Patent ID: 7390278

Claim:
A front-wheel-drive transaxle unit for a motor vehicle, said front wheel drive transaxle unit comprising: a power transmission operatively connected to a prime mover; a differential assembly drivingly connected to said power transmission and having a differential mechanism disposed in a differential case and two opposite output shafts outwardly extending from said differential case, said output shafts drivingly connected to front wheels of said motor vehicle; a differential housing rotatably supporting said differential assembly therewithin; and a torque-coupling device for selectively restricting differential rotation of said differential mechanism, said torque-coupling device including: a friction clutch assembly disposed outside said differential case for selectively frictionally engaging and disengaging said differential case and one of said output shafts, said clutch assembly comprising at least one first member non-rotatably coupled to said differential case and at least one second member non-rotatably coupled to one of said output shafts; and a selectively controllable ball-ramp clutch actuator assembly for selectively frictionally loading said friction clutch assembly; said friction clutch assembly being disposed outside said differential housing; said power transmission, said differential assembly and said torque-coupling device being combined into a single unit connected directly to said prime mover.