V drive transmission utilizing splash lubrication

Claim 2

A transmission including a housing defining a vertical chamber with an oil sump at its lower end, a shaft in the chamber above the sump, bearing means carried by the housing and rotatably supporting the shaft, said bearing means engaged in a socket in a wall of the housing, opening toward the chamber and through which the shaft freely projects, said bearing means including axially aligned inner and outer annular roller bearing assemblies each with primary and secondary ends, inner and outer race rings, and an annular series of rollers between the races on axes diverging axially and radially outwardly toward said secondary end of the assembly; the bearing assemblies are arranged with their secondary ends in opposed relationship with their outer races engaged in the socket and with their inner races engaged about the shaft, means within the chamber to splash oil from the sump into the upper portion of the chamber and about the shaft, the primary end of the inner bearing assembly communicates with the chamber and lubricating means for the bearing means comprising an oil receiving recess in the bottom of the socket communicating with the primary end of the outer bearing assembly, an elongate oil inlet duct in the housing with an outlet end communicating with the recess and an inlet end communicating with the chamber and an elongate oil outlet duct in the housing with an inlet end commUnicating with the socket between the bearing assemblies and an outlet end communicating with the chamber below the shaft, said inner races and rollers rotate with the shaft and induce the flow of oil axially and radially outwardly between the races when the shaft is rotated whereby oil splashed into the upper portion of the chamber is caused to flow through the inlet duct into the recess, into and from the primary and secondary ends of the bearing assemblies and thence through the outlet duct and into the chamber.

Claim 3

A structure as set forth in claim 1 which includes an oil conducting spacer ring between the opposed primary ends of the outer race rings of the bearing assemblies, said spacer ring having an annular radially outwardly opening groove with which the outlet duct communicates and circumferentially spaced radial ports communicating with the groove and the space radially inward of the spacer ring, and which communicates with the space between the inner and outer races of the bearing assemblies.

Claim 4

A structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein the inlet end of the inlet duct is provided with an enlarged cavity opening toward the chamber end in which oil splashed into the upper portion of the chamber is collected for direction into the inlet duct.

Claim 5

A structure as set forth in claim 1 which includes an oil conducting spacer ring between the opposed primary ends of the outer race rings of the bearing assemblies, said spacer ring having an annular radially outwardly opening groove with which the outlet duct communicates and circumferentially spaced radial ports communicating with the groove and the space radially inward of the spacer ring, and which communicates with the space between the inner and outer races of the bearing assemblies, the inlet end of the inlet duct is provided with an enlarged cavity opening toward the chamber end in which oil splashed into the upper portion of the chamber is collected for direction into the inlet duct.

Claim 6

A structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein said shaft extends through an opening at the recess to the exterior of the housing and said structure includes an annular oil seal in the recess and about the shaft axially outward of the outlet end of the inlet duct.

Claim 7

A structure as set forth in claim 1 which includes an oil conducting spacer ring between the opposed primary ends of the outer race rings of the bearing assemblies, said spacer ring having an annular radially outwardly opening groove with which the outlet duct communicates and circumferentially spaced radial ports communicating with the groove and the space radially inward of the spacer ring, and which communicates with the space between the inner and outer races of the bearing assemblies, said shaft extends through an opening at the recess to the exterior of the housing and said structure includes an annular oil seal in the recess and about the shaft axially outward of the outlet end of the inlet duct.

Claim 8

A structure as set forth in claim 1 wherein the inlet end of the inlet duct is provided with an enlarged cavity opening toward the chamber end in which oil splashed into the upper portion of the chamber is collected for direction into the inlet duct, said shaft extends through an opening at the recess to the exterior of the housing and said structure includes an annular oil seal in the recess and about the shaft axially outward of the outlet end of the inlet duct.

Claim 9

A structure as set forth in claim 1 which includes an oil conducting spacer ring between the opposed primary ends of the outer race rings of the bearing assemblies, said spacer ring having an annular radially outwardly opening groove with which the outlet duct communicates and circumferentially spaced radial ports communicating with the groove and the space radially inward of the spacer ring, and which communicates with the space between the inner and outer races of the bearing assemblies, the inlet end of the inlet duct is provided with an enlarged cavity opening toward the chamber end In which oil splashed into the upper portion of the chamber is collected for direction into the inlet duct, said shaft extends through an opening of the housing and said structure includes an annular oil seal in the recess and about the shaft axially outward of the outlet end of the inlet duct.

Claim 10

A V-Drive transmission of the character referred to comprising a housing having front and rear walls, opposite sides, a top, a bottom and defines a vertical chamber with an upper portion and a lower oil sump portion axially aligned front and rear upper openings and axially aligned front and rear lower openings in the front and rear walls, an upper horizontal input shaft extending through the upper openings and a downwardly and rearwardly inclined ouput shaft extending through the lower openings, input and output level gears on the input and output shafts to occur within the chamber and meshed with each other, front anti-friction radial roller bearing means for the forward terminal ends of the shafts engaged about the shafts and in forwardly opening annular front bearing seats in the front wall about the front openings, cover plates secured to the front wall and overlying the front openings and bearing seats, rear radial-thrust anti-friction roller bearing means for the rear portions of the shafts and including rearwardly opening annular rear bearing seats in the rear wall about the rear openings, a pair of roller bearing assemblies with primary and secondary ends engaged in the rear bearing seats with their secondary ends in opposed relationship, each bearing assembly including an inner race ring engaged about its related shaft, an outer race ring engaged in its related bearing seat and an annular row of axially tapered and inclined rollers diverging axially and radially outwardly toward the secondary end of the assembly, retaining plates secured to the rear wall and overlying the upper and lower openings thereon and having apertures through which the rear portions of the shafts freely project, each retaining plate having a forwardly opening annular recess about the apertures therein, an annular oil seal in the recess in each relating plate and engaged about the shaft projecting therethrough, lubricating means to lubricate the upper rear bearing means comprising an elongate oil inlet duct with an inlet end communicating with the chamber above the input shaft and an outlet end communicating with the recess in the retaining plate related to the input shaft forward of the oil seal thereon and an elongate outlet duct with an inlet end communicating with the rear bearing seat related to the upper shaft between the outer races thereof and an outlet end communicating with the chamber below the input shaft, and mounting means to mount the V-Drive to and between laterally spaced engine stingers in a related boat structure.

Claim 11

A V-Drive transmission of the character referred to comprising a housing having front and rear walls, opposite sides, a top, a bottom and defines a vertical chamber with an upper portion and a lower oil sump portion axially aligned front and rear upper openings and axially aligned front and rear lower openings in the front and rear walls, an upper horizontal input shaft extending through the upper openings and a downwardly and rearwardly inclined ouput shaft extending through the lower openings, input and output level gears on the input and output shafts to occur within the chamber and meshed with each other, front anti-friction radial roller bearing means for the forward terminal ends of the shafts engaged about the shafts and in forwardly opening annular front bearing seats in the front wall about the front openings, cover plates secured to the front wall and overlying the front openings and bearing seats, rear radial-thrust anti-friction roller bearing means for the rear portions of the shafts and including rearwardly opening annular rear bearing seats in the rear wall about the rear openings, a pair of roller bearing assemblies with primary and secondary ends engaged in the rear bearing seats with their secondary ends in opposed relationship, each bearing assembly including an inner race ring engaged about its related shaft, an outer race ring engaged in its related bearing seat and an annular row of axially tapered and inclined rollers diverging axially and radially outwardly toward the secondary end of the assembly, retaining plates secured to the rear wall and overlying the upper and lower openings thereon and having apertures through which the rear portions of the shafts freely project, each retaining plate having a forwardly opening annular recess about the apertures therein, an annular oil seal in the recess in each relating plate and engaged about the shaft projecting therethrough, lubricating means to lubricate the upper rear bearing means comprising an elongate oil inlet duct with an inlet end communicating with the chamber above the input shaft and an outlet end communicating with the recess in the retaining plate related to the input shaft forward of the oil seal thereon and an elongate outlet duct with an inlet end communicating with the rear bearing seat related to the upper shaft between the outer races thereof and an outlet end communicating with the chamber below the input shaft, and mounting means to mount the V-Drive to and between laterally spaced engine stingers in a related boat structure.

Claim 12

A structure as set forth in claim 9 wherein said mounting means includes a pair of laterally outwardly projecting trunions at the opposite sides of the housing on a horizontal axis normal to the axis of the ouput shaft and mounting plates rotatably engaged on the outer ends of the trunions and fixed to the stingers.