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:
Jan. 06, 1998
Filed:
Dec. 12, 1995
Mark A Lindsey, Westland, MI (US);
Lance M Tobey, Livonia, MI (US);
Craig B Fowler, Maumee, OH (US);
Borg-Warner Automotive, Inc., Sterling Heights, MI (US);
Abstract
A transfer case having a housing (10) which rotatably receives an input shaft (12). The input shaft is coaxial with an output shaft (14), a free end (14a) of which extends beyond the housing. A planetary sun gear differential (36) is contained within the housing, and the differential transmits torque both to the output shaft and to a sleeve (28) which coaxially surrounds a portion of the drive shaft that is within the housing. The sleeve, in turn, transmits torque to an intermediate shaft (42), which is spaced from and extends generally parallel to the sleeve, through a sprocket and chain drive (52, 54, 56), all portions of which are within the housing. The intermediate shaft terminates in front of and externally to the housing within a housing extension (48), which is removably secured to the housing by bolts (50). Torque from the intermediate shaft is transmitted to a forward output shaft (38) through a constant velocity universal joint (40), all portions of which are contained within the housing extension. The use of the universal joint permits the forward output shaft to rotate about an axis which is at a variable angle with respect to the axis of rotation of the intermediate shaft.