Cooling and lubricating mechanism of toroidal continuously variable transmission

• US 20020049113A1
• Filed: 09/25/2001
• Published: 04/25/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Watanabe, Jun, Mori, Haruhito, Sagara, Eio
• Granted Patent: US 6,656,080 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 476/8
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 19/46 with one row or needles
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/6651 in recesses or cavities provided in retainers, races or rolling elements
• CPC Class Codes: F16C 33/6677 from radial inside, e.g. via a passage through the shaft and/or inner ring
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 15/38 with two members B having hollow toroid surfaces opposite to each other, the member or members A being adjustably mounted between the surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 57/0412 Cooling or heating; Control of temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 57/043 within rotary parts, e.g. axial channels or radial openings in shafts
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 57/049 of the toroid type

Abstract

Plural cooling passages 37a extending radially are formed from the inner circumference to the outer circumference and within an output disk 37 common to two toroidal transmission units. Lubricating oil which has reached an annular space between the output disk 37 and the main shaft 27 via holes 27f, 27g from an oil passage 27e in the main shaft 27, flows into the cooling passages 37a inside the output disk 37, and the output disk 37 is thereby cooled from inside.

Claims

1. A continuously variable transmission, comprising:

a main shaft comprising a lubricating oil passage formed inside thereof,

a pair of input disks provided on the main shaft, and rotating together with the main shaft,

an output disk being common to the input disks and disposed between the input disks rotatably fitted on the main shaft, and

power rollers gripped between the input disks and the output disk, wherein;

a cooling passage is formed in the output disk, extending from the inner circumference to the outer circumference of the output disk, and

lubricating oil in the lubricating oil passage is supplied to the cooling passage via a gap between the main shaft and the output disk.

2. The transmission as defined in claim 1, wherein:

plural cooling passages are formed radially in the output disk, extending from the inner circumference to the outer circumference of the output disk.

3. The transmission as defined in claim 1, wherein:

an inner circumferential groove is formed in the inner circumference of the output disk into which the cooling passage opens.

4. The transmission as defined in claim 3, wherein:

the main shaft comprises a hole which supplies the lubricating oil to both sides of the inner circumferential groove.

5. The transmission as defined in claim 3, further comprising:

a radial bearing which is separable in the radial direction and supports the output disk on the main shaft, and wherein;

the radial bearing is installed in an outer circumferential groove formed on the outer circumference of the main shaft, and

the width of the radial bearing is wider than the inner circumferential groove.

6. The transmission as defined in claim 1, wherein:

a disk gear for extracting power is provided on the outer circumference of the output disk, and

a passage which guides lubricating oil from the outer opening of the cooling passage to the bottom of the disk gear, is formed in the disk gear.

7. The transmission as defined in claims 1, wherein:

a disk gear for extracting power is provided on the outer circumference of the output disk,

a part of an opposite gear engaging with the disk gear extends further in an axial direction than the disk gear, and

lubricating oil which has flowed out from the cooling passage is received by the extension part of the opposite gear.

8. The transmission as defined in claim 1, further comprising:

a positioning member which positions the output disk in an axial direction, and wherein;

lubricating oil is introduced into the positioning member,

a hole is formed in the positioning member, and causes lubricating oil to flow toward the contact surface between the disks and power roller, and

a partition is provided on the positioning member which stops lubricating oil flowing from between the main shaft and the output disk to between the output disk and the positioning member, and prevents a collision with lubricating oil which has flowed out from the hole.