TRANSMISSION AND CONTROL SYSTEM

• US 3,574,289 A
• Filed: 05/06/1969
• Issued: 04/13/1971
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/1969
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Dickenbrock Frank, Milton H. Shelter
• Original Assignee: Dickenbrock Frank, Milton H. Shelter
• Inventors: Shelter, Milton H., DICKENBROCK FRANK
• Application Number:
  US04/822,122
• Time in Patent Office: 707 Days
• US Class Current: 477/31
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 47/065 the mechanical gearing being of the friction or endless flexible member type
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/6648 controlling of shifting being influenced by a signal derived from the engine and the main coupling

Abstract

A friction roller transmission including a prime mover, shaft means driven thereby, a pair of input races secured to the shaft means, a pair of output races secured to output shaft means, a set of rollers frictionally rotatable and tiltable between each set of input and output races for permitting continuously variable output/input speed ratios, hydraulic control means for automatically changing the tilt position of the rollers in order to select desired speed ratios in response to three variable input parameters, differential means for averaging speed differences between toric sections as received from the output shaft means, gear means for transferring the rotary output from the differential means to a fluid torque converter, first clutch means for connecting a final output shaft to the converter for forward vehicle operation, and second clutch means for connecting the final output shaft to the converter for reverse vehicle operation.

Claims

1. A toric transmission for use with a prime mover, said transmission comprising a housing, input shaft means extending into said housing from said prime mover, a pair of input races secured to said input shaft means, an output race opposing each of said pair of input races, a set of rollers frictionally rotatable and tiltable between each set of input and output races for permitting continuously variable output/input speed ratios, hydromechanical control means operatively connected to said rollers for automatically changing the tilt position of said rollers in response to a plurality of variable input parameters, output means operatively connected to said output races, a fluid torque converter operatively connected to said output means for receiving the rotary output from said output races for torque multiplication thereof, a final output shaft for receiving the output from said converter, first clutch means for connecting said final output shaft to said converter for forward operation, and second clutch means for connecting said final output shaft to said converter for reverse operation.

2. A toric transmission for use with a prime mover, said transmission comprising a housing, input shaft means extending into said housing from said prime mover, a pair of input races secured to said input shaft means, an output race opposing each of said pair of input races, a set of rollers frictionally rotatable and tiltable between each set of input and output races for permitting continuously variable output/input speed ratios, hydromechanical control means operatively connected to said rollers for automatically changing the tilt position of said rollers in response to a plurality of variable input parameters, output means operatively connected to said output races, differential means operatively connected to said output means for averaging speed differences between said respective sets of races and rollers as received from said output shaft means, a fluid torque converter for receiving the rotary output from said differential means for torque multiplication thereof, gear means operatively connected to said differential means for transferring said rotary output from said differential means to said fluid torque converter, a final output shaft for receiving the output from said converter, first clutch means for connecting said final output sHaft to said converter for forward operation, and second clutch means for connecting said final output shaft to said converter for reverse operation.

3. The toric transmission described in claim 2, and axial loader means operatively connected to one of said races and to one of said input shaft and output means for maintaining said rollers in frictional contact with said races.

4. The toric transmission described in claim 2, wherein said differential means and said output means include a sun gear operatively connected to one of said output races, a carrier operatively connected to the other of said output races, a plurality of pinion gears rotatably connected to said sun gear and to said carrier, and a ring gear rotatably connected to said pinion gears.

5. The toric transmission described in claim 4, wherein said gear means includes a first bevel gear secured to said ring gear and a second bevel gear secured to said fluid torque converter and meshing with said first bevel gear.

6. The toric transmission described in claim 2, wherein said hydromechanical control means includes support means secured to said housing, a ratio control collar rotatably mounted in said support means parallel to and intermediate each set of input and output races, mast means secured to said support means and extending into the center of each of said rollers, carrier means pivotably mounted on each of said mast means in said center and including an extension pivotably connected to said collar, bearing means mounted on each of said carrier means for rotatably supporting one of said rollers, linkage means operatively connected to said collar for rotating said collar and thereby inclining said extension, carrier and roller, and hydraulic means operatively connected to said linkage means for actuating said linkage means.

7. The invention defined in claim 6, wherein said hydraulic means includes governor means providing a signal indicative of input speed, second means providing s signal indicative of a second parameter under all operating conditions, and ratio regulating valve means for regulating a ratio pressure varying with said governor speed signal and said second parameter signal and supplying a resultant signal for actuating said linkage means.

8. In a transmission, an input, an output, a fluid-operated continuously variable transmission connecting said input to said output and having fluid motor means to continuously vary the ratio drive, a source of fluid under pressure, governor means providing a governor speed signal varying with engine speed, torque demand means providing a torque demand signal varying with torque demand over the complete power range, a ratio regulator valve means for regulating a ratio signal pressure varying with said governor speed signal and said torque demand signal, and means responsive to said ratio signal pressure acting on said fluid motor means to continuously vary said ratio drive.

9. The invention defined in claim 8 and speed control valve means for further controlling said ratio signal pressure in accordance with transmission speed.

10. The invention defined in claim 8 and high speed control valve means for controlling said ratio signal pressure to limit the high transmission input speed.

11. The invention defined in claim 8 and low speed control valve means for reducing the ratio signal pressure in a low transmission speed ratio.

12. The invention defined in claim 8 and forward and reverse clutches for alternately controlling the direction of rotation of said output, and manual selector valve means for supplying said fluid under pressure to one of said clutches in response to the manual selection of one of a plurality of operational drive conditions.

13. The invention defined in claim 12 and inhibitor means operatively connected to said manual selector valve means and responsive to said governor speed signal for preventing said manual selector valve means from being moved into at least one of said operational drive conditionS at and above a predetermined input speed.

14. The invention defined in claim 8 and flow control valve means for receiving the signal from said ratio regulator valve means and applying same to said means responsive to said ratio signal pressure to control the direction of variation of said ratio drive.

15. The invention defined in claim 14 and a servopiston responsive to the fluid signal from said flow control valve for actuating said fluid motor at times in one of two directions of variation of said ratio drive and at times in the other of said two directions of variation of said ratio drive.

16. The invention defined in claim 15 and ratio position valve means operatively connected to said servopiston for transmitting a fluid signal representative of the ratio drive position.

17. The invention defined in claim 16 and exhaust valve means operatively connected to said ratio regulator valve means and responsive to said ratio position valve means and to one of said governor and torque demand means for preventing ratio drive positions of less than 1:

1 output/input speed ratio during normal driving and acceleration.

18. A toric transmission for use with a prime mover, said transmission comprising a housing, input means extending into said housing from said prime mover, an input race secured to said input means, an output race, a roller frictionally rotatable and tiltable between said races for providing continuously variable output/input speed ratios, output means secured to said output race, and hydraulic control means operatively connected to said rollers for changing the tilt position of said rollers in response to a plurality of variable input parameters from said prime mover, said hydraulic control means including a source of fluid under pressure, manual selector valve means for receiving said fluid under pressure and selecting any one of one neutral, two forward and one reverse drive conditions, a servopiston operatively connected to said rollers for actuating the tilt of said rollers alternately in increasing and decreasing speed ratio directions, flow control valve means for directing fluid to said servopiston for reciprocal operation thereof, governor means for providing a fluid signal indicative of input speed, torque demand means for providing a fluid signal indicative of torque demand over the complete power range, valve means responsive to said torque demand and said speed signals for providing regulated pressure to said flow control valve means when said manual selector valve means is in one of said two forward positions.

19. In a transmission, an input, an output, a fluid-operated continuously variable transmission section connecting said input to said output, and having hydraulic means operatively connected to said continuously variable transmission section to continuously vary the drive ratio, said hydraulic means including pump means for supplying fluid under pressure, a centrifugally-operated governor for receiving said fluid under pressure and transmitting said fluid therefrom at a pressure reflective of engine speed, a gasifier discharge pressure valve for receiving said fluid under pressure and transmitting said fluid therefrom at a pressure reflective of compressor discharge pressure, and valve means for receiving said fluid under pressure and said fluid under pressures reflective of engine speed and compressor discharge pressure and regulating same to transmit a fluid signal to said continuously variable transmission section indicative of the combination thereof for moving said continuously variable transmission section to a new output/input speed ratio position to produce a desired engine operation.

20. In a transmission, an input, an output, a fluid-operated continuously variable position-sensitive toric section connecting said input to said output, linkage means operatively connected to said position-sensitive toric section, hydraulic means operatively connected to said linkage means for actuating said linkage means to continuously vary the drive ratio of said position-sensitive toric section, said hydraulic means including pump means for supplying fluid under pressure, a centrifugally-actuated governor for receiving said fluid under pressure and transmitting said fluid therefrom at a pressure reflective of engine speed, a gasifier discharge pressure valve for receiving said fluid under pressure and transmitting said fluid therefrom at a pressure reflective of compressor discharge pressure, and valve means for receiving said fluid under pressure and said fluid under pressures reflective of engine speed and compressor discharge pressure and regulating same to transmit a fluid signal to said linkage means indicative of the combination thereof for actuating said linkage means to move said position-sensitive toric section to a new output/input speed ratio position to produce a desired engine operation, and a torque converter for receiving said output from said position-sensitive toric section for permitting large accessory speeds to be handled on the input side of said transmission with substantially no effect beyond said position-sensitive toric section.