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US 4,633,725 AGranted
Transmission and range box control
AssigneeDana Corporation
InventorCharles R. Jones
Life of this patent
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AssigneeDana Corporation
InventorCharles R. Jones
Estimating the term…
A transmission range selection mechanism for use with a vehicle transmission assembly having a main gear box and an auxiliary, two-speed gear box provides control over both with a single shift lever moved through a conventional shift pattern. The shift lever is pivotally mounted to a transversely disposed shift rail which is translatable between a first and a second position. A two-position sensor is coupled to the shift rail such that one output state is generated when the shift rail is in the first position and the second output state is generated in the second position. The two-position sensor controls selection of the two gear ranges provided by the auxiliary gear box. Three main shift rails are disposed in a conventional, parallel array at right angles to the auxiliary shift rail and include three shift yokes. The outer two shift yokes include spring-biased pins disposed within shift lever receiving slots. The spring rate of the spring-biased pins is such that the shift lever functions as a second class lever to translate the auxiliary shift rail between first and second positions thus commanding corresponding shifts of the auxiliary gear box while the shift lever is engaged within the center shift yoke. Gear sets and thus gear ratios associated with the center shift rail and therefore utilized twice, when the auxiliary gear box is in both its low and its high drive ratio, thus providing additional gear ratios in a conventional, though extended, shift pattern.
A gear ratio selection mechanism for use with a transmission assembly comprising, in combination, a main gear box having an input shaft, an output shaft, a plurality of gear sets providing a plurality of independently selectable gear ratios between said input shaft and said output shaft, a shift rail disposed for substantially free movement through a limited distance, a shift lever pivotally secured to said shift rail, three shift yokes each including means for receiving a portion of said shift lever, biasing means secured to two of said shift yokes for providing a force urging said portion of said shift lever out of a respective two of said shift lever receiving means, auxiliary gear box means in tandem with said main gear box for providing at least two selectable gear ratios, control means activated by said shift rail for commanding selection of one of said auxiliary gear ratios when said shift rail is disposed in a first position and selecting the other of said two gear ratios when said shift rail is disposed in a second position.
A gear ratio selection mechanism for use with a transmission assembly comprising, in combination, a main transmission having a housing, an input shaft, an output shaft, a plurality of gear sets providing a plurality of independently selectable gear ratios between said input sahft and said output shaft, a first shift rail disposed for substantially free movement over a limited distance, a shift lever pivotally secured to said shift rail, an array of three main shift rails disposed in a parallel array and having axes normal to the axis of said shift rail, three shift yokes secured to a respective one of said three main shift rails, each of said shift yokes including means for receiving a portion of said shift lever, biasing means for providing a force urging said portion of said shift lever out of two of said shift lever receiving means, auxiliary gear box means in tandem with said main transmission for providing two selectable gear ratios, sensor means activated by said shift rail for providing a first state output when said shift rail is disposed in a first position and a second state output when said shift rail is disposed in a second position, means coupled to said sensor means for selecting one of said two auxiliary gear ratios when said sensor means output is in a first state and selecting the other of said two auxiliary gear ratios when said sensor means output is in said second state.
In a transmission assembly having a main transmission having a housing, an input shaft, an output shaft, a plurality of gear sets providing a plurality of independently selectable gear ratios between said input shaft and said output shaft, an array of main shift rails disposed in parallel arrangement each having a shift yoke defining a slot and an auxiliary range box in tandem with said main transmission providing two selectable gear ratios, the improvement comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.