Motor vehicles – Having four wheels driven – Including longitudinally extending – endless element for...
Reexamination Certificate
2000-11-21
2002-06-18
Lerner, Avraham (Department: 3618)
Motor vehicles
Having four wheels driven
Including longitudinally extending, endless element for...
C192S066230, C180S247000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06405822
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automotive torque distribution system, and in particular, to a torque distribution system capable of distributing engine torque to front and rear wheels without using a multi-disc clutch.
(b) Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1
shows a conventional torque distribution system including a rear propeller shaft
10
connected to a transmission (not shown), a front propeller shaft
20
, and a torque transfer device
30
interposed between the rear and front propeller shafts
10
and
20
.
The torque transfer device
30
comprises a transfer clutch
15
and an idle gear
12
integrally mounted on the rear propeller shaft
10
, a transfer gear
22
mounted on the front propeller shaft
20
, and a chain
31
connecting the idle gear
12
and the transfer gear
22
. The transfer clutch
15
is engaged in order to fix the idle gear
12
to the rear propeller shaft
10
when there is a rotational speed difference between the front and rear wheels such that a portion of the driving torque of the rear propeller shaft
10
is delivered to the front propeller shaft
20
via the chain connection.
The rotational difference between the front and rear wheels is computed by a controller (not shown) on the basis of parameters detected by rear and front wheel speed sensors
19
and
29
such that the controller responsively generates and sends a control signal to an actuator
18
for engaging or disengaging the transfer clutch
15
.
However, since the conventional torque distribution system adopts a multi-disc clutch, this increases the number of parts of the system assembly as well as the vehicle weight.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in an effort to solve the above problems of the prior art.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a torque distribution system capable of contributing to the lightening of a vehicle weight and reducing the number of assembly parts of the system by replacing the multi-disc clutch with a simple friction clutch.
To achieve the above object, a torque distribution system for a four-wheel-drive vehicle comprises an idle gear mounted on one of a front or rear propeller shaft, a transfer gear mounted on the other propeller shaft, a chain connecting the idle gear and the transfer gear, a clutch coaxially mounted with the idle gear on the propeller shaft where the idle gear is mounted, and means for controlling the clutch so as to selectively engage and disengage the clutch. The clutch comprises an external drum integrally fixed to the idle gear and having an inner circumferential friction plane and an internal drum slidably mounted on the propeller shaft, and an outer circumferential friction plane such that the internal drum selectively slides into and engages with the external drum.
REFERENCES:
patent: 2116739 (1938-05-01), Eason
patent: 2344593 (1944-03-01), Brownlee
patent: 2756854 (1956-07-01), Brenholts
patent: 2821096 (1958-01-01), Lyeth, Jr.
patent: 2831352 (1958-04-01), Elliott et al.
patent: 3572165 (1971-03-01), Roper
patent: 5620072 (1997-04-01), Engle
patent: 2000-326749 (2000-11-01), None
Christie Parker & Hale LLP
Hyundai Motor Company
Lerner Avraham
LandOfFree
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