Kanzaki Kokyukoki Mfg. Co., Ltd.

Tuff Torq Corporation

Other

Keith Johnson Andrews

Toshiyuki Hasegawa

Robert Abend

Koji Irikura

Ryota Ohashi

Norihiro Ishii

Hiroaki Shimizu

Kenichi Takada

Hirohiko Kawada

Travis S McCloud

Masaru Iida

Donald Wieber

Toshiyuki Fukuda

Yuki Hashimoto

A portal unit is provided. The portal unit includes a deceleration gear train and a housing. The housing includes an inner side wall that is formed with an input opening at a position above a rotation axial line of a driving wheel, an outer side wall that is formed with an output opening at a coaxial position with the rotation axial line of the driving wheel, and an intermediate wall that connects peripheral edges of the inner side wall and the outer side wall. The inner side wall is provided, at a radially outward position of the input opening, with mount bolts for the suspension unit. The mount bolts each include a shaft portion protruding inwardly in a vehicle width direction.

Portal unit

A vehicle including an integral transaxle apparatus with axles, a driving hydrostatic transmission (HST), a steering HST, and a differential unit. Driving operating means for slanting operation of a first movable swash plate of the variable displacement driving hydraulic pump for switching the travelling direction between forward and backward and for changing the travelling speed, and steering operating means for slanting operation of a second movable swash plate of the variable displacement steering hydraulic pump so as to determine the leftward and rightward cornering angle are provided. The steering hydraulic motor has a third movable swash plate interlocking with the driving operating means so that the slanting direction of the third movable swash plate is changed according to the operation of the driving operating means, whereby the vehicle turns laterally in the same direction in response to the steering operating means whether the vehicle travels forward or backward.

Vehicle improved in steering

A transmission for speed changing and steering of a vehicle comprises a first HST and a first differential for speed changing and a second HST and a second differential for steering. The first HST is a combination of a hydraulic pump and motor. The pump is driven by an engine and the motor is drivingly changeable by operation of a speed change pedal. Output power from the motor is transmitted into a pair of first differential output shafts as axles through the first differential. The second HST is a combination of a hydraulic pump and motor. The second pump is driven by output power from the first HST and the second motor is drivingly changeable by operation of a steering wheel. A pair of second differential output shafts are rotated in opposite directions by output power of the motor, so that when turning, the first differential output shaft on the opposite side of the turning direction is accelerated.

Transmission for speed changing and steering of a vehicle

A control arm is coupled to a control shaft of a hydraulic pump. A friction shaft extends parallel to the control shaft and is slidably moveable within an arcuate-shaped hole in the control arm. A stop plate is movably supported by the control shaft and the friction shaft. When the stop plate is in the operating position, a friction pad supported by the friction shaft is biased by a pressure plate and a spring against the control arm. When the stop plate is in the braking position, a sloping region of the stop plate engages a pin extending from the pressure plate such that the friction pad is spaced from the control arm and arcuate-shaped grooves in the stop plate engage pins extending from the control arm in a neutral position. The present invention also includes a hydrostatic transmission and a vehicle incorporating the cruise control and neutral return mechanism.

Cruise control and neutral return mechanism for a hydrostatic transmission

Riding lawn mower

Vehicle improved steering

A transmission for speed changing and steering of a vehicle includes a first hydrostatic pump ( ) and motor ( ), a first differential ( ) for speed changing, a second hydrostatic pump ( ) and motor ( ), and a second differential ( ) for steering. A prime mover drives the first pump ( ), and the second pump ( ) is driven by the output from the first motor ( ). The second motor ( ) drives the second differential ( ) for steering the vehicle.

A vehicle is installed with an integral transaxle apparatus constructed so that a single housing contains left and right axles, a driving hydrostatic transmission (HST) having a variable displacement first hydraulic pump and a first hydraulic motor fluidly connected with each other, a steering HST having a variable displacement second hydraulic pump and a variable displacement second hydraulic motor fluidly connected with each other, and a differential unit differentially connecting the axles with each other so as to be driven regularly or reversely by the output of the driving HST and to differentially drive the axles while receiving the output of the steering HST, wherein the first hydraulic pump receives power of a prime mover and has a first movable swash plate, and the second hydraulic pump receives power of the prime mover independently of the first hydraulic pump and has a second movable swash plate. The vehicle is also provided with driving operating means for slanting operation of the first movable swash plate for switching the travelling direction between forward and backward and for changing the travelling speed, and steering operating means for slanting operation of the second movable swash plate so as to determine the leftward and rightward cornering angle. The second hydraulic motor has a third movable swash plate interlocking with the driving operating means so that the slanting direction of the third movable swash plate is changed oppositely with respect to its neutral position according to the travelling direction switching operation of the driving operating means, whereby the vehicle turns laterally in the same direction of leftward and rightward steering operation of the steering operating means whether the vehicle travels forward or backward.

A transaxle apparatus is constructed so that left and right axles, two hydrostatic transmissions (HSTs), one for driving a vehicle and the other for steering it, and a differential unit for differentially connecting said axles with each other are together contained in a housing. The driving HST is disposed so that its hydraulic pump and motor are aligned along either a left or right side of the housing. The steering HST is disposed so that its hydraulic pump and motor are aligned along either a front or rear side of the housing. The differential unit is laterally opposite to the driving HST. Either the left or right axle crosses the driving HST between its hydraulic pump and motor. The two HSTs are provided with one or two flat center sections disposed in the housing. The cylinder blocks of the hydraulic pumps and motors of the two HSTs are mounted on either a top or bottom surface of the center section or sections. Power transmission mechanisms for transmitting output power from the hydraulic motors of the two HSTs into the differential unit are disposed on an opposite side of the center section(s) as the cylinder blocks. A charge pump may be attached onto the center section, and a conduit for sending fluid discharged from the charged pump into one or both HSTs may be partly extended outside the housing so as to be cooled by the atmosphere.

Integral hydrostatic transaxle apparatus for driving and steering

The invention includes a working vehicle having a prime mover for horizontally outputting power to an axle driving system housing a transmission and a vertically projecting speed change input shaft. A gear box is detachably disposed at an upper portion of a housing of the axle driving system for transmitting power from the engine into the axle driving system. The gear box has an input shaft horizontally projecting therefrom and bevel gears such that the power transmitted horizontally from the engine changes direction in the gear box so that the power can be transmitted to the vertically disposed speed change input shaft of the transmission, which, in turn, drive the axles of the vehicle.

Power input unit of an axle driving system

A transaxle assembly for small-scaled, self-propelled machines of a relatively simple structure includes an axle-locking mechanism which is housed in an axle casing (19). The locking mechanism comprises left and right rotors (47L, 47R), each having teeth (47a) thereon and mounted fixedly on left and right wheel axles (20L, 20R), and left and right locking members (49L, 49R) each having at least one pawl (49a) engageable with the teeth. The locking members are mounted on a control shaft (50), which extends parallel to the wheel axles, such that these members are moved rotationally by a rotational displacement of the control shaft so as to cause locking engagement between the pawls and teeth. A torque spring (53) is preferably employed for causing lock-operating movement of the locking member by the control shaft. The transaxle and locking mechanism can be handled as a unit in a self-propelled machine so that assembling of the machine is made easier. The locking mechanism shut off from the outside has a high reliability and durability.

Growing community of inventors

Morristown, TN, United States of America

Keith Johnson Andrews