Patent GB-463643-A (GB)
Title: Motor vehicle power transmission mechanisms and controls therefor
IPC: B60K17/08
Filed: 1935-10-03
Abstract: 463,643. Fluid-pressure servomotors. GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION. Oct. 3, 1935, No. 27305. Convention date, Oct. 8, 1934. [Class 135] [Also in Group XXIV] Change-speed gearing for vehicles comprises two two-speed units A, M, Fig. 4, in series, the first unit A being automatic under the joint control of the accelerator (not shown), and of a centrifugal governor 211, Fig. 3, the second unit M being under manual control from a lever 232, Fig. 13. The unit A has planetary eccentric helical gears 40, 41 arranged so as to balance longitudinal thrust in driving and driven shafts 5, 32 and also to obviate twisting of an eccentric bearings 39. High speed, which is normal, in this unit is second over all. The unit M has stepped planets 71, 72 connecting the shaft 32 to a driven shaft 64. Low speed in this is normal, and high is the third over all. Double high is fourth over all. The hand lever 232 can be moved to notch " Low " of a quadrant 235, Fig. 11, without operating the hydraulic servochange mechanism. " Low " means the unit M is in low and the unit A changing automatically. On moving the lever 232 to notch " High," the unit M is changed by a servo piston 138<1>, Fig. 2, to high and the unit A changes automatically as before. When the lever 232 as an over - riding manual control is moved onto notch " Third," the unit A is forced into low leaving over-all third speed. Between the piston 138<1>, Fig. 2, of the unit M and a piston 138 of the unit A is an accumulator piston 150 with a strong spring 153 to steady the supply of oil from an'engine oil pump 275, Fig. 15, and through pipe 135 and pipe 308, Fig. 3, to a servo manifold inlet 136, Fig. 18. A passage 152 leads to the accumulator 150, and passages 145, 145<1> lead to the control valves 140, 140<1> of the units A and M respectively. The valve 140 is shown held in its normal position by a spring 164, that is with the oil cut off from the piston 138. The fixed pivot of a toggle 157, 158 shown is 156 so that the valve 140 is held at right by the spring 164. The piston 138, Fig. 2, being up, the upward tightening pull on the end 44 of a wrapping brake band 42 is released and so is the rightward releasing thrust of blocks 50 on a solid-driving plate clutch 46, so that the clutch 46 is held in by springs 53, Fig. 4, and the unit A turns solid on its higher speed. The valve 140<1> of the unit M is just the opposite in that its normal position as held by a spring 164<1> is not as shown in Fig. 18, but at right turned about a fixed pivot 156<1> opening the way for oil from passage 145<1> to a passage 1431 leading to the piston 138<1>, Fig. 2, the normal position of which is down with plate clutches 46a and 46b, Fig. 3, released and a wrapping brake band 74 applied to the planetcarrying drum 68 of unit M, which unit is thus in low. To change unit M to high, the spring 1641, Fig. 18, must be extended, and this is done by rotating a lever 192 clockwise about its pivot shaft 186, which is done by pulling a rod 190 right of Fig. 19 from the lever 232, Fig. 13, on the steering column. The lever 192 carries a pin 193 which strikes the straight part of a lever 196, Fig. 18, which through a pin 202 and toggle 157<1> passes on the manual selector control to the valve 140<1>. The valve 140, Fig. 18, of unit A is controlled jointly by the governor 211 and by the accelerator (not shown), which by turning a shaft 173 adjusts the pivot pin 175 of a floating lever 166. The lower end 169 of the lever 166 is connected by a link 170 and bell-crank lever 172 to the governor, which thus also acts on the lever 166, the upper end 167 of which is connected at 163 both to the toggle 158 and to the biassing control spring 164. The pivot shaft 173 carries a lever 176, Fig. 19, with a pin 177 engaged by a loose lever 180 pressed left by a spring rod 183 on depression of the accelerator. Such depression therefore displaces the pivot 175 left of Fig. 18 so that the toggle 157, 158 shoots left over its fixed pivot 156 to throw the valve 140 left to depress the piston 138 to bring the unit A into low. This change to low would have been prevented if the governor had also moved the lever point 169 left. A reversing unit R, Fig. 4, is situated between the unit A and the shaft 3 of a conventional disc clutch (not shown), which is disengaged manually on changing by a pedal. A striker 253 of the unit R is moved from the lever 232 of Fig. 13 through a lost-motion device 251, Fig. 10 (not shown). The lever 232 has a spring-pulled locking bowl 240 which meets no resistance going from " REV " or from " Third," Fig. 11, but is obstructed at 238<1> and 239<1> in moving towards these extremes notches. When in " High," the unit M is turning solid, and so is the unit A if the governor and the accelerator acting at the points 169 and 175, Fig. 18, of the floating lever 166 have allowed the spring 164 to pull the valve 140 right to the normal position shown. The over-riding displacement of the lever 232 into " Third " pulls the rod 190, Fig. 19, sharply right until a lug 191 strikes a nose 181 on the lever 180 so that the pin 177 is struck left turning the pivot shaft 173, Fig. 18, so that the pivot 175 moves left carrying the valve 140 positively left so forcing a down-shift in the unit A. This is prevented at wide-open throttle because then the throttle rod 183, Fig. 19, is at left and a flat 188 stops the lever 180. A booster valve shown in Fig. 17 is to increase the oil pressure on reverse drive to prevent the wrapping brakes 42, 74 from being unwound.. The act of throwing in the reverse pushes a plunger 315 left of Fig. 17. This causes oil to pass by a pipe 300 to the right of a piston 301, Fig. 15, which thus assists the pressure-producing spring 282 to augment the pressure of the oil delivered by the engine pump 275. The pump 102 of Fig. 20 is a different one, for lubricating the transmission. It sucks oil through an inclined pipe 115, Fig. 4,'so as to cause an eddy in a bowl 114 to throw out dirt from the oil which is driven centrally through the gearing. The oil level is XY. The governor weights 211 are pivoted on a body 208, Fig. 8, which is driven from the middle shaft 32 but might be driven from any other transmission shaft. The lever toes 212 of Fig. 18 act on a flange 213, Fig. 8, of a sleeve 215, the rightward displacement of which is resisted by three springs 218, 221 and 219, so that there are three zones of action. The lever 196, Fig. 18, has a hook 201 adapted to engage over a bowl 195 on the governor bell crank 172 so that the governor can hold the valve 140<1> in high gear position in spite of a careless driver.