Patent Application
20250122005
The present disclosure relates to a shipping cover assembly for a transmission housing and to a shipping assembly including a transmission housing and said shipping cover assembly.
Typically, a transmission housing, for example a housing of a transmission for an automotive vehicle, forms or includes a cavity inside of which a plurality of shafts and gears may be mounted. However, when shipping the transmission, the transmission housing and the gears to be assembled inside the transmission housing are usually shipped separately. This may entail additional logistical effort both on the part of the sender and on the part of the recipient, thereby increasing overall production costs.
Thus, there is demand for means which decrease the overall cost of production of a transmission.
This demand is met by a shipping cover assembly for a transmission housing, and by a shipping assembly including said shipping cover assembly according to the present disclosure.
The presently proposed shipping cover assembly for a transmission housing comprises:
For example, when shipping a transmission housing covered by the cover portion of the shipping cover assembly, a gear may be placed on the stub shaft portion so that the transmission housing and the gear placed on the stub shaft portion may be shipped together, thereby reducing logistical complexity and overall costs. Typically, during shipment of the transmission housing the cover portion covers an opening of a cavity formed or included in the transmission housing, wherein the inner side of the cover portion faces the cavity. The fact that the stub shaft portion protrudes from the inner side of the cover portion may then allow the gear to be placed inside the cavity of the transmission housing during shipment so that the gear may be protected by the transmission housing. Further, placing the gear on the stub shaft portion and inside the cavity during shipment does not require additional space for storing the gear.
The cover portion and the stub shaft portion may be formed in one piece. For example, the cover portion and the stub shaft portion may be formed by moulding or casting, such as by using a single mould or cast. However, it is understood that in some embodiments the cover portion and the stub shaft portion may be configured as separate pieces which are connected to one another. In some embodiments, the cover portion and the stub shaft portion may be bonded to one another, for example by adhesive bonding or by welding. Additionally or alternatively, the cover portion and the stub shaft portion may be connected to one another by connecting members such as screws, rivets or bolts.
One or both of the cover portion and the stub shaft portion may be made of a plastic material. However, it is understood that, alternatively, one or both of the cover portion and the stub shaft portion may be made of other materials such as metal.
The stub shaft portion may include or form a receptacle for detachably receiving a fastening member therein, such as a screw, a rivet or a bolt. In this way, a gear may be detachably fastened or secured on the stub shaft portion using the fastening member. It is understood that in some embodiments the shipping cover assembly may include another mechanism for fastening or securing a gear on the stub shaft portion, for example a clamp, a quick release, or a latching mechanism.
The shipping cover assembly may further comprise a sealing member disposed on the inner side of the cover portion. The sealing member may extend circumferentially around the cover portion. More specifically, the sealing member may extend circumferentially at or near a rim or edge of the cover portion. For instance, the sealing member may be injection-moulded on or glued to the inner side of the cover portion.
The cover portion may comprise a flange portion. The sealing member may then be disposed on the inner side of the flange portion of the cover portion.
The cover portion may include a fitting portion configured to be received in an opening of a transmission housing, for example in a positive fit. The flange portion may protrude outwardly from the fitting portion at a right angle.
The cover portion may include a tapered portion connected to the stub shaft portion. For example, the tapered portion may connect the stub shaft portion to the fitting portion of the cover portion. Connecting the stub shaft portion to a tapered portion of the cover portion may grant the stub shaft portion a high degree of stability.
The cover portion may feature or include a plurality of through holes for receiving connecting members configured to connect the cover portion to a transmission housing. For example, the plurality of through holes may be disposed in the flange portion of the cover portion.
The presently proposed shipping assembly comprises:
The shipping assembly may further comprise a fastening member such as a screw, a rivet or a bolt detachably received in the above-described receptacle formed by the stub shaft portion. For example, the fastening member may be configured to fix or secure the gear on the stub shaft portion.
The above-described sealing member disposed on the inner side of the cover portion may be in sealing contact with a sealing face of the transmission housing. The sealing face of the transmission housing may extend circumferentially around an opening of the open cavity of the transmission housing. For example, the above-described flange portion of the cover portion and the sealing face of the transmission housing may be arranged in parallel.
The shipping assembly may further comprise a plurality of connecting members connecting the shipping cover assembly to the transmission housing. For example, the connecting members may press the cover portion or, more specifically, the flange portion of the cover portion of the shipping cover assembly against the sealing face of the transmission housing. In this way, the flange portion of the cover portion may form a mechanical stop which limits movement of the cover portion relative to the transmission housing.
The cover portion of the shipping cover assembly, for example the above-described fitting portion of the cover portion, may be received or may be configured to be received in an opening of the open cavity of the transmission housing in a form-fit or positive fit.
Embodiments of the presently proposed shipping assembly and shipping cover assembly are depicted in the figures and are described in the following detailed description.
In the specific embodiment depicted in the figures, the transmission housing 200 comprises a first housing portion 201 and a second housing portion 202. The housing portions 201, 202 may be connected by connecting elements 204 such as screws, rivets or bolts. It is understood that in other embodiments not depicted here, the transmission housing 200 may be formed as a single piece or that the transmission housing 200 may include more than two separate pieces. Here, the second housing portion 202 is further formed in one piece with an axle housing 203. The transmission housing 200 may include or may be made of metal such as cast iron or aluminium, for example. In the embodiment depicted in
The shipping cover assembly 300 comprises a cover portion 310 and a stub shaft portion 320. An inner side 311 of the cover portion 310 faces the transmission housing 200 and the open cavity 205. An outer side 312 of the cover portion 310 faces away from the transmission housing 200 and from the open cavity 205. In the embodiment depicted in the figures, the shipping cover assembly 300 further comprises a lid 316 disposed on the outer side 312 of the cover portion 310. The shipping cover assembly 300, or, more specifically, the cover portion 310 closes or is configured to close the open cavity 205 of the transmission housing 200. The stub shaft portion 320 protrudes from the inner side 311 of the cover portion 310 and into the open cavity 205 of the transmission housing 200. In other words, when the shipping cover assembly 300 is mounted on the transmission housing 200, as shown in
As can best be seen in
As can be seen in
The shipping assembly 100 further includes connecting members 400 connecting or configured to connect the shipping cover assembly 300 or, more specifically, the cover portion 310 to the transmission housing 200 when the cover portion 310 is fully inserted into the open cavity 205 of the transmission housing 200, as shown in the figures. As can best be seen in
The tapered portion 315 of the cover portion 310 extends or protrudes from the fitting portion 314 along the z-axis 22 and away from the flange portion 313. A diameter or a maximum diameter of the tapered portion 315 in the x-y-plane descreases along the z-axis 22 and toward the stub shaft portion 320. The flange portion 313 is connected to the tapered portion 315 via the fitting portion 314. The end face 315a of the tapered portion 315 extends in parallel to the flange portion 313, i. e. in parallel to the x-y-plane.
The stub shaft portion 320 extends along the z-axis 22, i. e. at a right angle with respect to the flange portion 313 and the end face 315a of the tapered portion 315. The stub shaft portion 320 has a cylindrical or an essentially cylindrical outer surface 321. In the embodiment depicted in the figures, a maximum diameter 315b of the end face 315a of the tapered portion 315 in the x-y-plane, i. e. in parallel to the flange portion 313, is larger than a diameter or a maximum diameter of the stub shaft portion 320 parallel to the x-y-plane. In this way, the tapered portion 315 or the end face 315a of the tapered portion 315 forms a mechanical stop for the first gear 1 when the first gear 1 is received on the stub shaft portion 320, as shown in
In the embodiment depicted in the figures, the cover portion 310 and the stub shaft portion 320 are formed in one piece. Both the cover portion 310 and the stub shaft portion 320 may be made of a plastic material. For instance, the cover portion 310 and the stub shaft portion 320 may be formed in a moulding process. For example, the cover portion 310 and the stub shaft portion 320 may be formed in the same mould. Alternatively, it is conceivable that both the cover portion 310 and the stub shaft portion 320 include or are made of a metal. The cover portion 310 and the stub shaft portion 320 may be formed in a casting process. For example, the cover portion 310 and the stub shaft portion 320 may be formed in the same cast. However, it is understood that in some embodiments the cover portion 310 and the stub shaft portion 320 may be configured as separate pieces which are connected or bonded to one another. For example, in some embodiments the cover portion 310 and the stub shaft portion 320 may be connected by connecting elements such as screws, rivets, or bolts. Additionally or alternatively, the cover portion 310 and the stub shaft portion 320 may be bonded to one another, for example by welding. It is further understood that in some embodiments the cover portion 310 and the stub shaft portion 320 may be made of different materials. For instance, the cover portion 310 and the stub shaft portion 320 may be made of plastic and metal, respectively, or vice versa.
The first gear 1 is received and mounted on the stub shaft portion 320. It may be envisaged that in an assembled state of the transmission including the transmission housing 200 and the first gear 1, the first gear 1 is disposed or mounted inside the open cavity 205 of the transmission housing 200. The first gear 1 includes or forms an opening or through hole 1a which allows the first gear 1 to be slid on the stub shaft portion 320. Both the first gear 1 and the trough hole 1a are arranged symmetrically with respect to the rotation axis 1b of the first gear 1.
In
The shipping assembly 100 further includes a fastening member 500 which is detachably received or configured to be detachably received in a receptacle 321 formed by the stub shaft portion 320 to secure the first gear 1 on the stub shaft portion 320 when the first gear 1 is mounted or received on the stub shaft portion 320, as shown in
An embodiment of the shipping cover assembly 300 depicting some details of the stub shaft portion 320 and the receptacle 321 formed by the stub shaft portion 320 is shown in
The fact that the first gear 1 is mounted on the shipping cover assembly 300, or, more specifically, on the stub shaft portion 320, allows the shipping assembly 1 including the transmission housing 200 and the first gear 1 to be shipped and/or stored in a single package or as a single unit. Also, it may facilitate assembly of a transmission including the transmission housing 200 and the first gear 1.
In the embodiment depicted in the figures, the shipping cover assembly 300 further includes a sealing member 330. The sealing member 330 is disposed on the inner side 311 of the cover portion 310. More specifically, the sealing member 330 is disposed on the inner side 311 of the flange portion 313 of the cover portion 310. The sealing member 330 extends in parallel to the flange portion 313. The sealing member 330 extends circumferentially around the cover portion 310 or, more specifically, around the fitting portion 314 of the cover portion 310. In this way, when the cover portion 310 is received in or fully inserted into the open cavity 205 of the transmission housing, as shown for example in
When the cover portion 310 is fully inserted into the open cavity 205 of the transmission housing 200 and the connecting members 400 secure the shipping cover assembly 300 to the transmission housing 200, as shown in
For example, the sealing member 313 and the sealing face 208 formed on the rim portion 207 enclosing the opening 206 of the open cavity 205 may be configured to provide an air tight seal between the shipping cover assembly 300 and the transmission housing 200. In this way, no air or other fluids may escape from the transmission housing 200 through the opening 206 when the shipping cover assembly 300 closes the opening 206. For instance, this may allow performing a leakage test during end-of-line testing of the transmission housing 200. In this case, no further tools are required to seal the transmission housing 200 for the leakage test.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 2023 105 896.5 | Oct 2023 | DE | national |
The present application claims priority to German Utility Model Application No. 20 2023 105 896.5, entitled “SHIPPING COVER ASSEMBLY FOR A TRANSMISSION HOUSING”, filed Oct. 12, 2023. The entire contents of the above-identified application is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes.
