Machine element or mechanism – Elements – Gear casings
Reexamination Certificate
1998-03-27
2001-05-15
Luong, Vinh T. (Department: 3682)
Machine element or mechanism
Elements
Gear casings
C248S027100, C248S363000, C248S674000, C248S300000, C248S200000, C137S343000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06230585
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates in general to brackets for use in vehicle transmissions, and in particular to an improved bracket for securing a solenoid to a valve body in a vehicle automatic transmission.
In most vehicles, a transmission is provided in the drive train between the engine and the driven wheels. As is well known, the transmission includes a housing containing an input shaft, an output shaft, and a plurality of gears which can be selectively connected between the input shaft and the output shaft. By controlling the connection of the gears, various forward and reverse gear ratios can be obtained to provide smooth and efficient operation of the vehicle.
In an automatic transmission, the connection of the gears is usually controlled by a hydraulic control system. Typically, the hydraulic control system includes a pump which provides pressurized transmission fluid, and a plurality of valves for controlling the flow of the transmission fluid to control the connection of the gears. The valves are often mounted in a valve body within the transmission housing. In many late-model vehicles, the transmission is controlled electronically by the use of an electronic control unit, various sensors, and solenoids. As the solenoids are turned on and off, they open and close the valves within the transmission to control the connection of the gears.
The solenoids are generally secured to the valve body with brackets. The usual practice is to weld the bracket to the solenoid at the time of manufacture of the solenoid, or to form the bracket as an integral part of the solenoid assembly. The valve bodies for different transmissions have different configurations, and different locations for mounting solenoids on the valve body often have different configurations. Consequently, different solenoid/bracket assemblies are manufactured to accommodate the different transmissions and different valve body locations. The manufacture of many different types of solenoid/bracket assemblies is relatively costly and the inventory expense is relatively high. Also, the welding of the brackets to the solenoids is time consuming and may cause damage to the solenoids. Thus, it would be desirable to provide an improved solenoid bracket which allows more cost efficient manufacture, greater flexibility of manufacture, and less inventory. It would also be desirable to avoid the need for welding the bracket to the solenoid.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to a bracket for securing a solenoid to a valve body in a vehicle automatic transmission. The bracket includes a clamp portion adapted to reach over and engage an outer end of the solenoid to secure the solenoid to the valve body. Preferably, the clamp portion includes a generally circular solenoid attachment portion adapted to engage the outer end of the solenoid. The solenoid attachment portion preferably has a diameter which is approximately the same as the diameter of the outer end of the solenoid. Preferably, a first locating structure is formed on the solenoid attachment portion and a second locating structure is formed on the outer end of the solenoid. The first locating structure is adapted for cooperating with the second locating structure to locate the bracket relative to the solenoid. In one embodiment, the clamp portion also includes a neck portion between the solenoid attachment portion and the remainder of the bracket. The neck portion has sufficient strength to avoid bending under a force of 10 pounds applied against the solenoid attachment portion by the outer end of the solenoid. The bracket also includes an anchor portion adapted for attaching the bracket to the valve body, and a support structure connecting the clamp portion to the anchor portion.
Various objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment, when read in light of the accompanying drawings.
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Luong Vinh T.
MacMillan Sobanski & Todd LLC
Rostra Precision Controls, Inc.
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