Apparatus for controlling a clutch in an automatic vehicle transmission
AssigneeGeneral Motors Corporation
InventorPaul Dwight Stevenson
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for controlling the clutches in an automatic vehicle transmission includes a series of electric motors attached to the transmission housing, each of which has a motor shaft with a gear attached to it. A torque-to-thrust mechanism is driven by the driving gear and includes a thrust element that imparts a linear force to the apply plate of a clutch. Also included is a sensing system that allows for sensitive control of the torque-to-thrust mechanism which facilitates smooth engagement and disengagement of the clutch.
Claims16
An apparatus for controlling at least one clutch in an automatic transmission on a vehicle, comprising:
- an electric motor fixedly attached to a housing of the transmission, and having a motor shaft;
- a driving element rotatably attached to the motor shaft;
- a torque-to-thrust mechanism driven by the driving element, having a thrust element for imparting a linear force to apply the at least one clutch;
- a pump motor fixedly attached to the transmission housing for pumping fluid throughout the transmission to cool and lubricate the transmission components;
- a sensing system configured to output at least one electronic signal related to the magnitude of the linear force;
- and
- a transmission control module for receiving the at least one electronic signal from the sensing system and controlling the electric motor.
An apparatus for controlling clutches in an automatic transmission on a vehicle, comprising:
- a plurality of electric motors fixedly attached to a housing of the transmission, each motor having a motor shaft;
- a plurality of driving elements rotatably attached to a corresponding motor shaft;
- a plurality of torque-to-thrust mechanisms, each driven by a corresponding driving element and each including a thrust element for imparting a linear force to apply a corresponding clutch;
- and
- wherein at least one of the plurality of torque-to-thrust mechanisms is sufficiently continued to maintain the linear force on the corresponding clutch with no power supplied to the corresponding motor.
An automatic transmission for a vehicle, the automatic transmission comprising:
- a plurality of clutches;
- a plurality of electric motors fixedly attached to a housing of the transmission, each motor having a motor shaft;
- a plurality of driving elements rotatably attached to a corresponding motor shaft;
- a plurality of torque-to-thrust mechanisms, each driven by a corresponding driving element and each including a thrust element for imparting a linear force to apply one of the plurality of clutches;
- and
- wherein one of plurality of clutches is configured to allow for controlled slip.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.