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US 8,893,744 B2Granted
Two valve breather system for rear differential
AssigneeHonda Motor Co., Ltd.
InventorJoshua Sigmund
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A driveline component breather system that utilizes a first and a second valve assembly to control the intake and exhaustion of fluid within the driveline component to regulate internal pressures is provided. When the pressure within the driveline component increases the first valve closes or remains closed and the second valve opens and fluid is exhausted to the atmosphere. When the pressure within the driveline component decreases, the first valve opens and the second valve closes and fluid flows into the driveline component from an interior portion of an associated vehicle.
Claims20
A driveline component comprising:
- a housing comprising a first breather system aperture;
- a clutch assembly positioned within the housing;
- a coupling assembly, wherein the coupling assembly at least partially facilitates the transfer of torque between the driveline component and a drive shaft assembly;
- and,
- a breather system comprising:
- a first conduit comprising a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is positioned within an interior portion of an associated vehicle that is one of a passenger compartment, a trunk area, and a space formed between a vehicle body and an interior vehicle panel, to prevent atmospheric air external to the vehicle from entering the first conduit, and the second end is coupled to the housing through the first breather system aperture;
- a second conduit comprising a third end and a fourth end, wherein the third end is positioned outside of the interior portion of the associated vehicle and the fourth end is coupled to the housing through the first breather system aperture;
- a first valve assembly for use in allowing air from within the interior portion of the vehicle to pass into the housing through the first conduit, wherein the first valve assembly is positioned within the first conduit;
- a second valve assembly for use in allowing air from within the housing to pass to the atmosphere, wherein the second valve assembly is positioned within the second conduit;
- wherein the first and second conduits merge in a Y configuration such that the second and fourth ends are shared by the first and second conduits and respective lengths of the first and second conduits extending away from the second and fourth ends are shared by the first and second conduits to a point of divergence and remainders of the first and second conduits extend away from one another along transverse axes;
- and
- wherein the first and second valve assemblies are positioned in the respective remainders of the first and second conduits.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.