US 4,727,966 AGranted

Differential with differential motion limiting mechanism

AssigneeMitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorsTakeo Hiramatsu, Bonnosuke Takamiya, Yoshimasa Nagayoshi

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Abstract

A differential capable of distributing a torque of the input shaft to the two output shaft thereof and equipped with a differential motion limiting mechanism. The differential comprises a differential mechanism which receives a driving force through the input shaft thereof from a transmission connected to an engine and distributes the driving force to two output shafts; an oil pump interposed between two shafts, namely, the input shaft and either one of the output shafts themselves, and adapted to be driven by a differential revolving speed between the two shafts so as to produce a discharge pressure corresponding to the differential revolving speed; a clutch mechanism for coupling the two shafts; a hydraulic circuit for supplying the discharge pressure of the oil pump to the clutch mechanism to engage the two shafts; and hydraulic control means provided in the hydraulic circuit to control the discharge pressure to be supplied to the clutch mechanism. The differential produces a limiting torque corresponding to the differential revolving speed between the two shafts to limit the differential motion between the two shafts.

Claims27

Dependent claims

A differential with a differential movement limiting mechanism for a vehicle having an engine for producing a driving force, a transmission connected to the engine, front wheels and rear wheels, comprising:

a differential mechanism including an input shaft and a pair of output shafts for recieving the driving force through the input shaft thereof from the transmission connected to the engine and for distributing the driving force to the pair of output shafts, one of the pair of output shafts comprising a front-wheel output shaft for driving the front wheels and the other comprising a rear-wheel output shaft for driving the rear wheels;
an oil pump interposed between two of the three input and output shafts and being driven by said two shafts so as to produce a discharge pressure having a certain characteristic proportional to a differential revolving speed between said two shafts;
a clutch mechanism interposed between said two of the three shafts for coupling the two shafts in response to the discharge pressure applied thereto from said oil pump so as to reduce the revolving speed difference between said two shafts;
a hydraulic circuit for sucking hydraulic fluid into said oil pump and supplying the discharge pressure from said oil pump to said clutch mechanism;
and hydraulic control means arranged in said hydraulic circuit for modulating the characteristic of the discharge pressure supplied from said oil pump to said clutch mechanism according to the rotational direction of said front-wheel output shaft relative to said rear-wheel output shaft.

2 more elements

A power transmission system for a four-wheel drive vehicle having an engine and a transmission connected to the engine, comprising:

a differential mechanism including an input shaft and a pair of output shafts for receiving a drive torque produced by the engine through the input shaft from the transmission and for differentially distributing the drive torque to the pair of output shafts;
pump means cooperatively driven by two of the three input and output shafts for producing a variable fluid pressure proportional to the rotational speed difference between said two of the three shafts;
clutch means connected to the pump means and disposed between said two of the three shafts for frictionally coupling said two shafts with each other by a variable coupling force corresponding to the magnitude of the fluid pressure applied thereto so as to reduce the rotational speed difference between said two shafts;
a hydraulic circuit for supplying hydraulic fluid to the pump means and for transmitting the fluid pressure produced by the pump means to the clutch means;
and fluid pressure control means disposed in the hydraulic circuit for modulating the fluid pressure of the hydraulic fluid flowing through the hydraulic circuit according to the rotational direction of one output shaft relative to the other output shaft so that the clutch means produces different coupling forces in response to whether one output shaft rotates faster or slower than the other output shaft.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.