Vehicle transaxle and parking actuator assembly
AssigneeFord Global Technologies, LLC
InventorsEMAD AL-REGIB, TODD CURTIS SPAULDING, MATTHEW STEPHEN EISZLER, GERARD PATRICK KUCHTA, BRIAN RICHARD LIGHT, ERIC S. RICHARDSON, RONALD GAW
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Abstract
A transaxle and a parking actuator assembly are provided. The parking actuator assembly may include an actuator, a rack, and the biasing member. The actuator may include a pin biased towards an extended position. The rack may be configured to carry a parking rod and may define first and second ramped recesses each configured to receive the pin. The biasing member may be coupled with the rack and may be configured to bias the parking rod towards engagement with a parking mechanism.
Claims19
A transaxle comprising:
- a housing;
- and
- a parking actuator assembly disposed within the housing and including
- a solenoid including a pin biased towards an extended position,
- a rack operatively coupled to a parking rod and defining first and second ramped recesses each configured to receive the pin, wherein the rack and solenoid are arranged such that while the rack moves between extended and retracted positions, the pin rides along the ramped recesses as the recesses move relative to the pin, and
- a biasing member coupled with the rack and configured to bias the rack towards a parking mechanism.
A transaxle comprising:
- a housing;
- and
- a parking actuator assembly disposed within the housing and including
- an actuator including a pin biased towards an extended position,
- a rack configured to carry a parking rod and defining first and second ramped recesses each configured to receive the pin, and
- a biasing member coupled with the rack and configured to bias the parking rod towards engagement with a parking mechanism.
A parking actuator assembly comprising:
- a solenoid including a pin biased towards an extended position;
- a rack operatively coupled to a parking rod and defining first and second ramped surfaces next to one another, and first and second engagement surfaces on respective sides of the ramped surfaces;
- a stop disposed proximate an end of the rack;
- a biasing member disposed proximate the rack and configured to engage a stop extending from the rack and bias the rack towards a parking mechanism;
- and
- a drive motor assembly drivably engaged with the rack, wherein the solenoid, the rack, and the drive motor assembly are arranged such that while the drive assembly translates the rack from an extended position to a retracted position, the pin rides along the first ramped surface and then the second ramped surface at least until the pin engages the second engagement surface.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.