Patent ID: 6106428
Filing Date: 2000-08-22
Classification: F16H

Abstract:
A continually variable transmission for a motor vehicle driven by a power source, comprising:an input shaft;an output shaft;a first drive mechanism having a first input on a first axis and a first output on a second axis, for producing a fixed ratio of the speed of said first input to the speed of said first output, the first input driving the first output without a torque transmission member interposed therebetween on an intervening axis;a second drive mechanism arranged in parallel with the first drive mechanism, having a second input and second output, for producing a stepless, continually variable range of ratios of the speed of said second input to the speed of said second output, the second drive mechanism having a lowest ratio produced by the second drive mechanism, the lowest ratio being higher than the fixed speed ratio produced by the first drive mechanism;a mode clutch for alternately driveably connecting and releasing either the members of a first group consisting of the first input and second input or the members of a second group consisting of the first output and second output; andmeans for driving the output shaft in the same direction as the input shaft and for reversing the direction of rotation of the output shaft relative to the direction of rotation of the input shaft.