Patent ID: 6752033
Filing Date: 2004-06-22
Classification: F16D,F16H,Y10T

Abstract:
In an automotive gearbox, the improvement comprising:a rotatable shaft assembly including relatively rotatable input and output shafts disposed in end-to-end axial alignment with one another; an input gear on said input shaft and rotatable relative thereto; an output gear on said output shaft and rotatable relative thereto; and a slider assembly carried on the shaft assembly between said gears and shiftable axially relative thereto between direct drive and other than direct drive positions, said slider assembly including a pair of relatively rotatable parts, said input gear having a coaxially disposed socket disposed to telescopically receive one of said parts of the slider assembly as the slider assembly shifts between said direct drive and other than direct drive positions, said input gear and said one part of the slider assembly being in continuous operative engagement with one another in both the direct drive and other than direct drive positions of the slider assembly, said input shaft and said one part of the slider assembly being configured to maintain the one part out of operative engagement with the input shaft when the slider assembly is in said direct drive position whereby to decouple the input gear from the input shaft and permit rotation of the input shaft relative to the input gear, said input shaft, said other part of the slider assembly, and said output shaft being so configured that said other part of the slider assembly is disposed in operative interengagement with the input shaft and the output shaft when the slider assembly is in said direct drive position for transferring driving power from the input shaft directly to the output shaft through said other part of the slider assembly, said input shaft and said one part of the slider assembly further being configured to maintain the one part in operative engagement with the input shaft when the slider assembly is in other than said direct drive position whereby to couple the input gear with the input shaft for rotation of the input gear with the input shaft, said input shaft, said other part of the slider assembly, and said output shaft further being so configured that said other part is out of operative engagement with the input shaft when the slider assembly is in other than said direct drive position.