A ratcheting CVT uses a series of a single-way clutches or ratchets that rectify and sum only "forward" motion. The on-off features of a normal ratchet ensures that many of those types are usually not continual in operation (i.e. technically not a CVT), but in practice, there are several similarities https://gearboxcvt38147.theideasblog.com/33155390/getting-my-gearbox-cvt-to-work