Driven pulley for a continuously variable transmission
AssigneeCVTech Inc.
InventorJocelyn Labbé
Life of this patent
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Abstract
The driven pulley is part of a continuously-variable transmission (CVT). The driven pulley comprises two coaxially-disposed sheaves defining between them a belt-receiving groove. It also has at least two axisymmetric ramp surfaces attached to one of the sheaves and at least two axisymmetric followers attached to the other sheave, each ramp surface being engageable by a corresponding one of the followers. At least some of the ramp surfaces are provided on corresponding ramp holders that are independent from the sheaves. A method of modifying the settings of a driven pulley and a method of assembling a driven pulley also disclosed.
Claims18
A driven pulley for a continuously-variable transmission, the driven pulley having a rotation axis and comprising:
- two coaxially-disposed sheaves, each sheave having an interior surface and an exterior surface opposite the interior surface, the interior surfaces defining between them a belt-receiving groove;
- at least two axisymmetric ramp surfaces attached to one of the sheaves and facing away from the two sheaves;
- and
- at least two axisymmetric followers attached to the other sheave and positionable outside the exterior surface of said one of the sheaves, each ramp surface being engageable by a corresponding one of the followers;
- wherein
- at least two of the ramp surfaces are each provided on a top side of a corresponding separate ramp holder that is individually and removeably connected to said one of the sheaves, each of the separate ramp holders having a bottom side, opposite the top side, located in and in engagement with a corresponding ramp holder slot provided on the exterior surface of said one of the sheaves.
A method of modifying settings of a driven pulley of a continuously-variable transmission, the method comprising:
- removing a plurality of individual ramp holders that are each separately and individually connected to an exterior surface of a sheave of the driven pulley, each individual ramp holder having a bottom side engaging the exterior surface of the sheave and having a top side opposite the bottom side, the bottom side of each individual ramp holder being located inside a corresponding ramp holder slot provided on the exterior surface of the sheave, the top side of each individual ramp holder facing away from the exterior surface of the sheave and including a corresponding ramp surface configured to engage a corresponding follower;
- and then
- inserting a plurality of new individual ramp holders into the corresponding ramp holder slots on the exterior surface of the sheave of the driven pulley and connecting them to the sheave, the new individual ramp holders having ramp surfaces that are different in shape compared to the ramp surfaces they replace.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.