초록 ▼

An apparatus for automatically operating the transmission of a small internal combustion engine includes an elongate actuator rod pivotally attached at one end to a pivotally mounted gear shift lever. The other end of the rod is contained in a housing, and attached to a diaphragm reciprocable in the

An apparatus for automatically operating the transmission of a small internal combustion engine includes an elongate actuator rod pivotally attached at one end to a pivotally mounted gear shift lever. The other end of the rod is contained in a housing, and attached to a diaphragm reciprocable in the housing and dividing the housing into two fluid chambers. Separate fluid conduits join each chamber with the air intake passage of the engine, and are normally open to maintain a relative vacuum in each chamber. A microprocessor receives electrical input signals corresponding to engine RPM, vehicle velocity, throttle setting and other vehicle operating parameters, and generates output signals for momentarily and selectively closing the fluid conduit to one of the chambers, and simultaneously opening the selected chamber to a source of atmospheric pressure. The pressure differential moves the diaphragm and actuator rod to pivot the gear shift lever in a selected direction, thereby shifting the transmission to the next higher or next lower gear. An auxiliary butterfly valve, in the intake passage upstream of the fluid conduit connections with the air intake, is controlled by the microprocessor to close off air flow in the intake passage during shifting.

대표청구항 ▼

A vacuum powered transmission control apparatus for an internal combustion engine, including: a gear shift means mounted with respect to an internal combustion engine to reciprocate relative thereto, said shift means movable in a first direction to shift a transmission of said internal combustion en

A vacuum powered transmission control apparatus for an internal combustion engine, including: a gear shift means mounted with respect to an internal combustion engine to reciprocate relative thereto, said shift means movable in a first direction to shift a transmission of said internal combustion engine to a higher operating gear, and in a second and opposite direction to shift said transmission to a lower operating gear; a means for moving said shift means including a housing mounted with respect to said internal combustion engine; a partition in said housing for dividing the interior of said housing into adjacent first and second fluid chambers, said partition being reciprocable relative to said housing in response to a fluid pressure differential between said first and second chambers; and a linkage means connecting said shift means to said partition, for reciprocating said shift means as said partition reciprocates; a first fluid conduit between an intake passage of said internal combustion engine and said first chamber, sand a first valve means along said first fluid conduit and operable between first and second conditions for opening and closing said first conduit, respectively; a second fluid conduit between said intake passage and said second chamber, and a second valve means along said second conduit and operable between first and second conditions for opening and closing said second fluid conduit, respectively; a manually adjustable first throttling means in said intake passage; a valve control means for maintaining said first and second valve means normally in the same one of said first and second conditions and alternatively for selectively positioning one of said valve means in the other of said conditions to cause a pressure differential between said first and second chambers, moving said partition to move said shift lever in a selected one of said first and second directions; and a second throttling means in said intake passage at a location upstream of said first and second fluid conduits, and a throttle control means for selectively actuating said second throttling means in a manner to substantially prevent passage of air past said second throttling means substantially whenever said valve control means selectively alters the condition of one of said valves.