US 2014/0274544 A1Published application

Axle Assembly

AssigneeAmerican Axle & Manufacturing, Inc.

InventorsJames P. Downs, Paul J. Valente

Life of this patent

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Abstract

An axle assembly having an input pinion with a pinion gear, which is received in an axle housing and rotatable about a first axis, and a pinion shaft. The pinion gear is meshed with a ring gear that is coupled to a differential assembly. A head bearing, which is disposed on a first axial end of the input pinion, supports the input pinion for rotation relative to the housing about the first axis. A tail bearing supports the input pinion for rotation relative to the housing about the first axis. The pinion gear is disposed axially between the tail bearing and the head bearing. A bearing groove is formed into the pinion shaft and the bearing elements are received into the bearing groove such that an inner bearing race of the tail bearing is unitarily and integrally formed with the pinion shaft.

Claims21

Dependent claims

An axle assembly comprising:

a housing;
an input pinion having a pinion gear and a pinion shaft, the input pinion being received in the housing and being rotatable about a first axis;
a ring gear meshed with the pinion gear and rotatable about a second axis that is transverse to the first axis;
a differential assembly having a differential case and a pair of output members, the differential case being driven by the ring gear;
a head bearing supporting the input pinion for rotation relative to the housing about the first axis, the head bearing being disposed on a first axial end of the input pinion;
and
a tail bearing supporting the input pinion for rotation relative to the housing about the first axis, the tail bearing having a plurality of bearing elements, an inner race and an outer race, the pinion gear being disposed axially between the tail bearing and the head bearing;
wherein a bearing groove is formed into the pinion shaft and wherein the bearing elements are received into the bearing groove such that the inner bearing race is unitarily and integrally formed with the pinion shaft.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 14/244,117Filed 3 Apr 2014
Priority: 15 Mar 2013
Published: 18 Sep 2014
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification22 codes

F16H 48/22
Arrangements for suppressing or influencing the differential action, e.g. locking devices: using friction clutches or brakes
B60B 35/16
Torque-transmitting axles: axle housings
B60K 17/165
Of differential gearing: provided between independent half axles
F16C 19/546
Systems consisting of a plurality of bearings with rolling friction: systems with spaced apart rolling bearings including at least one angular…

Family

Application61/787,547Us provisional application · filed 15 Mar 2013
Application14/205,535Continuation · filed 12 Mar 2014
Application14/244,117Continuation
US 2014/0302961 A1Published application
US 9,103,427 B2Related patent
US 9,157,515 B2Related patent
US 2014/0274544 A1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.