Patent ID: 7169071

Claim:
The continuously variable transmission belt comprising: a metal ring assembly including a plurality of metal rings; a plurality of metal elements retained by the metal ring assembly; wherein each of the metal elements have a saddle surface which is contacted with an inner circumferential surface of the metal ring assembly, each of the metal elements also having front and rear surfaces opposed to each other in a traveling direction of the belt, the saddle surface including a flat major portion and curved portions disposed at front and rear end peripheries of the saddle surface spaced from each other in the traveling direction of the belt, the curved portions cooperating at respective first ends with the flat major portion to form the saddle surface continuously extending in the traveling direction of the belt without forming a ridge therebetween, the curved portions each having a range length extending in the traveling direction of the belt and a radius of curvature larger than the range length, such that front and rear ridges are formed between the curved portions and the front and rear surfaces, respectively, wherein, under condition that the adjacent metal elements are inclined in the traveling direction of the belt so as to have a maximum pitch angle between centerlines thereof and that a maximum height difference between the saddle surfaces is generated, a relationship between a maximum angle between the saddle surface and the inner circumferential surface of the metal ring assembly, the range length of the curved portion, and the radius of curvature of the curved portion is satisfied by the following expression: sin ψmax <x/R <1 wherein ψmax represents the maximum angle between the saddle surface and the inner circumferential surface of the metal ring assembly, x represents the range length of the curved portion, and R represents the radius of curvature of the curved portion.