The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Aug. 22, 2000
Filed:
Mar. 23, 1998
Phillip Thomas Koneda, Novi, MI (US);
Stephen John Agdorny, Ypsilanti, MI (US);
Thomas Arthur McGinn, White Lake, MI (US);
Ford Global Technologies, Inc., Dearborn, MI (US);
Abstract
A continually variable transmission includes an input shaft, an output shaft and a first drive mechanism having a first input on a first axis and a first output on a second axis. The first drive mechanism produces a fixed ratio of the speed of the first input to the speed of the first output. The first input drives the first output without a member on an intervening axis. A second drive mechanism is arranged in parallel with the first drive mechanism, having a second input and second output, for producing a stepless, continually variable range of ratios of the speed of the second input to the speed of the second output. A mode clutch alternately driveably connects and releases either the members of a first group consisting of the first input and second input or the members of a second group consisting of the first output and second output. A mechanism is provided for driving the output shaft in the same direction as the input shaft and for reversing the direction of rotation of the output shaft relative to the direction of rotation of the input shaft.