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:
Apr. 17, 2007
Filed:
May. 22, 2002
Tomaz Dopico Varela, Gahanna, OH (US);
Chihping Kuan, Rochester Hills, MI (US);
John K. MA, Rochester, MI (US);
William C. Sullivan, Newark, OH (US);
Edward J. Eshelman, Rochester Hills, MI (US);
Dean M. House, Pataskala, OH (US);
John L. Bennett, Fraser, MI (US);
Mark C. Smith, Troy, MI (US);
Tomaz Dopico Varela, Gahanna, OH (US);
Chihping Kuan, Rochester Hills, MI (US);
John K. Ma, Rochester, MI (US);
William C. Sullivan, Newark, OH (US);
Edward J. Eshelman, Rochester Hills, MI (US);
Dean M. House, Pataskala, OH (US);
John L. Bennett, Fraser, MI (US);
Mark C. Smith, Troy, MI (US);
Meritor Heavy Vehicle Technology, LLC, Troy, MI (US);
Abstract
A wheel end assembly includes an output shaft that is directly mountable to a wheel adapter to drive a vehicle wheel. A gear assembly is coupled to the output shaft to transfer driving force from an input to the output shaft. The gear assembly includes an output gear that is directly coupled to the output shaft. Thus, the wheel adapter and output gear are both supported directly on the output shaft. The gear assembly and output shaft are substantially enclosed within a housing that is mounted to a non-rotating vehicle component. The output shaft is solely supported by a pair of bearings for rotation relative to the housing. The bearings are installed for direct engagement with the output shaft and housing.