# US 4,392,396 A · Final drive assembly for vehicles

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- Number: US 4,392,396 A
- Document ID: US4392396A
- Status: Granted
- Kind: A
- Application number: 06/185,137
- Filed: 1980-09-08
- Granted: 1983-07-12
- Earliest claimed: 1979-09-11
- Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Komatsu Seisakusho
- Inventors: Yoshito Sato; Tomoyuki Takahashi
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US4392396A

## CPC

- B60K 17/046: {with planetary gearing having orbital motion}
- B62D 55/125: Final drives
- F16H 37/041: {for conveying rotary motion with constant gear ratio}
- F16H 1/20: involving more than two intermeshing members
- F16H 1/28: with gears having orbital motion
- Y10T 74/19633: Yieldability in gear trains
- B60K: ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES
- B62D: MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS (steering, or guiding on a desired track, of agricultural machines or implements A01B69/00; wheels, castors, axles, increasing wheel adhesion B60B; vehicle tyres, tyre inflation or tyre changing B60C; connections between vehicles of a train or the like B60D; vehicles for use on rail and road, amphibious or convertible vehicles B60F; suspension arrangements B60G; heating, cooling, ventilating or other air treating devices B60H; windows, windscreens, non-fixed roofs, doors or similar devices, protective coverings for vehicles not in use B60J; propulsion plant arrangements, auxiliary drives, transmissions, controls, instrumentation or dashboards B60K; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L; power supply for electrically-propelled vehicles B60M; passenger accommodation not otherwise provided for B60N; adaptations for load transportation or to carry special loads or objects B60P; arrangement of signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor, for vehicles in general B60Q; vehicles, vehicle fittings or vehicle parts not otherwise provided for B60R; servicing, cleaning, repairing, supporting, lifting, or manoeuvring, not otherwise provided for, B60S; brake arrangements, brake control systems or parts thereof B60T; air-cushion vehicles B60V; motor-cycles, accessories therefor B62J, B62K; testing of vehicles G01M)
- F16H: GEARING
- Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION

## Abstract

A final drive assembly for a vehicle comprising a housing, an input pinion gear rotatably supported by the housing, a sun gear shaft rotatably supported by the housing, a final drive bull gear fixedly secured to the sun gear shaft and in mesh with the input pinion gear, a planetary reduction gear group with a carrier thereof being rotatably mounted on the sun gear shaft, a sprocket rotatably mounted on the housing, and a torque tube fixedly secured to the sprocket and mounted for rotation on the sun gear shaft, the torque tube being coupled with the carrier.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A final drive assembly for a vehicle, comprising:
a housing;
an input pinion gear rotatably supported by said housing;
a hollow sun gear shaft rotatably supported by said housing, said hollow sun gear shaft having an open center portion;
a final drive gear fixedly mounted on said sun gear shaft;
an intermediate gear shaft having first and second intermediate gears mounted thereon, said first intermediate gear being in mesh with said input pinion gear and said second intermediate gear being in mesh with said final drive gear;
a planetary reduction gear group having a sun gear, a plurality of planet gears, a carrier and a ring gear, said sun gear being fixedly mounted on said sun gear shaft, said ring gear being radially and axially fixed to said housing, said planet gears being rotatably mounted on said carrier, said carrier being rotatably mounted on only said sun gear shaft, a bearing means mounted between said carrier and said hollow sun gear shaft restricting axial play and preventing radial play;
a sprocket rotatably mounted on said housing;
hollow torque tube means fixedly secured to said sprocket and rotatably mounted only on said sun gear shaft, said hollow torque tube means having a center portion open to said open center portion of said sun gear shaft; and
means for coupling said hollow torque tube means with said carrier in such a manner as to allow slight play in axial and circumferential direction therebetween.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A final drive assembly as recited in claim 1 wherein said coupling means comprises splines formed on an inner face of said hollow carrier and an outer face of said torque tube means.