Continuously variable transmission
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A transmission comprising:
- a first disc mounted coaxially about a longitudinal axis of the transmission;
a plurality of tiltable balls placed angularly about the longitudinal axis and in contact with the first disc;
a second disc mounted coaxially about the longitudinal axis of the transmission and in contact with the plurality of tiltable balls;
an idler placed radially inward of, and in contact with, the plurality of tiltable balls;
a cage operably coupled to the plurality of balls; and
a first planetary gear set having a ring gear, a carrier, and a sun gear, wherein at least one of the first disc, second disc, idler, and cage are adapted to couple to the planetary gear set;
a first gear shaft coupled to the first planetary gear set, the first gear shaft lying along the longitudinal axis of the transmission;
a second planetary gear set having a ring gear, a carrier, and a sun gear, the second planetary gear set operably coupled to the first planetary gear set; and
a second gear shaft coupled to the second planetary gear set, the second gear shaft parallel to the longitudinal axis.
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Abstract
A variable speed transmission having a plurality of tilting balls and opposing input and output discs is illustrated and described that provides an infinite number of speed combinations over its transmission ratio range. The use of a planetary gear set allows minimum speeds to be in reverse and the unique geometry of the transmission allows all of the power paths to be coaxial, thereby reducing overall size and complexity of the transmission in comparison to transmissions achieving similar transmission ratio ranges.
458 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A transmission comprising:
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a first disc mounted coaxially about a longitudinal axis of the transmission; a plurality of tiltable balls placed angularly about the longitudinal axis and in contact with the first disc; a second disc mounted coaxially about the longitudinal axis of the transmission and in contact with the plurality of tiltable balls; an idler placed radially inward of, and in contact with, the plurality of tiltable balls; a cage operably coupled to the plurality of balls; and a first planetary gear set having a ring gear, a carrier, and a sun gear, wherein at least one of the first disc, second disc, idler, and cage are adapted to couple to the planetary gear set; a first gear shaft coupled to the first planetary gear set, the first gear shaft lying along the longitudinal axis of the transmission; a second planetary gear set having a ring gear, a carrier, and a sun gear, the second planetary gear set operably coupled to the first planetary gear set; and a second gear shaft coupled to the second planetary gear set, the second gear shaft parallel to the longitudinal axis. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A transmission comprising:
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a first disc mounted coaxially about a longitudinal axis of the transmission; a plurality of tiltable balls placed angularly about the longitudinal axis and in contact with the first disc; a second disc mounted coaxially about the longitudinal axis of the transmission and in contact with the plurality of tiltable balls; an idler placed radially inward of, and in contact with, the plurality of tiltable balls; a cage operably coupled to the plurality of balls; and a first planetary gear set having a ring gear, a carrier, and a sun gear, wherein at least two of the first disc, second disc, idler, and cage are adapted to couple to the planetary gear set; a first gear shaft coupled to the first planetary gear set, the first gear shaft lying along the longitudinal axis of the transmission; a second planetary gear set having a ring gear, a carrier, and a sun gear, the second planetary gear set operably coupled to the first planetary gear set; and a second gear shaft coupled to the second planetary gear set, the second gear shaft parallel to the longitudinal axis. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17)
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18. A transmission comprising:
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a first disc mounted coaxially about a longitudinal axis of the transmission; a plurality of tiltable balls placed angularly about the longitudinal axis and in contact with the first disc; a second disc mounted coaxially about the longitudinal axis of the transmission and in contact with the plurality of tiltable balls; an idler placed radially inward of, and in contact with, the plurality of tiltable balls; a cage operably coupled to the plurality of balls; and a first planetary gear set having a ring gear, a carrier, and a sun gear, wherein at least three of the first disc, second disc, idler, and cage are adapted to couple to the planetary gear set; a first gear shaft coupled to the first planetary gear set, the first gear shaft lying along the longitudinal axis of the transmission; a second planetary gear set having a ring gear, a carrier, and a sun gear, the second planetary gear set operably coupled to the first planetary gear set; and a second gear shaft coupled to the second planetary gear set, the second gear shaft parallel to the longitudinal axis. - View Dependent Claims (19, 20)
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Specification