Heavy duty transmission architecture
AssigneeEaton Cummins Automated Transmission Technologies, LLC
InventorsPaul R. Peterson, Joseph D. Reynolds
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A transmission includes a main shaft having two or more main shaft clutches that couple gears to at least one countershaft, and an automated manual transmission coupled to the main shaft via the at least one countershaft. The automated manual transmission includes a front input shaft coupled directly to a main clutch and having a first clutch coupleable to the at least one countershaft, and a rear input shaft coupled to the front input shaft and having a second clutch coupleable to the at least one countershaft. The automated manual transmission is operable to selectively engage the first clutch and the second clutch.
Claims19
A method of manufacturing a transmission, comprising:
- providing a main shaft having two main shaft clutches including a first main shaft clutch and a second main shaft clutch, the first main shaft clutch engageable with a first pair of gears with one in a fore direction and the other in an aft direction, and the second main shaft clutch engageable with a second pair of gears with one in the fore direction and the other in the aft direction;
- and
- providing an automated manual transmission using steps that include:
- a. coupling a front input shaft directly to a main clutch, the front input shaft having a first clutch coupleable to the two countershafts via a first splitter section gear;
- and
- b. coupling a rear input shaft directly to the front input shaft, the rear input shaft having a second clutch coupleable to the two countershafts via a second splitter section gear and a third splitter section gear;
- wherein the automated manual transmission splitter section is operable to selectively engage the first clutch and the second clutch;
- and
- wherein the gear of the first pair of gears that is in the fore direction is on the rear input shaft, and the gear of the first pair of gears that is in the aft direction is on the main shaft.
A transmission, comprising:
- a main shaft having two main shaft clutches including a first main shaft clutch and a second main shaft clutch, the first main shaft clutch engageable with a first pair of gears with one in a fore direction and the other in an aft direction, and the second main shaft clutch engageable with a second pair of gears with one in the fore direction and the other in the aft direction;
- and
- an automated manual transmission splitter section coupled to the main shaft via the two countershafts, the automated manual transmission splitter section comprising:
- a front input shaft coupled directly to a main clutch and having a first clutch coupleable to the two countershafts via a first splitter section gear;
- and
- a rear input shaft coupled to the front input shaft to transmit a thrust loading, the rear input shaft having a second clutch coupleable to the two countershafts via a second splitter section gear and a third splitter section gear;
- wherein the automated manual transmission splitter section is operable to selectively engage the first clutch and the second clutch;
- and
- wherein the gear of the first pair of gears that is in the fore direction is on the rear input shaft, and the gear of the first pair of gears that is in the aft direction is on the main shaft.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.