Vehicular left/right drive torque adjusting apparatus

A vehicular left/right drive torque adjusting apparatus having, between a left-wheel axle and a right-wheel axle in a vehicle, input means for receiving drive torque from an engine, a differential mechanism for transmitting drive torque, which has been inputted from said input means, to the left-wheel axle and the right-wheel axle while permitting differential motion between the left-wheel axle and the right-wheel axle, and a drive torque transmission control mechanism for controlling the state of transmission of the drive torque to permit adjustment of the distribution of the drive torque to the left and right wheels, characterized in that the drive torque transmission control mechanism comprises:

• a speed increasing/decreasing mechanism interposed between the left-wheel axle and the right-wheel axle and constructed integrally of a speed increasing mechanism and a speed decreasing mechanism, said speed increasing mechanism being adapted to increase a rotational speed of one of the axles and then to output the thus-increased rotational speed to a first intermediate axle, and said speed decreasing mechanism being adapted to decrease a rotational speed of said one axle and then to output the thus-decreased rotational speed to a second intermediate axle;
• a first coupling of the variable transmitted torque capacity type interposed between the first intermediate axle and the other axle and adapted to transmit drive torque between the first intermediate axle and the other axle;
• and
• a second coupling of the variable transmitted torque capacity type interposed between the second intermediate axle and the other axle and adapted to transmit drive torque between the second intermediate axle and the other axle.