Transverse automatic power transmission with improved bearing construction for output gear elements

A power transmission comprising:

• a single piece torque converter and final drive unit housing unit comprising integral torque converter housing and final drive unit housing respectively housing a torque converter and a final drive unit;
• a single piece planetary gear unit housing unit having integral planetary gear unit housing, disposable with said torque converter housing, and cover for closing said final drive unit housing;
• a planetary gear unit disposed in said planetary gear unit housing, said planetary gear unit having an input shaft connected to a driven member of said torque converter and an output shaft;
• an output gear fixedly carried on said output shaft and disposed within said torque converter housing between said planetary gear unit and said torque converter;
• a first support member disposed within said torque converter housing and detachably connected to the interior of same, said first support member being disposed between said torque converter and said output gear and having a stepped through bore through which said input shaft passes;
• a first bearing for supporting said output gear disposed in an annular recess defined within said torque converter housing;
• a second bearing for supporting said output gear disposed in said stepped through bore;
• a cylindrical support member extending between and detachably fixed to both said torque converter housing and said first support member;
• third and fourth bearings disposed on said cylindrical support member;
• and
• an idler gear journalled on said third and fourth bearings which projects through a second aperture formed in said torque converter housing to mesh with said output gear and provide a drive connection between said output gear and said final drive unit.

In a vehicle having an engine,

• a power transmission including
• a hydrokinetic unit driven by said engine,
• a planetary gear unit connected to said hydrokinetic unit through an input shaft,
• a final drive unit connected to said planetary gear unit through an idler gear meshing with an output gear carried on an output shaft of said planetary gear unit,
• a first housing unit having integral first and second inversely oriented bell portions, said first bell portion housing said hydrokinetic unit and said second bell portion housing said final drive unit,
• a second housing unit having an integral third bell portion for housing said planetary gear unit, and cover member for closing said second bell portion,
• a support member for supporting said hydrokinetic unit within said first bell portion, said support member being disposed within and detachably mounted to said first bell portion so as to define a chamber within said first bell portion inboard of said torque converter for housing said output gear, said support member also being formed with a stepped through bore through which said input shaft is disposed,
• a first bearing for supporting said output gear, said first bearing being disposed in an annular recess which is formed in the interior of said first bell portion and within said chamber,
• means forming part of said stepped through bore and defining an aperture smaller in diameter than said first bearing, which is coaxial with said first bearing and through which said input and output shafts extend to said planetary gear unit,
• a second bearing for supporting said output gear disposed in said stepped through bore,
• a cylindrical support member detachably connected at one end to said first bell portion and which extends thereinto and is detachably connected at the other end to said support member,
• third and fourth bearings disposed on said cylindrical support member for rotatably supporting said idler gear in a manner that said idler gear projects through a second aperture formed in said first bell portion to mesh with said output gear.

In a vehicle transmission having a hydrokinetic unit, a planetary gear unit connected to said hydrokinetic unit through an input shaft and a final drive unit connected to said planetary gear unit through an idler gear which meshes with an output gear carried on an output shaft of said planetary gear unit,

• a first housing unit formed with integral first and second inversely oriented bell portions, said first and second bell portions each having a mouth and a head and being free of undercut portions between the mouths and heads thereof, the respective longitudinal axes of said first and second bell portions being substantially parallel, said first bell portion receiving said hydrokinetic unit therein and said second bell portion receiving said final drive unit therein,
• a second housing unit formed with integral third bell portion and cover member, said third bell portion receiving therein said planetary gear unit, said second housing unit being connectable to said first housing unit with the mouth of said third bell portion enclosing part of the head of said first bell portion, with the longitudinal axis of said third bell portion substantially aligned with the longitudinal axis of said first bell portion and with said cover member closing the mouth of said second bell portion;
• a first single piece support member for supporting said hydrokinetic unit which is so constructed and arranged as to be detachably connected to the interior of said first bell portion to close off a portion of same to define a chamber in the head of said first bell portion which is inboard of said hydrokinetic unit, said chamber housing said output gear, said first support member being formed with a through bore through which said input shaft is disposed;
• a first bearing disposed in an annular recess defined about a first aperture formed in the head of said first bell portion through which said input and output shafts extend, said annular recess being arranged so that said first bearing can be placed thereinto only through the mouth of said first bell portion;
• a second bearing disposed in the mouth of said through bore which is exposed to said chamber;
• said first and second bearings supporting said output gear within said chamber;
• a hollow detachably fixed sleeve supported at a first end in an opening formed in said first bell portion and which extends to and engages said support member at the second end thereof, said sleeve having a shoulder formed at said first end and a fastening bolt disposed therethrough which threadedly engages said support member;
• and
• third and fourth bearings disposed on said sleeve between said shoulder and said support member for rotatably supporting said idler gear which projects through a second aperture formed in said first bell portion to mesh with said output gear.