초록 ▼

A transmission/transaxle assembly for vehicles such as lawn and garden tractors which includes a housing, a dual input, a constant mesh planetary gear assembly, differential gear, axle, and output gear which transfer the planetary gear output to the differential gear and axle. The assembly reduces t

A transmission/transaxle assembly for vehicles such as lawn and garden tractors which includes a housing, a dual input, a constant mesh planetary gear assembly, differential gear, axle, and output gear which transfer the planetary gear output to the differential gear and axle. The assembly reduces the rotational speed of two power inputs to a single, lower speed output and allows clutchless, infinitely variable forward, neutral and reverse output speeds by varying the rotational speed of at least one of the inputs with respect to the other. The assembly is compact and provides efficient lubrication through emersion of portions of the planetary gear assembly which continuously rotate in an oil compartment. The axes of the input shafts are arranged transverse to the axis of the output axles such that the assembly will easily accommodate vertical drive shaft engines in tractors or mowers. Output gearing transfers the reduced output of the planetary gear assembly first transverse to and then parallel to the input axes. Various differential gearing may be used while variation of the speed of one of the inputs may be made with a variable pulley assembly or other variable drive assembly.

대표청구항 ▼

A variable speed transmission/transaxle assembly for vehicles such as lawn and garden tractors and mowers comprising: a housing; dual input planetary gear means mounted within said housing for reducing input speeds from two rotational speed drive sources to a single, lower speed rotational output; f

A variable speed transmission/transaxle assembly for vehicles such as lawn and garden tractors and mowers comprising: a housing; dual input planetary gear means mounted within said housing for reducing input speeds from two rotational speed drive sources to a single, lower speed rotational output; first input means for driving a first element of said planetary gear means in a predetermined rotational direction; second input means for driving a second element of said planetary gear means also in said predetermined rotational direction; said first and second input means spaced from one another and extending from said housing on separate, parallel rotational axes for respective connection to the drive sources; at least one of said first and second input means adapted to be driven at a rotational speed which is variable with respect to the other of said input means; axle means rotatably mounted within and extending from said housing along an axis extending transverse to said axes of rotation of said input means for receiving wheels to be driven by the assembly; differential gear means for transferring rotational motion to said axle means; output gear means connected between said planetary gear means and differential gear means for transferring said lower speed rotational output from said planetary gear means to said differential gear means; said output gear means including interengaging gear means mounted for rotation on said separate input means and engaging said planetary gear means for transferring said lower speed rotational output in a direction transverse to said axes of rotation of said input means, and additional gear means engaging said interengaging gear means for transferring said lower speed rotational output in a direction parallel to said axes of rotation of said input means for transfer to said differential gear means; means for rotatably mounting said additional gear means on said housing; whereby said gear means constantly mesh and require no clutch for changing between forward, neutral and reverse, said assembly being compact with said input means, differential means and axle means adjacent one another in said housing and allowing efficient lubrication of the various gear means within said housing while obtaining variable speed forward, neutral and reverse rotation of said axle means as desired by varying the speed of rotation of at least one of said input means with respect to the rotational speed of the other of said input means.