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:
May. 14, 2002
Filed:
Nov. 28, 2000
Rikiya Kunii, Saitama, JP;
Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo, JP;
Abstract
A multiple plate clutch is provided between a drive shaft continuously extending to front wheels which are main wheels and a driven shaft continuously extending to rear wheels. which are sub-drive wheels for distributing a part of the torque on the front wheels to the rear wheels. A tow-way clutch mechanism in which the drive shaft is connected to a single hydraulic pump via a clutch outer and a sleeve locks when the rotation speed of the drive shaft exceeds the rotation speed of the driven shaft beyond a predetermined rate to thereby drive the hydraulic pump so as to put the vehicle in a four-wheel drive condition, irrespective of the straight-ahead or straight-backward running operation of the vehicle, i.e., irrespective of the rotating direction of the drive shaft . Since only a minute torque is applied to the two-way clutch mechanism to drive the hydraulic pump , the torque transmission capacity of the two-way clutch can be decreased, whereby the miniaturization and cost reduction of the device can be attempted at being attained.