Patent ID: 6835153
Filing Date: 2004-12-28
Classification: F16H,Y10T

Abstract:
An infinitely variable transmission comprisingan angular velocity input member [12], an angular velocity output member [14], two parallel stages [18, 20] of cyclic angular velocity generating devices [24, 30], a drive arrangement [16] for applying angular velocity from the input member [12] to each of the angular velocity generating devices [24, 30], extraction devices [26, 32] which are each driven by a cyclic angular velocity generating device [24, 30] in each of the two stages [18, 20] which extracts the absolute maximum angular velocity pulsations from the cyclic angular velocity output of the cyclic angular velocity generating device [24, 30] which drives it, means for varying the amplitude of the cyclic angular velocity produced by at least one of the stages [18, 20], an arrangement [28, 34, 22] for summing and combining the pulsating angular velocity outputs from the extraction devices [26, 32] and applying a single non-pulsating output angular velocity to the output member [14], characterised in that: each of the cyclic angular velocity generating devices [24,30] includes two shafts which are coupled to each other by at least one universal joint, the drive means [16] includes a drive arrangement for driving the cyclic angular velocity generating devices [24,30] in each of the stages [18,20] in such a direction and fixed ratio of rotation relatively to the direction of rotation of the input member [12] so that each stage [18,20] produces the same number of angular velocity cycles per revolution of the input member [12], the amplitude varying means [126,128] is a control arrangement which interconnects one of the shafts of each of the cyclic angular velocity generating devices [24,30] in each of the stages [18,20] to those in the other stage [18,20] to enable the connected shafts in each stage to be concomitantly moved by the control arrangement in a predetermined angular relationship relatively to the connected shafts in the other stage [18,20] to enable the amplitudes of the cyclic angular velocities generated by the cyclic angular velocity generating devices [24,30] in that stage to be varied to correspond to the angular velocity amplitudes in the remaining stage [18,20], and means which is activated by the control arrangement for controlling the duration of each of the extract on device pulsations from at least one stage [18,20] in a predetermined relationship to the amplitudes of the cyclic angular velocities generated by the cyclic angular velocity generating devices [24,30], wherein the angular velocity generating stage [18] includes at least three cyclic angular velocity generating devices [24] and the angular velocity generating stage [20] two cyclic angular velocity generating devices [30].