EP0179544A1 — Incrementally variable single countershaft transm…

Claim 1

Independent Claim 195 words

An incrementally variable transmission comprising at least one unit having a countershaft with one gear element of each pair of a sequence of gear pairs fixed thereto, the other gear element of the first two pairs being free to rotate on an input shaft and the other gear element of the remaining pairs being free to rotate on an output shaft, selection means for coupling either the first or the second gear pair to the input shaft in separate combinations with each of the remaining gear pairs that are coupled to the output shaft, beginning with the highest ratio gear-pair in the sequence; wherein the ratios of the first and second pairs are referenced from the input to the countershaft with the ratios of the remaining pairs referenced from the countershaft to the output shaft and wherein the ratios in the sequence are substantially in accordance with the progression where N is the number of gear pairs y is the ratio of the second gear pair and X is the basic increment of change in the effective ratios of the combinations and expressed as the number of ratios less one root, of the maximum ratio.

Claim 2

Dependent Claim 195 words

An incrementally variable transmission comprising at least one unit having a countershaft with one gear element of each pair of a sequence of gear pairs fixed thereto, the other gear element of the first two pairs being free to rotate on an input shaft and the other gear element of the remaining pairs being free to rotate on an output shaft, selection means for coupling either the first or the second gear pair to the input shaft in separate combinations with each of the remaining gear pairs that are coupled to the output shaft, beginning with the highest ratio gear-pair in the sequence; wherein the ratios of the first and second pairs are referenced from the input to the countershaft with the ratios of the remaining pairs referenced from the countershaft to the output shaft and wherein the ratios in the sequence are substantially in accordance with the progression where N is the number of gear pairs y is the ratio of the second gear pair and X is the basic increment of change in the effective ratios of the combinations and expressed as the number of ratios less one root, of the maximum ratio.

Claim 3

Dependent Claim 212 words

An incrementally variable single countershaft transmission comprising one or more units or structures each having at least three gear-pairs with ratios substantially in the order of the geometric progression, etc. wherein y is the ratio of a second gear-pair and both y and X are common constants in the ratios of all other gear-pairs where R is the maximum ratio and N is the number of gear-pairs in the structure, wherein the number of ratio-states T is, with each ratio-state defined as a function of X, wherein the gear-pairs with ratios X * y and y are referenced from an input shaft and the gear-pairs with ratios X 2 /y, X 4 /y, X 6 /y, being referenced from the countershaft; with a gear element of the gear-pairs with ratios X * y and y mounted free to rotate on and provided with a coupling means to the input shaft, and with a gear element of each of the gear-pairs with ratios X /y, X 4 /y, X 6 /y, mounted free to rotate i on and together with the gear element of the gear-pair with ratio y are provided with a coupling means to the output shaft; and with a second gear element of all the gear-pairs fixed to the countershaft.

Claim 4

Dependent Claim 212 words

An incrementally variable single countershaft transmission comprising one or more units or structures each having at least three gear-pairs with ratios substantially in the order of the geometric progression, etc. wherein y is the ratio of a second gear-pair and both y and X are common constants in the ratios of all other gear-pairs where R is the maximum ratio and N is the number of gear-pairs in the structure, wherein the number of ratio-states T is, with each ratio-state defined as a function of X, wherein the gear-pairs with ratios X * y and y are referenced from an input shaft and the gear-pairs with ratios X 2 /y, X 4 /y, X 6 /y, being referenced from the countershaft; with a gear element of the gear-pairs with ratios X * y and y mounted free to rotate on and provided with a coupling means to the input shaft, and with a gear element of each of the gear-pairs with ratios X /y, X 4 /y, X 6 /y, mounted free to rotate i on and together with the gear element of the gear-pair with ratio y are provided with a coupling means to the output shaft; and with a second gear element of all the gear-pairs fixed to the countershaft.

Claim 5

Dependent Claim 325 words

An incrementally variable single countershaft transmission comprising one or more units or structures each having three to five gear-pairs with ratios substantially in the order of the geometric progression, where ys is the ratio of a second gear-pair and both y and X are common constants in the ratios of all other gear-pairs, where R is the maximum ratio and N is the number of gear-pairs in the structure, wherein the number of ratio-states T is, with each ratio-state defined as a function of X is the following combinations, providing either ratio-states X 3 ,X 2 , X and 1 , or X 5 ,X 4 ,X 3 ,X 2 , X and 1, or X 7 , X 6 , X 5 , X 4 , x 3 , X 2 , X and 1, with respectively three, four and five gear-pairs in the structure; wherein the single structures comprise of coaxially mounted input and output shaft with abutting ends concentrically j ournaled and outer ends with journals in the casing of the transmission; a countershaft mounted free to rotate on a mandrel with ends fixed to the casing adjacent and parallel to the two coaxial shafts; the gear-pairs with ratios X * y and y are referenced from the input shaft and the gear-pairs with ratios X 2 /y, X 4 /y, X 6 /y being referenced from the countershaft; with a gear element of the gear-pairs with ratios X * y and y mounted free to rotate on and provided with a coupling means to the input shaft, and with a gear element of each of the gear-pairs with ratios X 2 /y, X 4 / y, X 6 / y mounted free to rotate on and together with the gear element of the gear-pair with ratio y are provided with a coupling means to the output shaft; and with a second gear element of all the gear-pairs fixed to the countershaft.

Claim 6

Dependent Claim 325 words

An incrementally variable single countershaft transmission comprising one or more units or structures each having three to five gear-pairs with ratios substantially in the order of the geometric progression, where ys is the ratio of a second gear-pair and both y and X are common constants in the ratios of all other gear-pairs, where R is the maximum ratio and N is the number of gear-pairs in the structure, wherein the number of ratio-states T is, with each ratio-state defined as a function of X is the following combinations, providing either ratio-states X 3 ,X 2 , X and 1 , or X 5 ,X 4 ,X 3 ,X 2 , X and 1, or X 7 , X 6 , X 5 , X 4 , x 3 , X 2 , X and 1, with respectively three, four and five gear-pairs in the structure; wherein the single structures comprise of coaxially mounted input and output shaft with abutting ends concentrically j ournaled and outer ends with journals in the casing of the transmission; a countershaft mounted free to rotate on a mandrel with ends fixed to the casing adjacent and parallel to the two coaxial shafts; the gear-pairs with ratios X * y and y are referenced from the input shaft and the gear-pairs with ratios X 2 /y, X 4 /y, X 6 /y being referenced from the countershaft; with a gear element of the gear-pairs with ratios X * y and y mounted free to rotate on and provided with a coupling means to the input shaft, and with a gear element of each of the gear-pairs with ratios X 2 /y, X 4 / y, X 6 / y mounted free to rotate on and together with the gear element of the gear-pair with ratio y are provided with a coupling means to the output shaft; and with a second gear element of all the gear-pairs fixed to the countershaft.

Claim 7

Dependent Claim 114 words

A transmission according to any one of claims 1 to 3 comprising a series arrangement of said units or structures with the ratios in their said gear-pairs substantially in a progressive relationship as defined by, where X u is a common constant in the ratios of all but a second u gear-pairs in structure u of a series of structures, and r r is the maximum ratio obtained in the said series prior u-1 to the addition of structure u, and with the number of ratios T in a series of single structures defined by, where T u and T u-1 are respectively the last and second to last single structures in the series.

Claim 8

Dependent Claim 207 words

5 . A unit or structure for a transmission according to any one of claims 1 to 4, the unit or structure having three gear-pairs, wherein the coupling means between the gear elements with ratios X * y and y and the input shaft is a sliding dog coupler axially movable between mating dogs attached to each of the two elements; the coupling means between the gear elements with ratios y and X2/y and the output shaft is a second sliding dog coupler axially movable between mating dogs attached to each of the two element; wherein each sliding dog coupler has a shift fork with axial movement on a rod as caused by profiled slot in a shift gate that together with the rod is held parallel and adjacent to the coaxial shafts by guide brackets of the casing, so that when the shift gate is indexed at right angles to the axis of the rod as caused by a shift lever with interconnecting sector plate rotatably mounted in the upper cover of the casing, the gear-pairs will be made active in the continuum of the transmission in combinations of permuted product that result in substantially the following ratio- states X 3 , X2, X and 1.

Claim 9

Dependent Claim 285 words

A unit or structure according to claim 5, with either four or five gear-pairs, wherein the sliding dog coupler mounted on the output shaft is keyed to a ring with internal and external splines, which is keyed to a first concentric shaft with affixed dogs and free to rotate on the output shaft, with the gear element with ration X /y free to rotate on the concentric shaft between the ring and affixed dogs, and the first concentric shaft being either adjacent to, a third sliding dog coupler keyed to the output shaft couperable to either the first concentric shaft or to one 4 gear element with ratios X /y mounted free to rotate on the output shaft, or, a second concentric shaft with sliding dog coupler, ring and dogs, with a gear element with ratios X 4 /y likewise mounted, and a fourth sliding dog coupler keyed to the output shaft and couperable to either the second concentric shaft or to one gear element with the ratio X /y mounted free to rotate on the output shaft, and with each added sliding dog coupler provided with a shift fork congruent with a profiled slot on the shift gate, so that when the shift gate is indexed at right angles to the axis of the rod the gear-pairs will be made active in the continuum of the transmission in combinations of permuted product that result in substantially the following ratio-states X , X 4 , X 3 , X 2 , X and 1 and X 7 , X 6 , X 5 , X 4 , X 3 , X 2 , X and 1 when the structures are respectively four and five gear-pairs.

Claim 10

Dependent Claim 161 words

A unit or structure according to claim 5 or claim 6 comprising a reverse mechanism having an additional profiled slot on the shift gate, a shift fork and sliding dog coupler with axial movement on the rod and keyed to the countershaft inboard of the last gear element which is detached and free to rotate on the mandrel and provided with dogs; a first reverse gear element with dogs and free to rotate on the countershaft between the coupler and a second to last gear element, therein is provided a spool with two idler gear element free to rotate on a mandrel affixed in the casing, with the one idler gear element congruent to the first reverse gear and the second idler gear element congruent to the last gear element free to rotate on the output shaft; wherefore when the first reverse gear is coupled to the countershaft by the sliding dog coupler a reversing means is provided in the structure.

Claim 11

Dependent Claim 150 words

A transmission according to any one of claims 2 to 4, having two or more series connected units or structures, according to claim 5 or claim 6 a reverse mechanism comprising a first reverse gear element free to rotate on a shaft to which is affixed a second reverse gear element, a shift fork and sliding dog coupler with attachment to the shaft and couperable to dogs affixed on the first reverse gear element, with journals on the mechanism in the casing so that the second reverse gear element is congruent to a first gear element affixed to the countershaft of a second structure, and the first reverse gear element is congruent to a last gear element mounted free to rotate on the output shaft of the first structure, so that when the two gear elements of the reverse mechanism are coupled a reversing means is provided in the transmission.

Claim 12

Dependent Claim 33 words

A transmission according to claim 3 or claim 4, comprising one or more units or structures according to claim 5 or claim 6 together with a unit or structre according to claim 7.

Incrementally variable single countershaft transmission

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