Patent Application
20050217419
The invention relates to an automatic transmission with an actuator arranged on the transmission housing in accordance with the preamble of claim 1, and to a motor vehicle according to the preamble of claim 12.
From DE 101 43 325 A1 an automatic transmission is known, in which the actuators for carrying out gearshift-related selection and engagement movements are arranged on the upper side of the transmission housing. Although such an arrangement can be advantageous for the assembly of such a transmission, once it has been fitted into a vehicle, this placement of the actuators is rather obstructive. If such an actuator or an electronic control and regulation element of the transmission spatially associated therewith have to undergo repair or be replaced completely then, in the known automatic transmissions and vehicle drive trains, other vehicle or drive train components, such as the turbocharger, pipes or the vehicle bottom, usually impede the process. For that reason, to carry out such work in the known transmissions, until now, it has been necessary to remove the transmission completely, which is deemed disadvantageous above all from the standpoint of servicing costs.
Against this background, the purpose of the present invention is to propose an automatic transmission in which at least one actuator is easily accessible for maintenance or repair, even without removing the transmission completely from a vehicle.
This objective is achieved as regards the automatic transmission by the characteristics of the principal claim, and as regards the vehicle by those of claim 12. Advantageous further developments and design features of the invention are described in the dependent claims.
The invention is based on the realization that at least one actuator is more easily accessible for servicing if it is not positioned on the top side of the transmission housing and/or if the latter can be tilted and/or rotated while still in the vehicle.
In accordance with this concept, the invention's point of departure is an automatic transmission with at least one actuator on the transmission housing in which, to achieve the stated objective, it is provided that at least one actuator is arranged on the transmission housing in such manner that it is freely accessible, for example, to a vehicle mechanic, without removing the transmission as a whole from the vehicle.
In accordance with a preferred design embodiment of the invention, at least one actuator is arranged on the underside of the transmission housing. In other cases, it may even be sufficient for at least one actuator to be positioned on the side of the transmission housing owing to the space situation in the vehicle.
Technically, more elaborate variants of the invention provide that the transmission housing or a part thereof is mounted on the vehicle in such a manner that it can tilt about a tilt axis and, bearing devices suitable for this are provided both on the automatic transmission and on the associated parts of the vehicle.
If the automatic transmission is made such that it can tilt, it is found particularly advantageous for the tilt axis to be orientated essentially transversely relative to the length of the automatic transmission.
A mounting, which is as a rule more elaborate, is provided on the transmission housing and on the parts of the vehicle if the transmission housing or part thereof are intended to rotate about its longitudinal axis, so that any point on the periphery of the transmission housing can be turned to a position that is convenient for the vehicle mechanic.
To reduce the technical elaboration and cost entailed in providing free accessibility of at least one actuator on the transmission housing, it can be provided that the transmission housing or part thereof is mounted so that it can rotate and/or tilt by at least 90°. In the tilting case, the automatic transmission is moved from an essentially horizontal position in the vehicle to an essentially vertical position which, from the standpoint of a vehicle mechanic under the vehicle, represents the best technical solution. In the case, when the transmission is mounted so that it can only rotate about its longitudinal axis, rotation of the transmission housing or part thereof through 90° fulfills the minimum requirement for free access to an actuator which, in the operating position of the transmission, would be located at the top of the transmission housing. It is still better, however, for rotation through 180° to be made possible.
A structure of the automatic transmission, in accordance with the invention, is particularly advantageous for transmission types in which at least one actuator is arranged on the transmission housing in an area away from the clutch housing thereof.
Since the electronic control and regulation element of the automatic transmission can be arranged close to the at least one actuator when the automatic transmission is constructed, according to the invention, this too can be accessed more conveniently for repair purposes.
It should be mentioned that at least one actuator can be made for hydraulic, pneumatic or electric operation. Usually, more than one such actuator is incorporated in an automatic transmission, for example, an automatic gearbox or a change-under-load twin-clutch transmission, to produce gear selection and gear engagement movements.
Finally, according to the invention, the automatic transmission comprises means on the transmission housing and/or on its clutch housings, whereby it can be mounted to rotate and/or tilt on a vehicle component, in particular, the vehicle body or for servicing purposes whereby it can be mounted to rotate and/or tilt thereon by way of suitable fastenings, such as pivot bolts or pivot bearings.
Lastly, the invention also concerns a motor vehicle constructed such that an automatic transmission, built as described, can be fitted thereto as part of a vehicle drive train, in such a manner that it can rotate and/or tilt. Therefore, the vehicle comprises a body, a drive engine and the automatic transmission on the transmission housing of which is arranged at least one actuator. In addition, it is provided that on the automatic transmission and on a vehicle component, in particular, the vehicle body, tilting and/or rotation means for the automatic transmission are arranged or can be fitted for servicing purposes.
To clarify the invention, the description of a drawing is given below, with reference to which two example embodiments can be explained. The drawing shows:
In the drawing,
On a transmission housing 4 of the automatic transmission 13 and some distance away from a clutch housing 3 are arranged actuators 8, 8a, 8b and 8c as alternatives or in addition to one another. The electronic control and regulation element of the transmission can be associated directly with or can be close to these actuators 8, 8a, 8b, 8c. According to a first variant of the invention, at least one actuator 8c is arranged on the underside of the transmission housing 4, and for a vehicle mechanic under the drive train, this is, therefore, easily accessible for carrying out maintenance and/or repair work.
According to another variant shown in
In a third variant of the invention, inasmuch as at least one actuator 8 is positioned on the upper side of the transmission housing 4 as has usually been the case before now, the present invention provides that the automatic transmission 13 is enabled by tilt devices mounted on the transmission housing 4 and on a component of the motor vehicle, in this case the vehicle body 16, to tilt through an angle “a” about a tilt axis 12 which extends essentially horizontally and transversely relative to a longitudinal axis 15 of the automatic transmission.
As shown in
According to another variant of the invention illustrated in
It is a feature of the invention that the vehicle, too, or part of its body or other suitable vehicle components, have mountings that co-operate with associated mounting components on the transmission housing 4 of the automatic transmission 13, 14 to enable the tilt and/or rotation movement of the automatic transmission.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 2004 016 903.9 | Apr 2004 | DE | national |
