Drive transfer gear assembly for four-wheel drive vehicle

Claim 2

A torque proportioning drive transfer gear assembly for a motor vehicle of the type including a first drive axle, a second drive axle, and an engine; said assembly comprising: A. an input shaft adapted to be coupled to the output of said engine; B. torque proportioning gear means coaxial with the rotational axis of said input shaft and having an input gear driven by said input shaft and first and second relatively rotatable output gears driven by said input gear and adapted to be drivingly connected to said first and second axles, respectively; C. a first annular member fixed to rotate with one of said gears but slideable axially relative to said one gear; D. clutch means on said first annular member; E. a second annular member mounted on the exterior periphery of said first annular member for rotation therewith but axially slideable relative thereto; F. clutch means on said second annular member; G. first clutch means on another of said gears operative in response to axial movement of one of said annular members to coact with the clutch means on said one annular member to preclude relative rotation between said one gear and said other gear in one directional mode while allowing relative rotation in the other directional mode; and H. second clutch means on said other gear adapted in response to axial movement of the other annular member to coact with the clutch means on the other annular member to preclude relative rotation between said one gear and said other gear in either directional mode.

Claim 3

A drive transfer gear assembly according to claim 1 wherein: I. said first annular member is said one annular member; and J. said second annular member is said other annular member.

Claim 4

A drive transfer gear assembly according to claim 1 wherein: I. said first clutch means and the clutch means on said one annular member comprise coacting annular sets of angled teeth adapted to lockingly engage during such relative rotation in said one directional mode and slip freely during such relative rotation in said other directional mode.

Claim 5

A drive transfer gear assembly according to claim 3 wherein: J. said second clutch means and the clutch means on the other annular member comprise coacting annular sets of relatively straight-sided teeth adapted to lockingly engage in either directional mode of such relative rotation.

Claim 6

A drive transfer gear assembly according to claim 4 and further including K. means continuously biasing said one annular member into clutching engagement with said first clutch means; and L. linkage means drivingly engaging said other annular member and accessible to an operator of said vehicle and operative in response to operator manipulation to move said other annular member axially along said one annular member into locking engagement with said second clutch means.

Claim 7

A torque proportioning drive transfer gear assembly for a motor vehicle of the type including a first drive axle, a second drive axle, and an engine; said assembly comprising: A. an input shaft adapted to be coupled to the output of said engine; B. a planetary torque proportioning gear set comprising (1) a planet carrier coupled to said input shaft and having a spider portion, (2) a ring gear concentric with the rotational axis of said input shaft and coupled to said first axle, (3) a sun gear concentric with said input shaft and coupled to said second axle, and (4) a plurality of planet pinions carried by said planeT carrier and meshingly interposed between said ring gear and said sun gear; C. a first annular member fixed to said input shaft but slideable axially therealong at a location thereon adjacent the annular end face of said sun gear remote the spider portion of said planet carrier; D. coacting annular sets of angled teeth formed on said sun gear annular end face and on the annular end face of said annular member adjacent said sun gear face; E. a second annular member mounted on the exterior periphery of said first annular member and slideable axially therealong; F. coacting annular sets of relatively straight-sided teeth formed on the annular end face of said second annular member adjacent said sun gear face and on said sun gear face radially outwardly of the angled tooth set formed thereon; G. means continuously biasing said first annular member axially toward said sun gear to lockingly engage said input shaft and sun gear in one directional mode of relative rotation and allow slippage therebetween in the other directional mode of relative rotation; and H. linkage means drivingly engaging said second annular member and accessible to an operator of said vehicle and operative in response to operator manipulation to move said second annular member axially along said first annular member into locking engagement with said sun gear.

Claim 8

A torque proportioning drive transfer gear assembly for a motor vehicle of the type including a first drive axle, a second drive axle, and an engine; said assembly comprising: A. an input shaft adapted to be coupled to the output of said engine; B. a planetary torque proportioning gear set comprising (1) a planet carrier coupled to said input shaft and having a spider portion, (2) a ring gear concentric with the rotational axis of said input shaft and coupled to said first axle, (3) a sun gear concentric with said input shaft and coupled to said second axle, and (4) a plurality of planet pinions carried by said planeT carrier and meshingly interposed between said ring gear and said sun gear; C. a first annular member fixed to said input shaft but slideable axially therealong at a location thereon adjacent the annular end face of said sun gear remote the spider portion of said planet carrier; D. coacting annular sets of angled teeth formed on said sun gear annular end face and on the annular end face of said annular member adjacent said sun gear face; E. a second annular member mounted on the exterior periphery of said first annular member and slideable axially therealong; F. coacting annular sets of relatively straight-sided teeth formed on the annular end face of said second annular member adjacent said sun gear face and on said sun gear face radially outwardly of the angled tooth set formed thereon; G. means continuously biasing said first annular member axially toward said sun gear to lockingly engage said input shaft and sun gear in one directional mode of relative rotation and allow slippage therebetween in the other directional mode of relative rotation; and H. linkage means drivingly engaging said second annular member and accessible to an operator of said vehicle and operative in response to operator manipulation to move said second annular member axially along said first annular member into locking engagement with said sun gear.

Claim 9

A drive transfer gear assembly according to claim 6 wherein: I. said planet carrier includes an axially extending hub portion fixed to said input shaft; J. said sun gear is journaled on said hub portion and comprises a double gear having (1) a relatively large diameter at said remote end face, whereby to provide a large area for formation of said angled and straightsided tooth sets and provide a relatively large diameter gear face for coupling to said second axles, and (2) a relatively small diameter at the other end face, whereby to stack compactly between said hub portion and said planet pinions.

Claim 10

A torque proportioning drive transfer assembly for a four-wheel drive motor vehicle of the type including a drive rear axle, a drive front axle, an engine disposed forwardly of the vehicle, an engine drive shaft, and a front axle drive shaft, said transfer assembly comprising: A. a planetary gear set including an input shaft journaled on an axis generally parallel to the longitudinal vehicle axis and adapted to be drivingly connected to the engine drive shaft, a ring gear adapted to be drivingly connected to the rear axle, a sun gear journaled on said input shaft, and a planet carrier coupled to said input shaft and carrying planet pinions meshingly interposed between said ring gear and said sun gear; B. an output shaft journaled on an axis parallel to but disposed laterally of and below the axis of said input shaft and below the rotational axis of said drive rear axle; C. an output gear on said output shaft; and D. an idler gear disposed generally below and in meshing engagement with said sun gear and generally laterally of and in meshing engagement with said output gear.

Claim 11

A torque proportioning drive transfer assembly for a four-wheel drive motor vehicle of the type including a drive rear axle, a drive front axle, an engine disposed forwardly of the vehicle, an engine drive shaft, and a front axle drive shaft, said transfer assembly comprising: A. a planetary gear set including an input shaft journaled on an axis generally parallel to the longitudinal vehicle axis and adapted to be drivingly connected to the engine drive shaft, a ring gear adapted to be drivingly connected to the rear axle, a sun gear journaled on said input shaft, and a planet carrier coupled to said input shaft and carrying planet pinions meshingly interposed between said ring gear and said sun gear; B. an output shaft journaled on an axis parallel to but disposed laterally of and below the axis of said input shaft and below the rotational axis of said drive rear axle; C. an output gear on said output shaft; and D. an idler gear disposed generally below and in meshing engagement with said sun gear and generally laterally of and in meshing engagement with said output gear.