Patent ID: 7530421

Claim:
A vehicle drive power distribution device in which left and right front wheels thereof and left and right rear wheels thereof are driven by a drive power source, the vehicle drive power distribution device comprising: a transfer mechanism including a gear mechanism that distributes drive power from the drive power source to the left and right front wheels and left and right rear wheels; a rear differential mechanism including a gear mechanism that transfers the drive power transferred from the drive power source via the transfer mechanism to the left and right rear wheels; a first clutch provided between the rear differential mechanism and the left rear wheel; a second clutch provided between the rear differential mechanism and the right rear wheel; a control device that independently controls an engaged state of the first clutch and an engaged state of the second clutch; a propeller shaft having a first end directly linked to the transfer mechanism and a second end directly linked to the rear differential mechanism, such that the first end of the propeller shaft is an output shaft of the transfer mechanism and the second end of the propeller shaft is an input shaft of the rear differential mechanism; and a speed-increasing mechanism including a gear ratio of at least one of the gear mechanisms of the transfer mechanism and the rear differential mechanism such that the speed-increasing mechanism sets a revolution speed of the output shaft of the transfer mechanism and a revolution speed of the input shaft of the rear differential mechanism to be the same and sets a speed of the outer circumference of the rear wheel to which the drive power is transferred via the engaged clutch to be faster than a speed of the outer circumference of the left and right front wheels, while at least one of either the first or second clutches is in the engaged state.