Integrated pinion shaft and CV joint assembly for vehicular drivelines

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10047801-B2
Application number	US-201615095345-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 11, 2016
Priority date	Apr 11, 2016
Publication date	Aug 14, 2018
Grant date	Aug 14, 2018

Abstract

An integrated pinion shaft and constant velocity joint (PS/CVJ) assembly for use in motor vehicle driveline applications to transfer torque between a propshaft and a ring gear. The PS/CVJ assembly includes a pinion shaft having a pinion gear segment meshed with the ring gear and a hollow pinion shaft segment. The PS/CVJ assembly also includes a constant velocity joint having an inner race coupled to the propshaft and an outer race integral with or fixed to an end portion of the pinion shaft segment.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A power transfer assembly for transmitting drive torque from a powertrain to a pair of wheels in a motor vehicle, comprising:
a rotary input driven by the powertrain;
a rotary output drivingly connected to the pair of wheels; and
a hypoid gearset operable to transfer drive torque from said rotary input to said rotary output, said hypoid gearset including a ring gear drivingly connected to said rotary output and an integrated pinion-bearing-coupling (PBC) assembly drivingly connected to said rotary input, wherein said PBC assembly includes a pinion unit, a bearing unit, and a coupling unit, said pinion unit being configured to include a hollow pinion shaft segment and a pinion gear segment in meshed engagement with said ring gear, said pinion shaft segment and said pinion gear segment being integrally connected with one another, said bearing unit being configured to rotatably support said hollow pinion shaft for rotation within a housing, said coupling unit being configured as a constant velocity joint having an outer race formed within said hollow pinion shaft segment, an inner race drivingly connected to said rotary input, and torque transmitting elements disposed between said inner race and said outer race.

2. The power transfer assembly of claim 1 , wherein said rotary input is a propshaft receiving drive torque from the powertrain, wherein said rotary output is a differential assembly drivingly connected to the pair of wheels, and wherein said ring gear is fixed for rotation with a differential carrier of said differential assembly.

3. The power transfer assembly of claim 2 , wherein said constant velocity joint is a ball and cage unit having a plurality of outer tracks formed in an inner diameter surface of said hollow pinion shaft segment to define said outer race, a plurality of inner tracks formed in said inner race, a cage configured to include a plurality of cage apertures, and a plurality of balls acting as said torque transmitting elements, and wherein each of said balls extends through one of said cage apertures and is retained within an aligned pair of said inner and outer tracks.

4. The power transfer assembly of claim 3 , wherein said inner race includes a hollow coupler shaft segment configured to receive an end segment of said propshaft therein.

5. The power transfer assembly of claim 4 , wherein said plurality of outer tracks are elongated to permit axial translation of said coupler shaft segment relative to said hollow pinion shaft segment for providing a plunging type of said ball and cage unit.

6. The power transfer assembly of claim 3 , wherein said pinion shaft segment and said pinion gear segment of said pinion unit are configured as a homogeneous steel component.

7. The power transfer assembly of claim 2 , wherein said differential carrier is rotatably supported by a pair of laterally-spaced differential bearings in an axle housing, wherein said differential assembly includes a differential gearset configured to transfer drive torque from said differential carrier to a pair of axleshaft that are interconnected to the pair of wheels, wherein said bearing unit includes a pair of pinion bearings disposed between an outer surface of said pinion shaft segment and an inner surface on a pinion support segment of said axle housing, and wherein said inner race of said constant velocity joint is disposed within an open end of said pinion shaft segment.

8. A drive axle assembly for transmitting drive torque from a powertrain to a pair of wheels in a motor vehicle, comprising:
an axle housing defining a differential chamber and a pinion chamber;
a differential assembly having a differential carrier rotatably supported in said differential chamber of said axle housing, and a differential gearset drivingly connecting said differential carrier to a pair of axleshafts connected to the pair of wheels;
a hypoid gearset including a ring gear fixed for rotation with said differential carrier and a pinion gear meshed with said ring gear, said pinion gear extending from a first end of a hollow pinion shaft that is rotatably supported in said pinion chamber of said axle housing; and
a constant velocity joint operably coupled to a second end of said hollow pinion shaft, said constant velocity joint having a first joint component drivingly connected to said second end of said pinion shaft, a second joint component receiving drive torque from the powertrain, and torque transmitting elements configured to transmit drive torque from said second joint component to said first joint component;
wherein said constant velocity joint is a cage and ball arrangement having an outer race acting as said first joint component, an inner race acting as said second joint component, a cage disposed between said inner and outer races and having cage apertures, and balls acting as said torque transmitting elements, wherein each of said balls extend through one of said cage apertures and is arranged to engage an aligned pair of an outer guide track formed in said outer race and an inner guide track formed in said inner race;
wherein said outer guide tracks in said outer race are elongated to permit plunging axial movement of said inner race relative to said outer race.

9. The drive axle assembly of claim 8 wherein said elongated outer guide tracks are formed in an inner surface of said second end of said pinion shaft such that said inner race, cage and balls are disposed within said hollow pinion shaft.

10. The drive axle assembly of claim 8 wherein said outer guide tracks are formed in an inner surface of said pinion shaft such that said constant velocity joint is operably disposed within said pinion shaft.

11. The drive axle assembly of claim 8 wherein said outer race includes a first segment fixedly secured to an outer surface of said second end of said pinion shaft, and a second segment within which said outer guide tracks are formed.

12. The drive axle assembly of claim 11 , wherein said inner race includes a stub shaft segment configured to receive and be drivingly connected to an end portion of a propshaft driven by the powertrain.

13. The drive axle assembly of claim 12 , wherein said stub shaft segment of said inner race is configured to permit axial plunging movement of said end portion of the propshaft into said second end of said pinion shaft.

14. The drive axle assembly of claim 11 , wherein said first segment of said outer race is formed as an extension of an inner bearing race associated with a pinion bearing arranged to rotatably support said pinion shaft within said pinion support section of said axle housing.

15. The drive axle assembly of claim 8 wherein said cage of said cage and ball arrangement is collinearly aligned with an end surface on said second end of said pinion shaft.

16. A pinion shaft and constant velocity joint (PS/CVJ) assembly for use with a ring gear and a propshaft in a motor vehicle driveline, comprising:
a pinion shaft having a pinion gear segment meshed with the ring gear and an elongated tubular pinion shaft segment; and
a constant velocity joint having an outer race driven by said pinion shaft segment of said pinion shaft, an inner race driven by the propshaft, a joint assembly disposed between said outer race and inner race to provide constant speed torque transfer therebetween and permit angular movement of said inner race relative to said outer race, and a coupling arrangement between the propshaft and the inner race configured to permit axial movement of the propshaft relative to the constant velocity joint in the event of a collision, said coupling arr

Assignees

• Magna Powertrain America Inc

Inventors

• Ketchel Bradley
• Smith Wade

Classifications

• B60K17/02

  characterised by arrangement, location, or kind of clutch · CPC title

• F16H48/08

  comprising bevel gears · CPC title

• B60K17/16

  of differential gearing · CPC title

• B60K2023/085

  automatically actuated · CPC title

• F16H2048/087

  characterised by the pinion gears, e.g. their type or arrangement · CPC title