Differential assembly for vehicles

Claim 1

A differential for vehicles comprising: a differential housing; a pair of axle tubes affixed to opposite sides of said housing; a pair of axles positioned longitudinally within said axle tubes with their inner ends extending into said housing; a differential carrier in the form of a walled enclosure defining a central cavity, said carrier being positioned within said housing and directly and completely supported on the inner ends of said axles at axially aligned apertures in opposite side walls of said carrier enclosure through which the inner ends of said axles extend into said central cavity, the portions of said inner ends of said axles extending through said apertures being bearing surfaces on which said differential carrier is directly rotatably supported; intermeshing, differential gears mounted on said carrier and said axles within said central cavity, two side gears of said intermeshing gears being affixed to said inner ends of said axles entirely within said central cavity, said side gears and all portions thereof being completely contained inside of the walled enclosure of said differential carrier within said central cavity; a ring gear mounted on said differential carrier for rotation therewith; a pinion gear in meshing engagement with said ring gear, said pinion gear being affixed to a power input shaft; and bearing means comprising a pair of bearings positioned at longitudinally spaced locations in each of said axle tubes and directly, rotatably supporting said axles therein, one of said bearings of each pair of bearings being located adjacent to a side wall of said housing in laterally spaced relation to said differential carrier enclosure and said differential gears to directly rotatably support said inner ends of said axles, whereby said axle inner ends are able to provide proper bearing support for said differential carrier; one of said axle tubes is laterally adjusted so that its inner end projects a predetermined distance inside of said housing; thrust bearing means positioned between the inner end of said one axle tube and one side of said differential carrier, whereby said one axle tube serves to position said differential carrier within said housing and to take the ring gear thrust load imparted thereto by said pinion gear; one side wall of said differential carrier enclosure terminates laterally inwardly from one of said side walls of said housing, defining an open space therebetween having no bearings or support members therein; the opposite side wall of said differential carrier enclosure is affixed to said ring gear for rotation therewith; and said opposite side wall of said differential carrier enclosure bears against said thrust bearing and is laterally positioned by said inner end of said one axle tube, whereby no close machine tolerances are required on said differential carrier enclosure or on said housing for the accurate lateral positioning of said carrier enclosure within said housing.