Power transfer assembly with hypoid gearset having optimized pinion unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11021054-B2
Application number	US-201716072516-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 8, 2017
Priority date	Feb 10, 2016
Publication date	Jun 1, 2021
Grant date	Jun 1, 2021

Abstract

An integrated pinion/bearing/coupling (PBC) assembly for use with a hypoid gearset in power transfer assemblies of motor vehicles having mounting features and venting features, The integrated PBC assembly includes a hollow pinion unit made of steel and including a pinion shaft segment and a pinion gear segment, and a coupling unit having a hub segment made of aluminum. A brazing sleeve is used to braze the aluminum hub segment of the coupling unit to the steel pinion shaft segment of the pinion unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A power transfer assembly for use in a motor vehicle, comprising:
a housing;
a rotary input driven by a powertrain and rotatably supported by the housing;
a rotary output rotatably supported by the housing and driving a pair of wheels; and
a hypoid gearset rotatably supported by the housing for transferring drive torque from the input to the output and including a ring gear and an integrated pinion/bearing/coupling (PBC) assembly, the ring gear being drivingly interconnected to one of the input and the output, the PBC assembly being drivingly connected to the other one of the input and the output, the PBC assembly including a pinion unit, a coupler unit, and a bearing unit,
wherein the pinion unit is a hollow steel component having a tubular shaft segment and a tubular gear segment that is meshed with the ring gear,
wherein the bearing unit rotatably mounts the pinion unit for rotation relative to the housing,
wherein the coupler unit includes an aluminum flange having a tubular hub segment surrounding and rigidly secured to the shaft segment of the pinion unit, and
wherein the PBC assembly further includes a brazing sleeve made of an intermediary material and which is disposed between the hub segment of the aluminum flange and the shaft segment of the steel pinion unit.

2. The power transfer assembly of claim 1 , wherein the brazing sleeve is made from copper.

3. The power transfer assembly of claim 1 , wherein the PBC assembly further includes a lock collar fixed to a bearing housing of the bearing unit, and wherein the lock collar is configured to secure the PBC assembly to the housing.

4. The power transfer assembly of claim 3 , wherein the lock collar includes external threads configured to engage internal threads formed in the housing to permit adjustment of the PBC assembly relative to the ring gear.

5. The power transfer assembly of claim 1 , wherein the PBC assembly further includes a vent assembly installed in the tubular shaft segment of the pinion unit, and wherein the vent assembly functions to vent pressurized air from within the housing to ambient.

6. The power transfer assembly of claim 5 , wherein the vent assembly includes a cap member mounted in an open end of the shaft segment and which defines a vent aperture, a valve seat mounted in the vent aperture, and a pressure-actuated plunger moveable relative to the valve seat for controlling a flow of pressurized air from within the housing to the ambient.

7. The power transfer assembly of claim 1 , wherein the steel pinion unit is formed as a one-piece component.

8. The power transfer assembly of claim 1 , wherein the bearing unit includes a pair of laterally-spaced bearing assemblies disposed between the shaft segment of the steel pinion unit and a bearing housing that is secured to the housing.

9. The power transfer assembly of claim 1 defining an axle assembly such that the housing is an axle housing, wherein the input is a propshaft drivingly connected to the aluminum flange of the coupling unit, and wherein the output is a differential assembly driven by the ring gear.

10. The power transfer assembly of claim 1 defining a power take-off unit such that the housing is a PTU housing, wherein the ring gear is drivingly connected to the input, and wherein the output is a propshaft drivingly connected to the aluminum flange of the coupling unit.

11. A power transfer assembly for use in a motor vehicle, comprising:
a housing;
a rotary input driven by a powertrain and rotatably supported by the housing;
a rotary output rotatably supported by the housing and driving a pair of wheels; and
a hypoid gearset rotatably supported by the housing for transferring drive torque from the input to the output and including a ring gear and an integrated pinion/bearing/coupling (PBC) assembly, the ring gear being drivingly interconnected to one of the input and the output, the PBC assembly being drivingly connected to the other one of the input and the output, the PBC assembly including a pinion unit, a coupler unit, and a bearing unit,
wherein the pinion unit is a hollow steel component having a tubular shaft segment and a tubular gear segment that is meshed with the ring gear,
wherein the bearing unit rotatably mounts the pinion unit for rotation relative to the housing,
wherein the coupler unit includes an aluminum flange having a tubular hub segment surrounding and rigidly secured to the shaft segment of the pinion unit, and
wherein the aluminum flange of the coupling unit is brazed to the steel shaft segment of the pinion unit via an intermediate sleeve made of copper.

12. A power transfer assembly for use in a motor vehicle, comprising:
a housing;
a rotary input driven by a powertrain and rotatably supported by the housing;
a rotary output rotatably supported by the housing and driving a pair of wheels;
a hypoid gearset rotatably supported by the housing for transferring drive torque from the input to the output and including a ring gear and an integrated pinion/bearing/coupling (PBC) assembly, the ring gear being drivingly interconnected to one of the input and the output, the PBC assembly being drivingly connected to the other one of the input and the output, the PBC assembly including a steel pinion unit, an aluminum coupler unit, and a bearing unit, the pinion unit having a tubular shaft segment and a tubular gear segment that is meshed with the ring gear, the bearing unit rotatably mounts the pinion unit for rotation relative to the housing, and the coupler unit having a flange with a tubular hub segment surrounding and rigidly secured to the shaft segment of the steel pinion unit; and
wherein the PBC assembly further includes a vent assembly installed in the tubular shaft segment of the pinion unit, and wherein the vent assembly functions to vent pressurized air from within the housing to ambient.

13. The power transfer assembly of claim 12 , wherein the PBC assembly further includes a brazing sleeve made of an intermediary material and which is disposed between the hub segment of the aluminum flange and the shaft segment of the steel pinion unit.

14. The power transfer assembly of claim 12 , wherein the PBC assembly further includes a lock collar configured to secure the PBC assembly to the housing, and wherein the lock collar includes external threads configured to engage internal threads formed in the housing to permit adjustment of the PBC assembly relative to the ring gear.

15. The power transfer assembly of claim 12 , wherein the steel pinion unit is formed as a one-piece component.

16. The power transfer assembly of claim 12 defining an axle assembly such that the housing is an axle housing, wherein the input is a propshaft drivingly connected to the aluminum flange of the coupling unit, and wherein the output is a differential assembly driven by the ring gear.

17. The power transfer assembly of claim 12 defining a power take-off unit such that the housing is a PTU housing, wherein the ring gear is drivingly connected to the input, and wherein the output is a propshaft drivingly connected to the aluminum flange of the coupling unit.

18. A power transfer assembly for use in a motor vehicle, comprising:
a housing;
a rotary input driven by a powertrain and rotatably supported by the housing;
a rotary output rotatably supported by the housing and driving a pair of wheels;
a hypoid gearset rotatably supported by the housing for transferring drive torque from the input to the output and including a ring gear and an integrated pinion/bearing/coupling (

Assignees

• Magna Powertrain America Inc

Inventors

• Ketchel Bradley
• Smith Wade
• Larson Ralph
• Strand Ryan

Classifications

• B60K17/165 Primary

  provided between independent half axles (B60K17/18, B60K17/20 take precedence) · CPC title

• B60K17/344

  having a transfer gear · CPC title

• F16H48/08

  comprising bevel gears · CPC title

• F16H48/40

  characterised by features of the rotating cases · CPC title

• B60K17/35

  including arrangements for suppressing or influencing the power transfer, e.g. viscous clutches · CPC title