GB2482748A

GB2482748A - Drive train assembly line and method

Info

Publication number: GB2482748A
Application number: GB1102740.6A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Mathias Remmler; Armin Barnbeck
Original assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
Current assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
Priority date: 2010-08-03
Filing date: 2011-02-17
Publication date: 2012-02-15
Anticipated expiration: 2031-02-17
Also published as: GB201102740D0; GB2482748B; GB201013021D0; GB2482493A

Abstract

An assembly line 246 is provided for the production of a drive train with a first production area 247 comprising means for the insertion of a gearbox, a second production area 248 comÂprising means for the insertion of a shift transmitting mechaÂnism, a third production area 249 comprising means for the inserÂtion of a gear shift mechanism and a fourth production area 250 comprising means for the insertion of a driver operated shift handle. The first production area 247 comprises a device or module 251 for the insertion of a dual clutch compatible single clutch gearbox and a device or module 252 for the insertion of a dual clutch gearbox. The third production area 249 comprises a device for selectively inÂserting either a manual gear shift mechanism or an automatic gear shift mechanism. The device 255 for inserting a manual gear shift mechanism is adapted for inserting a selector gate. The invention addresses the need for an improved assembly method and line for a family of gearboxes.

Description

Assembly line and production method for a gearbox family with dual clutch compatible layouts In the recent decade, the dual clutch transmission has in-creased in popularity. It combines the comfort of an automatic gear shift with fast gear shifting and comparatively lower fuel consumption. For example, economic wet clutches or even more economic dry clutches may be used instead of a torque converter. Notwithstanding, most of the present day gearboxes for passenger cars with launch clutches are single clutch gearboxes. The single clutch gearboxes are technically less complicated and simpler to manufacture than the dual clutch gearboxes and therefore also cheaper. Single clutch gearboxes are usually operated mechanically by using an H shift pattern.

The H shift pattern usually leads to a gearbox layout which differs from the layout for a dual clutch gearbox. Apart from that, there is also a demand for automated single clutch gear-boxes which provide the comfort of automatic shifting for a single clutch gearbox. The single clutch automatic is some- times referred to as 7NTA" which stands for manual transmis-sion automated.

It is an object of the present application to provide an irn- proved assembly line and an improved production method for as- sembling gearboxes of a gearbox family with dual clutch corn-patible layouts. Herein, it is understood that the gearbox family also comprises the proper dual clutch gearboxes.

The application discloses an assembly line for the production of a drive train which has a first production area with means for the insertion of a gearbox, a second production area with means for the insertion of a shift transmitting mechanism, a third production area with means for the insertion of a gear shift mechanism and a fourth production area with means for the insertion of a driver operated shift handle.

The production areas may comprise sub-areas for performing specific functions. For example the third production area can also comprise two separate sub-areas which are separated from each other, one sub-area for inserting the manual gear shift mechanism and the other sub-area for inserting the automatic gear shift mechanism.

An assembly line according to the application provides facili- ties to assemble different gearboxes of the same gearbox fam- ily in the same assembly line. To that end, the first produc-tion area comprises a device for the insertion of a dual clutch compatible single clutch gearbox and a device for the insertion of a dual clutch gearbox.

In the context of this application, the device may refer to a robot or part of it, for example. The device is also referred to as a "module". The devices may be provided by programming a robot differently for the insertion of a dual clutch and for the insertion of a single clutch, for example. Furthermore, the devices may also be provided by certain parts of an appa-ratus. For example, different screw drivers may be used for inserting the dual clutch and the single clutch.

The third production area comprises a device for the insertion of a manual gear shift mechanism and a device for the inser-tion of an automatic gear shift mechanism wherein the device for the insertion of a manual gear shift mechanism is adapted for the insertion of a selector gate. In a special embodiment, the selector gate is furthermore adapted to achieve an H shifting pattern by mechanical means.

In a more specific embodiment, the device for the insertion of the dual clutch compatible single clutch gearbox is adapted for the insertion of a single clutch gearbox which comprises a single solid input shaft.

For achieving a compact dual clutch gearbox design, in one em-bodiment, the device for the insertion of the dual clutch gearbox is adapted for the insertion of a dual clutch gearbox which comprises a hollow input shaft that is arranged concen-trically around a solid input shaft.

For achieving a fast shifting with pre-selection, in one em-bodiment, the module for the insertion of the dual clutch gearbox is adapted for the insertion of a dual clutch gearbox with an odd gear sub-transmission and an even gear sub- transmission. The sub-transmissions are driven by a first in-put shaft and a second input shaft, respectively. In a compact arrangement, the first and second input shaft are provided by a solid shaft and a concentric hollow shaft.

In a specific embodiment the odd gear sub-transmission is re-alised by odd gear idler wheels on a first countershaft and the even gear sub-transmission is realized by even gear idler wheels on a second counter shaft.

For an especially economic drive train, in one embodiment, the device for the insertion of the dual clutch gearbox is adapted for the insertion of a dry dual clutch.

Moreover, the application discloses a method for producing a drive train. The method comprises steps of deciding whether a dual clutch gearbox or a single clutch gearbox is to be in- serted. If it is decided that a double clutch is to be in-serted a dual clutch gearbox is inserted. If it is decided, on the other hand, that a single clutch gearbox is to be in- serted, a dual clutch compatible single clutch gearbox is in-serted.

The method comprises furthermore steps of inserting a shift transmission mechanism and deciding if an automatic transmis-sion is to be inserted. If it is decided that an automatic transmission is to be inserted an automatic gear shift mecha-nism is inserted. Else a gearshift mechanism that is adapted for the insertion of a selector gate is inserted. In a spe-cific embodiment, the selector gate is adapted to achieve an H shifting pattern by mechanical means. The method furthermore comprises a step of inserting a shift handle.

The decision steps may be based on a production plan which is stored in a computer readable memory of the production line.

The result of the decision may comprise an automatic insertion of the parts or, if a manual interaction is required, the out-put of a signal on a computer monitor or on any other output device.

More specifically, the step of inserting the automatic gear-shift mechanism may comprise a step of deciding whether an MTA transmission is to be inserted. If an MTA transmission is to be inserted an MTA gearshift mechanism is inserted and else a dual clutch automatic gearshift mechanism is inserted. This provides for the production of an MTA transmission within the same assembly line.

More specifically, the step of inserting the shift handle may comprise a step of deciding, if an automatic transmission is to be inserted. If an automatic transmission is to be inserted an automatic gear shift mechanism is inserted. Else, a gear- shift mechanism that is adapted for the insertion of a selec-tor gate. Specifically, the selector gate may be adapted to achieve an H shifting pattern by mechanical means. In this way, the production of a transmission with an H shift pattern is achieved even for a manual gearbox with a dual clutch lay-out. Moreover, a shift handle that is adapted to the gearbox is inserted.

The step of inserting the automatic gearshift mechanism may furthermore comprise a step of deciding, whether an MTA trans- mission is to be inserted in the case that an automatic trans- mission is to be inserted. If an MTA transmission is to be in-serted, an MTA gearshift mechanism is inserted and otherwise a dual clutch automatic gearshift mechanism is inserted.

The step of inserting the shift handle may comprise a step of deciding if an automatic transmission is to be inserted. If an automatic transmission is to be inserted an automatic gear shift handle is inserted and else a manual gear shift handle is inserted. The shift handles may be the same for the MTA and dual clutch automatic or they may also differ in some aspects.

They may also vary with respect to additional features, such as the provision of a switch for a differential lock, for a limitation of the gear range to the first gears and so forth.

The application furthermore discloses a method for producing a motorized vehicle. The method comprises the steps of the aforementioned method for assembling a drive train. The steps of the method are applied to the motorized vehicle or, more specifically, to parts of the motorized vehicle that have al-ready been assembled in other production areas.

The application is now explained with reference to the follow-ing figures, wherein Fig. 1 illustrates a production line for assembling a transmission according to the application, and Fig. 2 illustrates method steps for producing a transmis-sion line according to the application, Fig. 3 shows a top view of an embodiment of a shift contour element arrangement in a first pre-shift state, Fig. 4 shows a perspective view of the shift contour ele-ment arrangement of Fig. 3 in a first gear shift state, Fig. 5 shows a perspective view of the shift contour ele-ment arrangement of Fig. 3 in a second gear shift state, Fig. 6 shows a top view of the shift contour element ar-rangement of Fig. 3 in a second pre-shift state, Fig. 7 shows a perspective view of the shift contour ele-ment arrangement of Fig. 7 in a third gear shift state, Fig. 8 shows a perspective view of the shift contour ele-ment arrangement of Fig. 8 in a fourth gear shift state, Fig. 9 shows a top view of the shift contour element ar-rangement of Fig. 3 in a third pre-shift state, Fig. 10 shows a perspective view of the shift contour ele-ment arrangement of Fig. 9 in a fifth gear shift state, Fig. 11 shows a perspective view of the shift contour ele-ment arrangement of Fig. 9 in a sixth gear shift state, Fig. 12 shows a top view of the shift contour element ar-rangement of Fig. 3 in a fourth pre-shift state, Fig. 13 shows a perspective view of the shift contour ele-ment arrangement of Fig. 12 in a reverse gear shift state, Fig. 14 illustrates several shift positions of the further embodiment of a contour element arrangement, Fig. 15 illustrates several further shift positions of the further embodiment of a contour element arrangement, Fig. 16 illustrates several shift positions of the further embodiment of a contour element arrangement, Fig. 17 illustrates several shift positions of the further embodiment of a contour element arrangement, Fig. 18 illustrates a front view of the transmission of an embodiment of a transmission of the application, Fig. 19 illustrates a simplified cross-section through the transmission of Fig. 18, Fig. 20 illustrates a schematic of an actuator section of the transmission of Figs. 18 and 19, Fig. 21 shows a shift fork of the actuator section of Fig. Fig. 22 illustrates a shift shaft with a shift stick for the actuator section of Fig. 20, Fig. 23 illustrates a shift pattern for the transmission of Figs. 18 and 19,

B

Fig. 24 illustrates a cross-sectional view of a contour ele-ment arrangement of the actuator section of the transmission of Figs. 18 and 19, Fig. 25 illustrates a first contour element of the contour element arrangement of Fig. 24 in greater detail, Fig. 26 illustrates a second contour element of the contour element arrangement of Fig. 24 in greater detail, Fig. 27 illustrates a third contour element of the contour element arrangement of Fig. 24 in greater detail, Fig. 28 illustrates a fourth contour element of the contour element arrangement of Fig. 24 in greater detail, Fig. 29 illustrates a fifth contour element of the contour element arrangement of Fig. 24 in greater detail, Fig. 30 illustrates a sixth contour element of the contour element arrangement of Fig. 24 in greater detail, Fig. 31 illustrates a seventh contour element of the contour element arrangement of Fig. 24 in greater detail, Fig. 32 illustrates a reverse contour element of the contour element arrangement of Fig. 24 in greater detail, Fig. 33 illustrates a contour element of a further embodi-ment of a contour element arrangement, Fig. 34 illustrates a perspective view of the contour ele-ment of Fig. 33, Fig. 35 illustrates an embodiment of the single clutch transmission of Figs. 18 and 19, Fig. 36 illustrates a shift pattern for the transmission of Fig. 35, and Fig. 37 illustrates another shift pattern for the transmis-sion of Fig. 35, Fig. 38 illustrates a double clutch transmission.

Fig. 1 illustrates a production line 246, also known as assem-bly line 246, for the assembly of a transmission according to the application. The production line 246 comprises a first production area 247 for inserting a gearbox into a drive train, a second production area 248 for inserting a gearshift mechanism, a third production area 249 for inserting a gear shifting gate and a fourth production area 250 for inserting a gear handling mechanism such as a shift knob and a cover for the gear shifting gate. The first production area 247 compris-es two modules 251, 252 for the insertion of gearboxes.

In the case of a dual clutch gearbox, the gearbox comprises two sub-transmissions, one even gear sub-transmission for even gears and one odd gear sub-transmission for odd gears. Specif-ically, the sub-transmissions may be realized by idler wheels on counter shafts in which case the gearbox comprises an input shaft, a first counter shaft and a second counter shaft. A counter shaft is also known as a lay shaft.

The gearbox for a double clutch transmission is designed in such a way that it provides the possibility of a pre-selection of a gear that belongs to a sub-transmission that is different from the sub-transmission of the currently selected gear.

More specifically, gear wheels of the odd gear sub-trans- mission are driven by a solid input shaft or -in another em-bodiment -by a hollow input shaft whilst gear wheels of the even gear sub-transmission are driven by the other one of the solid input shaft and the hollow input shaft. The driving of the gear wheels may be achieved by direct meshing, by meshing with intermediate gear wheels or also by a chain. In a partic-ular embodiment, one counter shaft comprises odd gear idler wheels and another counter shaft comprises even gear idler wheels.

In the case of a single clutch gearbox with a dual clutch com-patible layout, the gear wheels for both the odd and the even gears are driven by a single input shaft. But the arrangement of the gearbox is such that a dual clutch layout with an even gear sub-transmission and an odd gear sub-transmission results if the solid input shaft is surrounded by a hollow input shaft along a region that extends from the position of the single clutch up to a predefined gear plane.

Herein, it is understood that there are additional differences between a single clutch gearbox with a dual clutch compatible layout and the corresponding dual clutch gearbox which are known to the skilled person, such as the provision of a bear- ing between the hollow and the solid shaft, a slightly differ-ent inner diameter of the gear wheels and the provision of the double clutch itself. By way of example, Fig. 19 shows a sin-gle clutch gearbox with a dual clutch compatible layout with respect to the dual clutch gearbox of Fig. 38.

The present application relates especially to transmissions with a dual clutch gearbox and with a single clutch gearbox that comprises a dual clutch compatible layout and to produc-tion lines for such transmissions.

A first gear box module of the first production area 247 is configured for the insertion of a double clutch transmission and a second gear box module is configured for the insertion of a single clutch transmission.

The second production area 248 comprises means for inserting a shift transmitting mechanism which connects a shifting device in a passenger room to the gearbox. The shift transmitting me-chanism may for example comprise cables, rods or hydraulic pipes -The third production area 249 comprises a first module 253 for inserting an automatic gear shift mechanism for a double clutch transmission, a second module 254 for inserting an au-tomatic gear shift mechanism for a single clutch transmission and a third module 255 for inserting a manual gear shift me-chanism for a single clutch transmission. The manual gear shift mechanism for the single clutch transmission comprises a selector gate according to the present application.

The fourth production area 250 comprises means for inserting a shift handle such as a shift knob or a handle for an automatic gear shift.

For a low weight gearbox that allows fast shifting, the main shaft of the gearbox is realized by a solid shaft and a sur-rounding hollow shaft. A double clutch and a semi-automatic shift mechanism are used to control the clutch engagement and also the instant of gear shifting. Especially, the double clutch may be realized as a dry double clutch.

In the context of this application, the single clutch automat- ic is also referred to as "MTA" (manual transmission auto- mated) . The automatic gear shift mechanism may comprise a se-lection mode in which the up and down shifting is controlled automatically. In addition or instead, the automatic gear shift may also comprise a selection mode that allow a manual control of up and down shifts and selection modes that limit the gear range such as a "1" position for keeping the first forward gear.

By contrast, the manual gear shift mechanism allows control of the selected gear and of the actual time of the gear selec-tion. The manual gear shift mechanism and the MTA gear shift mechanism is inserted in combination with a single clutch transmission, whereas the dual clutch (DCT) gear shift mechan-ism is inserted in combination with a double clutch. Dry and wet double clutches are possible, but the dry double clutch has the advantage of a lower fuel consumption.

E'or the production of a double clutch transmission with an au- tomatic gear shift, a production line 246 provides the produc-tion module 253 for inserting the DCT gear shift mechanism.

For the production of a transmission with a single clutch au- tomatic gear shift, the production line provides the produc- tion module 254 for inserting an MTA (manual transmission au- tomated) gear shift mechanism. For the production of a drive- line with a single clutch gearbox with a dual clutch compati-ble layout, the production line provides the production module 255 for inserting the selector gate. For the MTA transmission and for the manual transmission, the input shaft of the gear box is designed as a solid input shaft.

A production line according to the application allows the pro-duction of automatic, semi-automatic and manual drive trains for single and double clutch transmissions with only little modifications in the production line. Moreover, a production line according to the application is especially useful for double clutch compatible gearbox layouts with even gears on one sub-transmission and odd gears on another gearbox. The module for inserting a mechanical gearshift mechanism compris- es means for inserting a selector gate according to the appli- cation. Thereby, it is possible to provide an H-shifting pat-tern while using the same or a similar gearbox layout for a dual clutch transmission and for a single clutch transmission.

The production line according to the application allows to use many common parts for different gearbox embodiments. According to the application, basic components are used for various dif-ferent drive train embodiments and the different embodiments are generated by adding specific components. Advantages are lower production costs and a lower cost of development for different gearboxes of a gearbox family. For example, subse- quent improvements may be applied to all gearboxes of a gear-box family in a similar way.

Fig. 2 illustrates method steps for producing a transmission line according to the application. In a step 256, at least two lay shafts of a gearbox are provided. In a decision step 257, it is decided if an automatic gear shift mechanism is to be inserted. If it is decided that an automatic gear shift me-chanism is to be inserted it is further decided, in a decision step 258, if a double clutch is to be inserted. If it is de-cided that a double clutch is to be inserted, a hollow and solid shaft arrangement and a double clutch are inserted in step 259. Otherwise, a solid input shaft and a single clutch is inserted in step 260. In step 261, a shift transmission me-chanism is inserted. In a decision step 262, it is decided if an automatic gear shift mechanism is to be inserted, for exam- ple by evaluating the result of decision step 257. If an auto-matic gear shift mechanism is to be inserted, it is decided, in a decision step 263, whether an MTA gearshift is to be in- serted. If it is decided, that an MTA gearshift is to be in-serted, the MTA gearshift mechanism is inserted in a step 265.

If it is decided, that a DOT automatic is to be inserted, a DOT automatic is inserted in a step 264. Otherwise, a selector gate which is adapted to generate an H-shift pattern is in-serted in a step 266.

For the automatic transmissions, an automatic shift handle is inserted in step 267 whilst for the manual transmission a ma- nual shift handle is inserted in step 268. Typically, the au- tomatic shift handle provides at least up and down shift posi-tions as well as park lock and automatic shift positions. The shift handles may also differ between the MTA and the dual clutch automatic. The manual handle typically provides the gears on an H-shift arrangement. By way of example, such an H shift patterns are shown in Fig. 23 and Fig. 36. The H-shift pattern is characterized in that subsequent gears are placed on the same gate and the gears increase from left to right.

Moreover, the next higher gear is usually placed opposite to the next lower gear to provide fast shifting in zigzag motion.

The reverse gear may be placed on the same gate as the first or the highest gear, or also on a separate gate.

Figs. 3 to 13 show a shift contour element arrangement 300 in various views.

The shift contour element arrangement 300 comprises a shift shaft 301, a first contour element 302, a second contour ele-ment 303, a third contour element 304, and a fourth contour element 305.

The first contour element 302 is provided with a first shift rod 306, which in turn operates a first synchronizer unit in a gearbox of a vehicle, that is not shown here. By a movement of the first contour element 302 up, the first synchronizer unit engages the sixth gear. By a movement of the first contour element 302 down, the first synchronizer unit engages the second gear.

The second contour element 303 is provided with a second shift rod 307, which in turn operates a second synchronizer unit in the gearbox. By a movement of the second contour element O3 up, the second synchronizer unit engages the first gear. A movement of the second contour element 303 down is not pro-vided in this embodiment. The second shift rod 307 is not shown in the figures.

The third contour element 304 is provided with a third shift rod 308, which in turn operates a third synchronizer unit in the gearbox. By a movement of the third contour element 304 up, the third synchronizer unit engages the fourth gear. By a movement of the third contour element 304 down, the third syn-chronizer unit engages the reverse gear.

The fourth contour element 305 is provided with a fourth shift rod 309, which in turn operates a fourth synchronizer unit in the gearbox. By a movement of the fourth contour element 305 up, the fourth synchronizer unit engages the third gear. By a movement of the fourth contour element 305 down, the third synchronizer unit engages the fifth gear.

Each of the first contour element 302, the second contour ele- ment 303, the third contour element 304, and the fourth con-tour element 305 comprises a central opening which takes up the shift shaft 301. In a center part of each opening, there is provided one upper disengagement protrusion 310 and one lower disengagement protrusion 311 for the first contour ele- ment 302, one upper disengagement protrusion 310' and one low- er disengagement protrusion 311' for the second contour ele-ment 303, one upper disengagement protrusion 310'' and one lower disengagement protrusion 3l1 for the third contour element 304, and one upper disengagement protrusion 310' and one lower disengagement protrusion 311' for the fourth con-tour element 305.

As can be best seen in Fig. 5, the first contour element 302 further comprises a sixth gear shift protrusion 312 in the up-per right corner of the central opening and a second gear shift protrusion 313 in the lower left corner of the central opening. For the sake of clarity, the respective reference numbers are not shown in the other figures that illustrate the shift contour element arrangement 300.

As can be best seen in Fig. 4, the second contour element 303 further comprises a first gear shift protrusion 314 in the up- per left corner of the central opening and a fake shift pro-trusion 315 in the lower right corner of the central opening, that is not used. For the sake of clarity, the respective ref- erence numbers are not shown in the other figures that illu-strate the shift contour element arrangement 300.

As can be best seen in Fig. 13, the third contour element 304 further comprises a fourth gear shift protrusion 316 in the upper right corner of the central opening of the central open-ing. In the lower right corner of the third contour element 304, there is provided a reverse gear shift protrusion ele-ment, such that the thickness of the third contour element 304 is increased. For the sake of clarity, the respective refer- ence numbers are not shown in the other figures that illu-strate the shift contour element arrangement 300.

As can be best seen in Fig. 10, the fourth contour element 305 further comprises a third gear shift protrusion 318 in the up-per left corner of the central opening and a fifth gear shift protrusion 319 in the lower right corner of the central open-ing. For the sake of clarity, the respective reference numbers are not shown in the other figures that illustrate the shift contour element arrangement 300.

As can be best seen in Fig. 13, the shift shaft 301 comprises, as counted from its front side to its rear side, the following sections: -a first shift finger section 320 with a shift finger 1+2 for engaging the first and the second gear, with a first cylin-drical section 321, and with a first recess 322, the width of the shift finger 1+2 is such that it extends over both the widths of the first cylindrical section 321 and the first re-cess 322.

-a second cylindrical section 323, -a second shift finger section 324 with a shift finger 6 for engaging the sixth gear and with a second recess 325, the width of the shift finger 6 is such that it extends over the width of the second recess 325, -a third cylindrical section 326, -a third shift finger section 327 with a shift finger 4 for engaging the fourth gear and with a third recess 328, the width of the shift finger 4 is such that it extends over the width of the third recess 328, -a fourth shift finger section 329 with a shift finger 3 for engaging the third gear and with a fourth recess 330, the width of the shift finger 3 is such that it extends over the width of the fourth recess 330, -a fourth cylindrical section 331, -a fifth shift finger section 332 with a shift finger 5+R for engaging the fifth gear and the reverse gear and with a fifth recess 333, the width of the shift finger 5+R is such that it extends over the width of the fifth recess 333, and -a fifth cylindrical section 334.

In general, the recess is not dependent on the width of the shift finger. The recess could be wide enough such that the shift finger contacts a part of the contour element.

As can be best seen in comparing Figs. 3, 6, 9, and 12, the lateral distance between the first contour element 302, the second contour element 303, the third contour element 304, and the fourth contour element 305 is kept unchanged during opera-tion of the shift contour element arrangement 300. The shift contour element arrangement 300 is taken up in a gearbox hous-ing that is not shown here. For operating the shift contour element arrangement 300, the shift shaft 301 is axially moved along its longitudinal axis respectively the z-axis as shown in Fig. 13 and also rotated around its longitudinal axis, ei-ther in clockwise direction or against clockwise direction, starting from a neutral position, in which the shift fingers 1+2, 6, 4, 3, and 5+R are aligned in parallel with the x-axis.

The operation of the shift contour element arrangement 300 will now be explained with reference to the Figs. 3 to 13.

Figs. 3 to 5 illustrate the shift operations for switching from a neutral position into the first and second gear. The shift shaft 301 -in its neutral rotational position -has moved into the position as shown in Fig. 3 in which the shift finger 1+2 is just inside the first contour element 302 and the second contour element 303.

A clockwise rotation of the shift shaft 301 brings the rear section of the shift finger 1+2 into contact with the first gear shift protrusion 314 such that the second contour element 303 is moved upward which in turn moves the second shift rod 307 upwards such that the respective synchronizer of the gear- box shifts into the first gear position. The upper disengage-ment protrusion 310' engages into the first recess 322 that can be best seen in Fig. 13 and it locks the shift shaft 301 in its rotated end position.

For disengaging the first gear, a counter-clockwise rotation of the shift shaft 301 will push the upper disengagement pro-trusion 310' against the side-walls of the first recess 322 such that the second contour element 303 moves back into its neutral position.

A counter-clockwise rotation of the shift shaft 301 brings the front section of the shift finger 1+2 into contact with the second gear shift protrusion 313 such that the first contour element 302 is moved downwards which in turn moves the first shift rod 306 downwards such that the respective synchronizer of the gearbox shifts into the second gear position. It should be noted that the synchronizer for the second gear and the synchronizer for the first gear are two different components of the gearbox.

As on option, the upper disengagement protrusion 310 may en-gage into the first recess 322 that can be best seen in Fig. 13 and it may lock the shift shaft 301 in its rotated end po-sit ion.

For disengaging the second gear, a clockwise rotation of the shift shaft 301 will push the upper disengagement protrusion 310 against the side-walls of the first recess 322 such that the first contour element 302 moves back into its neutral po-sition.

In this axial position of the shift shaft 301, the upper and lower disengagement protrusions of the other contour elements will engage the outer surfaces of the various cylindrical sec-tions of the shift shaft 301, thereby preventing the other contour elements from unwanted movements.

Figs. 6 to 8 illustrate the shift operations for switching from a neutral position into the third and fourth gear. The shift shaft 301 -in its neutral rotational position -has moved into the position as shown in Fig. 6 in which the shift finger 4 is just inside the third contour element 304 and the shift finger 3 is just inside the fourth contour element 305.

A clockwise rotation of the shift shaft 301 brings the shift finger 3 into contact with the third gear shift protrusion 318 such that the fourth contour element 305 is moved upward which in turn moves the fourth shift rod 309 upwards such that the respective synchronizer of the gearbox shifts into the third gear position. The lower disengagement protrusion 311' en-gages into the fourth recess 330 and it locks the shift shaft 301 in its rotated end position.

For disengaging the third gear, a counter-clockwise rotation of the shift shaft 301 will push the lower disengagement pro-trusion 311' against the side-walls of the fourth recess 330 such that the fourth contour element 305 moves back into its neutral position.

A counter-clockwise rotation of the shift shaft 301 brings the shift finger 4 into contact with the fourth gear shift protru- sion 316 such that the third contour element 304 is moved up-wards which in turn moves the third shift rod 308 upwards such that the respective synchronizer of the gearbox shifts into the fourth gear position. It should be noted that the synchro-nizer for the third gear and the synchronizer for the fourth gear are two different components of the gearbox. The upper disengagement protrusion 310' engages into the third recess 328 and it locks the shift shaft 301 in its rotated end posi-tion.

For disengaging the fourth gear, a clockwise rotation of the shift shaft 301 will push the upper disengagement protrusion 310'' against the side-walls of the third recess 328 such that the third contour element 304 moves back into its neutral po-sition.

In this position of the shift shaft 301, the upper and lower disengagement protrusions of the other contour elements will engage the outer surfaces of the various cylindrical sections of the shift shaft 301, thereby preventing the other contour elements from unwanted movements.

Figs. 9 to 11 illustrate the shift operations for switching from a neutral position into the fifth and sixth gear. The shift shaft 301 -in its neutral rotational position -has moved into the position as shown in Fig. 9 in which the front section of the shift finger 5+R is just inside the fourth con-tour element 305 and the shift finger 6 is just inside the first contour element 302.

A clockwise rotation of the shift shaft 301 brings the shift finger 5+R into contact with the fifth gear shift protrusion 319 such that the fourth contour element 305 is moved down-wards which in turn moves the fourth shift rod 309 downwards such that the respective synchronizer of the gearbox shifts into the fifth gear position. The upper disengagement protru-Sian 310' V engages into the fifth recess 333 and it locks the shift shaft 301 in its rotated end position.

For disengaging the fifth gear, a counter-clockwise rotation of the shift shaft 301 will push the upper disengagement pro-trusion 310' against the side-walls of the fifth recess 333 such that the fourth contour element 305 moves back into its neutral position.

A counter-clockwise rotation of the shift shaft 301 brings the shift finger 6 into contact with the sixth gear shift protru- sian 312 such that the first contour element 302 is moved up-wards which in turn moves the first shift rod 306 upwards such that the respective synchronizer of the gearbox shifts into the sixth gear position. It should be noted that the synchro-nizer for the fifth gear and the synchronizer for the sixth gear are two different components of the gearbox. The lower disengagement protrusion 311 engages into the respective re-cess in the shift shaft 301 and it locks the shift shaft 301 in its rotated end position.

For disengaging the sixth gear, a clockwise rotation of the shift shaft 301 will push the lower disengagement protrusion 311 against the side-walls of the respective recess such that the first contour element 302 moves back into its neutral po-sition.

Figs. 12 to 13 illustrate the shift operations for switching from a neutral position into the reverse gear. The shift shaft 301 -in its neutral rotational position -has moved into the position as shown in Fig. 12 in which the front section of the shift finger 5+R is just underneath the reverse gear shift protrusion 317 of the third contour element 304.

A clockwise rotation of the shift shaft 301 brings the shift finger 5+R into contact with the reverse gear shift protrusion 317 such that the third contour element 304 is moved downwards which in turn moves the third shift rod 308 downwards such that the respective synchronizer of the gearbox shifts into the reverse gear position. The upper disengagement protrusion 310' engages into the fifth recess 333 and it locks the shift shaft 301 in its rotated end position.

For disengaging the reverse gear, a counter-clockwise rotation of the shift shaft 301 will push the upper disengagement pro-trusion 310'' against the side-walls of the fifth recess 333 such that the third contour element 304 moves back into its neutral position.

In this axial position of the shift shaft, the upper and lower disengagement protrusions of the other contour elements will engage the outer surfaces of the various cylindrical sections of the shift shaft 301, thereby preventing the other contour elements from unwanted movements.

Fig. 14 shows multiple contour elements 200, 202, 204, and 206 with different profiles or different protrusion positions. A first operating finger 207 and a second operating finger 208 of a shift shaft are placed in respective hollow centers of the contour element 202 and 204.

In one rotational direction of the shift shaft, the first op-erating finger 207 actuates the contour element 202 to provide a first gear shift. In another rotational direction of the shift shaft, the second operating finger 208 actuates the con-tour element 204 to provide a second gear shift.

Fig. 15 shows the contour elements 200, 202, 204, and 206 of Fig. 14. A third operating finger 209 and a fourth operating finger 211 of the shift shaft are placed in respective hollow centers of the contour element 200 and 206.

In one rotational direction of the shift shaft, the third op-erating finger 209 actuates the contour element 200 to provide a third gear shift. In another rotational direction of the shift shaft, the fourth operating finger 211 actuates the con-tour element 206 to provide a fourth gear shift.

Fig. 16 shows multiple contour elements 210 and 212. A fifth operating finger 220 and a sixth operating finger 222 of the shift shaft are placed in respective hollow centers of the contour element 210 and 212.

In one rotational direction of the shift shaft, the fifth op-erating finger 210 actuates the contour element 210 to provide a fifth gear shift. In another rotational direction of the shift shaft, the sixth operating finger 220 actuates the con-tour element 212 to provide a sixth gear shift.

Fig. 17 shows multiple contour elements 214 and 216. A seventh operating finger 224 and a reverse operating finger 226 of the shift shaft are placed in respective hollow centers of the contour element 214 and 216.

In one rotational direction of the shift shaft, the seventh operating finger 224 actuates the contour element 214 to pro-vide a seventh gear shift. In another rotational direction of the shift shaft, the reverse operating finger 226 actuates the contour element 216 to provide a reverse gear shift.

Figs. 14 to 17 show several shift positions of a further embo-diment of a contour element arrangement that is partly similar with the contour element arrangement 300 of Figs. 3 to 13.

For instance, the contour element 204 for the second gear corn-bined with the contour element 212 for the sixth gear has a shape that is identical to the shape of the first contour ele-ment 302 of the first embodiment. The contour element 202 for the first gear is identical to the shape of the left side of the second contour element 303 of the first embodiment.

Put differently, both the contour element 204 and the contour element 212 can be combined as one element to form the first contour element 302.

Similarly, the contour element 200 for the third gear combined with the contour element 210 for the fifth gear is a shape that is identical to the shape of the fourth contour element 305 of the first embodiment. The contour element 206 for the fourth gear is identical to the shape of the right side of the third contour element 304 of the first embodiment.

Put differently, the contour element 200 and the contour ele-ment 210 can be combined to form as one element to form the fourth contour element 305.

Figs. 18 and 19 illustrate a front view and a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a gearbox or a transmission 1 of the application. The transmission 1 comprises a relatively large output gearwheel 12, an input shaft 22, an upper pinion 41, and a lower pinion 51. The transmission of Fig. 35 may be de- signed as an MTA automatic transmission by replacing the me-chanical connections with gear shift and clutch actuators and a shift by wire arrangement. The transmission of Fig. 35 is a single clutch transmission. A double clutch transmission with a similar layout is shown in Fig. 38.

The input shaft 22 is provided as a solid input shaft and is non-rotatably connected to a clutch. The clutch is not shown in Figs. 18 and 19. The upper pinion 41 is fixed to an upper layshaft 40 while the lower pinion 51 is fixed to a lower lay- shaft 50 at their respective rotation axes. The output gearw-heel 12 is fixed to an output shaft 14 at its rotation axis.

The upper pinion 41 and the lower pinion 51 mesh with the out- put gearwheel 12 at different positions of the output gearw-heel 12.

The input shaft 22, the upper layshaft 40, the lower layshaft 50 and a reverse gear idler shaft 38 are positioned parallel to each other at predetermined distances. Multiple gearwheels are mounted on these shafts 22, 38, 40, and 50 such that one gearwheel meshes with another.

In the specification, the expressions "to mesh" and "to comb" with respect to gear wheels or to the pinions are provided as synonyms.

As better seen in Fig. 19, the structure of the gearbox 1 corn-prises, from top to bottom, the reverse gear idler shaft 38, the upper layshaft 40, the input shaft 22, the lower layshaft and the output shaft 14.

The input shaft 22 comprises, from its right end to its left end, a shaft bearing 71, a fixed wheel second gear 30, a fixed wheel sixth gear 32, a fixed wheel fourth gear 31, a fixed wheel third gear 25, a fixed wheel seventh gear 27, a fixed wheel first gear 24, and one shaft bearing 71. The fixed wheel third gear 25 serves also as a fixed wheel fifth gear 26.

The upper layshaft 40 comprises, from its right end to its left end, the upper pinion 41, a layshaft bearing 73, a re-verse gear idler wheel 37, a double-sided coupling device 80, an idler sixth gear 65, an idler fifth gear 64, a double-sided coupling device 81, and an idler seventh gear 66, and one lay-shaft bearing 73. In particular, the idler sixth gear 65 combs with the fixed wheel sixth gear 32. The idler fifth gear 64 * 25 combs with the fixed wheel fifth gear 26. The idler seventh gear 66 combs with the fixed wheel seventh gear 27.

The reverse gear idler shaft 38 comprises, from its right end to its left end, an idle shaft bearing 74, a first reverse gear wheel 35, a second reverse gear wheel 36, and one idle shaft bearing 74. In particular, the first reverse gear wheel combs with the fixed wheel second gear 30 while the second reverse gear wheel 36 combs with the reverse gear idler wheel 37.

The lower layshaft 50 comprises, from its right end to its left end, the lower pinion 51, an idler second gear 61, a lay-shaft bearing 73, a double-sided coupling device 83, an idler fourth gear 63, an idler third gear 62, a double-sided coupl- ing device 82, an idler first gear 60, and one layshaft bear-ing 73. Specifically, the idler second gear 61 combs with the fixed wheel second gear 30. The idler fourth gear 63 combs with the fixed wheel fourth gear 31. The idler third gear 62 combs with the fixed wheel third gear 25. The idler first gear combs with the fixed wheel first gear 24.

In use, the gearbox 1 is used to receive a torque from a crankshaft of a combustion engine via a clutch and it trans-mits the torque to the output gearwheel 12.

In a first gearwheel ratio, a torque flow of the gearbox 1 ex-tends from the input shaft 22, via the fixed wheel first gear 24, via the idler first gear 60, via the double-sided coupling device 82, via the lower layshaft 50, to the lower pinion 51.

In a second gearwheel ratio, a torque flow of the gearbox 1 extends from the input shaft 22, via the fixed wheel second gear 30, via the idler second gear 61, via the double-sided coupling device 83, via the lower layshaft 50, to the lower pinion 51.

In a third gearwheel ratio, a torque flow of the gearbox 1 ex-tends from the input shaft 22, via the fixed wheel third gear 25, via the idler third gear 62, via the double-sided coupling device 82, via the lower layshaft 50, to the lower pinion 51.

In a fourth gearwheel ratio, a torque flow of the gearbox 1 extends from the input shaft 22, via the fixed wheel fourth gear 31, via the idler fourth gear 63, via the double-sided coupling device 83, via the lower layshaft 50, to the lower pinion 51.

In a fifth gearwheel ratio, a torque flow of the gearbox 1 ex-tends from the input shaft 22, via the fixed wheel fifth gear 26, via the idler fifth gear 64, via the double-sided coupling device 81, via the upper layshaft 40, to the upper pinion 41.

In a sixth gearwheel ratio, a torque flow of the gearbox 1 ex-tends from the input shaft 22, via the fixed wheel sixth gear 32, via the idler sixth gear 65, via the double-sided coupling device 80, via the upper layshaft 40, to the upper pinion 41.

In a seventh gearwheel ratio, a torque flow of the gearbox 1 extends from the input shaft 22, via the fixed wheel seventh gear 27, via the idler seventh gear 66, via the double-sided coupling device 81, via the upper layshaft 40, to the upper pinion 41.

In a reverse gearwheel ratio, a torque flow of the gearbox 1 extends from the input shaft 22, via the fixed wheel second gear 30, via the first reverse gear wheel 35, via the reverse gear idler shaft 38, via the second reverse gear wheel 36, via the reverse gear idler wheel 37, via the double-sided coupling device 80, via the upper layshaft 40, to the upper pinion 41.

Specifically, the double-sided coupling device 80 is used for coupling selectively one of the idler sixth gear 65 and the reverse gear idler wheel 37 to the upper layshaft 40. The double-sided coupling device 81 is used for coupling selec-tively one of the idler seventh gear 66 and the idler fifth gear 64 to the upper layshaft 40.

The double-sided coupling device 82 is used for coupling se-lectively one of the idler fourth gear 63 and the idler second gear 61 to the lower layshaft 50. The double-sided coupling device 83 is used for coupling selectively one of the idler first gear 60 and the idler third gear 62 to the lower lay-shaft 50.

Fig. 20 shows a schematic of an actuator section 88 of the transmission 1 of Figs. 18 and 19 in which the input shaft 22 of the transmission 1 is connected to a crankshaft 90 by a clutch 92.

The actuator section 88 includes multiple shift contour ele- ments with protrusions. The shift contour elements are at- tached to multiple forks. For simplicity, only one shift con-tour element 95 is shown in Fig. 20. The shift contour element 83 has a hollow center 94 and a protrusion 96 that is placed in the hollow center 94. A shift shaft 105 is disposed in a central portion of the shift contour elements. Referring to the shift contour element 95, it is integrally attached to a fork 97 via a shift rod 98. The shift rod 98 is connected to the shift contour element 95 using welding or screws. End por-tions 100 of the fork 97 engage with a sleeve 103 of the double-sided coupling device 83, as seen in Figs. 20 and 21.

The shift contour element 95 also serves as a second shift contour element of the actuator section 88.

As shown in Fig. 22, one end of the shift shaft 105 is fixed a shift stick 106 while another end of the shift shaft 105 is attached to multiple cams or operating fingers. The operating fingers includes a front first operating finger 107, a front second operating finger 109, a rear first operating finger 111, and a rear second operating finger 113.

The shift shaft 105 is rotatable in a first direction 115 and a second direction 117 that is opposite the first direction 115, as seen in Fig. 22.

Operationally, the crankshaft 90 is used for transmitting a torque from an engine to the gearbox 1 via the clutch 92. The shift stick 106 is operated by a user for selecting gearwheel ratios of the gearbox 1 by actuating the shift shaft 105. The actuation either rotates the shift shaft 105 about a longitu-dinal axis of the shift shaft 105 and or moves axially the shift shaft 105 in the longitudinal direction of the shift shaft 105.

The rotating movement in turn moves the operating fingers 107, 109, 111, and 109 to engage protrusion of its respective shift contour element in a pre-determined direction in accordance to the selected gearwheel ratio. In this example, the movement of the shift contour element 95 shifts the sleeve 103 of the double-sided coupling device 83 either to fasten the idler fourth gear 63 or to fasten the idler second gear 61 to the lower layshaft 50.

Put differently, the protrusions and the operating fingers co-operate to translate rotational movement of the shift shaft to translational movement of the contour elements for ac-tuating the coupling devices. In this manner, the different gear wheel ratios of the gearbox are produced.

Fig. 23 shows a gear shift pattern 125 for the shift stick 106 of the transmission 1 of Figs. 18 and 19. The shifting pattern comprises multiple shift tracks 127, 129, 131, 133, and 135. The shift tracks 127, 129, 131, and 133 have the same length and they are positioned essentially parallel to each other while the shift track 135 is positioned essentially at a right angle to the shift tracks 127, 129, 131, and 133.

In particular, the shift track 127 is separated from the shift track 129 by a unit of gear select travel whilst the shift track 129 is separated from the shift track 131 by also one unit of gear select travel. Similarly, the shift track 133 is separated from the shift track 131 by one unit of gear select travel.

The shift tracks 127, 129, 131, and 135 have upper end points 137, 139, 141, and 143 and lower end points 145, 147, 149, and 151 as well as middle points 153, 155, 157, and 159 respec-tively. The shift track 135 is jointed to the middle points 153, 155, 157, and 159 of the shift tracks 127, 129, 131, and 133.

In practice, the end points 137, 139, 141, 143, 145, 147, 149, and 151 are intended to provide different gear change or gear shift positions. The gear shift position is also known as gearwheel ratio.

In particular, the end point 137 is intended to provide a first gear change position. The end point 145 is intended to provide a second gear change position. The end point 139 is intended to provide a third gear change position. The end point 147 is intended to provide a fourth gear change posi-tion. The end point 141 is intended to provide a fifth gear change position. The end point 149 is intended to provide a sixth gear change position. The end point 143 is intended to provide a seventh gear change position or an overdrive gear change position. The end point 151 is intended to provide a reverse gear change position. The middle points 153, 155, 157, and 159 are intended to provide a neutral gear change or shift position.

Referring to the Figs. 22 and 23, from the neutral gear shift position, the shift stick 106 moves to the odd or upper gear shift positions, such as the first gear shift position, when the shift shaft 105 rotates in the first direction 115. Simi-larly, from the neutral gear shift position, the shift stick 106 moves to the even or lower gear shift positions, such as the second gear shift position, when the shift shaft 105 ro-tates in the second direction 117.

The shift track 127 serves as a first shift gate whilst the shift track 129 serves as a second shift gate. The shift track 131 serves as a third shift gate whilst the shift track 133 serves as a fourth shift gate.

This gear shift pattern 125 has an advantage of providing a user with intuitive changing of gears.

Fig. 24 shows a cross-sectional view of a contour element ar-rangement 165 of the actuator section 88 of the transmission of Figs. 18 and 19.

The arrangement 165 has a plurality of contour elements that comprises, from one side to another side of the Fig. 24, a first contour element 167, the second contour element 95, a fourth contour element 169, a third contour element 171, a fifth contour element 173, a sixth contour element 175, a se-venth contour element 177, and a reverse contour element 179.

The second contour element 95 is shown in Fig. 20. In particu-lar, the contour elements 95, 167, 169, 171, 173, 175, 177, and 179 have protrusions. Examples of the protrusions are shown in Figs. 25 to 32 for illustration. The protrusions are placed at different positions for providing movement in dif-ferent directions.

The shift shaft 105 with the front first operating finger 107, the front second operating finger 109, the rear first operat-ing finger 111 and the rear second operating finger 113 is placed in a central portion of the contour elements 95, 167, 169, 171, 173, 175, 177, and 179.

In addition, the first contour element 167 and the third con-tour element 169 are connected to the double-sided coupling device 82 of Fig. 19. The second contour element 95 and the fourth contour element 169 are connected to the double-sided coupling device 83 of Fig. 19. The sixth contour element 175 and the reverse contour element 179 are connected to the double-sided coupling device 80 of Fig. 19. The fifth contour element 173 and the seventh contour element 177 are connected to the double-sided coupling device 81 of Fig. 19.

In use, a user actuates the shift stick 106 such that the op- erating fingers 107, 109, 111, and 113 engages with the pro-trusions of the contour elements 95, 167, 169, 171, 173, 175, 177, and 179. This causes the affected contour element 95, 167, 169, 171, 173, 175, 177, or 179 to shift in a pre-determined direction. The shifting moves the coupling device 80, 81, 82, or 83 to couple corresponding idler gear to its layshaft. In this manner, corresponding gear wheel ratio is produced.

Specifically, a user can place the shift stick 106 in the first gate 127, in the second gate 129, in the third gate 131, and in the fourth gate 133.

When the shift stick 106 is positioned in the first gate 127, the shift shaft 105 is axially moved to a position for acting on the first contour element 167 and the second contour ele-ment 95, as seen in Figs. 23 and 24.

Within the first gate 127, the shift stick 106 can rotate the shift shaft 105 in the first direction 115 towards the first gear shift position 137. This rotation would cause the front first operating finger 107 to act on the protrusion 96 of the first contour element 167 to move the first contour element 167 in the up direction, as shown in Fig. 25. This movement, in turn, causes the double-sided coupling device 82 to couple the idler first gear 60 to the lower layshaft 50.

Similarly, within the first gate 127, the shift stick 106 can rotate the shift shaft 105 in the second direction 117 towards the second gear shift position 145. This rotation would cause the front second operating finger 109 to act on the protrusion 96 of the second contour element 95 to move the second contour element 95 in the down direction, as shown in Fig. 26. This movement, in turn, causes the 83 to couple the idler second gear 61 to the lower layshaft 50.

When the shift stick 106 is positioned in the second gate 129, the shift shaft 105 is axially moved to a position for acting on the fourth contour element 169 and on the third contour element 171, as seen in Figs. 23 and 24.

Within this second gate 129, the shift stick 106 can rotate the shift shaft 105 in the first direction 115 to towards the third gear shift position 139. This rotation would cause the rear second operating finger 113 to act on the protrusion 96 of the third contour element 171 to move the third contour element 171 in the down direction, as shown in Fig. 28. This movement, in turn, would cause the double-sided coupling de- vice 82 to couple the idler third gear 62 to the lower lay-shaft 50.

Similarly, within the second gate 129, the shift stick 106 can rotate the shift shaft 105 in the second direction 117 towards the fourth gear shift position 147. This rotation would cause the rear first operating finger 111 to act on the protrusion 96 of the fourth contour element 169 to move the fourth con-tour element 169 in the up direction, as shown in Fig. 27.

This movement, in turn, causes the double-sided coupling de- vice 83 to couple the idler fourth gear 63 to the lower lay-shaft 50.

When the shift stick 106 is positioned in the third gate 131, the shift shaft 105 is axially moved to a position for acting on the fifth contour element 173 and the sixth contour element 175, as seen in Figs. 23 and 24.

Within the third gate 131, the shift stick 106 can rotate the shift shaft 105 in the first direction 115 towards the fifth gear shift position 141. This rotation would cause the rear first operating finger 111 to act on the protrusion 96 of the fifth contour element 173 to move the fifth contour element 173 in the down direction, as shown in Fig. 29. This movement, in turn, causes the double-sided coupling device 81 to couple the idler fifth gear 64 to the upper layshaft 40.

Similarly, within the third gate 131, the shift stick 106 can rotate the shift shaft 105 in the second direction 117 towards the sixth gear shift position 149. This rotation would allow the rear second operating finger 113 to act on the protrusion 96 of the sixth contour element 175 to move the sixth contour element 175 in the up direction, as shown in Fig. 30. This movement, in turn, causes the double-sided coupling device 80 to couple the idler sixth gear 65 to the upper layshaft 40.

When the shift stick 106 is positioned in the fourth gate 133, the shift shaft 105 is axially moved to a position for acting on the seventh contour element 177 and the reverse contour element 179, as seen in Figs. 23 and 24.

Within the fourth gate 133, the shift stick 106 can rotate the shift shaft 105 in the first direction 115 towards the seventh gear shift position 143. This rotation would allow the front first operating finger 107 to act on the protrusion 96 of the seventh contour element 177 to move the seventh contour ele- ment 177 in the up direction, as shown in Fig. 31. This move-ment, in turn, causes the double-sided coupling device 81 to couple the idler seventh gear 66 to the upper layshaft 40.

Similarly, within the fourth gate 133, the shift stick 106 can rotate the shift shaft 105 in the second direction 117 towards the reverse gear shift position 151. This rotation would allow the front second operating finger 109 to act on the protrusion 96 of the reverse contour element 179 to move the reverse con-tour element 179 in the down direction, as shown in Fig. 32.

This movement, in turn, causes the double-sided coupling de-vice 80 to couple the reverse gear idler wheel 37 to the upper layshaft 40.

Figs. 33 and 34 show a contour element 185 of a further embo-diment of a contour element arrangement. The contour element has a hollow center 187 that has a first protrusion 189 and a second protrusion 191. The first protrusion 189 and the second protrusion 191 engage respectively with a first operat-ing finger 193 and a second operating finger 195 of a shift shaft 197.

Operationally, the first protrusion 189 and the first operat- ing finger 193 co-operate to allow the shift shaft 197 to ac-tuate the contour element 185 to a pre-determined position.

The second protrusion 191 and the second operating finger 195 co-operate to allow the shift shaft 197 to actuate the contour element 195 to return to its neutral or original position.

Fig. 35 shows an embodiment of a single clutch transmission 1.

The single clutch transmission of Fig. 35 achieves an H-shift pattern without the use of two sub-transmissions and is shown for illustration purposes. The single clutch transmission of Fig. 35 may be designed as an MTA automatic transmission by replacing the mechanical connections with gear shift and clutch actuators and a shift by wire arrangement.

Fig. 35 depicts a transmission 230 that comprises the parts of the transmission 1 without the upper layshaft 40 and its asso-ciated gear wheels. The transmission 230 has a reverse gear that is provided in a conventional manner and is not shown in the figure. In use, the transmission 230 provides a first gear wheel ratio, a second gear wheel ratio, a third gear wheel ra-tio, and a fourth gear wheel ratio.

The contour arrangement of Fig. 24 can be used to provide the transmission 230 with a shift pattern 235 that is shown in Fig. 36. The shift pattern 235 has two gates 237 and 239. Each gate 237 or 239 is connected to different synchronizers or double-side coupling devices such that each gate 237 or 239 has a sequential gear shift positions This is unlike other shift pattern would have gates in which each gate is connected to the same synchronizer. Such a shift pattern is shown in Fig. 37.

Fig. 38 shows a gearbox for a dual clutch transmission 1'. The gearbox of Fig. 38 is similar to the gearbox of Fig. 35, but the solid input shaft is replaced with a concentric arrange-ment of a solid input shaft 20 within a hollow input shaft 22.

It can be seen, that the layout of Fig. 38 results from the layout of Fig. 19 by surrounding the solid input shaft 20 along a region that reaches from the position of a clutch at the right up to the gear plane of the fourth gear idler wheel 63. In this sense, the previously shown gearbox layout of Fig. 19 is a dual clutch compatible layout with respect to the dual clutch of Fig. 38. The clutches for the even and odd gear sub-transmissions are not shown in Fig. 38.

Although the above description contains much specificity, this should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodi- ments but merely providing illustration of the foreseeable em-bodiments. The above stated advantages of the embodiments should not be construed especially as limiting the scope of the embodiments but merely to explain possible achievements it the described embodiments are put into practice. Thus, the scope of the embodiments should be determined by the claims and their equivalents, rather than by the examples given.

Further features of a manual transmission according to the ap-plication are given by the following list of items: 1. The manual transmission comprises -a gear stick and -a shift pattern unit with at least three shift gates, at least two shift gates providing an upper shift position and a lower shift position for the gear stick; the gear stick being adapted to move a shift shaft of the gearbox rotatably between the upper shift position and the lower shift position and to move the shift shaft axially between the shift gates.

2. Manual transmission according to item 1, wherein at least two idler gear wheels of sequential gears are selectively operable by an upper shift position and a lower shift position of the shift stick within one shift gate.

3. Manual transmission according to item 2, wherein upper shift positions of the shift shaft correspond with odd gears of the gearbox and lower shift positions of the shift shaft correspond with even gears of the gearbox.

Claims

Patent Claims 1. Assembly line for the production of a drive train with -a first production area comprising means for the insertion of a gearbox, -a second production area comprising means for the in-sertion of a shift transmitting mechanism, -a third production area comprising means for the in-sertion of a gear shift mechanism, -a fourth production area comprising means for the in-sertion of a driver operated shift handle, wherein the first production area comprises a device for the insertion of a dual clutch compatible single clutch gearbox and a device for the insertion of a dual clutch gearbox, and wherein the third production area comprises a device for selec-tively inserting either a manual gear shift mechanism or an automatic gear shift mechanism wherein the device for inserting a manual gear shift mechanism is adapted for in-serting a selector gate.
2. Assembly line according to claim 1, wherein the device for the insertion of the dual clutch compatible single clutch gearbox is adapted for the insertion of a single clutch gearbox which comprises a single solid input shaft.
3. Assembly line according to one of the claims 1 or 2, wherein the device for the insertion of the dual clutch gearbox is adapted for the insertion of a dual clutch gearbox that comprises a hollow input shaft, the hollow input shaft being arranged concentrically around a solid input shaft.
4. Assembly line according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the device for the insertion of the dual clutch gearbox is adapted for the insertion of a dual clutch gearbox with an odd gear sub-transmission and an even gear sub-transmission.
5. Assembly line according to one of the aforementioned claims, wherein the device for the insertion of the dual clutch gearbox is adapted for the insertion of a dry dual clutch.
6. Method for producing a drive train comprising the steps of -deciding whether a dual clutch gearbox or a single clutch gearbox is to be inserted, if it is decided that a double clutch is to be inserted: -inserting a dual clutch gearbox, if it is decided that a single clutch gearbox is to be in-serted: -inserting a dual clutch compatible single clutch gear-box, -inserting a shift transmission mechanism, -deciding if an automatic transmission is to be in-serted, if it is decided that an automatic transmission is to be inserted: -inserting an automatic gear shift mechanism else: -inserting a gearshift mechanism that is adapted for the insertion of a selector gate, -inserting a shift handle.
7. Method according to claim 6, wherein the step of inserting the automatic gearshift mechanism comprises -deciding whether an MTA transmission is to be in-serted, if an MTA transmission is to be inserted: -inserting an MTA gearshift mechanism, else: -inserting a dual clutch automatic gearshift mechanism.
8. Method according to claim 6 or claim 7, wherein the step of inserting the shift handle comprises: -deciding if an automatic transmission is to be in-serted, if an automatic transmission is to be inserted: -inserting an automatic gear shift handle, else: -inserting a manual gear shift handle.
9. Method for producing a motorized vehicle, the method com-prising a method according to one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the steps of the method according to one of claims 6 to 8 are applied to the motorized vehicle.
10. Method according to claim 6, wherein the selector gate provides a shift mechanism for a gearbox of a vehicle, comprising an axially and rotatably movable shift shaft comprising a first operating finger and a second operating finger, and a first shift contour being movable by the first operating finger and a second shift contour being movable by the second operating finger, the first operating finger extending radially away from the shift shaft in a first direction and the second oper-ating finger extending radially away from the shift shaft in a second direction, the first direction opposing the second direction, the first shift contour being adapted to operate a first shift fork of a first shift sleeve of a first synchronizer element and the second shift contour being adapted to op-erate a second shift fork of a second shift sleeve of a second synchronizer element, wherein in one axial position of the shift shaft, a rotation of the shift shaft in a first direction operates the first operating finger and the first shift contour, while in essentially the same ax-ial position of the shift shaft, a rotation of the shift shaft in an opposite direction operates the second operat-ing finger and the second shift contour.
11. Method according to claim 10, wherein at least two shift contours are integrally combined into one shift contour element.
12. Method according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the shift contour comprises a locking contour for main-taining the shift shaft in a pre-determined position when it has been operated.
13. Method according to one of claim 10 to 12, wherein the shift contour comprises a locking contour for interac-tion with a locking recess on the shift shaft such that the rotation of the shift shaft is limited.
14. Method according to one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the shift contour comprises a unlocking contour for inter-action with a locking recess on the shift shaft such that the shift contour being movable into a neutral position by a rotation of the shift shaft.
15. Method according to one of claims 10 to 14, wherein the shift mechanism further comprises a plurality of shift contour elements.
16. Method according to claim 15, wherein the number of shift contours corresponds to the number of synchronizer elements.
17. Method according to one of claims 10 to 16, wherein the shift contour is translationally movable.
18. Method according to claim 7, wherein the single clutch gearbox comprises -one input shaft, -at least one layshaft that is radially distanced from the input shaft and arranged in parallel to the input shaft, the layshaft comprising a pinion for outputting a drive torque, and -a plurality of rotatable idler gear wheels and syn-chronizer elements being arranged on the layshaft, the synchronizer elements being provided for selectively connecting at least one rotatable idler gear wheel to its layshaft, wherein the gearbox further comprises a shift mechanism according to one of claims 10 to 17, wherein the shift contour is adapted to operate at least one shift fork of at least one shift sleeve of at least one synchronizer element.
19. Method according to claim 18, wherein the number of shift contours corresponds to the number of the idler gear wheels.
20. Method according to claim 18 or claim 19, wherein at least two idler gear wheels of sequential gears are se-lectively connectable to their respective layshaft by two synchronizer elements.
21. Method according to one of claims 18 to 20, wherein a first layshaft and a second layshaft are pro-vided, the first layshaft and the second layshaft being radially distanced from the input shaft and arranged in parallel to the input shaft, each of the layshafts com-prising a pinion for outputting a drive torque, wherein a plurality of rotatable idler gear wheels and synchronizer elements are arranged on the first layshaft and on the second layshaft, the synchronizer elements being provided for selectively connecting at least one rotatable idler gear wheel to its respective layshaft, at least two idler gear wheels of sequential gears being provided on differ-ent layshafts.