Multi-speed power transmissions, particularly those using planetary gear arrangements, require a hydraulic system to provide controlled engagement and disengagement, on a desired schedule, of the clutches and brakes or torque-transmitting mechanisms that operate to establish the ratios within the planetary gear arrangement.
These control systems have evolved from substantially pure hydraulic control systems, wherein all of the control signals are produced by hydraulic devices, to electro-hydraulic control systems, wherein a number of the control signals are produced by an electronic controller. The electronic controller emits electrical control signals to solenoid valves, which then issue controlled hydraulic signals to the various operating valves within the transmission control.
With many of the early pure hydraulic and first generation electro-hydraulic control systems, the power transmission utilized a number of freewheel or one-way devices which smooth the shifting or ratio interchange of the transmission during both upshifting and downshifting of the transmission. This relieves the hydraulic control system from providing for the control of overlap between the torque-transmitting mechanism that was coming on and the torque-transmitting mechanism that was going off. If this overlap is excessive, the driver feels a shudder in the drivetrain, and if the overlap is too little, the driver experiences engine flare or a sense of coasting. The freewheel device prevents this feeling by quickly engaging when the torque imposed thereon is reversed from a freewheeling state to a transmitting state.
The advent of electro-hydraulic devices gave rise to what is known as clutch-to-clutch shift arrangements to reduce the complexity of the transmission and the control. These electro-hydraulic control mechanisms are generally perceived to reduce cost and reduce the space required for the control mechanism.
In addition, with the advent of more sophisticated control mechanisms, the power transmissions have advanced from two-speed or three-speed transmissions to five-speed and six-speed transmissions. In at least one presently available six-speed transmission, just five friction devices are employed to provide six forward speeds, neutral condition, and a reverse speed.
Countershaft transmissions are often a desirable design option as they typically have low spin losses and offer wide ratio coverage. The relatively large number of clutches sometimes associated with countershaft transmissions may require double transition shifts. To reduce the number of components to the extent possible, clutches are sometimes reused in different speed ratio ranges.
It is desirable to provide drive-home capabilities within the transmission in the event that the electronic system undergoes a malfunction or discontinuance of operation. The drive-home feature of a power transmission is an important factor in that it permits the vehicle operator to return home with the vehicle so that the proper repairs can be undertaken at a repair station rather than in the field where the vehicle underwent the malfunction.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds