AUXILLIARY POWER TAKE-OFF ASSEMBLY

Abstract

An auxiliary power take-off assembly in a motor vehicle transmission, which has a torque converter, a transmission input and a transmission output. The auxiliary power take-off assembly includes: an input shaft at the transmission input, and which is permanently connected to a drive motor of the motor vehicle by way of the pump shaft of the torque converter; a transmission output shaft at the transmission output; a transmission chain, which includes an input element and an output element and the output element of which can be connected to an auxiliary assembly to be driven; and a switching element, which is operatively arranged between the input shaft and the input element of the transmission chain, to selectively connect the input shaft to the output element. The output element is arranged on an output shaft, which is mounted in a bearing cap.

Claims

1-14. (canceled)

15. An auxiliary power take-off assembly (20) in a transmission (2) of a motor vehicle having a torque converter (4), with a transmission input and a transmission output (28), a driveshaft (12) being permanently connected to a drive motor of the motor vehicle by way of a pump shaft (14) of the torque converter (4) at the transmission input, a transmission output shaft at the transmission output (28) and a transmission chain having at least a drive input element (10) and a drive output element (8), the drive output element (8) being connectable to an auxiliary aggregate to be driven, a shifting element (24) being arranged and acting between the driveshaft (12) and the drive input element (10) of the transmission chain for optional connection of the driveshaft (12) to the drive output element (8), and the drive output element (8) being arranged on a drive output shaft (6) which is mounted in a bearing cap (30).

16. The auxiliary power take-off assembly (20) according to claim 15, wherein the drive output shaft (6) is connected to the auxiliary aggregate by way of an intermediate shaft (18) so that the auxiliary aggregate is arrangeable on a transmission output side.

17. The auxiliary power take-off assembly (20) according to claim 16, wherein the intermediate shaft (18) is mounted in the drive output shaft (6).

18. The auxiliary power take-off assembly (20) according to claim 15, wherein the bearing cap (30) covers an opening in the transmission housing (22), and the bearing cap (30) has moldings (34) with bores (32) in which the drive output shaft (6) is fitted.

19. The auxiliary power take-off assembly (20) according to claim 18, wherein each of the bores (32) in the bearing cap (30) comprises a bearing for holding and bearing the drive output shaft (6).

20. The auxiliary power take-off assembly (20) according to claim 15, wherein the drive input element (10), the drive output element (8), the shifting element (24) and the drive output shaft (6) are arranged inside a transmission housing (22) and the auxiliary power take-off assembly (20) is, therefore, part of the transmission (2) so that an additional power take-off is not required for driving a auxiliary aggregate.

21. The auxiliary power take-off assembly (20) according to claim 15, wherein the drive output shaft (6) defines an axis and is mounted in such manner that the axis extends parallel to the transmission output shaft.

22. A transmission (2) with an auxiliary power take-off assembly (20) according to claim 15.

23. A bearing cap (30) for mounting a drive output shaft (6) of an auxiliary power take-off assembly (20) according to claim 15, wherein the bearing cap (30) has bores (32) for receiving the drive output shaft (6).

24. The bearing cap (30) according to claim 23, wherein the bearing cap (30) has fixing bores (36) for connecting the bearing cap (30) to the transmission housing (22).

25. The bearing cap (30) according to claim 23, wherein the bearing cap (30) has a hollow molding (38) in which the drive output element (8), which is mounted on the drive output shaft (6), is freely rotatable.

26. The bearing cap (30) according to claim 23, wherein the bores (32) for receiving the drive output shaft (6) are made in moldings (34) of the bearing cap (30).

27. The bearing cap (30) according to claim 24, wherein the bores (32) for receiving the drive output shaft (6) are formed at a right-angle to the fixing bores (36).

28. The bearing cap (30) according to claim 23, wherein the bores (32) for receiving the drive output shaft (6) have bearings for mounting the drive output shaft (6).

29. An auxiliary power take-off assembly in a motor vehicle transmission having a torque converter, a transmission input and a transmission output, a driveshaft of the power take-off assembly being permanently connected at the transmission input, via a pump shaft of the torque converter, to a drive motor of a motor vehicle, and to a transmission output shaft at the transmission output and to a transmission chain comprising a drive input element, a drive output element and a shifting element, the drive output element being connectable to an auxiliary aggregate for driving the auxiliary aggregate, the shifting element being arranged between the driveshaft and the drive input element of the transmission chain, and being engagable to connect the driveshaft to the drive output element, and the drive output element being mounted on a drive output shaft which is rotatably supported on a bearing cap that is fixed to a housing of the motor vehicle transmission.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] The invention will now be explained in greater detail with reference to figures, which show:

[0019] FIG. 1: A cross sectional view of a transmission with an auxiliary power take-off assembly according to the invention

[0020] FIG. 2: An auxiliary power take-off assembly, including the intermediate shaft

[0021] FIGS. 3, 3A: Two views of the bearing cap

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] FIG. 1 shows a section of an automatic transmission 2 according to the invention with an auxiliary power take-off assembly 20, wherein a torque converter 4 is fitted in such manner that the pump wheel 16 is driven by a drive motor and is connected permanently to the pump shaft 14. Connected to the pump shaft 14 is the driveshaft 12 of the auxiliary power take-off assembly 20. On the driveshaft 12 of the auxiliary power take-off assembly 20 the drive input element 10 of the auxiliary power take-off assembly 20 is mounted to rotate freely. The drive input element 10 can be coupled to or decoupled from the driveshaft by means of a shifting element 24. In the decoupled condition, the components of the auxiliary power take-off assembly 20 and of any auxiliary aggregate connected thereto, if present, are no longer driven. This reduces noise and power losses during driving operation. In the coupled condition, the drive input element 10 transmits torque directly to a drive output element 8, which is mounted on a drive output shaft 6. The drive output shaft 6 is mounted in the bearing cap 30, which has two moldings 34 or projections in which bores 32 for fitting the drive output shaft 6 are provided. In these bores 32 various types of bearings can be provided, for example conical roller bearings, which hold the drive output shaft 6. The bearing cap 30 closes an opening in the transmission housing 22, for which purpose it can be bolted to the transmission housing 22. In the opposite direction to the moldings 34, a hollow molding or projection 38 is provided, which surrounds the drive output element 8.

[0023] FIG. 2 shows an extended section of a transmission 2 according to the invention. The pump wheel 16 is connected to the pump shaft 14, which in turn is connected to the driveshaft 12. On the driveshaft 12 is mounted the drive input wheel 10, which can be coupled to or decoupled from the driveshaft 12 by means of a shifting element 24. A drive output gear 8 is directly engaged with the drive input gear 10 and is mounted on the drive output shaft 6. As already described, the drive output shaft 6 is mounted in the bearing cap 30.

[0024] In the drive output shaft 6 is fitted an intermediate shaft 18, which passes torque from the drive output shaft to the transmission output 28 where an appropriate auxiliary aggregate or end consumer can be connected and in that way driven. By virtue of the guiding to the transmission output 28, as in the case of classical external auxiliary power take-offs, the auxiliary aggregates can be connected to the transmission output 28. In this case the intermediate shaft 18 is surrounded by a protective tube 26 and is mounted on the transmission input side or on the side of the drive output shaft 6 in the drive output shaft 6. To drive an auxiliary aggregate, the intermediate shaft 18 can have a driving profile on the transmission output side. The driving profile can receive a driveshaft or a driving flange of an auxiliary aggregate, and drive the latter. This can be, for example, a driveshaft of a hydraulic pump or a drive output flange. The driving profile of the intermediate shaft can also be designed to receive a driveshaft of a step-up stage. The protective tube 26 of the intermediate shaft 18 is filled in the transmission 2 on the transmission input side or the transmission output side 28.

[0025] The auxiliary power take-off assembly 20 is part of the transmission 2, since the drive input wheel 10, the drive output gear 8, the shifting element 24 and the drive output shaft 6 are arranged inside the transmission housing 22, so that no additional PTO is needed for driving auxiliary aggregates.

[0026] FIGS. 3 ad 3A show the bearing cap 30. This is a one-piece component with fixing bores 36 for fixing it to the transmission housing 22 and thereby closing an opening in the transmission housing 22. The fixing bores 36 can be provided in various numbers and arrangements. The bearing cap 30 also has two moldings 34 extending in the direction toward the inside of the transmission, each of which moldings has a bore 32. The bores 32 serve as bearing bores in which the drive output shaft 6 is fitted. In addition various types of bearing can be provided in the bores 32, for example conical roller bearings. Opposite to the moldings 34 a hollow molding 38 is provided, which surrounds the drive output wheel 8.

INDEXES

[0027] 2 Transmission [0028] 4 Torque converter [0029] 6 Drive output shaft [0030] 8 Drive output gear [0031] 10 Drive input gear [0032] 12 Driveshaft [0033] 14 Pump shaft [0034] 16 Pump wheel [0035] 18 Intermediate shaft [0036] 20 Auxiliary power take-off assembly [0037] 22 Transmission housing [0038] 24 Shifting element [0039] 26 Protective tube [0040] 28 Transmission output [0041] 30 Bearing cap [0042] 32 Bore [0043] 34 Molding [0044] 36 Fixing bores [0045] 38 Hollow molding