Automatic transmission

In a powershift transmission of the type including an input drive adapted to be continuously connected to an engine, an output drive adapted to be continuously connected to a load, and first and second intermediate shafts mounted for rotation independent of said drives, the improvement comprising:

• a torque converter continuously connected at its input to said input drive;
• a first input shaft continuously connected to the output of said torque converter;
• a second input shaft continuously connected to said input drive and bypassing said torque converter;
• first means operative to alternately synchronize and clutch either of said intermediate shafts with either of said input shafts while said intermediate shafts are drivingly disconnected from said output drive;
• second means operative thereafter to alternately clutch said intermediate shafts with said output drive to effect alternate driving connections between said drives via said intermediate shafts.

In a powershift transmission of the type including input and output drive means, first and second shafts disposed between the drive means, and first and second power paths disposed between the drive means and alternately connectable between the drive means via the shafts, the improvement comprising:

• first means selectively operative to effect driving connections including the first shaft, either of the power paths, and one of the drive means;
• second means selectively operative to effect driving connections including the second shaft, either of the power paths, and said one drive means;
• and
• first and second friction clutches for completing the driving connections effected by said first and second means, one of said friction clutches engagable substantially simultaneously with disengagement of the other friction clutch, whereby the first and second power paths are alternately connected between the input and output drive means.

In a power shift transmission of the type including at least first and second power paths alternately connectable between input and output drive means, the improvement comprising:

• first and second input shafts;
• input gear means nonrotatably fixed to each of said input shafts;
• first and second driven gears disposed respectively in said first and second power paths and in constant mesh with said input gear means of said first input shaft;
• third and fourth driven gears disposed respectively in said first and second power paths and in constant mesh with said input gear means of said second input shaft;
• synchronizer clutch means disposed in each of the power paths and selectively engagable to effect driving connections including one of said input shafts, one of said power paths, and one of said drive means;
• and
• first and second friction clutches for completing the driving connections effected by said first and second means, one of said friction clutches engagable substantially simultaneously with disengagement of the other friction clutch, whereby the first and second power paths are alternately connected between the input and output drive means.

In a transmission of the type including first and second countershafts, an output shaft, means mounting said shafts for rotation independently of each other, two ratio gears and a drive gear rotatably supported by each countershaft, and output gear means non-rotatably fixed to said output shaft and in mesh with said drive gears, the improvement comprising:

• first and second input shafts adapted to be driven by a common source of power, said first input shaft driven by a fluid power means interposed between said source and said first input shaft, and said second shaft directly driven by said source;
• input gear means non-rotatably fixed on each of said input shafts, said first input shaft gear means in mesh with one of said ratio gears on each countershaft, and said second input shaft gear means in mesh with the other of said ratio gears on each countershaft;
• and
• first and second clutch means associated with each countershaft, said first clutch means for clutching either of said ratio gears to its respective countershaft, and second clutch means for clutching said drive gear to its respective output shaft.

In a transmission comprising:

• input drive means adapted to be rotatably driven by an engine;
• fluid coupling means including an impeller driven by said drive means and a turbine driven by said impeller;
• a turbine driven input shaft in continuous drive relation with said turbine and having gear means non-rotatably fixed thereon;
• a bypass input drive shaft in continuous drive relation with said input drive means and having gear means non-rotatably fixed thereon;
• an output drive shaft having gear means fixed thereon;
• and
• at least two countershafts alternately connectable between said input shaft and said output shaft, each countershaft including
• at least two alternately selectable ratio gears rotatably supported thereon, one of said gears being in continuous mesh with said gear means fixed on said turbine driven shaft and the other gear being in continuous mesh with said gear means fixed on said bypass shaft,
• an output drive gear in continuous mesh with said gear means fixed on said output shaft,
• first means for selectively synchronizing and clutching either of said alternately selectable ratio gears with said countershaft, and
• second means for clutching said countershaft with said output gear.

A transmission comprising:

• first and second input shaft means adapted to be rotatably driven by a common source of power, said first shaft being driven by a fluid power means interposed between said source and said first shaft, and said second shaft being directly driven by said source;
• input gear means non-rotatably fixed to each of said input shafts;
• an output shaft mounted for rotation and having output gear means non-rotatably fixed thereon;
• first and second countershafts mounted for rotation;
• first and third speed ratio gears rotatably supported by said first countershaft and second and fourth speed ratio gears rotatably supported by said second countershaft, said first and second speed ratio gears in mesh with said first input shaft gear means, and said third and fourth speed ratio gears in mesh with said second input shaft gear means;
• first and second double acting synchronizer clutches associated with said first and second countershafts respectively and disposed between said first and third speed ratio gears and between said second and fourth speed ratio gears, respectively, each synchronizer clutch selectively operative to synchronize and clutch its associated countershaft with either of the gears it is disposed between;
• drive gear means rotatably supported by each of said countershafts and in mesh with said output gear means;
• and
• first and second clutch means associated with said first and second countershafts respectively and said drive gear means supported thereon, each of said clutch means selectively operative to clutch its associated countershaft and drive gear means together.

In a transmission of the type including first and second countershafts, an output shaft, means mounting said shafts for rotation independently of each other, two ratio gears and a drive gear rotatably supported by each countershaft, and output gear means non-rotatably fixed to said output shaft and in mesh with said drive gears, the improvement comprising:

• first and second input shafts adapted to be driven by a common source of power, said first input shaft driven by a fluid power means interposed between said source and said first input shaft, and said second shaft directly driven by said source;
• input gear means non-rotatably fixed on each of said input shafts, said first input shaft gear means in mesh with one of said ratio gears on each countershaft, and said second input shaft gear means in mesh with the other of said ratio gears on each countershaft;
• first means operative to clutch said first countershaft with either of said ratio gears supported thereby;
• second means operative to clutch said second countershaft with either of said ratio gears supported thereby;
• third means operative after clutching by said first means to clutch said first countershaft with said drive gear supported thereby;
• and
• fourth means operative after clutching by said second means to clutch said second countershaft with said drive gear supported thereby while declutching said third means.

A transmission comprising:

• first and second input shafts adapted to be driven by a common source of power, said first shaft being driven by a fluid power means interposed between said source and said first shaft, and said second shaft being directly driven by said source;
• input gear means non-rotatably fixed to each of said input shafts;
• an output shaft having output gear means non-rotatably fixed thereon;
• first and second countershafts mounted for rotation;
• a driven gear and a drive gear rotatably supported by said first countershaft and in mesh with said first input shaft gear means and said output shaft gear means, respectively;
• a driven gear and a drive gear rotatably supported by said second countershaft and in mesh with said second input shaft gear means and said output shaft gear means, respectively;
• means operative to synchronize said first countershaft with said driven gear supported thereon;
• means operative thereafter to clutch said first countershaft with said driven gear supported thereon;
• means operative thereafter to clutch said first countershaft with said drive gear supported thereon to effect a driving connection from said first input shaft to said output shaft through said first countershaft;
• means operative to synchronize said second countershaft with said driven gear means supported thereon;
• means operative after said second countershaft synchronizing to clutch said second countershaft with said driven gear supported thereon;
• and
• means operative after said second countershaft clutching to clutch said second countershaft with said drive gear means supported thereon while declutching said first countershaft from said drive gear means supported thereon;
• thereby effecting a driving connection from said second input shaft to said output shaft through said second countershaft and disconnecting said driving connection through said first countershaft.

In a transmission of the type including first and second rotatably supported countershafts, a rotatably supported output shaft having output gear means non-rotatably fixed thereon, two alternately selectable ratio gears rotatably supported by each countershaft, and a drive gear rotatably supported by each of said countershafts and in mesh with said output gear means, the improvement comprising:

• a first rotatably supported input shaft having gear means non-rotatably fixed thereon and in mesh with one of said ratio gears supported by each of said countershafts;
• a second rotatably supported input shaft having gear means non-rotatably fixed thereon and in mesh with the other one of said ratio gears supported by each of said countershafts;
• means operative to sequentially synchronize and clutch said first countershaft with either of said ratio gears supported thereby;
• means operative thereafter to clutch said first countershaft with said drive gear supported thereby to effect a driving connection between one of said input shafts and said output shaft through said first countershaft;
• means operative to sequentially synchronize and clutch said second countershaft with either of said ratio gears supported thereby;
• and
• means operative after synchronizing and clutching said second countershaft to clutch said second countershaft with said drive gear supported thereby while declutching said first countershaft from said drive gear means supported thereby for effecting a driving connection from one of said input shafts to said output shaft through said second countershaft and disconnecting said driving connection through said first countershaft.