Toroidal-type transmission

Claim 1

A VARIABLE SPEED TRANSMISSION COMPRISING INPUT MEANS AND OUTPUT MEANS; A PAIR OF INPUT TOROIDAL DISC MEMBERS FIXED TO SAID INPUT MEANS; A PAIR OF OUTPUT TOROIDAL DISC MEMBERS SEPARATELY ROTATABLE WITH RESPECT TO SAID INPUT MEANS AND OPERABLY CONNECTED TO SAID INPUT MEANS WITH EACH OUTPUT TOROIDAL DISC MEMBER HAVING A TORIC SURFACE FACING A TORIC SURFACE ON ONE OF SAID INPUT TOROIDAL DISC MEMBERS; A PLURALITY OF CIRCUMFERENTIALLYSPACED ROLLERS DISPOSED BETWEEN SAID FACING TORIC SURFACES AND IN CONTACT WITH SAID SURFACES FOR TRANSMITTING TORQUE FROM SAID PAIR OF INPUT TOROIDAL DISC MEMBERS TO SAID PAIR OF OUTPUT TOROIDAL DISC MEMBERS, SAID TOROIDAL DISC MEMBERS EXERTING A TRACTIVE FORCE ON EACH ROLLER DURING ROTATION OF SAID TOROIDAL DISC MEMBERS; SUPPORTING MEANS FOR EACH ROLLER INCLUDING PIVOT MEANS PROVIDING FOR SPEEDRATIO-CHANGING MOVEMENT OF SAID ROLLERS ACROSS SAID TORIC SURFACES, EACH ROLLER SUPPORT MEANS ALSO INCLUDING MEANS PROVIDING FORM MOVEMENT OF ITS ROLLER IN A SECOND MODE SUCH THAT IN RESPONSE TO MOVEMENT OF SAID ROLLER IN SAID SECOND MODE SPEED-RATIO-CHANGING MOVEMENT OF SAID ROLLER IS INITIATED; A PLANETARY GEAR SYSTEM COMPRISING A PAIR OF PLANETARY GEAR SETS, EACH PLANETARY GEAR SET INCLUDING A FIRST GEAR MEMBER FOR ONE OF SAID OUTPUT TOROIDAL DISC MEMBERS, A SECOND GEAR MEMBER DRIVINGLY CONNECTED TO ONE OF A PAIR OF INPUT SHAFTS OF SAID INPUT MEANS, AND A PLURALITY OF PLANET PINION GEARS MESHING WITH SAID FIRST AND SECOND GEAR MEMBERS AND DRIVINGLY CONNECTED TO ONE OF A PAIR OF OUTPUT SHAFTS OF SAID OUTPUT MEANS; AND MEANS INCLUDING A VARIABLE HYDRAULIC CONTROL PRESSURE SOURCE FOR APPLYING AN EQUAL HYDRAULIC FORCE ON EACH ROLLER FOR PRODUCING MOVEMENT OF SAID ROLLERS IN SAID SECOND MODE IN RESPONSE TO CHANGES IN THE RELATIVE MAGNITUDE OF SAID TRACTION FORCES SO THAT EACH OF SAID OUTPUT SHAFTS WILL ROTATE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE RELATIVE SPEEDS OF ITS ASSOCIATED FIRST AND SECOND GEAR MEMBERS.