Automotive drive system with continuously variable transmission

Claim 1

A transmission mechanism comprising a hydrodynamic device adapted to be driven by a prime mover, said device including impeller and turbine elements, a clutch means adapted to lock said elements together, a first shaft connected to said turbine element, a planetary forward-reverse gear set connected to said first shaft, a continuously variable drive system having an input pulley, an output pulley, and a belt extending between said two pulleys to transfer power, each of said input and output pulleys having a fixed sheave and a movable sheave, means connecting the fixed sheave of the input pulley to said forward-reverse gear set, said input pulley being coaxial with said first shaft, a reduction gear set, means connecting the fixed sheave of the output pulley to the reduction gear set, a differential mechanism having an input shaft connected to the reduction gear set and a pair of side gears, and output drive means connected to the side gears of the differential mechanism, whereby said output drive means will be driven by the prime mover through said hydrodynamic device and said continuously variable drive system, wherein said hydrodynamic device, first shaft, planetary gear set, and input pulley rotate about a first axis, and said output pulley, reduction gear set and differential mechanism rotate about a second axis, and wherein said reduction gear set includes a high-speed planetary gear train and a high-torque planetary gear train, a separate sun gear for both gear trains, each gear train having an individual ring gear and pinion carriers having pinion gears mounted thereon, said output pulley fixed sheave being connected to the ring gear of the high-speed train to drive the planet pinion gears in the same direction engaging the sun gear at a reduced gear ratio through the high-speed train pinion carrier, said sun gear being connected to the high-torque train ring gear, a shaft connected to the pinion carrier of the high-speed gear train and the plurality of pinion gears of the high-torque gear train to drive the high-torque train pinion gears and the pinion carrier in the same direction to effect a second reduction in the gear ratio, where the pinion carrier for the high-torgue planetary gear train is an intergral segment of the differential mechanism.