Continuous Variable Transmission With an Inertia-Regulating System

Abstract

This article describes a power transmission system applicable to vehicles. It consists of an oscillating, ratcheting-type, continuously variable transmission (CVT) system governed by an inertia mechanism. The inertia-regulating mechanism adds an additional degree of freedom and gives the system a dynamic character. The transmission consists of three different subsystems. The first of these converts the rotation of the engine or motor into an oscillating angular velocity movement and regulates the amplitude of this movement. The oscillating rotation from the first subsystem is used to drive a second subsystem, which acts as a regulating device by means of an inertial mechanism. The oscillating movement at the output of the second subsystem is rectified in the third, resulting in a unidirectional angular velocity. As a result, a unidirectional torque is generated at the output of the CVT, commensurate with the operating condition of the transmission, and this is capable of overcoming a torque resistance. A prototype of this transmission was built and tested to check the experimental results against those predicted by a series of computational simulations. As a result, the experimental graphs that characterize the operation of this type of transmission system were obtained, demonstrating its ability to function in an efficient manner.