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US 9,915,303 B1Granted
Clutch system for manual transmission vehicles
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsJose Carlos Parada Centeno, Elias Aram Loza Neri, Pablo Daniel Martinez, David Michael Pariseau
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle includes an engine, a manual transmission, and a clutch that selectively couples the engine to the transmission. The clutch includes a disk biased to engage a flywheel of the engine, a first actuator that disengages the disk in response to depression of a clutch pedal, and a second actuator that disengages the disk in response to an electric signal from a vehicle controller.
Claims17
A vehicle comprising:
- an engine;
- a manual transmission;
- a clutch including a disk biased to engage a flywheel, a manually operated first actuator that disengages the disk, and a second actuator that disengages the disk responsive to an electric signal;
- and
- a controller configured to
- receive an engine start signal and engage a parking brake,
- command the second actuator to disengage the disk, and
- start the engine responsive to the second actuator disengaging the disk.
5 more elements
A vehicle comprising:
- a transmission;
- a clutch selectively engaging an engine and the transmission and including a first actuator altering clutch capacity responsive to pedal movement and a second actuator altering clutch capacity responsive to an electronic signal;
- and
- a controller configured to, responsive to a request for traffic assist and the transmission being in first gear, command the second actuator to alter the clutch capacity based on engine speed, accelerator-pedal position, and brake-pedal position.
1 more element
A manual transmission for a vehicle comprising:
- a gearbox configured to establish various power-flow paths between an input shaft and an output shaft in response to movement of a driver-operated gear shifter;
- a dry friction clutch including a disk disposed on the input shaft, a first bearing slidably supported on the input shaft, a second bearing slidably supported on the input shaft, and a pressure-plate assembly connectable to an engine flywheel, the pressure-plate assembly having a pressure plate and a spring that biases the pressure plate to frictionally engage the disk and the flywheel;
- a first clutch actuator including a first fork connected to the first bearing and operable to disengage the clutch in response to depression of a clutch pedal;
- and
- a second clutch actuator arranged in parallel with the first clutch actuator and including an electric motor having a spindle, and a second fork connected to the second bearing operable to disengage the clutch in response to rotation of the spindle, wherein the first and second bearings are independently operable to reduce torque capacity between the disk and the flywheel in response to one of the forks urging one of the bearings into the spring.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.