US 7,828,685 B2 · Electromotive drives

Abstract

A transmission having a plurality of tilting balls and opposing input and output discs provides an infinite number of speed combinations over its transmission ratio range. The transmission provides multiple powerpaths and can be combined with electrical components to provide motor/generator functionality, which reduces the overall size and complexity of the motor and transmission compared to when they are constructed separately. In one embodiment, rotatable components of a continuously variable transmission are coupled separately to an electrical rotor and to an electrical stator so that the rotor and stator rotate simultaneously in opposite directions relative to one another. In other embodiments, an electrical rotor is configured to transfer torque to or from a disc that is in contact with a plurality of speed adjusters, while an electrical stator is configured to transfer torque to a shaft that is operationally coupled to the speed adjusters via an idler.

Claims18

Dependent claims

A method of transmitting power in an electromechanical device, the method comprising:

mounting an electrical stator on a rotatable shaft;
mounting an electrical rotor on a first rotatable disc;
wherein the stator is mounted to the shaft so as to transmit torque from the rotatable shaft to the electrical stator;
wherein the electrical motor is mounted to the first rotatable disc so as to transmit torque from the first rotatable disc to the electrical rotor;
providing a plurality of speed adjusters in continuous contact with the first rotatable disc, and
coupling an idler to the shaft and to the speed adjusters, the idler located radially inward of each of the speed adjusters, wherein the idler, the rotatable disc, and the speed adjusters are in continuous contact.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Electromotive drives

Life of this patent

Electromotive drives

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims18