Patent ID: 7416506

Claim:
A rotor controlled CVT comprising: an input shaft, an output shaft, a cam-shaped rotor which is elongated in its axial direction, is uniformly and linearly tapered over its length and is rotatably engaged with the input shaft, a plurality of cam followers which are located in fixed structure about and are reciprocated by the rotor, angular velocity extraction devices which are each connected to a rocker arm which is engageable with and partially rotated by a cam follower, means connecting the extraction devices to the output shaft so that the output of the extraction devices will collectively produce an output velocity at the output shaft for each revolution of the input shaft and means for moving the rotor and the cam followers relatively to each other to vary the ratio of rotation of the output shaft relatively to the input shaft each of the cam followers include a roller which has a flat tread surface which is in line contact with the surface of the rotor and is rotatable in a circumferential path on the rotor surface on an axis which is parallel to the tapered surface of the rotor, an interactive component assembly which is located between each of the rollers and a rocker arm with the interactive component assembly further including a roller carrier which supports an axle about the axis of which the roller is freely rotatable and which is mounted in the assembly for pivotal movement on an axis which is normal to the axis of rotation of the roller, and means for keeping the tread surface of the roller in line contact with the rotor surface as the rotor and the cam followers are moved relatively to each other, in use.