Four-wheel drive vehicle with drive transfer gear assembly
First Claim
1. A drive transfer gear assembly for a motor vehicle comprising:
- A. an input shaft;
B. a torque proportioning planetary gear set comprising a planet gear driven by said input shaft, an output ring gear, and an output sun gear;
C. first and second output shafts;
D. first drive means connecting said ring gear to said first output shaft; and
E. second drive means connecting said sun gear to said second output shaft, and including means for limiting the torque delivered to said second output shaft by said sun gear to a predetermined level.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A drive transfer gear assembly for a four-wheel drive truck tractor. The tractor includes a front drive steer axle assembly, a rear drive axle assembly containing the drive transfer gear assembly, and a prime mover drivingly connected to the front and rear drive mechanisms by the drive transfer gear assembly. The front axle assembly includes a rigid axle housing having end sections and a drop center section containing a differential gear set with output gears drivingly connected to wheels pivotally journaled at the outboard ends of the rigid axle housing. The rear axle assembly includes a differential gear set with output gears drivingly connected to the rear wheels, and a drive transfer gear assembly positioned forwardly of the differential gear set. The drive transfer gear assembly includes a torque proportioning planetary gear set, an angled tooth clutch for locking the planetary gear set in response to front wheel spinout, a manual clutch for preventing differentiation of the gears in the planetary gear set, and a torque limiting clutch for preventing overtorque to the front wheel drive mechanism.
21 Citations
19 Claims
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1. A drive transfer gear assembly for a motor vehicle comprising:
- A. an input shaft;
B. a torque proportioning planetary gear set comprising a planet gear driven by said input shaft, an output ring gear, and an output sun gear;
C. first and second output shafts;
D. first drive means connecting said ring gear to said first output shaft; and
E. second drive means connecting said sun gear to said second output shaft, and including means for limiting the torque delivered to said second output shaft by said sun gear to a predetermined level.
- A. an input shaft;
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2. means biasing said conical surfaces into frictional engagement.
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3. The transfer gear assembly of claim 2, wherein:
- F. said driven gear is substantially annular and defines a frusto-conical surface on its inner periphery; and
G. said limiting means includes
- F. said driven gear is substantially annular and defines a frusto-conical surface on its inner periphery; and
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4. The transfer gear assembly of claim 2, wherein:
- F. said driven gear is substantially annular and defines on its inner periphery a pair of radially outwardly diverging frusto-conical surfaces; and
G. said limiting means includes
- F. said driven gear is substantially annular and defines on its inner periphery a pair of radially outwardly diverging frusto-conical surfaces; and
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5. A drive transfer gear assembly for a motor vehicle comprising:
- A. an input shaft;
B. torque proportioning gear means having an input gear driven by said input shaft, first and second output gears, and means drivingLy interconnecting said input gear to said output gears but allowing relative rotation between said output gears;
C. first and second output shafts drivingly connected to said first and second output gears respectively; and
D. clutch means including first and second annular sets of teeth relatively rotatable in response to relative rotation between said output gears, the teeth of said sets having coacting straight engaging faces operative in response to relative rotation of said output gears in one directional mode to lockingly engage said teeth sets to preclude such relative rotation and coacting angled faces operative in response to relative rotation of said output gears in the other directional mode to provide slippage between said teeth sets to allow such other relative rotation.
- A. an input shaft;
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6. The drive transfer gear assembly of claim 5, wherein:
- E. said first tooth set is mounted for rotation with said input shaft and said second tooth set is mounted for rotation with said second output gear.
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7. The drive transfer gear assembly of claim 6, wherein said assembly further includes:
- F. lock means operative when actuated to preclude relative rotation of said output gears in said other directional mode.
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8. The drive transfer gear assembly of claim 6, wherein:
- F. said first tooth set is defined on an annular member drivingly secured to, but axially slideable relative to, said input shaft; and
G. said assembly further includes biasing means urging said annular member toward said second tooth set.
- F. said first tooth set is defined on an annular member drivingly secured to, but axially slideable relative to, said input shaft; and
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9. The drive transfer assembly of claim 8, wherein:
- H. said torque proportioning gear set is a planetary gear set and
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10. A drive transfer gear assembly for a vehicle of the type including a prime mover and first and second drive axles each drivingly connected to wheels on the outboard ends of the axles, said gear assembly comprising:
- A. an input shaft adapted to be driven by said prime mover;
B. first and second output shafts adapted to be drivingly connected to said first and second drive axles, respectively;
C. means operative in response to relative rotation between said output shafts in one directional mode to preclude such relative rotation; and
D. means drivingly interconnecting said shafts and operative to apportion the torque received by said input shaft between said first and second output shafts and including means operative during operation of said rotation precluding means to limit the magnitude of the torque transmitted to one of said output shafts from said input shaft.
- A. an input shaft adapted to be driven by said prime mover;
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11. The gear assembly of claim 10, wherein said rotation precluding means includes:
- E. a first pair of clutch members having matable angle teeth; and
F. means biasing said matable angle teeth into engagement.
- E. a first pair of clutch members having matable angle teeth; and
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12. The gear assembly of claim 11, wherein said means drivingly interconnecting includes first and second output gears and wherein:
- G. one of said members is secured to rotate with said second output gear and the other of said members is secured to rotate with said input shaft.
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13. The gear assembly of claim 12, wherein:
- H. said other member is slideably splined to said input shaft; and
I. said biasing means resiliently urges said member toward said one member.
- H. said other member is slideably splined to said input shaft; and
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14. The gear assembly of claim 13, wherein:
- J. said means drivingly interconnecting includes a driven gear coaxial to said second output shaft; and
K. said torque limiting means coacts with said driven gear to drivingly connect said driven gear to said second output shaft.
- J. said means drivingly interconnecting includes a driven gear coaxial to said second output shaft; and
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15. The gear assEmbly of claim 14, wherein:
- L. the inner periphery of said driven gear defines a frusto-conical surface; and
M. said limiting means includes
- L. the inner periphery of said driven gear defines a frusto-conical surface; and
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16. The gear assembly of claim 14, wherein:
- L. the inner periphery of said driven gear defines a pair of radially outwardly diverging frusto-conical surfaces; and
M. said torque limiting means includes
- L. the inner periphery of said driven gear defines a pair of radially outwardly diverging frusto-conical surfaces; and
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17. The gear assembly of claim 10, wherein:
- E. said means drivingly interconnecting includes a driven gear coaxial to said second output shaft; and
F. said torque limiting means coacts with said driven gear to drivingly connect said driven gear to said second output shaft.
- E. said means drivingly interconnecting includes a driven gear coaxial to said second output shaft; and
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18. The gear assembly of claim 17, wherein:
- G. the inner periphery of said driven gear defines a frusto-conical surface; and
H. said limiting means includes
- G. the inner periphery of said driven gear defines a frusto-conical surface; and
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19. The gear assembly of claim 18, wherein:
- I. the inner periphery of said driven gear defines a pair of radially outwardly diverging frusto-conical surfaces; and
J. said torque limiting means includes
- I. the inner periphery of said driven gear defines a pair of radially outwardly diverging frusto-conical surfaces; and
Specification