Generally, automatically shiftable vehicle transmissions in planetary design are already described in the state of the art many times over, and are subject to continuous development and improvement. Such transmissions should feature a sufficient number of forward gears and one reverse gear, and a transmission ratio that is very well-suited for motor vehicles with a high overall spread, favorable progressive steps, and a sufficiently large start-up transmission ratio for the specific application. In addition, this transmission should require low construction costs, in particular a low number of shift elements and, upon a sequential shifting operation, should avoid so-called “group gearshifts,” such that, when there are gearshifts to the next higher or next lower gear, only one previously engaged shift element is open, and one previously open shift element is engaged.
Such a multi-speed automatic transmission is shown, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 8,591,376 B1, which conforms to this type. It essentially comprises, including a drive shaft and an output shaft, eight rotatable shafts, a total of four individual planetary gear sets and seven shift elements. Through the selective blocking or engaging of three of the seven shift elements, a total of eleven forward gears can be shifted without any group gearshifts. Through the blocking or engaging of three of the seven shift elements, one reverse gear can also be engaged. Three of the shift elements are designed as brakes, and four of the shift elements as are designed as clutches. Each of the four planetary gear sets is designed as a so-called “negative planetary gear,” comprising one sun gear, one ring gear and one planetary gear carrier with planetary gears rotatably mounted thereon, whereas each of the planetary gears are in mesh with both the sun gear and the ring gear of such planetary gear set.
With respect to kinematics, with the multi-speed automatic transmission, U.S. Pat. No. 8,591,376 B1 provides the following:                The drive shaft forms the first shaft of the transmission and is constantly connected to the planetary gear carrier of the second planetary gear set.        As the second shaft of the transmission, the planetary gear carrier of the third planetary gear set and the ring gear of the fourth planetary gear set and the output shaft are constantly connected to each other.        As the third shaft of the transmission, the planetary gear carrier of the first planetary gear set and the ring gear of the second planetary gear set are constantly connected to each other.        The sun gear of the first planetary gear set forms the fourth shaft of the transmission.        The ring gear of the third planetary gear set forms the fifth shaft of the transmission.        As the sixth shaft of the transmission, the ring gear of the first planetary gear set and the sun gear of the third planetary gear set and the sun gear of the fourth planetary gear set are constantly connected to each other.        The planetary gear carrier of the second planetary gear set forms the seventh shaft of the transmission.        The planetary gear carrier of the fourth planetary gear set forms the eighth shaft of the transmission.        In an engaged state, the first brake connects the third shaft to the transmission housing.        In an engaged state, the second brake connects the fourth shaft to the transmission housing.        In an engaged state, the third brake connects the fifth shaft to the transmission housing.        In an engaged state, the first clutch connects the sixth shaft to the seventh shaft.        In an engaged state, the second clutch connects the first shaft to the third shaft.        In an engaged state, the third clutch connects the first shaft to the eighth shaft.        In an engaged state, the fourth clutch connects the first shaft to the fourth shaft.        