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US 5,045,036 AGranted
Electromagnetic speed change apparatus
AssigneeDana Corporation
InventorsDavid C. Reuter, Paul A. Larson
Life of this patent
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AssigneeDana Corporation
InventorsDavid C. Reuter, Paul A. Larson
Estimating the term…
An electromagnetic speed change apparatus is effective to shift a sleeve from a first speed position to a second against the bias of a spring. In a preferred form, the apparatus includes an armature fixed to a shifting sleeve for rotation and axial movement therewith, one end of the shifting sleeve splined to an output shaft, the opposite end of the shifting sleeve selectively engagable with an internally splined aperture positioned in one end of an input shaft or with an internally splined carrier aperture axially spaced from the input shaft end. The shifting sleeve has a minor diameter portion and a major portion larger than the minor portion. The major portion is piloted by a support member disposed in the end of the input shaft. In a preferred form, a neck bridges the major and minor diameter portions of the sleeve, and provides a limit to axial movement of the shifting sleeve whenever the neck comes into contact with the support member. Finally, in the preferred form, the biasing force of the spring is effective to cause the shifting sleeve to move to a fail-safe gear position upon failure of electromagnetic actuation.
In a speed change mechanism including a housing, said housing comprising interior walls including an interior ring gear fixed thereto, said ring gear defining an axis, a rotary power input shaft having an end thereof journaled within said housing for rotation within said ring gear, said shaft end defining an exterior sun gear and an internally splined shaft aperture concentrically disposed about said axis, a set of planetary gears in mesh with said sun gear and said ring gear, a planetary carrier supporting said set of planetary gears for movement of said carrier about said axis, said carrier defining an internally splined aperture axially spaced from said splined shaft aperture, a rotary output shaft having an end thereof journaled within a second end wall of said housing, said end of said output shaft sharing said axis but axially spaced from said end of said input shaft in end-to-end relation therewith, and a shifting sleeve for changing speed of said output shaft, said sleeve having a first end splined to said output shaft, said sleeve having exterior splines at its opposite end adapted for axial translation of said sleeve for selective engagement of said exterior splines with said shaft aperture or with said carrier aperture;
The electromagnetic apparatus of claim i for shifting said sleeve, wherein said output shaft includes a radial surface, said apparatus further comprising a spring disposed between said radial surface and said splined first end of said sleeve for shifting said sleeve from said second speed change position back to said first.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.