CN110582660B

CN110582660B - Apparatus and method for automatic steering

Info

Publication number: CN110582660B
Application number: CN201880028892.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 塞巴斯蒂安·施瓦茨; 马蒂亚斯·埃利希
Original assignee: Schaeffler Technologies AG and Co KG
Current assignee: Schaeffler Technologies AG and Co KG
Priority date: 2017-05-04
Filing date: 2018-04-05
Publication date: 2023-03-07
Anticipated expiration: 2038-04-05
Also published as: DE102017109560B4; WO2018202233A1; CN110582660A; DE102017109560A1; DE112018002284A5

Abstract

The invention relates to a device (21) for automatically actuating a transmission (20), in particular switchable between a plurality of gears, comprising an elongate actuating element (28) which can be moved back and forth and at least one region (35) to be lubricated with a lubricant. In order to simplify the actuation of the transmission, which can be shifted in particular between a plurality of gears, the elongated actuating element (28) comprises a lubricant duct (32) which connects a lubricant reservoir (38) to the location (35) to be lubricated.

Description

Apparatus and method for automatic steering

Technical Field

The invention relates to a device for automatically actuating a transmission, in particular a transmission that can be shifted between a plurality of gears, comprising an elongate actuating element that can be moved back and forth and at least one point to be lubricated with a lubricant. The invention also relates to a system having a lubricant sump and having such a device.

Background

From the modified german patent document DE 19713 423 C5, an apparatus and a method for automatically actuating a transmission which can be shifted between a plurality of gears by means of a torque transmission system which can be actuated automatically at least during shifting are known, which have at least one actuating element which can be driven by a drive unit and at least one actuating shifting element which is arranged on the transmission side.

Disclosure of Invention

The object of the invention is to simplify the automatic handling by means of a reciprocatable elongated handling element and at least one location to be lubricated with lubricant.

This object is achieved in an apparatus for automatically actuating a transmission, which can be shifted in particular between a plurality of gears, having a reciprocatable, elongate actuating element and at least one location to be lubricated with lubricant, in that the elongate actuating element comprises a lubricant duct which communicates a lubricant reservoir with the location to be lubricated and/or tempered. The elongate actuating element, in addition to its original actuating function, also serves to supply the lubricant and/or the temperature control agent to the region to be lubricated and/or to be temperature-controlled. Thereby improving the function of the device and increasing its service life.

A preferred embodiment of the device is characterized in that the elongate actuating element is hollow in particular for realizing the lubricant duct. The embodiment of the elongated actuating element as a hollow shaft is relatively simple to produce. The elongate actuating element is advantageously open at both ends thereof for the purpose of achieving a lubricant channel. In this way, it is possible in a simple manner to achieve that the lubricant and/or the temperature control agent enters at one end of the elongate actuating element and escapes at the other end.

A further preferred embodiment of the device is characterized in that the free end of the elongate actuating element is mounted in a blind hole which contains a lubricant reservoir and which implements a closed stroke volume which is delimited by the free end of the elongate actuating element. The end of the actuator shaft which projects, for example, from the actuator is referred to as the free end of the elongate actuating element. At the free end of the elongated actuating element, for example, an actuating element, such as a shift finger, is provided, by means of which an actuating operation, such as a shifting operation of a gear preselected in the transmission, is carried out in cooperation with a further element, in particular a transmission element. By arranging the free end of the elongated actuating element in the blind hole, the pumping action of the elongated actuating element can be achieved in a simple manner when the elongated actuating element is moved in the axial direction during an actuation, for example during a selection, in particular in a transmission. For sealing between the free end of the elongated actuating element and the blind hole, a gap seal can be used, for example. Alternatively or additionally, a sealing device can be mounted on the end face at the free end of the elongate actuating element.

A further preferred embodiment of the device is characterized in that the blind hole has a larger volume for receiving the lubricant than the lubricant duct. The previously described pumping action of the elongated actuating element can thereby be achieved in a simple manner.

A further preferred embodiment of the device is characterized in that the elongated actuating element is combined with a line adapter which extends the lubricant duct of the elongated actuating element towards the location to be lubricated. On the end of the elongate actuating element facing away from the lubricant reservoir, the line adapter comprises, for example, a bent pipe extension. Via the bent pipe extension, the lubricant can be guided in a targeted manner by the elongated actuating element to the location to be lubricated.

A further preferred embodiment of the device is characterized in that the elongate operating element is an actuator shaft of a mechanical shift actuator of a transmission which is shiftable between a plurality of gears. The mechanical shift actuator is simply referred to as an actuator. The actuator comprises at least one electric motor, by means of which an actuator movement can be generated, which causes a rotational and/or axial movement of the actuator shaft. The actuator can also comprise two electric motors. The axial movement of the actuator shaft can then be caused by one of the electric motors in order to carry out a selection movement, for example by means of an actuating element, such as a shift finger, on one end of the actuator shaft. By means of a further electric motor, a rotation of the gear shift shaft or of the actuator shaft can be brought about in order to carry out a gear shift operation, for example by means of an actuating element such as a shift finger. The mechanical shift actuator comprises, for example, a spindle drive for converting a rotary motion of an electric motor shaft into an axial motion of an actuator shaft. Axial refers to a direction along or parallel to the longitudinal axis and/or the rotational axis of the actuator shaft. The lubricant and/or temperature control agent is, for example, an oil, in particular a transmission oil, or a grease, also referred to as a grease. The spindle drive is used in a shift actuator to realize a transmission stage. The efficiency of the gear stage, i.e. the efficiency of a spindle drive lubricated with grease, for example, is extremely temperature-dependent. This temperature dependency influences the dynamics of the transmission during shifting, which is an important characteristic value in automatic transmissions. The lubricant duct in the actuator shaft can improve the lubrication and/or temperature control at the location to be lubricated and/or temperature controlled, for example, of the spindle drive, so that the best possible efficiency can be achieved for the spindle drive over the entire operating temperature range.

The above object is alternatively or additionally achieved by a system having a lubricant sump and having the above-described arrangement. The lubricant from the lubricant sump can be supplied to the location to be lubricated via the elongate actuating element in a particularly advantageous manner.

A preferred embodiment of the system is characterized in that the lubricant reservoir communicates with the lubricant sump via a connecting channel. By actively using the lubricant in the oil sump, it is possible in a simple manner to ensure that the lubricant and/or the temperature control agent is always sufficiently located in the lubricant reservoir.

A further preferred embodiment of the system is characterized in that the connecting channel between the lubricant sump and the lubricant reservoir is released or closed as a function of the axial movement of the elongate actuating element. The free end of the elongated actuating element in the blind hole is then a shutter. The connection channel is then a control connection which can be embodied as a bore. This hole can be referred to as a control hole and therefore functions like an exhaust hole in a clutch actuator.

A further preferred embodiment of the system is characterized in that the connecting channel between the lubricant sump and the lubricant reservoir is closed by the elongate actuating element when the free end of the elongate actuating element is moved into the lubricant reservoir. The elongate actuating element then acts like a piston, by means of which the aforementioned pumping action is produced. The lubricant and/or temperature control agent in the closed lubricant reservoir is then pressed through the lubricant duct in the elongate actuating element to the point to be lubricated and/or temperature controlled.

In a method for automatically actuating a transmission, which can be shifted between a plurality of gears, in particular by means of a mechanical shift actuator, in particular by means of the aforementioned device, comprising an elongate actuating element, in particular by means of a mechanical shift actuator, which comprises an actuator shaft and has at least one point to be lubricated with lubricant, the above object is alternatively or additionally achieved in that the elongate actuating element is used to implement a lubricant pump, by means of which lubricant is supplied to one or the points to be lubricated. As a result, the lubrication and/or temperature control at the points to be lubricated and/or temperature-controlled of, for example, the mechanical spindle drive can be maintained over the entire operating temperature range.

The invention also relates to a shift actuator, an elongated actuating element, in particular an actuator shaft, and/or a line adapter for the aforementioned device. The components may be traded separately.

Drawings

Further advantages, features and details of the invention are taken from the following description, in which different embodiments are explained in detail with reference to the drawings. The figures show:

fig. 1 shows a simplified sectional view of a device for automatically actuating a transmission with a mechanical shift actuator, which comprises a spindle drive;

FIG. 2 shows another cross-sectional view of the mechanical shift actuator of FIG. 1 with the actuator shaft;

fig. 3 shows a shift actuator similar to that in fig. 2 with an actuator shaft embodied as a hollow shaft, which is mounted with its free end in a blind hole communicating with an oil sump, wherein the actuator shaft is in its uppermost position;

FIG. 4 shows the apparatus of FIG. 2 with the actuator shaft in its lowest position;

fig. 5 shows a schematic view of the apparatus in fig. 3 for illustrating the dimensioning of the volume filled with lubricant.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 and 2 show different sectional views of a device 1 for automatically actuating a transmission that can be shifted between a plurality of gears. The transmission is not shown in fig. 1 and 2, but is indicated in fig. 3 and 4 only by reference numeral 20.

The device 1 comprises a mechanical shift actuator 3 having a spindle drive 6 arranged in an actuator housing 7. The mechanical shift actuator can include one motor or two motors. The motor is preferably an electric motor 4. The spindle drive 6 is used in the mechanical shift actuator 3 to implement a kinematic transmission path.

In fig. 2, it can be seen that an actuator shaft 8, also referred to as a gear shift shaft, projects with a free end 10 from an actuator housing 7 of the mechanical shift actuator 3. An actuating element 9 is mounted on the actuator or selector shaft 8 outside the actuator housing 7. The actuating element 9 comprises, for example, at least one shift finger for engaging a preselected gear in the transmission.

In the mechanical shift actuator 3, a shifting movement is generated by actuating a spindle drive 6 which is lubricated by means of a lubricant, such as grease or oil. The efficiency of the spindle drive 6, which represents the gear stage, is very temperature-dependent. Due to this characteristic or this temperature dependency, the dynamics of the transmission during a gear change are influenced, which is a very important characteristic value in an automatic transmission.

Fig. 3 and 4 show a longitudinal section through a device 21 for automatically actuating a transmission 20 that can be shifted between a plurality of gears and different actuation states. The design of the device 21 advantageously enables improved lubrication and/or temperature control, so that the best possible efficiency for the spindle drive integrated in the device 21 can be achieved over the entire operating temperature range of the device 21.

This is advantageously achieved by actively using lubricant from the lubricant sump, in particular transmission oil, for lubricating and/or tempering the spindle drive. The lubricant sump is indicated in fig. 3 and 4 by

wavy lines

41 and 42.

The mechanical shift actuator 23 comprises an actuator housing 27, in which a spindle drive (not shown and described in detail) is arranged. An actuator shaft 28, also referred to as a shift shaft, projects with a free end 30 from the actuator housing 27 (at the bottom in fig. 3 and 4). An actuating element 29 is arranged on the actuator shaft 8 outside the actuator housing 7, said actuating element 29 comprising at least one shift finger.

The actuator shaft 28 of the mechanical shift actuator 23 shown in fig. 3 and 4 is embodied as a hollow shaft. As a result, a pumping action can be achieved by means of the actuator shaft 28 when the shift actuator 23 is operated. The pumping action of the shift actuator 23 can be particularly advantageous as a side effect during the selective movement of the shift actuator 23. When the selection movement is carried out, the actuator or selector shaft 28 is moved in the axial direction, i.e. downward or upward in fig. 3 and 4.

The lubricant duct 32 extends in the actuator shaft 28, which is embodied as a hollow shaft. The lubricant duct 32 is extended by a line adapter 33 embodied as a pipe extension 34 to a point 35 in the actuator housing 27 to be lubricated and/or tempered. For this purpose, one end of the pipe extension 34 is bent 90 degrees. A lubricant escapes at the free end of the pipe extension 34 of the line adapter 33, which lubricant is advantageously used to lubricate the spindle drive in the actuator housing 27.

The hollow shift or actuator shaft 28 is an oil path to the point 35 to be lubricated. The lubricant line or oil circuit originates from a lubricant reservoir 38 which is delimited by a blind bore 39 in which the actuator shaft 28 is mounted by its free end 30. The blind hole 39 is left free in a housing body 40, which is, for example, part of a housing (not shown in detail) of the transmission 20.

A housing body 40 with a blind bore 39 is arranged in a lubricant sump or transmission sump, indicated by two

wavy lines

41, 42. The volume of the blind hole 39 is particularly advantageously a closed stroke volume for the free end 30 of the actuator shaft 28. In addition to this, the blind hole 39 in the housing body 40 is a transmission-side bearing for the gear shift shaft or the actuator shaft 28. The support bearing is embodied to some extent as a closed cylinder by means of a blind hole 39 in the housing body 40.

The blind hole 39 communicates with the

lubricant sumps

41, 42 via a connecting passage 44. The connecting channel 44 is embodied as a through-hole 45, in particular a transverse hole, in the housing body 40. In this case, the connecting channel 44 is advantageously provided such that the communication between the blind hole 39 and the

lubricant sump

41, 42 is released only when the actuator or gear shift shaft 28 is in its uppermost selection position, as shown in fig. 3, by the actuator or gear shift shaft 28.

In this state, the blind hole 39, which is the support bearing for the actuator shaft 28, is filled with lubricant, in particular oil, from the lubricant sump 41. When the shift shaft 28 is moved toward the lower selection position, i.e., downward from its uppermost position shown in fig. 3, the shift shaft 28 closes the connecting channel 44, which is thus a control opening.

In addition, the lubricant in the blind hole or bearing 39 is compressed by the shift shaft 28 moving downward in fig. 3 and 4, in order to achieve the desired pumping action of the actuator 23. The lubricant pressed by the downwardly moving shift shaft 28 is advantageously conveyed from the blind hole 39 through the lubricant duct 32 to the region 35 to be lubricated in the actuator housing 27, as is indicated in fig. 4 by the

arrows

48, 49.

The seal between the gear shift shaft 28 and the support bearing 39 is embodied as a gap seal in the illustration of fig. 3 and 4. Unlike the illustration, the sealing can also be realized by means of a sealing device mounted on the shift shaft end face at the free end 30.

The device 21 in fig. 3 and 4 is shown in a simplified schematic in fig. 5. The end face of the selector shaft or actuator shaft 28, which acts as a piston face, is indicated by a double arrow 51. The cross section of the lubricant channel 32 is indicated by

arrows

53, 54. The stroke length of the shift shaft 28 is indicated by a dashed double arrow 55. The length of the lubricant channel 32 is indicated by the dashed double arrow 56.

In order to ensure a minimum lubrication effect at the location 35 to be lubricated by the lubricant supplied from the blind hole 39, the volume of the lubricant must be dimensioned such that the product of the piston surface 51 of the gear shift shaft 28 and the stroke length 55 of the gear shift shaft 28 is greater than the product of the

cross-sectional areas

53, 54 of the lubricant duct 32 and the length 56 of the lubricant duct 32.

List of reference numerals

1. Device

3. Mechanical gear shifting actuator

4. Electric motor

6. Screw drive

7. Actuator casing

8. Elongated actuating element, in particular actuator shaft

9. Actuating element

10. Free end

20. Speed variator

21. Device

23. Mechanical gear shifting actuator

27. Actuator casing

28. Elongated actuating element, in particular actuator shaft

29. Actuating element

30. Free end

32. Lubricant passages

33. Pipeline adapter

34. Pipe extension

35. Location of a body part

38. Lubricant storage container

39. Blind hole

40. Shell body

41. Wave line

42. Wave line

44. Connecting channel

45. Through hole

48. Arrow head

49. Arrow head

51. Double arrow head

53. Arrow head

54. Arrow head

55. Double arrow head

56. Double arrow head

Claims

1. An apparatus (1, 21) for automatically operating a transmission (20) which can be shifted between a plurality of gears, having a reciprocally movable elongate operating element (8) and at least one location (35) to be lubricated with lubricant, characterized in that the elongate operating element (28) comprises a lubricant channel (32) which communicates a lubricant reservoir (38) with the location (35) to be lubricated; the lubricant reservoir (38) communicates with an oil sump (41, 42) via a connecting channel (44); axial movement of the elongate actuating element (28) releases or closes the connecting channel (44).

2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the elongated handling element (28) is internally hollow to realize the lubricant channel (32).

3. The device according to claim 2, characterized in that a free end (30) of the elongated operating element (28) is supported in a blind hole (39) which contains the lubricant reservoir (38) and realizes a closed stroke volume which is delimited by the free end (30) of the elongated operating element (28).

4. The device as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that the blind hole (39) has a larger volume for accommodating the lubricant than the lubricant channel (32).

5. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the elongated operating element (28) is combined with a line adapter (33) which lengthens the lubricant channel (32) of the elongated operating element (28) towards the site (35) to be lubricated.

6. An arrangement according to any one of claims 1-5, characterised in that the elongated operating element (28) is an actuator shaft of a mechanical shift actuator (23) of a transmission (20) which is switchable between a plurality of gears.

7. A system for automatically operating a transmission, having a lubricant sump (41, 42) and having an apparatus (21) according to one of claims 1 to 6.

8. The system according to claim 7, characterized in that the connecting channel (44) between the lubricant sump (41, 42) and the lubricant reservoir (38) is closed by the elongated actuating element (28) when the free end (30) of the elongated actuating element (28) is moved into the lubricant reservoir (38).

9. A method for automatically operating a transmission (20) by means of a mechanical shift actuator (3.