When it comes to driving, changing the gears depending on the speed that you’re going at makes a lot of sense. However, it is one extra thing to have to think about while you’re keeping your eye on the road. That is why so many people prefer to drive cars with automatic transmission. But how exactly did this awesome technology come to be in the first place? And how exactly does it work? We’ve got you covered on both fronts. Let’s run through the gears.
Who Invented Transmission?
In 1921, Alfred Horner Munro of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, invented the automatic transmission, which he then secured under a Canadian patent in 1923. Munro, a steam engineer, designed his invention to use compressed air rather than hydraulic fluid.
Just like the structure of a manual transmission, the automatic transmission’s primary function is to give engines a wide range of output speeds. The automatic transmission comes with different gear ratios, allowing any vehicle to travel at the desired top speed.
The transmission uses gears to utilize the engine’s torque while keeping it running at an appropriate speed. Transmission coolers prevent cars from overheating when hauling heavy objects or towing this can cause the transmission fluid to burn.
Manual VS. Automatic Transmission
The main difference between an automatic and a manual transmission is that the automatic transmission has a Planetary gearset that uses the same set of gears but produces different gear ratios.
A Planetary gear set has three main gears the sun gear, the planet gears and carriers, and the ring gear. Each of these three gears can be the input, output, or stationary gears that provide various gear ratios.
Park mode for an automatic transmission is a mode that locks the output shaft of the transmission and restricts the vehicle from moving in any direction. Reverse mode allows the car to be driven backward.