Back to results
US 6,508,739 B1Granted
System for protecting drive line components from excessive engine inertial forces
AssigneeCummins Inc.
InventorSteven M. Bellinger
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Loading patent…
Loading patent…
AssigneeCummins Inc.
InventorSteven M. Bellinger
Estimating the term…
A system for protecting one or more drive line components from excessive inertial torque includes a torque converter disposed between an internal combustion engine and a transmission coupled thereto, wherein the torque converter is responsive to computer control to operate in a lockup mode to directly couple the engine output shaft to the transmission input shaft and otherwise in a torque converter mode. Under conditions wherein drive line acceleration exceeds an acceleration threshold, wherein the acceleration threshold preferably corresponds to the weakest of the drive line components, a control computer is operable to force the torque converter to operate in a torque converter mode of operation to thereby electronically disengage direct connection between the engine and the transmission and then to modify fueling to thereby protect the various drive line components from damage due to excessive engine inertial torque. In an alternate embodiment, a control computer is operable to compute or otherwise estimate engine output torque and control the torque converter as just described if/when the estimated engine output torque exceeds a torque threshold corresponding to an input torque capacity of one or more of the drivetrain components.
A system for protecting one or more drive line components from excessive engine inertial forces, comprising:
In a drive line including an internal combustion engine coupled by a torque converter to a number of additional drive line components, wherein said torque converter is operable in a lockup mode to couple the engine directly to said number of additional drive line components and otherwise operable in a torque converter mode, a method of protecting one or more of the number of additional drive train components from excessive engine inertial forces, the method comprising the steps of:
In a drive line including an internal combustion engine coupled by a torque converter to a number of additional drive line components, wherein said torque converter is operable in a lockup mode to couple the engine directly to said number of additional drive line components and otherwise operable in a torque converter mode, a method of protecting one or more of the number of additional drive train components from excessive engine inertial forces, the method comprising the steps of:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.