Assembly having a clutch collar and method of manufacture

1. A clutch collar comprising:

an outer surface that extends around an axis;

an inner surface that is disposed opposite the outer surface;

a clutch collar face gear that has a first tooth and a second tooth that extend from the inner surface to the outer surface, wherein the first tooth includes:

a first flank that is continuously curved in a direction that extends from the inner surface to the outer surface; and

a second flank that is disposed opposite the first flank and is continuously curved in the direction that extends from the inner surface to the outer surface;

a root surface extends from the first tooth to the second tooth and from the inner surface to the outer surface, wherein the root surface is nonplanar and is disposed further from a normal plane where the first flank of the first tooth meets the outer surface than where a second flank of the second tooth meets the outer surface; and

an annular groove that is spaced apart from the clutch collar face gear and extends from the outer surface toward the axis, wherein the normal plane is disposed in the annular groove and is disposed perpendicular to the axis;

wherein the first tooth has a dovetail profile in which the first flank and the second flank become progressively further apart in an axial direction that extends away from the annular groove.

2. The clutch collar of claim 1 wherein the first flank is convex from the inner surface to the outer surface.

3. The clutch collar of claim 2 wherein the second flank is concave from the inner surface to the outer surface.

4. The clutch collar of claim 1 wherein the first flank and the second flank have spiral configurations.

5. The clutch collar of claim 1 wherein the first flank and the second flank have involute configurations.

6. The clutch collar of claim 1 wherein the first flank is not disposed parallel to the second flank and a first distance from the first flank to the second flank along the inner surface is less than a distance from the first flank to the second flank along the outer surface.

7. The clutch collar of claim 1 wherein the first tooth has a tip that extends from the inner surface to the outer surface and is disposed between the first flank and the second flank, wherein the tip is disposed substantially perpendicular to the axis.

8. The clutch collar of claim 7 further comprising a first connecting surface and a second connecting surface that extend from the inner surface to the outer surface, wherein the first connecting surface extends from the first flank to a first end of the tip and the second connecting surface extends from the second flank to a second end of the tip that is disposed opposite the first end, wherein the first connecting surface and the second connecting surface become progressively closer together in the axial direction.

9. The clutch collar of claim 8 wherein the second tooth has the same configuration as the first tooth.

10. The clutch collar of claim 9 wherein the root surface is disposed further from the normal plane where the first flank of the first tooth meets the outer surface than where the first flank of the first tooth meets the inner surface.

11. The clutch collar of claim 10 wherein the root surface is disposed further from the normal plane where the second flank of the first tooth meets the inner surface than where the second flank of the second tooth meets the outer surface.

12. A drivetrain assembly comprising:

a shaft that has a spline and is rotatable about an axis;

a gear that receives the shaft and is rotatable about the axis with respect to the shaft, the gear having a face gear that has a set of teeth that are arranged around the axis, wherein each member of the set of teeth has a first flank and a second flank that are continuously curved in a direction that extends away from the axis;

a clutch collar that is moveably disposed on the shaft, the clutch collar having a clutch collar hole that receives the shaft, a clutch collar spline that is disposed in the clutch collar hole and that mates with the spline to inhibit rotation of the clutch collar with respect to the shaft, and a clutch collar face gear that has a set of clutch collar teeth, wherein each member of the set of clutch collar teeth has a first flank and a second flank that are continuously curved in a direction that extends away from the axis and the first flank and the second flank extend from an inner surface of the clutch collar that faces toward the axis, wherein at least a portion of the inner surface extends continuously around the axis, and a set of root surfaces that is provided between adjacent members of the set of clutch collar teeth, wherein each member of the set of root surfaces extends from the first flank of a member of the set of clutch collar teeth to a second flank of an adjacent member of the set of clutch collar teeth and from the inner surface to an outer surface that is disposed opposite the inner surface, is nonplanar, and is disposed further from a normal plane where the first flank of the member of the set of clutch collar teeth meets the outer surface than where a second flank of the adjacent member of the set of clutch collar teeth meets the outer surface, wherein the normal plane is disposed in an annular groove that is spaced apart from the clutch collar face gear and is disposed perpendicular to the axis;

wherein the set of teeth have a first dovetail profile in which the first flank and the second flank become progressively further apart in an axial direction that extends toward the clutch collar, the set of clutch collar teeth have a second dovetail profile in which the first flank and the second flank become progressively further apart in an axial direction that extends toward the gear.

13. The drivetrain assembly of claim 12 wherein the gear rotates around the axis with the clutch collar and the shaft when the set of teeth of the face gear are received between members of the set of clutch collar teeth such that the first flank of each member of the set of teeth is in continuous engagement with the second flank of a corresponding member of the set of clutch collar teeth.

14. The drivetrain assembly of claim 13 wherein the second flanks of the members of the set of teeth is spaced apart from and do not engage the first flanks of the members of the set of clutch collar teeth when the gear rotates around the axis with the clutch collar and the shaft.

15. The drivetrain assembly of claim 13 wherein the first flank of each member of the set of teeth is convex and the second flank of each member of the set of clutch collar teeth is concave.

16. The drivetrain assembly of claim 15 wherein the first flank of each member of the set of clutch collar teeth is convex and the second flank of each member of the set of teeth is concave.

17. The drivetrain assembly of claim 13 wherein teeth of the face gear and teeth of the clutch collar face gear mesh with a negative pressure angle to inhibit disengagement of the clutch collar from the gear.