US 5,591,100 AGranted

Continuously variable transmission vehicle

AssigneeHonda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorsAkira Hayashi, Kunihiko Tanaka, Goroei Wakatsuki

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

In a vehicle travelling by use of a travelling drive source such as an engine or a motor, the gear shift ratio of a continuously variable transmission B can be changed by increasing or decreasing the width of a groove in a driving pulley 19 of the continuously variable transmission B by a gear shift ratio changing device 61 using a motor 62 as a drive source. The motor 62 is controlled on the basis of output signals from a throttle opening degree sensor, an engine rotational speed sensor and a vehicle speed sensor, thereby enabling an energy-saving travelling suited to an operational condition of the travelling drive source or a travelling condition of the vehicle. The gear shift ratio changing device 61 is supported in a floating manner within a casing 3, 8 for the continuously variable transmission B. This achieves not only a reduction in size of a power unit, but also ensures that any operational sound of the motor 62 is prevented from leaking out, and any vibration from the engine or a wheel cannot be transmitted to the gear shift ratio changing device 61.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A continuously variable transmission and power unit casing combination for a two-wheeled vehicle, the power unit casing enclosing and supporting both a travelling drive source and the transmission, the power unit casing being pivotally mounted on a body frame of the vehicle, the transmission comprising:

a driving pulley comprised of a stationary pulley half and a movable pulley half, both the drive pulley halves being mounted on an input shaft driven by the travelling drive source;
a driven pulley comprised of a stationary pulley half and a movable pulley half, both the driven pulley halves being mounted on an output shaft;
and an endless belt wound around the driving pulley and the driven pulley;
and
a gear shift ratio changing means for varying a gear shift ratio of the transmission by changing a width of a groove formed between the pulley halves of each of said pulleys by a driving force form a motor, wherein the transmission further includes a control means for controlling the gear shift ratio changing means for causing said changing of the widths of the grooves in both the pulleys in accordance with an operational condition of the travelling drive source, and said gear shift ratio changing means is contained within said casing with said motor being completely disposed in a space in said casing the space being defined by an oval viewed in a direction parallel to the axes of said input and output shafts, said oval formed by respective outer perimeters of said driving and driven pulleys and a pair of spaced and straight lines tangentially joining said outer perimeter of said driving pulley and said outer perimeter of said driven pulley.

2 more elements

An improvement in a continuously variable transmission and power unit casing for a two-wheeled vehicle, the power unit casing enclosing and supporting both a travelling drive source and the transmission, and the power unit casing adapted to be pivotally mounted on a body frame of the vehicle, wherein the transmission includes:

a driving pulley comprised of a stationary pulley half and a movable pulley half with both the drive pulley halves being mounted on an input shaft driven by the travelling drive source, a driven pulley comprised of a stationary pulley half and a movable pulley half with both the driven pulley halves being mounted on an output shaft, and an endless belt wound around the driving pulley and the driven pulley the improvement comprising;
a gear shift ratio changing means for varying a gear shift ratio of the transmission by changing a width of a groove formed between the pulley halves of each of said pulleys, said gear shift changing means including a power source means for providing a driving force for causing said changing of the widths of the grooves, and said gear shift ratio changing means being contained within said casing with said power source means having a motor disposed in said casing in a space defined between said input shaft and said output shaft and adjacent said endless belt with said motor being intersected by a plane parallel to and passing through both said input shaft and said output shaft.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.