Patent ID: 6368242
Filing Date: 2002-04-09
Classification: F16B,F16H,Y10T

Abstract:
A motor vehicle differential assembly comprised of:an outer differential carrier; a differential cover affixed to said outer differential carrier; a differential case enclosed by said outer differential carrier and said differential cover; a ring gear situated proximate to an interior wall of said differential case and secured to said wall by a fastening means; a pinion gear also located in said differential case and oriented at a right angle to said ring gear and mechanically engaging the teeth of said ring gear; a pinion shaft situated in said differential case such that one of its ends is proximate to said pinion gear and the other of its ends is directed towards said differential cover; a pair of differential pinion gears positioned in parallel fashion on opposing end regions of said pinion shaft by means of a central bore provided through each of said differential pinion gears and oriented such that the teeth bearing surfaces of said pinion gears are faced toward the central region of said pinion shaft; a pair of side gears positioned parallel to one another and perpendicularly to said pair of pinion gears, and further positioned so that the teeth bearing surfaces of said side gears are faced toward one another and are mechanically engaged with said pair of pinion gears at diametrically opposed portions of the teeth bearing surfaces of said side gears; a pair of drive axles received by said differential carrier and said differential case and having end portions provided with a plurality of radially projecting splines and an arcuate groove extending about a circumference of each of said drive axles, said end portions being received by a central bore provided through each of said side gears, said central bore having a plurality of splines provided about its inside surface, which are engaged by said plurality of radially extending splines provided on said end portion, and said central bore further having a rounded abutment surface situated in the end of said central bore that is closest to said pinion shaft and communicating with said arcuate groove in said end portions of said pair of drive axles; and a pair of retaining elements disposed within said arcuate groove and contacting said rounded abutment surface.