Infinitely variable power transmission control system

Claim 1

IN A DRIVELINE FOR A WHEELED VEHICLE, AN INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE HAVING AN AIR-FUEL MIXTURE INTAKE MANIFOLD AND A MIXTURE FLOW CONTROLLING THROTTLE VALVE, AN INFINITELY VARIABLE FRICTION DRIVE COMPRISING FIRST FRICTION ELEMENTS DRIVABLY CONNECTED TO SAID ENGINE, SECOND FRICTION ELEMENTS CONNECTED TO DRIVEN PORTIONS OF THE DRIVELINE, THIRD FRICTION ELEMENTS ENGAGEABLE WITH BOTH SAID FIRST AND SAID SECOND FRICTION ELEMENTS AND ADAPTED THEREBY TO ESTABLISH A FRICTIONAL DRIVING CONNECTION THEREBETWEEN, FLUID PRESSURE OPERATED SERVO MEANS INCLUDING A PRESSURE OPERATED PISTON FOR VARYING THE POSITIONS OF SAID THIRD ELEMENTS RELATIVE TO SAID FIRST AND SECOND ELEMENTS THEREBY PROVIDING AN INFINITELY VARIABLE SPEED RATIO CHANGE, . A FLUID PRESSURE SOURCE, CONDUIT STRUCTURE INTERCONNECTING SAID SOURCE AND SAID SERVO MEANS, VALVE MEANS DISPOSED IN AND PARTLY DEFINING SAID CONDUIT STRUCTURE FOR DISTRIBUTING PRESSURE TO SPACED PORTIONS OF SAID SERVO MEANS INCLUDING AN ADJUSTABLE VALVE ELEMENTS ADAPTED TO EFFECT A PRESSURE UNBALANCE ACROSS SAID PISTON IN ONE DIRECTION WHEN IT ASSUMES ONE POSITION AND TO EFFECT A PRESSURE UNBALANCE ACROSS SAID PISTON IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION WHEN IT ASSUMES ANOTHER POSITION, A PERSONALLY OPERABLE ACCELERATOR, A CALIBRATED COMMAND MECHANISM INTERCONNECTING SAID THROTTLE VALVE AND SAID ACCELERATOR WHEREBY SAID ENGINE IS ADAPTED TO OPERATE WITH THE RATIO OF TRANSMISSION EFFICIENCY TO BRAKE SPECIFIC FUEL CONSUMPTION AT AN APPROXIMATELY MAXIMUM VALUE FOR ANY GIVEN ENGINE SPEED, A MOTION TRANSMITTING CONNECTION BETWEEN SAID ACCELERATOR AND SAID VALVE ELEMENT FOR URGING THE LATTER IN ONE DIRECTION WITH A FORCE THAT IS RELATED FUNCTIONALLY IN MAGNITUDE TO ACCELERATE MOVEMENT, AN ENGINE DRIVEN FLUID PRESSURE GOVERNOR, A FED BACK MECHANISM INCLUDING A PRESSURE SENSITIVE MEMBER CONNECTED T SAID VALVE ELEMENT, AND A FLUID CONNECTION BETWEEN SAID GOVERNOR AND SAID PRESSURE SENSITIVE MEMBER FOR SUBJECTING THE LATTER TO A SPEED SIGNAL THAT OPPOSES THE EFFECT OF THE COMMAND SIGNAL IMPOSED BY SAID COMMAND MECHANISM WHEREBY THE ENGINE IS CAUSED TO OPERATE AT AN APPROXIMATELY CONSTANT SPEED FOR ANY GIVEN ACCELERATOR POSITION.