Hydraulic connection

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12351018-B2
Application number	US-202217590155-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 1, 2022
Priority date	Feb 1, 2022
Publication date	Jul 8, 2025
Grant date	Jul 8, 2025

Abstract

Disclosed is a system comprising a variator and a transmission. The transmission housing includes a mounting joint transmission face and one or more transmission ports disposed in the mounting joint transmission face that are fluidly connected in a one-to-one correspondence to one or more transmission channels in the transmission housing. The variator housing may comprise a mounting joint variator face coupled to the mounting joint transmission face and one or more variator ports disposed in the mounting joint variator face. The one or more variator ports may be fluidly connected in a one-to-one correspondence to one or more variator channels in the variator housing. The one or more variator ports are fluidly connected in a one-to-one correspondence to the one or more transmission ports without the use of one or more external hoses to fluidly connect the one or more variator ports to the one or more transmission ports.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A continuously variable transmission (CVT) system comprising:
a transmission including a transmission housing, the transmission housing including:
a mounting joint transmission face; and
a plurality of transmission ports in the mounting joint transmission face, the plurality of transmission ports fluidly connected in a one-to-one correspondence to a plurality of transmission channels integral to the transmission housing; and

a variator fluidly connected to the transmission by a working fluid circuit,
the variator including a variator housing, the variator housing including:
a mounting joint variator face coupled to the mounting joint transmission face; and
a plurality of variator ports in the mounting joint variator face, the plurality of variator ports fluidly connected in a one-to-one correspondence to a plurality of variator channels integral to the variator housing,
wherein the plurality of variator ports are directly fluidly connected in a one-to-one and axial alignment correspondence to the plurality of transmission ports without the use of one or more external hoses or tubes to directly fluidly connect the plurality of variator ports to the plurality of transmission ports,
wherein each of the plurality of transmission ports is on the mounting joint transmission face,
wherein each of the plurality of variator ports is on the mounting joint variator face, and
wherein the continuously variable transmission (CVT) system is a power split transmission system.

2. The system of claim 1 , wherein the variator further includes a hydraulic pump or motor fluidly connected to the working fluid circuit.

3. The system of claim 1 , wherein the mounting joint variator face is coupled to the mounting joint transmission face by one or more fasteners.

4. The system of claim 1 , in which the working fluid circuit includes a first fluid passageway configured to conduct fluid between the transmission and the variator, the first fluid passageway comprising:
a first transmission channel fluidly connected to a first transmission port; and
a first variator channel fluidly connected to a first variator port,
wherein the first transmission port and the first variator port are fluidly connected without use of external hoses or tubes between the first transmission port and the first variator port.

5. The system of claim 4 , in which the variator further includes a pump fluidly connected to the working fluid circuit, and an actuator fluidly connected to the working fluid circuit and mechanically connected to the pump, the actuator configured to activate/deactivate the pump,
wherein the first fluid passageway is configured to provide fluid for actuation control flow for the actuator.

6. The system of claim 4 , wherein the first fluid passageway is configured to conduct fluid to the variator to replenish fluid in the working fluid circuit.

7. The system of claim 4 , wherein the first fluid passageway is configured to conduct fluid for cooling of the variator housing or lubrication of a bearing.

8. The system of claim 4 further comprising a seal between the mounting joint transmission face and the mounting joint variator face, the seal configured to seal an interface between the first transmission port and the first variator port.

9. A variator for use with a continuously variable transmission comprising:
a variator housing, the variator housing including:
a mounting joint variator face configured to be coupled to a mounting joint transmission face of the transmission; and
a plurality of variator ports disposed in the mounting joint variator face, the plurality of variator ports fluidly connected in a one-to-one correspondence to a plurality of variator channels integral to the variator housing,
wherein the plurality of variator ports are configured to be axially aligned with and directly fluidly connected in a one-to-one correspondence to a plurality of transmission ports in the mounting joint transmission face without the use of external hoses or tubes to directly fluidly connect the variator ports to the transmission ports,
wherein each of the plurality of transmission ports is on the mounting joint transmission face, and
wherein each of the plurality of variator ports is on the mounting joint variator face.

10. The variator of claim 9 , wherein a first variator port of the plurality of variator ports is directly fluidly connected to a first variator channel of the plurality of variator channels, the first variator channel configured to conduct fluid to or from the first variator port.

11. The variator of claim 10 , in which the variator further includes an actuator mechanically connected to a variable displacement pump, the actuator configured to activate/deactivate the variable displacement pump, wherein the first variator channel is configured to provide fluid for actuation control flow for the actuator.

12. The variator of claim 10 , wherein the first variator channel is configured to provide fluid to the first variator port to replenish fluid lost or leaked from a working fluid circuit disposed in the transmission.

13. The variator of claim 10 , wherein the first variator channel is configured to receive fluid from a first transmission port for cooling of the variator housing.

14. The variator of claim 10 , in which the variator further includes an actuator configured to activate/deactivate a hydraulic motor, wherein the first variator channel is configured to provide fluid for actuation control flow for the actuator.

15. A continuously variable transmission comprising:
a transmission housing, the transmission housing including:
a mounting joint transmission face configured to be coupled to a mounting joint variator face of a variator;
a plurality of seal grooves disposed in the mounting joint transmission face;
a plurality of transmission ports disposed in a one-to-one correspondence in the plurality of seal grooves, the plurality of transmission ports fluidly connected in a one-to-one correspondence to a plurality of transmission channels integral to the transmission housing,
wherein the plurality of transmission ports are configured to be axially aligned with and directly fluidly connected in a one-to-one correspondence to a plurality of variator ports in the mounting joint variator face without the use of external hoses or tubes to directly fluidly connect the transmission ports to the variator ports; and

a plurality of seal members in a one-to-one correspondence in the plurality of seal grooves, each seal member configured to seal an interface between one of the plurality of transmission ports and one of the plurality of variator ports,
wherein each of the plurality of transmission ports is on the mounting joint transmission face, and
wherein each of the plurality of variator ports is on the mounting joint variator face.

16. The transmission housing of claim 15 , wherein a first transmission port of the plurality of transmission ports is directly fluidly connected to a first transmission channel of the plurality of transmission channels, the first transmission channel configured to conduct fluid to or from the first transmission port.

17. The transmission housing of claim 16 , in which the transmission further includes one or more clutch members, wherein the first transmission channel is configured to receive from a first variator port fluid for the actuation of one or more clutch members.

18. The transmission housing of claim 16 , wherein the first transmission channel is configured to receive fluid from a first

Assignees

• Caterpillar Inc

Inventors

• Pruess Christopher William
• Seipold John Martin
• Johnson Jeremiah Christopher

Classifications

• F16H39/14

  with cylinders carried in rotary cylinder blocks or cylinder-bearing members · CPC title

• F16H61/437

  Pump capacity control by mechanical control means, e.g. by levers or pedals · CPC title

• F16H57/0471

  Bearing · CPC title

• F16H57/0424

  Lubricant guiding means in the wall of or integrated with the casing, e.g. grooves, channels, holes · CPC title

• F16H61/431

  Pump capacity control by electro-hydraulic control means, e.g. using solenoid valves · CPC title