Brake support mechanism for transmissions

Claim 1

In a 4-wheel drive auxiliary transmission which receives power through an output shaft of a main transmission, and comprising: a case; an input shaft connected to the output shaft of said main transmission; a first output shaft axially aligned with said input shaft; a second output shaft provided in parallel with the first output shaft; a first clutch for selectively connecting the first output shaft with the second output shaft; a planetary gear set, mounted within the case and connected between the input shaft and the first output shaft and having a sun gear connected to the input shaft, a carrier connected to the first output shaft, a pinion supported by the carrier and meshed with the sun gear, and a ring gear meshed with the pinion; and a second clutch selectively connecting the sun gear with the carrier, wherein the improvement comprises: a brake for selectively braking the ring gear, said brake comprising: a brake element assembly including a plurality of brake plates splined on the inner periphery of the case; a plurality of brake disks splined on the outer periphery of the ring gear and intermeshed with said plural brake plates; an annular cylinder mounted in the case adjacent to the brake element assembly, said annular cylinder comprising radially spaced inner and outer walls; a piston slidably fitted in the cylinder, said piston having a depending skirt portion for pressing against said brake element assembly to engage said brake; a plurality of return springs located radially outward from the brake element assembly and the piston, each of said return springs having one end attached to the case and a second end connected to the piston to bias the piston toward the cylinder; and a return spring mounting member, for connecting the return springs to the piston, said mounting member having a plurality of U-shaped channel portions, which receive both the outer wall of said annular cylinder and the skirt of the piston and engage the brake element assembly, and a plurality of bosses extending radially outward from said channel portions, and secured to said second end of the return springs, thereby connecting said piston to said return springs, said channel portions being defined by an inner cylindrical member which is concentric with and radially inward of said skirt portion of said piston, an outer cylindrical segment which is concentric with and radially outward of said outer wall of said annular cylinder, and an annular, radially extending sidewall member connecting said inner cylindrical member and said outer cylindrical segments and presenting a flat face, wherein the entire surface area of said flat face engages said brake element assembly.