Zahnradfabrik Friedrichshafen, Ag.

August Winter

Egon Mann

Michael Meyerle

Anton Ott

A load-splitting transmission has a housing in which are journaled about fixed axes a central shaft and two outer shafts. One end of the central shaft is connected to the drive and the other end of the central shaft, which is rotatable relative to the drive end, is connected to a load. The two outer shafts are each constituted as an outer tube shaft extending a part of the length of the respective outer shaft and a central torsion or core shaft extending the full length. A plurality of sets of gears are provided, each including a central gear on the central shaft and an outer gear on each of the outer shafts and meshing with the central gear. Synchromesh clutches can connect the various gears to the respective shafts for shifting. In addition at least some of the gears may be limitedly angularly displaceable on the respective shafts to compensate for misalignment and prevent gear clashing.

Load-splitting transmission

A drive shaft and a driven shaft are linked through a differential gearing which distributes the applied torque over two coaxial satellite shafts. One of the satellite shafts is directly connected with the driven shaft through a first steplessly variable split-sheave coupling of the Reeves type while the other satellite shaft, which is immobilizable by a brake, is connected through a second such coupling with an intermediate shaft which in turn can be coupled with the driven shaft via a clutch. With both the brake and the clutch released, the system idles; with the clutch operated, the torque transmitted from the drive shaft to the driven shaft varies inversely with the speed ratio of the two synchronized split-sheave couplings whereas actuation of the brake in lieu of the clutch doubles the output speed and halves the transmitted torque. If only unidirectional rotation is to be transmitted, the clutch can be replaced by a one-way coupling which lets the driven shaft rotate freely when the brake is engaged.

Continuously adjustable transmission with two speed ranges

An axle housing which encloses a transmission for the drive of a pair of traction wheels, e.g. as used on a fork-lift truck, has an upper recess flanked by cheeks of enlarged housing extremities which accommodate respective planetary-gear trains. One of the cheeks carries a vertical supporting plate for a hydrostatic drive motor whose shaft enters the axle housing through that cheek and carries a pinion meshing with a toothed ring on a differential-gear housing. The latter housing may be rotatable about a vertical axis through 180.degree. to accommodate motors of different axial length.

Growing community of inventors

Friedrichshafen, Germany

August Winter