Output assembly for driving a drive pulley of a continuously variable transmission and for supplying hydraulic fluid to the drive pulley for actuating the drive pulley

An output assembly for driving a drive pulley of a continuously variable transmission and for supplying hydraulic fluid to the drive pulley for actuating the drive pulley, the output assembly comprising:

• a shaft defining a rotation axis, the shaft comprising:
• a first end configured to connect to an output shaft of a motor for being driven by the output shaft;
• and
• a second end configured to connect to the drive pulley for driving the drive pulley,
• the shaft defining a shaft passage for supplying hydraulic fluid to the drive pulley, the shaft passage having at least one inlet defined in a circumference of the shaft;
• a cover surrounding a portion of the shaft, the cover defining a cover inlet passage and a cover outlet passage, the second end of the shaft being disposed outside the cover;
• a bearing disposed in the cover radially between the cover and the shaft, the bearing rotationally supporting the shaft in the cover;
• a sleeve disposed in the cover radially between the cover and the shaft, the sleeve being rotationally fixed relative to the cover, the sleeve defining at least one sleeve passage extending from an outside of the sleeve to an inside of the sleeve;
• a first shaft seal disposed radially between the cover and the shaft;
• a second shaft seal disposed radially between the cover and the shaft, the second shaft seal being disposed axially between the sleeve and the second end of the shaft, the sleeve being disposed axially between the first shaft seal and the second shaft seal;
• a first high pressure chamber defined radially between the cover and the sleeve, the cover inlet passage fluidly communicating with the first high pressure chamber;
• a second high pressure chamber defined radially between the sleeve and the shaft, the at least one sleeve passage fluidly communicating the first high pressure chamber with the second high pressure chamber, the at least one inlet of the shaft passage fluidly communicating with the second high pressure chamber;
• and
• a low pressure chamber defined radially between the cover and the shaft and axially between the sleeve and one of the first shaft seal and the second shaft seal, the second high pressure chamber fluidly communicating with the low pressure chamber, the cover outlet passage fluidly communicating with the low pressure chamber,
• in operation:
• hydraulic fluid flowing from the cover inlet passage to the first high pressure chamber, and from the first high pressure chamber to the second high pressure chamber via the at least one sleeve passage;
• a portion of hydraulic fluid in the second high pressure chamber flowing to the shaft passage via the at least one inlet of the shaft passage, and from the shaft passage to the drive pulley;
• and
• another portion of hydraulic fluid in the second high pressure chamber flowing to the low pressure chamber, and from the low pressure chamber to the cover outlet passage.