Abstract:
A continuously variable transmission having two pairs of conical disks operatively connected by an endless torque-transmitting belt. One of each of the disk pairs is axially movable relative to the other along a supporting shaft. The movable disk includes an inner tooth system that engages with an outer tooth system formed on the supporting shaft. The internal tooth system can be produced by a broaching process. The inner tooth system extends outwardly of the conical disk.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION  
       [0001]     This is a continuation of International Application Serial No. PCT/DE2003/002877, with an international filing date of Aug. 30. 2003. and designating the United States, the entire contents of which is hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if fully rewritten. 
     
    
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0003]     The invention concerns a steplessly adjustable, belt-driven conical-pulley transmission with two conical disk pairs that are adjustable in relation to each other—one on the input and one on the output side—whereby at least one of the conical disk pairs includes an axially displaceable conical disk with an inner tooth system, whereby that inner tooth system is in engagement with an outer tooth system carried by a shaft for torque transmission. The shaft on the input side is thereby connected with the second conical disk of the corresponding pair.  
         [0004]     2. Description of the Related Art  
         [0005]     Such belt-driven conical-pulley transmissions have become known through DE 42 34 294 A1 or DE 198 01 279 A1. Therefore, with respect to the basic construction of the arrangement or the application of such transmissions, reference is made to the state of the art, as well as to the further state of the art to be found, for example, under the international class F  16 H.  
         [0006]     The present invention is based on the object of making the production of such transmissions more cost-efficient, namely particularly by making the conical disks required for the construction of such transmissions producible in an especially simple way.  
         [0007]     That is achieved in accordance with the invention in a belt-driven conical-pulley transmission of the type described at the beginning by at least one of the features mentioned in the claims. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0008]     Further advantages and appropriate design features or operating modes are explained in more detail in connection with the following figure description in which:  
         [0009]     There is shown:  
         [0010]      FIG. 1  shows a disk set of a conical disk pair of a not completely shown belt-driven conical-pulley transmission;  
         [0011]      FIG. 2  shows an enlargement of detail E of  FIG. 1 ; and  
         [0012]      FIG. 3  shows a modification of the structure shown in detail E. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS  
       [0013]     The conical disk pair  1  shown in  FIG. 1  can be functionally arranged in a transmission with another conical disk pair in a similar way, as is shown, for example, in  FIGS. 1 and 2  of DE 198 01 279 A  1 . Thereby, the advantageous arrangement of the conical disk pair  1  in the sense of the invention can be carried over to the second conical disk pair.  
         [0014]     In  FIG. 1  the disk pair  1  forms the input side disk pair drivable by an engine, the second—not shown—conical disk pair forms the output side conical disk pair of the corresponding transmission. The disk pair  1  is non-rotatably connected with a shaft  3 .  
         [0015]     Each disk pair—here the input side disk pair  1 —has an axially displaceable disk  1   a  with axial end regions  22 ,  23 , and each has an axially fixed disk  1   b . In the illustrated embodiment, the disk  1   b  is arranged in one piece with the shaft  3 . The disk  1   b , as well as the not illustrated disk of the other disk set can, however, also be produced separately and drivingly coupled with the corresponding shaft by appropriate connections, such as, for example, welding, a tooth system, shrunk-on connections, or press-fit connections.  
         [0016]     Between the two disk pairs, in a known way, an endless torque-transmitting means  4 , especially in the form of a chain, is provided for torque transmission, which spans between the contact surfaces  1 c,  1 d of conical disks  1 a,  1 b.  
         [0017]     The axially fixed disks can each carry not illustrated markings distributed over the periphery for determining the rotational speed and/or the angular position of the corresponding disk pair  1 . Those markings can be formed in one piece with the corresponding disk, or else by an additional, attached component.  
         [0018]     The disk  1   a  is axially displaceable by means of at least one piston/cylinder unit  7 . In a similar way, the disk of the second disk set is also axially displaceable by a piston/cylinder unit. As can be seen from the Figure, the conical disk  1   a  directly forms a piston, which is inserted into a cylinder part  9 , which is rigidly connected with the shaft  3 . The axially displaceable disk  1   a  has an inner hub section  12 , which has an inner tooth system  14 . The shaft  3  has an outer tooth system  16 , which is in engagement with the inner tooth system  14  of disk  1   a  for torque transmission purposes.  
         [0019]     As further explained in the following in connection with  FIG. 2 , at least regions of at least one of the tooth systems  14 ,  16  serves for centering, or as centering aids for the disk  1   a  on the shaft  3 .  
         [0020]     In the second disk pair an arrangement, as for example appropriate centering, can take place in a similar way.  
         [0021]     As can be gathered from  FIG. 2 , the shaft  3  has an outer tooth system  16  with an axial extension. In the hub section  12  of disk  1   a , an inner tooth system  14  with an axial extension is provided. In the illustrated embodiment, the axial extensions are at least approximately equal, they can, however, also be different. The lengths of the tooth systems  14 ,  16 , are dimensioned in such a way that in the furthest distance position of the two conical disks  1   a ,  1   b  shown in the upper half of  FIG. 1 , an axial overlap remains, which is dimensioned in such a way that the required torque transmission between the shaft  3  and the disk  1   a  is carried out damage free for at least the lifetime of the transmission.  
         [0022]     At the end of the tooth system  16  facing away from conical disk  1   b , shaft  3  has a cylindrical centering section  21  with an axial extension  22 . That centering section  21  is preferably machined by grinding, and serves for centering, or as a centering aid, for the axially displaceable disk  1   a . Here at least in certain places, preferably all sections of section  14   a , which forms the head circle diameter  23 , of the teeth forming the inner tooth system  14 , are mechanically worked or machined down and accordingly functionally adapted to the centering diameter  21 . In an advantageous way the sections of the tooth system  14  bounding the outer diameter can be ground.  
         [0023]     The centering section  21  is spaced from the axial end section  22  of the conical disk  1   a  a distance x so that in the support of conical disk  1 a on shaft  3 , support forces at the conical disk occurring due to the tension of the endless torque-transmitting means, act at an axial spacing upon the end section  22 . Thereby tension cracks at the end section comprising weakened material can be prevented. In addition, the outer diameter d in the tooth system section  20  of the tooth system  16  is extended in the centering section  21  as opposed to the outer diameter e.  
         [0024]     To radially free up the tooth system section in the end section  22  relative to the shaft  3 , advantageously, the unmachined part of the conical disk  1   a  having an opening in its core is turned over the distance x to the diameter d before broaching the tooth system  14 . Additionally, the end section  23  (see  FIG. 1 ) facing the contact surface of the endless torque-transmitting means can have a bore, whereby the tip circle diameter f of the tooth system  16  in tooth section  25  can be shaped slightly larger than the base circle diameter of the tooth system  16 , and the centering  21  as a sliding seat can be limited to a narrow axial section. Thereby, the diameters d, f of the two accompanying tip circles can be equal or different, advantageously, the tip circle diameter d is larger and can be so large that no tooth system remains received in the partial section  20 .  
         [0025]      FIG. 3  shows a modification of the detail shown in  FIG. 2 , with a modified hub part  112 , that provides one or several radial grooves  128  distributed around the periphery in the end section  124 , that are connected with an oil conduit  129  positioned in the shaft  103 . Thereby, a connection between the pressure volume  109   a  and the oil conduit  129  is also achieved with the hub part of the conical disk  101   a  positioned axially to the cylinder unit  109 . In order to prevent an overload in that section, the centering section  121  is axially spaced from the groove  128  and displaced away from the end section  124  in the direction of the contact surface. That results from widening the diameter d in the section x. The widening of the diameter advantageously results by means of boring the opening of the conical disk. It is apparent that a widening of diameter d in the end section  124  is advantageous for displacing the centering section  121  independent of the transmission of the torque in a rotational direction. As a means for transmitting the torque there are, for example, eligible tooth systems, such as is for example described in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , as well as further engaged outer and inner profiles and also by the utilization of grooves that are provided in shafts and conical disks with balls introduced.  
         [0026]     The configuration of the hub section  12  of  FIG. 2  furthermore has the advantage that the inner sections of the conical disk  1   a , or the hub section  12 , are arranged in such a way that the inner tooth system  14  radially completely protrudes against the axially adjacent sections  24  (see  FIG. 1 ) of the conical disk  1   a . Such a configuration has the advantage that the inner tooth system  14  can be produced in an especially simple way, that is by means of a broaching process. Therefore a broaching tool with a suitable profile for producing the tooth system  14  can be utilized in an especially advantageous manner, which is driven or pulled through the appropriately designed or formed center hole of the disk  1 a. That is possible since on the basis of the design of the hub section  12  no sections are present, which radially overlap the tooth system  14 .  
         [0027]     It is suitable, if the inner diameter defined by the sections  24  is at least equally large, preferably larger, than the root diameter e of the tooth system  14 , or the outer diameter of the tooth system  16 .  
         [0028]     As can further be seen from  FIG. 1 , the section  24  of the hub section  12  axially adjacent to the tooth system  14 , at least over a partial length of its extension, forms a centering section, which is axially displaceably seated on an appropriately conforming section  28  of shaft  3 .  
         [0029]     The pressure chamber  9   a  bounded by the cylinder part g and the axially movable conical disk  1   a , as can be seen from  FIGS. 1 and 2 , can be supplied with hydraulic oil through axial and radial bores in the shaft  3 . That oil serves at the same time to lubricate the tooth system engagement, or the centering between the tooth system  14  and the centering section  21 . Thereby, through a radial bore  29 , oil can flow between the tooth gaps of the tooth system  14  into the pressure chamber  9   a , or flow out of the pressure chamber  9   a.    
         [0030]     As described above, in accordance with the invention the inner tooth systems of the axially displaceable conical disks are preferably produced by a profiled broaching tool, whereby subsequent to the broaching process of the outer diameter section of the formed tooth system profile by machining or cutting, it is finished namely preferably by means of a grinding operation.  
         [0031]     Although the outer tooth systems of the shafts, for example of the shaft  3  shown herein with outer tooth system  16 , can be produced by means of a machining procedure, such as profile milling, it is especially advantageous in accordance with the invention if those tooth systems are produced by a forming process that produces a flow of material within the material forming the shafts. In an advantageous way, that can be a cold forming procedure. For some applications it can, however, also be appropriate if the shaping is performed when the steel forming the shafts is in a warm condition.  
         [0032]     A cold forming operation of the tooth systems has the advantage that very close tolerances can be adhered to. It can also be especially appropriate, when first of all warm processing is used for producing the tooth systems, that is initially a warm forming first takes place, and the thus-formed profile is then cold-formed thereafter, that is practically a sizing takes place.  
         [0033]     The latter process is especially suitable when utilizing materials for shafts that have a very high strength.  
         [0034]     In an especially advantageous way suitable reshaping processes are rolling processes or roller-burnishing processes.  
         [0035]     Roller-burnishing or rolling of the profiles for the tooth systems, for example the tooth system  16 , can thereby be performed in several steps.  
         [0036]     The production of the tooth systems by means of a forming process has the advantage that the root diameter e of the shaft tooth system  16  can be smaller than the outer diameter [[e]] d of the inner tooth system  14 , or the outer diameter of the centering section  21 . That has the advantage that the centering section  21  can be brought to the desired dimension, for example by grinding, after forming the shaft outer tooth system.  
         [0037]     If necessary, the sections bounding the outer diameter of the tooth systems that are at first only formed by material forming operations, such as tooth system  16 , can also be finish machined, for example by grinding.