Integrated gear constant velocity joint for all wheel drive

Abstract

A drive arrangement connects a drive gear of a vehicle transmission/transfer to a prop shaft that drives a set of wheels, and includes a driven gear journaled for rotation on a housing and having teeth meshing with teeth provided on the drive gear. The driven gear has an axially extending cylindrical central bore. A yoke attached to the prop shaft has a shaft extending into the central bore of the driven gear. An annular inner race has a central bore encircling the yoke and an outer surface. Matching splines provided on the central bore of the inner race and the yoke couple the inner race and the yoke for rotation. A plurality of balls are located between the outer surface of the inner race and the central bore of the driven gear, each of the balls is seated within a longitudinally extending first groove provided on the outer surface of the inner race and a longitudinally extending second groove provided on the central bore of the driven gear. The balls transmit rotary torque between the driven gear and the inner race and roll axially within the first and second grooves to permit movement of the yoke within the central bore during high speed rotation of the driven gear and prop shaft.