US 12,351,018 B2
Hydraulic connection
Christopher William Pruess, Dunlap, IL (US); John Martin Seipold, Peoria, IL (US); and Jeremiah Christopher Johnson, Washington, IL (US)
Assigned to Caterpillar Inc., Peoria, IL (US)
Filed by Caterpillar Inc., Peoria, IL (US)
Filed on Feb. 1, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/590,155.
Prior Publication US 2023/0241967 A1, Aug. 3, 2023
Int. Cl. B60K 17/10 (2006.01); F16H 39/14 (2006.01); F16H 61/437 (2010.01)
CPC B60K 17/105 (2013.01) [F16H 39/14 (2013.01); F16H 61/437 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
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.