Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100093488 | HYDRAULIC CONTROL FOR A VEHICLE POWERTRAIN - A vehicle powertrain includes an engine capable of being selectively turned on and turned off, a transmission operatively connected to the engine, and a hydraulic control system including a pump in fluid communication with the transmission. The pump is operatively connected to the engine for supplying fluid to the transmission when the engine is on, wherein the pump is idle when the engine is off. The hydraulic control system additionally includes an accumulator arranged to accumulate the fluid when the engine is on. The accumulator is also controlled to accumulate fluid when the engine is on, to retain the fluid when the engine is turned off, and to discharge the fluid to the transmission when the engine is restarted. | 04-15-2010 |
20100199784 | TORQUE SENSOR WITH ALIGNMENT SYSTEM - A torque sensor for sensing torque in a rotatable shaft. The rotatable shaft is configured to rotate within a shaft housing. The sensor housing has a first end, a second end, and at least one sensing zone. At least one target zone is disposed on the rotatable shaft and substantially opposes the at least one sensing zone. At least one bearing member is disposed between the sensor housing and the rotatable shaft for limiting relative axial movement and allowing relative rotation between the sensor housing and the rotatable shaft. A first resilient member has a first end in contact with the first end of the sensor housing and a second end in contact with an interior wall of the shaft housing. A second resilient member has a first end in contact with a retaining member and a second end in contact with the second end of the sensor housing. | 08-12-2010 |
20100226806 | ACTIVE ELECTRIC ACCUMULATOR - The present invention provides an active, electrically powered hydraulic fluid accumulator. The accumulator includes an electric motor having its output coupled to a mechanical rotation to linear translation transducer such as a lead screw, ball spline or similar device. The output of the mechanical transducer is coupled to a piston disposed within an accumulator cylinder. The accumulator cylinder preferably communicates with a pair of inlet and outlet check valves disposed in hydraulic supply and feed lines from the system pump or sump and to the system, respectively. | 09-09-2010 |
20110011074 | TRANSMISSION HYDRAULIC CONTROL SYSTEM HAVING AN ACCUMULATOR FOR PRIMING A PUMP - A hydraulic control system for a powertrain includes a sump for storing a hydraulic fluid and a pump having an inlet in communication with the sump and an outlet. A valve system is in communication with the outlet of the pump. An accumulator for storing and releasing the hydraulic fluid is in communication with the inlet of the pump and with the valve system. A first control device is disposed between the accumulator and the valve system. A second control device is disposed between the accumulator and the inlet of the pump. The accumulator is charged with the hydraulic fluid when the pump is powered, the accumulator stores the hydraulic fluid when the first control device and the second control device are in the closed condition, and the accumulator releases the hydraulic fluid and primes the pump when the second control device is in the open condition. | 01-20-2011 |
20110226346 | ACCUMULATOR WITH SOLENOID VALVE - An accumulator includes a canister, a piston, a sleeve, and a solenoid control valve assembly. The canister has an inner surface that defines an interior volume. The piston is slidably disposed within the interior volume of the canister. The piston is located between the inner surface of the canister and an outer surface of the sleeve. The piston divides the interior space into a fluid filled chamber and an air filled chamber. A fluid pathway is created by an outer surface of the sleeve and the inner surface of the canister. The fluid pathway allows fluid from an exterior source to either enter or exit the fluid chamber. The solenoid control valve assembly includes a valve body, a valve biasing member, and a plunger that is slidable within a recess of the valve body. | 09-22-2011 |
20110226371 | ACCUMULATOR ASSEMBLY - An accumulator assembly is includes a piston located within a pressure canister. The pressure canister has a piston stop therein. The piston stop is located radially outboard of a biasing member or spring located within the pressure canister between the pressure canister and the piston. A support bracket is disposed on an end of the pressure canister in alignment with the spring. The outboard piston stop and the support bracket reduce the stresses due to reaction forces when the accumulator assembly is fully charged. By reducing the stresses due to reaction forces, the accumulator assembly can be made from steel casting or plastic molding without sacrificing the charge capacity of the accumulator assembly. | 09-22-2011 |
20120085227 | LATCHING ASSEMBLY FOR AN ACCUMULATOR - An accumulator assembly includes a pressure canister and a latching assembly. The latching assembly includes a solenoid, an actuator, and a piston. The piston is slidingly engaged within an interior space the canister. The piston divides the interior space of the canister into an air chamber and a fluid filled chamber. The fluid filled chamber is in fluid communication with a fluid supply line. A biasing member is located within the air filled chamber and exerts a biasing force on the piston. The solenoid induces a magnetic field used to actuate the actuator, where the actuator selectively engages with a groove located along an outer surface of the piston. When the actuator disengages from the groove, the biasing force exerted by the biasing member urges the piston to slide within the canister, causing fluid to discharge from the fluid chamber and into the supply line. | 04-12-2012 |
20120085450 | ACCUMULATOR ASSEMBLY - An accumulator assembly for a motor vehicle powertrain includes an armature and a follower. Together the armature and the follower can selectively lock together. The accumulator assembly may include a biasing member and a solenoid. When the solenoid is de-energized, the biasing member pushes the armature towards the follower to lock the armature and the follower together. When the solenoid is energized, the armature is magnetically drawn towards the solenoid and away from the follower to unlock the two components and to compress the biasing member. | 04-12-2012 |
20120085451 | HYDRAULIC ACCUMULATOR - A hydraulic accumulator includes a cylindrical body or housing having male or external threads on each end and shoulders proximate the ends of the threads nearer the center of the cylindrical body or housing that act as stops. An end cap having internal or female threads is disposed at one end of the accumulator. The accumulator may be threaded into a manifold or control valve assembly or it may include a second threaded end cap having an access, i.e., inlet/outlet, port. A piston resides within the accumulator and is biased by a pair of compression springs toward the manifold, control valve body or second threaded end cap. | 04-12-2012 |
20120186364 | INTEGRATED OIL ROUTING SLEEVE AND TORQUE SENSOR - A torque sensor system for a transmission and other powertrain components in a motor vehicle includes a receiver and a transmitter. The receiver is operable to induce and detect a signal from the transmitter that is indicative of a torque load on the transmitter. The receiver is cylindrical and has an outer surface with a maximum, constant diameter. The outer surface defines one or more fluid transfer grooves and a docking port for an electrical connection. The fluid transfer groove and the docking port do not extend beyond the maximum outer diameter of the outer surface. Therefore, the receiver is capable of being press-fit within a component and is capable of routing fluid flow. | 07-26-2012 |
20120191308 | TORQUE SENSOR SYSTEM WITH INTEGRATED ELECTRICAL CONNECTORS - A torque sensor system for a transmission and other powertrain components in a motor vehicle includes a receiver and a transmitter. The receiver is operable to induce and detect a signal from the transmitter that is indicative of a torque load on the transmitter. The receiver is cylindrical and has an outer surface with a maximum, constant diameter. The outer surface defines one or more fluid transfer grooves and a docking port for an electrical connection. The fluid transfer groove and the docking port do not extend beyond the maximum outer diameter of the outer surface. Therefore, the receiver is capable of being press-fit within a component and is capable of routing fluid flow. An electrical connector is fed through an access hole and connects with the receiver. | 07-26-2012 |
20120272525 | METHOD OF ASSEMBLING A STACKED PLANETARY GEAR SET - A method for manufacturing a carrier assembly of a stacked planetary gear set is provided. The method includes forming the inner and outer spiders and attaching the spiders to a back plate or to each other to form the carrier assembly. One or both of the inner and outer carrier spiders are formed from powdered metal, by precision casting, and/or by stamping. The stacked planetary gear set may be axially aligned or axially offset. | 11-01-2012 |
20130047759 | MULTI-SPEED TRANSMISSION WITH AN ENGINE START/STOP ENABLER - A transmission includes an input member, an output member, a plurality of torque-transmitting mechanisms that are selectively engageable to establish at least four forward speed ratios and at least one reverse speed ratio between the input member and the output member, and one or more latches associated with one or more of the torque-transmitting mechanisms. The one or more latches engages the respective torque-transmitting mechanisms during or prior to a start event. | 02-28-2013 |
20130074967 | HYDRAULIC ACCUMULATOR - A hydraulic accumulator includes a housing with a pair of ends, a piston slidably disposed in the interior of the housing, and a biasing member that urges the piston towards one end of the housing. The accumulator further includes a fluid flow control device in communication with a fluid chamber defined by a face of the piston and the interior surface of the housing. The desired amount of fluid entering and exiting the fluid chamber is controlled by the fluid flow control device according to the desired pressure within the fluid chamber as determined by a pressure sensor which is also in communication with the fluid chamber. | 03-28-2013 |
20130116898 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING AN AUTOMATIC ENGINE STOP-START ACCUMULATOR - A system and method for controlling automatic stop-start of a motor vehicle is provided. The system and method is configured to enable an automatic stop-start mode of operation based on vehicle conditions. In addition, the system and method is configured to selectively actuate an accumulator to prime the transmission for a smooth restart. | 05-09-2013 |
20130199648 | COMPOSITE ACCUMULATOR - A composite accumulator includes a base having a closed end and an open end, the base having an inner surface that defines a cavity and having a fluid port in communication with the cavity for communicating a hydraulic fluid in and out of the cavity. A cover is disposed over the open end of the base and is secured to the base by a fastener. A piston is disposed within the base and the cover. The piston is sealed to the inner surface of the cover and is translatable along an axis. A biasing member is disposed within the base and the cover and located axially between the piston and the cover. The base and the cover are plastic. | 08-08-2013 |
20130232962 | HYDRAULIC CONTROL FOR A VEHICLE POWERTRAIN - A hydraulic control system and method for controlling a hydraulic system of a vehicle powertrain is provided, which includes an accumulator arranged to accumulate fluid when an engine is turned on, to retain fluid when the engine is turned off, and to discharge fluid to the transmission when the engine is restarted. The accumulator is actively filled through a controlled valve, and it may also be filled passively, for example, via ball check-valve. The method of controlling the hydraulic system includes providing a fluid line pressure to the transmission by opening a fluid passage when the engine is turned on; opening a valve to actively accumulate fluid from the fluid line pressure into an accumulator; closing the valve to retain the fluid in the accumulator; and discharging the fluid from the accumulator to the fluid passage when the engine is restarted. | 09-12-2013 |
20140011626 | MULTI-SPEED TRANSMISSION WITH AN ENGINE START/STOP ENABLER - A transmission includes an input member, an output member, a plurality of torque-transmitting mechanisms that are selectively engageable to establish at least eight forward speed ratios and at least one reverse speed ratio between the input member and the output member, and one or more latches associated with one or more of the torque-transmitting mechanisms. The one or more latches engages the respective torque-transmitting mechanisms during or prior to a start event. | 01-09-2014 |
20140130924 | COMPOSITE ACCUMULATOR HAVING METAL INSERT - A composite accumulator includes a base defining a first cavity and having a closed end, an open end, and a fluid port in communication with the first cavity for communicating a hydraulic fluid in or out of the first cavity, a cover disposed over the open end of the base, the cover defining a second cavity, an insert disposed within the second cavity, a piston disposed within the first cavity and the second cavity, the piston sealed to the insert and translatable along an axis, and a biasing member disposed axially between the piston and the insert, the biasing member configured to bias the piston towards the base. Both the base and the cover are a plastic and the insert is a metal. | 05-15-2014 |
20140358389 | METHODOLOGY FOR CONTROLLING A HYDRAULIC CONTROL SYSTEM OF A CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE TRANSMISSION - A hydraulic control system for a CVT may include a pressure regulator subsystem, a ratio control subsystem, a torque converter control (TCC) subsystem, a clutch control subsystem, and is enabled for automatic engine start/stop (ESS) functionality. A system and method are provided for performing an engine auto-stop in a vehicle having a CVT transmission and using an accumulator to fill the pulleys and clutches of the CVT, at least in part, during engine restart. | 12-04-2014 |
20140378266 | NINE SPEED TRANSMISSION WITH LATCHING MECHANISM - A transmission is provided having an input member, an output member, four planetary gear sets, a plurality of coupling members and a plurality of torque transmitting devices. Each of the planetary gear sets includes first, second and third members. The torque transmitting devices include clutches and brakes including a selectable one-way clutch actuatable in combinations of two to establish a plurality of forward gear ratios and one reverse gear ratio. The transmission also includes a transmission auto start/stop enabler which includes a latch mechanism. The latch mechanism readies one of the plurality of torque transmitting devices during an engine auto stop/start event or in preparation for a stop of the motor vehicle. | 12-25-2014 |
20140378267 | TEN SPEED TRANSMISSION WITH LATCHING MECHANISMS - A transmission is provided having an input member, an output member, four planetary gear sets, a plurality of coupling members and a plurality of torque transmitting devices. Each of the planetary gear sets includes first, second and third members. The torque transmitting devices include clutches and brakes actuatable in combinations of four to establish a plurality of forward gear ratios and one reverse gear ratio. The transmission also includes a transmission auto start/stop enabler which includes a latch mechanism. The latch mechanism readies at least one of the plurality of torque transmitting devices during an engine auto stop/start event or in preparation for a stop of the motor vehicle. | 12-25-2014 |
20140378269 | TEN-SPEED TRANSMISSION WITH START AND STOP ENABLER - A transmission is provided having an input member, an output member, four planetary gear sets, a plurality of coupling members and a plurality of torque transmitting devices. Each of the planetary gear sets includes first, second and third members. The torque transmitting devices include clutches and brakes. An transmission auto start/stop enabler includes one or multiple latches. The latches engage one or more of the plurality of torque transmitting devices during an engine auto stop/start event or in preparation for a stop of the motor vehicle. | 12-25-2014 |
20150018163 | MULTI-SPEED TRANSMISSION WITH AN ENGINE START/STOP ENABLER - A transmission includes an input member, an output member, four planetary gear sets, and a plurality of torque transmitting mechanisms that are selectively engageable to establish at least ten forward speed ratios and at least one reverse speed ratio between the input member and the output member. The transmission further includes one or more locking mechanisms that engage one or more of the plurality of torque transmitting mechanisms during a start/stop event. | 01-15-2015 |