Arvin Meritor Technology, LLC

Meritor Heavy Vehicle Technology, LLC

Richard Gady

Stephen A Federighe

Christopher S Keeney

Aaron Sinka

Timothy J Boothby

Matthew Starna

Laura Klemm

Aleksey Khoryshev

Paula D Somerville

Robert Kosen

Suresh Gingade Dinakaran

A transfer case having a planetary gear set, a clutch collar, and an actuator. The actuator is configured to actuate the clutch collar between a low speed range position in which the clutch collar engages a planet gear carrier of the planetary gear set, and a high speed range position in which the clutch collar engages a sun gear of the planetary gear set.

Transfer case with planetary gear range shifting

A power take-off (PTO) is used to selectively run a secondary device. The PTO includes a clutch assembly having first and second clutch members that are selectively engaged with each other to drive the secondary device. The first clutch member is associated with a driving input and rotates at an input speed. An accumulator is in power communication with the secondary device and is used to provide power to temporarily drive the second clutch member via the secondary device such that a speed of the second clutch member can be synchronized with the input speed for clutch engagement.

Power take-off clutch synchronizing system

A king pin is used to couple a knuckle and axle housing together in a steer axle assembly. The king pin is fixed to the axle housing and the knuckle is supported for rotation relative to the king pin. The king pin includes a cylindrical body portion and a suspension mount portion formed about one end of the cylindrical body portion. A shock absorber is mounted to the suspension mount portion of the king pin.

King pin suspension mount adapter

An automatic axle engagement system utilizes wheel speed sensors, engine control, and braking control to provide optimal engagement of a front drive axle to provide all wheel drive under poor driving conditions. The system includes a transfer case that is coupled to a power source and which has output shafts for front and rear drive axles. The engine provides torque to the transfer case via an input shaft. Wheel sensors generate wheel speed signals that are transmitted to a controller, which determined whether or not there is wheel slip. The controller initiates a shift to drivingly engage the front drive axle if there is wheel slippage by controlling one or both of the output torque or axle braking forces to bring rotational speeds of the input shaft and the rear axle output shaft within a predetermined speed range.

Automatic axle traction control

A drive system for a vehicle utilizes a series of drive motors and a single planetary gear box to provide driving input to a differential for an axle assembly. The differential drives a pair of axle shafts that drive a pair of laterally spaced wheels. The planetary gear box includes a sun gear, a plurality of planet gears in meshing engagement with the sun gear, a planet carrier that supports the planet gears, and a ring gear that is in meshing engagement with the planet gears. One drive motor drives the sun gear and another drive motor drives the ring gear. The planet carrier provides the output driving force from the planetary gear box to the differential. The motor that drives the sun gear provides for high output torque by taking advantage of a high gear ratio reduction and the motor that drives the ring gear provides for high output speed by taking advantage of a low gear ratio reduction. When both motors are simultaneously powered, a variable gear ratio is provided.

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Rochester Hills, MI, United States of America

Richard Gady