192 clutches and power-stop control – Vortex-flow drive and clutch – With brake
Patent
1990-10-25
1991-12-17
Braun, Leslie A.
192 clutches and power-stop control
Vortex-flow drive and clutch
With brake
192 0084, 192 0092, B60K 4108
Patent
active
050728156
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
This invention concerns a power line to drive a motor vehicle.
The power line concerned, to drive at least one ground running wheel of a motor vehicle, is of the type (hereinafter called "the type referred to) comprising an internal combustion engine giving a rotary motion output, fuel supply means to supply fuel to said engine, said fuel supply means comprising controllable throttle means openable and closeable to vary the amount that the throttle means is open to increase and decrease supply of fuel to the engine, a change-speed gearbox having a rotary output shaft for supplying rotary motion to said ground running wheel and a rotary input shaft for receiving output torque from the engine and a plurality of gear ratios between said shafts, each gear ratio being engageable and disengageable in response to operation of gear ratio selector means in response to manual action of a driver of the vehicle, a clutch interposed between said engine and said input shaft for transmitting engine output torque to the input shaft, clutch control means operable to vary the torque transmitting capacity of said clutch over a range from a pre-determined maximum capacity (clutch fully engaged) to substantially zero capacity (clutch fully disengaged), the clutch control means being responsive to occurrence of a first signal indicative of a wish by the driver to disengage the currently engaged said gear ratio and being responsive to occurrence of a second signal indicative that another said gear ratio has been engaged, said clutch control means responding to said first signal to cause the clutch automatically to disengage substantially fully and responding to said second signal to cause the clutch automatically to engage substantially fully, and throttle control means to open and close said throttle means in response to driver initiated throttle demand signals.
In this specification and appended claims "throttle means" is intended to mean any appropriate device for varying the supply of fuel to a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine and includes: of a carburettor for a petrol engine, in conjunction with variable fuel injection means of a fuel injection system for a petrol engine, and engine.
In a motor vehicle driven forwards by a power line of the type referred to, the effect of changing up a gear by disengaging a forward said gear ratio and engaging a higher forward gear ratio, whilst the clutch is fully disengaged, is that momentum of the vehicle now drives the gearbox input shaft at a slower rotational speed than when the lower ratio was engaged.
When changing up a gear it is desirable, after the new higher ratio has been engaged, that the engine speed and the speed of the gearbox input shaft should be substantially the same (i.e. matched) when the clutch re-engages so that the full engine torque currently being delivered is applied to the transmission comprising the gearbox. Should the engine speed be significantly faster than that of the input shaft, the transmission receives shock on application of full engine torque.
Engine speed can be slowed by reducing the amount that the throttle means is open to reduce fuel supply. But because the clutch is fully disengaged, the engine is not under load and thus the deceleration of the engine is low and accordingly there is the disadvantage that the time taken to slow the engine speed to one which matches that of the input shaft can be relatively long.
An object of the invention is to provide a power line of the type refered to in which the aforesaid disadvantage is avoided and or at least mitigated.
According to the invention there is provided a power line of the type refered to characterised in that the throttle control means is automatically operable on occurrence of said first signal to vary the amount which said throttle means is open and is automatically operable on the subsequent occurrence of the second signal to restore the throttle means substantially to an open amount corresponding to that being demanded by the driver's current throttle demand signal, upo
REFERENCES:
patent: 4192279 (1980-03-01), Maisch et al.
patent: 4194608 (1980-03-01), Usui et al.
patent: 4506778 (1985-03-01), Schmid
patent: 4533030 (1985-08-01), Gabriel
patent: 4785917 (1988-11-01), Tateno et al.
Automotive Products plc
Braun Leslie A.
Whitelaw Nicholas
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