Torque sensor packaging for automatic transmissions

A transmission comprising:

• a main housing including a rear wall defining a hole;
• an output shaft extending through the hole;
• an extension housing cooperating with the rear wall to define a cavity, wherein the output shaft extends through the cavity;
• and
• a torque sensor including:
• a housing fully encircling the output shaft and having an outer surface directly connected to the extension housing, and
• magnetic-flux sensing elements disposed within the housing.

A method of assembling a transmission including a main housing, the method comprising:

• assembling a torque-sensor housing to a rear portion of the main housing such that a torque-sensor cavity is defined by the cooperation of the rear portion and the torque-sensor housing;
• installing a magneto-elastic torque sensor in the cavity by directly connecting a sensor case of the torque sensor to an interior surface of the torque-sensor housing, wherein the sensor case defines a bore;
• installing an output shaft through a hole defined in the torque-sensor housing and into the cavity through the bore so that the sensor case completely encircles the output shaft;
• and
• installing a torque-sensor connector of the torque sensor in a hole defined in the torque-sensor housing, wherein the connector is electrically connected to the torque sensor by wiring.