Patent ID: 11892067
Assignee: POLARIS INDUSTRIES INC.
Field: Mechanical elements (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC F | IPC F

Claim 10:
11. A mechanical differential assembly for a wheeled vehicle, comprising:
a housing having an interior surface;
a pinion gear operable to both rotate relative to the interior surface of the housing and be fixed relative to the interior surface of the housing;
a clutch portion fixed to the pinion gear; and
wherein the clutch portion is configured to engage and lock the pinion gear to the housing when the mechanical differential assembly is in a locked configuration;
wherein the clutch portion is a cap extending a distance from a toothed portion of the pinion gear;
wherein a cap interior surface of the cap extends away from the toothed portion;
wherein the cap interior surface forms a variable radius and forms a changing pressure angle relative to a locking member;
wherein the cap interior surface reduces the pressure angle as the cap and the locking member move closer together, such that a curve of the cap interior surface decreases the pressure angle as the cap moves toward the locking member.