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US 10,330,189 B2Granted
Active transfer case with splash recovery clutch lubrication system
AssigneeMagna Powertrain of America, Inc.
InventorsDaniel M. Drill, Borin Reth, Julio Cesar Martinez Frausto
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An active transfer case is disclosed having a multi-plate friction clutch installed on the front output shaft. A splash recovery lubrication system is provided to capture lubricant splashed from the sump in response to rotation of the friction clutch and transfer the captured lubricant to a central clutch feed chamber to cool and lubricate the components of the friction clutch.
Claims20
A transfer case for use in a four-wheel drive motor vehicle having a powertrain and first and second drivelines, the transfer case comprising:
- a housing defining a sump area filled with a lubricant;
- a first shaft rotatably supported by said housing and configured to transfer drive torque from the powertrain to the first driveline;
- a second shaft rotatably supported by said housing in close proximity to said sump area and configured for connection to the second driveline;
- a transfer mechanism having a first transfer component drivingly coupled to said first shaft and a second transfer component driven by said first transfer component, said second transfer component being rotatably mounted on said second shaft;
- a multi-plate friction clutch assembly surrounding said second shaft and including a first clutch member drivingly coupled to said second transfer component, a second clutch member drivingly coupled to said second shaft, and a clutch pack of interleaved first and second clutch plates drivingly coupled to corresponding one of said first and second clutch members;
- a power-operated clutch actuator operable for moving an apply member relative to said clutch pack so as to control the magnitude of a clutch engagement force exerted thereon and concurrently control the amount of drive torque transferred from said first shaft through said transfer mechanism and said friction clutch assembly to said second shaft;
- and
- a splash recovery lubrication system for capturing lubricant splashed in response to rotation of at least one of said second transfer component and said first clutch member and feeding said captured lubricant to a clutch feed chamber that is in fluid communication with said clutch pack, said splash recovery clutch lubrication system including an oil catcher reservoir configured to capture splashed lubricant and retain said captured lubricant in an oil catcher cavity, an oil feed reservoir having an oil feed cavity communicating with said oil catcher cavity and an oil feed passage, an oil conduit having a web segment with first and second flow channels communicating with said oil feed passage and a tubular segment surrounding said second shaft and defining an annular clutch feed chamber, said first flow channel communicating with said clutch feed chamber for directing lubricant to said multi-plate function clutch assembly, and said second flow channel not communicating with said clutch feed chamber.
5 more elements
A transfer case for use in a four-wheel drive motor vehicle having a powertrain and first and second drivelines, the transfer case comprising:
- a housing defining a sump area filled with a lubricant;
- a first shaft rotatably supported by said housing and configured to transfer drive torque from the powertrain to the first driveline;
- a second shaft rotatably supported by said housing in close proximity to said sump area and configured for connection to the second driveline;
- a transfer mechanism having a first transfer component drivingly coupled to said first shaft and a second transfer component driven by said first transfer component, said second transfer component being rotatably mounted on said second shaft;
- a multi-plate friction clutch assembly surrounding said second shaft and including a first clutch member drivingly coupled to said second transfer component, a second clutch member drivingly coupled to said second shaft, and a clutch pack of interleaved first and second clutch plates drivingly coupled to corresponding one of said first and second clutch members;
- a power-operated clutch actuator operable for moving an apply member relative to said clutch pack so as to control the magnitude of a clutch engagement force exerted thereon and concurrently control the amount of drive torque transferred from said first shaft through said transfer mechanism and said friction clutch assembly to said second shaft;
- and
- a splash recovery lubrication system for capturing lubricant splashed in response to rotation of at least one of said second transfer component and said first clutch member and feeding said captured lubricant to a clutch feed chamber that is in fluid communication with said clutch pack, said splash recovery clutch lubrication system including an oil catcher reservoir configured to capture splashed lubricant and retain said captured lubricant in an oil catcher cavity, an oil feed reservoir having an oil feed cavity communicating with said oil catcher cavity and an oil feed passage, and an oil conduit having a web segment with a flow channel communicating with said oil feed passage and a tubular segment surrounding said second shaft and defining an annular chamber in fluid communication with said clutch feed chamber wherein said flow channel is bifurcated into a first flow pathway and a second flow pathway, wherein said first flow pathway is in fluid communication with said annular chamber, and wherein said second flow pathway is not in fluid communication with said annular chamber.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.