Automatic toroidal-type transmission

Claim 1

A VARIABLE SPEED TRANSMISSION AND CONTROL SYSTEM THEREFOR COMPRISING: (A) INPUT AND OUTPUT MEANS FOR TRANSMITTING TORQUE FROM A MOTIVE MEANS TO A DRIVEN MEANS; (B) CO-AXIAL INPUT AND OUTPUT MEMBERS RESPECTIVELY SUPPORTED FOR DRIVING CONNECTION TO SAID INPUT AND OUTPUT MEANS AND HAVING FACING TORIC SURFACES; (C) A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLY-SPACED ROLLERS DISPOSED BETWEEN AND IN CONTACTING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID SURFACES FOR TRANSMITTING TORQUE FROM THE INPUT MEMBER TO THE OUTPUT MEMBER; (D) SUPPORT MEANS FOR EACH ROLLER INCLUDING PIVOT MEANS PROVIDING FOR SPEED-RATIO CHANGING PIVOTAL MOVEMENT OF SAID ROLLERS ACROSS SAID TORIC SURFACES, EACH ROLLER SUPPORT MEANS ALSO INCLUDING MEANS PROVIDING FROM MOVEMENT OF ITS ROLLER IN A SECOND MODE SUCH THAT IN RESPONSE TO MOVEMENT IN SAID SECOND MODE SPEED-RATIO CHANGING MOVEMENT OF SAID ROLLER IS INITIATED; (E) SPEED-RATIO CONTROL MEANS INCLUDING, A SOURCE OF FLUID CONTROL PRESSURE, MEANS FOR APPLYING A FLUID CONTROL PRESSURE FORCE TO EACH ROLLER SUPPORT MEANS FOR CONTROLLING MOVEMENT OF EACH ROLLER IN ITS SECOND MODE, SPEED RESPONSIVE MEANS FOR SUPPLYING A FLUID PRESSURE FORCE WHOSE MAGNITUDE VARIES IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SPEED OF ONE OF SAID INPUT AND OUTPUT MEANS, MEANS RESPONSIVE TO A FLUID PRESSURE FORCE FROM SAID SPEED RESPONSIVE MEANS AND OPERABLY CONNECTED TO SAID MEANS FOR APPLYING A FLUID CONTROL PRESSURE FORCE TO EACH ROLLER SUPPORT MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY VARYING THE FLUID CONTROL PRESSURE FORCE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SPEED OF SAID ONE OF SAID INPUT AND OUTPUT MEANS, AND MEANS OPERABLY CONNECTED BETWEEN AT LEAST ONE ROLLER SUPPORT MEANS AND SAID MEANS FOR APPLYING A FLUID CONTROL PRESSURE FORCE TO EACH ROLLER SUPPORT MEANS AND BEING RESPONSIVE TO PIVOTAL AND SECOND MODE MOVEMENT OF SAID ROLLER MEANS FOR AUTOMATICALLY MODIFYING THE FLUID CONTROL PRESSURE FORCE TO EACH ROLLER SUPPORT MEANS SO THAT THE ROLLERS WILL BE STABILIZED AT A SPEED-RATIO POSITION DETERMINED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE SPEED OF SAID ONE OF SAID INPUT AND OUTPUT MEANS.