Variable speed transmission and transaxle
US5860884A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventor
Key dates
| Filing date | Oct 28, 1996 |
| Grant date | Jan 19, 1999 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Oct 28, 2016 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC B)Performing Operations; Transporting
- CPC primaryB60Y2200/223
- WIPO fieldMechanical elements
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
A variable speed transmission or transaxle that utilizes a pump for variable braking of the output shaft or axle. A rotatable input shaft connectable to a drive source extends into a transmission housing and is operatively connected to a gear train that transmits rotational power to a transmission output shaft. A gerotor pump mounted within the housing utilizes a ring gear of an epicyclic gear of the gear train as an inner gerotor gear that meshes with an outer gerotor gear to pump fluid along a fluid conduit. By adjustably varying the resistance of the pump, the revolution rate of the epicyclic ring gear is adjusted which in turn results in a controlling of the speed of rotation of the transmission output shaft. In an alternate embodiment, a reversible transmission is provided by employing two gerotor pumps and two gear trains which allow forward and reverse speeds of rotation of the output shaft to be variably controlled.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.