For the control of the transmission ratio, the conventional V-belt CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) for lightweight vehicles (scooters, motorcycles, ATV's etc) utilizes a variator (which is a kind of centrifugal governor) in the drive (or first) pulley and a spring together with a torque cam in the driven (or second) pulley. The SECVT (Suzuki Electronically-controlled Continuously Variable Transmission) of Suzuki (U.S. Pat. No. 6,405,821), which is regarded as the state-of-the-art CVT for lightweight vehicles, is different: instead of using a variator, it displaces axially, by an electronically controlled mechanism, the sildable half of the drive (or first) pulley and this way it selects the desired transmission ratio; a spring in the driven (or second) pulley together with a torque-cam provide thrust force on the V-belt.
Another kind of V-belt CVT is the PatBox,
The efficiency (i.e. the ratio of the output power to the input power) of the SECVT has been measured in third-party (Eindhoven University) lab tests (
The low gear ratios are used for short periods of time, like during the initial acceleration. Most of the time a V-belt CVT operates at long gear ratios; above a vehicle speed, the V-belt CVT “locks” in the top (i.e. the longest) gear ratio (overdrive).
At medium-high speeds (for instance during a long trip on the highway) the CVT operates, almost permanently, at overdrive and low-medium loads, i.e. at a poor transmission efficiency with increased friction and increased rate of wear of the belt/pulleys. According
A controller (or variator) 6 comprises rollers 7 and sliding surfaces 8 of proper shape.
A spring 9 pushes the axially movable half of the second pulley; it tries to move the two halves of the second pulley close to each other and, so, to shift the belt to a bigger effective diameter.
As the two halves of the first pulley, under the action of the variator/controller, close to each other, the V-belt runs at bigger effective diameters on the first pulley. As a result, the (constant length) V-belt runs deeper in the second pulley (i.e. at a smaller effective diameter) causing the two halves of the second pulley to apart from each other and the spring 9 of the second pulley to get further compressed.
Depending on the load (i.e. on the input torque) the torque-cam causes an increase of the thrust force at low gears.
At high gear ratios the required thrust force and the resulting clamping of the V-belt could be several times smaller, without any risk of belt slipping.
The spring of the second pulley pushes its two conical halves to close; due to the spring action, the V-belt receives thrust forces from the two conical halves that cause radial forces on the V-belt (as in
Accordingly the total radial force on the V-belt at the one pulley side, needs to be equal with, and opposite to, the total radial force acting on the V-belt at the other pulley side, as in
Multiplying the eccentricity R1 of the V-belt at the first pulley by the coefficient of friction (Cf) between the V-belt and the first pulley and by the thrust force (TF, 150 Kp in this case) and by 2 (there are two conical halves wherein the V-belt abuts on, and receives force from) it results the torque capacity Mc of the CVT, i.e.
Mc=R1*Cf*TF*2
The torque M provided by the engine to the CVT input shaft 1 must not exceed the Mc (case without a torque-cam mechanism).
In the high gear ratio case (
At high gear ratios (overdrive) the thrust force the second pulley applies to the V-belt should reduce substantially (to get only 75 Kp instead of 210 Kp) without any risk of belt slipping.
The extreme and unnecessary over-clamping of the V-belt at specific (and used most of the time) conditions comes from the design/geometry of the conventional variator CVT.
The same extreme and unnecessary over-clamping happens also in the SECVT of Suzuki (as
The same extreme and unnecessary over-clamping is also the case in the PatBox CVT.
According the previous analysis, the existing architecture of the V-belt CVT causes a severe over-clamping of the V-belt at the high gear ratios (overdrive), which in turn causes:
additional friction loss,
fast wear of the V-belt,
wear of the pulleys conical surfaces,
substantial increase of the temperature inside the CVT casing and
need for over-ventilation/cooling,
substantial power loss.
The same plot shows, by dashed line, the clamping of the V-belt (without the torque cam). In the conventional V-belt CVT the clamping is the s1 to s2 to s3 to s4 line: as the gear ratio increases, the clamping of the V-belt increases substantially. In the modified, according the present invention, variator CVT, the clamping of the V-belt drops substantially at higher gear ratios (c1 to c2 to c3 line).
Each conical pulley has its own spring. The rider by displacing the lever varies, through the auxiliary belt that abuts onto a part of the V-belt, the effective diameters of the two conical pulleys, and so the transmission ratio. In
In the SECVT an electric motor, under the control of an ECU (electronic control unit), displaces a threaded shaft, which is in cooperation with a stationary threaded member. The threaded shaft holds, by a roller bearing, the slidable half of the first pulley. As the two halves of the first pulley close progressively to each other, the V-belt runs at bigger effective diameters on the first pulley. As a result, the (constant length) V-belt runs deeper at the second pulley (i.e. at a smaller effective diameter) causing the two halves of the second pulley to apart from each other and the spring of the second pulley to get further compressed, as shows the line “0% LOAD” in
However at high gear ratios the required thrust force could reduce several times, without any risk of belt slipping.
In
The dashed lines S1, S2, S3 and S4 of
The dashed lines S1, S2, S3 and S4 are “theoretical” and give the “necessary” thrust force for 100%, 50%, 25% and 0% load respectively; necessary in the sense that with such a thrust force there is no belt slipping; in the following it is explained how these lines result. The “S1+torque cam” curve is for 100% load with the assistance of the torque cam.
The left end of the “100% LOAD” “lab measured” curve coincides with the left end of the “S1+torque cam” curve.
By removing the “torque cam”, it results the left end of the S1 line. The right end of the S1 line is 50% lower than its left end because at the top gear (overdrive) at right, the eccentricity of the V-belt in the front pulley is double as compared to the eccentricity of the V-belt in the front pulley at the lowest gear, at left.
In order to pass only 50% of the load, the required thrust force is half as compared to the 100% load case. This is the way the S2 line results from the S1 line. And so on for the S3 and S4 lines. For a specific load (input torque) and gear ratio, the difference between the “lab measured” curve and the “theoretical” one, gives the “over clamping”, i.e. the surplus of thrust force that unnecessarily loads the V-belt, the pulleys, the bearings, etc. For instance, and according
At full load and top gear the over-clamping drops to “only” 150%. At 25% load and top gear the over-clamping rises to 900%.
In a realization of the present invention, an over-clamping compensation mechanism displaces axially the support of the one end of the spring of the driven pulley, and decompresses/compresses the spring in a predetermined way (for instance, if the axial displacement of the support of the spring increases linearly with the vehicle speed and also decreases linearly with the throttle opening (load), the action of the compensation over-clamping mechanism increases at higher speeds and light loads).
In a more advanced realization, the CVT comprises a pair of sensors providing the instant angular velocities of the two pulleys.
In case the ECU detects a condition wherein, for the existing displacement of the movable half of the first pulley, the relation of the two angular velocities is out of the expected limits (i.e. in case “slipping” starts), the electric motor, under the control of the ECU, compresses a little further the spring to cancel the belt slipping. This way, the CVT can, at all conditions of vehicle speed and load, operate with near zero over-clamping, maximizing the efficiency and minimizing the wear of the V-belt.
In an auto-diagnose mode (used from time to time) the ECU can intentionally increase (or maximize) the thrust force (in order to minimize the belt slipping) and store in a memory the angular velocities of the two pulleys and the axial displacement of the movable half of the first pulley. The array can later be used to detect the beginning of belt slipping and to cancel it.
The control over the compression of the spring makes a torque-cam mechanism optional. For instance, the moment the ECU detects an increase (or an intension for increase) of the load (like: wider open throttle), it commands the electric motor to further compress the spring; after the transient conditions, the ECU can progressively release the spring as required in order to reduce the V-belt over-clamping.
Reducing or eliminating the over-clamping, the same V-belt and pulleys are capable to transmit a substantially larger amount of power (and torque) without reliability issues or overheating, making the same CVT appropriate for other more demanding applications. The control over the active length of the spring is applicable not only in the SECVT but also in the conventional variator CVT, etc. The substantial reduction of the over-clamping can be realized not only by controlling the active length of the spring of the driven pulley, by also with mechanisms counterbalancing a part of the action of the spring onto the driven pulley (like, for instance, a variator properly arranged on the driven shaft/pulley).
A first embodiment is shown in
If, as shown in
From
By a secondary mechanism similar to the mechanism used for the axial shifting of the slidable half of the first pulley of the SECVT, the force the spring of the second pulley applies to the movable half of the second pulley can be varied/controlled.
For instance, in a screw-shaft (comprising a gear wheel for its rotation by the servomotor under the commands of the control unit) a thrust roller bearing is mounted; the rotating side of the thrust roller supports the free end of the spring of the second pulley and rotates with it. The screw-shaft cooperates with an immovable “nut” secured on the casing. Depending on the angular displacement of the screw-shaft, the thrust roller bearing is axially displaced and the force the spring applies to the movable half of the second pulley varies widely and controllably.
The same electric motor (servomotor) can actuate both mechanisms. The loads on the electric motor decrease, because now the electric motor needs not to compress an overstressed spring (as explained, at high gears the necessary thrust force onto the V-belt drops substantially without a risk for belt slipping). Alternatively, a different servomotor can be used. In such a case the thrust force (the clamping) of the V-belt can be controlled independently from the transmission ratio: for instance the thrust force can be reduced progressively until the system to “detect” the beginning of slipping between the V-belt and the pulleys. This way the system can minimize the over clamping (and consequently the friction, the temperature, the wear of the V-belt and the power loss). It can also be avoided (or be limited) the use of a torque-cam mechanism (the thrust force is increased by making use of the torque-cam; at a certain load the cam will press against the follower, causing an additional thrust force on the belt).
In the arrangement shown in
By the strict control over the thrust force that acts on the V-belt (clamping control), the efficiency of the CVT is improved at all ratios and loads, with the greatest improvement being at the long ratios (i.e. at higher angular speeds of the driven shaft) and at the light loads (i.e. wherein a typical CVT operates most of the time). As the strict control over the transmission ratio of the SECVT is so important in order to keep the engine at the “best point” (whatever this means, like “best” for economy, best for “performance” etc), similarly important is the strict control over the clamping of the V-belt in order to minimize the friction and the wear. With the minimum safe clamping, a CVT is capable for transmitting substantially more power at a higher efficiency.
In a second preferred embodiment,
As the revs of the second pulley increase (i.e. as the speed of the vehicle increases), the centrifugal forces acting on the weights 11 try to move them outwardly (i.e. at a bigger eccentricity) resulting in an axial force to the axially movable half of the second pulley. The direction of this force is opposite to the direction of the force the spring 9 applies onto the axially movable half of the second pulley. So, at higher angular speeds of the second pulley, the total axial force acting on the movable half of the second pulley reduces: the force from the spring increases because it is further compressed (case of higher gear ratio), but the opposite axial force from the centrifugal mechanism increases more.
With proper selection:
of the variator 6 (shape of sliding surfaces 8 and weight of the rollers 7),
of the centrifugal over-clamping compensation mechanism 10 (shape of the sliding surfaces 12 and of the weights 11), and of the spring 9,
the total axial force from the second pulley to the V-belt (i.e. the squeezing, the clamping) can drop substantially (as shown, for instance, by the c1-c2-c3 dashed line of
A torque cam can be used in order to increase the clamping at heavier loads.
The second embodiment is applicable to every V-belt CVT, even to those not based on a centrifugal variator for the control of the transmission ratio (as happens, for instance, in the SECVT of Suzuki wherein the gear ratio is controlled electronically and not centrifugally).
In a third preferred embodiment,
In a fourth preferred embodiment,
The previous are applicable not only on V-belt CVT's used in vehicles, but also in any V-belt Variable Transmission, for instance in V-belt Variable Transmission systems used in milling machines, in drills, in domestic appliances etc.
Although the invention has been described and illustrated in detail, the spirit and scope of the present invention are to be limited only by the terms of the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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GB1408301.8 | May 2014 | GB | national |
GB1410985.4 | Jun 2014 | GB | national |