Continuously variable transmission with pulleys and a drive belt

Abstract

A continuously variable transmission includes two pulleys (1, 2), each with two pulley discs (4, 5) that are mutually oriented at a pulley angle (p-i; p-o), and a drive belt (3) with an endless carrier (31) and with a number of transverse members (32) that each arrive in contact with the pulley discs (4, 5) via contact faces thereof that are mutually oriented at a belt angle (b). The pulley angle (p-i) of one (1) of the transmission pulleys (1, 2) is set smaller than the pulley angle (p-o) of the other one (2) of the transmission pulleys (1, 2) and the belt angle (b) is set essentially equal to the larger pulley angle (p-o) of the other one pulley (2). This transmission is capable of transmitting a particularly high driving power with a particularly high efficiency.

Claims

1. Continuously variable transmission with an input pulley (1), an output pulley (2) and a drive belt (3), which input and output pulleys (1, 2) are each provided with two, predominantly conical pulley discs (4, 5) that are mutually arranged at a pulley angle (.sub.p; .sub.p-i; .sub.p-o) and that are in contact with contact faces (37) on either side of the drive belt (3), which contact faces (37) on either side of the drive belt (3) are mutually arranged at a belt angle (.sub.b), in which transmission the contact between the drive belt (3) on the one hand and the input pulley (1) or the output pulley (2) on the other hand can vary between a smallest radial position and a largest radial position relative to the pulley discs (4, 5) of the respective pulley (1, 2), wherein, the drive belt includes only a single pair of contact faces, and in which transmission at least at the smallest possible radial position of the contact, the pulley angle (.sub.p-i) of the input pulley (1) is smaller than the pulley angle (.sub.p-o) of the output pulley (2), wherein the belt angle (.sub.b) is larger than the pulley angle (p-i) of the input pulley (1) and is at most equal to or smaller than the pulley angle (p-o) of the output pulley (2) and in that the belt angle (b) is, at least approximately, equal to the pulley angle (p-o) of the output pulley (2) at the smallest possible radial position of the contact.

2. The continuously variable transmission according to claim 1, wherein, at the smallest possible radial position of the contact, the pulley angle (.sub.p-i) of the input pulley (1) is at least 0.2 and at most 1.2 degrees smaller than the pulley angle (.sub.p-o) of the output pulley (2).

3. The continuously variable transmission according to claim 1, wherein a nominal value of the pulley angle (.sub.p-o) of the output pulley (2) amounts to approximately 22.0 degrees and, at the smallest possible radial position of the contact, the nominal value of the pulley angle (.sub.p-i) of the input pulley (1) amounts to approximately 21.4 degrees.

4. The continuously variable transmission according to claim 1, wherein, at least at the largest possible radial position of the contact, the pulley angle (.sub.p-i) of the input pulley (1) is, at least approximately, equal to the pulley angle (.sub.p-o) of the output pulley (2).

5. The continuously variable transmission according to claim 1, wherein the drive belt (3) is provided with an endless carrier (31) and a number of transverse members (32) mounted consecutively and slidably on the endless carrier along the circumference thereof, whereof each transverse member (32) is provided with a front main body surface (39) and a rear main body surface (38), between which surfaces (38, 39) the transverse member (32) extends in thickness direction and between which surfaces (38, 39) the transverse member (32) is provided with a contact face (37) on either side thereof, destined for friction contact with the input and the output pulleys (1, 2) of the transmission, the contact faces (37) of each transverse member (32) are mutually oriented at an angle and the belt angle (.sub.b), or at least the nominal value thereof, corresponds to the average value of the angle between the contact faces (37) of all of the transverse members (32) of the drive belt (3).

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The novel transmission design according to the present disclosure will now be explained in greater detail in the following description along one or more exemplary embodiments thereof and with reference to the attached drawing figures, whereof:

(2) FIG. 1 provides a schematic perspective view of the continuously variable transmission with a drive belt running over two pulleys, which drive belt includes an endless carrier and a number of transverse members;

(3) FIG. 2 shows a cross section of the known drive belt oriented in the circumference direction thereof;

(4) FIG. 3 provides a width-wise oriented view of a transverse member of the known drive belt;

(5) FIG. 4 provides a schematic representation of a transverse member of the drive belt that has arrived in friction contact with a pulley in accordance with the known art; and

(6) FIG. 5 provides a schematic perspective view of a novel continuously variable transmission that is designed in accordance with the present disclosure.

(7) In the drawing figures equal reference signs indicate equal or similar structures and/or parts.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

(8) The schematic illustration of a continuously variable transmission in FIG. 1 shows a drive belt 3 which runs over two pulleys 1, 2 and which includes a flexible endless carrier 31 and an essentially contiguous row of transverse members 32 that are mounted on and arranged along the circumference of the endless carrier 31. The pulleys 1, 2 each include a pair of conical discs 4, 5 that define a tapered circumferential groove that opens towards the radial outside while enclosing an acute angle; the so-called pulley angle .sub.p. The drive belt 3 is, in part, located in these pulley grooves, while being clamped by and between the pulley discs 4, 5 of the respective pulley 1, 2.

(9) In the illustrated configuration of the transmission, the upper pulley 1 will rotate more quickly than the lower pulley 2. By changing the distance between the two conical discs 4, 5 of the pulleys 1, 2, the radial positions or running radii Ri, Ro of the drive belt 3 at the pulleys 1, 2 are changed in mutually opposite radial directions and, as a result, a ratio between rotational speeds of the two pulleys 1, 2, which speed ratio is linked to the ratio between the respective running radii Ri, Ro, is varied. More in particular, the speed ratio is defined as a rotational speed of an output pulley 2 of the transmission, which output pulley 2 is associated with a load, divided by a rotational speed of an input pulley 1 of the transmission, which input pulley is associated 1 with an engine or motor driving the load.

(10) In FIG. 2, the drive belt 3 is shown in a cross section thereof facing in the circumference or length direction L of the belt 3, i.e. facing in a direction perpendicular to the axial or width direction W and the radial or height direction H thereof. This FIG. 2 shows the presence of two endless carriers 31, which are shown in cross-section in this FIG. 2, that carry and guide the transverse members 32 of the drive belt 3, whereof one transverse member 32 is shown in front elevation in this FIG. 2.

(11) The transverse members 32 and the endless carriers 31 of the drive belt 3 are typically made of steel. The transverse members 32 take-up a clamping force exerted between the discs 4, 5 of each pulley 1, 2 via contact faces 37 thereof, one such contact face 37 being provided at each axial side of the transverse member 32. These contact faces 37 are mutually diverging in radial outward direction such that an acute angle is defined there between that is denoted the belt angle .sub.b of the drive belt 3.

(12) The transverse members 32 are able to move, i.e. to slide along the endless carriers 31 in the circumference direction L, so that a torque can be transmitted between the transmission pulleys 1, 2 by the transverse members 32 pressing against one another and pushing each other forward along the endless carriers 31 in a direction of rotation of the drive belt 3 and the pulleys 1, 2. In the exemplary embodiment that is illustrated in this FIG. 2, the endless carriers 31 are composed of five individual endless bands each, which endless bands are mutually concentrically nested to form the endless carrier 31. In practice, the endless carriers 31 often comprise more than five endless bands, e.g. nine or twelve or possible even more.

(13) The transverse member 32 of the drive belt 3, which is also shown in a side elevation in FIG. 3, is provided with two cut-outs 33 located opposite one another, which cut-outs 33 each open towards a respective axial side of the transverse member 32 and each accommodate a (small section) of a respective endless carriers 31. A first or base portion 34 of the transverse member 32 thus extends radially inwards from the endless carriers 31, a second or middle portion 35 of the transverse member 32 is situated in between the endless carriers 31 and a third or top portion 36 of the transverse member 32 extends radially outwards from the endless carriers 31. The radially inner side of each cut-out 33 is delimited by a so-called bearing surface 42 of the base portion 34 of the transverse member 32, which bearing surface 42 faces radially outwards, generally in the direction of the top portion 36 of the transverse member 32, and contacts the inside of an endless carrier 31.

(14) A first or rear surface 38 of the two main body surfaces 38, 39 of transverse member 32 that face in mutually opposite circumference directions L, is essentially flat. The other or front main body surface 39 of the transverse member 32 is provided with a so-called rocking edge 18 that forms, in the radial direction H, the transition between an upper part of the front surface 39, extending essentially in parallel with its rear surface 38, and a lower part thereof that is slanted such that it extends towards the rear surface 38. In FIG. 2 the rocking edge 18 is indicated only schematically by way of a single line, however, in practice the rocking edge 18 is mostly provided in the shape of a convexly curved transition surface. The said upper part of the transverse member 32 is thus provided with an essentially constant dimension between the main body surfaces 38, 39, i.e. as seen in the circumference direction L, which dimension is typically referred to as the thickness of the transverse member 32.

(15) Referring back to FIG. 1, the transmission is depicted in its smallest speed ratio, wherein the drive belt 3 is located at its smallest running radius Ri at the input pulley 1 and at its largest running radius Ro at the output pulley 2, such that the rotational speed of the input pulley 1 will be higher than that of the output pulley 2. In particular in this smallest speed ratio of the transmission, the torque that is maximally transmissible by the transmission is an important characteristic in the automotive application thereof. According to JP-2000-213609A, to maximize such transmissible torque, the belt angle .sub.b of the known transmission is set slightly larger than the pulley angle .sub.p thereof, as is schematically illustrated in FIG. 4 in relation to the contact between one contact face 37 of the drive belt 3 and one pulley disc 4; 5 of the pulleys 1, 2.

(16) According to JP-2000-213609A, relative to the normally applied, nominal pulley angle of 22, the belt angle should not be set equal to such nominal pulley angle but approximately 0.2 larger, i.e. the nominal belt angle should amount to, approximately, 22.2 in order to maximize the transmissible torque. In particular, according to JP-2000-213609A the transmissible torque could thereby be increased by around 18%. According to the present disclosure, however, the exact optimum value of such difference between the nominal value of the belt angle .sub.b and the nominal value of the pulley angle .sub.p will depend on many factors, such as these nominal values as such and a (relative) axial stiffness of the design and shape of the transverse members 32 and the pulley discs 4, 5. For example, in a contemporary transmission design the maximum transmissible torque was realized with a belt angle .sub.b of 22.6 relative to the pulley angle .sub.p of 22.0.

(17) This known transmission comes with the disadvantage that a (friction) loss associated with the power transfer between the pulleys 1, 2 by means of the drive belt 3 during operation of the transmission was found to increase, as the difference between the belt angle .sub.b and the pulley angle .sub.p increases. In order to favorably reduce such power losses and/or to favorably improve the operating efficiency of the continuously variable transmission, it is presently proposed to set only the nominal pulley angle .sub.p of the input pulley 1, i.e. the output pulley angle .sub.p-i, smaller than the belt angle .sub.b, while the nominal pulley angle .sub.p of the output pulley 2, i.e. the output pulley angle .sub.p-o is set essentially equal to the nominal belt angle .sub.b. This particular, novel transmission design in accordance with the present disclosure is schematically illustrated in FIG. 5. In this particular transmission design, a friction loss between the drive belt 3 and the output pulley 2 is minimized, while the advantage of the maximized transmissible torque in the largest speed ratio of the transmission that is determined by the friction contact between the drive belt 3 and the input pulley 1 is maintained.

(18) A practical range for the difference between the input pulley angle .sub.p-i and the output pulley angle .sub.p-o and/or the belt angle .sub.b is given by at least 0.2 up to 1.2 (wherein the minus sign means that the input pulley angle .sub.p-i is smaller than the output pulley angle .sub.p-o and/or the belt angle .sub.b). Furthermore, in this numeric example, the input pulley angle amounts to 21.4 or 0.6 less than the pulley angle of the output pulley angle and/or the drive belt angle of 22.0.

(19) The present disclosure, in addition to the entirety of the preceding description and all details of the accompanying figures, also concerns and includes all the features of the appended set of claims. Bracketed references in the claims do not limit the scope thereof, but are merely provided as non-binding examples of the respective features. The claimed features can be applied separately in a given product or a given process, as the case may be, but it is also possible that to apply any combination of two or more of such features therein.

(20) The invention(s) represented by the present disclosure is (are) not limited to the embodiments and/or the examples that are explicitly mentioned herein, but also encompasses amendments, modifications and practical applications thereof, in particular those that lie within reach of the person skilled in the relevant art.