Patent GB-731653-A (GB)
Title: Improved control system for motor vehicle variable-speed transmission mechanism
IPC: F16H61/02
Filed: 1953-10-27
Abstract: 731,653. Change-speed control. GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATION. Oct. 27, 1953 [Nov. 8, 1952], No. 29615/53. Class 80 (2). [Also in Group XXIX] Fluid-pressure for engaging a direct-drive disc clutch 36 and reduced and reverse drive band-brakes 15, 35 in a torque-converter-driven planet gear (not shown) on a motor vehicle, controlled by a manual selector-valve 55 and an automatic shift-valve 100, the latter subject to opposing fluid-pressures responsive to output speed and accelerator-pedal position, has the exhaust from a clutch-apply, brake-release line 178 variably controlled by a fixed orifice 144, Fig. 2, and two orifices 150, 142 variably controlled by fluid pressures responsive respectively to output speed and line-pressure, so as respectively to increase the discharge rate with increase in speed and to reduce it with increase in line pressure. The rate of clutch release during downshift is thus varied to prevent excessive free engine speed or to allow sufficient time for engine speed increase as required by speed and line pressure conditions. The brakerelease line 179 also includes a timer valve 41, controlling flow rate during shift, as described below. The system regulates servo line-pressure in accordance with output speed and enginesuction (torque-factor), and augments it in a manual low range and reverse. Accelerator kickdown shift is provided. Servo-pressure supply and regulation. Input and output driven pumps P, Q supply the system through a check-valve 85 which closes to that pump producing the lower pressure, the deliveries 165, 167 passing respectively directly and through the valve 85 to a main regulatorvalve 70, subject to downward loading by a spring 83 and, through a lever 93, by a spring- loaded diaphragm 97 communicating at 180 with engine-suction and acting through a telescopic strut 92, the two parts of which are extended to increase the downward loading by supplying line pressure to a line 177, including an accumulator 89, when the manual selector valve 55 is moved to low and reverse position. Upward loading of the regulator valve 70 is by line pressure 169 acting between lands 73, 74, the former larger than the latter, and by output speed-responsive pressure supplied by an output-driven governor valve 24, fed at 167a by the output-driven pump Q and reaching the lowest chamber 82 of the regulator valve 70 through lines 170, 171, including a governor control valve 155, which, in the low and reverse positions of the manual selector-valve 55, is depressed by line pressure supplied at 176 to exhaust the line 171, thus eliminating speedresponsive upward loading from the regulator valve in those settings. A regulator-valve line 168 feeds the torque-converter. Manual selector valve 55-has the usual PNDLR settings (park, neutral, drive, low and reverse). N exhausts all the servos, L and R supply low and reverse brakes 10, 25, whilst D position (shown) supplies lines 174, 175, the former continuously feeding engaging pressure to the reduced drive brake servo 10 in both reduced and direct drive, the latter, 175, feeding a two-position automatic shift valve 100. Automatic shift and " TV " valves. In its initial rightward position the automatic shift valve 100, Fig. 2, blanks off the pressure-main 175, this position being maintained by springs 104 and fluid-pressure acting rightwards on a piston 103 and derived from an engine throttlevalve-responsive, or " TV "-valve 119, which meters line pressure 175 to a TV delivery pressure line 181 under the influence of leftward loading by delivery pressure and rightward through a spring 123 and stem 122 by an accelerator-operated rocker 117. TV, i.e. throttle-variable pressure 181 is further metered to the chamber of the shift-valve piston 103 to a value always less than actual TV pressure by a TV-modulating valve 112. Acting leftwards on the piston 103 and right end of the automatic shift-valve 100 is output-speedresponsive pressure 170 supplied by the governor-valve 24, and when this pressure eventually prevails over the rightward modulated TV and spring pressure the automatic shift valve 100 moves left to supply line pressure 175 through a line 178 to the direct-drive clutch 36, and from there, through a line 179, to the right face of the reduced drive brake servo 10, where, assisted by disengaging springs 16, it overcomes the still-acting engaging pressure 174 to disengage the brake, thus completing the upshift. Automatic downshift; exhaust-restrictor action. Return rightward movement of the automatic shift-valve 100, in response to changed torque-speed conditions, exhausts the clutch-apply brake-release line 178, 179, thus disengaging the direct-drive clutch and allowing the constantly acting pressure 174 to reengage the reduced drive brake 10. For smooth shifts under all conditions exhaust of the line 178 is variably controlled as follows : In the brake-release line 179 is included a valve 41, Figs. 1 and 3, offering negligible resistance to brake-release (upshift) pressure, which, in flowing from left to right of Fig. 3, opens a spring-loaded disc valve 49. In the return exhaust direction (downshift), pressurerelease is at first rapid whilst pressure is high enough to open a large valve 46 seating at 45, but when pressure falls below 65 p.s.i., the valve 46 seats, and subsequent exhaust is only through a restricted hole 52 in the valve disc 49. Initial brake engagement is thus rapid, whilst further application of brake pressure is retarded, thus causing smooth engagement. The final exhaust of the clutch-apply line 178 at the automatic shift-valve 100 is through three paths, one including the invariable restrictor 144; the second 142, which is reduced by increase in line-pressure 175 acting on a piston-valve 140; and the third, 150, which is increased by increase in output speedresponsive pressure 170 acting on an apertured piston 145. The effect of this is to control the rate of clutch release and hence the period during downshift which is available to the engine to speed up whilst free. Maximum rate of exhaust and hence maximum free period is at high speed and low line-pressure, the latter, by virtue of engine-suction regulation of servopressure, corresponding to low throttle openings. This counteracts the exhaust delaying effect of centrifugal pressure in the clutch servo at high speed, and allows the engine time to speed up. The free period is reduced with large throttle-openings and low speed, preventing excessive engine speed, e.g. on kickdown shift. Kickdown shift. Coaxial with the TV valve 119, in the same housing, is a kickdown valve 131, which, on full depression of the accelerator pedal, operating the rocker 117, is moved rightwards to supply full TV pressure 181 through a line 182 to the chamber of the automatic shift-valve piston 103 where it closes the TV modulator valve 112 which had been previously maintaining modulated (i.e. lower) TV pressure in that chamber. This increase to full TV pressure forces the automatic shift-valve 100 rightwards for downshift, as above described.