Patent ID: 7108115

Claim:
An automatic transmission for a vehicle comprising: at least one shift control element ( 1 ) having at least a second shift control element half ( 3 ) that can be brought into active frictional engagement with a first shift control element half ( 2 ), and the first and the second shift control element halves ( 2 , 3 ) are connectable, respectively, with a non-rotating transmission component ( 4 ) and a rotating transmission component ( 5 ); and a coupling device ( 6 ) is formed between the first shift control element half ( 2 ) and the rotating transmission component ( 5 ); wherein the coupling device ( 6 ) is includes a frictional element ( 7 ) for synchronizing engagement of the coupling device ( 6 ); the frictional element ( 7 ) of the coupling device ( 6 ) comprises an axially displacable first friction surface element ( 18 ) connected to the rotating transmission component ( 5 ) for engaging with a mating second friction surface supported by the first shift control element half ( 2 ); and the coupling device ( 6 ) further comprises a positive-locking element ( 8 ) supported by the rotating transmission component ( 5 ) and a mating positive-locking element ( 22 ) supported by the first shift control element half ( 2 ), and the first friction surface element ( 18 ) is biased by a first spring ( 20 ) away from the rotating transmission component ( 5 ) toward the first shift control element half ( 2 ) such that before engagement of the positive-locking coupling device ( 6 ) occurs, the first friction surface element ( 18 ) comes into active engagement with the second friction surface of the first shift control element half ( 2 ) in order to synchronize the positive-locking coupling device ( 6 ) prior to engagement of the positive-locking coupling device ( 6 ), a second spring ( 17 ) biases the first shift control element half ( 2 ) toward the frictional element ( 7 ) and frictional engagement between the first and the second shift control element halves ( 2 , 3 ) only occurs after engagement of the first and the second positive locking elements ( 8 , 22 ) with one another.