Hydrostatic transaxle
First Claim
Patent Images
1. A hydrostatic transmission comprising:
- (a) a housing;
(b) a one-piece casting at least partially disposed in said housing and surrounded from below by said housing and comprising a pump fluid coupling surface and a motor fluid coupling surface respectively disposed within said housing, where said pump fluid coupling surface is perpendicular to said motor fluid coupling surface;
(c) a pump rotatably mounted on said one-piece casting and disposed within said housing and driven by an input shaft, said pump comprising a plurality of pistons;
(d) a motor rotatably mounted on said one-piece casting and disposed within said housing and hydraulically connected to said pump; and
(e) a motor output shaft driven by said motor and being at least partially supported by said housing, wherein the axis of said motor output shaft is below the plane of said pump fluid coupling surface;
wherein said one-piece casting further comprises a bore receiving said motor output shaft and an outer shoulder portion surrounding said bore, said outer shoulder portion supported by an interior surface of said housing in at least one location radially adjacent said bore, and where said at least one location lies above said axis of said motor output shaft.
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Abstract
A hydrostatic transaxle axle assembly for a vehicle has the housing is formed by three housing members, two of which are preferably separable on a parting plane coincident with the longitudinal axes of the axle shafts. One of the housing members being provided with an opening to allow a portion of one of the other housing members to extend through, and where the extending housing member contains within its interior a number of internal fluid passages for fluidly connecting the hydraulic pump to the hydraulic motor.
48 Citations
40 Claims
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1. A hydrostatic transmission comprising:
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(a) a housing;
(b) a one-piece casting at least partially disposed in said housing and surrounded from below by said housing and comprising a pump fluid coupling surface and a motor fluid coupling surface respectively disposed within said housing, where said pump fluid coupling surface is perpendicular to said motor fluid coupling surface;
(c) a pump rotatably mounted on said one-piece casting and disposed within said housing and driven by an input shaft, said pump comprising a plurality of pistons;
(d) a motor rotatably mounted on said one-piece casting and disposed within said housing and hydraulically connected to said pump; and
(e) a motor output shaft driven by said motor and being at least partially supported by said housing, wherein the axis of said motor output shaft is below the plane of said pump fluid coupling surface;
wherein said one-piece casting further comprises a bore receiving said motor output shaft and an outer shoulder portion surrounding said bore, said outer shoulder portion supported by an interior surface of said housing in at least one location radially adjacent said bore, and where said at least one location lies above said axis of said motor output shaft. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21)
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22. A hydrostatic transmission comprising:
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a housing;
a one-piece casting at least partially disposed in said housing and surrounded from below by said housing;
a pump fluid coupling surface disposed in said housing and formed or mounted on said one-piece casting;
a motor fluid coupling surface disposed in said housing and formed or mounted on said one-piece casting, and wherein said motor fluid coupling surface is perpendicular to said pump fluid coupling surface;
a pump rotatably mounted on said one-piece casting and disposed within said housing and driven by an input shaft, said pump comprising a plurality of pistons and where said plurality of pistons of said pump are disposed in respective cylinders formed in a pump cylinder barrel, said input drive shaft having vertical axis and comprising a first portion protruding outside of said housing and a second portion protruding inside of said housing, said rotary pump cylinder barrel engaging said second portion via a spline connection for rotation at equal speed therewith;
a motor rotatably mounted on said one-piece casting and disposed within said housing and hydraulically connected to said pump;
a motor output shaft driven by said motor and being at least partially supported by said housing;
wherein said one-piece casting further comprises a bore receiving said motor output shaft and an outer shoulder portion surrounding said bore, said outer shoulder portion supported by an interior surface of said housing in at least one location radially adjacent said bore, and where said at least one location lies above said axis of said motor output shaft. - View Dependent Claims (23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34)
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35. A hydrostatic transmission comprising:
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a housing;
a one-piece casting at least partially disposed in said housing and surrounded from below by said housing;
a pump fluid coupling surface disposed in said housing and formed or mounted on said one-piece casting;
a motor fluid coupling surface disposed in said housing and formed or mounted on said one-piece casting, and wherein said motor fluid coupling surface is perpendicular to said pump fluid coupling surface;
a pump rotatably mounted on said one-piece casting and disposed within said housing and driven by an input shaft, said pump comprising a plurality of pistons and where said plurality of pistons of said pump are disposed in respective cylinders formed in a pump cylinder barrel, said input drive shaft having a vertical axis and comprising a first portion protruding outside of said housing and a second portion protruding inside of said housing, said rotary pump cylinder barrel engaging said second portion via a spline connection for rotation at equal speed therewith;
a motor rotatably mounted on said one-piece casting and disposed within said housing and hydraulically connected to said pump;
a motor output shaft driven by said motor and being at least partially supported by said housing;
wherein said pump fluid coupling surface is disposed in a first horizontal plane inside said housing and said pump cylinder barrel rotatably mounted thereon, said pump fluid coupling surface being spaced from underlying surfaces of said housing, said motor output shaft having a horizontal axis of rotation disposed in a second horizontal plane, said first horizontal plane residing parallel to and not coincident with said second horizontal plane and wherein said second horizontal plane is situated nearer said underlying surfaces of said housing than said first horizontal plane;
wherein said one-piece casting further comprises a bore receiving said motor output shaft and an outer shoulder portion surrounding said bore, said outer shoulder portion supported by an interior surface of said housing in at least one location radially adjacent said bore, and where said at least one location lies above said second horizontal plane. - View Dependent Claims (36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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Specification