Description - Main Applications - Frequently Asked Questions



Main Applications

This section describe only some examples.

    - - hoists and winches,
    - - bicycles,
    - - electric motors protection,
    - - vehicle motorization,
    - - e-vehicles,
    - - scooters,
    - - toys,
    - - breaking energy recovery,
    - - replacing the crankshaft of combustion engines,
    - - external heat engines,
    - - rotating tools.


Hoists and Winches

The automatic adaptation of the gear ratio to the resistive torque quickens the process as, for the same rotation speed of the engine (or of the handle or lever) the winch turns very quickly when the resistive torque is low, and then automatically much slower when necessary, requiring always the same effort from the engine or the user.

All lifting systems, but more generally all kinds of winches and rods (from big ships to fishing reels) will benefit of this innovation.


Bicycle Transmissions

This is probably the simplest transmission ever imagined for a bike, and the most efficient.

No chain, no derailleur, no hub gear, Only a crank/rod mechanism with a spring, a double rack and two freewheels.

The crankset (light green-blue) causes the back and forth movement of a double rack (green) that makes the wheel turn when it is moving to the back and when it is moving to the front.

It might constitute a disruptive change which will change deeply the strategic positions of bike and bike transmissions manufacturers.

The main reasons for this is that this transmission simultaneously:
   1. proposes a continuously variable gear ratio
   2. is fully automatic ,
   3. is extremely efficient,
   4. is clean,
   5. is robust and durable,
   6. and is much cheaper to produce than those of the prior art.

It is possible to add a intermediate the swing lever (brown on the little image top left), that enables to adapt the automatic variation to the effort the cyclist wishes to produce with the pedals.

The range of possible variation is also immense: from zero to any value chosen by the designer. Another advantage over derailleur systems is that there is no overlap between the possible speeds. The variation is linear and can be adjusted very finely by any known type of control.

The transmission ratio is a little different from the classic crankset, and the cyclist's feeling should be closer to the one with an oval chainring, allowing to do more work during the power phase and then quickly spin through the dead spots. All the advantages of oval chaining, without the disadvantages of greater difficulty in adjusting the front derailleur, and excessive chain noise.

View the video posted June 27. 2018 on LinkedIn

The production of our bicycle transmissions will start in 2020, under a patent & know-how license.


Electric motors downsizing and protection

Electric vehicle motorization is only an example, as all electric motors may be downsized. In case of mechanical overload, the automatic continuous variation of the tranmsmission will at the same time provide a sufficient torque and protect the motor.

This downsizing concerns all electric motors, from the smallest to the largest, and is a major source of energy saving for the future.


Vehicle motorization

Transmissions will combine at the same time the multi-rack architecture, the automatic adaptation or the gear ratio to the resistive torque, the direct drive option, and the piston synchronization feature if it is a reciprocating engine).


They will help car manufaturers complying with the future emission standards, but also improve the reciprocating engines performance.

For electric vehicles, the combination of multi-rack architecture, automatic adaptation or the gear ratio to the resistive torque, and direct drive option will enable downsizing the engine. Instead of being dimensioned according to the maximum torque (eg the one needed for starting, or in case of momentary mechanical overload), the motors will be dimensioned by matching the maximum power with the maximum desireed speed (that of a vehicle by example). They will use the continuous variation of transmission ratio at startup but will be in "direct drive" most of the time.

The arrival of this new type of transmissions will decrease the size, the weight, and of course the price of all cars.

For scooters, there is another advantage: the engine may be attached to the chassis, and belong to the suspended part of the bike, The motor will remain connected permanently to the wheel, while the wheel can be suspended by any means.


Toys

Our transmissions enable storing a lot of energy in a flywheel, using a separate "pusher".

Each time one presses on that "pusher", it increases the speed of the flywheel contained in the toy. The "pusher" may also be activated by a tiny electric motor. The speed of the freewheel is then proportional to the time this electric motor is activated.

When the "pusher" is separated from the toy, the energy of the flywheel is automatically transferred to the toy.

This will enable creating a whole range of toys: cars, boats, planes, drones, flying soccers, etc.


Breaking Energy Recovery

The objective is to suppress the polluting effect of wear and tear in brakes

These transmissions enable recovering the breaking energy until a complete stop, and therefore not only during a slowdown.

Why? because the speed of the alternator becomes proportional not to the speed of the vehicle but to the energy recovered in the instant

When the transmission ratio is set to zero, the alternator is not running and there is no braking at all, while increasing the transmission ration increases progressively the speed of the alternator.

The range of available tranmission ratios being infinite, the braking effect may be extremely powerful.

View the video posted June 12. 2018 on LinkedIn


Replacing the crankshaft of combustion engines

The objective is to perform a better conversion between the reciprocating motion of a piston and the rotational motion of the transmission. The torque transmitted by the pistons to the output shaft can become virtually constant.

This method brings the following main advantages:
  1. manage more finely the evolution of the report of transmission during the cycle,
  2. reduce internal friction such as that caused by the contact between pistons and cylinders, by pushing and pulling in the axis of the piston instead of doing it with an angle which is the case with a connecting rod,
  3. and allow a real-time change in the stroke of the pistons and therefore the displacement, which is a downsizing solution can be more effective than the deactivation of cylinders.

On top of that, it will no longer be necessary to increase the number of cylinders. A 2 cylinders option becomes the maximum for a 2-stroke engine, and 4 is sufficient for a 4-stroke one.

A motor may now exceed 10,000 revolutions per minute without problems since there is more crankshaft to balance.

Combustion engines may therefore be more efficient and meet easier the latest pollution standards.

Other advantages are the reduction of the engine and transmission total weight, volume and manufacturing cost.

This transmission could also make it possible to realize very long-stroke piston engines that could be used to transform hydraulic energy into electrical energy, with a yield that might be even higher than that of turbines.


External Heat Engines

As our transmissions allow a real-time change in the stroke of the pistons and therefore of the displacement, they allow to quickly vary the power of external heat engines (eg Stirling). This will enable the Stirling engines to finally target the automotive market.

We also are working on a new architecture with the objective to remove all working gas leaks from these engines, and it seems it will simulatneously improve their performance.

This new version looks a bit like Stirling Beta engines, but with a fixed enclosure having a hot end and a cold end. This outer enclosure can be sealed, if one organizes a transmission of the movement by magnetism through its wall, with our continuously variable transmission, and this has the advantage of eliminating any risk of leakage of the working gas over time.

The two cylinders are opposed, and they close the space between them. The hot piston is represented above in red and the cold one in blue.

The volume of this space therefore varies during the cycle, and this variation of volume is used to produce alternately heat and cold. It is quite easy to send the heat to the hot cylinder and the cold to the cold cylinder, for example by moving in this space an insulating partition (here represented in yellow).

Passing the air from one cylinder to another is achieved by allowing it to cross at certain stages of the cycle as well the pistons and this insulating partition. They all serve as regenerators.


Rotating Tools

It may be a screwdriver, a key, a hand drill or a circular sander depending on what is put in the tool holder.

A fast circular movement is obtained quickly by sliding the rack. The handle can also be rotated for a slower but much more powerful movement.

On top, there is "Pusher" that allows the user to push the tool against the screw or a surface to be modified.

In one configuration, it screws, and in the other it unscrews.

View the video posted April 2. 2018 on LinkedIn


A few more examples

Our transmissions may be used for converting any vibration or random movement into electricity: shock absorbers and cars suspension, waves energy, electricity generators located inside the human body, etc..


Latest videos posted on LinkedIn about our transmissions

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