Epicyclic change-speed gearing

Claim 1

A CHANGE SPEED GEAR BOX INCLUDING A STATIONARY HOUSING, A DRIVING SHAFT EXTERNAL TO THE HOUSING, A DRIVEN SHAFT EXTENDING INTO THE HOUSING, AN INTERMEDIATE AXIALLY SHIFTABLE SHAFT ROTATABLY SUPPORTED IN THE HOUSING AND COAXIAL WITH SAID DRIVING AND DRIVEN SHAFTS, A CENTRIFUGAL COUPLING ARRANGED BETWEEN SAID DRIVING AND INTERMEDIATE SHAFT, A ONE-WAY CLUTCH MEANS IN SAID COUPLING OPERABLE TO TRANSMIT TORQUE FROM SAID INTERMEDIATE SHAFT TO THE DRIVING SHAFT WHEN THE FORMER TENDS TO ROTATE FASTER THAN THE LATTER, AN EPICYCLIC GEAR ASSEMBLY IN SAID HOUSING, THE EPICYCLIC GEAR ASSEMBLY COMPRISING; A SUN WHEEL FREELY ROTATABLE RELATIVE TO THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT, AT LEAST ONE FURTHER SUN WHEEL FREELY ROTATABLE ABOUT SAID SHAFTS, AT LEAST TWO SETS OF PLANET GEARS EACH HAVING ITS PLANET GEARS MESHING WITH ONE OF SAID SUN WHEELS, AT LEAST ONE PLANET GEAR CARRIER FOR SUPPORTING THE PLANET GEARS OF SAID SETS, THE CARRIER MOUNTED ROTATABLY RELATIVE TO SAID INTERMEDIATE SHAFT, A RING GEAR MESHING WITH SAID PLANET GEARS OF AT LEAST ONE OF SAID SETS OF PLANET GEARS AND DRIVINGLY CONNECTED TO SAID DRIVEN SHAFT, A FIRST AXIALLY SHIFTABLE MEMBER FAST IN ROTATION RELATIVE TO SAID PLANET GEAR CARRIER CARRYING PLANET GEARS MESHING WITH THE FIRST MENTIONED SUN WHEEL, A SECOND AXIALLY SHIFTABLE MEMBER FAST IN ROTATION RELATIVE TO ONE OF SAID SECOND MENTIONED SUN WHEELS, RESILIENT MEANS URGING EACH OF SAID SHIFTABLE MEMBERS INTO MUTUAL ENGAGEMENT, BY VIRTUE OF WHICH BOTH SAID MEMBERS ROTATE AT THE SAME SPEED TO EFFECT A DIRECT DRIVE, TWO AXIALLY SHIFTABLE BRAKES SUPPORTED FROM THE HOUSING, EITHER BRAKE BEING ADAPTED TO FACE ONE OF SAID SHIFTABLE MEMBERS, EXTERNALLY OPERATED ACTUATING MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY AXIALLY DISPLACING SAID BRAKES TO CAUSE SAID BRAKES TO ENGAGE EITHER OF SAID SHIFTABLE MEMBERS THEREBY GRADUALLY BRAKING AND AXIALLY SHIFTING THE MEMBERS AGAINST THE ACTION OF SAID RESILIENT MEANS AND SIMULTANEOUSLY GRADUALLY DISENGAGING SAID AXIALLY SHIFTABLE MEMBERS FROM RECIPROCAL ENGAGEMENT TO EFFECT A GEAR CHANGE DRIVE RATIO WITHOUT PASSING THROUGH A NEUTRAL CONDITION.