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US 7,063,639 B2Granted
Snowmobile planetary drive system
AssigneeArctic Cat Inc.
InventorsRaymond A. Schoenfelder, Dennis Zulawski
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Disclosed is a snowmobile including a reduction drive system including planetary gears. In an alternate embodiment, a reversing unit is provided. In a further alternate embodiment, an offset is provided in the drive system.
Claims10
A snowmobile comprising:
- (a) a continuously variable transmission having a driven pulley;
- (b) a snowmobile track drive sprocket;
- (c) a forwardly mounted engine having a drive shaft coupled to the driven pulley by means of a drive belt;
- (d) a rearwardly extending tunnel comprising a top panel and two side panels;
- (e) a first shaft including a first sun gear and a second sun gear adjacent the first sun gear, the driven pulley being coupled to the first shaft;
- (f) a second shaft, the snowmobile drive sprocket being coupled to the second shaft;
- (g) a first planetary assembly including a plurality of first planetary gears and a first cage supporting the plurality of first planetary gears, wherein the plurality of first planetary gears is driven by the first sun gear;
- (h) a second planetary assembly including a plurality of second planetary gears and a second cage supporting the plurality of second planetary gears, wherein the plurality of second planetary gears are driven by the second sun gear;
- (i) a first ring gear connected to the second shaft wherein rotation of the first ring gear at a first rate of rotation causes rotation of the second shaft at the first rate of rotation, and wherein the first ring gear is capable of being driven by the plurality of first planetary gears;
- (j) a second ring gear wherein the second ring gear meshes with the plurality of second planetary gears;
- (k) a first locking device engagable with the first cage to releasably lock the first cage in a fixed rotated position;
- and
- (l) a second locking device engagable with the second ring gear to releasably lock the second ring gear in a fixed rotated position;
- and
- (m) a housing mounted to one of the two side panels, the housing at least partially encasing the first and second sun gears and first and second planetary assemblies.
12 more elements
A snowmobile comprising:
- (a) a frame including a tunnel;
- (b) an engine secured to the frame forward of the tunnel, the engine having a drive shaft extending therefrom;
- (c) a track coupled to the tunnel;
- (d) a track shaft coupled to the tunnel and to the track for driving the track;
- (e) a continuously variable transmission coupled between the drive shaft and the track shaft;
- and
- (f) a planetary gear assembly including a housing, an input shaft, an output shaft, a plurality of planetary gears, and a ring gear;
- the input shaft including a sun gear, the sun gear being coupled to the plurality of planetary gears which are in turn coupled to the ring gear, the planetary gears being held at their axes by a cage, the cage and ring gear each being selectively fixed relative to the housing;
- wherein the planetary gear assembly is coupled between one of (i) the drive shaft and the continuously variable transmission and (ii) the continuously variable transmission and the track shaft on the same side of the tunnel as the continuously variable transmission.
6 more elements
A snowmobile comprising:
- (a) a frame including a tunnel;
- (b) an engine secured to the frame forward of the tunnel, the engine having a drive shaft extending therefrom;
- (c) a track coupled to the tunnel;
- (d) a track shaft coupled to the tunnel and to the track for driving the track;
- (e) a continuously variable transmission coupled between the drive shaft and the track shaft, the continuously variable transmission including a driven pulley coupled to the drive shaft by a belt;
- and
- (f) a planetary gear assembly including a housing, an input shaft with a sun gear, an output shaft, a plurality of planetary gears, and a ring gear coupled together;
- the planetary gears being held at their axes by a cage, the cage and ring gear each being selectively fixed relative to the housing;
- wherein the planetary gear assembly is coupled between the driven pulley and the track shaft on the same side of the tunnel as the driven pulley.
6 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.