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US 6,830,142 B2Granted
Power splitting transfer cases for changing vehicle traction drives
AssigneeBorgWarner Inc.
InventorDavid Robert Weilant
Life of this patent
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AssigneeBorgWarner Inc.
InventorDavid Robert Weilant
Estimating the term…
A transfer case for a vehicle having two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive operating modes operatively established by a drive transfer mechanism that is selectively employed to interconnect a main power drive shaft construction for the drive of a first set of wheels with an auxiliary drive shaft for the drive of a second set of wheels. The drive transfer mechanism includes a clutch assembly package comprising a control rod supported for movement in a direction coaxial to the longitudinal axis of the auxiliary drive shaft. The clutch assembly includes a clutch collar supported within the auxiliary drive shaft on the control rod for movement therewith to alternately connect and disconnect the power shaft with the auxiliary drive shaft. For multi-ratio case operation, the power shaft construction may have an input and output power shaft sections that are selectively interconnected by a planetary gear set and a speed shift collar. The shift collar is shifted by a second actuator that includes a second control rod supported for rectilinear movement along a longitudinal axis may be parallel to the longitudinal axis of the auxiliary drive shaft. The second control rod moves in response to an input shifting force to effect corresponding movement of a shift fork supported thereon to alternatively interconnect the input power shaft section directly to the output power shaft section via the speed shift collar for high speed operation and indirectly via the planetary gear set and the speed shift collar for low speed operation.
A drive torque transfer case for an automotive vehicle having discrete front and rear sets of traction wheels for vehicle propulsion comprising a housing, a power shaft member operatively mounted in said housing for rotation about a first rotational axis and providing an input and a first output for driving a first of said sets of traction wheels, a second drive shaft member mounted for selective rotation about a second rotational axis and providing a second output for driving a second of said sets of traction wheels, a clutching unit operatively mounted within said second drive shaft member for selectively connecting and disconnecting said second drive shaft member with respect to said first drive shaft member, and a shifter rod member operatively extending within said second drive shaft member for displacing said clutching unit, said clutching unit being mounted for reciprocal movement along said second axis between a first position in which said second drive shaft member is drivingly connected to said first drive shaft member for the selective drive of said second set of traction wheels and a second position in which said second drive shaft member is disconnected from said first drive shaft member so that only said first set of traction wheels is operative to propel said vehicle.
A transfer case for an automotive vehicle for selectively routing drive torque from a vehicle engine through a plurality of power paths from a single torque-transmitting input about a first axis to a plurality of separate outputs including first and second outputs for respectively driving first and second discrete sets of vehicle drive wheels comprising a housing, a first drive shaft member mounted in said housing for rotation about the first axis and for transmitting drive torque in the first of said power paths from said input to a first set of said drive wheels, a second drive shaft member operatively mounted in said housing for rotation about a second axis for transmitting drive torque in the second of said power paths to a second set of said drive wheels, a drive transfer mechanism selectively connecting and disconnecting said first drive shaft member with respect to said second drive shaft member, said drive transfer mechanism incorporating a selectively engagable clutching unit, said clutch unit having an axially movable clutching member operatively disposed in a bore of said second drive shaft member and selectively movable from a first position to a second position to drivingly connect said first drive shaft member to said second drive shaft member so that power is routed from said first power path into said second power path to effect the drive of said second set of drive wheels and being further selectively movable from said second position back to said first position to thereby interrupt the routing of torque in said second power path while drive torque is still routed in said first power path for the continued drive of said first set of drive wheels.
A transfer case for an automotive vehicle for selectively routing drive torque from a vehicle engine through a plurality of power paths from a single torque-transmitting input to a plurality of separate outputs including first and second outputs for respectively driving first and second discrete sets of vehicle drive wheels comprising a housing, a first drive shaft member mounted in said housing for rotation about a first axis and for transmitting drive torque in the first of said power paths from said input to a first set of said drive wheels, a second drive shaft member operatively mounted in said housing for rotation about a second axis for transmitting drive torque in the second of said power paths to a second set of said drive wheels, a drive transfer mechanism selectively connecting and disconnecting said first drive shaft with respect to said second drive shaft, said drive transfer mechanism incorporating a selectively engagable clutching unit, said clutch unit having an axially movable clutching member operatively disposed in a bore of said second drive shaft member and selectively movable from a first position to a second position to drivingly connect said first drive shaft member to said second drive shaft member so that power is routed from said first power path into said second power path to effect the drive of said second set of drive wheels and being further selectively movable from said second position back to said first position to thereby interrupt the routing of torque in said second power path while drive torque is still routed in said first power path for the continued drive of said first set of drive wheels, said drive transfer mechanism including a transfer gear element rotatably mounted in said housing for receiving drive torque from said first power path, said transfer gear element having an annular internal arrangement of drive splines thereon and said clutching member being a shiftable annular spool element having drive splines externally formed thereon and an axially movable shifter rod operatively supporting the spool element for operatively shifting the spool element within the second drive shaft member between a first predetermined position in which said splines drivingly mesh with the splines on said transfer gear element to effect the drive of said second drive shaft member and a second position so that said splines disengage from said splines on said transfer gear to effect the interruption of the drive of said second drive shaft member.
A transfer case for an automotive vehicle for selectively routing drive torque from a vehicle engine through a plurality of power paths from a single torque-transmitting input to a plurality of separate outputs including first and second outputs for respectively driving first and second discrete sets of vehicle drive wheels comprising a housing, a first drive shaft member mounted in said housing for rotation about a first axis and for transmitting drive torque in the first of said power paths from said input to a first set of said drive wheels, a second drive shaft member operatively mounted in said housing for rotation about a second axis for transmitting drive torque in the second of said power paths to a second set of said drive wheels, a drive transfer mechanism selectively connecting and disconnecting said first drive shaft with respect to said second drive shaft, said drive transfer mechanism incorporating a selectively engagable clutching unit, said clutch unit having an axially movable clutching member operatively disposed in a bore of said second drive shaft member and selectively movable from a first position to a second position to drivingly connect said first drive shaft member to said second drive shaft member so that power is routed from said first power path into said second power path to effect the drive of said second set of drive wheels and being further selectively movable from said second position back to said first position to thereby interrupt the routing of torque in said second power path while drive torque is still routed in said first power path for the continued drive of said first set of drive wheels, said drive transfer mechanism further incorporating a torque transfer member that forms part of said second power path and having internal drive splines rotatably mounted in said housing adjacent to said second drive shaft member and said clutching member comprising a shiftable cylindrical body element having having an annular arrangement of radially extending splines thereon, an axially movable shift rod operatively mounted in said housing and having said body element operatively affixed thereon, said rod and said body element being movable between said first position in which said splines drivingly mesh with the splines of said torque transfer member to effect the drive of said second shaft and the drive of a second pair of vehicle propulsion wheels and a second position in which said splines are moved from engagement with the splines of said torque transfer member to interrupt the drive of said second shaft and the drive of said second set of vehicle propulsion wheels.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.