US 4,787,267 AGranted

Differential axle reduction gear housing

AssigneeDana Corporation

InventorsThomas M. Kessler, Kraig J. Schlosser

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

A one-piece axle housing contains an input shaft, an intermediate shaft, a differential gear assembly, and a pair of coaxially arranged axle shafts, all of which are aligned parallel to one another. The housing accommodates either a spur or helical gear system, preferably for small off-highway vehicles such as golf cars. In a preferred form, the unitary housing is die cast of aluminum and machined according to predetermined specifications. The input shaft is inserted through a motor side of the housing, and is retained by a snap ring. The intermediate shaft is next installed from the bottom of the housing, and the differential and axle shafts are lastly inserted into the housing, which is then closed by a steel cover. The input shaft, the intermediate shaft, and the axle shafts are maintained parallel to one another by the unitary housing which includes sets of aligned bores.

Claims6

Dependent claims

In a differential gear reduction apparatus including a pair of coaxially arranged driving axle shafts, a vehicular differential assembly positioned coaxially between said axle shafts, said differential assembly including a differential drive gear positioned circumferentially about one of said axle shafts, and also positioned coaxially therewith, an input shaft disposed for rotary coupling to a prime mover, said input shaft parallel to said axle shafts and containing a first gear coaxially fixed thereon, an intermediate shaft positioned between said axle shafts and said input shaft, said intermediate shaft parallel to said axle shafts and said input shaft, said intermediate shaft including a second gear in mesh with said first gear, and said intermediate shaft including a third gear in mesh with said drive gear;

an improvement comprising:
a unitary structural housing containing said input and intermediate shafts, said differential assembly, and said axle shafts, said housing disposed for maintaining each of said input and intermediate shafts and said axle shafts parallel with respect to one another wherein said input shaft contains a stepped diameter wherein said input shaft defines an outboard and an inboard end of differently sized diameters, wherein the diameter of said outboard end thereof is larger than said inboard end diameter, wherein each of said differently sized ends is positioned in a correspondingly sized input shaft bearing bore in said unitary structural housing, said first gear being smaller than the outboard bearing bore of said housing.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 06/916,352Filed 7 Oct 1986
Granted: 29 Nov 1988
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

F16H 57/021
Gearboxes; Mounting gearing therein: shaft support structures, e.g. partition walls, bearing eyes, casing walls or covers with bearings
B60K 17/16
Characterised by arrangement, location or kind of gearing: of differential gearing
F16H 48/08
With gears having orbital motion: comprising bevel gears
F16H 2048/423
Characterised by features of the input shafts, e.g. mounting of drive gears thereon: characterised by bearing arrangement