Schaeffler Technologies Ag & Co .kg

Fmr Corp.

Stephen Carr

Shaun Tate

John O Tate

Mihir Shah

John Mcdonough

Robert Mallon

Michael Eastman

Chad Labelle

Craig Goddard

Michelle O'brien

A differential assembly arrangement with optimized pinion shaft bearing lubrication is provided. The assembly includes a housing, a ring gear, a pinion gear, a pinion shaft supported by two rolling element bearings, a sleeve, and a lubrication deflector. The two rolling element bearings, a pinion head bearing bearing and a pinion tail bearing, are located at each end of the sleeve which fits over the pinion shaft. The sleeve helps facilitate the application of a pre-load to the bearings. The lubrication deflector is located along the length of the sleeve for providing the correct amount of lubricant to the two bearings. The deflector is in the form of a ring located on the sleeve or integrated within the sleeve.

Axle oil flow controller on pinion spacer

A ball ramp plate and a ball ramp assembly including the ball ramp plate are provided. The ball ramp plate comprises a stamped metal plate formed with ramped ball pockets on a first side at a ball ramp pitch radius and a thrust bearing support on a second side of the plate. The thrust bearing support has a first support surface at a first pitch radius greater than the ball ramp pitch radius and a second support surface at a second pitch radius less than the ball ramp pitch radius.

Axial bearing bridge for ball ramp

A clutch actuation device includes two plates that can selectively extend and compress relative to one another to selectively engage or disengage a clutch. Each plate includes a plurality of grooves, each groove having a deep end portion, a shallow end portion, and a ramped or inclined surface between the end portions. Each groove on the first plate corresponds with a respective groove on the second plate to define a plurality of pockets. Within each pocket is an elongated member having a pair of curved ends and an elongated shaft therebetween. The curved ends sit in the deep end portions of the grooves. To extend the plates relative to one another, the first plate is rotated relative to the second plate. This causes the curved ends of the elongated members to pivot within the deep end portions, and the elongated shaft extends away from the ramped surface, separating the plates.

Clutch actuation device

A bearing assembly including an anti-rotation feature is provided. The bearing assembly includes a radially outer bearing ring including a radially outer race on a radially inner surface and a radially inner bearing ring and including a radially inner race on a radially outer surface and a radially inner bearing ring retention element. A plurality of rolling elements are supported to roll between the radially outer race and the radially inner race. The anti-rotation feature is provided by a washer including a first washer retention element configured to engage the radially inner bearing ring retention element, and a second washer retention element configured to engage a torque transmitting portion of a shaft.

Bearing inner ring with anti-rotation feature

A shaft oil flow controller arrangement for pinion shaft bearings in a differential is provided, including a housing along with a pinion shaft supported therein by head and tail bearings. A ring gear is mounted for rotation and is engaged with a pinion gear. A bearing spacer is located on the pinion shaft between the head and tail bearings. A diverter is located on the bearing spacer, and includes a circumferentially extending diverter wall that is moveable from a first position in which the wall extends generally in a longitudinal direction of the pinion shaft at a first, lower rotational speed of the pinion shaft allowing a first volume of lubricant oil flow to the head bearing, to a second position, in which the wall extends radially outwardly at a second, higher rotational speed, to restrict lubricant oil flow to the head bearing to a lower volume, and increase oil flow to the tail bearing.

Speed regulated shaft oil flow controller

An actuating piston, and a piston assembly and a disconnect system including the actuating piston are provided. The actuating piston includes an annular backing plate having an axial projection on a first side between an inner radius and an outer radius and an annular piston having a recess between an inner radius and an outer radius. The annular piston is disposed on the annular backing plate so that the axial projection is received in the recess. The actuating piston is selected from a set of actuating pistons, each having a different height based on at least one of the wall thickness of the annular piston being varied or a height of the axial projection being varied, and one of the actuating pistons with a desired height is selected based on an actual height of the friction device.

Selectable height actuating piston

A rolling bearing is provided that includes an outer ring having a first portion which includes a first raceway and a second portion that includes a second raceway that has a larger diameter than the first raceway. An outer diameter of the first portion of the outer ring is less than an outer diameter of the second portion of the outer ring. The rolling bearing includes an inner ring having a first portion that includes a first raceway and a second portion that includes a second raceway that has a larger diameter than the first raceway. An inner diameter of the first portion of the inner ring is less than an inner diameter of the second portion of the inner ring.

Rolling bearing having rings with stepped surfaces opposite to the raceways

A seal, which has a core with a radially outwardly extending flange with an end surface and a sealing body with a sealing lip and an over-molded portion that extends radially outward beyond the flange and encompasses the end surface of the flange. Also, a bearing arrangement is disclosed which includes a bearing cup that has a counterbore with a conical inner surface, and a seal, which is contactable with the bearing cup, and has a core with a radially outwardly extending flange with an end surface and a sealing body with a sealing lip and an over-molded portion which extends radially outwardly beyond the flange and encompasses the end surface of the flange. The seal can be press-fit with the bearing cup such that the over-molded portion and the conical inner surface of the bearing cup are in tight contact with each other and form a static seal.

Growing community of inventors

Waterford, MI, United States of America

Stephen Carr