Continuously variable transmission

Claim 1

A TRANSMISSION UNIT OF THE TYPE WHEREIN ROLLERS PROVIDE A DRIVING CONNECTION BETWEEN FACING TOROIDAL SURFACES OF AN INPUT DISC AND AN OUTPUT DISC JOURNALLED FOR ROTATION ABOUT A COMMON MAIN AXIS, EACH OF THE ROLLERS BEING MOUNTED FOR ROTATION ABOUT AN AXIS WHICH EXTENDS IN A GENERALLY RADIAL DIRECTION FROM, AND NORMALLY INTERSECTS, THE MAIN AXIS, A MOUNTING FOR EACH ROLLER COMPRISING A JOURNAL DEFINING THE SAID ROTATIONAL AXIS AND A SWIVEL BEARING AROUND WHICH THE JOURNAL CAN VARY ITS INCLINATION ABOUT A RATIO CHANGE AXIS WHICH IS NORMAL TO THE ROLLER ROTATIONAL AXIS AND WHICH LINES IN A PLANE INCLINED TO THE PLANE CONTAINING THE MAIN AXIS AND THE ROLLER CENTRE BY AN ANGLE DIFFERING FROM 90* BY A CAMBER ANGLE WHICH MAY BE ZERO, THE ROLLE CENTRE BEING DEFINED AS A POINT ON THE ROLLER ROTATIONAL AXIS AND BETWEEN TWO PLANES EACH OF WHICH CONTAINS AN OUTER EDGE OF THE RUNNING TRACK ON THE ROLLER WHICH MAKES DRIVING CONTACT WITH THE DISCS, THE ROLLER MOUNTING FURTHER COMPRISING MEANS FOR RESTRAINING ROTATION OF THE ROLLER ABOUT AN AXIS PASSING THROUGH ITS POINTS OF CONTACT WITH THE DISCS, MEANS FOR GUIDING THE ROLLER FOR BODILY MOTION IN A DIRECTION NORMAL TO ITS ROTATIONAL AXIS IN A MODE SUCH THAT THE ROTATIONAL AXIS MAY BE MOVED FROM A POSITION IN WHICH IT LIES IN A PLANE CONTAINING THE MAIN AXIS AND THE ROLLER CENTRE TO A POSITION IN WHICH IT LIES IN A PLANE PARALLEL TO THE FORMER PLANE BUT DISPLACED FROM THE MAIN AXIS CHARACTERISED IN THAT THE ROLLERS ARE INDIVIDUALLY COUPLED TO DIFFERENT SPACED APART THRUST RECEIVING POINTS ON A COMMON THRUST RECEIVING MEMBER BY MEANS OF ELEMENTS WHICH ACT INTERNALLY UPON THE INNER SURFACES OF THE JOURNALS OF THE ROLLERS RESPECTIVELY BUT ARE THEMSELVES ANCHORED AGAINST PARTICIPATION IN INCLINATION MOTIONS OF THE ROLLERS ABOUT THEIR RATIO CHANGE AXES AND CHARACTERISED IN THAT THE SAID RESTRAINING MEANS FOR EACH ROLLER COMPRISES AT LEAST ONE GUIDE MEMBER ANCHORED TO FIXED PARTS OF THE TRANSMISSION UNIT AND AT LEAST ONE SLIDE MEMBER CO-OPERATING WITH THE GUIDE MEMBER TO PROVIDE A SLIDE ASSEMBLY WHEREBY THE SLIDE MEMBER IS GUIDED FOR SLIDING IN A DIRECTION NORMAL TO THE MAIN AXIS.