Power transmission apparatus

Claim 1

A POWER TRANSMISSION APPARATUS COMPRISING A PRIMARY INPUT MEMBER (15), AN OUTPUT PART (11), A FIXED PART (42), A HYDRO-KINETIC TORQUE TRANSMITTING DEVICE (19) HAVING AN IMPELLER (30) AND AT LEAST ONE TURBINE (31), A TOOTHED GEARING COMPRISING A PRIMARY PLANETARY GEARING AND A SECONDARY PLANETARY GEARING, SAID PRIMARY PLANETARY GEARING INCLUDING AN INPUT MEMBER (39) AND AN OUTPUT MEMBER (49) AND A REACTION MEMBER (50), SAID SECONDARY PLANETARY GEARING HAVING A PLURALITY OF INPUT MEMBERS (53, 56) AND AN OUTPUT MEMBER (52) AND REACTION PARTS (61, 62), A PLURALITY OF ADDITIONAL TORQUE TRANSMITTING DEVICES WHICH INCLUDE DRIVING PARTS AND DRIVEN PARTS (66, 69), A PLURALITY OF BRAKES OF THE SELF-ENERGIZING KIND (62, 63), MEANS CONNECTING THE SAID IMPELLER DRIVABLY TO THE PRIMARY INPUT MEMBER (15), MEANS PERMANENTLY CONNECTING THE SAID TURBINE AT ALL TIMES TO THE INPUT GEAR (39) OF SAID PRIMARY PLANETARY GEARING, MEANS CONNECTING THE DRIVEN MEMBER (45) OF SAID PRIMARY PLANETARY GEARING TO SAID OUTPUT PART (11), MEANS CONNECTING THE REACTION MEMBER (50) OF SAID PRIMARY PLANETARY GEARING AT ALL TIMES TO THE OUTPUT MEMBER (52) OF SAID SECONDARY PLANETARY GEARING, SAID PRIMARY PLANETARY GEARING AND SAID SECONDARY PLANETARY GEARING HAVING NO OTHER MECHANICAL CONNECTION TO EACH OTHER, MEANS CONNECTING THE DRIVEN PARTS (66, 69) OF SAID ADDITIONAL TORQUE TRANSMITTING DEVICES DRIVABLY TO SAID INPUT MEMBERS (53, 56) OF SAID SECONDARY PLANETARY GEARING AND WHICH INPUT MEMBERS ACT AT TIMES AS INPUT MEMBERS, THE DRIVING PARTS OF SAID ADDITIONAL TORQUE TRANSMITTING DEVICES COMPRISING A COMMON HOUSING (72, 73), MEANS DRIVABLY CONNECTING SAID DRIVING PARTS TO SAID PRIMARY INPUT MEMBER (15), MEANS CONNECTING THE ROTATING PARTS OF SAID BRAKES TO SAID REACTION PARTS (61, 62) OF SAID SECONDARY PLANETARY GEARING, WHICH ACT AT TIMES AS REACTION MEMBERS TO REACT AGAINST SAID FIXED PART, TO ENABLE THE INPUT MEMBERS OF SAID SECONDARY PLANETARY GEARING TO BE FREED FROM AND ENGAGED WITH SAID PRIMARY INPUT MEMBER INDEPENDENTLY AND SIMULTANEOUSLY IN PARALLEL WITH EACH OTHER AND SIMULTANEOUSLY IN PARALLEL WITH SAID HYDRO-KINETIC TORQUE TRANSMITTING DEVICE TO DIVIDE THE TORQUE IN DIFFERENT PROPORTIONS BETWEEN A PLURALITY OF POWER PATHS AND THE COMPONENTS OF THE TORQUE TRANSMITTING DEVICES AND REACTION ELEMENTS OF SAID SECONDARY GEARING TO BE FREED FROM AND ENGAGE WITH SAID FIXED PART INDEPENDENTLY AND SIMULTANEOUSLY IN PARALLEL TO HOLD SAID REACTION MEMBER OF SAID PRIMARY PLANETARY GEARING THROUGH SAID SECONDARY GEARING AND PROVIDE A PLURALITY OF TORQUE RATIOS AND CHANGES BETWEEN ONE AND ANOTHER RATIO OR SERIES OF RATIOS WITHOUT INTERRUPTION AND IN A UNI-DIRECTIONAL MANNER WITHOUT POSSIBILITY OF REVERSAL OF DRIVE.