Internal transmission thermostat

Abstract

An internal thermostat for an automatic transmission of a motor vehicle includes a thermostat housing, a rotary valve and a bimetallic, temperature sensitive element. The thermostat housing is attached to an internal flow aperture of the transmission to be controlled. The rotary valve is moveable between an open position and a closed position in response to a temperature of oil, thereby controlling oil flow through the internal flow aperture of the transmission. The bimetallic temperature-sensitive element is attached to the rotary valve and operative to control an angular position of the valve as a function of the temperature of the surrounding oil. The bimetallic, temperature-sensitive element may be shaped like a coil. Alternatively, the bimetallic, temperature-sensitive element may be shaped like a substantially linear strip.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.