1 THE TITLE Eclipse Roller Drive, Direction Sensing Differential TECHNICAL FIELD This invention relates to devices used as differentials in drivelines, such as in automotive vehicles of all sizes from the smallest two wheel drive to the largest multi wheel drive. In the past art it has been a problem to satisfy fully the S. requirements of drive-line systems I.E. the need to split the torque equally S" between the drive wheels as much as possible and at the same time allowing the drive wheels of the drive axle assembly to rotate at the speed they each need to for the purpose of eliminating cross axle windup and all this criteria is secondary to the most important requirement of all which is to pass the drive torque to the ground with the least possible wheel slip and at the same time allowing the vehicle to remain in the drivers control at all times and be fully steerable as the drivers input signals at the steering wheel are adversely 15 affected and in some extreme cases negated by the cross axle windup evident during operation of many of the existing manual locking and some automatic locking differentials currently extant.
DESCRIPTION
The Eclipse Roller Drive Direction Sensing Differential Figs 1 and 2, is an automatic locking and unlocking differential comprising of a hemisphere (1) so constructed as to carry a ring gear(2) mounted externally to hemisphere (1) and a carrier bearing at each side to mount the differential hemisphere (1) into the axle housing The internal configuration of the said hemisphere 2/11 consists of a hollow cylindrical space, having concave recesses, housing the roller cage and axle ends), around the circumference, of the internal radial cylindrical surface of the said hemisphere the drive medium is two sets of rollers which are carried in a common cage(7) in which the rollers(6) mounted loosely by the ends which are stepped down(8) to allow fitment into holes(9) in annular rings(1O) each end of the said roller cage(7) and the solid 30 mounting ring(11) interposed at the centre of the roller cage(7), annular rings(l0) at each end of the cage (7)being rigidly attached to each other by means of through pins(12) which are evenly interposed axially between the rollers (6)and pass through holes in the annular rings(l0) and said solid mounting ring(l 1) and are peened over to form a solid cage the cage(7) being housed inside said hemisphere(l). Aligned directly and internally around its' internal circumference, recesses(5) and rollers(6) being equal in number, thereby each roller(6) will coincide with its' own recess(5), the internal ends of each axle(13)sit one each side, inside the roller cage (7)so that the journal on the end of each axle(13) is equal in length to the rollers(6) in the common roller cage(7) the rollers(6) housed in the roller cage, between annular rings (10) and solid spacer ring (11)interposed between the rollers(6) are through pins(12) forming a common cage(7), rollers(6) central stepped down ends(8) to be held loosely in place in clearance holes (9)drilled in the rings and( 11) of cage the rollers(6) being held with the axle ends (13) by a Belleville spring arrangement (14) which drags on the ends of the two 3/11 axle shafts (13) against the centre solid mounting ring(ll) thus holding the roller cage(7) with axle ends(13) thereby sensing rotation of the differential hemisphere(l) and this holding force causes the engagement of the rollers(6) between the end journal of the axle shafts (13) against the ramp of the concave recesses thereby causing the hemisphere to rotate the two axle shafts In the event of the vehicle negotiating a turn, the outside wheels' axle end(13) will be ground driven faster in the direction of travel, by its' contact over a longer path on the ground, causing the outer axle shaft (13) to freewheel in the direction of rotation of the axle shafts (13)by being able to disengage from its' mating rollers and concave recesses the rollers are able to move radially in the solid mounting ring(ll) and the end annular due to the slight clearance between the roller(6) end journals (8) the mounting holes in the annular rings(10) and solid mounting ring(11)the inner axle end (13) in the turn remains engaged due to the wedging force 60 between it and the rollers(6) and concave recesses thereby driving the inner axle (13) in the turn, during cornering. Cornering when coasting causes the inside axle end(13) in the turn to disengage with its' rollers(6) the axle end (13)is ground driven slower in the direction of travel by its' ground contact over a shorter path on the ground, engine braking is exerted by the outer axle end(13) in the turn, which remains engaged due to wedging force, between outside axle shaft (13) rollers(6) concave recesses(5) being greater than force applied by the Belleville spring(14) on the axle ends(13)