Hypoid gear set for drive axle

摘要

A hypoid gear set for a vehicle drivetrain includes a pinion gear in meshing engagement with a ring gear. The hypoid gear set has a negative pinion offset. The hypoid pinion and ring gears provide a predetermined gear ratio that can be varied up to a fifty percent faster ratio within a single carrier packaging envelope defined by a maximum ring gear diameter.

主权项

1. A vehicle axle comprising:
a hypoid pinion gear having a first number of spiral gear teeth and an outer diameter; and a hypoid ring gear having a pinion gear engagement side with a second number of spiral gear teeth and a pitch diameter wherein the spiral gear teeth of the ring gear are in meshing engagement with the spiral gear teeth of the pinion gear, wherein a ratio of the pitch diameter to the outer diameter is greater than a ratio of the second number to the first number, and wherein when viewing the pinion gear engagement side of the ring gear with the pinion gear to the right of a ring gear vertical axis, the pinion gear engages the ring gear in a manner selected from the group consisting of: (a) the pinion gear is offset below a horizontal axis of the ring gear and the pinion gear spiral gear teeth are right-handed; and (b) the pinion gear is offset above the horizontal axis of the ring gear and the pinion gear spiral gear teeth are left-handed.