Belt-drive continuously variable transmission

A belt-drive continuously variable transmission comprising:

• a drive pulley and a driven pulley;
• and
• a belt engaged with said drive pulley and said driven pulley, and including an endless carrier and a plurality of transverse elements closely arranged on said carrier;
• each of said transverse elements having an edge in contact with an adjacent one of said transverse elements and pivotable about said edge relative to said adjacent one of said transverse elements in a plane parallel to the longitudinal direction of said belt;
• each of said transverse elements having converging side faces for contact with contact surfaces of said drive pulley and said driven pulley, each of said side faces being curved toward each of said contact surfaces in a way as to be formed into, when each of said transverse elements is observed in a plan view, such a circular arc that is of a predetermined radius R and has a center located on a straight line perpendicular to each of said contact surfaces and extending through a point at which said edge and each of said contact surfaces meet.

A drive belt for a belt-drive continuously variable transmission having a pair of pulleys, comprising:

• an endless carrier;
• and
• a plurality of transverse elements closely arranged on said carrier, each of the transverse elements having an edge in contact with an adjacent one of said transverse elements and pivotable about said edge relative to said adjacent one of said transverse elements in the longitudinal direction of said belt;
• wherein each of said side faces comprises means for allowing the center of action of a force transmitted between each of said transverse elements and each of the pulleys, when each of said transverse elements is observed in a plan view, to coincide with a point at which said edge and each of contact surfaces of the pulleys meet.