Patent ID: 7892131

Claim:
An axle assembly comprising: a carrier housing assembly including a carrier housing defining a cavity; a differential housing received in the cavity; first and second bearings each disposed between the carrier housing and the differential housing and including an inner race, an outer race, and a roller therebetween, the first and second bearings supporting the differential housing for rotation about a first axis and including a first side facing the carrier housing and a second, opposite side facing the differential housing; a differential gear set received in the differential housing; a ring gear coupled to the differential housing; a pinion received in the cavity and supported for rotation about a second axis that is perpendicular to the first axis; a lubricant sump defined by a first portion of the cavity and adapted to receive a lubricant; a lubricant collection passage defined in part by a second portion of the cavity disposed on an opposite side of the differential gear set as the first portion of the cavity defining the lubricant sump; a lubricant reservoir defined by at least one of the first side of the one of the first and second bearings and the carrier housing, the lubricant reservoir extending at least partially about the first side of the one of the first and second bearings and collecting a first portion of the lubricant therein; an oil gallery formed through the differential housing and in fluid communication with the differential gear set and the second side of the one of the first and second bearings; and an inlet channel fluidly coupling the lubricant collection passage with the lubricant reservoir; wherein the first portion of the lubricant is moved into the lubricant collection passage by rotation of the ring gear such that the first portion of lubricant will flow through the inlet channel and into the lubricant reservoir; and wherein the one of the first and second bearings is configured to draw the first portion of lubricant from the lubricant reservoir and into the oil gallery such that the drawn first portion of lubricant flows into and lubricates at least an element of the differential gear set when the differential housing is rotating about the first axis.