Continuously variable ratio transmission

This invention provides novel transmission means for interconnecting a rotary output shaft of drive means to a rotary input shaft of means to be driven by the drive means. Basically, the novel transmission means of the present invention comprises gear means mounted on base means for rotary movement relative thereto, with those gear means comprising first, second, third and fourth gears and each of those four gears including a hollow, fluid-receiving, radially inner hub portion that is rotatably mounted to the base means and a radially outer portion that is divided into plural segments, each having a radially outer end that is provided with teeth and a radially inner end comprising an arm mounted within the hollow hub portion for slidable movement relative thereto both towards and away from the radial center of the hub portion. The hub portion of the first gear is connectable to the output shaft, the hub portion of the fourth gear is connectable to the input shaft, and the hub portions of the second and third gears are connected to one another. The novel transmission means further includes first endless chain means engageable with the radially outer portions of the first and second gears to interconnect the same and second endless chain means engageable with the radially outer portions of the third and fourth gears to interconnect the same, as well as means for selectively supplying and removing pressurized fluid to and from the hollow hub portions of the gears for selectively slidably moving the segments of the gears radially outwardly and inwardly with respect to their hub portions.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
This invention relates to transmission means for interconnecting a rotary 
output shaft of drive means to a rotary input shaft of means to be driven 
by the drive means and, more particularly, to a continuously variable 
transmission for motor-powered vehicles. 
Heretofore, automatic and manually-operated transmissions for motorpowered 
vehicles have generally consisted of a combination of gears or sheaves 
having a radius of constant dimension interconnected by various means, 
such as endless chains, belts and the like. And, while several previous 
attempts have been made towards the employment in such transmission means 
of gears or sheaves having a variable radius dimension, as illustrated in 
U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,446,294; 1,486,590; 3,087,349; 3,230,788; 3,613,468 and 
3,798,989, as well as German Pat. Nos. 539,981 and 821,303, these 
prior-art forms have encountered diverse difficulties in their 
construction, operation and maintenance which the present invention seeks 
to mitigate or overcome. 
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
Basically, the novel transmission means of the present invention comprises 
gear means mounted on base means for rotary movement relative thereto, 
with those gear means comprising first, second, third and fourth gears and 
each of those four gears including a hollow, fluid-receiving, radially 
inner hub portion that is rotatably mounted to the base means and a 
radially outer portion that is divided into plural segments each having a 
radially outer end that is provided with teeth and a radially inner end 
comprising an arm mounted within the hollow hub portion for slidable 
movement relative thereto both towards and away from the radial center of 
the hub portion. The hub portion of the first gear is connectable to the 
output shaft, the hub portion of the fourth gear is connectable to the 
input shaft, and the hub portions of the second and third gears are 
connected to one another. The novel transmission means further includes 
first endless chain means engageable with the radially outer portions of 
the first and second gears to interconnect the same and second endless 
chain means engageable with the radially outer portions of the third and 
fourth gears to interconnect the same, as well as means for selectively 
supplying and removing pressurized fluid to and from the hollow hub 
portions of the gears for selectively slidably moving the segments of the 
gears radially outwardly and inwardly with respect to their hub portions 
to thus selectively vary the radius of each of the gears by thus moving 
the plural segments of each of the gears through several selectively 
variable radial positions as related to each gear hub portion. 
Preferably, the radially outer end of each of the plural gear segments has 
the general configuration of an arc and the arm of each of the gear 
segments has its long central axis generally aligned along the radial 
central axis of that arc. 
It is further desirable that guide means be mounted on each of the gear hub 
portions for synchronizing the slidable movement of the plural gear 
segments with respect to that gear hub portion so as to substantially 
equalize the radial spacing of all of the outer portions of the plural 
gear segments from the radial center of each gear hub portion in all of 
the several selectively variable radial positions to which said gear 
segments can be moved by the supplying and removing of the pressurized 
fluid to and from that gear hub portion.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
Turning now to the drawings and, more particularly, to FIG. 1 thereof, 
there is shown, diagramatically, a presently preferred form of the novel 
transmission means that is provided in accordance with the present 
invention for interconnecting a rotary output shaft O of a drive means 
(not shown) to a rotary input shaft I of a means to be driven (not shown) 
by the drive means. 
As further shown in drawing FIGS. 1-5, the novel transmission means that is 
provided in accordance with the present invention basically comprises gear 
means mounted on base means for rotary movement relative thereto, with 
those gear means including first 1, second 2, third 3 and fourth 4 
variable radius gears and each of those four gears 1, 2, 3 and 4 including 
a hollow, fluid-receiving radially inner hub portion H that is rotatably 
mounted to the base means and a radially outer portion that is divided 
into plural segments S (four as illustrated) each having a radially outer 
end provided with teeth T and a radially inner end comprising a hollow arm 
A mounted within a channel h formed in the hollow hub portion H for 
slidable movement towards and away from the radial center of that hub 
portion H. 
As further illustrated in drawing FIGS. 2-5, the radially outer end of each 
of the plural gear segments S has the general configuration of an arc and 
the arm A of each of the gear segments S has its long central axis 
generally aligned along the radial central axis of that arc. 
As yet further shown in drawing FIGS. 1-5, the hub portion H of the first 
gear 1 is connectable to the output shaft O via a clutch C, the hub 
portion of the fourth gear 4 is connectable to the input shaft I via an 
idler reversing gear B and the hub portions H of the second 2 and third 3 
gears are connected to one another via a rotatable shaft 5. And, the novel 
transmission means of the present invention further includes first endless 
chain means C1 engageable with the radially outer portions T of the first 
1 and second 2 gears to interconnect the same and second endless chain 
means C2 engageable with the radially outer portions T of the third 3 and 
fourth 4 gears to interconnect the same, as well as means, including: 
fluid reservoir R; pump means P; and valve means V1, V2, V3 and V4, for 
selectively supplying and removing pressurized fluid to and from the 
hollow hub portions H of the gears 1, 2, 3 and 4 via fluid conduit means F 
for selectively slidably moving the segments S of the gears 1, 2, 3 and 4 
radially outwardly and inwardly with respect to their hub portions H to 
thus selectively vary the radius dimension of each of the gears 1, 2, 3 
and 4. 
As additionally illustrated in drawing FIGS. 2-5, it is further desirable 
that guide means be mounted on each of the hub portions H of the four 
variable radius gears 1, 2, 3 and 4 for synchronizing the slidable 
movement of the plural gear segments S with respect to that gear hub 
portion H within the channels h so as to substantially equalize the radial 
spacing of all of the outer portions of the plural gear segments S from 
the radial center of each gear hub portions H in all of the several 
selectively variable radial positions to which those gear segments S of 
the variable radius gears 1, 2, 3 and 4 can be moved by the supplying and 
removing of the pressurized fluid to and from that gear hub portion 11 via 
selective operation of the valves V1, V2, V3 and V4 of the means P, R, V1, 
V2, V3 and V4 for selectively supplying and removing of fluid that can be 
stored in the reservoir R and pressurized by the pump P to and from each 
of the gears 1, 2, 3 and 4 via schematically illustrated fluid conduit 
means shown in drawing FIG. 1. 
As best shown in drawing FIGS. 2-5, the just-noted guide means can comprise 
idler gears 6 rotatably mounted on the hub portions H of each of the four 
variable radius gears 1, 2, 3 and 4 on opposite sides of each of the 
arm-receiving channels h for engagement with ratchet teeth 7 provided upon 
the radially inner end of a guide rod 8 that is mounted within the hollow 
arm A of each of the plural gear segments S and also generally aligned 
along the radial central axis of the generally arc-configured outer 
portion of each of the variable radius gear segments S so as to 
substantially equalize the radial spacing of all of the outer portions of 
the plural gear segments S from the radial center of each of the hub 
portions H of all four of the variable radius gears 1, 2, 3 and 4 in all 
of the aforenoted several selectively variable radial positions to which 
those gear segments S can be moved by supplying and removing of 
pressurized fluid from the reservoir R via the pump P and fluid conduit 
means F to and from the gear hub portions H via selective operation of the 
four valves V1, V2, V3 and V4. 
Furthermore, with the illustrated four movable gear segments S per each 
variable radius gear shown in drawing FIG. 3, the teeth of each of the two 
adjacent idler gears 6 are also meshed with one another such that movement 
of either one of those two enmeshed idler gears 6 by the arm guide rod 
ratchet teeth 7 engaged with it will also cause equal radial movement of 
the other guide rod 8 and the gear segment S to which it is connected. 
And, as still further shown in drawing FIGS. 2-5, the aforenoted guide 
means can further include a pair of elongate guide slots 9 provided in 
radially outward extensions 10 of the hub portion H of each of the 
variable radius gears 1, 2, 3 and 4 for receiving for slidable movement 
therein a pair of guide pins 11 that are respectively mounted adjacent to 
the circumferentially opposite ends of the generally arc-configured outer 
end portion of each of the radially movable gear segments S to further 
guide each such gear segments S in its slidable radial movement with 
respect to its associated gear hub portion H. As best illustrated in 
drawing FIGS. 3-5, these paired guide slots 9 are spaced apart from one 
another with their long axes arranged generally parallel to one another on 
opposite sides of each arm-receiving channel h of the hollow hub portion H 
of each of the four variable radius gears 1, 2, 3 and 4. 
It should be apparent that while there has been described what is currently 
considered to be a presently preferred form of the present invention in 
accordance with the Patent Statutes, changes may be made in the disclosed 
apparatus without departing from the true spirit and scope of this 
invention. It is, therefore, intended that the appended claims shall cover 
such modifications and applications that may not depart from the true 
spirit and scope of the present invention.