Continuously variable transmission on a motorcycle
AssigneeRadial Engine Innovations Holding LLC
InventorCharles Mitchell Boulton
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Provided is a continuous variable transmission for a motorcycle having a radial engine, the transmission including a cone shaped gear, a driveshaft received in one end of the cone shaped gear, a gear plate having an angled geared surface configured to mate with the cone shaped gear, a drive clutch, a crank shaft extending through the drive clutch, and a plurality of fingers secured to the drive clutch and configured to move from a first position to a second position wherein the fingers are in a first position at a first speed and the fingers are at a second position, at a second speed.
Claims20
A machine comprising:
- a motorcycle including a frame and ground engaging wheels;
- a radial engine supported by the frame to power at least one of the ground engaging wheels;
- and
- a continuously variable transmission supported by the frame and coupled to the radial engine providing a plurality of effective gear ratios.
A method comprising the steps of:
- providing a motorcycle having a radial engine supported by a frame and having a continuously variable transmission connected to the radial engine;
- rotating a crankshaft connecting the radial engine to the continuously variable transmission;
- rotating a drive clutch via a splined connection with the crankshaft;
- moving the drive clutch via shifting linkage from a first position to a second position;
- engaging the drive clutch with a gear plate having an angled gear surface to rotate gear plate;
- rotating the gear plate at a first speed;
- engaging the angled gear surface on the gear plate with a complementary angled gear surface on a cone shaped gear at a first position at a first speed;
- rotating the gear plate at a second speed different than the first;
- displacing the cone shaped gear linearly during the rotation of the gear plate from the first speed to the second speed;
- and
- engaging the angled gear surface on the gear plate with the complementary angled gear surface on the cone shaped gear at a second position at the second speed, wherein the second position is different than the first position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.