This application relates to power distribution assemblies in general, and more specifically to power distribution assemblies useful for powering independent, variable drive transmissions and an auxiliary function.
A power distribution assembly having a T-box output configuration and a power take off is disclosed herein. The power distribution assembly is integrated into the lower engine housing of an internal combustion engine to be driven by the engine crankshaft. Such an arrangement eliminates the need for a separate housing for the power distribution assembly, creating a more compact envelope for vehicle integration.
A power distribution assembly in accordance with the principles of the invention(s) disclosed herein may have a power take off with a manual clutch/brake assembly. In another embodiment, the power take off can be controlled by an electric clutch/brake assembly external to the lower engine housing. In still another embodiment, the power take off may have an electric clutch disposed internal to the lower engine housing. Other embodiments illustrate a power distribution system having a hydraulic clutch/brake assembly and the use of a second clutch to selectively engage the output of the power distribution assembly. It should be understood that references herein to the principles of the invention should be read broadly and in light of the complete disclosure in this specification and accompanying drawings, and that multiple inventions may be disclosed herein.
The description that follows describes, illustrates and exemplifies one or more embodiments of the present invention in accordance with its principles. This description is not provided to limit the invention to the embodiments described herein, but rather to explain and teach the principles of the invention in order to enable one of ordinary skill in the art to understand these principles and, with that understanding, be able to apply them to practice not only the embodiments described herein, but also other embodiments that may come to mind in accordance with these principles. The scope of the present invention is intended to cover all such embodiments that may fall within the scope of the appended claims, either literally or under the doctrine of equivalents.
It should be noted that in the description and drawings, like or substantially similar elements may be labeled with the same reference numerals or serial numerals. However, sometimes these elements may be labeled with differing numbers, such as, for example, in cases where such labeling facilitates a more clear description. Additionally, the drawings set forth herein are not necessarily drawn to scale, and in some instances proportions may have been exaggerated to more clearly depict certain features. Such labeling and drawing practices do not necessarily implicate an underlying substantive purpose. As stated above, the present specification is intended to be taken as a whole and interpreted in accordance with the principles of the present invention as taught herein and understood by one of ordinary skill in the art.
The T-box 128 of power distribution assembly 110 may drive a pair of variable drive transmissions 103a, 103b via output shafts 133a, 133b respectively. Transmissions 103a, 103b may independently power the drive wheels 108 of a utility vehicle, e.g. the zero-turn mower 101 depicted in
Power distribution assembly 110 may also drive an auxiliary function, e.g. the mowing deck 104 of zero-turn mower 101, via the output shaft 142 of power take off 140. A belt and pulley system may be engaged to output shaft 142 to power the auxiliary function. In
Internal combustion engine 105 comprises an upper engine housing 118 joined to lower engine housing 111 to form a sump 160. The engine housings 118, 111 may be sealed in a known manner, such as the use of a gasket or liquid sealant. Crankshaft 121 extends through an opening in bridge plate 112 and has splines 121a to mesh with transmission gear 122 and outer clutch plate carrier 141d. Bridge plate 112 is attached by fasteners 113 to lower engine housing 111 to secure the components of power take off 140, and in the embodiment depicted herein the drive train, as described herein, and power take off 140 are disposed entirely within the envelope formed by the lower engine housing 111. Bridge plate 112 has a bearing surface 112a which journals crankshaft 121. It should be noted that crankshaft 121 is also rotationally supported by bushing 107 located interior to power take off output shaft 142, which in turn is supported by a bearing 166 in lower engine housing 111. Seal 167 contacts engine housing 111 and power take off output shaft 142 to retain engine oil in sump 160. Crankshaft 121 has oil groove 121b to permit lubrication of crankshaft 121. As shown in
Crankshaft 121 powers transmission gear 122 which drives combination gear 129 to act as a drive train. Combination gear 129 is splined to, and rotates with, an intermediate or jack shaft 124. Combination gear 129 has both a spur gear form and a bevel gear form. It should be understood that individual spur and bevel gears could in the alternative be affixed to jack shaft 124. Jack shaft 124 is rotationally supported by ball bearing 127 located in bridge plate 112 and lower engine housing 111. The bevel gear form 129a of combination gear 129 engages bevel gears 132a, 132b which are splined to output shafts 133a, 133b respectively. This bevel gear and output shaft structure, in which output shafts 133a, 133b are collinear and rotate on an axis that is generally perpendicular to the axis of rotation of crankshaft 121, forms T-box 128. The output shafts 133a, 133b rotate in opposite senses and are rotationally supported by engine housing 111 and ball bearings 178, which are retained by retaining rings 168. It will be understood that a single bevel gear and output shaft combination may be used to drive both the left and right side variable drive transmissions in the same rotational sense. Each output shaft 133a, 133b is sealed by a shaft seal 177 to retain the oil contained in sump 160, and each has a distal end extending external to engine housing 111 and a proximal end disposed internal to engine housing 111.
The output shafts 133a, 133b are illustrated with splined female ends, but could alternatively be formed with male ends. The input shafts 162a, 162b of the variable drive transmissions 103a, 103b driven by power distribution assembly 110 may be flexibly joined to output shafts 133a, 133b through the mating of coarse toothed shaft ends, male and female, wherein the male shaft end has a rounded or tapered profile. Such a flexible joint negates the effect of vehicle frame flexion on the drive system. It should be understood that other flexible joints known in the art, such as universal or Cardan joints, are contemplated within the scope of the invention. Regardless of joint configuration, power distribution assembly 110 can accommodate a variety of drive mechanisms in “plug-and-play” fashion provided the appropriate input shaft is selected. Additionally, the length of the corresponding input shafts can be varied to accommodate differences in vehicle frame widths.
As best illustrated in
In particular, washer 148d pushes upward against thrust bearing 187b which also lies concentric about power take off output shaft 142. Inner clutch plate carrier 141e, having a flange 141f which engages the brake plates 164 (under influence of spring 143a) and the clutch plates 147 (under influence of clutch actuation fork 148c), is situated on thrust bearing 187b. Inner clutch plate carrier 141e is also slidably engaged to an outer gear form on power take off output shaft 142 via a corresponding gear form on the inner diameter of inner clutch plate carrier 141e. Clutch plate engagement features 141c and brake plate engagement features 111a properly locate clutch plates 147 and brake plates 164, respectively, in their stacks. The upward movement of thrust bearing 187b acts to push inner clutch plate carrier 141e upward against lower spring assembly washer 143c, compressing spring 143a against upper spring assembly washer 143b and thrust bearing 187a. The components of spring assembly 143 and thrust bearing 187a lie concentric to crankshaft 121 and are trapped between outer clutch plate carrier 141d and power take off output shaft 142. As a result, crankshaft 121 and power take off output shaft 142 rotate as a unit to drive an output device such as pulley 149, which is retained on power take off output shaft 142 by a washer 173 and fastener 174. Pulley 149 may be used to drive auxiliary devices such as the mowing deck 104 of zero-turn mower 101, or the auger of a snow thrower (not shown). While the inclusion of a brake on the power take off mechanism has safety advantages for the vehicle operator, such as reducing the stopping time of mowing blades 119 on mowing deck 104, it is to be understood that the invention contemplates a power take off mechanism having a clutch alone.
Rotational support for crankshaft 221 is provided by a bearing surface 212a on bridge plate 212 that journals the crankshaft 221, and a bearing 266 located at the base of lower engine housing 211. A shaft seal 267 directly engages crankshaft 221 adjacent bearing 266 to prevent leakage of oil from sump 260. The structure and function of the crankshaft's splines 221a and oil groove 221b are identical to that described for power distribution assembly 110. Similarly, the structure and function of T-box 228 is identical to that of T-box 128, while the structure and function of oil pump 217 is identical to that oil pump 117. Thus, power distribution assembly 210 will not be described further herein.
Oil pump 417 supplies hydraulic fluid from sump 460 to fluid passage 411c, which is in fluid communication with an accumulator 451, a clutch actuation valve 453, and an oil filter (not shown) through which hydraulic fluid passes prior to lubricating crankshaft 421. Accumulator 451 acts as a source of reserve fluid for clutch/brake assembly 440 and also serves to dampen the effect of actuating clutch/brake assembly 440; assuring that an adequate volume of hydraulic fluid is available to supply clutch/brake assembly 440 without reducing the availability of hydraulic fluid for lubrication purposes. This reduces wear on the components of clutch/brake assembly 440 and crankshaft 421, while smoothing out the operation of the power take off assembly. Accumulator 451 is located in an accumulation chamber 411e sealed with a treaded plug 439 external to lower engine housing 411. Accumulator 451, which comprises a piston 451a, o-ring 451b, and spring 451c, reacts to changing hydraulic fluid volumes in fluid passage 411c. An equilibration passage 463 is provided to allow free movement of piston 451a, permitting fluid or air trapped behind piston 451a to pass through to sump 460.
Clutch actuation valve 453, depicted herein as an electro-mechanical solenoid valve, is under operator control and permits pressurized hydraulic fluid from fluid passage 411c to actuate hydraulic clutch/brake assembly 440 when opened. It should be noted that other valve types, such as a manually actuated valve, are also contemplated within the scope of the invention. Actuation of valve 453 permits pressurized hydraulic fluid to flow through tube 457 into an inlet oil groove 421c formed in crankshaft 421. As shown in
In the absence of pressurized fluid, clutch spring 443 acts against piston 446 to force a plurality of pins 445 into contact with piston 446, thereby compressing brake disks 464 into frictional engagement with each other, arresting any rotation of combination clutch cage and output shaft 444. One set of the brake disks 464 is fixed to lower engine housing 411, and the intervening set of brake disks 464 is fixed to combination clutch cage and output shaft 444 by a gear form native to combination clutch cage and output shaft 444. As pressurized fluid fills volume 414, piston 446 acts against and overcomes the spring force of clutch spring 443. Consequently, pins 445 no longer act to compress brake disks 464 into frictional engagement, permitting combination clutch cage and output shaft 444 to rotate freely. As pressurized fluid continues to fill volume 414, piston 446 begins to act against clutch plates 447, compressing the clutch plates 447 into frictional engagement. The stack-up of clutch plates 447 consists of one set that is captured by a gear form (not shown) native to the combination clutch cage and output shaft 444 and an interwoven set that is captured by a gear form native to transmission gear 422, turning continuously therewith. The movement of the clutch plates 447 are restricted vertically by retaining ring 456, permitting frictional engagement to occur. As the engagement of the clutch plates 447 reaches maximum effect, with transmission gear 422 being splined to crankshaft 421, the rotation of crankshaft 421 is imparted to combination clutch cage and output shaft 444. A bearing 466 rotationally supports combination clutch cage and output shaft 444 in lower engine housing 411, while a shaft seal 467 acts directly on combination clutch cage and output shaft 444 to prevent the loss of hydraulic fluid from sump 460. As with the other embodiments described herein, a pulley 449 may be fixed to combination clutch cage and output shaft 444 by a washer 473 and fastener 474 to selectively drive an implement (not shown) by means of a drive belt (not shown).
When valve 453 is closed, the flow of pressurized hydraulic fluid to the clutch is curtailed and the fluid accumulated in volume 414 returns to sump 460 through various spaces associated with component tolerances. As a result, the brake arrests movement of combination clutch cage and output shaft 444 as described above. A bushing 407 rotationally supports the lower end of crankshaft 421 in combination clutch cage and output shaft 444.
Crankshaft 421 has oil groove 421b formed therein to permit lubrication of crankshaft 421. As shown in
Transmission gear 523 is rotatably supported on jack shaft 524 and constantly rotates based on its toothed engagement to transmission gear 522, provided crankshaft 521 is under power. Transmission gear 523 has a gear form used to capture a first set of the clutch plates 547a which constantly rotate with transmission gear 523. A second, interlaced set of the clutch plates 547a is captured by a gear form on combination (bevel) gear/cage 570. Combination gear/cage 570 is rotationally supported on jack shaft 524 by a bushing or bearing 509. A clutch spring 543a biases piston 546a away from engagement with the stack-up of clutch plates 547a. In this non-engaged state, combination gear/cage 570 does not provide a driving force to a corresponding bevel gear 532 fixed to output shaft 533.
Clutch actuation valve 553a, depicted herein as an electro-mechanical solenoid valve, is under operator control and permits pressurized hydraulic fluid flowing from fluid passage 511c through tube 558a to actuate hydraulic clutch assembly 540a when opened. As one of skill in the art will appreciate, the electro-mechanical solenoid valve 553a depicted herein is representative only, and can be one of several types of valves, including without limitation a manually actuated valve. Valve 553a is disposed in a mounting adapter 555 to ease assembly, the mounting adapter 555 capturing an end of tube 558a upon installation. Mounting adapter 555 eliminates the need for a separate mounting boss to be formed in lower engine housing 511 to accommodate valve 553a. Actuation of valve 553a permits pressurized hydraulic fluid to flow through tube 558b and into fluid passage 524c, which extends vertically through jack shaft 524. It should be noted that as compared to jack shaft 424, the width of jack shaft 524 has been enlarged to accommodate fluid passage 524c. As shown in
The flow of pressurized hydraulic fluid to volume 514a counteracts the spring force of clutch spring 543a to force piston 546a against a plurality of clutch plates 547a. The frictional engagement of the clutch plates 547a thereby attained places combination gear/cage 570 into synchronous rotation with transmission gear 523 about jack shaft 524. Bevel gear 532, which is rotationally mated to combination gear/cage 570, then drives output shaft 533. When valve 553a is closed, the flow of pressurized hydraulic fluid to the clutch assembly 540a is curtailed and the fluid accumulated in volume 514a returns to sump 560 through various spaces associated with component tolerances. As a result, the powered rotation of output shaft 533 is ceased. The multiple embodiments of the power distribution assemblies 210, 310, 410 and 510 could also be used in place of power distribution assembly 110 in
While specific embodiments have been described in detail, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications and alternatives to those presented herein could be developed in light of the overall teachings of the disclosure. Accordingly, the particular arrangements disclosed are meant to be illustrative only and not limiting as to the scope of the invention which is to be given the full breadth of the appended claims and any equivalent thereof.
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/911,690, filed Jun. 6, 2013, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,221,336, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/793,984, filed Mar. 11, 2013, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 13/675,637, filed Nov. 13, 2012, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent App. No. 61/559,620 filed on Nov. 14, 2011. These prior applications are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
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Child | 14978342 | US | |
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Parent | 13675637 | Nov 2012 | US |
Child | 13793984 | US |