Variable gears

Abstract

Abstract THE SPECIFICATION DISCLOSES A STEPLESSLY-VARIABLE FRICTIONAL GEAR WHICH FINDS PARTICULAR UTILITY AS AN AUTOMOTIVE TRANSMISSION THE GEAR INCLUDES A KNOWN UNIT COMPRISING DRIVING AND DRIVEN CO-AXIAL DISCS HAVING TOROIDAL SURFACES WHICH ARE ARRANGED IN FACE TO FACE RELATION AND WHICH ARE ENGAGED BY ROLLERS WHOSE INCLINATIONS CAN BE VARIED TO VARY THE GEAR RATIO OF THE UNIT. COMBINED WITH THE LATTER ARE FIRST, CONSTANT-ENGAGEMENT DRIVE MEANS INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE INPUT OF THE GEAR AND THE DRIVING DISC OF THE UNIT AND SECOND, CONSTANT-ENGAGEMENT DRIVE MEANS INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE OUTPUT OF THE GEAR AND THE DRIVEN DISC, THE DISCS BEING ARRANGED SO THAT BY VARYING THE INCLIMATION OF THE ROLLERS THE GEAR GIVES: (1) A REVERSE REDUCTION DRIVE IN WHICH THE OUTPUT MEMBER ROTATES IN A DIRECTION OPPOSITE TO, AND AT A SPEED LESS THAN, THE INPUT MEMBER, (2) A NEUTRAL IN WHICH THE OUTPUT MEMBER IS STAIONARY AND THE FIRST AND SECOND INPUTS TO THE SECOND, CONSTANT-ENGAGEMENT DRIVE MEANS CANCEL EACH OTHER OUT, AND (3) A FORWARD DRIVE IN WHICH THE INPUT AND OUTPUT MEMBERS ROTATE IN THE SAME DIRECTION AND IN WHICH THE OUTPUT MEMBER ROTATES AT SPEEDS BOTH GREATER AND LESS THAN THE SPEED OF THE INPUT MEMBER.

Inventors

• 👤 Randle L Abbott
• 👤 Paul C Green

Bibliographic Details