An 

automatic transmission (often informally shortened to auto, and abbreviated to AT) is a motor

vehicletransmission that can automatically change gear ratios as the vehicle moves, freeing the driver
from having to shift gears manually. Similar but larger devices are also used for heavy-duty commercial
and industrial vehicles and equipment.

Most automatic transmissions have a defined set of gear ranges, often with a parking pawl feature that
locks the output shaft of the transmission. Continuously variable transmissions (CVTs), which are very
different from conventional automatic transmissions, can change their 'ratios' over a wider 'stepless'
range, rather than between a set of fixed gear ratios. CVTs have been used for decades in two-wheeled
scooters, but have only seen use in a few automobile models. Recently, however, CVT technology has
gained greater acceptance among manufacturers and customers, especially
in Audi and Nissan automobiles, and gas-electric hybrid vehicles.

Some machines with limited speed ranges or fixed engine speeds, such as some forklift trucks and lawn
mowers, only use a torque converter to provide a variable gearing of the engine to the wheels.

A semi-automatic transmission (also known as clutchless manual transmission, automated manual

transmission, flappy-paddle gearbox, or paddle shift gearbox) is a system which uses electronic sensors,
processors and actuators to execute gear shifts on the command of the driver. This removes the need for
a clutchpedal which the driver otherwise needs to depress before making a gear change, since the clutch
itself is actuated by electronic equipment which can synchronise the timing and torque required to make
gear shifts quick and smooth. The system was designed by automobile manufacturers to provide a better
driving experience, especially incities where congestion frequently causes stop-and-go traffic patterns.

Many modern semi-automatic transmissions can also operate in the same manner as a conventional type
ofautomatic transmission by allowing the transmission's computer to automatically change gear, if for
example the driver was redlining the engine. The ability to shift gears manually, often via paddle shifters,
can also be found on certain automatic transmissions (manumatics such as Tiptronic) and continuous
variable transmissions (CVTs) (such as Lineartronic). Despite superficial similarity to other automated
transmissions, semi-automatic transmissions differ significantly in internal operation and driver's "feel"
from manumatics and CVTs. A manumatic, like a standard automatic transmission, uses a torque
converter instead of clutch to manage the link between the transmission and the engine, while a CVT
uses a belt instead of a fixed number of gears.

Overview
Lifting the gear shifter with the foot changes up a gear on a motorcycle.

Sequential manual transmissions works by providing the driver with the ability to select the gear directly
before or after the gear currently engaged. Usually the shift lever is pulled back to select the adjacent
higher gear and pushed forwards to select the adjacent lower gear. On a true sequential gearbox, the
shift lever operates a ratchet mechanism that converts the fore & aft motion of the shift lever into a rotary
motion. This rotary action turns a selector drum (sometimes called a barrel) which has three or four tracks
machined around its circumference. Running in the tracks are the selector forks, either directly or via
selector rods. These tracks deviate around the circumference and as the drum rotates, the selector forks
running in the tracks are moved to select the required gear. Only a true sequential transmission has a
shift mechanism that operates in this way.

Sequential gearboxes are also used in nearly all modern motorcycles as it is too cumbersome to have a
conventional H-pattern shifter and would take up too much space in the confines of a motorcycle frame.
Having control over the gear shifter, typically with the rider's left foot, frees their hands to operate both the
clutch and brake without letting go of the handlebars.

Sequential manual transmissions are true manual transmissions, and should not be confused
with automatic transmissions that provide some degree of user shifting input. One commercial example of
this type of automatic transmission is the Tiptronic transmission. User shifting through buttons or lever
does not necessarily mean that the transmission is a manual transmission.

[edit]Benefits

Beyond the ease of use from a driver's standpoint, an additional benefit of sequential manual gearboxes
is that use of the clutch via foot pedal or hand control can be minimized or completely obviated, with the
clutch only used for starting from a complete stop. Formula One cars of the 1990s made the most high-
profile debut of this technology in motor sports, and enhanced variations on this theme are still in use in
many forms of road racing and drag racing today. The simple push-pull action of the shift mechanism also
lends itself to semi-automatic control using either hydraulic or pneumatic actuators–a system often
referred to as paddle-shift. Instead of a manual gear lever, the driver is provided with (usually) a pair of
flipper paddles on the steering wheel, rally cars often utilize just a double-acting single paddle. Pulling on
the right-hand paddle makes an up-shift and pulling on the left-hand paddle makes a down-shift. The
paddle-shift system will use a sophisticated electronic control unit to provide the necessary logic to
operate the shift mechanism. This type of paddle-shift system fitted to race and rally cars should not be
confused with most of the current crop of so-called paddle-shift systems fitted to some high-end road
cars. More often than not, these systems are nothing more than conventional automatic transmissions
which allow driver input to select the gears.

[edit]Perceptions