An apparatus and methods are provided for an air-cooled CVT clutch. The air-cooled CVT clutch includes a first cooling fan coupled with a primary clutch and a second cooling fan coupled with a secondary clutch. An outboard housing mates with an inboard housing to enclose the primary clutch and the secondary clutch. The first cooling fan is coupled to a moveable sheave comprising the primary clutch and configured to draw a cooling airstream through an air duct disposed in the outboard housing. The second cooling fan is coupled to a moveable sheave comprising the secondary clutch and configured to draw the cooling airstream from the primary clutch to the secondary clutch. The first cooling fan pushes the cooling airstream to the secondary clutch when the second clutch is not rotating.

A stepless transmission transmits a driving force by an endless transmission member (5) wound around a V-groove (6) of an input pulley (1). The input pulley (1) has moving parts (9) which are fastened by threaded engagement so as to be axially movable with respect to a transmission case (3) and have ring gears (10), to which rotation can be input from the outer periphery sides, and pulley half discs (13) which are relatively rotatable with respect to the moving parts (9), which axially move integrally with the moving parts (9) and which are contactable with an endless transmission member (5). The pulley half discs (13) and an input shaft 2, which is disposed at the center of the pulley half discs (13), rotate together as one piece. The ring gears (10) are each rotationally driven from a drive source of the same drive member.

The subject of the invention is a device with a reciprocating motion mechanism enabling the conversion of its moment of inertia into rotational speed or rotational speed into moment of inertia, characterised in that on the rotating shaft (11) there is a releasable mechanism (2) of reciprocating motion in two perpendicular directions, including two circular discs (3 and 4), tiled in parallel, with profiled notches (7 and 8) on their surfaces, whereby both discs are connected with each other by bolts (10) and have a releasable connection with the rotating shaft (11) and between each pair of profiled notches (7 and 8) of both discs there are upper connectors (14) of the upper ends of each pair of opposite moving arms (15), having an articulated connection with each other, of which the other ends also have an articulated connection with the two ring connectors (17) of two hydraulic actuators (18), which have a releasable connection with this shaft, whereby all upper connectors are equipped with functional components (22) placed on them and having a releasable connection with them.

The subject of the invention is a device with a reciprocating motion mechanism enabling the conversion of its moment of inertia into rotational speed or rotational speed into moment of inertia, characterised in that on the rotating shaft (11) there is a releasable mechanism (2) of reciprocating motion in two perpendicular directions, including two circular discs (3 and 4), tiled in parallel, with profiled notches (7 and 8) on their surfaces, whereby both discs are connected with each other by bolts (10) and have a releasable connection with the rotating shaft (11) and between each pair of profiled notches (7 and 8) of both discs there are upper connectors (14) of the upper ends of each pair of opposite moving arms (15), having an articulated connection with each other, of which the other ends also have an articulated connection with the two ring connectors (17) of two hydraulic actuators (18), which have a releasable connection with this shaft, whereby all upper connectors are equipped with functional components (22) placed on them and having a releasable connection with them.

A variety of shifter mechanisms are provided for controlling the axial distance between half-pulleys of a split pulley variable transmission, thus controlling the transmission ratio of the variable transmission. Some of these embodiments include a differential such that a variable transmission can be driven and shifted differentially by two inputs. A torque or rotation difference between the inputs results in a change in the transmission ratio and in-common torque or rotation is transmitted through the transmission to an output. The same motors used to drive the output of the transmission are thus also able to effect shifts in the transmission ratio. Accordingly, motor mass that is not being used to effect high-speed shifts may be used to drive the transmission output, and vice versa. The provided shifter embodiments are well-suited to application to nested-pulley variable transmissions, including nested-pulley infinitely variable transmissions.

A variety of shifter mechanisms are provided for controlling the axial distance between half-pulleys of a split pulley variable transmission, thus controlling the transmission ratio of the variable transmission. Some of these embodiments include a differential such that a variable transmission can be driven and shifted differentially by two inputs. A torque or rotation difference between the inputs results in a change in the transmission ratio and in-common torque or rotation is transmitted through the transmission to an output. The same motors used to drive the output of the transmission are thus also able to effect shifts in the transmission ratio. Accordingly, motor mass that is not being used to effect high-speed shifts may be used to drive the transmission output, and vice versa. The provided shifter embodiments are well-suited to application to nested-pulley variable transmissions, including nested-pulley infinitely variable transmissions.

A work vehicle having a belt type stepless speed changing mechanism includes a rotation detecting section for detecting an engine rotational speed, a vehicle speed detecting section for detecting a vehicle speed of a traveling vehicle body and an informing section configured to effect an alarm informing for alarming wear of a drive belt if a vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detecting section is a predetermined vehicle speed deviates from a preset permissible range.

A continuously variable transmission belt guide is mounted next to a driven clutch assembly and in close proximity with the CVT belt at the CVT's lowest drive ratio. The CVT belt connects between a pair of moveable sheaves of the drive and driven clutch assemblies to provide a variable CVT drive ratio between a lowest drive ratio and a highest drive ratio. When contacting the CVT belt, the CVT belt guide prevents a ripple or wave from appearing in the un-tensioned side of the belt, prevents the CVT belt from losing contact with the driven clutch, and prevents undesirable vehicle performance at the lowest drive ratio.

An infinitely variable transmission system for differentially steered vehicles comprises two planetary gearboxes, each coupled to drive, as output, a driving component, such as track or wheel, on either side of a vehicle. The planetary gearboxes are drivingly coupled to a power source, such as an engine or motor, via fixed gear ratio driver and via belt drive system of two or more variable ratio belt drive pulleys. Each of the two outputs of the transmission can independently and simultaneously be controlled to revolve in forward, neutral (stop), and reverse directions in a manner of continuously and infinitesimally variable speed and torque.

An infinitely variable transmission system for differentially steered vehicles comprises two planetary gearboxes, each coupled to drive, as output, a driving component, such as track or wheel, on either side of a vehicle. The planetary gearboxes are drivingly coupled to a power source, such as an engine or motor, via fixed gear ratio driver and via belt drive system of two or more variable ratio belt drive pulleys. Each of the two outputs of the transmission can independently and simultaneously be controlled to revolve in forward, neutral (stop), and reverse directions in a manner of continuously and infinitesimally variable speed and torque.