Method of operating a transmission

US10000115B2 · US · B2

Patent metadata
FieldValue
Publication numberUS-10000115-B2
Application numberUS-201514710008-A
CountryUS
Kind codeB2
Filing dateMay 12, 2015
Priority dateMay 12, 2014
Publication dateJun 19, 2018
Grant dateJun 19, 2018

How to read this patent

A practical reading order for non-experts. Skip the full description unless you need deep technical detail.

  1. Title

    What the patent document calls the invention.

  2. Abstract

    A short plain-language summary of the technical disclosure.

  3. Assignees and inventors

    Who owns or filed the patent and who is credited as inventor.

  4. Key dates

    Filing, priority, publication, and grant dates set the timeline.

  5. First independent claim

    The legal scope of protection — read this for what is actually claimed.

  6. CPC / IPC classifications

    Technology tags used to group this patent with similar filings.

  7. Citations and related patents

    Prior art links and similar publications in this corpus.

Abstract

Official abstract text for this publication.

A method for operating a transmission, wherein the transmission is shifted from an original gear to a target gear, the method including: setting one of the shift elements located in a power flow of the transmission essentially load-free by use of an electric motor; opening the shift element essentially load-free in the first step; synchronizing a rotational speed between two shafts of the transmission by the electric motor or by a torque at the transmission input shaft, the two shafts to be connected in the target gear through a shift element not in the power flow of the transmission at the first step; and locking the shift element between the two shafts synchronized in the third step; wherein a change to a transmission ratio between the original gear and the target gear is greater than a change between the original gear and an adjacent gear.

First claim

Opening claim text (preview).

The invention claimed is: 1. A method for operating a transmission (G, G 2 ), wherein the transmission comprises: a transmission input shaft (GW 1 ); a transmission output shaft (GW 2 ); a plurality of additional shafts; a gear set (RS, RS 2 ) with at least two planetary gear sets (P 1 , P 2 ; P 21 , P 22 , P 23 , P 25 ) and four shafts (W 1 -W 4 ; W 21 -W 24 ) of the plurality of additional shafts, each planetary gear set having two different shafts of the four shafts (W 1 -W 4 ; W 21 -W 24 ); an electric motor (EM) with a rotor (R) and a stator (S); and a plurality of shift elements (A-F, A 2 -F 2 ) by which a plural number of gears is shiftable between the transmission input shaft (GW 1 ) and the transmission output shaft (GW 2 ) under load, whereas, in one engaged gear, at least two of the shift elements (A-F, A 2 -F 2 ) are locked; the method comprising a shifting process of the transmission (G, G 2 ) from one original gear to a target gear at a point in time wherein: (a) in a first step (S 1 ), one of the shift elements (A-F, A 2 -F 2 ) located in a power flow of the transmission (G, G 2 ) is set essentially load-free by use of the electric motor (EM); (b) in a second step (S 2 ), the shift element set essentially load-free in the first step (S 1 ) is opened; (c) in a third step (S 3 ), a rotational speed synchronization between two shafts of the transmission (G, G 2 ) is undertaken by means of the electric motor (EM) or by means of a torque at the transmission input shaft (GW 1 ), the two shafts which are to be connected in the target gear through a shift element that was not in the power flow of the transmission (G, G 2 ) at the first step (S 1 ); and (d) in a fourth step (S 4 ), the shift element between the two shafts synchronized in the third step (S 3 ) is locked; and further wherein: a first shaft of the two shafts synchronized in the third step (S 3 ) is connected to the transmission input shaft (GW 1 ) by one of: a fixed transmission ratio relationship on the transmission input shaft (GW 1 ); is fixed in a torque-proof manner; or is one of the four shafts (W 1 -W 4 ; W 21 -W 24 ) of the gear set (RS, RS 2 ); a second shaft of the two shafts synchronized in the third step (S 3 ) is another one of the four shafts (W 1 -W 4 ; W 21 -W 24 ) of the gear set (RS, RS 2 ); the electric motor is connected to the gear set (RS, RS 2 ) through at least one auxiliary planetary gear set (P 4 ) having a first, second and third auxiliary shaft (W 1 P 4 , W 2 P 4 , W 3 P 4 ), the first auxiliary shaft (W 1 P 4 ) of the auxiliary planetary gear set (P 4 ) is directly and non-detachably connected to the rotor (R), and the second auxiliary shaft (W 2 P 4 ) and the third auxiliary shaft (W 3 P 4 ) of the auxiliary planetary gear set (P 4 ) are each connected to a different shaft of the four shafts of the gear set (RS, RS 2 ); and a change to a transmission ratio between the transmission input shaft (GW 1 ) and the transmission output shaft (GW 2 ) from the original gear to the target gear is greater than a change to the transmission ratio between the original gear and a gear numerically adjacent to the original gear. 2. The method for operating the transmission (G, G 2 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the shift elements (A-F, A 2 -F 2 ) do not feature a continuously variable torque transfer capacity. 3. The method for operating the transmission (G, G 2 ) according to claim 2 , wherein the shift elements (A-F, A 2 -F 2 ) are formed as claw shift elements. 4. The method for operating the transmission (G, G 2 ) according to claim 1 , wherein the four shafts (W 1 -W 4 ; W 21 -W 24 ) of the gear set (RS, RS 2 ) are designated in an order of rotational speed as first, second, third and fourth shafts.

Assignees

Inventors

Classifications

  • with four sets of orbital gears · CPC title

  • Electric machine connected or connectable to gearbox internal shaft · CPC title

  • with five sets of orbital gears · CPC title

  • Synchronisation before shifting · CPC title

  • using positive clutches, e.g. dog clutches · CPC title

Patent family

Related publications grouped by family.

External sources

Frequently asked questions

Answers are generated from the same data shown on this page.

What does patent US10000115B2 cover?
A method for operating a transmission, wherein the transmission is shifted from an original gear to a target gear, the method including: setting one of the shift elements located in a power flow of the transmission essentially load-free by use of an electric motor; opening the shift element essentially load-free in the first step; synchronizing a rotational speed between two shafts of the trans…
Who is the assignee on this patent?
Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen
What technology area does this patent fall under?
Primary CPC classification B60K6/365. Mapped technology areas include Operations & Transport.
When was this patent published?
Publication date Tue Jun 19 2018 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) (B2). Legal status and post-grant events are not shown on this page.
What related patents are in patentsdb?
We list 7 related publications on this page (citations in our corpus or others sharing the same primary CPC).