Method and control apparatus for operating a transmission of a motor vehicle

A method for operating a transmission arranged in a drivetrain of a motor vehicle between a drive aggregate and a drive output, the method comprising:

• providing the transmission comprising
• a transmission housing,
• a hydrodynamic starting element,
• a powershiftable main transmission having a plurality of forward gears, at least one reversing gear, a transmission input, a transmission output, and a plurality of frictional shifting elements, wherein in each gear three of the frictional shifting elements are closed and two of the frictional shifting elements are open, and
• a downstream range group being connected to the transmission output downstream from the powershiftable main transmission and comprising at least one interlocking shifting element configured to be shifted between a first driving range and a second driving range;
• receiving a shift request to shift the downstream range group when the drive aggregate is running, the motor vehicle is either at a standstill or in a speed range close to standstill, and the powershiftable main transmission is in neutral;
• actuating the frictional shifting elements of the powershiftable main transmission such that the transmission input of the powershiftable main transmission is rotationally fixed to the transmission housing and decoupled from the transmission output of the shiftable main transmission;
• and
• shifting the downstream range group.