WO2014068202A1

WO2014068202A1 - Variable-diameter wheel, continuously variable gear and transmission comprising this wheel

Info

Publication number: WO2014068202A1
Application number: PCT/FR2013/000285
Authority: WO
Inventors: Franck Guigan; Janick Simeray
Original assignee: Brevets G5 Sarl
Priority date: 2012-11-05
Filing date: 2013-11-04
Publication date: 2014-05-08

Abstract

The variable-diameter wheel comprises a ring gear (10) provided with at least one blade (21) that moves away from the idle position of same in order to vary the external or internal diameter of the wheel. The wheel according to the invention can be provided with conventional splines, and means are proposed to prevent and/or manage clashing teeth. The wheel is therefore a continuously variable gear or a staged variable gear. It is used in the composition of a plurality of types of friction or meshing transmission mechanisms and makes it possible, in particular, to produce an epicyclic gear train having a variable diameter providing a considerable and infinitely variable range of transmission ratios.

Description

VARIABLE DIAMETER WHEEL, CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE GEAR AND TRANSMISSION

COMPRISING THIS ROME

Application domain

The invention is a wheel whose diameter may vary according to its speed of rotation or according to another parameter. It is also a variable gear or a variable ratio transmission which can take the form of a planetary gear train with variable diameter.

Problem

The primary objective of the present invention is to replace the transmission and tires of cars by a simpler device, very robust and capable of transmitting significant power, a wheel whose diameter varies either according to its own rotational speed or according to another parameter.

The wheel object of the present invention has many other applications, including the production of variable diameter gears and transmissions that can be continuously variable or stepped.

Prior art

Two main methods are known for varying the effective diameter of a wheel:

1. the so-called "selective mechanical link" wheels which propose to install mechanical links between the wheel and its bearing support using a ratchet or freewheel mechanism so that the movement is transmitted only by a only one link at a time, such as:

- DE 100 48 579 Al (Verfahren zur kontinuierlichen Veranderung einer Geschwindigkeit and Getriebe zur Kraftubertragung - 28 February 2002 - Uehlin Juergen)

- US5,772,546 A (Continuously variable automatic drive - June 30, 1998 - Warszewski Jaroslaw Piotr)

- DE 36 10 482 Al (Stepless Speed Change Device - October 9, 1986 - Bridgestone Cycle Co., Ltd.)

- US 4.1 14.466 A (Speed converters for providing variable drive ratios - September 19, 1978 - Meucci Amleto)

- US $ 5,950,488 (A) (Positive Engagement Internally Variable Transmission Transmission - Sept. 14, 1999 - Abdallah Abdalla Aref)

These wheels called selective mechanical links have the disadvantage of transmitting the movement at a speed that is not stable, that is to say, to cause a-cycling prejudice to the quality of training since it is the mechanical connection that goes the fastest or the one that goes the slowest, according to the designer's choice, which causes only the drive.

2. The wheels hereinafter called "rolling" which provide a rotational cooperation between the wheel and its raceway. The main ones are described in the following documents: - EP0705629A1 (Expandable wheel assembly, April 1, 1996 - Robert L. Beck)

Variable Ratio Transmission, June 27, 1984 - Michael Deal).

- US4773889 (Wheel for a Toy Vehicle - September 27, 1988 - Donald A Rosenwinkel and Wayne A Kuna)

- WO 2010/087541 Al (Wheel which transforms according to rotating drive shaft direction - October 5, 2010 - Jo Ja Jun)

- US 5,772,546 A (Continuously variable automatic drive - June 30, 1998 - Jaroslaw Piotr Warszewski)

The so-called rolling wheels of the prior art have the major disadvantage that the surface of cooperation between the proposed devices and the bearing support moves very substantially away from the shape of a wheel, which causes shocks which are detrimental to the strength of the device, and the comfort of users when it comes to car wheels.

This is due to the fact that the total length of the said possible direct or indirect cooperation surface or surfaces of said RDV with said bearing support is less than or equal to the minimum circumference of said wheel when said blade or blades are in the rest position. Contrary to what a reading too fast of the document WO 2010/087541 A1 could make believe, this is also the case of this document: the total length of the said cooperation surface or surfaces of its vanes with said bearing support is at more equal to the maximum circumference of said wheel when the blades are folded.

Brief description of the drawings

The invention will be better understood, and other objects, advantages and characteristics thereof will appear more clearly on reading the description which follows, which is illustrated by FIGS. 1 to 86 which all represent devices or parts of FIG. devices according to the invention. FIG. 1 is a plan view of three wheels according to the invention, each in a different configuration, the blades 22 and following pivot about a blade axis parallel to the axis of a shaft 1 which is the axis of rotation of the variable diameter wheel (hereinafter referred to as RDV). They are in a so-called open position in the upper wheel, in a so-called closed position in that of the bottom and in an intermediate position in that of the middle.

There is a complementary element called synchronization element 7 which is here a disk comprising orientation paths 710, 720 and 730 each determining the position of a blade, respectively blades 21, 22 and 23. These paths being integral with each other. others, the deployment of all the blades is substantially identical.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the three wheels of Figure 1, in the same configurations. The blades are semicircles which deviate from the median plane of the wheel from their blade axis at their end. Here we can see the cooperation surface 211 of the dawn 21 with the bearing support 6. This surface is tangent to the periphery of the wheel at different locations depending on the angular position of the blade 21 about its axis 210.

Figures 3, 4 and 5 are different views of three wheels according to the invention in an improved mode, wherein the vanes 21, 22 and following are spirals. The blade axis 210 of the blade 21 is fixed on a ring 10. FIG. 5 is an exploded view showing the detail of a blade 21 with its blade axis 210 and its cooperation surface 211 with the bearing support. We also distinguish the mechanical connection which links the end 216 of the blade 21 with the end 226 of the blade 22.

Figure 6 shows the diameter expansion of a wheel according to the invention, which can be obtained with spiral blades.

Figure 7 is a set of views in perspective and in the blade planes according to the invention, which are here paddle wheels having a flexible end for rolling on all terrains as well as water. They provide both dynamic lift and propulsion. Several subassemblies like the one shown are assembled in parallel with angular gaps such that the cooperation between the vanes of a subset and the bearing support 6 is not synchronous with those of another subset.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a wheel variant according to the invention, wherein the blades 21, 22 and following are attached to a ring 10 by an axis tangential to the periphery of the ring. Such a wheel has the advantage of allowing continuous support of at least one blade on the bearing support.

Figure 9 is a perspective view of a continuously variable transmission according to the invention. The axis of the transmission comprises 4 wheels according to the invention, which cooperate with a fixed shaft 60 by means of an intermediate shaft 61 fixed to the end of a pivoting arm 610. The intermediate shaft 61 is supported on the 4 wheels according to the invention by means known as an elastic return (not shown), and rotates the fixed shaft 60, with a transmission ratio which is a function of the angular position of the vanes of the wheels according to the invention. Unlike the vanes of FIG. 8, whose curvature is regular, those of FIG. 9 consist of juxtaposed cylinder portions, which has the advantage of allowing a blade to cooperate with the fixed shaft 60. not by a point but by a segment tangent to the fixed shaft 60. It is thus possible to transfer a much larger power. The variation of the transmission ratio is however no longer continuous. It is possible to provide these vanes with gear teeth.

A stop (not shown) makes it possible to limit the movement of the arm 610 so that the intermediate shaft 61 does not touch the vanes when they are in the so-called closed position. The transmission is then disengaged. Figures 10 to 12 are perspective views of a wheel according to the invention, which is provided with an outer shell 650 cylindrical. This envelope constitutes the bearing support 6 of the wheel cooperates in turn with the ground by its outer face. It cooperates with the blades by the lower part of its inner face. The axis of the RDV goes up or down depending on whether the vanes go into the open position or in the closed position. FIG. 11 shows that one of the lateral flanks of this outer envelope has a passage 651 for the axis of the axis of the RDV. This passage 651 can be sealed by known means. The wheel according to the invention is then enclosed in the cylindrical outer casing. Only half of this envelope is shown to allow the inside to be seen.

Figures 13 to 15 are perspective views of a transmission according to the invention, provided with a cylindrical outer casing which is here the wheel 60 driven by the transmission. The blades 21, 22 and following comprise gear teeth, which cooperate with the wheel 60, which also comprises. The gear teeth are asymmetrical so that a blade tooth drives in most cases a tooth of the driven wheel 60.

Figures 16 to 19 are perspective views of a transmission according to the invention, consisting of two transmissions according to the invention, which are associated in series. The fixed shaft 60A of the first RDV is secured to a second RDV provided with a second series of vanes, which cooperate with a second driven wheel 60B. The axis of the first appointment is fixed, as well as that of the second fixed wheel 60B. They are here perfectly aligned. FIGS. 21 and 22 show the possible extreme positions, which lead to a very considerable variation in the transmission ratio between the axis of rotation of the first RDV which is the input shaft and the fixed shaft 60B which is the output shaft. This transmission can be operated in the other direction.

FIG. 20 is a plan view of a subassembly of a transmission according to the invention, in which the vanes have an inverted position: their useful part is situated inside the crown 10, and the shaft fixed 60 is also located inside this ring 10. A blade 21 is here rectilinear and includes teeth 2101, 2102 and following, the surface of cooperation with the teeth 601, 602 and following of the fixed shaft 60 is optimized so that the possibility of a conflict between a tooth 2101 of a blade 21 and a tooth 601 of the fixed shaft 60 is minimal. A blade 21 comprises a blade axis 210, a counterweight 2110 situated opposite the portion of the blade having teeth, relative to its blade axis 210, and is provided with a synchronizing arm 71 connecting a synchronizing arm axis 71 1 located opposite the portion of the blade having teeth to a synchronizing element 7 which is here a ring, by an axis 216. When the angular position is varied of any blade 21 with respect to the ring gear 10, the synchronizing ring 7 thus rotates about the axis of rotation of the 10, which causes the same angular modification of the other blades 22, 23 and following with respect to the ring 10.

Figure 21 is an enlarged view of a detail of Figure 20, showing the geometry of a tooth 2201 of the blade 22, and that of a tooth 601 of the fixed shaft 60. Each tooth includes a surface known as of cooperation (respectively 2101 1 and 6011), one end (respectively 21012 and 6012) and a so-called return surface (respectively 21013 and 6013). It should be noted that the two ends are pointed - the cooperation and return surfaces forming an acute angle between them - and that the inclination of the cooperation surfaces gives rise to a time pair of the blade 22 with respect to its axis. blade 220, which tends to move the blade 22 away from the fixed shaft 60. The centrifugal force applying to the mass 2210 gives rise to a reverse torque which is stronger and ensures the cooperation of the teeth.

FIGS. 22 and 23 are perspective views of a transmission comprising a plurality of subassemblies such as that represented in FIG. 20, firstly in a position of high gear reduction, and then in a position where the axis of the RDV and the fixed shaft 60 rotate at the same speed. The transmission is then in direct contact, practically without friction.

FIG. 24 is a perspective view of a transmission assembled in parallel, two primary shafts 10A and 10B cooperating with the same fixed shaft 60.

Figure 25 is a perspective view of a transmission whose RDV is set in motion by a shaft 1001 provided with a helical gear 1002.

Figures 26 to 29 are perspective views of details of a simplified transmission in which a shaft 1001 rotates the RDV via a deformable structure 1003. Figure 28 shows the assembled transmission, and Figure 26 the watch devoid of its secondary axis 6 which is a cylinder. FIG. 27 shows the detail of the blades 22 and following connected to a ring gear 10, which cooperate with synchronization arms 71 72 and following connected to a synchronization ring 7. The guide 1006 limits the possible displacement of the axis of the RDV when the blades pass from the closed position to the open position, and particularly prevents the axis of the RDV to rotate about the axis of rotation of the prior shaft 1001. Figures 30 to 32 are perspective views details of a transmission using a toothed belt 1005 for transmitting the movement of a tray 1001 to the rear wheel of a bicycle. The fixed shaft 60 is a cylinder forming a hub of the rear wheel cooperating on its inner face with the blades which are moved by the pinion 1004 cooperating with the toothed belt 1005. A shaft 610 pivots around the axis of rotation of the plate 1001 to maintain a constant distance between the plate 1001 and the pinion 1004.

Figure 32 shows the outer face of the cylinder 6, which has been removed from the previous two figures to allow the view of the blades. Figure 33 is a detailed view of a set of vanes 21, 22 and following, the orientation is determined by so-called synchronizing gears 701, 702 and following, which rotate freely about the axis of the RDV.

FIG. 34 is a perspective view of a set of blades according to the invention, to show that the variable diameter of a wheel according to the invention can be both smaller than larger than that of the ring 10.

Figure 35 is a perspective view of an assembly comprising a main ring 1 and a synchronizing ring 7, each rotated by a gear - respectively 11 and 711.

Figures 36 and 37 are perspective views of a variable diameter wheel whose articulated blades are devoid of their movable elements, to see the geometry of the connecting elements 217, 227 and following in two different blade positions. Figure 38 shows the same wheel provided with movable elements said pads 218, 228 and following comprising the cooperation surfaces, and it may be noted that the latter comprise lugs cooperating with a groove located in the adjacent shoe. This mechanical means makes it possible to determine the position of the cooperation surface 222 of a blade 22 or of its pad 228, as the case may be, as a function of the position of the cooperation surface 211 of the blade 21 which precedes it, which is already in contact with the rolling surface 6. The advantage is that this position is thus determined even before the blade 22 comes into contact with the running surface 6.

FIG. 38 shows a variant in which this mechanical means is different and also makes it possible to avoid any conflict between the teeth of a blade and those of the rolling surface 6. We see the detail of the moving parts comprising the cooperation surfaces 21 1 and 221 in Figure 40.

FIGS. 41 and 42 are perspective views of a blade which has the property of comprising a plurality of elementary cooperation surface elements denoted 218, 21810 and 21820 interconnected by gears 2181 2182 and 2183. an arm 212 having a slot 213 cooperating with the axis of the RDV ensures that the elementary cooperation elements follow the circumference of the RDV.

Figure 43 is a perspective view of a variable diameter wheel whose three pads are spring blades.

Several subassemblies such as those represented in FIGS. 41 to 44 are assembled in parallel with angular gaps such that the cooperation between the vanes of one subassembly and the bearing support 6 is not synchronous with those of another sub-assembly. -together. Figure 44 is a perspective view of a wheel whose three blades also comprise spring blades, but the leaf spring is here connected to the main crowns 1 and synchronization 7 by connecting elements 218a and 218b.

Figures 45 to 48 are perspective views of a variant of skids of Figures 39 and 40, wherein the cooperation surface 211 of the blade 21 is a herringbone gear, the blade having a blade 2117 having a hole 2118 circular which cooperates perfectly with the cylindrical tube 2171

Figures 49 and 50 are perspective views of a transmission according to the invention, the single blade is a torsion spring. Only one spring 21 is shown, but there may be several.

Figures 51 to 63 illustrate a transmission according to the invention, whose blades are helical springs.

Figure 51 is a perspective view of a wheel according to the invention, comprising two vanes 21A and 22A connected by two coil springs. The difference in angular position between the blades 21 and 22, compresses a spring when it relaxes the other.

Figure 52 is a perspective view of a transmission according to the invention, consisting of two RDV of this type, the blades are interconnected. One of the two sets of springs constitutes the cooperation surface of a first RDV with the drive shaft of the transmission and the other the cooperation surface of a second RDV with the secondary shaft of the transmission. Figure 53 shows the same device as that of Figure 52, this time equipped with a groove.

FIGS. 54 and 55 show the 61M 62M and 63M satellites connected by fixed axis gears to the motor shaft 1M and the satellites 61S and 62S connected by fixed axis gears to the secondary shaft 1S. The satellite 63 S is hidden.

Figure 55 shows the detail of these satellites and gears.

FIG. 56 shows the axes 564 of these satellites articulated in pairs by rods 563. A satellite 61 is guided around the axis of its planet 51 by a gearing 562 made of two contiguous gears cooperating with a control ring gear 561 ensuring both the deployment or the contraction of the axes 564 their synchronization and thus the centering of said leaf springs.

FIG. 57 shows an embodiment detail of the gear cooperating with the input shaft 1 composed of two gears, one 571 having one tooth more than the other 572. The conical clutch system enabling to engage one or other of these gears to cooperate is not represented. FIG. 58 represents the assembly and the cooperation of these gears and springs with the satellites and the pivot connection of the blade axis 22A on a rotating ring 581 as well as the pivot connection of the blade axis 22B on another rotating ring 582 concentric 581.

Figure 59 shows an embodiment of the frame 591 of this transmission.

Figures 60 to 63 show the position of the different elements according to the opening of the blades.

Figure 64 shows the cooperation of a toothed belt 218 according to the invention, which is the pad of a blade 21 visible in the following figure. This belt retains the same pitch notches regardless of its curvature. It comprises a so-called feeler element 219 which is the means of detecting the non-synchronization between the notches of the belt and the spline of the fixed shaft 60, as well as a so-called stress tooth 215 which forces the synchronization between the belt and the groove of the fixed shaft.

FIG. 65 shows two toothed belts of this type associated, so that there is always a meshing of a toothed belt 218 or 228 on a groove 61 or 62 associated with the fixed shaft 60.

It should be noted that the blades 21 and 22 are located on either side of the ring 10 and that their angular difference is 180 °, in order to balance the device.

FIGS. 66 to 68 show the detail of the mechanism providing both the non-synchronization detection and the synchronization by the constraint tooth 215. In FIG. 63, the constraint tooth 215 is advanced to meet a space between two corresponding teeth. 701 and 702 dedicated to the synchronization, while in Figure 64 the probe 219 could enter between two teeth 601 and 602 dedicated to the drive, and the constraint tooth does not need to be advanced to play its role is to advance the shoe 218 or to roll back the spline of the fixed shaft 60.

Figures 69 to 71 are perspective views of elements constituting a wheel according to the invention whose pads are link chains. It may be noted that the most forward part of a chain comprises a part called skate head 21802 which is not tangential to the wheel but located inside its periphery, sufficiently far from the latter for do not run the risk of encountering the head of a tooth of the fixed shaft 60. The following part 21803 of the chain is progressively closer to the spline of the fixed shaft 60 but, at the time of their meshing, the links of this part are not in traction. The links of this so-called following part 21803 are of variable pitch - in that the links have a slight clearance - so that a slight tension of the chain is sufficient to allow a link in the chain to synchronize with a link in the chain. spline of the fixed shaft 60. The total game of this part is equal to one step. It should be noted that said shoe head 21802 and said following part 21803 are constituted by two chains which are not located in the same plane as the rest of the chain, the latter being the part responsible for the cooperation with the groove of the fixed shaft 60.

Figures 72 to 74 are perspective views of wheels according to the invention, which have a particular characteristic: the shape of the pads 218 228 linked to the blades 21 and 22 respectively: they comprise a lateral groove, and the elasticity of the blades press their turns against each other so that the teeth tend to be synchronized under the force of this pressure.

Figure 73 shows a single pad, and Figure 74 the same pad with the one to which it is associated and synchronized by the lateral flutes.

Figure 75 shows two transmission rings according to the invention, one driving the other. These two rings each comprise four flexible vanes whose ends are connected to a peripheral ring which constitutes their cooperation surface with the other wheel. The surface of these surfaces is not a cylinder but a set of circular grooves, to maximize the cooperation surface while increasing the pressure from one surface to another, as shown in Figure 76.

FIGS. 77 and 78 are functional diagrams showing an epicyclic gear train of variable diameter according to the invention. A shaft 1 is provided with a ring 10 carrying the blade axes 210 and 220 of two blades 21 and 22 whose skids are planets 51 and 52 cooperating with a sun 1 00 and satellites 61 and 62, which cooperate with each other. turn with an outer ring 60 which is here a spring. Unlike an epicyclic gear train of the prior art, it has an outer ring diameter 60 which is variable, the variation in diameter of said outer ring 60 being compensated by the displacement of the axes of the satellites 61 and 62 obtained by opening or closing blades 21 and 22.

FIGS. 79 to 81 are diagrams showing that, when the variation in diameter of the RDV is sufficient, an epicyclic gear train according to the invention can also act as an inverter, the circumference of the RDV being able here to be as much greater smaller than that of the sun 1000. Fig. 82 is a perspective view illustrating the same principle in a neighboring configuration.

Figures 83 to 86 show a boat equipped with wheels according to the invention provided with blades 21 and 22. A wheel is provided with a displacement means 101 of its axis of rotation, which is here a lever to move from a so-called rest position at a so-called working position. The wheel is in the rest position in Figure 83 and in the working position at position 86. The device comprises a removable flap 102 closing the volume in which the wheel is in a rest position, and this flap is here a part of the hull of the boat which can slide towards the front of the boat.

The boat shown in FIGS. 83 to 86 comprises two wheels and the projection of its center of gravity on said bearing support 6 is located inside or near the envelope of the surface comprising the contact surfaces between said wheels and said bearing support.

Presentation of the invention

The invention is a wheel hereinafter variable diameter wheel or RDV, consisting of a central structure called crown 10 rotating about the axis of rotation of a shaft 1 said main, provided with at least one element called blade 21 co-operating in rolling bearing, directly or indirectly, with a surface known as a bearing support 6 such as the ground, the inner or outer surface of a driven shaft, a gear, a belt, a chain or a rack, a blade 21 that can take a plurality of positions ranging from a so-called rest position to a so-called working position, characterized in that the total length of said one or more possible direct or indirect cooperation surfaces of said RDV with said bearing support is greater than the circumference of said wheel when said blade or blades are in the rest position.

Detailed description of the invention

It is not a so-called selective mechanical link wheel, and the transmitted movement can be regular. It is on the contrary an improvement of so-called rolling wheels.

A wheel according to the invention consists of a central structure rotating about an axis, called the crown 10, provided with a plurality of elements called blades 21, 22, which cooperate with the ground or with any other bearing support 6.

The diameter of the wheel is variable, and depends on the position of the blades 21, 22 and following. It varies from its smallest value when the blades are in a so-called closed position at its greatest value when they are in a so-called open position.

The innovation compared to the so-called rolling wheels of the prior art is due to the fact that different methods have been found to lengthen as much as possible the possible zone of cooperation between the wheel and its bearing support 6:

According to a first method, the zone of effective cooperation between on the one hand said blade 21 or said blades if there are several and on the other hand said bearing support 6 moves along the axis of the shaft 1. According to a second method, said blade 21 is provided with a so-called satellite wheel 61, which may or may not be provided with a groove whose circumference cooperates directly or indirectly infinitely with said bearing support 6.

In the case of the first method, there are two ways to move the area of cooperation: either because the cooperation zone of a blade itself is in several different planes and that this area moves as the blade passes from said rest position to said working position of said open position, or because there are several blades located in different planes.

In the case of the second, said satellite 61 can cooperate with said bearing support 6 either directly or via a wheel called planet 51 which may also be or not be provided with a groove.

The present invention provides that the total length of said one or more possible direct or indirect cooperation surfaces of said RDV with said bearing support is greater than the minimum circumference of said wheel when said blade or blades are in the rest position, but this length total can also, as is the case in many figures, be greater than the maximum circumference of said wheel when said blade or blades are in the working position. The regularity of operation is then optimal. The RDV can receive its energy directly from a motor, or through a shaft called anterior shaft 1001. All known cooperation means can be envisaged, such as for example a helical gear 1002 as that shown in Figure 25. This device has the advantage of cooperating with the RDV axis regardless of the position of the latter, which depends on the opening of the blades 21, 22 and following.

It is also possible to use a deformable structure 1003 such as that represented in FIGS. 26 to 29, or a toothed belt 1005 as represented in FIGS. 30 to 32. This device comprises a wheel 1001 connected to the axis of the RDV by leaf springs. The wheel 1001 thus causes the RDV to rotate in a different axis, which is adapted to the opening of the blades 21, 22 and following so that the latter cooperate with the fixed shaft 60.

A guide 1006 prevents the axis of the RDV from rotating about the axis of rotation of the shaft 1001. The transmission shown in FIGS. 26 to 29 can be implanted in all kinds of rotating tools such as a screwdriver for example. In this case, the shaft 1001 is the handle, while the blade of the screwdriver is integral with the fixed shaft 60. The user can engage a flat key in the guide 1006 to prevent it from rotating. A turn of the handle 1001 is then translated by a third of a turn of the blade of the screwdriver. For use with a motorized screwdriver, the guide 1006 is advantageously secured to the motor frame.

The geometry of the blades

Those skilled in the art can use any known means to vary the position of a blade 21, such as its sliding in a guide, or the rotation about an axis 210 which can be orthogonal for example to the main axis 1 of the RDV as shown in Figures 8 and 9, parallel to this axis as shown in Figures 1 to 7, or the flexibility of any part of the blade itself as shown in Figures 49 and 50 for example. The elasticity of a blade or a cooperation element with which it is equipped can also be used to improve the cooperation between the RDV and the bearing support 6, and to increase the length of the cooperation surface between the bearings. The blade of a blade can advantageously be wound into one or more helical turns as shown in FIGS. 51 to 54. It is then sufficient to have a small pressure of a turn on the path of the blade. bearing 6 to provoke a quality workout.

The cooperation zone of a blade 21 with the bearing support 6 may be cylindrical to occupy the least space in the rest position, or have a spiral profile so that its curvature is as close as possible to that of the effective circumference RDV whatever the position of dawn. The origin of this spiral is in this case advantageously located on said blade axis 210.

Skates

Advantageously, a blade comprises a movable member said shoe ensuring the cooperation between the RDV and the bearing support 6, so as to improve the quality of this cooperation.

Such a pad may be rigid or flexible. The advantage of a flexible pad is that as soon as its front portion said shoe head has been placed in cooperation with the bearing support 6, the downstream portion of the pad can also provide the desired cooperation.

A pad can advantageously be wound in coils superimposed or juxtaposed around the RDV as shown in Figures 51 to 54, so as to limit the number of blades and pads.

To prevent the rear portion of the pad being left free to abut against another mechanical element such as the fixed shaft 60, it is recommended to maintain it either by a portion further forward of the pad in question, or by another pad as shown in FIG. 65 where the shoe 228 is extended by a leaf spring 21800 which winds inside the shoe 228 and ensures both a good contact of the pad over the entire length with the bearing support 6 and maintaining the rear portion of said pad inside the RDV.

A shoe is advantageously pressed against the bearing support 6 by a so-called pressing member element 227, as shown in FIG. 69, where a pressing element 227, here a wheel which can be provided with an elastic tire, is integral with the dawn 22 to remove the shoe 218 from the center of the appointment.

The synchronization of the blades

The vanes are advantageously interconnected directly or indirectly by means said means of synchronization 7, such that their position relative to the ring 10 is substantially the same for all blades. A ring 7 may comprise synchronization paths 710, 720, 730 and following guiding one end of the vanes 21 and 23 as shown in FIG. The preferred solution consists in that the vanes 71, 72, 73 and following vanes pass from the closed position to the open position by rotating about a blade axis 210, and are connected to a ring 7 called synchronizing ring , the ends of the blades 71, 72 and 73 being connected to the ends of the blades 21 22 23 and following, so that the opening or closing of a blade 21 rotates the synchronization ring 7 and that this crown causes turn the opening or closing of the other blades, as the case may be.

These antagonistic blades 71, 72 and following can obviously be used to transmit the movement of the EDV, either in addition to the main blades 21 and following, either in their place and place.

It should be noted that a blade 21 can also be pulled by one or other of its ends, and therefore work well in both traction and compression. Those skilled in the art can thus combine, as desired, an automatic regulation of the opening of the blades as a function of the resistant torque, this pair having a tendency to close or open a blade depending on whether the variable diameter wheel is driving or receiving. . This regulation as a function of the resistive torque is one of the very great advantages of the transmission object of the present invention.

The connection between a blade 32 and an antagonistic blade 71 is advantageously a flexible pad 218 as illustrated in FIGS. 43 and 44. The juxtaposition of devices of this type forms an RDV according to the invention that is particularly well suited to off-road machines.

A blade may also be a flexible element connecting the so-called main 1 and synchronization 7 crowns, as illustrated by the devices of Figures 49 to 59. It may advantageously be a leaf spring.

The elastic recall

The opening and closing of the vanes can be controlled by any means such as centrifugal force, a motor or a spring. It is particularly advantageous that an elastic means recalls a blade 21 in one of its possible positions, for example the closed position, so that the blade opens from a certain speed of rotation by force centrifugal that applies to it, but closes below this speed.

Mechanisms of motion transmission

The wheels according to the present invention may be provided with teeth. These are then gears with variable diameter and constant pitch, which can cooperate with other gears having the same pitch or a slightly different pitch.

With or without a spline, an RDV associated with another wheel constitutes a shaft of a mechanism for transmitting motion. The other wheel is hereinafter called fixed shaft 60 can cooperate with the RDV is directly or via a belt as shown in Figures 30 to 32, or any known mechanical means. Such a mechanism for transmitting motion can also cooperate directly or indirectly two RDVs according to the invention.

The fixed shaft 60 may be located outside the RDV as the shaft 61 shown in Figure 9 or inside as the shaft 60 shown in Figures 20 to 23.

The fixed shaft 60 may be a right rack (version not shown).

The motion transmission mechanisms according to the invention may comprise vanes or flexible pads that wind in turns around the fixed shaft 60 or one or more shafts connected thereto, as represented for example in FIGS. at 59.

The turns may be wound one on the other as shown in Figure 61 and Figure 65, or one beside the other. They are then helical as shown in FIGS. 49 to 59 and 72 to 74.

Gear mechanisms

Advantageously, a motion transmission mechanism according to the invention is geared. A blade 21 is then provided either directly or by a shoe 218 of a set said groove having teeth 2101, 2102 and following as shown in Figures 13 to 23, 39 and 40, 45 to 48, 53 and 54, and 64 to 74.

The number of blades is advantageously sufficient for the fixed shaft 60 to cooperate with at least one of its teeth associated with a tooth of a blade.

A groove associated with a blade 21 is advantageously of variable curvature, such as a chain or a toothed belt pulled, so as to adapt best to the curvature of the circumference of the RDV.

These splines can be sharpened to limit the possibilities of tooth conflict, or more conventional when a mechanism is provided to prevent or manage tooth conflicts. Advantageously, it is about link chains or toothed belts of equivalent geometry so that the pitch of the groove remains constant regardless of the curvature of the groove as shown in Figures 64 to 71.

The groove can be straight or helical. The lateral displacement of helical splines, which can be delayed until engagement of the teeth of one groove with the other, makes it possible to make up for a synchronization difference between two splines and to obtain a continuously variable transmission.

Helical teeth are advantageously inclined in a direction such that two turns of a blade 21 or blade 218 blade tend to tighten against each other.

To avoid tooth conflicts, the simplest solution is to favor by an elastic return the configurations in which the circumference of the appointment corresponds to an integer number of teeth. Those skilled in the art have many methods for this, including one, preferred, is to provide a cooperation between teeth of a blade or pad with those of the blade or neighboring pad. This is illustrated in particular by FIGS. 72 to 74 which show the cooperation between lateral teeth 21011 21012 21013 of the shoe 218 of a blade 21 with the lateral teeth 22011 22012 22013 of the shoe 228 of a blade 22.

To secure the cooperation between the groove of the RDV and that of the bearing support 6, it is recommended to provide a mechanical means said guard 66 as shown in Figure 65. This guard is a cylinder whose axis is integral with the frame of the transmission (not shown in this figure), and this axis is located at a fixed distance from the bearing support 6 of the fixed shaft 60.

The management of teeth conflicts

To minimize the conflicts between splines, the teeth of a blade or an associated shoe are advantageously pointed, in that the end of the teeth 2101, 2102 and following of a blade 21 forms an acute angle.

The groove with which a blade 21 is provided and that which is provided with the bearing support may not be synchronized, so that a tooth of an assembly may conflict with a tooth of the spline of the fixed shaft 60.

In this case, a conflict management solution may consist in guiding the upstream portion of the groove associated with the blade 21 to make it arrive laterally on the spline of the fixed shaft 60, on a part of the fixed shaft 60 which may be smooth and of a diameter different from that of the part of the fixed shaft 60 which is provided with a groove, the groove associated with the blade is thus shifted gradually by the difference in diameter with that of the fixed shaft 60 and enters the spline of the fixed shaft 60 only when possible.

Another solution is to guide the upstream portion of the groove associated with the blade 21 so that the top of its teeth reaches the top of the teeth of the fixed shaft 60, as shown in Figures 69 to 71. The pad 218 comprises three parts: the most upstream part 21802 is kept at a distance from the periphery of the RDV, this distance being such that the vertex of its teeth reaches the top of the teeth of the fixed shaft 60.

This guidance is adjusted by reference to the position of a blade relative to a groove portion located on the circumference of the RDV. The mechanical element used here is the element 227 of the blade 22 whose opening is synchronized with those of the other blades by the synchronization ring 7.

The next portion of the pad, said timing groove 21803 progressively approaches the teeth of the fixed shaft 60 and has a characteristic that is that its pitch is variable elastically. This part of the pad does not support at the beginning of the meshing any force motor and only serves to wait for a tooth integral with the RDV can cooperate with a tooth of the fixed shaft 60.

With the recommended condition that said synchronization groove 21803 can be lengthened in total by one step of said groove, the cooperation eventually becomes possible before the end of said sync zone.

The synchronization groove may consist of a single chain link.

Advantageously the groove integral with the fixed shaft 60 with which cooperates said synchronization groove 21803 is flexible, to absorb shocks during the contact of the grooves with each other. It can be seen in FIG. 69 that the planes in which the main groove of the shoe 218 and its two synchronization grooves are situated are different, which makes it possible to make these splines cooperate with splines of different nature.

Elimination of conflict of teeth

The detection means which has just been described is not indispensable, and another solution, represented in FIGS. 45 to 48, is that the shoe 218 is provided with a so-called constraint tooth 215 cooperating with a groove 2290 of a shoe 228 of a blade 22 (or another turn of the same shoe 218, as the case may be). The constraint tooth, when pushed towards said groove 2290, must be placed between the teeth of the latter and the pad is found synchronized. Known mechanical means may be provided to push the front of the belt towards the neighboring turn just before the arrival of the belt on the secondary.

In an improved implementation, a pad 218 of a blade is connected to the blade 21 via an element 214 solidarizing the blade and its pad from the beginning of the cooperation between said pad and the groove of the fixed shaft 60, as shown in Figures 45 to 48.

The shoe 218 cooperates with the rolling surface 6 by a herringbone gear. The running surface is also a herringbone gear. The shoe 218 of the blade 21 has a slot in which is housed a blade 214 having a circular hole which cooperates with the dawn

21.

The cooperation between the teeth of the fixed shaft 60 and the teeth of said shoe 218 generates a deformation which secures said shoe 218 with said blade 214: when the teeth of the shoe come into contact with those of the fixed shaft 60, the pressure exerted by the teeth of the herringbone gears has the effect of compressing the blade 214 between the two right and left parts of the shoe 218.

One can also detect a lack of synchronization and eliminate any possibility of conflict of teeth instead of just managing them. To do this, it is necessary to provide the mechanism for transmitting motion with a means 219 referred to as a detection probe for the non-synchronization of the groove associated with a blade 21 with the groove associated with the bearing support 6. Such a detection means is shown in FIGS. 64 to 68: a so-called feeler element 219 can pivot about an axis located on the upstream portion of the shoe 218, and cooperates with the spline of the fixed shaft 60. The distance of this element with its axis of rotation is calculated so that if it can penetrate between two teeth of the spline of the fixed shaft 60, it means that the two grooves are sufficiently synchronized so that they can become perfectly after a so-called constraint tooth 215 has penetrated into a groove integral with the fixed shaft 60. In the opposite case, the tooth 219 pivots said pivoting element in order to advance said constraint tooth 215, so that it can penetrate said groove integral with the fixed shaft 60.

A low angular elasticity of the RDV and / or the fixed shaft 60 allows the synchronization caused by said stress tooth 215. This elasticity is advantageously limited to a groove pitch.

The elasticity of the system can be used for the constraint tooth 215 to enter the groove associated therewith on the fixed shaft 60, but it is also possible to provide the fixed shaft 60 with a freewheel enabling said shaft fixed 60 to turn slower than the RDV in the direction engine. The motion of the RDV is transmitted in the only direction motor, and the fixed shaft can turn less quickly until the resolution of the conflict, which is caused by the cooperation of said stress tooth with the groove which is associated on the fixed shaft.

The same result can be obtained if the movement of the RDV is transmitted to the fixed shaft 60 by a freewheel allowing said RDV to turn faster than the fixed shaft 60 in the motor direction. It is recommended to combine these two free wheels.

The same result can also be obtained with a mechanical means which slows the rotation of the fixed shaft 60 in the case where the grooves of the RDV and the fixed shaft 60 are not synchronized.

The person skilled in the art can use many other means to detect the non-synchronization of the splines, and to adapt the speed of the RDV and / or the fixed shaft, so as to obtain a synchronization of the splines which are not synchronized. It can in particular use all types of known servocontrols.

Spring transmissions

In one embodiment, a blade 21 of a transmission mechanism according to the invention consists of a pad which is a leaf spring 218.

Such an elastic blade 218 is connected so that it remains closest to the tangent to the circumference of the RDV at its end by which it is connected to a blade 21. This is obtained when the length of the blade 21 is such that when its two ends are located equidistant from the axis of the RDV they form with said axis an angle between 80 and 92 °.

An elastic blade 218 may be connected at both ends to two vanes 21 and 22 which may be rigid.

It is advantageously homogeneous throughout its length in width and elasticity, and rolled on itself in helical.

The relative torque is advantageously applied to said blade 218 by two rigid vanes 21 and 22 each connected to one end of said blade 218

The diameter of the helicoid is determined by a linear function of the relative angle around the main axis of the RDV between said blades 21 and 22 which are rigid.

The blade 218 is advantageously inextensible for a rigid rolling transmission.

The resultant of the radial rolling contact forces on the cooperation surface can be canceled and compensated by means of at least two symmetrical cooperation surfaces with respect to the main axis, or of several surfaces distributed in a cylindrical symmetry.

Said blade 218 cooperates with the driven shaft at an angle greater than 360 °.

Said blade can cooperate with the fixed shaft 60 or with a set of shafts kinematically connected to this fixed shaft 60, such as a satellite 61.

Advantageously, said satellite works in creep to relieve the forces on the axes of the gears.

At least three satellites 61 62 and 63 ensure centering and cooperate with three planets 51 52 and 53 of fixed axis, transmitting the torque to an axial output sun 1000.

The torque is regulated at the input by means of a displacement of the axes of the satellites 61 62 and 63 around the planets 51 52 and 53 induced by said pair.

The satellites occupy a north or south neutral position in the absence of torque, and the position relative to the planet is determined by the direction of the torque, which makes it possible to have a reversible transmission.

A wheel 561 meshes with a spline 562 which synchronizes the three input or output satellites 61 62 and 63 and determines their angle.

The satellites of the input and output stage of the transmission are connected by connecting rods.

Satellites are meshed only over a fraction of their length of cooperation.

To avoid any splitting, it is advantageous not to spline on more than one satellite, because if we have two satellites that are synchronized in rotation, their difference in the number of teeth remains stable, which prevents to change transmission report without a tooth jumping, running or stopping. This simplifies the design and limits friction.

Two out of three satellites serve only to maintain the circular shape of the spring. For the same reason the spring - which can be replaced by a toothed belt or a link chain - is not provided with teeth along its entire length, but only on a little less than its smallest circumference (closed blade), so that it is not connected more than once to the same satellite (version not shown). A clutch connects selectively and alternately two gears 571 or 572 to the number of different teeth to the planet axis 51.

A device cam or rod or wheel ensures the clutch and disengagement gear 571 or 572.

The wheels according to the present invention can receive all types of grooves: straight, helical, chevron or collar.

In general, the wheels according to the invention can be substituted for gears in the greatest number of known combinations, for making gearboxes, hoists, winches, winches and transmissions of all kinds.

They can be combined with other fixed or variable diameter wheels having a parallel axis (cylindrical gears), concurrent (conical gears) or non-concurrent (wheel and worm gears and rack and pinion gears), to form all types of known gear systems such as gearboxes, gearboxes, harmonic gearboxes, differentials, gear trains.

A transmission according to the invention may in particular be designed as an epicyclic train of known type but with a variable diameter, provided that at least one of its main elements are the sun, the satellite carrier, a satellite or a satellite. outer ring is an appointment according to the present invention.

It can also be designed as a spherical gear combining the functions of angle, reduction, and differential.

Planetary trains

A particularly favorable implementation of the transmission mechanism according to the invention is the combination between, on the one hand, an RDV according to the invention and, on the other hand, a planetary gear train of known type, that is to say a fixed diameter gear system comprising at least one so-called satellite gear rotating around a so-called sun gear and a so-called crown gear.

Indeed, the speed of rotation of said satellite depends on that of said sun and the geometry of the gear system that connects it to the latter, while the rotational speed of the RDV is directly related to that of its periphery. The multiplication of such a transmission mechanism is therefore positively and negatively variable through infinity. This has for advantage that the mechanism plays at the same time the role of clutch, the torque becoming infinite for an infinite gear.

Said planetary gear is advantageously constituted by a central structure called crown 10B rotating around the axis of rotation of a shaft 1B said main, provided with at least one element called blade 21B can take a plurality of positions ranging from a so-called rest position at a so-called working position.

A blade 21B of said planetary gear advantageously passes from the closed position to the open position by turning about a blade axis 210B parallel to the axis of said main shaft 1B of said planetary gear.

A blade 21B may be provided with two gears cooperating with each other, one said coach rotating around the blade axis 210B and the other being said satellite which rotates about an axis parallel to said blade axis 210B but located at a point of the blade 21B distant from said blade axis 210B.

This has the effect that the rotation of the satellite is mechanically linked to that of the sun, but that the distance from its axis of rotation to the axis of rotation of said sun is variable.

In a variant illustrated by the diagrams of FIGS. 79 to 81, the variation in the diameter of the RDV is sufficient for the circumference of the RDV, here materialized by the spring 60 bearing from the inside on the satellites 61 62 and 63 , symbolized here by a circle, can be as much larger than smaller than that of the sun 1000. Consequently, when the fixed shaft 60 is immobilized and the crown 10 is rotated, which carries with it the planets 51 to 53 and the satellites 61 to 63, there are three possible cases illustrated respectively by FIGS. 79, 80 and 81. It may be noted that the sun is stationary in FIG. 80, but turns in opposite directions between FIG. 79 and FIG. Figure 81. The device according to the invention thus plays not only the role of clutch but also that of inverter. It can also be used to create a very powerful braking system, since it is enough to increase sharply the reduction of a motion transmission mechanism connected to a generator of electricity to make it turn very quickly and make him absorb a very important energy that can be recovered. The impact of the invention on the suppression of fine particles caused by the wear of brake pads and clutch disks is a further important advantage of the invention.

The variant illustrated by the perspective view of Figure 82 shows the same principle, the spring 60 cooperating this time with the satellites by their outer periphery. On the left, the diameter of the RDV is lower than that of the sun 1000 and on the right it is higher.

As with planetary gear trains, any type of combination of motion can be envisaged between the three elements that are the sun, all the satellites and the RDV. In blocking an element, we obtain, with the same geometry, different ratios of reduction between the still mobile elements.

Another advantage of the present method is that those skilled in the art can easily design configurations where the input shaft is coaxial with the output shaft.

Magnetic and electromagnetic transmissions

A blade can cooperate with the bearing support as well by friction as by co-operation of grooves or even magnetic / electromagnetic attraction / repulsion. All the teeth described above can be replaced by magnets or electromagnets, which has the advantage of reducing the effect of tooth conflicts and reducing friction.

Advantageously, in this case, a blade 21 is kept away from the bearing support 6 by mechanical means so that it never touches the bearing support 6. This mechanical means may be a wheel located on the blade 21 or on the shoe 218 associated with it.

Transmission rings

The wheels according to the invention can operate with a very low clearance of the blades. The variation in the shape of the circumference of the wheel is then small but may be sufficient so that the rotation of a wheel driving another by its periphery generates a force that is not perfectly radial.

In this case, the end of a blade 21 can advantageously be connected to the next blade 22 as illustrated in FIG. 75, and blades that open by elastic deformation are preferably used.

These wheels have the advantage of being able to operate by friction and therefore without the need to add a synchro when it is desired to connect a wheel in rotation with another having another speed of rotation.

Advantageously, such wheels have a section that is not cylindrical, but formed of a plurality of circular juxtaposed grooves located in planes perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the wheel as shown in FIGS. 75 and 76. These grooves are advantageously of shallow depth so that the speed of the bottom of the groove is little different from that of the walls. The force that applies between the two wheels connected together then results in a greater force that is normal to the walls of said grooves, for the same reason that a V-belt transmits more force than a belt. flat.

Transmissions associated in parallel or in series

Two transmission mechanisms according to the invention can be assembled in parallel. This allows you to combine the power of two motors to drive an output shaft. Two transmissions according to the invention cooperate in this case with the same fixed shaft 60 as illustrated in FIG. 24. Adding the power of two engines has multiple applications, such as bicycles in tandem, the realization of hybrid vehicles with a heat engine and an electric motor, or that of hoists or winches maneuvered simultaneously by several people. The parallel association also makes it possible to transfer the power of a motor with two shafts, such as for example the two wheels of the same undercarriage, replacing a differential. The same set of blades cooperates in this case with two secondary shafts 60A and 60B.

It is also possible to dispense with any differential by providing each of the transmission wheel shafts according to the invention. Overall performance is better than that of a differential.

These are only examples, and many combinations can be envisaged by those skilled in the art.

Two transmission mechanisms according to the invention can be assembled in series. In a preferred arrangement, the output shaft 6 of the upstream variator is integral with the crown 10 of the downstream variator, which makes it possible to align the input shaft and the output shaft as illustrated by FIGS. .

Two transmissions can also be associated in series according to other architectures, for example by making two sets of vanes cooperate with the inside of the same cylinder 6. The distance between the axes of rotation of the two said sets of vanes can then be to be fixed. Two sets of blades can also cooperate by two cylinders 60A and 60B tangent to each other (versions not shown).

Landing trains and rolling vehicles

A wheel according to the invention can be used to move a vehicle on land and also on water. Flexible vanes such as those described in Figure 7 may for example be used as blades paddle boats.

One of the advantages of the wheels according to the invention is however that their diameter is variable, and therefore that the wheel can be placed in the rest position when it is not needed. The invention is therefore also a landing gear for any type of vehicle, comprising a wheel according to the invention that contributes to the stability of the vehicle or allows its mobility when in the working position. He can equip a plane or a boat for example.

To avoid that the blades 21, 22 and following are in direct contact with a road that can be muddy or dirty, as well as to form a wear layer and improve the continuity of the running surface, it is in some cases advantageous to provide the wheel with an envelope 650. This outer casing makes it possible to cooperate two wheels according to the invention between them. It can also be the fixed shaft of a motion transmission mechanism. The outer casing 650 advantageously comprises two lateral flanks 652 and 653. A passage 651 may be made in one of these flanks to allow the passage of the axis of the RDV.

In an improved version, such a wheel comprises a motor which can be located inside said outer casing 650 (version not shown).

The outer shell 650 may also not be cylindrical. It may for example be a track cooperating with a wheel according to the invention. Those skilled in the art can design many types of compatible caterpillar, with or without lateral flanks serving for guidance, or can be reduced to a simple wire or a net.

Such an outer casing 651 also makes it possible to cooperate with each other two RDVs according to the invention.

The present invention thus makes it possible to produce stabilizing wheels for machines with one or two wheels. The equipment is equipped with at least one appointment that stabilizes the machine, for example at low speed or at a standstill, while the appointment does not touch the ground at high speed.

These wheels can also be driving provided that their axis of rotation is set in motion by the engine of the vehicle considered or the strength of its user. This is particularly the case when the rear wheel of a bicycle rotates with it two RDVs which serve as lateral stabilizers at low speed.

The present invention also makes it possible to produce running gear comprising two RDVs. The person skilled in the art has many means for mechanically connecting the two RDVs so that the diameter of one wheel increases, that of the other decreases and vice versa.

Advantageously, the radius of curvature of the portion of a blade or its associated shoe cooperating with said bearing support 6 is equal to the largest possible radius of the RDV, so that the wheel is perfectly circular in the working position. In an improved mode, illustrated in Figures 83 to 86, a wheel according to the invention comprises a displacement means 101 of its axis of rotation, to move from a so-called rest position to a so-called working position.

When this wheel is intended to support and / or propel a boat on land, the machine advantageously comprises a removable flap 102 closing the volume in which the wheel can be stored in a rest position,

The invention is therefore also a boat comprising a wheel according to the invention, and said removable flap 102 is then a part of the hull of the boat.

A boat according to the invention advantageously comprises at least two RDVs, and the projection of its center of gravity on said bearing support 6 is located inside or near the envelope of the surface comprising the contact surfaces between said RDV and said bearing support.

All the descriptions of transmission mechanisms described above can work as well by cooperating the vanes or pads from the outside than from the inside of the RDV with the bearing support 6. The shaft described as fixed and that described as RDV are as well engine as receiver, according to the choices of the designers of a transmission according to the invention. It is of course possible to replace any means described above by equivalent means without departing from the scope of the present invention.

Most of the means defined above can be easily combined with others also described. By way of example, a transmission mechanism according to the invention can combine an angular elasticity of a blade 21 and / or its associated shoe 218 and / or the spline of the fixed shaft 60 with a detection means 219. non-synchronization and a constraint tooth 215, a chain or a toothed belt, a guard 66, etc.

applications

The present invention makes it possible to replace the transmission and tires of cars by a single device that is simpler, very robust and capable of transmitting a large amount of power, a wheel whose diameter varies either according to its own speed of rotation or according to another parameter. .

Even in the absence of cylindrical outer casing, the tread remains almost perfectly flat whatever the value of its diameter.

The blades also act as a suspension, the centrifugal force opposing a stiffness proportional to the tangential speed, for example that of the vehicle, which is required for a better handling but is obtained with the prior art only at the cost of expensive servos. This suspension is without loss or wear because the centrifugal force does not work, does not wear, and generates no fatigue of materials.

Unlike a tire subjected to compression and decompression cycles and permanent elastic deformations, this lossless suspension reduces the power required for rolling and therefore reduces the power consumed.

Finally, the blades provide damping, because the speed and the apparent diameter variation are related to the variation of the speed of rotation of the axis, itself connected to the motor. It is therefore the engine itself that provides the damping function without loss of energy.

A vehicle equipped with wheels according to the invention has a ground clearance which varies according to the variable diameter of the wheel. In the case where the vanes deviate as a function of the speed of rotation of the wheel, the ground clearance of the vehicle increases with its linear speed.

The wheel according to the invention also has the function of a variable suspension without dissipation or fatigue, of damping by transmission, and that of automatic gearbox to the extent that the increase of the tangential speed is accompanied spontaneously by an increase in development.

It transmits the effect of the gyroscopic torque to the vehicle during a high speed turn a stabilizing torque that compensates for the effect of the centrifugal force of the vehicle. This wheel also contributes to the handling of the vehicle to avoid barrels resulting from a loss of control.

It acts by itself as an automatic gearbox and can save the economy of a gearbox. Its own speed of rotation and the centrifugal force increases its diameter, this can be reduced by the effect of the secondary resistance torque, converted by various means into centripetal force.

As a result, an increase in the resistive torque contracts the wheel and in order to decrease the development, for more power and speed of the motor shaft. A reduction of the resistant torque allows the centrifugal expansion of the wheel, increasing development and avoiding over-revving.

This is similar to a continuously variable ratio gearbox controlled by a Watt regulator.

The diameter of the wheel being regulated by the angle between the two orientation discs, this angle can be converted into linear movement in the axis of the wheel by a screw.

The diameter of the wheel is therefore also a measurable parameter controllable and capable of being controlled by a longitudinal actuator parallel to the axis of the wheel.

When the blades turn back, they convert the difference between the motor and receiver pairs into a centrifugal force having the same effect as the inertial one. The couple resistant reduces the diameter, the decline in this torque allows deployment, without resorting to centrifugal force for slow transmissions of high power.

Finally, a wheel according to the invention is indestructible.

When deployment is controlled by the user, a frictionless deployment at a high speed subjects the vehicle to a climbing force, which combines with a boom effect and can allow it to be thrown vertically if the vehicle is light enough. with regard to the liberated kinetic energy. This applies to remote controlled toys, and recreational vehicles whose jump is controlled at will and depends only on the overspeed in folded mode. According to the invention, the jump is triggered by the release of the mechanism connecting the blades by mechanical or electromechanical means.

Once deployed, the blades increase the apparent radius of the wheel by a factor of about 2.5. This deployment acts as an automatic shift.

Those skilled in the art can advantageously provide the ring 10 and / or the synchronizing ring 7 of motors and / or brakes, to vary suddenly the opening of the blades. A wheel according to the invention can equip an amphibious vehicle, its deployment in water performs a joint centrifugal turbine function providing dynamic lift propulsion reaction.

The centrifugal force MV ² / r, (V tangential velocity of the wheel and r distance from the center of gravity to the axis), applied to all the blades of global mass M and transmitted to the vanes in contact with the equilibrium water for a sufficient speed the weight of the vehicle Mv by a relationship Mv g = MV ² / r.

The equilibrium is found at radius r depending on the tangential velocity of the wheel, regulating the apparent volume of the wheel, and therefore its flotation.

The floatation of the wheel therefore depends on its speed of rotation.

This wheel can equip a vehicle that rolls on the water, even if it has no intrinsic flotation, as long as the wheels turn at a sufficient speed.

This substantially spiral-shaped blade wheel version can be optimized to ride equally well on any solid or fluid terrain and to provide both dynamic lift and propulsion.

The present invention profoundly alters the way of designing motion transmission mechanisms, because it makes it possible to dispense with clutching and to vary in stages or continuously the transmission ratio, up to infinity when the The subject of the invention is an epicyclic gear train of variable diameter. Transmission also plays the role of inverter. 013 000285

27

The transmission ratio can be determined automatically according to the resistive torque, but also by a computer-controlled control to optimize the consumption or the production of energy, according to the application.

The invention applies in particular:

wheels and tires fitted on roller skates, motorized and non-motorized scooters, wheelchairs, golf cars, trolleys, farm tractors, construction or military equipment, automobiles, trucks, boats and trailers. boats, planes, toys, etc.,

gears with variable diameter continuously or by floor,

- mechanical transmissions of all types, such as hoists, jacks, winches, winches, gearboxes and continuous or stage variators,

variable suspensions, dampers, clutches, gearboxes and gearboxes,

to speed or torque controllers including variable gearboxes,

- turbines, and therefore to ventilation,

wind turbines and tidal turbines, and more generally to the regulation of the rotation of electric power generators.

ore grinders and crushers and blenders,

treadmills and lifts, ski lifts, cable cars, etc.,

- household appliances and tools,

- trajectory stabilizers for automobiles,

- floating means of transport,

fishing rod reels

two-wheeled vehicles to provide stabilizers and variable transmissions,

- pedals, carts and bikes in solo or in tandem.

- toys,

- boats, especially landing barges, dinghies and beach dinghies, and semi-rigid inflatable boats.

and in general in all cases where an engine must, to remain effective, adapt to the variation of the resistant torque.

Claims

claims

1. Wheel hereinafter variable diameter wheel or RDV, consisting of a central structure called crown 10 rotating about the axis of rotation of a shaft 1 said principal, provided with at least one element said blade 21 cooperating by rolling, directly or indirectly, with a so-called bearing surface 6 such as the ground, the inner or outer surface of a driven shaft, a gear, a belt, a chain or a rack, a blade 21 which can take a plurality of positions ranging from a so-called rest position to a so-called working position, characterized in that the total length of said one or more possible direct or indirect cooperation surfaces of said RDV with said bearing support is greater than the minimum circumference of said wheel when said blade or blades are in the rest position.

2. Wheel according to claim 1 characterized in that the total length of said one or more surfaces of possible direct or indirect cooperation of said RDV with said bearing support is greater than the maximum circumference of said wheel when said blade or blades are in position working.

3. Wheel according to claim 1 characterized in that the barycentre of the effective cooperation zone between on the one hand a blade 21 or more blades if there are several and on the other hand said bearing support 6 is located in a plane which is not permanently a fixed plane perpendicular to the axis of the said main shaft 1, but on the contrary moves when said blade passes from said rest position to said working position or during the dawn rotation.

4. Wheel according to claim 1 characterized in that a blade 21 has a front end 215 and a rear end 216 located at different distances from a plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the wheel.

5. Wheel according to claim 1 characterized in that it comprises at least two blades 21 and 22 located in different planes.

6. Wheel according to claim 1 characterized in that a blade 21 cooperates with said bearing support 6 via a so-called satellite wheel 61.

7. Wheel according to claim 6 characterized in that said satellite 61 cooperates with said bearing support 6 via a wheel called planet 51.

8. Wheel according to claim 1 characterized in that the axis of the RDV is set in motion by a shaft 1001 said prior tree

9. Wheel according to claim 8 characterized in that said front shaft 1001 is provided with a helical gear 1002.

10. Wheel according to claim 8 characterized in that the front shaft 1001 rotates the axis of the RDV via a toothed belt 1005.

11. Wheel according to claim 8 characterized in that the front shaft 1001 rotates the axis of the RDV via a deformable structure 1003.

12. Wheel according to claim 11 characterized in that a guide 1006 prevents the axis of the RDV to rotate about the axis of rotation of the front shaft 1001.

13. Wheel according to claim 1 characterized in that a blade 21 passes from the closed position to the open position by turning about a blade axis 210.

14. Wheel according to claim 13 characterized in that said blade axis 210 is parallel to the axis of said main shaft 1.

15. Wheel according to claim 13 characterized in that said blade axis 210 is orthogonal to the axis of said main shaft 1.

16. Wheel according to claim 1 characterized in that a blade 21 comprises at least one deformable portion.

17. Wheel according to claim 16 characterized in that a blade 21 is provided with an elastic and helical part,

18. Wheel according to claim 14 characterized in that the profile of a blade 21 is a spiral.

19. Wheel according to claim 18 characterized in that the origin of said spiral is located on said blade axis 210.

20. Wheel according to claim 1 characterized in that a blade 21 comprises a movable member said shoe 218 ensuring the cooperation between the RDV and the bearing support 6.

21. Wheel according to claim 20 characterized in that said pad 218 is flexible.

22. Wheel according to claim 20 characterized in that said shoe 218 is wound in turns

23. Wheel according to claim 20 characterized in that the rear portion 21801 of said pad 218 is maintained inside the RDV by a further portion of said pad or by another pad.

24. Wheel according to claim 20 characterized in that at least a portion of said pad 218 is pressed against the bearing support 6 by a member 227 said pressing element

25. Wheel according to claim 1 characterized in that it comprises at least two vanes 21 and 22, and means said means of synchronization 7 directly or indirectly connecting these two blades together so that the position of the blades relative to the crown 10 is substantially the same for both blades

26. Wheel according to claim 25 characterized in that a blade 21 passes from the closed position to the open position by rotating about a blade axis 2] 0 and the end 216 of a blade 21 opposite to the blade axis 210 is connected to the end 226 of a vane 22 called counter-vane, whose blade axis 220 is secured to a second crown called the synchronizing ring 7

27. Wheel according to claim 26 characterized in that the connection between the end 216 of a blade 21 and the end of an antagonistic blade 71 is flexible

28. Wheel according to claim 25 characterized in that a blade 21 is a flexible element connecting the said main crowns 1 and synchronization 7

29. Wheel according to claim 1 characterized in that it comprises an elastic return means of a blade 21 to one of its possible positions

30. Wheel according to claim 1 characterized in that it is provided with a groove having teeth 2101, 2102 and following.

31. Movement transmission mechanism comprising two shafts, one of which is driven by the other, one of them being able to be a cylindrical shaft or a rack and being said fixed shaft 60 and the other being said shaft having a variable diameter. or RDV, characterized in that said RDV is a wheel according to claim 1.

32. Movement transmission mechanism according to claim 31 characterized in that a shoe 218 is wound in turns.

33. Mechanism of motion transmission according to claim 31 characterized in that a blade 21 is provided with a set said groove having teeth 2101, 2102 and following.

34. A mechanism for transmitting motion according to claim 33 characterized in that the number of blades 21 22 and following is sufficient for the fixed shaft 60 cooperates with at least one of its teeth associated with a tooth 2101 d ' a dawn.

35. Movement transmission mechanism according to claim 33 characterized in that a groove is variable in curvature as a chain or a toothed belt pulled.

36. Mechanism of motion transmission according to claim 33 characterized in that the groove associated with a blade is helical teeth.

37. Movement transmission mechanism according to claims 32 and 36 characterized in that the teeth are inclined in a direction such that said turns tend to tighten against each other.

38. Movement transmission mechanism according to claim 33 characterized in that it comprises an elastic return means for putting said RDV in a configuration such that its circumference corresponds to an integer number of teeth.

39. Mechanism of motion transmission according to claim 31 characterized in that the cooperation surface of a blade 21 with said bearing support 6 is kept at a constant distance from said bearing support 6 by a mechanical means said guard.

40. Wheel according to claim 1 characterized in that the end of the teeth 2101, 2102 and following a blade 21 forms an acute angle.

41. A mechanism for transmitting motion according to claim 31 characterized in that the upstream portion of the groove associated with the blade 21 is guided to arrive laterally on the groove of the fixed shaft 60.

42. A mechanism for transmitting motion according to claim 31, characterized in that said fixed shaft 60 is provided with a so-called synchronization cylinder portion whose diameter is different from that of the fixed shaft 60.

43. A mechanism for transmitting motion according to claim 31 characterized in that the upstream portion of the groove associated with the blade 21 is guided so that the top of its teeth reaches the top of the teeth of the fixed shaft 60.

44. Movement transmission mechanism according to claim 43 characterized in that the guide is adjusted by reference to the position of a groove portion located on the circumference of the RDV.

45. Movement transmission mechanism according to claim 31 characterized in that a portion of said groove said synchronization groove 21803 has a pitch which is variable depending on the tension of said groove.

46. A mechanism for transmitting motion according to claim 45 characterized in that said synchronization groove 21803 can lengthen a total of one step of said groove.

47. Mechanism of motion transmission according to claim 45 characterized in that the groove integral with the fixed shaft 60 with which cooperates said synchronization groove 21803 is flexible.

48. A mechanism for transmitting motion according to claim 33 characterized in that said groove is provided with at least one so-called stress tooth 215 cooperating with the groove 2290 of another groove (or another turn of the same set , as the case may be), when pushed towards said other groove,

49. A mechanism for transmitting motion according to claim 33 characterized in that a shoe 218 of a blade is connected to the blade 21 by means of a member 214 said blade solidarisant dawn and its skate from the beginning of the cooperation between said shoe and the spline of the fixed shaft 60,

50. A mechanism for transmitting motion according to claim 49 characterized in that the teeth of the fixed shaft 60 form a herringbone gear.

51. A mechanism for transmitting motion according to claim 50 characterized in that the cooperation between the teeth of the fixed shaft 60 and the teeth of said shoe 218 generates a deformation which secures said shoe 218 with said blade 214

52. A mechanism for transmitting motion according to claim 33 characterized in that it is provided with a means called probe 219 for detecting the non-synchronization of the groove associated with a blade 21 with the groove associated with the bearing support 6

53. A mechanism for transmitting motion according to claim 31, characterized in that the movement of the RDV is transmitted to the fixed shaft 60 by a freewheel enabling said fixed shaft 60 to rotate slower than the RDV in the engine direction,

54. A motion transmission mechanism according to claim 31 characterized in that the movement of the RDV is transmitted to the fixed shaft 60 by a free wheel allowing said RDV to turn faster than the fixed shaft 60 in the motor direction,

55. A mechanism for transmitting motion according to claim 33 characterized in that a mechanical means slows the rotation of the fixed shaft 60 in the case where the grooves of the RDV and the fixed shaft 60 are not synchronized.

56. A mechanism for transmitting motion according to claim 33 characterized in that a mechanical means said synchronization means accelerates the rotation of the RDV in the case where the grooves of the RDV and the fixed shaft 60 are not synchronized

57. A mechanism for transmitting motion according to claim 31 characterized in that a blade 21 is provided with a shoe 218 which is an elastic blade connected to said blade 21,

58. Movement transmission mechanism according to claim 57 characterized in that the upstream portion of said shoe 218 is substantially tangent to the circumference of the RDV.

59. A mechanism for transmitting motion according to claim 57 characterized in that the length of the blade 21 is such that when its two ends are located equidistant from the axis of the RDV, they form with said axis an angle between 80 and 92 °.

60. Mechanism of motion transmission according to claim 57 characterized in that said elastic blade 218 is connected at its ends to two blades 21 and 22.

61. Mechanism of motion transmission according to claim 57 characterized in that said blade 218 is homogeneous throughout its length in width and elasticity,

62. A mechanism for transmitting motion according to claim 57 characterized in that said blade 218 is wound on itself in helicoid.

63. Mechanism of motion transmission according to claim 57 characterized in that the relative torque is applied to said blade 218 by two rigid vanes 21 and 22 each connected to one end of said blade 218.

64. Mechanism of motion transmission according to claim 62 characterized in that the pelicoid diameter is determined by a linear function of the relative angle around the main axis of the RDV between said vanes 21 and 22 which are rigid.

65. A mechanism for transmitting motion according to claim 57 characterized in that the blade 218 is inextensible.

66. Movement transmission mechanism according to claim 57, characterized in that the resultant of the radial rolling contact forces on the cooperation surface is canceled and compensated by means of at least two symmetrical cooperation surfaces with respect to the axis. main or multiple surfaces distributed in a cylindrical symmetry.

67. A mechanism for transmitting motion according to claim 57 characterized in that said blade 218 cooperates with the fixed shaft 60 on an angle greater than 360 °

68. A mechanism for transmitting motion according to claim 31 characterized in that said blade 21 cooperates directly or indirectly with at least one said satellite shaft 61 kinematically connected to said fixed shaft 60.

69. A mechanism for transmitting motion according to claim 68 characterized in that said satellite 61 is connected to said fixed shaft by a wheel 51 called planet.

70. Mechanism of motion transmission according to claim 68 characterized in that said satellite 61 works in creep

71. Mechanism of motion transmission according to claim 69 characterized in that three wheels said satellites 62 62 and 63 at least ensuring the centering and cooperating with 3 so-called planet wheels 51 52 and 53, cooperating with a fixed shaft 60 said sun having the same axis of rotation as the RDV.

72. Movement transmission mechanism according to claim 69, characterized in that the torque is regulated at the input by means of a displacement of the axis of at least one satellite 61 about the axis of a planet 51.

73. A mechanism for transmitting motion according to claim 69 characterized in that a satellite 61 occupies a north or south neutral position in the absence of torque, and that the position relative to the planet 51 is determined by the direction of the torque.

74. Mechanism of motion transmission according to claim 69 characterized in that a wheel 561 meshes with a groove 562 which synchronizes at least one satellite 61 and determines its angular position relative to the corresponding planet 51.

75. A mechanism for transmitting motion according to claim 67 characterized in that it comprises several stages and two satellites 61A and 61B of the input stage and output of the transmission are connected by a connecting rod.

76. A mechanism for transmitting motion according to claim 68 characterized in that a satellite is geared on a fraction of its length of cooperation.

77. A motion transmission mechanism according to claim 69 characterized in that a clutch selectively and alternately connects two gears 571 or 572 to the number of teeth different to the planet axis 51.

78. Movement transmission mechanism according to claim 77 characterized in that a cam device or rod or wheel ensures the clutch and disengagement gear 571 or 572.

79. A motion transmission mechanism according to claim 71 characterized in that a single satellite 61 has a groove.

80. A mechanism for transmitting motion according to claim 57 characterized in that said pad 218 is not provided with teeth along its length, but only on a portion less than its smallest circumference, that is to say when the corresponding blade 21 is in the rest position. Movement transmission mechanism according to claim 31 characterized in that a blade is provided with a magnet or an electromagnet.

81. Movement mechanism according to claim 31 characterized in that a blade is kept at a distance from the bearing support 6 by mechanical means.

82. A mechanism for transmitting motion according to claim 31 characterized in that two transmissions according to the invention are associated in parallel, two sets of blades cooperating with the same fixed shaft 60

83. A motion transmission mechanism according to claim 82 characterized in that two transmissions according to the invention are associated in parallel, the same set of blades cooperating with two secondary shafts 60A and 60B

84. A mechanism for transmitting motion according to claim 31 characterized in that two transmission mechanisms are assembled in series, and that the fixed shaft 6 of a transmission mechanism is integral in rotation with the ring 10 of the other transmission mechanism.

85. A motion transmission mechanism according to claim 31 characterized in that two sets of blades cooperate with the inside of the same cylinder 6, and the distance between the axes of rotation of said two sets of vanes is fixed

86. A mechanism for transmitting motion according to claim 31, characterized in that it is an epicyclic gear train, at least one of the main elements of which is the sun, the satellite carrier, a satellite or the outer ring is an RDV according to claim 1.

87. A mechanism for transmitting motion according to claim 86, characterized in that said outer ring is of variable diameter and that its diameter may be both greater than or less than that of said sun.

88. A mechanism for transmitting motion according to claim 31 characterized in that it is composed of an RDV according to claim 1 and a second variable diameter wheel called planetary gear consisting of gears having at least one gear said satellite rotating around another gear said sun 1000, said satellite and cooperating indirectly or directly with said sun 1000.

89. A mechanism for transmitting motion according to claim 88 characterized in that said planetary gear consists of a central structure called crown 10B rotating about the axis of rotation of a shaft 1B said principal, provided with at least an element said blade 21B can take a plurality of positions from a so-called rest position to a so-called working position.

90. A mechanism for transmitting motion according to claim 89 characterized in that a blade 21B of said planetary gear passes from the closed position to the open position by rotating about a blade axis 210B parallel to the axis of the said main shaft 1B of said planetary gear.

91. A mechanism for transmitting motion according to claim 90 characterized in that a blade 21B is provided with two gears cooperating with each other, one said driver rotating about the blade axis 210B and the other being said a satellite which rotates about an axis parallel to said blade axis 210B but located at a point of the blade 21B remote from said blade axis 210B.

92. A wheel according to claim 1 characterized in that the end of a blade 21 is mechanically connected to the next blade 22.

93. A wheel according to claim 1 characterized in that the cooperation surface of a blade or a blade associated with a blade consists of circular juxtaposed grooves located in planes perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the wheel

94. Mechanism of motion transmission according to claim 31 characterized in that two sets of blades cooperate with two cylinders 60A and 60B tangent to each other

95. A mechanism for transmitting motion according to claim 31 characterized in that it comprises two transmissions according to claim 14 connected in series by a mechanical transmission means between their satellites.

96. Wheel according to claim 1 characterized in that it comprises an outer casing 651.

97. A machine characterized in that it comprises a wheel according to claim 1, which contributes to its stability or allows its mobility when in working position

98. Two-wheeled vehicle provided with stabilizing wheels integral in rotation with its rear wheel, characterized in that these two wheels are RDVs according to claim 1,

99. Machine equipped with two wheels according to claim 1, characterized in that the diameter of one wheel increases when that of the other decreases.

100. A wheel according to claim 1 characterized in that the radius of curvature of the portion of a blade 21 or associated shoe 218 cooperating with said bearing support 6 is equal to the largest possible radius of the wheel when the blade 21 is in the so-called open position.

101. A machine according to claim 97 characterized in that it means a displacement 101 of the axis of rotation of a RDV, to change it from a so-called rest position to a so-called working position

102. A machine according to claim 97 characterized in that it comprises a removable flap 102 closing the volume in which the wheel can be stored in a rest position,

103. Boat with a wheel according to claim 1

104. Boat according to claim 102 and claim 103 characterized in that said removable flap 102 is a part of the hull of the boat

105. Boat according to claim 103 characterized in that it comprises two wheels according to claim 1 and that the projection of its center of gravity on said bearing support 6 is located inside or near the envelope of the surface comprising the contact surfaces between said wheels and said bearing support.