Patent ID: 9551404
Date: 2017-01-24
CPC Classifications: F16H

Claim:
1. A variable transmission comprising: an input shaft; an output shaft; a first ring assembly rotatably disposed in a housing selectively drivingly engaged with the input shaft using a clutch, the first ring assembly configured to be prevented from rotating relative to the housing by a grounding clutch and the first ring assembly comprising a first variator ball engagement surface that is in driving engagement with a plurality of variator balls; a variator carrier assembly rotatably disposed in the housing and drivingly engaged with the input shaft using a sun gear on the input shaft, a plurality of planet gears rotatably disposed in the variator carrier assembly, and a fixed ring gear coupled to the housing, the variator carrier assembly comprising an annular arrangement of the plurality of tiltable variator balls each having ball axle shafts; and a second ring assembly rotatably disposed in the housing selectively drivingly engaged with the output shaft, the second ring assembly comprising and a second variator ball engagement surface that is in driving engagement with each of the variator balls; wherein said transmission has an infinitely variable operating mode and a continuously variable operating mode.