Planetary gear transmission systems or components – With means to vary drive ratio or disconnect drive – Plural elements selectively braked
Reexamination Certificate
2002-04-26
2003-12-02
Wright, Dirk (Department: 3681)
Planetary gear transmission systems or components
With means to vary drive ratio or disconnect drive
Plural elements selectively braked
C475S296000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06656077
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
This invention relates to multi-speed transmissions and, more particularly, to a family of transmissions having three planetary gearsets and five torque-transmitting mechanisms.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
Passenger vehicles include a powertrain that is comprised of an engine, multi-speed transmission, and a differential or final drive mechanism. The multi-speed transmission increases the overall operating range of the vehicle by permitting the engine to operate through its torque range a number of times as the transmission ratios are interchanged. The number of forward speed ratios that are available in a transmission determines the number of ratio interchanges that can occur and therefore the number of times the engine torque range can be repeated.
Early automatic transmissions had two speed ranges. This severely limited the overall speed range of the vehicle and therefore required a relatively large engine that could produce a wide speed and torque range. This resulted in the engine operating at a specific fuel consumption point, during cruising, other than the most efficient point. Therefore, manually shifted (countershaft transmissions) were the most popular.
With the advent of three and four speed automatic transmissions, the automatic shifting (planetary gear) transmission increased in popularity with the motoring public. These transmissions improve the operating performance and fuel economy of the vehicle. The increased number of speed ratios reduces the step size between ratios and therefore improves the shift quality of the transmission by making the ratio interchanges substantially imperceptible to the operator under normal vehicle acceleration.
It has been suggested that the number of forward speed ratios be increased to five and even six speeds. This has been accomplished in many heavy truck powertrains. Six speed transmissions are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,070,927 issued to Polak on Jan. 31, 1978; U.S. Pat. No. 5,106,352 issued to Lepelletier on Apr. 21, 1992; U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,889 issued to Pierce et al. on Aug. 6, 1996; U.S. Pat. No. 5,599,251 issued to Beim and McCarrick on Feb. 4, 1997; U.S. Pat. No. 6,071,208 issued to Koivunen on Jun. 6, 2000; U.S. Pat. No. 6,083,135 issued to Baldwin et al. on Jul. 4, 2000; and European Patent Application No. EP 1 033 510 A1 published Jun. 9, 2000.
Six speed transmissions offer several advantages over four and five speed transmissions, including improved vehicle acceleration and improved fuel economy. While many trucks employ six-speed transmissions, such as Polak, passenger cars are still manufactured, for the main part, with three and four speed automatic transmissions, and relatively few five or six speed devices due to the size and complexity of these transmissions. The Polak transmission provides six forward speed ratios with three planetary gearsets, two clutches, and three brakes. The Koivunen and Beim patents utilize six torque transmitting devices including four brakes and two clutches to establish the six forward speed ratios and one reverse ratio. The Lepelletier and the EP publications each employ three planetary gearsets, three clutches and two brakes to provide six forward speed ratios and one reverse ratio. One of the planetary gearsets in each of these publications is positioned and operated to establish two fixed speed input members for the remaining two planetary gearsets.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved family of six-speed planetary transmissions having five torque-transmitting mechanisms and three planetary gearsets.
In one aspect of the present invention, each of the three planetary gearsets has three members comprising any one of a sun gear member, a ring gear member, or a planet carrier assembly member.
In another aspect of the present invention, the planet carrier assembly member may be either a single pinion or double pinion planetary assembly member.
In another aspect of the present invention, the first member of the first planetary gearset is continuously interconnected through an interconnecting member with a first member of the second planetary gearset.
In yet another aspect of the present invention, a second interconnecting member continuously interconnects a first member of the third planetary gearset with either the first or second member of the second planetary gearset.
In still another aspect of the present invention, the second member of the first planetary gearset, or the third member of the second planetary gearset, is continuously connected with a stationary member of the transmission, such as a transmission housing.
In yet still another aspect of the present invention, the transmission output shaft is continuously connected with at least one member of one of the planetary gearsets.
In a further aspect of the present invention, a first of the torque-transmitting mechanisms connects an input shaft of the transmission with at least one member of one of the planetary gearsets.
In yet a further aspect of the present invention, a second of the torque-transmitting mechanisms selectively interconnects the input shaft with another member of the one of the planetary gearsets or with one of the interconnecting members.
In a still further aspect of the present invention, a third of the torque-transmitting mechanisms selectively interconnects a member of the planetary gearsets with the input shaft or another member of one of the planetary gearsets.
In a yet still further aspect of the present invention, a fourth of the torque-transmitting mechanisms selectively interconnects a member of the first second or third planetary gearset with another member of the planetary gearsets.
In another aspect of the present invention, a fifth of the torque-transmitting mechanisms operates as either a clutch or a brake to selectively interconnect a member of one of the planetary gearsets with the output shaft, or another member of one of the planetary gearsets, or selectively interconnects a member of one of the planetary gearsets with the transmission housing.
In a further aspect of the present invention, the five torque-transmitting mechanisms are selectively actuated in combinations of three to establish at least six forward speed ratios and one reverse speed ratio between the transmission input shaft and the transmission output shaft.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4070927 (1978-01-01), Polak
patent: 5106352 (1992-04-01), Lepelletier
patent: 5542889 (1996-08-01), Pierce et al.
patent: 5599251 (1997-02-01), Beim et al.
patent: 5772552 (1998-06-01), Ibaraki et al.
patent: 6071208 (2000-06-01), Koivunen
patent: 6083135 (2000-07-01), Baldwin et al.
patent: 6315692 (2001-11-01), Takahashi et al.
patent: 6530858 (2003-03-01), Usoro et al.
patent: 1033 510 (2000-09-01), None
Bucknor Norman Kenneth
Raghavan Madhusudan
Usoro Patrick Benedict
General Motors Corporation
Marra Kathryn A.
Wright Dirk
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