IP Library › Granted Patent US 11,009,102

Granted Patent B2

US 11,009,102 · App. 16/639,447 · Granted May 18, 2021

Range-change transmission device

Inventors: Frank Steffens (Ostfildern, DE); Detlef Schnitzer (Denkendorf, DE); Ingo Pfannkuchen (Friedrichshafen, DE); Jens Luckmann (Winnenden, DE)

Assignee: DAIMLER AG

F16H3/66 F16H37/046 F16H2003/0931 F16H2200/201 F16H2200/2043

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Quick Facts

Patent No.: US 11,009,102
App. No.: 16/639,447
Granted: May 18, 2021
Kind: B2

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Abstract

A range-change transmission device includes an input shaft, an intermediate shaft, a countershaft, a transmission output shaft, and a first planetary gear set. A first transmission element of the first planetary gear set is permanently coupled to the intermediate shaft in a rotationally fixed manner. A second transmission element of the first planetary gear set is coupled to the transmission output shaft. A first switching unit is provided to arrange a third transmission element of the first planetary gear set to be fixed to the housing in at least one switching position. The range-change transmission device also includes a second planetary gear set. A third transmission element of the second planetary gear set is permanently coupled to the intermediate shaft in a rotationally fixed manner.

Claims (63)

1. A range-change transmission device, comprising:

a housing;

an input shaft;

an intermediate shaft;

a countershaft;

a transmission output shaft;

a first planetary gear set, which has a first transmission element, a second transmission element, a third transmission element; and

an output shaft configured to channel a torque out of the first planetary gear set,

wherein the first transmission element of the first planetary gear set is coupled to the intermediate shaft in a rotationally fixed manner,

wherein the second transmission element of the first planetary gear set is coupled to the output shaft of the first planetary gear set in a rotationally fixed manner,

wherein the output shaft is coupled to the first planetary gear set either directly in a rotationally fixed manner or via a transformation ratio step connected in series,

wherein the range-change transmission device further comprises

a first switching unit configured to arrange the third transmission element of the first planetary gear set fixed to the housing in at least one switching position, and

a second planetary gear set, which has a first transmission element, a second transmission element and a third transmission element,

wherein the third transmission element of the second planetary gear set is coupled to the intermediate shaft in a rotationally fixed manner, and the second transmission element of the second planetary gear set is coupled or can be coupled to the input shaft in a rotationally fixed manner,

wherein the first transmission element of the second planetary gear set is coupled to the counter shaft in such a way that, on the first transmission element of the second planetary gear set, a torque can be channelled out of the second planetary gear set to the countershaft, and

wherein the countershaft is coupled to the third transmission element of the first planetary gear set in such a way that a torque on the third transmission element of the first planetary gear set is into the first planetary gear set starting from the countershaft.

2. The range-change transmission device of claim 1 , further comprising:

a braking unit configured to fix the first transmission element of the second planetary gear set to the housing.

3. The range-change transmission device of claim 2 , further comprising:

a second switching unit configured to couple the first transmission element of the second planetary gear set to the countershaft in at least one switching position.

4. The range-change transmission device of claim 3 , wherein the first transmission element of the second planetary gear set is coupleable in a rotationally fixed manner to an idling wheel by the second switching unit, the idling wheel being in permanent engagement with a fixed wheel of the countershaft.

5. The range-change transmission device of claim 3 , wherein the second switching unit is arranged axially and, viewed in a moment flow direction, in front of the second planetary gear set.

6. The range-change transmission device of claim 5 , wherein the braking unit is arranged axially and, viewed in the moment flow direction, axially in front of the second switching unit.

7. The range-change transmission device of claim 3 , wherein the second switching unit is configured to interlock the second planetary gear set in a further switching position.

8. The range-change transmission device of claim 1 , further comprising:

a moment adjustment unit, which is coupled or can be coupled to the first transmission element of the second planetary gear set in such a way that a torque starting from the moment adjustment unit on the first transmission element of the second planetary gear set can be introduced into the second planetary gear set.

9. The range-change transmission device of claim 1 , further comprising:

a third switching unit configured to couple the countershaft to the third transmission element of the first planetary gear set.

10. The range-change transmission device of claim 1 , wherein the first switching unit is configured to interlock the first planetary gear set in at least one further switching position.

11. The range-change transmission device of claim 1 , further comprising:

a fourth switching unit configured to couple the intermediate shaft to the countershaft via a gear wheel plane in at least one switching position.

12. The range-change transmission device of claim 11 , wherein the fourth switching unit has a neutral switching position and a second switching position, and the fourth switching unit is configured to couple the intermediate shaft to the countershaft via a further gear wheel plane in the second switching position.

13. The range-change transmission device of claim 1 , wherein the first transmission element of the first planetary gear set is a sun wheel, the second transmission element of the first planetary gear set is a planetary gear carrier, and the third transmission element of the first planetary gear set is a hollow wheel.

14. The range-change transmission device of claim 1 , wherein the first transmission element of the second planetary gear set is a sun wheel, and the third transmission element of the second planetary gear set is a hollow wheel.

15. A method for switching a range-change transmission device, which comprises a housing; an input shaft; an intermediate shaft; a countershaft; a transmission output shaft; a first planetary gear set, which has a first transmission element, a second transmission element, a third transmission element; and an output shaft configured to channel a torque out of the first planetary gear set, wherein the first transmission element of the first planetary gear set is coupled to the intermediate shaft in a rotationally fixed manner, wherein the second transmission element of the first planetary gear set is coupled to the output shaft of the first planetary gear set in a rotationally fixed manner, wherein the output shaft is coupled to the first planetary gear set either directly in a rotationally fixed manner or via a transformation ratio step connected in series, wherein the range-change transmission device further comprises a first switching unit configured to arrange the third transmission element of the first planetary gear set fixed to the housing in at least one switching position, wherein the range-change transmission device further comprises a second planetary gear set, which has a first transmission element, a second transmission element and a third transmission element, wherein the third transmission element of the second planetary gear set is coupled to the intermediate shaft in a rotationally fixed manner, and the second transmission element of the second planetary gear set is coupled or can be coupled to the input shaft in a rotationally fixed manner, wherein the first transmission element of the second planetary gear set is coupled to the counter shaft in such a way that, on the first transmission element of the second planetary gear set, a torque can be channelled out of the second planetary gear set to the countershaft, wherein the countershaft is coupled to the third transmission element of the first planetary gear set in such a way that a torque on the third transmission element of the first planetary gear set is into the first planetary gear set starting from the countershaft, and wherein the first switching unit is configured to interlock the first planetary gear set in at least one further switching position, the method comprising:

starting from one gear, in which the third transmission element of the first planetary gear set is arranged fixed to the housing by the first switching unit, performing an upshifting by performing the following steps in order

coupling the first transmission element of the second planetary gear set to the third transmission element of the first planetary gear set via the countershaft,

transferring the first switching unit into a neutral position,

transferring the first switching unit into the further switching position for interlocking the first planetary gear set.

16. A motor vehicle, comprising:

a drive unit formed as a combustion engine; and

a range-change transmission device, which comprises