US 4,194,586 AGranted

Geared torque selector

AssigneeEaton Corporation

InventorBradford W. Hicks

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Abstract

An auxiliary transmission unit is connected to the input of a power divider, which power divider is connected between a pair of pinion shafts for respectively driving the front and rear axles of a tandem axle construction. The power divider includes at least one pair of meshing axle gears drivingly interconnected between the pinion shafts for transmitting torque to each of the axles. The auxiliary transmission unit includes a single pair of meshing transmission gears, one thereof being associated with the transmission input shaft and the other being associated with a parallel countershaft. The output of the transmission unit comprises one of the shafts of the power divider. A clutch sleeve is shiftably associated with the input shaft and can be engaged with the transmission output for permitting direct driving thereof, or it can alternately be shifted into a disengaged position whereby the input transmission gear drivingly rotates the countershaft to thereby provide a reduced speed ratio through the auxiliary transmission unit. The countershaft is drivingly connectable to one of the axle gears for driving the power divider when the auxiliary transmission is in its low speed condition.

Claims11

Dependent claims

In a geared drive system for transmitting driving torque to a pair of drive axles, said system including:

a power divider drivingly connected to said pair of drive axles for driving same, said power divider including driving shaft means, first and second output shafts disposed substantially parallel to said driving shaft means and each drivingly connected to a respective one of said drive axles, an axle gear set drivingly connected between said driving shaft means and said first output shaft, and means drivingly connecting said driving shaft means and said second output shaft;
auxiliary transmission means connected to the input end of said power divider for driving same at a different speed ratio, said auxiliary transmission means including an input shaft and a substantially parallel countershaft, said input shaft being coaxially aligned with said driving shaft means, and said countershaft being coaxially aligned with said first output shaft;
comprising the improvement wherein said auxiliary transmission means includes a single transmission gear set drivingly connectable between said input shaft and said countershaft, and clutch means having a first position of engagement for directly drivingly connecting said input shaft to said driving shaft means for permitting direct driving of said power divider, said clutch means having a second position of engagement which disconnects said input shaft from said driving shaft means and directly drivingly connects said countershaft to said first output shaft for driving said power divider at said different speed ratio.

In a geared drive system for a pair of drive axles, said system including:

multispeed auxiliary transmission means having an input shaft, a counter shaft parallel with said input shaft, a transmission gear set drivingly connectable between said input shaft and said countershaft, an intermediate shaft aligned with said input shaft and functioning as the output of said transmission means, and first clutch means for permitting said input shaft to be selectively coupled to said intermediate shaft to cause same to be directly driven from said input shaft;
interaxle differential means drivingly connected between said axles, said differential means including one input connection and two output connections, said input connection being connected to said intermediate shaft;
axle driving means drivingly connecting one of said output connections to one of said drive axles, said axle driving means including an axle gear set defined by a first axle gear rotatably and concentrically supported relative to said intermediate shaft and disposed in meshing engagement with a second axle gear nonrotatably supported on an output shaft, and second clutch means for selectively permitting said first axle gear to be nonrotatably connected to said intermediate shaft;
comprising the improvement wherein said countershaft is coaxially aligned with said second axle gear, and third clutch means associated with said auxiliary transmission means for drivingly coupling said input shaft to said second axle gear through said transmission gear set and said countershaft, whereby disengagement of said first clutch means accompanied by engagement of said second and third clutch means results in driving torque being transmitted from said input shaft through said countershaft to both said intermediate and output shafts.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.