Patent ID: 6964627

Claim:
A transmission comprising: first and second planetary units, each having a sun member, a ring member located around the sun member, planets located between the sun and ring members, and a carrier member coupled with the planets and providing axes about which the planets may rotate, one of the members of the first until being connected to one of the members of the second unit to form a first compound member branch, another of the members of the first unit being engagable with another of the members of the second unit to form a second compound branch, thus leaving the remaining member of the first unit to form a single member branch and the remaining member of the second unit to form a second single member branch; first and second variators connected such that power can transfer between them, one of the variators being connected to one of the compound member branches and the other variator being connected to one of the single member branches; an input at which power is introduced into the transmission, the input being connected to the other of the single member branches; an output at which power is delivered from the transmission, the output being connected to the other of the compound member branches; a first clutch for disconnecting the members of the second compound branch, and for further disconnecting one of the member's of the second compound branch from the variator for that branch; a first brake for retarding rotation of that one member of the second compound branch that is disconnected from the variator for that branch; whereby the transmission operates in a compound-split mode having a low speed node at which no power transfers to or from the first and second variators when the members of the second compound branch are connected, and in an output-split mode when the members of the second compound branch are disconnected; and a second clutch for disconnecting a member of the first planetary unit from the output and a second brake for retarding rotation of that member when disconnected; all such that all of the power delivered to the output is transferred through the variators and transmission operates in a series hybrid mode in which the output rotates in the direction opposite to that in which it would otherwise rotate.