The present invention pertains to a control valve for a lock-up clutch of a torque converter of a motor vehicle and, more particularly, to a control valve that controls both a mode of the lock-up clutch as well as an apply pressure.
Typically, two spool valves are used to control a lock-up clutch of a torque converter. In one such configuration, there is a valve for each mode of the lock-up clutch. In another configuration, one valve controls the mode while the other valve controls the apply pressure. In either configuration, it is difficult to discern whether there has been a failure of one of the valves, which can lead to component damage. Additionally, these configurations result in higher costs and increased package space and, in some cases, require additional failure mode mitigation capabilities. Therefore, there is a need in the art for a way to combine two torque converter lock-up clutch control valves so as to provide a single valve for controlling both a mode and an apply pressure of a torque converter lock-up clutch.
USPTO Backgrounds
USPTO Backgrounds