ASSEMBLY FOR THE SELECTIVE COUPLING OF TWO COAXIALLY ARRANGED SHAFTS

Abstract

An assembly for the selective coupling of two coaxially arranged shafts, comprising a first shaft and a second shaft arranged coaxially, a selector unit for selectively coupling the first shaft to the second shaft and including an electric motor, a selector fork, and a sliding sleeve connected to the selector fork to allow an adjusting action. The first shaft has a first external tooth system, at least in some section or sections, and the second shaft has a second external tooth system, at least in some section or sections. The first external tooth system is in engagement with an internal tooth system of the sliding sleeve and the second external tooth system can be brought into engagement with the internal tooth system of the sliding sleeve. A first tooth system formed on an output shaft of the electric motor is in engagement with a second tooth system of a gear segment, wherein the gear segment is arranged in a fixed manner on the selector fork. The first tooth system and the second tooth system are each designed as a spur gear tooth system.

Claims

1. An assembly for the selective coupling of two coaxially arranged shafts, comprising a first shaft and a second shaft, wherein the first shaft and the second shaft are arranged coaxially, a selector unit for selectively coupling the first shaft to the second shaft, wherein the selector unit has an electric motor, a selector fork, and a sliding sleeve which is connected to the selector fork to allow an adjusting action, wherein the first shaft has a first external tooth system, at least in some section or sections, and the second shaft has a second external tooth system, at least in some section or sections, wherein the first external tooth system is in engagement with an internal tooth system of the sliding sleeve, and the second external tooth system can be brought into engagement with the internal tooth system of the sliding sleeve, wherein formed on an output shaft of the electric motor is a first tooth system, which is in engagement with a second tooth system of a gear segment, wherein the gear segment is arranged in a fixed manner on the selector fork, wherein the first tooth system and the second tooth system are each designed as a spur gear tooth system.

2. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting movement of the selector fork for the adjustment of the sliding sleeve is a pivoting movement, and the adjusting movement of the sliding sleeve for the selective coupling of the first shaft and the second shaft is an axial movement.

3. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the selector fork and/or the gear segment are/is manufactured from a metal.

4. The assembly according to claim 3, wherein the selector fork and/or the gear segment are/is manufactured from aluminium.

5. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the selector fork and/or the gear segment are/is manufactured from a plastic or a composite material.

6. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the selector fork and the gear segment are embodied in one piece.

7. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the sliding sleeve is produced from a metal.

8. The assembly according to claim 7, wherein the sliding sleeve is produced from steel.

9. The assembly according to claim 2, wherein the pivoting point of the selector fork is radially below the axis of rotation of the shafts.

10. The assembly according to claim 2, wherein the pivot point of the selector fork is radially above the axis of rotation of the shafts.

11. The assembly according to claim 1, wherein the transmission ratio by way of the first tooth system and the second tooth system is configured in such a way that the output shaft and thus the electric motor performs a maximum of one revolution to adjust the selector for and thus the sliding sleeve.

Description

DRAWINGS

[0027] The drawings described herein are for illustrative purposes only of selected embodiments and not all possible implementations, and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0028] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an assembly constructed according to the teachings of the invention.

[0029] FIG. 2 is another perspective view of the assembly shown in FIG. 1 from a different viewing angle.

[0030] FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view of the assembly according to the invention shown in FIG. 1, in particular illustrating a first shaft, a second shaft and a selector fork.

[0031] FIG. 4 is another partial sectional illustration of the assembly according to the invention shown in FIG. 1, in particular illustrating an electric motor, an output shaft of the electric motor, and a selector fork.

[0032] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the selector fork associated with the assembly of the invention.

[0033] FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the output shaft associated with the electric motor as per FIG. 1.

[0034] FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the first shaft, the second shaft, the selector fork and the output shaft of the electric motor associated with the assembly shown in FIG. 1, wherein the first shaft and the second shaft are not connected to one another for a driving effect (“disconnect” mode).

[0035] FIG. 8 is another perspective view of the first shaft, the second shaft, the selector fork and the output shaft of the electric motor associated with the assembly shown in FIG. 1, wherein the first shaft and the second shaft are connected to one another for a driving effect (“connect” mode).

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0036] FIG. 1 illustrates an illustrative variant embodiment of an assembly 1 in accordance with the present invention. FIG. 2 to FIG. 8 show different perspectives or parts of this variant embodiment as per FIG. 1.

[0037] The assembly 1 comprises a first shaft 2, a second shaft 3, which is arranged coaxially with the first shaft 2, and a selector unit 4.

[0038] The selector unit 4 is used for the selective coupling of the first shaft 2 to the second shaft 3. The selector unit 4 has an electric motor 5, a selector fork 6 and a sliding sleeve 7 (FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 4).

[0039] The electric motor 5 has an output shaft 11. A circumferential first tooth system 12 is formed on some section or sections of the output shaft 11. The first tooth system 12 is embodied as a spur gear tooth system (FIG. 6).

[0040] A gear segment 14 is arranged in a fixed manner on the selector fork 6—in the illustrative embodiment under consideration, the selector fork 6 and the gear segment 14 are embodied in one piece. The gear segment 14 has a second tooth system 13, which is likewise embodied as a spur gear tooth system (FIG. 5). The first tooth system 12 and the second tooth system 13 are in engagement with one another (FIG. 1, FIG. 4).

[0041] The sliding sleeve 7 is embodied in such a way that it can be moved axially and it is connected to the selector fork 6 to allow an adjusting action. The sliding sleeve 7 is embodied substantially in a ring shape and, on the inner circumference, has a circumferential internal tooth system 10 (FIG. 1, FIG. 4). Furthermore, the sliding sleeve 7 has, on the outer circumference, a circumferential ridge 16, in which the selector fork 6 directly engages (FIG. 1, FIG. 4). Sliding contacts are integrated into the selector fork 6 in the region of engagement with the sliding sleeve 7, to be more precise in the region of engagement with the ridge 16 of the sliding sleeve 7. In an alternative embodiment, it is also possible for the sliding sleeve 7 to be embodied with a circumferential groove instead of the ridge 16. The selector fork 6 then engages in the groove via pins or sliding blocks.

[0042] The adjusting movement of the selector fork 6 for the adjustment of the sliding sleeve 7 is thus a pivoting movement, and the adjusting movement of the sliding sleeve 6 for the selective coupling of the first shaft 2 and the second shaft 3 is an axial movement (FIG. 7, FIG. 8).

[0043] The direction indication “axial” describes a direction along or parallel to an axis of rotation 15 of the two shafts 2, 3 (FIG. 3).

[0044] The direction indication “radial” describes a direction normal to the an axis of rotation 15 of the two shafts 2, 3 (FIG. 3).

[0045] The first shaft 2 has a circumferential first external tooth system 8 in a section at an end adjacent to the second shaft 3. The second shaft 3 has a circumferential second external tooth system 9 in a section at an end adjacent to the first shaft 2. The first external tooth system 8 is in engagement at all times with the internal tooth system 10 of the sliding sleeve 7, and the second external tooth system 9 can be brought into engagement with the internal tooth system 10 of the sliding sleeve 7 (FIG. 7, FIG. 8).

[0046] The sliding sleeve 7 can adopt two shift positions, namely a first shift position and a second shift position. In the first shift position of the sliding sleeve 7, the internal tooth system 10 of the sliding sleeve 7 is in engagement only with the first external tooth system 8 of the first shaft 2 (FIG. 7). This shift position describes a “disconnect” mode of the assembly 1. In the second shift position of the sliding sleeve 7, the internal tooth system 10 of the sliding sleeve 7 is in engagement with the first external tooth system 8 of the first shaft 2 and with the second external tooth system 9 of the second shaft 3 (FIG. 8). This shift position describes a “connect” mode of the assembly 1.

[0047] In the illustrative embodiment under consideration, the adjusting movement of the selector fork 6 for the adjustment of the sliding sleeve 7 is a pivoting movement, wherein the pivoting point of the selector fork 6 is radially above the axis of rotation 15 of the two shafts 2, 3.

[0048] It is also possible for the second external tooth system 9 on the second shaft 3 to be embodied with an undercut in order to prevent unwanted opening under load (torque), even without active activation of the electric motor 5. The region of the internal tooth system 10 of the sliding sleeve 7 which is in engagement with the second external tooth system 9 in the second shift position can also be embodied with an undercut.