Patent GB-1194179-A (GB)
Title: Control Valve System for a Multiple Ratio, Power Transmission Mechanism.
IPC: F16H61/10
Filed: 1969-02-12
Abstract: 1,194,179. Change-speed control; friction clutches. FORD MOTOR CO. Ltd. 12 Feb., 1969 [2 April, 1968], No. 7566/69. Headings F2C and F2D. In an automatic transmission for a motorvehicle having fluid-pressure operated selector clutches and brakes and a lock-up clutch 56 for a driving hydrodynamic torque converter 20, the lock-up clutch 56 is controlled by an automatic shift valve 126 subject to the opposing influences of a leftward output-speed responsive governor pressure 190 (not further described) for clutch-engaging upshift, and a rightward clutch-release downshift pressure 210 sensitive to torque-demand (engine manifold depression 214 only described, and termed TV pressure), the said TV pressure is modulated by a reducing valve, the action of which is changed by the shift-valve 126 whereby the torque-sensitive loading 200 on the shift-valve is greater in the downshift than in the upshift setting. Hunting due to transient changes in manifold depression is thereby avoided. The automatic shift-valve 126 controls only the lock-up clutch 56 of the torque-converter. Quantitative values of manifold depression are specified in shiftcurves, Fig. 4, not shown. Gear arrangement.-The gear is the classic intermeshed planet Ravigneaux gear, with ring gear 82 fast on the output shaft 92 and suns 78, 80 selectively driven through clutches 94, 104, and an hydrodynamic torque-converter 20 by the input shaft 14. Two reduced ratios, lock-up direct-drive and reverse are provided, the lowest being one-way by reaction on a oneway detent 116. The selector control of these ratios is described. Torque converter.-This is of the usual overrun reactor type, and its lock-up clutch 56 is controlled by reversing the flow of working liquid to and from the converter. For this purpose the lock-up clutch comprises a piston 56 connected by springs 74 for rotation with the converter turbine 22, and having a friction face 60 engageable with a complementary face on the input impeller casing 18. For torque-conversion, working liquid is fed to the converter through passages 72, 66, 64 and passes into the toroidal working circuit at its outer periphery, passing through the space between the casing 18 and the lock-up clutch-piston 56, thereby maintaining the clutch disengaged. Liquid leaves through inner passages 68, 70. To engage the lock-up clutch, this flow direction is reversed, 70. 68 becoming the input and 64, 72 the exhaust, whereupon converter working pressure predominates over exhaust pressure to thrust the piston 56 to the left and engage the lock-up clutch (U.S.A. Specification 3,252,352 describes this system). Control.-The automatic shift-valve 126, Fig. 2, which controls only the converter lock-up clutch 56, is maintained in its rightward, downshifted, converter-drive, position shown, in opposition to governor presssure 190 from an output-driven governor 192, Fig. 1, (not described), by the combined rightward load of reduced TV pressure in the chamber 200, a spring 184, and line pressure supplied by an input-driven pump 42, Fig. 1, through a regulator valve 122 and a manual valve (not shown or described) in its forward drive settings, to a line 188. In this downshifted position, reduced TV pressure is supplied to the shift-valve chamber 200 through a primary reducer valve 130, and line 222 from the TV supply 210. When leftward governor pressure 190 predominates and upshifts the shift-valve 126 to the left, a valve-land 172 cuts off the delivery passage 222 of the primary reducer valve 130 and substitutes a passage 224, leading from a secondary reducer valve 132 which further reduces primary reduced TV pressure 222, so that pressure in the TV loading chamber 200 of the shift-valve 126 is held at a lower value in this upshifted position than in the downshifted position. The automatic shift-valve 126 controls the converter lock-up clutch 56 through a switch valve 124, which, in the rightward, downshifted position of the shift-valve 126 (shown) is sprind-loaded to a rightward position (shown), in which line pressure 148 from the main regulator valve 122 feeds the converter passages 64<SP>1</SP>, 64, and the converter passages 68, 68<SP>1</SP> are exhausted, thus maintaining the lock-up clutch 56 disengaged. When the automatic shift-valve 126 is upshifted to the left by governor pressure, line pressure 188 from the manual valve is supplied through a phase valve 128 (see below) and lines 196, 168 to shift the switch-valve 124 left, thereby changing over the pressure and exhaust connections 64<SP>1</SP>, 68<SP>1</SP> of the converter and thus engaging the look-up clutch. The phase valve 128 is provided to ensure that the lock-up clutch 56 cannot be engaged unless the gear-train is in direct-drive. For this purpose a line 112<SP>1</SP> receives pressure from the engaging line 112 of the direct-drive clutch 104, Fig. 1, which thrusts the phase valve 128 to the right, connecting line pressure 188 to the shift-valve feed-line 196, which, in the leftward position of the phase valve 128, is exhausted. Kickdown may be obtained by supplying kickdown pressure at 232 to the left side of the secondary valve 132. Modification.-In Fig. 3 (not shown) the parallelled primary and secondary TV reducing valves 130, 132, Fig. 2, are replaced by a single differentially-landed valve which is subjected to an additional loading by a fluid connection from the shift valve in its upshifted setting.