Patent ID: 7059995

Claim:
A multi-speed transmission comprising: an input shaft; an output shaft; a planetary gear arrangement having first, second and third planetary gear sets, each planetary gear set having a ring gear, sun gear and carrier; said input shaft being continuously interconnected with said carrier of the third planetary gear set, said output shaft being continuously interconnected with said ring gear of the first planetary gear set; said ring gear of the second planetary gear set being integrally connected with said ring gear of the first planetary gear set, and said carrier of the second planetary gear set being continuously connected with said carrier of the first planetary gear set; said second planetary gear set being a compound planetary gear set with pinion gears, and said first and third planetary gear sets being simple planetary gear sets with pinion gears, wherein said pinion gears of said simple and compound planetary gear sets are separate from each other such that no pinion is shared by said simple and compound planetary gear sets; a first clutch selectively interconnecting said ring gear of the third planetary gear set with said sun gear of the second planetary gear set; a second clutch selectively interconnecting said ring gear of the third planetary gear set with said sun gear of the first planetary gear set; a third clutch selectively interconnecting said carrier of the third planetary gear set with said carrier of the first planetary gear set; a fourth clutch selectively interconnecting said carrier of the third planetary gear set with said sun gear of the first planetary gear set; a first brake selectively interconnecting said sun gear of the second planetary gear set with a transmission housing; a second brake selectively interconnecting said carrier of the second planetary gear set with said transmission housing; and said first, second, third and fourth clutches, and first and second brakes being engaged in combinations of two to establish at least seven forward speed ratios and a reverse speed ratio between said input shaft and said output shaft.