Continuously variable gear transmission

• US 9,683,638 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2013
• Issued: 06/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fallbrook Intellectual Property Company LLC (Fallbrook Technologies Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Fallbrook Intellectual Property Company LLC (Fallbrook Technologies Incorporated)
• Inventors: Kolstrup, Anders
• Primary Examiner(s): Joyce, William C
• Application Number:
  US13/938,056
• Publication Number:
  US 20130337971A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,442 Days
• Field of Search: 476 38, 475189
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 15/28 with external friction surface
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 15/40 in which two members co-operative by means of balls, or rollers of uniform effective diameter, not mounted on shafts

Abstract

A continuously variable gear can include an input shaft, a plurality of traction balls distributed radially around the axis, each traction ball is mounted on an axle passing there through, the axles are tiltable in the radial grooves in the housing and support plate. To control the position of the traction balls, the axles are guided in curved slots of a turnable iris plate. To control the axial placement of the traction balls, there is a rotatable input disc positioned adjacent to the traction balls, a rotatable output disc positioned adjacent to the traction balls opposite the input disc, and a pre-spanning ring around the traction balls such that each of the traction balls is making three-point contact with the input disc, the output disc and the pre-spanning ring, the contact surface of the pre-spanning ring having a specific curvature larger than the radius of the traction balls.

Claims

1. A continuously variable gear transmission comprising:

a housing;

an input shaft connected to an input disc;

an output shaft connected to an output disc;

a plurality of traction balls each having a radius (r) and being distributed radially around the input and output discs;

a rotatable pre-spanning ring, said traction balls each being mounted for rotation around a rotation axis, the angle of the rotation axes being controlled for controlling the transmission ratio of the gear transmission, said traction balls having three-point contact with the input disc, the output disc, and the pre-spanning ring, respectively, the pre-spanning ring being mounted axially displaceable and having a curvature of the surface in contact with the traction balls, said curvature being larger than the radius (r) of the traction balls; and

a disengagement mechanism for disengaging the input disc from the traction balls, the disengagement being performed with the transmission in a low gearing position, the disengagement mechanism comprising ramps provided on an iris plate, said ramps forcing the input disc to a position out of engagement with the traction balls.

2. A continuously variable gear transmission in accordance with claim 1, said traction balls being mounted on axles for rotation thereon, said axles extending pivotably through radial grooves in said housing and a support plate and through spiral grooves in the iris plate for controlling the angles of the axles.

3. A continuously variable gear transmission in accordance with claim 1, further comprising an axial force generator between the input shaft and the input disc.

4. A continuously variable gear transmission in accordance with claim 3, the forces of the axial force generator being transmitted internally from the input shaft to the input disc and via the traction balls to the output disc and through a thrust bearing back to the input shaft.

5. A continuously variable gear transmission in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a support plate having a minor rotational play around its ideal aligned position.

6. A continuously variable gear transmission in accordance with claim 1, the pre-spanning ring being positioned on the outside of the traction balls.

7. A continuously variable gear transmission in accordance with claim 1, configured to drive a compressor or a ventilator.

8. A continuously variable gear transmission comprising:

a housing;

an input shaft connected to an input disc;

an output shaft connected to an output disc;

a plurality of traction balls each having a radius (r) and being distributed radially around the input and output discs, said traction balls being mounted on axles for rotation thereon, said axles extending pivotably through radial grooves in said housing and a support plate and through spiral grooves in an iris plate for controlling the angles of the axles;

a rotatable pre-spanning ring, said traction balls each being mounted for rotation around a rotation axis, the angle of the rotation axes being controlled for controlling the transmission ratio of the gear transmission, said traction balls having three-point contact with the input disc, the output disc, and the pre-spanning ring, respectively, the pre-spanning ring being mounted axially displaceable and having a curvature of the surface in contact with the traction balls, said curvature being larger than the radius (r) of the traction balls; and

ramps provided on the iris plate, said ramps forcing the input disc to a position out of engagement with the traction balls.

9. A continuously variable gear transmission in accordance with claim 8, further comprising a disengagement mechanism for disengaging the input disc from the traction balls, the disengagement being performed with the transmission in a low gearing position.

10. The continuously variable gear transmission in accordance with claim 8, further comprising an axial force generator between the input shaft and the input disc.

11. The continuously variable gear transmission in accordance with claim 10, the forces of the axial force generator being transmitted internally from the input shaft to the input disc and via the traction balls to the output disc and through a thrust bearing back to the input.

12. The continuously variable gear transmission in accordance with claim 8, the pre-spanning ring being positioned on the outside of the traction balls.

13. A continuously variable gear transmission in accordance with claim 8, configured to drive a compressor or a ventilator.