Automatic transmission for motor vehicles

Claim 1

An automatic transmission for a motor vehicle, comprising: a transmission housing; a hydraulic torque converter having rotational axes, an input shaft, an output shaft and a direct coupling clutch for directly coupling said input shaft to said output shaft; an auxiliary transmission mechanism provided coaxially with said hydraulic torque converter and having an input shaft, an output shaft with an input end and an output end and an overdrive mechanism of planetary gear type having a reduction ratio smaller than 1, said input shaft and said output shaft of said auxiliary transmission being located close to and on the side of said hydraulic torque converter with respect to said auxiliary transmission, respectively, and being coupled with a planetary gear carrier and a ring gear of said overdrive mechanism, respectively, a one-way clutch being provided between said planetary gear carrier and a sun gear of said overdrive mechanism, a clutch being provided between said planetary gear carrier and a position radially and outwardly of said one-way clutch for engaging and disengaging said planetary carrier and said sun gear, a brake being provided between said transmission housing and said sun gear and positioned radially and outwardly of said clutch for controlling engagement of said sun gear with a stationary portion of said transmission housing, and the output end of said output shaft being disposed between said auxiliary transmission mechanism and said hydraulic torque converter; means for coupling said output shaft of said hydraulic torque converter to said input shaft of said auxiliary transmission mechanism; a main transmission mechanism having an input shaft and an output shaft, said main transmission mechanism having rotational axes thereof disposed parallel with the rotational axes of said hydraulic torque converter and having a plural number of forward speed ranges and a reverse range; means for transmitting the rotation of said output shaft of said auxiliary transmission mechanism to said input shaft of said main transmission including a sprocket wheel fixed on said output end of said output shaft of said auxiliary transmission mechanism, a sprocket wheel fixed on said input shaft of said main transmission mechanism and a chain means provided to link said two sprocket wheels rotationally and extending in a transverse direction to the rotational axes of said input and output shafts of said auxiliary transmission and main transmission mechanism; a differential device having an input shaft and output shafts adapted for use as front wheel axles and disposed coaxially with the rotational axes of said main transmission mechanism; means for transmitting the rotation of said output shaft of said main transmission mechanism to said input shaft of said differential device, said wheel axles being driven through said differential device; and wherein said auxiliary transmission mechanism and said main transmission mechanism are disposed on opposite sides of said chain means.