JP6872233B2 - Continuously variable transmission - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a continuously variable transmission used as a power transmission means.

As a power transmission means from the drive shaft to the output shaft, a continuously variable transmission capable of continuously changing the gear ratio has been proposed. As this type of continuously variable transmission, in Patent Document 1, the applicant has arranged two spherical rolling elements so as to be able to transmit power between the disk on the drive side and the disk on the load side, which are arranged so as to face each other. We are proposing a continuously variable transmission.

International Publication WO2016 / 178423

In the continuously variable transmission of Patent Document 1, a spherical rolling element straddles the rotation centers of the drive-side disc and the load-side disc to switch between forward rotation and reverse rotation.

An object of the present invention is to provide a continuously variable transmission capable of switching between forward rotation and reverse rotation without the spherical rolling element straddling the center of rotation of the disk.

The continuously variable transmission according to the present invention
A drive shaft that is connected to the drive source so that power can be transmitted,
The first disk connected to the drive shaft and
A free disc that is rotatably arranged in the same plane as the first disc, has a peripheral surface in contact with the first disc, and is driven by the first disc.
A second disc arranged parallel to and facing the first disc and the free disc, the second disc having a rotation center facing the contact point between the first disc and the free disc.
An output shaft that is connected to the second disk, extends in the opposite direction to the drive shaft, and is connected to the load so as to be able to transmit power.
A first spherical rolling element that is in a movable contact between the first disc and the free disc,
The first spherical rolling element and the second spherical rolling element that abuts on the second disc,
A holder that rotatably holds the first spherical rolling element and the second spherical rolling element,
A holder moving means for moving the holder in the diameter direction of the second disc in a region where the second disc faces the first disc and the free disc.
With
As the first disk rotates, the free disk is driven, the first spherical rolling element rolls on the first disk or the free disk, and the second spherical rolling element is the first spherical rolling element. The second disc is rotated by a driven rotation by the spherical rolling element.

An output shaft is connected to the first disk.
The drive shaft may be connected to the second disk.

It is desirable that the holder transfers the disc with which the first spherical rolling element comes into contact from the first disc to the free disc, or from the free disc to the first disc.

The first spherical rolling element and the second spherical rolling element can be spherical.

The first spherical rolling element and the second spherical rolling element are arranged in contact with each other.

One or more spherical rolling elements can be arranged between the first spherical rolling element and the second spherical rolling element.

It is desirable that the first disc, the free disc, and the second disc have a disc shape.

The first disc or the free disc and the first spherical rolling element, and the second disk and the second spherical rolling element may be in frictional contact with each other.

The first spherical rolling element and the second spherical rolling element may be in frictional contact with each other.

A storage unit for storing energy can be provided between the drive source and the first disk.

According to the continuously variable transmission of the present invention, the rotation direction, gear ratio, and rotation speed of the power transmitted from the drive shaft to the output shaft can be freely changed simply by adjusting the contact position of the spherical rolling element with the disk. be able to.

Further, since the continuously variable transmission of the present invention can be configured by a disc, a spherical rolling element, a holder for holding the spherical rolling element, and a holder moving means, the configuration is simpler than that of the conventional continuously variable transmission. .. Further, the continuously variable transmission of the present invention can greatly change the gear ratio from 0 to infinity. Furthermore, it is also excellent in maintainability.

FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic configuration of a drive mechanism according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the accumulating portion. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the continuously variable transmission of the present invention. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of the continuously variable transmission of the present invention as viewed from the load side. FIG. 5 is a plan view of the continuously variable transmission of the present invention, showing various shifting states. FIG. 6 is a plan view of the continuously variable transmission in which the spherical rolling element is moved to the position c. FIG. 7 is a plan view of the continuously variable transmission in which the spherical rolling element is moved to the region a. FIG. 8 is a plan view of the continuously variable transmission in which the spherical rolling element is moved to the region b. FIG. 9 is a plan view of the continuously variable transmission in which the spherical rolling element is moved to the region d. FIG. 10 is a plan view of the continuously variable transmission in which the spherical rolling element is moved to the region e. FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a transition state between each region.

The continuously variable transmission 10 of the present invention can be used as a transmission for a land moving body such as an automobile, a truck, a bus, a motorcycle, a bicycle, a railroad, an industrial machine, an industrial machine, or the like. Hereinafter, the continuously variable transmission 10 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a drive mechanism 60 including a continuously variable transmission 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The drive mechanism 60 is a mechanism that variably outputs the power from the drive source 61 by the continuously variable transmission 10 in the rotation direction, the rotation speed, and the rotation torque, and transmits the power to the load 80.

As shown in FIG. 1, as an example, the drive mechanism 60 includes a drive source 61, a storage unit 70 that stores energy (including regenerative energy), a continuously variable transmission 10 of the present invention, and a continuously variable transmission. The load 80, which is connected to the 10 and serves as a driven member, can be provided as a schematic configuration. The storage unit 70 is not an essential configuration, and may be configured to directly connect the drive source 61 and the continuously variable transmission 10. The drive mechanism 60 is controlled by a central control device (consisting mainly of the CPU 90). A storage means (not shown) such as a ROM or RAM for storing programs and settings for all control of the drive mechanism 60 is connected to the CPU 90, and is based on a command by a human-operated operation unit 91. , The control is executed. The details will be described later.

The drive source 61 may exemplify a motor or an engine, and the drive shaft 62 outputs the power thereof. As shown in FIG. 1, the drive shaft 62 is provided with a one-way bearing 63 to allow transmission of rotation of the drive source 61 in one direction, but transmission of rotation from the storage unit 70 to rotate the drive source 61 in the opposite direction. It has been blocked.

The storage unit 70 is a mechanism for storing and outputting energy from the drive source 61 or regenerative energy from the load 80. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the storage unit 70 may have a spring 71, a configuration for storing energy in the spring 71, and an elastic body such as a coil spring, rubber, air, or a constant load spring (constant torque spring). ..

The storage unit 70 according to the illustrated embodiment accommodates the mainspring 71 formed by winding a steel plate in a tubular casing 72, connects the inner end of the mainspring 71 to the drive shaft 62, and connects the outer end. Is connected to the casing 72. The tip of the casing 72 is reduced in diameter in a conical shape, and the input shaft 24 is connected to the center thereof.

The continuously variable transmission 10 of the present invention shifts the power of the drive source 61 or the storage unit 70, optimizes the torque and the rotation speed, and outputs the power to the load 80.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the continuously variable transmission 10 is provided between the input shaft 24 extending from the storage unit 70 and the output shaft 44 extending toward the load 80.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the continuously variable transmission 10 includes two juxtaposed first discs 20 and free discs 30, and a second disc 40 arranged to face the discs 20 and 30. The spherical rolling elements 50 and 52 are arranged between the discs 20 and 30 and the second disc 40. The spherical rolling elements 50 and 52 are rotatably supported by the holder 54, and one spherical rolling element 50 (first spherical rolling element) is in contact with the first disc 20 or the free disc 30, and the other spherical rolling element 50 and 52 are in contact with each other. The rolling element 52 (second spherical rolling element) is in contact with the second disc 40. Further, the first spherical rolling element 50 and the second spherical rolling element 52 are also in contact with each other. These spherical rolling elements 50 and 52 can be moved in a direction orthogonal to the input shaft 24 by the holder 54 shown in FIG. 6 and the like.

More specifically, the first disc 20 is a disk body mounted on the tip of the input shaft 24, and includes the first disc facing surface 21 on the opposite side of the input shaft 24.

The free disk 30 is arranged adjacent to the first disk 20. The free disk 30 has a free disk facing surface 31 parallel to the same plane as the first disk facing surface 21, and the free disk facing surface 31 is rotated in a plane parallel to the first disk facing surface 21 by a bearing 34 or the like. It is supported to be possible. The free disc 30 is also a disk body, and in the illustrated embodiment, the first disc 20 and the free disc 30 have the same diameter.

Both the first disc 20 and the free disc 30 can be made of a metal such as steel, hard rubber, hard resin, or the like. Further, the first disk facing surface 21 and the free disk facing surface 31 are provided with a surface having high friction so that the first spherical rolling element 50 rotates without slipping by frictional contact with the first spherical rolling element 50 described later. Is desirable.

The first disc 20 and the free disc 30 are connected so as to be able to transmit power. Although omitted in FIG. 3, the first disk 20 and the free disk 30 have teeth engraved on the back surface side of the first disk facing surface 21 and the free disk facing surface 31 as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. The gears 22 and 32 are respectively deployed, and the rotation of the first disc 20 can be transmitted to the free disc 30 by engaging the gears 22 and 32 with each other. Further, the peripheral surfaces of the first disc 20 and the free disc 30 may be roughly formed and brought into contact with each other, or teeth may be engraved on the peripheral surfaces of the discs 20 and 30 to connect them. Further, the disks 20 and 30 can be connected to each other so as to be able to transmit power by using a belt or the like.

That is, the power transmission mechanism is not particularly limited as long as the first disc 20 is rotated by the rotational force from the input shaft 24 and the free disc 30 is driven and rotated by this.

The second disc 40 is arranged at a position facing the disc facing surfaces 21 and 31 of the first disc 20 and the free disc 30. The second disc 40 includes a first disc facing surface 21 and a second disc facing surface 41 parallel to the free disc facing surface 31. The second disc 40 can also be a disk body, and an output shaft 44 connected to the load 80 is connected to the back side of the second disc facing surface 41.

The rotation center O2 of the second disc 40 is located at the contact point C between the first disc 20 and the free disc 30 as shown in FIG.

The second disc 40 can also be made of a metal such as steel, hard rubber, hard resin, or the like. Further, it is desirable that the second disk facing surface 41 is provided with a surface having high friction so that the second spherical rolling element 52 comes into frictional contact with the second spherical rolling element 52 and rotates without slipping.

Two spherical rolling elements 50 and 52 are arranged between the first disk facing surface 21, the free disk facing surface 31, and the second disk facing surface 41. The spherical rolling elements 50 and 52 connect the first disc 20 and the second disc 40, or the free disc 30 and the second disc 40 so as to be able to transmit power. The spherical rolling elements 50 and 52 are spheres in the present embodiment, and are a first spherical rolling element 50 that abuts on the first disk 20 or the free disk 30, and a second spherical rolling element 52 that abuts on the second disc 40. ..

The spherical rolling elements 50 and 52 can be made of metals such as steel, hard rubber, and hard resin, respectively, and can transmit power without slipping due to frictional contact with each other, and the first spherical rolling elements 50 are the first. It is desirable that the disc facing surface 21, the free disc facing surface 31, and the second spherical rolling element 52 each have a surface with high friction so that they come into frictional contact with the second disc facing surface 41 and rotate without slipping.

As shown in FIG. 6 and the like, the spherical rolling elements 50 and 52 are rotatably held in the holder 54. For example, the holder 54 rotatably holds the spherical rolling elements 50 and 52 on the inner surface of a plate-shaped pedestal whose first spherical rolling element 50 and the second spherical rolling element 52 face each other with a constant distance between them. It can be configured to have a bearing such as a thrust bearing. The spherical rolling elements 50 and 52 project from the ends of the holder 54, respectively.

The holder 54 is connected to a telescopic holder moving means 55 composed of an actuator such as a cylinder. Then, the spherical rolling elements 50 and 52 can be translated along the straight line Lm (Ll) together with the holder 54 by the expansion and contraction of the holder moving means 55, and the first spherical rolling elements 50 and the disks 20, 30 and the second spherical bodies can be moved in parallel. The position where the rolling element 52 and the second disk 40 come into contact with each other can be changed.

Further, the first disc 20 or the free disc 30 and the second disc 40 are each provided with a braking means (not shown) such as a disc brake, and the discs 20, 30 and 40 are locked as needed. be able to. The locked / unlocked state of the braking means is controlled by the CPU 90.

The continuously variable transmission 10 having the above configuration operates as follows.

When the rotational force from the input shaft 24 is input to the continuously variable transmission 10, the first disc 20 rotates, and the free disc 30 is driven to rotate in the direction opposite to that of the first disc 20. For example, assuming that the rotation direction of the input shaft 24 is the direction of the arrow Am in FIG. 3, the first disk 20 rotates in the same direction as the drive shaft 62 indicated by the arrow A1, and the free disk 30 has an arrow opposite to that of the first disk 20. It rotates in the opposite direction indicated by Af.

In the following, the illustrated rotation direction (arrow Am) of the input shaft 24 is referred to as a positive direction, and when the disks 20, 30, 40 or the output shaft 44 rotate in the same direction, the rotation direction is forward, Am. When rotating in the opposite direction to, it is described as rotating in the opposite direction.

Since the first spherical rolling element 50 is in frictional contact with the first disk facing surface 21 or the free disk facing surface 31, the rotation of the disks 20 and 30 causes the first spherical rolling element 50 to rotate in a plane perpendicular to the straight line Lm. In the example of FIG. 3, since the first spherical rolling element 50 is on the first disk facing surface 21, it rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow B1 in the figure.

In the following, the rotation direction of the first spherical rolling element 50 (arrow B1) is referred to as a vertical / forward direction, and the rotation direction of the second spherical rolling element 52 opposite to B1 is vertical / reverse rotation (arrow B2). ).

Since the second spherical rolling element 52 is in frictional contact with the first spherical rolling element 50, it is perpendicular to the same straight line Lm (Ll) as the first spherical rolling element 50 due to the rotation of the first spherical rolling element 50. In the plane, it rotates drivenly in the direction opposite to that of the first spherical rolling element 50. In the example of FIG. 3, the second spherical rolling element 52 rotates in the vertical and reverse directions indicated by arrows B2 in the opposite direction to the rotation direction B1 of the first spherical rolling element 50.

Then, the second disc 40, which is in frictional contact with the second spherical rolling element 52, is driven to rotate by the rotation of the second spherical rolling element 52. When the second spherical rolling element 52 is rotating in a plane perpendicular to the straight line Ll (arrow B2), the second disc 40 is, as shown in FIG. 3, as shown by arrow A2. It rotates in the direction opposite to that of the first disc 20. By the rotation of the second disc 40, the output shaft 44 connected to the second disc 40 is rotated in the opposite direction indicated by the same arrow Al as the second disc 40, and the load 80 can be driven.

In the present invention, the spherical rolling elements 50 and 52 come into contact with either the first disk facing surface 21 or the free disk facing surface 31 as shown in FIG. 5 by the translation of the holder 54. Also, the contact position can be changed. Along with this, the position where the second spherical rolling element 52 comes into contact with the second disc facing surface 41 can be changed. As a result, the rotation of the input shaft 24 is transmitted to the output shaft 44 by changing its direction and gear ratio (rotation speed and rotation torque).

6 to 10 are views in a state where the positions of the spherical rolling elements 50 and 52 are changed. More specifically, FIG. 6 shows a state in which the first spherical rolling element 50 is on the contact point C between the first disc 20 and the free disc 30 (position c in FIG. 5). 7 and 8 show a state in which the first spherical rolling element 50 is on the first disk 20 side, and FIG. 7 shows a state in which the first spherical rolling element 50 is located on the inner peripheral side of the first disc 20 (FIG. 7 and FIG. 8). Region a) and FIG. 8 show the first spherical rolling element 50 on the outer peripheral side of the first disc 20 (region b in FIG. 5). 9 and 10 show a state in which the first spherical rolling element 50 is on the free disk 30 side, and FIG. 9 shows that the first spherical rolling element 50 is on the inner peripheral side of the free disk 30 (d in FIG. 5). ), FIG. 10 shows a state in which the first spherical rolling element 50 is located on the outer peripheral side of the free disk 30 (region e in FIG. 5).

Here, in the states of FIGS. 7 and 8 in which the first spherical rolling element 50 is on the first disk 20, the distance from the rotation center O1 of the first disk 20 to the first spherical rolling element 50 is set to S1 and the second disk. Let S2 be the distance from the rotation center O2 of 40 to the second spherical rolling element 52. Further, in the states of FIGS. 9 and 10 in which the first spherical rolling element 50 is on the free disk 30, the distance from the rotation center Of of the free disk 30 to the first spherical rolling element 50 is set to Sf, and the rotation of the second disk 40 is performed. Let S2 be the distance from the center O2 to the second spherical rolling element 52. Further, the rotation speed of the drive shaft 62, that is, the first disc 20, is Rm, and the rotation torque is Tm.

That is, in the region a where the position of the first spherical rolling element 50 is on the first disk facing surface 21 and is close to the rotation center of the input shaft 24, S1 <S2 as shown in FIG. 7, and the input shaft 24 In the region b in the region distant from the center of rotation of, S1> S2 as shown in FIG. Further, at the position c where the position of the first spherical rolling element 50 is on the contact point C between the first disc 20 and the free disc 30, S1 = Sf and S2 = 0 as shown in FIG. Further, in the region d where the position of the first spherical rolling element 50 is on the free disk facing surface 31 and away from the rotation center of the input shaft 24, as shown in FIG. 9, Sf> S2 and the input shaft 34. In the region e located near the center of rotation, Sf <S2 as shown in FIG.

How the rotation of the input shaft 24 is transmitted to the output shaft 44 by moving the holder 54 in parallel will be described with reference to FIGS. 5 to 10.

As shown in FIG. 6, the first spherical rolling element 50 is on the contact point C (position c) between the first disc 20 and the free disk 30, and the second spherical rolling element 52 is at the rotation center O2 of the second disc 40. In this case, the second spherical rolling element 52 is stationary as shown in FIG. When the second spherical rolling element 52 is stationary, the first spherical rolling element 50 is also stationary, and there is no power transmission in the direction of rotating the second disc 40. Therefore, the second disc 40 and the output shaft 44 are in a state of not receiving power, that is, in a stopped neutral state.

On the other hand, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, when the first spherical rolling element 50 is on the first disk 20 side (region a, region b in FIG. 5), the first spherical rolling element 50 is the first disc. It is in contact with the facing surface 21. In this state, when the input shaft 24 is rotated in the positive direction Am and the first disk 20 is rotated in the positive direction (A1), the first spherical rolling element 50 is rotated in the vertical / positive direction (B1). The second spherical rolling element 52 rotates in the vertical / reverse direction (B2) in response to the rotation of the first spherical rolling element 50. Then, the second disc 40 is rotated in the opposite direction (A2) to the first disc 20 by the second spherical rolling element 52, and the output shaft 44 is also rotated in the same Al direction.

At this time, the rotation speed R2 of the second disc 40 (same for the output shaft 44) becomes Rm × (S1 / S2), and the rotation torque T3 becomes Tm × (S2 / S1).

In the region a (FIG. 7) shown in FIG. 5, since the first spherical rolling element 50 is located on the inner peripheral side of the first disk 20 and the second spherical rolling element 52 is located on the outer peripheral side of the second disk 40, S1 <S2. Therefore, the rotation speed R2 of the second disc 40 is smaller than the rotation speed R1 of the first disc 20, and the torque T3 is larger than Tm.

At the boundary position (S1 = S2) between the area a and the area b, the first disk 20 and the second disk 40 have the same rotation speed and rotation torque, although the rotation directions are opposite to each other.

On the contrary, in the region b (FIG. 5) in which the first spherical rolling element 50 shown in FIG. 8 moves to the outer peripheral side of the first disk facing surface 21 and the second spherical rolling element 52 moves to the inner peripheral side of the second disk 40. Since S1> S2, the rotation speed R2 of the second disc 40 is larger than the rotation speed R1 of the first disc 20, and the torque T3 is smaller than Tm.

9 and 10 show a state in which the first spherical rolling element 50 crosses the contact point C and is in contact with the free disk facing surface 31 of the free disk 30. In this state, the free disc 30 rotates in the opposite direction to the forward rotation (Am) of the first disc 20 (Af), but as in FIGS. 7 and 8, with respect to the first spherical rolling element 50. Since the relative moving directions of the free disc 30 are the same, the first spherical rolling element 50 rotates in the vertical / positive direction (B1). The second spherical rolling element 52 rotates in the vertical / reverse direction (B2) in response to the rotation of the first spherical rolling element 50. Then, the second disc 40 receives rotation in the vertical and reverse directions (B2) of the second spherical rolling element 52, but the second spherical rolling element 52 exceeds the rotation center O2 of the second disk 40. , Unlike the cases of FIGS. 7 and 8, the free disk 30 rotates in the opposite direction, that is, in the forward direction (A2') in the same direction as the first disk 20. Further, the output shaft 44 also rotates in the same positive direction (Al') as the second disc 40.

At this time, the rotation speed R2 of the second disc 40 (same for the output shaft 44) becomes Rm × (Sf / S2), and the rotation torque T3 becomes Tm × (S2 / Sf).

In the region d (FIG. 9) shown in FIG. 5, the first spherical rolling element 50 is located on the outer peripheral side of the free disk facing surface 31, and the second spherical rolling element 52 is located on the inner peripheral side of the second disk 40. S2, the rotation speed R2 of the second disk 40 is larger than the rotation speed R1 of the free disk 30 (first disk 20), and the torque T3 is smaller than Tm.

At the boundary position (Sf = S2) between the area d and the area e, the second disc 40 rotates in the positive direction in the same direction as the first disc 20, but both the rotation speed and the rotation torque of the free disc 30 (first disc). It becomes the same value as 20).

On the contrary, in the region e (FIG. 5) where the first spherical rolling element 50 shown in FIG. 10 is on the inner peripheral side of the free disk facing surface 31 and the second spherical rolling element 52 is on the outer peripheral side of the second disk 40, Sf < Since it is S2, the rotation speed R2 of the second disc 40 is smaller than the rotation speed R1 of the free disc 30 (first disc 20), and the torque T3 is larger than Tm.

As described above, according to the continuously variable transmission 10 of the present invention, it is transmitted from the input shaft 24 to the output shaft 44 only by adjusting the contact positions between the spherical rolling elements 50, 52 and the discs 20, 30, 40. The rotation direction, gear ratio, and rotation torque of the power can be changed freely.

Further, the continuously variable transmission 10 can be configured by the discs 20, 30, 40, the spherical rolling elements 50, 52, the holder 54 for holding the spherical rolling elements 50, 52, and the holder moving means 55, so that the configuration is simple. It is also excellent in maintainability.

As shown in FIG. 1, the drive mechanism 60 including the continuously variable transmission 10 having the above configuration is controlled by a central control device (consisting mainly of the CPU 90). A storage means (not shown) such as a ROM or RAM for storing programs and settings for all control of the drive mechanism 60 is connected to the CPU 90.

The CPU 90 is electrically connected to the operation unit 91, controls the output and the rotation speed of the drive source 61 based on the operation from the operation unit 91, and also controls the holder moving means 55 (actuator) of the continuously variable transmission 10. ) Is controlled to control the gear ratio and the power transmission direction of the continuously variable transmission 10. Further, a detector 92 for detecting the rotation speed and torque is provided on the input shaft 24 of the continuously variable transmission 10, and the detected value is transmitted to the CPU 90.

Further, the storage unit 70 is provided with a sensor 93 that detects the energy (including the regenerative energy) stored in the storage unit 70, and the detected value is transmitted to the CPU 90.

Then, the CPU 90 grasps the rotation speed, torque, and the amount of stored energy of the storage unit 70 of each axis, and compares the operation from the operation unit 91 and the energy storage status of the storage unit 70 from the sensor 93 with the comparison unit 94. It controls the holder moving means 55 and the drive source 61.

The basic operation of the drive mechanism 60 having the above configuration is as follows.

By operating the drive source 61, the drive shaft 62 is rotated, the mainspring 71 connected to the drive shaft 62 is wound in the winding direction from the inner end side, and energy is stored in the storage unit 70. When the sensor 93 detects that the energy stored in the storage unit 70 has reached the maximum, the CPU 90 controls to stop the drive source 61. This control is the same in any of the following cases.

Then, the energy (including regenerative energy) stored in the storage unit 70 drives the load 80 through the continuously variable transmission 10. For example, when driving the load 80, the operation unit 91 is operated (accelerator operation), so that the CPU 90 compares the energy stored in the storage unit 70 detected by the sensor 93 with the required power of the comparison unit 94. The holder moving means 55 is expanded and contracted so that the optimum driving force can be supplied to the load 80 while detecting the rotation speed and torque of the continuously variable transmission 10 with the detector 92. As a result, the rotational force is transmitted from the storage unit 70 to the load 80 via the continuously variable transmission 10, and the load 80 accelerates or decelerates.

By operating the drive source 61 while the load 80 is being driven, if the rotation speed of the drive shaft 62 is larger than the rotation speed of the input shaft 24, additional energy is stored in the storage unit 70. To. Further, if the rotation speeds of the drive shaft 62 and the input shaft 24 are the same, the storage unit 70 is held constant without accumulating additional energy. Further, if the rotation speed of the drive shaft 62 is smaller than the rotation speed of the input shaft 24 or stops, the power of the drive source 61 and the energy of the storage unit 70 are consumed by the load 80, and the storage unit 70 consumes the power. The stored energy will be reduced.

On the other hand, when decelerating the load 80, the operation unit 91 is operated (brake operation) to operate the holder moving means 55, and the braking force of the load 80 is accumulated via the continuously variable transmission 10. By transmitting the energy to the 70, the mainspring 71 is wound in the winding direction, and the regenerative energy is stored in the storage unit 70. At this time, the CPU 90 detects the rotation speed and torque of the continuously variable transmission 10 with the detector 92, and also refers to the amount of energy already stored in the storage unit 70 with the sensor 93 to optimally regenerate energy. Is controlled so that it can be stored in the storage unit 70.

Specifically, considering the running of a moving body in which the load 80 is a tire, it is controlled as follows.

(1) When accelerating forward from the stopped state The stopped state is a state in which the first disc 20 is locked by the braking means at the position c in FIG. From this state, the required torque applied to the load 80 is calculated by the CPU 90 according to the degree of human operation, and the positions of the spherical rolling elements 50 and 52 are determined through the holder moving means 55. At this time, the braking means of the first disc 20 is released, the lock is released, and the first disc 20 is moved from the position c in the directions of the area a (FIGS. 5 and 7) and the area b (FIG. 5 and 8) (α in FIG. 11). : Forward drive mode). Although there is a difference in the degree of acceleration due to human operation, if there is a sudden acceleration operation, the first spherical rolling element 50 and the second spherical rolling element 52 are moved to the region a side where the torque is strong at the discretion of the CPU 90.

(2) When changing from acceleration to constant speed It is necessary to continue to replenish the energy loss for natural deceleration from the drive source 61 and the storage unit 70 to the load 80. That is, the load 80 must be supplied with power corresponding to energy loss (consumption) during traveling. This is a weak acceleration mode.

(3) When decelerating from a constant speed By moving the spherical rolling elements 50 and 52 from the area b (FIG. 8) shown in FIG. 5 to the area d (FIG. 9), the first spherical rolling elements 50 become the free disk 30. When they come into contact with each other, a moment acts in the direction opposite to the rotation direction of the load 80 to decelerate (α → β in FIG. 11: reverse drive mode).

Although the amount of deceleration depends on the degree of deceleration operation by human operation, the deceleration operation is a reverse rotation operation with respect to the accumulating portion 70, that is, the direction of tightening the mainspring 71. Here, it is necessary to give the storage unit 70 a torque higher than the output torque of the mainspring 71 of the storage unit 70 on the load 80 side. The CPU 90 calculates the optimum shift value by the continuously variable transmission 10 and issues an adjustment instruction.

(4) When stopping from deceleration The judgment of the CPU 90 is that normal deceleration is from the position of region d, and slow deceleration is determined by the CPU 90, but the first spherical rolling element 50 and the second spherical rolling element 52 are at point C (position). Heading toward c) (β → γ in FIG. 11: forward deceleration, stop). However, in the case of sudden deceleration, the load 80 is stopped when the first spherical rolling element 50 approaches the rotation center Of of the free disk 30 while remaining in the region d (FIG. 9) of FIG.

Here, immediately before the stop, the first spherical rolling element 50 and the second spherical rolling element 52 return to the position c in FIG. 6, and there is no power transmission to the output when viewed from the storage unit 70. Therefore, the first disk 20 or the free disk 30 needs to be locked by braking means. The CPU 90 determines and executes all of this series of operations based on the calculation result.

(5) When accelerating backward from a stop The first spherical rolling element 50 is gradually moved from the position c in FIG. 6 to the region d (FIG. 9) in FIG. 5 by releasing all the locks by the braking means (ε in FIG. 11). : Reverse drive mode). Control is performed according to the value of the reverse accelerator by human operation.

If there is no high-speed acceleration / backward movement, it is not necessary to move to the region e (FIG. 10) of FIG.

(6) In the case of reverse acceleration to reverse constant speed The first spherical rolling element 50 is located in the region d (FIG. 9) of FIG. 5, and the CPU 90 determines the supply of energy loss in the same way as in (2) above. To adjust the position.

(7) When decelerating backward from a constant reverse speed The first spherical rolling element 50 is moved from the region d (FIG. 9) of FIG. 5 to the region b (FIG. 8). The region b is the mode of (2) described above, but the reverse deceleration occurs by accumulating the reverse kinetic energy of the moving body in the storage unit 70 (ε → δ in FIG. 11: forward drive mode).

(8) When stopping from reverse deceleration When the reverse kinetic energy is exhausted in the forward mode of (7) above, it means that the moving body is stopped and stops at the position c in FIG. 6 (δ → ζ in FIG. 11: reverse deceleration). ,Stop). At this time, the CPU 90 needs to lock the second disc 40 by the braking means.

(9) Acceleration during forward acceleration In order to perform further acceleration during acceleration in (1), the first spherical rolling element 50 from the region a or b is brought closer to the rotation center O1 of the first disk 20. Just do it. However, if the first spherical rolling element 50 overlaps with the rotation center O1, the first spherical rolling element 50 will not be moved to the rotation center O1 because it will be in a no-load state when viewed from the storage unit 70.

(10) When suddenly decelerating during forward movement The first spherical rolling element 50 is moved from the region a or b in FIG. 5 to the region c or d. This is because the inertial kinetic energy of the moving body acts as a reverse torque on the storage unit 70 by entering the reverse mode (tightening operation of the mainspring 71), whereby the kinetic energy of the moving body is regenerated to the storage unit 70. It can be transferred as energy. At this time, as the first spherical rolling element 50 approaches the rotation center Of of the free disk 30, the deceleration becomes rapid and a large amount of regenerative energy is accumulated in the storage unit 70. In this case as well, the CPU 90 may perform calculations from the sudden deceleration information by human operation and the speed of the moving body, and adjust the appropriate positions of the first spherical rolling element 50 and the second spherical rolling element 52.

(11) From forward sudden deceleration to stop The moving body is stopped by moving the first spherical rolling element 50 from the above-mentioned area d or area e toward the rotation center Of of the free disk 30. By moving the first spherical rolling element 50 and the second spherical rolling element 52 to the position c in FIG. 6, the initial state is restored as in (4).

As described above, the rotation speed, rotation torque, and rotation direction of the load 80 can be freely controlled only by adjusting the positions of the spherical rolling elements 50 and 52, and the moving body can move forward and backward. Further, by storing energy (including regenerative energy) in the storage unit 70 and releasing this energy, the energy can be effectively utilized and the output of the drive source 61 can be assisted, so that the drive source 61 can be made smaller. There are various merits such as being able to achieve the conversion.

The above description is for explaining the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting or limiting the scope of the invention described in the claims. In addition, the configuration of each part of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made within the technical scope described in the claims.

For example, in the above embodiment, there are two spherical rolling elements, the first spherical rolling element 50 and the second spherical rolling element 52, but the number may be three or more. In this case, if the number of spherical rolling elements is even, the rotation directions of the drive shaft 62 (input shaft 24) and the output shaft 44 are as described above, but if the number of spherical rolling elements is odd, the drive shafts The rotation directions of 62 (input shaft 24) and the output shaft 44 are opposite to those described above.

Further, in the above embodiment, the diameters of the first spherical rolling element 50 and the second spherical rolling element 52 are the same, but the diameters thereof may be changed.

Further, in the above embodiment, the first disk 20 and the free disk 30 are on the drive side and the second disk 40 is on the load side, but the first disk 20 and the free disk 30 are on the load side and the second disk 40 is on the drive side. You may place it.

10 Continuously variable transmission 20 1st disc 21 1st disc facing surface 30 Free disc 31 Free disc facing surface 40 2nd disc 41 2nd disc facing surface 50 1st spherical rolling element 52 2nd spherical rolling element 54 Holder 55 Holder movement Means 60 Drive mechanism 61 Drive source 62 Drive shaft 70 Storage unit 80 Load

Claims (10)

A drive shaft that is connected to the drive source so that power can be transmitted,
The first disk connected to the drive shaft and
A free disc that is rotatably arranged in the same plane as the first disc, has a peripheral surface in contact with the first disc, and is driven by the first disc.
A second disc arranged parallel to and facing the first disc and the free disc, the second disc having a rotation center facing the contact point between the first disc and the free disc.
An output shaft that is connected to the second disk, extends in the opposite direction to the drive shaft, and is connected to the load so as to be able to transmit power.
A first spherical rolling element that is in a movable contact between the first disc and the free disc,
The first spherical rolling element and the second spherical rolling element that abuts on the second disc,
A holder that rotatably holds the first spherical rolling element and the second spherical rolling element,
A holder moving means for moving the holder in the diameter direction of the second disc in a region where the second disc faces the first disc and the free disc.
With
As the first disk rotates, the free disk is driven, the first spherical rolling element rolls on the first disk or the free disk, and the second spherical rolling element is the first spherical rolling element. The second disc is rotated by a driven rotation by a spherical rolling element.
Continuously variable transmission. An output shaft is connected to the first disk.
A drive shaft is connected to the second disk.
The continuously variable transmission according to claim 1. The holder transfers a disc with which the first spherical rolling element comes into contact from the first disc to the free disc, or from the free disc to the first disc.
The continuously variable transmission according to claim 1 or 2. The first spherical rolling element and the second spherical rolling element are spherical.
The continuously variable transmission according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The first spherical rolling element and the second spherical rolling element are in contact with each other.
The continuously variable transmission according to any one of claims 1 to 4. One or more spherical rolling elements are arranged between the first spherical rolling element and the second spherical rolling element.
The continuously variable transmission according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The first disc, the free disc, and the second disc have a disc shape.
The continuously variable transmission according to any one of claims 1 to 6. The first disc or the free disc and the first spherical rolling element, and the second disc and the second spherical rolling element are in frictional contact with each other.
The continuously variable transmission according to any one of claims 1 to 7. The first spherical rolling element and the second spherical rolling element are in frictional contact with each other.
The continuously variable transmission according to claim 8. An energy storage unit is provided between the drive source and the first disk.
The continuously variable transmission according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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