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Dana Corporation

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Wix Filtration Corp LLC

Brian Thomas Lee

Carsten Ohr

Jeffrey Hemphill

Guihui Zhong

Marion Jack Ince

Peter Burke

Tomas Smetana

Edward Allen Covington

Philip George

James Brown

Thorsten Biermann

Charles Schwab

Benjamin J Smith

Matthew Evans

Ryan Carlino

Justin Bitar

Michael Turner

Robert Southam

Michael Hodge

Debora Manther

Manfred Kraus

Nicholas Hrusch

David L Becker

Franz Kurth

Christopher Shamie

Jordan Geiser

Vural Ari

Ralph Schimpf

Ross A Gresley

Benjamin Wuebbolt-Gorbatenko

John Stallmann

Mavinkal Jayaram

Timothy Simon

Bogyu Kang

Craig Dupuis

Adrian Husu

Florin Dobre

Raymond Imars

Daniel Burghardt

Jordan Miles

Mihaly Kovacs

Jan Guettinger

Bobby Hinson

Markus Raith

Sheng Qui

Bryan Barker

Steven Auslander

Christopher Bartus

Christopher D Hutchison

Joseph Stephen Williamson

Christian Fuerstenhoefer

John Alton Laughlin

Dominik Wiesner

Marius-Constantin Costache

Matthew Gardner

Mihai Achim

A stabilizer bar has a first connected position and a second disconnected position. One side-bar is fixed to a housing while the other side-bar is fixed to a tulip within the housing. The housing has a plurality of axial grooves. The tulip defines a plurality of slots which are aligned with the grooves when the vehicle is level. A nut has a plurality of pins that extend radially such that the nut is torsionally coupled to the housing. In a first connected position, the pins fit within the slots of the tulip to torsionally couple the nut and the housing to the tulip. To facilitate a second disconnected position, a motor driven actuator moves the nut axially such that the pins no longer engage the slots. When motor power is withdrawn, a spring pushes the nut back to the first connected position.

Stabilizer bar disconnect

A slipper clutch transmission brake includes a clutch housing, a pin, a slipper clutch outer race rotationally fixed in the clutch housing, a slipper clutch inner race, a plurality of first cylindrical rollers, and a clutch inner ring. The clutch housing has a radial aperture and the pin is disposed in the radial aperture. The outer race has inner bidirectional ramps arranged on an inner circumference. The inner race has outer bidirectional ramps arranged on an outer circumference, a notch for receiving the pin, and a split extending axially through its width. The plurality of first cylindrical rollers are arranged in respective gaps formed between the inner and outer bidirectional ramps. The inner ring is arranged to rotate relative to the slipper clutch inner race when the pin is engaged with the notch, and frictionally engage with the slipper clutch inner race when the pin is disengaged from the notch.

Slipper clutch transmission brake

A four-mode rocker clutch, including: a clutch gear supported for rotation around an axis of rotation; a housing; a first pawl including a portion disposed within the housing; a first actuator; a second pawl including a portion disposed within the housing; and a first resilient element. For a first one-way mode of the four-mode rocker clutch: the first actuator is arranged to hold the first pawl in contact with the clutch gear; the first pawl is arranged to block rotation of the clutch gear, with respect to the housing, in a first circumferential direction around an axis of rotation; and the first resilient element is arranged to hold the second pawl out of contact with the clutch gear.

Four-mode rocker clutch

An axle disconnect assembly, including: a housing; a shaft; a sleeve non-rotatably connected to the shaft and including teeth; a shift assembly; and at least one resilient element directly connected to the shift assembly. In a first blocked mode, the teeth of the sleeve contact the power output without meshing with teeth of the power output, the shift assembly deflects the at least one resilient element to at least one first shape, and the at least one resilient element urges the sleeve against the power output. In a second blocked mode, the teeth of the sleeve are meshed with the teeth of the power output, a force blocks disengagement of the sleeve from the power output, the shift assembly deflects the at least one resilient element to at least one second, and the at least one resilient element urges the sleeve away from the power output without displacing the sleeve.

Axle disconnect assembly with blocked mode transition

An electric drive for a vehicle implements a disconnect feature to reduce parasitic losses when the electric drive is not necessary for propulsion. The disconnect feature utilizes a slipper clutch which is disengaged by holding a slipper ring in a predefined circumferential position relative to an outer ring using a set of pins that move radially. A lever spring biases the pins to the outward radial position. A solenoid moves a plunger axially which pushes the pins radially inward.

Electric drive with disconnect

An axle disconnect assembly, including: a housing and a clutch a shaft with first splines; a sleeve including second splines non-rotatably connected to the first splines, and axially extending teeth; a shift lever including at least one pivot pin, a first end connected to the sleeve, and a second end; and an actuation assembly including an actuation shaft engaged with the second end of the shift lever, and an actuator. In a connect mode, the teeth are non-rotatably connected to a power output. In a disconnect mode, the sleeve is rotatable with respect to the power output. To shift from the disconnect mode to the connect mode: the actuator rotates the actuator shaft; the actuator shaft pivots the shift lever around an axis of the at least one pivot pin; and the first end of the shift lever displaces the sleeve, with respect to the shaft, in an axial direction.

Axle disconnect assembly

A differential is sealed such that it retains its own lubrication fluid supply. The carrier housing is formed from two carrier halves which are welded together. One carrier half has an inner axial extension which is radially inside an outer axial extension of the other half. A circumferential weld is placed between the outer axial extension and the first carrier half. One of the stub shafts has an end cap with a one-way valve to allow fluid to be added after the welding is completed.

Sealed planetary differential

An electric axle is configured to selectively enable an electric motor to power a pair of drive shafts of a vehicle. The electric axle includes a planetary gearset configured to drivably couple an electric motor with first and second drive shafts coaxially arranged. The planetary gearset including a ring gear. A housing at least partially surrounds the planetary gearset and is configured to be grounded to the vehicle. A clutch is configured to selectively ground the ring gear with the housing to enable an electric motor to power the first and second drive shafts. The electric axle may include a second planetary gearset, namely a differential planetary gearset. The differential planetary gearset may include a carrier that is shared or common amongst the planetary gearset and the differential planetary gearset.

Electric axle with ring gear disconnect clutch

A planetary carrier assembly is provided having a main planet carrier body and a stamped planetary spider formed from a planetary spider blank made of sheet or plate material. The planetary spider has a central portion that extends in a plane perpendicular to an axis of the main planet carrier body, and at least two flanges that extend integrally from the central portion in a direction parallel to the axis toward the main planet carrier body that form spider connection legs. The at least two flanges further include integrally connected distal balance portions that extend from ends of the spider connection legs and are folded back toward respective inner surfaces thereof. The ends of the spider connection legs are fastened to the main planet carrier body and the balance portions are configured for mass removal as part of a dynamic balancing of the planetary carrier assembly.

Planetary carrier assembly with stamped planetary spider configured for balancing holes

A two-mode rocker clutch, including: a clutch gear; a housing; a first pawl including an end and a portion disposed within the housing; an actuation assembly; a second pawl including a portion disposed within the housing; and a resilient element urging the second pawl into contact with the clutch gear. For a one-way mode, the clutch gear is rotatable, with respect to the housing, only in a first circumferential direction. To transition from the one-way mode to a locked mode: the second pawl blocks rotation of the clutch gear, with respect to the housing, in a second circumferential direction, opposite the first circumferential direction; the actuation assembly is arranged to pivot the first pawl into contact with the clutch gear; and the end of the first pawl is arranged to block rotation of the clutch gear, with respect to the housing, in the first circumferential direction.

Two-mode rocker clutch

A method of assembling a clutch includes assembling a wedge chain by connecting a plurality of wedges together with links such that the wedges are movable relative to each other, and wrapping the wedge chain around an inner race. The method further includes connecting an end one of the links to an end one of the wedges to secure the chain to the inner race. The may also include installing the inner race into an outer race such that the wedge chain is radially disposed between the inner and outer races.

Methods of assembly for wedge clutch with wedge chain

A two-speed pulley assembly for an engine accessory drive includes a planetary gear, a pulley, a friction clutch, and a one-way clutch. The planetary gear has a ring gear, a sun gear, a planet carrier, and a planet gear. The planet gear is rotatable relative to the planet carrier and is drivingly engaged with the ring gear and the sun gear. The pulley circumscribes the ring gear and is in driving engagement with the ring gear. The friction clutch is arranged to selectively prevent rotation of the sun gear. The one-way clutch is arranged between the sun gear and the ring gear to permit rotation of the sun gear relative to the ring gear in a first rotational direction, and prevents rotation in a second rotational direction, opposite the first rotational direction.

Two-speed accessory drive pulley

A disconnect including: an input hub; an output race including a radially inner surface with ramps; wedge plate segments radially disposed between the input hub and the output race, each segment including a ramp in contact with an outer race ramp; an actuator cage; and an actuator plate. For a connect mode, the input hub, the wedge segments, and the output race transmit torque from an electric motor of an electrically-powered vehicle to a wheel of the vehicle. In a disconnect mode, relative rotation between the input hub and the output race is enabled. To transition from the connect mode to the disconnect mode: the actuator plate is displaced by an actuator; the actuator plate axially displaces the actuator cage; and the actuator cage circumferentially displaces the wedge plate segments to decrease or break frictional contact between the wedge plate segments and the input hub.

Side axle disconnect

A self-contained switchable torque limited wedge clutch, consisting of a housing, a space enclosed by the housing, and a clutch assembly including: an input part with a first frusto-conical surface; an outer race in the space and including a second frusto-conical surface in contact with the first frusto-conical surface; an output hub in the space; circumferentially aligned wedge plate segments in the space; and an activation assembly arranged to displace the wedge plate segments to switch the clutch between: a locked mode and an unlocked mode. In the locked mode: for a first magnitude of the rotational torque, the first frusto-conical surface and the second frusto-conical surface are non-rotatably connected; and for a second magnitude of the rotational torque, greater than the first magnitude, the first frusto-conical surface rotates with respect to the second frusto-conical surface to switch the self-contained torque-limiting switchable wedge plate clutch to the unlocked mode.

Self-contained switchable wedge clutch with torque limiting

A clutch, including: an inner race forming a pocket; an outer race; a pawl including a portion in the pocket; and a cage radially disposed between the inner race and the outer race. The cage includes a radially outer surface segment and a lift off bump stop extending from the surface segment. For a one-way mode, the inner race rotates, with respect to the outer race, only in one circumferential direction. For a first phase of the one-way mode, the inner race rotates in the circumferential direction and the pawl is arranged to be in contact with the outer race and free of contact with the lift off bump stop. For a second phase of the one-way mode: the inner TO race rotates in the first circumferential direction; and the pawl is arranged to be in contact with the lift off bump stop and free of contact with the outer race.

Switchable ratcheting clutch with lift off bump stop

Growing community of inventors

Charlotte, NC, United States of America

Brian Thomas Lee