Transmission system including fluid torque converter and epicyclic change speed gearing

Claim 1

A POWER TRANSMISSION SYSTEM FOR AN AUTOMOBILE VEHICLE COMPRISING IN COMBINATION A FIRST EPICYCLIC CHANGE-SPEED GEARING, A HYDRAULIC TRANSMISSION, A SECOND EPICYCLIC CHANGE-SPEED GEARING AND A DIFFERENTIAL UNIT, SAID DIFFERENTIAL UNIT BEING PHYSICALLY LOCATED BETWEEN SAID HYDRAULIC TRANSMISSION AND SAID SECOND EPICYCLIC CHANGESPEED GEARING, SAID FIRST EPICYCLIC CHANGE-SPEED GEARING COMPRISING A SUN GEAR ELEMENT, A RING GEAR ELEMENT DRIVABLY CONNECTED TO THE PRIMARY MEMBER OF THE HYDRAULIC TRANSMISSION, A PLANET GEAR CARRIER ELEMENT DRIVABLY CONNECTED TO THE ENGINE AND HAVING PLANET GEARS MESHING WITH SAID SUN GEAR ELEMENT AND SAID RING GEAR ELEMENT, CLUTCH MEANS MOVABLE TO CLUTCH TOGETHER TWO OF SAID ELEMENTS TO PROVIDE DIRECT DRIVE THROUGH SAID EPICYCLIC CHANGE-SPEED GEARING, A REACTION MEMBER AND A ONE-WAY BRAKE DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID REACTION MEMBER AND SAID SUN GEAR ELEMENT TO PROVIDE OVERDRIVE THROUGH SAID EPICYCLIC CHANGE-SPEED GEARING UPON MOVEMENT OF SAID CLUTCH MEMBER TO DECLUTCH SAID TWO ELEMENTS, AN INTERMEDIATE SHAFT BEING PROVIDED TO WHICH THE OUTPUT ELEMENT OF SAID HYDRAULIC TRANSMISSION IS DRIVABLY CONNECTED, SAID INTERMEDIATE SHAFT BEING THE ONLY TRANSMISSION SHAFT TRAVERSING SAID DIFFERENTIAL UNIT, SAID SHAFT CONSTITUTING THE INPUT ELEMENT OF THE SECOND EPICYCLIC CHANGE SPEED GEARING, SAID SECOND EPICYCLIC CHANGE-SPEED GEARING COMPRISING A FIRST SUN GEAR ELEMENT FORMED ON SAID INTERMEDIATE SHAFT, A SLEEVE FREELY ROTATABLY MOUNTED ON SAID SHAFT, A SECOND SUN GEAR ELEMENT FORMED ON SAID SLEEVE, A RING GEAR ELEMENT OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID SECOND SUN GEAR ELEMENT, A PLANET GEAR CARRIER DRIVABLY CONNECTED WITH THE PINION OF SAID DIFFERENTIAL UNIT, SAID PLANET GEAR CARRIER HAVING TWO INTERMESHING SERIES OF PLANET GEARS COMPRISING A FIRST SERIES OF PLANET GEARS IN MESH WITH SAID FIRST SUN GEAR ELEMENT, A SECOND SERIES OF PLANET GEARS IN MESH WITH SAID SECOND SUN GEAR ELEMENT AND WITH SAID RING GEAR ELEMENT, CLUTCH MEANS OPRABLE TO CLUTCH SAID SLEEVE TO THE INTERMEDIATE SHAFT TO LOCK THE SECOND EPICYCLYIC GEARING FOR DIRECT DRIVE, A FIRST BRAKE OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID RING GEAR ELEMENT TO PROVIDE REVERSE DRIVE WHEN OPERATED WITH SAID CLUTCH MEANS RELEASED, AND A SECOND BRAKE OPERATIVELY ASSOCIATED WITH SAID SLEEVE TO PROVIDE LOW DRIVE WHEN OPERATED WITH SAID CLUTCH MEANS RELEASED.