Source: http://www.google.com/patents/US7596946?dq=U.S.+Patent+
Timestamp: 2016-02-08 22:16:53
Document Index: 580021943

Matched Legal Cases: ['application No. 11', 'application No. 10', 'application No. 10', 'application No. 10', 'application No. 09', 'application No. 09', 'application No. 09']

Patent US7596946 - Axle driving apparatus - Google PatentsSearch Images Maps Play YouTube News Gmail Drive More »Sign inPatentsAn axle driving apparatus for being mounted on the body frame of a vehicle and for independently rotating drive wheel members. The axle driving apparatus includes a first axle driving unit (18L) having a housing (40) and a single axle (20L), the single axle (20L) defining a proximal end portion rotatably...http://www.google.com/patents/US7596946?utm_source=gb-gplus-sharePatent US7596946 - Axle driving apparatusAdvanced Patent SearchPublication numberUS7596946 B2Publication typeGrantApplication numberUS 11/675,193Publication dateOct 6, 2009Filing dateFeb 15, 2007Priority dateOct 27, 1995Fee statusPaidAlso published asUS6125630, US6550242, US6571555, US6705080, US7121093, US7430862, US7448209, US7484364, US7493758, US7500362, US7536858, US7546731, US8046992, US8479503, US20010001922, US20020116922, US20030167764, US20040154296, US20060288697, US20070084203, US20070130939, US20070130940, US20070137194, US20070144167, US20070144168, US20070163254, US20090193803, US20110284310Publication number11675193, 675193, US 7596946 B2, US 7596946B2, US-B2-7596946, US7596946 B2, US7596946B2InventorsRobert Abend, Norihiro Ishii, Ryota OhashiOriginal AssigneeKanzaki Kokyukoki Mfg. Co., Ltd.Export CitationBiBTeX, EndNote, RefManPatent Citations (44), Referenced by (1), Classifications (17), Legal Events (1) External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, EspacenetAxle driving apparatus
US 7596946 B2Abstract
a prime mover having a vertical output shaft;
a transaxle drivingly coupled to the output shaft of the prime mover through a belt and pulley combination, wherein the transaxle includes,
a first integrated hydrostatic transmission disposed in a first housing; and
a second integrated hydrostatic transmission disposed in a second housing and aligned side-by-side with the first integrated hydrostatic transmission;
wherein each integrated hydrostatic transmission includes,
an input shaft extending from an upper surface of the housing and drivingly coupled to the output shaft of the prime mover through an input pulley mounted on an end of the input shaft,
a cooling fan mounted on the input shaft proximate to the input pulley, and
a hydrostatic transmission, including a pump and a motor, drivingly coupled to the input shaft and drivingly coupled to an axle which projects from a side surface of the housing;
wherein the housing of each integrated hydrostatic transmission is longer than it is wide, wherein the length of each housing extends in the direction between the pump and the axle, and the width of each housing extends in a direction parallel to the axle, and wherein the pump, motor, and axle are aligned respectively so that the pump is nearest a rear end of the vehicle and the axle is nearest a front end of the vehicle, and wherein the housing forms an oil sump having a reservoir for accommodating the expansion of oil;
a pair of driven wheels, each coupled to and driven by one of the integrated hydrostatic transmissions; and
a speed control arm coupled to and laterally extended from each integrated hydrostatic transmission to control the direction and speed of the driven wheels, each speed control arm having a rotational axis running parallel to a rotational axis of the axle of each integrated hydrostatic transmission;
wherein the output shaft of the prime mover is disposed approximately in a lateral center of the vehicle and forms a triangular arrangement with the input shafts of the integrated hydrostatic transmissions.
2. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein a distance between the speed control arm of the first integrated hydrostatic transmission and the axle of the first integrated hydrostatic transmission is approximately equal to a distance between the speed control arm of the second integrated hydrostatic transmission and the axle of the second integrated hydrostatic transmission.
3. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the housing of each integrated hydrostatic transmission further comprises a mounting boss for fixing the housing to a frame of the vehicle.
4. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein the first and second integrated hydrostatic transmission are coupled to each other via a coupling mechanism.
5. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein each hydrostatic transmission of each integrated hydrostatic transmission includes a bypass mechanism allowing each axle to be in a free-wheel state.
6. The vehicle of claim 1, further comprising a mower unit drivingly coupled to the output shaft of the prime mover through a belt and pulley combination.
7. The vehicle of claim 1, wherein a rotational axis of the motor is parallel to a rotational axis of the axle and perpendicular to a rotational axis of the pump. Description
This application is a divisional of U.S. application No. 11/463,696, filed Aug. 10, 2006, which is a continuation of U.S. application No. 10/770,012, filed Feb. 3, 2004; which is a continuation of U.S. application No. 10/406,267, filed Apr. 4, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,705,080, issued Mar. 16, 2004; which is a continuation of U.S. application No. 10/128,457, filed Apr. 24, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,571,555, issued Jun. 3, 2003; which is a continuation of U.S. application No. 09/737,567, filed Dec. 18, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,550,242, issued Apr. 22, 2003; which is a continuation of U.S. application No. 09/531,174, filed Mar. 20, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,385,971, issued May 14, 2002; which is a continuation of U.S. application No. 09/051,032, filed Mar. 31, 1998, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,125,630, issued Oct. 3, 2000; which is a National Stage of GC application No.PCT/US95/13854, filed Oct. 27, 1995. The disclosures of the above-referenced applications are incorporated herein in their entirety by reference thereto.
Axle driving units incorporating hydraulic stepless transmissions have been used to drive the axles of self-propelled vehicles for many years. Generally such units include a hydraulic pump driven by an input shaft and a hydraulic motor having an output shaft drivingly connected through a differential to a pair of oppositely disposed axles. An example of such a unit is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,914,907. However, certain self-propelled vehicles perform tasks which require tight turning capabilities and conventional hydraulic transmissions which drive a pair of axles through a differential gear assembly are not particularly suited for such purposes. Instead, vehicles have been provided with axles which are independently driven by separate axle drive units such that turns are accomplished by rotating drive wheels on opposite sides of the vehicle at different speeds and/or in different directions. Further, certain such axle driving units for independently driving single axle have incorporated hydraulic transmissions. However, such axle driving units have required housings which are of substantial height and substantial width in order to accommodate the hydraulic pump and motor and the other necessary components. Accordingly, vehicles have required large body frames in order to accommodate two such axle driving units in a side-by-side disposition, thus ruling out use of the units on many small vehicles. Further, even where a large body frame is provided, the center of gravity of the vehicle tends to be higher than is desirable for good roadability due to the height of the axle driving units and the need to dispose the prime mover of the vehicle in an elevated position to efficiently drive the units. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,127,215 a dual hydrostatic drive walk-behind mower is disclosed, but it can be readily seen that the axle driving units of this knower require substantial vertical and lateral space such that a large body frame is required. It will also be noted that due to the height of the transmission housings, the engine must be disposed in an elevated position which results in the vehicle having an undesirably high center of gravity. Moreover, multiple driving belts are required to drive the input shafts of the axle driving units. (See also, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,809,796 and 5,078,222). In U.S. Pat. No. 4,819,508, a transmission system for working vehicles is disclosed which partially solves the problem of an undesirable center of gravity by reorienting the engine such that the crank shaft is horizontally disposed. However, the axle driving mechanism still occupies substantial vertical space on the body frame, making the center of gravity undesirably high. Further, reorientation of the engine complicates the drive belt systems for driving both the axle driving units and the mower blades.
As shown in FIGS. 5, 9, and 10, a pair of kidney-shaped ports 78A and 78B is open on pump mounting face 51 of the center section 48 to take in or discharge oil in cylinder block 59. Further, a pair of kidney-shaped ports 79A and 79B is open on motor mounting face 54 to take in or discharge oil in cylinder block 69. In order to establish fluid communication between the port 78A and the port 79A, a first oil passage 80A is provided in the center section 48, and in order to establish fluid communication between the port 78B and the port 79B, a second oil passage 80B is provided in the center section 48. Accordingly, a closed circuit is defined to circulate the operating oil between the hydraulic pump and hydraulic motor. It will also be noted that a check valve means is provided which includes a check valve (not shown) disposed in each of the passages 80A and 80D. The check valve means selectively places the passages 80A and 80B in fluid communication with each other, thereby enabling the hydraulic motor to idle. A push rod 81 which projects from the upper half housing 40U is provided for manually actuating the check valves.
As illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 9, the motor shaft 74 is disposed in parallel to the axle 20L, which simplifies the transmission of drive force from the motor shaft 74 to the axle 20L. In this regard, in order to communicate the rotation of the motor shaft 74 to the axle 20L, a counter shaft 89 is provided between the axle 20L and the motor shaft 74 which extends parallel to the axle and motor shaft. A gear 90 is provided on motor shaft 74 which engages with a larger diameter gear 91 mounted on the counter shaft 89. A smaller diameter gear 92 on the counter shaft 89, in turn, engages with a final gear 94 mounted on the axle 20L. As illustrated in FIG. 9, the counter shaft 89 is preferably positioned in a first plane P1 which corresponds to the plane of the joint surface of the housing 40. This allows the axial ends of the counter shaft 89 to be supported by a pair of bearings interposed between the upper and lower half housings 40U and 40L (See FIG. 5). It will be understood that the axle 20L can also be disposed in the sane plane P1 such that the bearing 44 which rotatably supports the axle 20L can be mounted between the upper and lower half housings 40U and 40L. However, as noted above, disposing the axle 20L on the plane P1 would require expansion of the lower half housing 40L to accommodate the lower position of the final gear 94, thereby undesirably increasing the height of the housing 40 and decreasing ground clearance. Accordingly, in the illustrated embodiment, the axle 20L is disposed above the plane P1 to minimize the height of the housing 40.
As illustrated in FIG. 24, the filth embodiment is provided with a mechanism for removing iron powder and metal fragments from the oil within the housing 40. In the illustrated embodiment, this mechanism includes a magnet 131 which is disposed between two partitions 132 and 134 provided on the inside wall of the lower half housing 40L. A metal plate member 135 is secured to the partition 132 so as to engage and secure the magnet 131 in position, the plate member 135 providing a substantial magnet bonding surface for accumulating iron power and other metallic particulates.
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