Torque transmitting apparatus.

摘要

Torque transmitting apparatus (10) including a shiftable sleeve member (12) having locking and guiding splines (26a and b) for coupling a first toothed member (14) having external teeth (34) to either one of a pair of toothed members (16), having external teeth (20), and spaced on axially opposite sides thereof. Each locking spline (26a) has working faces (40) whose ends include recesses (38) for axially holding the sleeve member during the transmission of torque to prevent undesirable disengagement during the transmission of torque. The recesses at each end of each locking spline (26a) are spaced from each other with substantially the same minimum chordal relationship as the end of each of the other locking splines. Each guiding spline (26b) has working faces (44) which are spaced so that the chordal thickness therebetween is substantially equal to or less than the corresponding minimum chordal thickness between the recesses at the ends of each locking spline. When the sleeve member (12) is shifted on the first toothed member (14) into engagement with one of the toothed members (16), the relationship between the locking and guiding splines is such that the guiding splines serve to maintain proper axial alignment between the three members (12, 14, 16) and the locking splines serve to prevent undesirable axial disengagement of the locking spline (26a) of sleeve member (12) from the teeth (20) of the toothed member (16) during torque transmission. The guiding splines (26b) also cooperate with the teeth (34) of member (14) while disengaging the locking teeth (26a) from the teeth (20) of member (16) to axially guide the sleeve member (12) in the opposite direction. In one preferred embodiment, the locking and guiding splines are arranged in an alternating relationship with each other. Another preferred relationship has three guiding splines preferably equally circumferentially spaced with respect to each other about the sleeve member.