Transmission

Claim 1

In a hydrodynamic and planetary split torque transmission; a transmission case housing a driving shaft, a first intermediate shaft connected to said driving shaft, a transmission output shaft, and a second intermediate shaft surrounding said first intermediate shaft, a first stage part hydraulic part direct drive power train surrounding said driving shaft and said first intermediate shaft, and a second stage part direct driven part first stage driven planetary power train driven by said first and second intermediate shafts; said first stage part hydraulic part direct driven power train including a hydraulic torque converter and a plurality of planetary gearsets, said torque converter having a pump, turbine, and a reactor, said pump driven by said driving shaft, said turbine driven by fluid circulated by said pump, said reactor being mounted to prevent reverse rotation and adapted to change the ratio of torque transmitted between said pump and turbine, each of said planetary gearsets except the first one having an input member, a reaction member adapted to be hydraulically driven, and an output member, said first gearset having an input member driven by said driving shaft, a hydraulically driven member, power transmitting means connecting said hydraulically driven member to said torque converter turbine, and an output member, brake means between each gearset reaction member and the transmission case, connecting clutch means between said first gearset hydrAulically driven member and the following gearset reaction member, and connecting clutch means between each two following gearset reaction members, said planetary gearsets being connected together in series, front gearset output member connected to following gearset input member, said second intermediate shaft being connected to said last gearset output member, said front gearset always operating in part hydraulic part direct drive, said following gearsets operating in either mechanical drive at maximum reduction with their reaction members held from rearward rotation by said brake means, or in part hydraulic part direct drive hydraulic power being transmitted from the first gearset hydraulically driven member to the following gearset reaction members through said connecting clutch means in sequence when the associated clutch means is engaged, the part hydraulic part direct drive effecting an infinite range of ratios from near maximum reduction to direct drive between said driving shaft and said second intermediate shaft; said second stage planetary power train including a forward drive planetary gearset and a reverse drive planetary gearset, each of said gearsets having an input member driven by said first intermediate shaft, a first stage driven member, an output member, driving means between said reverse drive and forward drive gearset output members, driving means connecting said transmission output shaft to said forward drive gearset output member, and connecting clutch means between each of said first stage driven members and said second intermediate shaft, the combined power output of the first stage driven second intermediate shaft and the direct driven first intermediate shaft effecting an infinite range of forward speed ratios from near maximum reduction to direct drive when the associated connecting clutch is engaged and the transmission first stage is run through the full range of part hydraulic part direct drive ratios; said reverse drive gearset effecting reverse rotation of the forward drive output member and the attached transmission output shaft when the associated connecting clutch is engaged.