Transmission device particularly for vehicles, and controlled methods associated therewith

A transmission device comprising:

• a combination of rotating elements carrying intermeshing gears (7),
• a selective connection means (18a, 18b), the combination of rotating elements creating two different transmission ratios depending on whether a connection state of the selective connection means is a connected state or a disconnected state, respectively;
• said selective connection means being responsive to a resultant force applied thereto for adopting said connected or disconnected state, respectively;
• a free-wheel (16) mounted for selectively activating one of said rotating elements (9) when the selective connection means is in the disconnected state;
• a first force generating means (29, 34) for applying to the selective connection means, in a first direction, a first force component of said resultant force;
• a second force generating means and a selectively energizable third force generating means for applying to the selective connection means, in a second direction opposed to the first direction, a second force component and a third force component, respectively, of said resultant force;
• and
• an activation means which, when said third force generating means is energized and simultaneously said resultant force is in said second direction, subjects, independently of the free-wheel, said one rotating element to an activation state corresponding to one of said transmission ratios which is promoted by said second direction of force.