American Motors Corporation

John M Winkler

Dennis N Renneker

Royston C Lunn

Robert C Grabowski

J Edwin MacAfee

A vehicle axle for use in a vehicle having both two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive operating modes. The vehicle axle includes a pair of flanged axle shafts interconnected through an axle differential. One of the shafts has inner and outer sections which can be selectively coupled and uncoupled through a shiftable clutch collar to obtain four-wheel drive mode of operation or two-wheel drive mode of operation, respectively. The shifting of the clutch collar is effected by a vacuum motor which is responsive to a control signal to cause the collar to shift between positions for mode selection. The vacuum motor has a flexural diaphragm whose displacements are transmitted through linkage to the clutch collar to effect its shifting. In the two-wheel drive operating mode, the outer section of the axle shaft is not coupled to the inner section and rotates freely under the influence of its associated wheel. The inner section of the axle shaft, the axle differential, and the other axle shaft all rotate under the influence of the opposite wheel. In the four-wheel drive operating mode, the shaft sections are coupled for cooperative rotation of the wheels through the axle differential.

Vehicle axle

A transfer case adapted for use in a four-wheel drive vehicle having two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive operating modes. The transfer case includes an inter-axle differential which permits general vehicle operation in the four-wheel drive mode. The transfer case also includes a chain and sprocket assembly which provides selective power transfer to one of the vehicle axles, normally the front axle. In the first operating state of the transfer case the chain and sprocket assembly is engaged with the inter-axle differential to transmit the drive torque to the front axle. In a second operating state, the chain and sprocket assembly is disengaged and no drive torque is transmitted to the front axle. The transition between operating states is effected by shifting of a clutch collar within the transfer case to control the engagement of the chain and sprocket assembly. This shifting is accomplished by controlled actuation of a vacuum motor.

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Temperance, MI, United States of America

John M Winkler