US 8,997,480 B1Granted

Drive assembly and transmission

AssigneeHydro-Gear Limited Partnership

InventorMichael L. Bennett

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A drive assembly for a vehicle is provided, the vehicle having a frame, a prime mover and a pair of driven wheels. The drive assembly includes a transmission having a housing, an input shaft extending from the housing and driven by the prime mover, a pump and motor disposed on a hydraulic mounting member in the housing, the pump driven by the input shaft and correspondingly driving the motor through porting formed in the hydraulic mounting member. The transmission further includes an internal reduction gear assembly driven by the output shaft of the motor, a transmission output shaft disposed generally parallel to the motor output shaft and driven by the internal reduction gear assembly, the transmission output shaft extending from the transmission at both ends of the transmission output shaft. Each end of the transmission output shaft drives an external reduction assembly supported in part by the frame of the vehicle, the external reduction assemblies powering at least a driven wheel of the vehicle.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A transmission for use in mobile power equipment, the transmission comprising:

a housing having a first housing member connected to a second housing member along a joint to form a sump;
an input shaft extending into the first housing member;
a hydraulic mounting member disposed in the sump and comprising a first running surface having a first pair of ports and a second running surface having a second pair of ports in fluid communication with the first pair of ports;
a pump rotatably disposed on the first running surface and engaged to and driven by the input shaft;
a motor rotatably disposed on the second running surface of the hydraulic mounting member and in fluid communication with the pump, wherein the second running surface of the hydraulic mounting member is generally perpendicular to the first running surface of the hydraulic mounting member and lies between the pump and the motor, the second running surface having at least a first portion located above the first running surface;
a pump displacement control mechanism rotatably supported in part by the hydraulic mounting member and in part by the first housing member, wherein the hydraulic mounting member rotatably supports the pump displacement control mechanism in a support surface formed opposite the first portion of the second running surface;
and
a motor shaft driven by the motor and having a proximal end rotatably supported by the second running surface and extending therethrough to overlap the support surface in the axial direction of the motor shaft, and a distal end.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 13/076,142Filed 30 Mar 2011 · us provisional application
Priority: 30 Mar 2010
Granted: 7 Apr 2015
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification9 codes

B60K 17/08
Of change-speed gearing: of mechanical type
B60K 17/10
Characterised by arrangement, location or kind of gearing: of fluid gearing
B60K 17/105
Of fluid gearing: units comprising at least a part of the gearing and a torque-transmitting axle, e.g. transaxles
F16H 9/24
Without members having orbital motion: using chains or toothed belts, belts in the form of links; Chains or belts specially adapted to such gearing