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The size, weight, and cost of a full-traction differential are significantly reduced by the synergism of several interrelated design features of a cartridge-like gear complex: (1) Each combination gear has only a shallow journal hole in each end of an otherwise solid gear body, being supported on ma

The size, weight, and cost of a full-traction differential are significantly reduced by the synergism of several interrelated design features of a cartridge-like gear complex: (1) Each combination gear has only a shallow journal hole in each end of an otherwise solid gear body, being supported on mating hubs fixed to mounting plates slipped into a one-piece differential housing. (2) The solid worm-wheel portion of the combination gears has a deeper hour-glass shape. (3) Mating worm/worm-wheel teeth have a broad “supra-enveloping” contact pattern on only the drive side of the mesh. (4) The side-gear worms have closed-end teeth. (5) Both diameter and axial length of the side-gear worms are reduced by a special cutting process. The efficiency of the differential is increased by a thrust plate supported in the mounting plates and positioned between inner ends of the side-gear worms.

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1. A gear complex in a full-traction differential transferring rotational forces from an external power source to a pair of output axles mounted on an output axis, said differential having a housing that receives one end of each respective axle and is rotationally driven by said external power sourc

1. A gear complex in a full-traction differential transferring rotational forces from an external power source to a pair of output axles mounted on an output axis, said differential having a housing that receives one end of each respective axle and is rotationally driven by said external power source; said gear complex, being supported within and rotating with said housing, comprising:a pair of side-gear worms, each side gear being mounted for rotation about said output axis and fixed to a respective one of said output axles;at least two sets of paired combination gears, each combination gear of each pair having (a) an axis of rotation that is substantially perpendicular to said output axis, (b) a solid gear body with only a shallow journal hole formed axially a predetermined distance into each end thereof, and (c) a first gear portion spaced apart from a worm-wheel portion, said first gear portions of said combination gear pair being in mating engagement with each other, and said worm-wheel portions of said combination gear pair being in mating engagement, respectively, with a respective one of said side-gear worms; anda mounting for supporting said sets of paired combination gears, said mounting having a plurality of sets of paired hubs fixed to said mounting and positioned, respectively, to extend axially into said shallow journal holes formed in the ends of each paired combination gear. 2. The differential of claim 1 wherein said mounting comprises at least one pair of opposed mounting plates and said paired hubs extend from the interior surface of each respective opposed mounting plate. 3. The differential of claim 1 wherein said worm-wheel teeth of each said respective combination gear have involute teeth and said side-gear worms have inverse-involute teeth with closed ends, and said involute worm-wheel teeth and said inverse-involute worm teeth, when in meshing engagement, share a supra-enveloping contact pattern. 4. The differential of claim 1 further comprising a thrust plate received by said mounting and maintained in a fixed position between the inner ends of said pair of side-gear worms. 5. In a full-traction differential that transfers rotational forces from an external power source to a pair of side-gear worms in a gear complex supported in a housing rotationally driven by said external power source, said side-gear worms rotating about a first axis and each side-gear worm being fixed to a respective one of two output axles received in said housing; said gear complex having, in addition to said side-gear worms, at least two sets of paired combination gears, each combination gear of each pair being mounted for rotation about an axis substantially perpendicular to said first axis, and each combination gear having a spur gear portion spaced apart from a worm-wheel portion and being in mating engagement with the other combination gear of said pair through said spur gear portion and in mating engagement with a respective one of said side-gear worms through said worm-wheel portion, the improvement wherein:said gear complex comprises at least one of:(a) a mounting with a plurality of pairs of hubs for supporting said combination gears, the individual hubs of each said pair extending, respectively, into mating shallow journal holes formed axially in each end of an otherwise solid body of each combination gear; and(b) each said side-gear worm having inverse-involute teeth with closed ends, and each worm-wheel portion of each said combination gear having involute teeth. 6. The differential of claim 5 wherein said inverse-involute teeth of said side-gear worms, when in meshing engagement with said involute worm-wheel teeth of each said respective mating combination gear, share a supra-enveloping contact pattern. 7. The differential of claim 5 wherein said side-gear worms with closed end teeth are cut with a face hob that has the same outside diameter as the worm-wheel portion of each said combination gear. 8. The differenti al of claim 5 wherein said combination gears comprise only two paired sets, each said set being spaced for rotation with said housing at an interval of 180° from the other said set. 9. The differential of claim 8 wherein said housing is manufactured in one piece and further comprises:a first set of two openings for receiving said respective output axles along said first axis; andonly a single further opening that extends directly through said housing, being centered along a second axis perpendicular to said first axis, said single further opening receiving said mounting for supporting said combination gears. 10. The differential of claim 5 wherein said housing is provided with structure for receiving and holding said mounting within said housing for rotation therewith, and wherein said mounting comprises at least one pair of opposed mounting plates, said hubs extending from the interior surface of each respective opposed mounting plate. 11. The differential of claim 10 wherein said gear complex has, in addition to said side-gear worms, three sets of said paired combination gears, and wherein said mounting comprises, in effect, at least three pairs of opposed mounting plates centered, respectively, at intervals of 120°, and said paired hubs extend from the interior surface of each respective opposed mounting plate. 12. The differential of claim 11 wherein said housing has three plate support segments also centered at intervals of 120°, and each of said pairs of opposed mounting plates is positioned between two of said plate support segments. 13. The differential of claim 12 wherein:each plate of said three pairs of opposed mounting plates has an internal edge; andeach internal edge of each mounting plate is proximate, respectively, to a contiguous internal edge of a different mounting plate from another of said pairs of opposed mounting plates. 14. The differential of claim 13 wherein:said contiguous internal edges of different mounting plates are connected to form three combined mounting plates, each said combined mounting plate having a convex interior surface and a concave exterior surface;said hubs extend from said convex interior surface of each said combined mounting plate;each said plate support segment of said housing has a convex interior surface; andeach said concave exterior surface of each said combined mounting plate is supported by the convex interior surface of one of said plate support segments. 15. The differential of claim 14 further comprising a thrust plate having three tabs, each said tab being:centered, relative to said other tabs, at an angle of 120°;received by a respective mating slot formed in each said combined mounting plate; andmaintained in a fixed position between the inner ends of said pair of side-gear worms. 16. The differential of claim 10 further comprising a thrust plate received by said pair of opposed mounting plates and maintained in a fixed position between the inner ends of said pair of side-gear worms. 17. The differential of claim 16 therein each said thrust plate includes a pair of tabs and each said opposed mounting plate includes a slot, a respective one of said tabs being received and maintained in a mating relationship with a slot of one of said opposed mounting plates. 18. A gear complex for use in a full-traction differential for transferring rotational forces from an external power source to a pair of output axles, said differential having a housing that receives one end of each respective axle and is rotationally driven by said external power source; said gear complex, being supported within and rotating with said housing, comprising:a pair of side-gear worms, each side gear:(a) being fixed to a respective one of said output axles; and(b) having inverse-involute teeth with closed ends;at least two sets of paired combination gears, each combination gear of each pair having:(a) a solid gear body with only a shallow journal hole formed axially a predetermined distance into each end thereof,(b) a first gear portion spaced apart from a worm-wheel portion, said first gear portions of said combination gear pair being in mating engagement with each other, and said worm-wheel portions of said combination gear pair being in mating engagement, respectively, with a respective one of said side-gear worms; and(c) said worm-wheel portion having involute teeth so that, when in meshing engagement with said inverse-involute worm teeth of said side-gear worms, said worm teeth and worm-wheel teeth share a supra-enveloping contact pattern;a mounting for supporting said sets of paired combination gears, said mounting having:(a) a plurality of sets of paired hubs fixed to said mounting and positioned, respectively, to extend axially into said shallow journal holes formed in the ends of each paired combination gear; and(b) a thrust plate maintained in a fixed position between the inner ends of said pair of side-gear worms.