Drive device for the road wheels of a vehicle

A drive device for road wheels of a vehicle, the drive device comprising:

• a stationary housing (1);
• a rotatably drivable differential housing (3), the rotatably drivable differential housing (3) being rotatably mounted in the stationary housing (1) by differential bearings (2);
• at least one driveshaft (4) rotatably drivable by the rotatably drivable differential housing (3);
• at least one driving gear wheel (5) associated with and arranged on the at least one driveshaft (4), so as to be fixed with respect to rotation relative to the driveshaft (4);
• at least one driven gear wheel (7), the at least one driving gear wheel (5) meshingly engaging, by oppositely directed helical teeth, with the at least one driven gear wheel (7) to drive the road wheels of the vehicle and to generate axial forces along the driveshaft (4) towards the differential bearings (2);
• and
• at least one thrust bearing arrangement in contact with said at least one driving gear wheel (5) to support the axial forces along the driveshaft (4),
• wherein:
• the at least one thrust bearing arrangement is supported axially with respect to the at least one driveshaft (4) at a radial supporting surface (17) by supporting elements arranged at the stationary housing (1) so as to be axially displaceable,
• the at least one thrust bearing arrangement comprises an annular housing disk (13), directly or indirectly axially contacting the driving gear wheel (5), and an annular shaft disk (15), directly or indirectly axially contacting the radial supporting surface (17), the annular housing disk (13) and the annular shaft disk (15) surround the at least one driveshaft (4), and an axial rolling bearing (14) is arranged between the annular housing disk (13) and the annular shaft disk (15),
• the supporting elements comprise a supporting ring (28) having at its radially circumferential outer lateral surface a thread (24) by which the supporting ring (28) is screwed into threaded holes of the stationary housing (1), the threaded holes being coaxial to the at least one driveshaft (4), and
• the supporting ring (28) comprises an adjusting sleeve (25) having the thread (24) at its radially circumferential outer lateral surface and, at its end facing the differential housing (3), an annular disk (18) projecting radially inward and having the radial supporting surface (17) facing away from the differential housing (3).