Transmission

A transmission, comprising:

• a tiltable wobble ring supported for rotation on a stationary axle, the axle extending through an inner periphery of the wobble ring along a wobble axis of rotation and the wobble ring tiltable on the axle with respect to the wobble axis of rotation;
• a rotationally stationary, annular follower supported along its inner periphery on an outer periphery of the wobble ring through a bearing such that the wobble ring may rotate relative to the follower and each point on an outer periphery of the follower moves back and forth when the wobble ring wobbles;
• three or more posts disposed about the outer periphery of the follower;
• a drive shaft operatively connected to the wobble ring for rotating the wobble ring about the axle;
• a stationary cage holding three or more planetary gear assemblies in a fixed relationship with respect to one another, each planetary gear assembly including a freewheeling clutch and a gear operatively connected, simultaneously with each of the gears in the other planetary gear assemblies, to a respective one of the posts on the outer periphery of the follower through the clutch, and each gear having a gear axis of rotation about which the gear may rotate different from the gear axis of rotation of each gear in the other planetary gear assemblies;
• and
• a sun gear engaging each of the planetary gears.

A transmission, comprising:

• a wobbler supported for rotation on a stationary axle through a wobbler/axle bearing such that the wobbler may rotate relative to the axle, the axle extending along a wobble axis of rotation and the wobbler tiltable on the axle with respect to the wobble axis of rotation;
• a drive shaft for driving the wobbler around the axle on the wobbler axis of rotation such that the wobbler wobbles as it rotates around the axle when it is tilted on the axle with respect to the wobble axis of rotation;
• a rotationally stationary follower supported on the wobbler through a follower/wobbler bearing such that the wobbler may rotate relative to the follower and the follower moves back and forth when the wobbler wobbles;
• a sun gear;
• a rotationally stationary set of freewheeling planetary gears each engaging the sun gear simultaneously with each of the other planetary gears, the planetary gears disposed in a fixed relationship with respect to one another, and each planetary gear operatively connected to the follower simultaneously with each of the other planetary gears at a place on the follower different from the place at which each of the other planetary gears is operatively connected to the follower such that the follower rotates each planetary gear on its own axis of rotation as the wobbler wobbles;
• and
• a shifter operatively connected to the wobble ring for varying the tilt of the wobble ring on the axle with respect to the wobble axis or rotation continuously throughout a range of tilt angles.