Patent ID: 7887456

Claim:
An automatic transmission apparatus including: an input shaft and an output shaft; a first planetary gear device having a ring gear rotationally driven by the input shaft, a pinion intermeshing with the ring gear, a sun gear intermeshed with the pinion, and a carrier that supports the pinion; a second planetary gear device having a sun gear connected to the ring gear of the first planetary gear device, a pinion intermeshing with the sun gear, a ring gear intermeshing with the pinion, and a carrier that supports the pinion and that is connected to the carrier of the first planetary gear device; a third planetary gear device having a ring gear connected to the carrier of the second planetary gear device, a pinion intermeshing with the ring gear, a sun gear intermeshing with the pinion, and a carrier that supports the pinion; a fourth planetary gear device having a sun gear connected to the sun gear of the third planetary gear device, a pinion intermeshing with the sun gear, a ring gear intermeshing with the pinion and connected to the carrier of the third planetary gear device, and a carrier that supports the pinion and that is connected to the output shaft; a first clutch that selectively connects the sun gear of the third planetary gear device to the input shaft; a second clutch that selectively connects the carrier of the third planetary gear device to the input shaft; a first brake that selectively regulates the rotation of the ring gear of the second planetary gear device; a second brake that selectively regulates the rotation of the ring gear of the third planetary gear device; a third brake that selectively regulates the rotation of the sun gear of the first planetary gear device; and a fourth brake that selectively regulates the rotation of the ring gear of the fourth planetary gear device.