Dual clutch transmission with modifiable gear speeds and use of the transmission for at least two transmission variations

• US 8,307,729 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2008
• Issued: 11/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Getrag Ford Transmissions GmbH
• Original Assignee: Getrag Ford Transmissions GmbH
• Inventors: Chazotte, Jean-Pierre
• Primary Examiner(s): Pang, Roger
• Application Number:
  US12/267,213
• Publication Number:
  US 20090120221A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,467 Days
• Field of Search: 743/30, 743/31, 743/40, 294/011
• US Class Current: 74/331
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2003/0931 each countershaft having an output gear meshing with a single common gear on the output shaft
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2057/0335 Series transmissions of modular design, e.g. providing for different transmission ratios or power ranges
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2200/0056 the gear ratios comprising seven forward speeds
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 3/006 power being selectively transmitted by either one of the parallel flow paths
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 3/093 with two or more countershafts
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 57/033 Series gearboxes, e.g. gearboxes based on the same design being available in different sizes or gearboxes using a combination of several standardised units
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/19228 Multiple concentric clutch shafts
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/19233 Plurality of counter shafts

Abstract

A modifiable dual clutch transmission is suggested allowing to be manufactured as two transmission variations having an interdependence of fixed wheels and loose wheels that remains at the same position for both variations while the loose wheels belonging to this interdependence are provided with different diameters for providing different transmission ratios. At least one of the loose wheels in that interdependence is correlated to a different forward gear in one transmission variation compared to the other transmission variation. In both transmission variations the loose wheels relating to the respective interdependences are correlated only to even numbered forward gears or to odd numbered forward gears, preserving the advantage of the dual clutch transmission to shift between two adjacent forward gears without interruption in the tractive power.

Claims

1. A method of modifying a dual clutch transmission for motor vehicles from a first transmission variation to a second transmission variation, wherein the first and the second dual clutch transmission variations comprise:

a first input shaft with a first group of fixed wheels;

a second input shaft with a second group of fixed wheels; and

a first intermediate shaft as well as a second intermediate shaft both carrying loose wheels;

wherein

the loose wheels provided on the intermediate shafts are engaged by correlating fixed wheels that are provided on the first and second input shafts;

a first and a second odd numbered gear loose wheel are both engaged by an odd numbered gear fixed wheel from the first group of fixed wheels creating an odd numbered forward gear interdependence wherein the first odd numbered gear loose wheel is assigned to one particular odd numbered forward gear of the motor vehicle and the second odd numbered forward gear is assigned to another particular odd numbered forward gear of the motor vehicle;

a first and a second even numbered gear loose wheel are both engaged by an even numbered gear fixed wheel from the second group of fixed wheels creating an even numbered forward gear interdependence wherein the first even numbered gear loose wheel is assigned to one particular even numbered forward gear of the motor vehicle and the second even numbered forward gear is assigned to another particular even numbered forward gear of the motor vehicle; and

the loose wheels can be switched by gear shifting clutches such as to be connected in a non-rotatable manner with the first or the second intermediate shaft to co-rotate with the respective first or second intermediate shaft;

said method comprising the steps of;

maintaining for the two transmission variations both the odd numbered forward gear interdependence and the even numbered forward gear interdependence at the same position;

changing either one of the odd and even numbered forward gear interdependences by exchanging the loose wheels and the fixed wheel of that changed interdependence by substituting the loose wheels and the fixed wheel by exchange loose wheels and an exchange fixed wheel for providing different transmission ratios, wherein the exchange loose wheel and the exchange fixed wheel are in comparison to the exchanged loose wheel and exchanged fixed wheels provided with different teeth with different rolling circle diameter but are of the same general dimensions comprising bore diameter, length, position on the shaft, fixing on the shaft, and shifting teeth; and

wherein further identical transmission shafts, and gear shift clutches are maintained;

after exchanging, correlating in the so created second transmission variation the loose wheels in that interdependence to different forward gears of the motor vehicle compared to the first transmission variation.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising correlating in the first transmission variation the loose wheels of the odd numbered forward gear interdependence to a third forward gear and a fifth forward gear of the motor vehicle and in the second transmission variation to a fifth forward gear and a seventh forward gear of the motor vehicle.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising providing both transmission variations with seven forward gears.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising correlating the loose wheels of the even numbered forward gear interdependence to a fourth forward gear and a sixth forward gear of the motor vehicle.