Transmission

Claim 1

IN A POWER TRANSMISSION, A DIFFERENTIAL GEAR MECHANISM HAVING AN INPUT, A FIRST OUTPUT DRIVINGLY CONNECTED TO SAID INPUT BY A RATIO CHANGE GEAR TRAIN AND A SECOND OUTPUT DRIVINGLY CONNECTED TO SAID INPUT BY A SECOND RATIO CHANGE GEAR TRAIN; A TRANSMISSION OUTPUT CONNECTED TO SAID DIFFERENTIAL MECHANISM FIRST OUTPUT; A TORQUE CONVERTER COMPRISING MEANS DEFINING A CONTINUOUS FLUID CIRCUIT, A RADIAL FLOW CENTRIFUGAL PUMP IN SAID CIRCUIT CONNECTED TO SAID DIFFERENTIAL MECHANISM SECOND OUTPUT FOR ROTATION IN A FIRST DIRECTION; A REACTION TYPE TURBINE IN SAID CIRCUIT AND HAVING ITS OUTLET ADJACENT THE INLET OF SAID PUMP AND ITS BLADES DIRECTED TO DISCHARGE FLUID IN THE DIRECTION OF ROTATION OF SAID PUMP AT LEAST WHEN SAID TURBINE IS TRANSMITTING A TORQUE SUBSTANTIALLY ABOVE ZERO AND A CIRCUMFERENTIAL FLOW RETARDING STATOR INTERPOSED IN SAID CIRCUIT BETWEEN THE PUMP OUTLET AND THE TURBINE INLET, SAID REACTION TYPE TURBINE COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF TURBINE BLADES ADJACENTLY ARRANGED AND DELIMITING FLOW PASSAGES WITH EACH OF SAID FLOW PASSAGES HAVING AN INLET AND AN OUTLET AND PROVIDING A FLOW SECTION TRANSVERSELY OF THE DIRECTION OF FLUID FLOW WHICH IS NARROWER AT SAID OUTLET THAN AT SAID INLET, THE BLADES OF SAID TURBINE BEING SO ARRANGED WITH RESPECT TO THE DIRECTION OF FLUID FLOW TO ENABLE THE FLOW OF FLUID TO EFFECTUATE ROTATION OF SAID TURBINE IN A DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO THAT OF SAID PUMP; AND A TORQUE MULTIPLYING GEAR TRAIN DRIVE CONNECTING SAID TURBINE AND SAID FIRST OUTPUT; WHEREBY THE TORQUE TRANSMITTED TO SAID FIRST OUTPUT THROUGH SAID FIRST RATIO CHANGE GEAR TRAIN IS AUGMENTED BY THE TORQUE TRANSMITTED IN SERIES THERETO THROUGH SAID SECOND RATIO CHANGE GEAR TRAIN, SAID TORQUE CONVERTER AND SAID TORQUE MULTIPLYING GEAR TRAIN.