Development of high-efficiency chain for CVTs
Full-scale commercial manufacture from 2009
aiming for annual sales of 10 billion yen by 2012
JTEKT Corporation, based on an exclusive license agreement with Dutch company Gear Chain Industrial B.V. (GCI) concerning this company’s patents and know-how related to involute chains, has succeeded in developing a high-efficiency chain for continuously variable transmissions (CVT). JTEKT aims to begin delivery of this chain in 2008 and achieve annual sales of 10 billion yen by 2012.
In recent years automakers have increasingly been switching from conventional automatic transmissions to CVT. While both metal belts and chains are used in current CVTs, the JTEKT Involute Chain (J-IC) that JTEKT developed this time utilizing its wealth of element technology gained through more than 80 years of experience in the field of bearings possesses higher efficiency than current metal belts and lower noise than current chains.
Moreover, the J-IC has the potential to exhibit more than twice the torque capacity of metal belts. It can be applied not only to existing CVTs but also to high-torque ranges difficult for current belts and chains to handle. This will enable CVT application on a greater range of vehicles and contribute to the conservation of energy and resources.
- ①High efficiency and large torque capacity
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Because of its high efficiency in the low-speed and high-speed ranges, where the gear ratio is large, the J-IC enables CVTs to provide even greater fuel savings (a 4%~5% fuel efficiency improvement over existing CVTs by measurement mode 10-15). Also, while the torque range upper limit of metal belts currently used in CVTs is around 350 Nm, the potential torque range of the J-IC is about twice that amount, making application on SUV-class vehicles as well as in non-vehicle fields possible.
- ②Low noise
- The J-IC possesses a unique structure that reduces impact energy when the chain meshes with the pulley, reducing the noise amount in comparison with current chains.
JTEKT possesses 200 patents (including applications) regarding this technology apart from the basic patents possessed by GCI.
