brakes in the other. One of the pistons in the master cylinder is prevented from developing a substantial pressure until a predetermined pressure has been developed by the other piston by virtue of a quantity of fluid trapped in a control chamber by a control piston. First and second valve means control the pressure in the control chamber. The valve means include a plunger which initially moves against a first control spring to allow a valve member to seat and trap the fluid in the control chamber and subsequently moves away from the valve member under an increased pressure in the control chamber against a second control spring to release the trapped fluid.

A power plant comprising combustion means for generating heat for use in a power plant with at least two hot gas engines, comprising first and second working fluid spaces, reciprocating means for varying the volume of working fluid spaces, heating means adjacent said first working fluid space, a source of cooling fluid, first conduit means connecting said source of cooling fluid and said cooling means to convey cooling fluid from said source of cooling fluid to said cooling means to cool working fluid in said second working fluid space and means for conveying the products of combustion from said combustion means to the heating means to heat working fluid in said first working fluid space; second conduit means in communication with the cooling means one said hot gas engine and the combustion means to convey cooling fluid from the cooling means of said one hot gas engine to the combustion means for participation in combustion therein, the cooling means of said second hot gas engine being independent of the combustion means; and heat exchange means for transferring heat from cooling fluid fed from the cooling means of said one hot gas engine to the combustion means wherein, in operation of the plant, the cooling fluid fed from the cooling means of said one hot gas engine to the combustion means has had its physical state changed by heat which it absorbed in the cooling means of said one hot gas engine.

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Banbury, United Kingdom

Wilfred N Bainbridge