Control system for independent control of fluid actuated devices
AssigneeCaterpillar Inc.
InventorAlan R. Coutant
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Control systems are required to selectively control fluid actuated devices, such as clutches, in a transmission. In order to reduce shock loads on the internal elements of the transmission, it is necessary to ensure that only one clutch can be engaged at one time and that no major speed changes or change in direction is allowed. The present invention provides an interlocking arrangement that operates to control a source of pressurized fluid to a plurality of valve mechanism and a plurality of signal control devices. The operation of one of the plurality of valve mechanisms interrupts the flow of fluid to other ones of the plurality of valve mechanisms and to ones of the signal control devices. With this subject arrangement, the shock loads to the transmission are substantially reduced.
Claims13
A fluid control system for selectively controlling actuation of a plurality of fluid actuated devices, said system including a source of pressurized fluid, a reservoir, a plurality of valve mechanisms operative to valve the fluid from said source to said fluid actuated devices, and a plurality of signal control valves each being operative to actuate a respective one of the plurality of valve mechanisms, comprising:
- means for hydraulically interlocking a selected one of the plurality of signal control valves with respect to the source upon operation of a first one of the plurality of valve mechanisms so that only a first one of the plurality of fluid actuated devices may be connected with the source and a second one of the plurality of fluid actuated devices is prohibited from connection with the source;
- and
- the plurality of valve mechanisms includes a second valve mechanism and each of the plurality of valve mechanisms has an inlet port, an actuator port, a drain port, and first and second outlet ports, and each valve mechanism is movable between a first position at which the inlet port is in open communication with the first outlet port and the second outlet is in open communication with the drain port and a second position at which the inlet port is blocked from the first outlet port and is in open communication with the second outlet port.
A fluid control system for selectively controlling actuation of a plurality of fluid actuated devices, said system including a source of pressurized fluid, a reservoir, a plurality of valve mechanisms operative to valve the fluid from said source to said fluid actuated devices, and a plurality of signal control valves each being operative to actuate a respective one of the plurality of valve mechanisms, comprising:
- means for hydraulically interlocking a selected one of the plurality of signal control valves with respect to the source upon operation of a first one of the plurality of valve mechanisms so that only a first one of the plurality of fluid actuated devices may be connected with the source and a second one of the plurality of fluid actuated devices is prohibited from connection with the source;
- and
- the plurality of valve mechanisms includes a second valve mechanism and each of the first and second valve mechanisms are arranged in a single bore of a common housing so that movement of one of the first and second valve mechanisms to actuate one of the first and second fluid actuated devices physically blocks movements of the other valve mechanism so that the other fluid actuated device cannot be actuated while the one fluid actuated device is actuated.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.