Tandem axle gearing arrangement

• US 10,011,174 B2
• Filed: 11/04/2016
• Issued: 07/03/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/04/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dana Heavy Vehicle Systems Group LLC (Dana, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dana Heavy Vehicle Systems Group LLC (Dana, Inc.)
• Inventors: Slesinski, Steven G., Trost, Harry W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Wright, Dirk
• Application Number:
  US15/343,266
• Publication Number:
  US 20180126847A1
• Time in Patent Office: 606 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 17/08 of mechanical type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 17/16 of differential gearing
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 17/346 the transfer gear being a differential gear
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 17/36 for driving tandem wheels
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2048/087 characterised by the pinion gears, e.g. their type or arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 37/022 the toothed gearing having orbital motion
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 37/0813 with only one input shaft differentials for four wheel drive vehicles B60K17/346
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 48/05 Multiple interconnected differential sets
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 48/08 comprising bevel gears

Abstract

A drive axle system including a first axle assembly having an input shaft in driving engagement with an under-drive arrangement, an inter-axle differential in driving engagement with the under-drive arrangement, a through drive shaft in driving engagement with the inter-axle differential, a first axle drive pinion in driving engagement with the inter-axle differential, and a first axle differential arrangement including a first axle ring gear in driving engagement with the inter-axle differential through the first axle drive pinion. The drive axle system further includes the second axle assembly in driving engagement with the through drive shaft. The second axle assembly includes a second axle drive pinion drivingly engaged with the through drive shaft and meshingly engaged with a second axle ring gear of a second axle differential arrangement. The under-drive arrangement is configured to reduce a drive ratio of the first axle assembly and the second axle assembly.

Claims

1. A drive axle system, comprising:

a first axle assembly comprising;

an input shaft in driving engagement with a source of rotational energy,

an under-drive arrangement in driving engagement with the input shaft,

an inter-axle differential in driving engagement with the under-drive arrangement,

a through drive shaft in driving engagement with a first portion of the inter-axle differential,

a first axle drive pinion in driving engagement with a second portion of the inter-axle differential,

a first axle differential arrangement including a first axle ring gear in driving engagement with the first axle pinion; and

a second axle assembly in driving engagement with the through drive shaft comprising a second axle drive pinion in driving engagement with a second axle ring gear of a second axle differential arrangement,

wherein the under-drive arrangement includes at least two under-drive gears in driving engagement with each other and configured to reduce a drive ratio of the first axle assembly and the second axle assembly between the input shaft and the inter-axle differential,

wherein the first axle drive pinion and the first axle ring gear have a fixed gear ratio, and

wherein the second axle drive pinion and the second axle ring gear have a fixed gear ratio.

2. The drive axle system according to claim 1, wherein the under-drive arrangement is the exclusive drive ratio adjusting component of the drive axle system.

3. The drive axle system according to claim 1, wherein the first axle drive pinion includes a first gear meshingly engaged with the first axle ring gear.

4. The drive axle system according to claim 1, wherein the under-drive gears are helical gears.

5. The drive axle system according to claim 1, wherein the under-drive gears are spur gears.

6. The drive axle system according to claim 3, wherein the first gear and the first axle ring gear are in a 1:

1 drive ratio.

7. The drive axle system according to claim 3, wherein the first gear is a hypoid or an amboid gear.

8. The drive axle system according to claim 1, wherein the second axle assembly further includes a second axle drive pinion in driving engagement with the through drive shaft and the second axle differential arrangement.

9. The drive axle system according to claim 1, wherein the second axle drive pinion includes a spiral bevel gear meshingly engaged with the second axle ring gear.

10. The drive axle system according to claim 9, wherein the spiral bevel gear and the second axle ring gear are in a 1:

1 drive ratio.

11. A method of selecting a drive arrangement for a drive axle system, comprising:

selecting an overall drive ratio for the drive axle system, wherein the drive axle system includes a first axle differential arrangement, a second axle differential arrangement, an inter-axle differential, and an under-drive arrangement;

selecting a drive ratio for a first axle drive pinion and the first axle differential arrangement that minimizes a power consumption of the drive axle system;

selecting a drive ratio for a second axle drive pinion and the second axle differential arrangement that minimizes a power consumption of the drive axle system; and

selecting a drive ratio for the under-drive arrangement that results in the previously selected overall drive ratio for the drive axle system, wherein the under-drive arrangement is drivingly engaged with an input shaft and the inter-axle differential, a first portion of the inter-axle differential is drivingly engaged the first axle drive pinion and a second portion of the inter-axle differential is drivingly engaged with the second axle drive pinion.