Tractech Inc.

Dyneer Corporation

Titan Wheel International Inc.

Eaton Corporation

Aspro, Incorporated

Dyneet Corporation

Walter L Dissett

James R Bawks

Paul Joseph Valente

Steven J Cochren

Jeffrey P Lane

Terry L Kent

Lawrence T Neumann

A locking differential includes a pair of clutch members that are biased together by a resilient disc and friction pack assembly toward a cross pin that extends diametrically across the central chamber of a cylindrical housing driven by the drive shaft of a vehicle, thereby to drive a pair of side gears and the output shafts splined thereto. The cross-pin extends within operating cam grooves contained in the adjacent faces of the clutch members, such that when the rotational velocity of one output shaft exceeds that of the other by a predetermined amount, the friction pack assembly of the faster shaft is operated to a non-compressed condition, thereby to disengage the over-running output shaft from the drive shaft. The resilient disc devices may be annular wave springs, or resilient disc springs.

Locking differential including resilient disc means

A gearless locking differential includes clutch housings containing V-shaped slots that cooperate with a cross pin to disconnect from the differential drive shaft an overrunning driven shaft, characterized in that the wall surfaces that define the V-slots extend parallel with the axis of rotation of the differential housing, and the cross pin has tapered convergent end portions. The frictions packs that releasably connect the side gears to the clutch members include annular friction plates that are arranged between pairs of reaction plates and include polygonal internal surfaces that slidably and non-rotatably engage a corresponding polygonal circumferential surface on the associated side gear. The locking lug and locking slot that cooperate to provided limited angular relative displacement between the clutch housings each have parallel side walls. As a consequence of the invention, the machining and finishing of the components of the differential are achieved in a simplified cost-effective manner.

Gearless locking differential

A locking differential includes a pair of annular coaxially-arranged axially-spaced clutch members having adjacent faces that contain cam groove that receive a driving cross pin, cooperating locking lugs and grooves being provided on the adjacent faces of the clutch members for preventing relative rotation therebetween. The cross pin extends diametrically across a supporting sleeve that is non-rotatably mounted concentrically within the central chamber of the cylindrical housing of the differential, thereby permitting the differential to be retrofit into various differential casings.

Locking differential including improved clutch member and adapter sleeve

A helical gear differential includes lubrication passages for circulating lubricating oil to the helical pinion counter bores and the side gear counter bores, thereby to increase the operating life of, and to reduce the operating noise level of, the differential. Openings contained in one of the housing and cover sections introduces lubricating oil into the ends of the associated pinion bores to lubricate the ends of the adjacent pinions, and the oil flows through the housing openings to lubricate the remote ends of the pinions. The adjacent ends of the other pinions are lubricated via second housing openings contained in the walls of housing relieved portions. An improved retaining means including a plate and a split snap ring serve to retain the cross pin spacer member within a transverse bore contained in the housing body section.

Helical gear differential including lubrication passage means

A locking differential includes a plurality of spring biasing assemblies each consisting solely of a helical spring having a spring cap member mounted on one end thereof for isolating the spring from the associated locking pin that extends at one end within the oversized spring bore. The spring cap member has a disc portion the outer diameter of which is at least as great as the outer diameter of the helical spring, and a central plug portion that extends within the spring, whereby the spring bears at one end solely against the cap disc portion and is isolated thereby from the locking pin. The diameter of the cap disc portion is also less than the width of a radially extending access opening that communicates with the oversized spring bore contained in a clutch member, thereby to permit introduction of the spring with the cap mounted thereon into the spring bore via the spring access opening.

Locking differential including a spring cap biasing assembly

A centrifugal clutch for a transport refrigeration system including an engine and a compressor is characterized by an improved drive connection between the clutch and the compressor. The clutch includes a rotor assembly connected with the engine, a housing centrifugally activated for rotation with the rotor assembly, and a coupling adaptor for transmitting rotation of the housing to a drive shaft of the compressor. The rotor assembly, housing coupling adaptor, and drive shaft are all coaxially arranged. The housing contains a plurality of radial rubber bushings for receiving drive pins which pass through radial openings in the coupling adaptor and which extend parallel to the axis of the adaptor. The drive pins and bushings minimize noise and vibrations within the clutch and prevent radial forces from being delivered to the compressor drive shaft.

Centrifugal clutch

A hydraulically-operable locking differential includes a friction-pack arrangement for locking an output shaft and associated side gear with the differential housing, use being made of a piston-cylinder motor the axis of which is colinear with the output shaft. The advantage is afforded that the locking operation may be effected while the drive and output shafts are rotating without stopping the vehicle.

Hydraulically-operable locking differential with in-line piston means

An improved differential mechanism of the holdout ring type, characterized by the provision of a pair of annular thrust blocks engaged by sets of Belleville disc-spring washers which bias a pair of side gears axially outwardly apart against a pair of annular thrust washers, respectively, non-rotatably supported by the differential housing. By loading the side gears in the axial direction, the side gear radial freedom of movement is restricted, whereby the differential chatter and noise level during operation are significantly reduced.

Differential with preload spring means

A differential of the helical gear type is disclosed for vehicles including an improved sectional spacer device having a generally C-shaped outer spacer section for maintaining the side gears in axially spaced relation, and a removable inner core spacer section for maintaining the axle shafts in axially spaced relation and for supporting the leg portions of the outer section against displacement toward each other. Spring devices are non-rotatably mounted in the housing for biasing the side gears axially inwardly toward the outer spacer section, thereby to reduce the clearances between the side gears and the outer spacer section, respectively, whereby differential backlash is reduced.

Differential with preload means and sectional spacer means

A centrifugal clutch apparatus includes an annular adapter assembly adapted for colinear connection with a rotatable driving member, an independent pulley member connected with a colinearly arranged driven member having an annular portion extending toward the adapter assembly, and centrifugal weight members connected with the adapter assembly for engagement with the inner surface of the annular portion when the rotational velocity of the driving member exceeds a given value, the adapter assembly including at least one vibration dampening device including an annular resilient member connected between annular inner and outer concentrically-arranged portions of the adapter assembly for isolating the centrifugal weight members from the driving member.

Centrifugal clutch with vibration dampening means

A torque-proportioning differential of the helical pinion type includes a housing having a body section to one end of which is removably connected a cover section, the one body section end being machined to define a central longitudinal bore and a plurality of circumferentially spaced longitudinal pinion cavities each having a pair of cavity portions in longitudinal communication with each other and with the central bore, respectively. The pinion cavity portions are of equal depth, thereby to receive corresponding longitudinally offset helical pinions, respectively, each provided with a hub extension that extends longitudinally of the associated pinion bore for engagement with a corresponding end thrust surface on the housing body section or the housing cover section, respectively.

Differential with equal depth pinion cavities

A gear differential is disclosed for supplying driving torque from an input shaft to a pair of aligned axially spaced output shafts, including a carrier housing driven by the input shaft and having a center section and a pair of end cover sections, a pair of side gears journalled in opposite ends of the center section for splined connection with the output shafts, respectively, and pairs of differential helical pinions having threads of opposite hands, respectively, the helical pinions of each pair being mounted with a running fit in longitudinal bores contained in opposite ends of the center section for threaded engagement with the side gears, respectively, the adjacent ends of the helical pinions being in overlapping enmeshing threaded engagement, characterized by the provision of a spacer cross pin member having a cylindrical shank portion extending transversely between, and for contiguous engagement by, the adjacent ends of the output shafts. The end cover sections of the housing are formed from pearlitic nodular iron, the adjacent ends of the cover sections being flame or induction hardened to eliminate the thrust washers, whereby each section may be bolted by short bolts directly in contiguous engagement with the corresponding end of the center section, respectively.

Torque-proportioning differential with cylindrical spacer

A torque-proportioning differential of the helical pinion type includes a housing having a body section to one end of which is removably connected a cover section, the one body section end being machined to define a central longitudinal bore and a plurality of circumferentially spaced pairs of longitudinal pinion cavities in longitudinal communication with each other and with the central bore, respectively. The pinion cavities of each pair are of unequal depth, thereby to receive corresponding longitudinally offset helical pinions, respectively. In order to maintain the pinion of the cavity of greater depth adjacent the bottom wall of the cavity, a hub extension is provided on the other end of that pinion which extends the length of the pinion for engagement at its free end with a thrust surface carried by the housing cover section. The depth of the other pinion cavity corresponds with the length of the pinion associated therewith, whereby that pinion is maintained in a position adjacent a thrust surface on the cover section. The cover section is piloted on the body section of the housing, thereby to assure proper alignment and concentricity, and to simplify assembly of the differential components.

Torque-proportioning differential with sectional housing

A differential mechanism is disclosed including a pair of holdout rings each of which is angularly displaceable to an operable position for maintaining in a disengaged condition an associated overrunning or underrunning clutch member, characterized by the arrangement of the center cam member concentrically within the center driving member, together with the provision of a rotation limiting stop for limiting the extent of rotation of the holdout ring relative to the central driving member when the holdout ring is rotated from an inoperative condition toward an operative condition. In one embodiment, the stop comprises the side wall of a through slot (2e) contained in the inner periphery of the center driving member (2), which stop is engaged by the lateral surface (30e) of an axial projection (30c) of reduced width on the associated holdout ring lug (30b). In a second embodiment, each holdout ring lug (130b) has a generally rectangular configuration, and certain teeth (102m) on the center driving member have stepped teeth with portions of reduced height (102n) that extend radially inwardly between the slots, which reduced tooth portions have lateral surfaces that are engaged by the lugs (130b) to limit the extent of rotational displacement of each holdout ring relative to the central driving member. By providing the stop on the central driving member, a more accurate positioning of the holdout ring in the operative condition is achieved, thereby affording improved quality and reliability of the differential mechanism.

Holdout ring construction for differentials

An improved differential mechanism of the holdout ring type is disclosed, characterized in that the annular holdout rings are mounted concentrically between the driven clutch members and the associated side gears, respectively, and the device for biasing the driven clutch members toward engagement with the driving spider member arranged therebetween includes a pair of compression springs mounted concentrically between the holdout rings and the side gears. Each holdout ring includes an outer flange portion that is rotatably received within a corresponding groove contained in the associated driven clutch member, a plurality of circumferentially spaced holdout lugs that cooperate with the center cam member, a tubular central portion that extends in concentrically spaced relation between the center cam member and the associated side gear, and a radially inwardly directed inner spring retainer flange portion carried by the free extremity of the tubular portion and against which one end of the compression biasing spring reacts.

Growing community of inventors

Farmington Hills, MI, United States of America

Walter L Dissett