Variable speed transmission mechanism

Claim 1

A VARIABLE SPEED TRANSMISSION MECHANISM COMPRISING AN INPUT SHAFT ADAPTED TO BE DRIVEN FROM A PRIME MOVER, AN OUTPUT SHAFT, DIFFERENTIAL GEARING HAVING THREE INTERMESHING ROTATABLE ELEMENTS, ONE OF WHICH IS A ROTATABLE SPIDER HAVING FREELY ROTATABLE PLANET GEARS MOUNTED THEREON AND THE OTHER TWO BEING SUN GEARS WHICH ARE IN INTERMESHING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID PLANET GEARS, ONE OF THE SUN GEAR ROTATABLE ELEMENTS BEING CONNECTED TO THE OUTPUT SHAFT AND ONE OF THE OTHER TWO INTERMESHING ROTATABLE ELEMENTS BEING CONNECTED TO THE DRIVEN INPUT SHAFT AND SPEED VARIATOR MEANS DRIVINGLY CONNECTING THE REMAINING INTERMESHING ROTATABLE ELEMENT TO THE INPUT SHAFT, SAID SPEED VARIATOR MEANS COMPRISING TWO PAIRS OF UNIDIRECTIONAL SPEED VARIATOR DEVICES, EACH SPEED VARIATOR DEVICE CONSISTING OF TWO COACTING WHEELS OF WHICH ONE HAS A TOOTHED ANNULUS AND THE OTHER HAVING PAWLS MOUNTED THEREON AND ENGAGING SAID TOOTHED ANNULUS FOR MOTION TRANSMISSION, EACH PAIR OF SPEED VARIATOR DEVICES HAVING A TOOTHED ANNULUS WHEEL OF ONE OF THE TWO COACTING WHEELS OF ONE SPEED VARIATOR DEVICE IN THE PAIR AND A PAWL MOUNTING WHEEL OF THE OTHER OF THE TWO COACTING WHEELS OF THE OTHER SPEED VARIATOR DEVICE IN THE PAIR WHICH ARE TOGETHER TRANSVERSELY MOVABLE RELATIVE TO THE AXIS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE COACTING WHEELS FROM A POSITION COAXIAL WITH SAID RESPECTIVE FIXED COACTING WHEELS TO POSITIONS ECCENTRIC TO THE AXIS OF THE RESPECTIVE FIXED COACTING WHEELS FOR MOTION TRANSMISSION AT EQUAL AND AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS THAN THE SPEEDS OF SAID RESPECTIVE FIXED COACTING WHEELS RESPECTIVELY, ONE PAIR OF SAID TWO PAIRS OF SPEED VARIATOR DEVICES HAVING ITS INPUT END CONNECTED IN MOTION TRANSMISSIBLE FASHION TO SAID INPUT SHAFT AND ITS OUTPUT END SIMILARLY CONNECTED TO THE SAID REMAINING ELEMENT OF THE OTHER TWO INTERMESHING ROTARY ELEMENT OF THE DIFFERENTIAL GEARING AND THE OTHER PAIR OF SPEED VARIATOR DEVICES HAVING ITS INPUT END CONNECTED IN MOTION TRANSMISSIBLE FASHION TO THE SAID REMAINING INTERMESHING ROTARY ELEMENT OF THE DIFFERENTIAL GEARING AND ITS OUTPUT END SIMILARLY CONNECTED TO THE INPUT SHAFT, AT LEAST ONE CARRIER IN WHICH THE LATERALLY MOVABLE WHEELS OF THE TWO PAIRS OF UNIDIRECTIONAL SPEED VARIATOR DEVICES ARE MOUNTED, AND LEVER OPERATING MEANS FOR MOVING SAID CARRIER, WHEREBY WHEN SAID LATERALLY MOVABLE WHEELS OF ONE PAIR OF VARIATOR DEVICES ARE LATERALLY DISPLACED FOR SPEED VARIATION FROM A NON-SPEED VARIATING POSITION, THE LATERALLY MOVABLE WHEELS OF THE OTHER PAIR OF SPEED VARIATORS ARE DISPLACED FROM THEIR SPEED VARIATING POSITION TOWARDS THEIR NON-SPEED VARIATING POSITION, SO THAT FORWARD SPEEDS OF THE OUTPUT SHAFT FROM ZERO UP TO FULL SPEED OF THE PRIME MOVER DRIVING THE INPUT SHAFT AND UPWARDLY THEREOF TO AN OVERDRIVE SPEED OF THE MECHANISM OF POSSIBLE WHEREAS THE SAID OUTPUT SHAFT IS CAPABLE OF REVERSE ROTATION AT SPEEDS FROM ZERO UP TO A PREDETERMINED LIMITED SPEED.