Vehicle driveline component having spring sets disposed between a housing and a ring gear of a transmission to mitigate noise generated from torque reversal

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11111985-B1
Application number	US-202016842858-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Apr 8, 2020
Priority date	Apr 8, 2020
Publication date	Sep 7, 2021
Grant date	Sep 7, 2021

Abstract

A vehicle driveline component with a housing, a ring gear of a transmission, and a plurality of spring sets. The housing defines a bore and a plurality of grooves that are spaced circumferentially about the bore. The ring gear includes an internally-toothed ring gear body and a plurality of mounting teeth that project radially from the ring gear body. The first mounting teeth are received into the grooves in the housing. Each of the spring sets has a first spring, which is disposed between a first side of an associated one of the mounting teeth and a first wall of an associated one of the grooves into which the associated one of the mounting teeth is received, and a second spring that is disposed between a second side of the associated one of the mounting teeth and a second wall of the associated one of the grooves.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle driveline component comprising:
a housing defining a ring gear bore and a plurality of first grooves, the ring gear bore being disposed about an axis, the first grooves being disposed circumferentially about and intersecting the ring gear bore;
a transmission received in the housing, the transmission having a ring gear with a ring gear body and a plurality of first mounting teeth, the ring gear body defining an internally toothed aperture, the ring gear body being received in the ring gear bore, the first mounting teeth projecting radially from and being circumferentially spaced about the ring gear body, each of the first mounting teeth being received into a corresponding one of the first grooves in the housing; and
a plurality of spring sets, each of the spring sets having a first spring and a second spring, the first spring being disposed between a first side of an associated one of the first mounting teeth and a first wall of an associated one of the first grooves into which the associated one of the first mounting teeth is received, the second spring being disposed between a second side of the associated one of the first mounting teeth and a second wall of the associated one of the first grooves;
wherein the housing defines at least one second groove that intersects the ring gear bore, wherein the ring gear has at least one second mounting tooth that projects radially from the ring gear body, each of the at least one second mounting tooth being received into a corresponding one of the at least one second groove in the housing such that a first side of the at least one second mounting tooth abuts a third wall of the corresponding one of the second groove and a second side of the at least one second mounting tooth abuts a fourth wall of the corresponding one of the second groove.

2. The vehicle driveline component of claim 1 , wherein the first and second springs of each of the spring sets are fixedly coupled to one another.

3. The vehicle driveline component of claim 2 , wherein each spring set is mounted on a corresponding one of the first mounting teeth.

4. The vehicle driveline component of claim 3 , wherein each spring set comprises a joining section, wherein each of the first and second springs is a leaf spring, wherein the joining section spans across an axial end of the corresponding one of the first mounting teeth, wherein a first end of the joining section is fixedly coupled to the first spring, and wherein a second end of the joining section that is opposite the first end is fixedly coupled to the second spring.

5. The vehicle driveline component of claim 4 , wherein the first spring has a first arcuate segment, which contacts the first side of the associated one of the first mounting teeth, and at least one second arcuate segment that contacts the first wall of the associated one of the first grooves.

6. The vehicle driveline component of claim 5 , wherein the first spring includes a single second arcuate segment and wherein the first arcuate segment is disposed between the joining section and the single second arcuate segment.

7. The vehicle driveline component of claim 6 , wherein the second arcuate segment contacts the first wall of the associated one of the first grooves at a location along a length of the first wall that is within 20% of a midpoint of the length of the first wall.

8. The vehicle driveline component of claim 5 , wherein the first spring includes a pair of the second arcuate segments and wherein the first arcuate segment is disposed between the pair of the second arcuate segments.

9. The vehicle driveline component of claim 8 , wherein the first arcuate segment contacts the first side of the associated one of the first mounting teeth at a location along a length of the first side that is within 20% of a midpoint of the length of the first side.

10. The vehicle driveline component of claim 1 , wherein the transmission includes a sun gear, a planet carrier and a plurality of planetary gears, the planet carrier having a plurality of pins, each of the planetary gears being journally supported by one of the pins and being meshingly engaged with the sun gear and the ring gear.

11. The vehicle driveline component of claim 10 , wherein each of the planetary gears has a first planet gear, which is meshingly engaged to the sun gear, and a second planet gear that is meshed with the ring gear and coupled for rotation with the first planet gear.

12. The vehicle driveline component of claim 10 , further comprising a differential assembly and a pair of output shafts, the differential assembly having a differential input member, which is coupled to the planet carrier for rotation therewith, and a differential gearset having a pair of differential output members, the differential gearset receiving rotary power from the differential input member and outputting rotary power to the pair of differential output members, each of the output shafts being coupled for rotation with a corresponding one of the differential output members, wherein one of the output shafts is received coaxially within the sun gear.

13. The vehicle driveline component of claim 12 , wherein the differential gearset comprises a plurality of differential pinions and a pair of side gears, wherein the differential pinions are coupled to the differential input member for rotation therewith about the axis but which are each rotatable relative to the differential input member about a respective differential pinion axis, wherein each of the side gears is meshingly engaged with the differential pinions and either is or drives an associated one of the differential output members.

14. The vehicle driveline component of claim 12 , further comprising an electric motor having a rotor that transmits rotary power to the sun gear.

15. The vehicle driveline component of claim 14 , wherein the one of the output shafts is received coaxially within the rotor.

16. A vehicle driveline component comprising:
a housing defining a ring gear bore, a first groove, and a plurality of second grooves, the ring gear bore being disposed about an axis, the first groove intersecting the ring gear bore, each of the second grooves being disposed circumferentially about and intersecting the ring gear bore;
a transmission received in the housing, the transmission having a ring gear with a ring gear body, a first mounting tooth, and a plurality of second mounting teeth, the ring gear body defining an internally toothed aperture, the ring gear body being received in the ring gear bore, the first mounting tooth projecting radially from and being received into the first groove in the housing, each of the second mounting teeth projecting radially from and being circumferentially spaced about the ring gear body, each of the second mounting teeth being received into a corresponding one of the second grooves in the housing such that a first flank of each of the second mounting teeth abuts a first wall of an associated one of the second grooves and a second flank of each of the second mounting teeth abuts a second wall of the associated one of the second grooves; and
a spring set having a first spring and a second spring, the first spring being disposed between a first side of the first mounting tooth and a first wall of the first groove, the second spring being disposed between a second side of the first mounting tooth and a second wall of the first groove.

17. The vehicle driveline component of claim 16 , wherein the first and second springs are fixedly coupled to one another.

18. The vehicle driveli

Assignees

• Borgwarner Inc

Inventors

• Francis Philip J
• Reeves Branden L
• Keller Robert
• Mohan Stephen A

Classifications

• B60K17/16

  of differential gearing · CPC title

• B60K17/02

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

• F16H57/0006

  Vibration-damping or noise reducing means specially adapted for gearings (devices for varying tension of belts, ropes or chains with damping means F16H7/0829; toothed members with construction providing vibration damping F16H55/14; reducing vibrations or noise of the gearbox casing F16H57/028; suppression of vibrations or noise of gear selectors F16H59/0208; control of hydrostatic fluid gearing preventing or reducing vibrations or noise F16H61/4183) · CPC title

• F16H37/0813

  with only one input shaft · CPC title

• F16H1/2863 Primary

  Arrangements for adjusting or for taking-up backlash · CPC title