Patent GB-1440858-A (GB)
Title: Transmission shift controls
IPC: B60W10/18
Filed: 1974-10-10
Abstract: 1440858 Change-speed control GENERAL MOTORS CORP 10 Oct 1974 [5 Nov 1973] 43906/74 Heading F2D A shift valve 101, in an automatic transmission on a motor vehicle, comprises two aligned spools, one, a selector spool 102, controlling the supply of fluid pressure to and exhaust from ratio-establishing devices, such as a reduced drive reaction brake 27 and a direct drive clutch 23, and subject to a leftward upshift bias by output speed responsive pressure 34 from a pitot governor 31, the other, a torque bias spool 111, subject to a rightward downshift bias by a spring 117, opposed by pressure inversely responsive to engine torque demand, as sensed by intake pressure at 86, or by throttle, fuel pump or fuel governor setting, the two spools 102, 111 moving together in continuous abutment at proximate end faces 128, 132 during normal automatic shift, whilst for manual downshifting, pressure 56 supplied between the said end faces upshifts the bias spool 111 to a constant leftward position, whilst the rightward downshift loading on the selector spool 102 acts initially only on a small end area 131, of the spool and finally on a larger end area 131, 128, to produce downshift with up-down hysteresis. The hysteresis for normal automatic shift decreases with increase in torque demand, whilst for automatic shifts in the manual setting, which are speed responsive only, the hysteresis remains constant. Manual shifts are also independent of torque bias. General arrangement.-Line pressure 42, supplied through a single input-driven pump 38 and pressure regulator 40, feeds a manual selector valve 44 and a modulator 66, the latter loaded by a spring-loaded diaphragm, receiving engine intake pressure at 86 to produce, in a line 73, inverted modulator pressure which decreases from a maximum over an idling range to zero over a range near and including full throttle. The manual valve 44 supplies line pressure 42 to a line 52 in Drive and additionally to 53 in a Drive I or hold setting, the former providing automatic shift only, apart from kickdown in Fig. 3, not shown, the latter manual hold, subject to automatic shifts responsive to speed only, at higher speeds than in DR. DR1 or hold pressure, before being supplied to the shift valve 101 at 56 is reduced in a DR1 regulator valve 55 to a hold value (45 p.s.i.) lower than line pressure (100-150 p.s.i.). Operation drive.-When governor pressure 34 upshifts the selector and torque-bias spools 102, 111 of the shift valve 101 from their downshifted rightward position shown to the extreme left, in opposition to a spring 117, and assisted by inverted modulator pressure 73 acting leftwards on a differential area between lands b, c of the torque-bias spool 111, line pressure 52, diverted from the brake 27 to the clutch 23 by the selector spool 102, produces the upshift and also acts leftwards on a small differential area between lands a, b of the selector spool 102, thereby providing a small constant primary hysteresis. A secondary hysteresis is additionally produced by the torque-bias spool 111, on which, on upshift, the inverted modulator pressure 73 acts leftwards on the differential area between lands c and a instead of, as in the downshifted position, on the smaller differential area between c and b, this difference producing an increased leftward bias on upshift and hence a secondary hysteresis. Further, since this bias is provided by inverted modulator pressure, the secondary hysteresis is reduced with increase in torque demand and becomes zero in the full throttle range at which time only the constant primary hysteresis remains effective. Drive I.-Provides a manual hold shift subject to automatic shift by governor pressure 34 alone, at speeds greater than those of normal automatic shift in Drive. Starting from an upshifted position with both shift spools 102 111 in their leftward positions, manual downshift by moving the manual valve 44 to Drive I proceeds as follows. DR1 hold regulated pressure 56 in branch 139 acts leftwards on the torque-bias spool 111 holding it permanently in its leftward upshifted setting, thus cancelling torque bias on the shift valve throughout DR1 operation. The same hold pressure in branch 139 acts rightwards on an annular area 131 at the end of a cylinder 127 formed in the land c of the selector spool 102 and also passes through a restricted first clearance 138 between that cylinder and a piston 132 formed on the adjoining end land a of the bias spool 111, pressure passing this clearance 138 proceeding over the end of the cylinder 127 and through a second restrictor 134 and bore 133 in the bias spool 111, leading to exhaust 121. The second restrictor 134 is larger than the first, 138, so that this pressure applies only a negligible load to the cylinder 127, and pressure on the annular area 131 is alone responsible for downshifting the selector spool 102 to the right, separating it from the leftward held bias spool 111. In this manually downshifted position, shown in Fig. 4, the first clearance 138 is greatly increased and exceeds the section provided by the second restrictor 134, permitting build up of pressure in the cylinder 127, which pressure then acts on the cylinder head 128 to add to the load already on its annular end 131, producing an increase in downshift bias and hence a constant hysteresis for the automatic shifts in the Drive I manual setting. In Fig. 5, not shown, an equivalent effect is obtained by replacing the piston and cylinder 127, 132 by abutting plane end faces, that on the bias spool having an annular recess communicating with the restricted bore. In Fig. 3, not shown, a through-detent valve (362) operated by an accelerator kickdown switch, provides detent pressure as an alternative to the manual hold pressure, the two pressures communicating with the shift valve 56 through a shuttle valve (390). The throughdetent valve (362) is a regulator in which regulation is initiated by an acceleratorenergized solenoid valve (379), exhausting pressure supplied continuously through a restrictor, such pressure normally acting through a piston (372) to disable the regulator. Detent pressure (30-38 p.s.i.) is lower than manual hold pressure (45 p.s.i.), the latter being set higher to provide a maximum engine brake speed on downshift above engine full power speed.