Power transmission mechanism

A variable ratio power transmission mechanism comprising, in combination:

• a driving member rotatable about a first axis and having a flat surface perpendicular to said first axis;
• a driven member rotatable about a second axis and having a flat surface perpendicular to said second axis;
• mounting means positioning said members in spaced apposition so that said surfaces define planes intersecting at an acute dihedral angle;
• rolling means making contact with said surfaces along circles concentric with said axes;
• and means resiliently urging said rolling means toward the vertex of said dihedral angle;
• said mounting means including ratio varying means enabling relative movement between said members in a direction aligned with said vertex, accompanied by displacement of said rolling means in the same direction.

In combination:

• support means comprising first and second generally parallel mounting plates arranged for securement as ends to a housing which determines the spacing between said plates;
• input means comprising a shaft extending through and rotatable about a first axis in said first mounting plate, and terminating within said housing in a first disc having a flat surface perpendicular to said first axis;
• a first stub shaft extending through said second mounting plate and rotatable about a second axis therein, and terminating within said housing in a second disc having a flat surface perpendicular to said second axis;
• a second stub shaft extending through said second mounting plate and rotatable about a second axis therein, and terminating within said housing in a third disc having a flat surface perpendicular to said third axis;
• output means comprising a shaft extending through said first mounting plate and rotatable about a fourth axis therein, and terminating within said housing in a fourth disc having a flat surface perpendicular to said fourth axis;
• mounting means carried by said second mounting plate for positioning said stub shafts so that said second and third surfaces are in spaced apposition to said first and fourth surfaces, respectively, and define therewith respectively pairs of planes intersecting at first and second acute dihedral angles;
• first rolling means making contact with said first and second surfaces along circles concentric with said first and second axes;
• second rolling means making contact with said third and fourth surfaces along circles concentric with said third and fourth axes;
• means connecting said first stub shaft in driving relation to said second stub shaft;
• ratio varying means operative to move said mounting means with respect to said second mounting plate, to cause relative movement between said second and first discs and said third and fourth discs, respectively, in directions aligned with said vertices of said dihedral angle;
• and means resiliently urging said first and second rolling means toward the vertices of said first and second dihedral angle.

In combination:

• first and second discs having plane, parallel surfaces;
• means mounting said discs for rotation in their own planes;
• input means for causing rotation of said first disc;
• output means rotatable with said second disc;
• and means mechanically interconnecting said discs to transfer said rotation from said first disc to said second disc, including
• further disc means mounted for rotation in a plane making a small dihedral angle with the planes of said first and second discs;
• rolling means making contact separately between said first and second discs and said disc means;
• and means causing lateral displacement between said disc means and said discs, and simultaneously causing proportional displacement of said rolling means in the same direction.