The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may or may not constitute prior art.
Gear changes in manual and dual clutch transmissions are generally achieved by clutches, such as synchronizer clutches, which are splined to and which rotate with an associated shaft. Adjacent to each clutch is one or a pair of gears which provide distinct gear or speed ratios. Each clutch is movable to couple the gear to the shaft and drive torque is then applied to the engaged gear or shaft.
For example, a shifter assembly engages a yoke that is coupled to a shift rail. When the shifter assembly moves the yoke, the shift rail and the attached clutches are moved, which engage a gear on one side of clutch. In some cases, the rail can be axially moved in an opposite direction by the yoke to engage the clutch with a second gear disposed on an opposite side of the clutch. Accordingly, each yoke is typically coupled to a dedicated rail, and one or two gears can be activated by the clutch on a particular rail.
In addition, to engage a reverse gear (or another gear), one of the yokes may engage a reverse lever that rotates about a pivot point. The reverse lever is operable to selective engage the reverse gear. A dedicated shift rail and yoke is used for the rotating reverse lever, which typically includes a coil spring and ball for detent actuation.
Because each shift rail occupies space in the transmission and requires mounting bosses and/or linear bearings, the shift rails add to the complexity and cost of a transmission. Reducing their number is thus desirable.