The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Dec. 13, 1994
Filed:
Dec. 20, 1993
John R Botterill, Saarbrucken, DE;
GKN Automotive AG, Lohmar, DE;
Abstract
A drive assembly for auxiliary units of an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle, which may be mounted at an end wall of the internal combustion engine especially coaxially relative to the crankshaft, has two switchable gear stages between its input shaft, driven by the crankshaft and its output shaft, driving the auxiliary units. Gear changing is ejected by actuating a friction coupling. The friction coupling, in the connected condition, engages a direct gear and, in the disconnected condition, drives a reduction gear via a locking freewheeling device. An actuating assembly for the friction coupling includes adjusting discs which are held in a housing of the drive assembly so as to be arranged coaxially relative no the friction coupling and which are rotatable relative to one another. One of the adjusting discs, in the form of a supporting ring, is axially supported in the housing of the drive assembly. The other one, in the form of a pressure ring, is axially movable in the housing and acts on the friction coupling. At least two rolling members are guided in circumferentially directed ball grooves between the end faces of the adjusting discs facing one another. The depth of the ball grooves changes across the circumference in such a way that any rotation of the adjusting discs relative to one another results in a reciprocal axial displacement which is transferred to the friction coupling.