pic: Torque Converter
 

Re: pic: Torque Converter
 

So there is some sort of belt that runs between the two spools. How are you shifting? Is the green thing a tensioner?

This is a very interesting idea, can you give us an idea of exactly how this is going to work?

Re: pic: Torque Converter
 

Im going to attempt to describe how this works in words...bear with me. I'm not sure how familar you are with a snowmobile transmission works but this is on variation of it. What I've done is have the motor spin the cone shaped object. This cone will spin a timing belt. and depending on the power needed by the robot the belt will slide up and down the cone. The spool shaped object is the output shaft to the wheel/track/etc. This whole system works of the tension of the springs and the belt and is mechanically automatic. The green thing is the tensioner on the belt. Currently this is my last ratio only because I don't believe a belt could handle the high RPM of the atwoods(my team only uses the atwoods in the drivetrain).

Please keep the questions coming...

-Thanks

Pat



*edit*there are some more design views being uploaded soon*edit*

Re: pic: Torque Converter
 

This is called a CVT (continuely variable transmission), a torque converter uses hydrolic forces to chagne torque in automatic transmissions.

there are designs all over these forums of them! Yours looks nice though!

Re: pic: Torque Converter
 

Strangely enough, they also call snowmobile-type CVTs "torque converters". I was also very confused at this the first time I heard it. Someone on my team asked me, "why don't we use a torque converter for the transmission?"

I said, "because we would lose power because to fluid coupling is not very efficient."

Then we both thought each other were idiots for a little while. Little did I know that these CVTs were called "torque converters" and the other guy didn't know that the fluid coupler in an automatic transmission was also called a "torque converter".

Anyway, the point of the story is that they both share the same name.

Re: pic: Torque Converter
 

I plan to make a white paper if I can test it and whatnot. I also will have some more detailed drawings eventually. Can anybody see any problems with the current one (other than theres no motor)

-Thanks
Pat

Re: pic: Torque Converter
 

What keeps the belt from slipping. Does just the friction keep the spool and cone in sync? Also, what would be the efficiency of a contraption like this?

Re: pic: Torque Converter
 

Thats correct that the friction of the belt and cone cause the spinning action. The spool looking object will be a timing pulley and will have teeth. As for the efficiency not sure havent done any testing.

-Pat

Re: pic: Torque Converter
 

How do you keep tension in the belt when it slides down to the right side where it is smaller?

Re: pic: Torque Converter
 

If this device is actually built like a mini torque converter from a snowmobile (I'm from northern Canada and have three snowmobiles, and the assemblies in them don't look the same.) then it will have very low efficiency, especially with an electric motor. Because the Troque converter in a snowmobile uses high RPMs to shift the belt ou farther and gain a higher ratio. The faster the motor spins the more torque you get. This is fine for a gas engine that is designed where the maximum torque output is very close to the redline RPM, but in an electric engine the max torque is a 0 RPM, so it would be impossible to get even close to your maximum torque out of a that sort of design with an electric engine.

Then again I have lots of snow machines, and spend most of my free time fixing snowmobiles, and that device doesn't look the same as whats under the hood of my Mach Z.

Re: pic: Torque Converter
 

here is a pic of team 494's cvt, using 2 cones to control the ratio. much better than one in my opinion.

Re: pic: Torque Converter
 

noremorse, how does the ratio changing happen? I can't see how the timing belt can move anywhere or how either of the pulleys change size unless maybe the two halfs of the cones move closer to each other...

Re: pic: Torque Converter
 

The tensioner is on a spring it constantly is having a force acting on it to create tension.
-Pat

Re: pic: Torque Converter
 

The 2 cones move toward eachother, effectivly increasing the diameter of the conact area of the belt and cone. The other side does the opposite to componsate for tension.

Re: pic: Torque Converter
 

Noremorse,
I see what your saying in why two is better. For simplicity though I thought that one would work. This is still obviously being developed. My next step is to get the details worked in and hopefully build a working model. I think that a problem that I may have to solve is increasing the distance between the two pulleys. Any comment on that?

-Pat