CN212203053U

CN212203053U - Vehicle drive device

Info

Publication number: CN212203053U
Application number: CN202020567045.8U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 铃木秀辅; 近藤里志; 菅野知; 伊藤考人; 筒井麻有子; 筱原龙也
Original assignee: Suzuki Motor Corp
Current assignee: Suzuki Motor Corp
Priority date: 2019-05-14
Filing date: 2020-04-16
Publication date: 2020-12-22
Anticipated expiration: 2030-04-16
Also published as: JP2020186763A; JP7272101B2; DE102020204589A1

Abstract

Provided is a vehicle drive device which can discharge oil from a breather chamber and can improve the separation performance between the oil and air even when the situation that the oil flowing through the inside of the breather chamber spreads in the width direction of a vehicle occurs. A breather chamber (27) of a drive device (8) is surrounded by a peripheral wall (29) having a bottom wall (29A) that is inclined upward from a front end (29f) to a rear end (29r), and the bottom wall has a 1 st air inlet hole (29A) and a 2 nd air inlet hole (29b) that communicate between a storage space (40) of a drive housing (9) and the breather chamber. The 2 nd air introduction hole is positioned behind the 1 st air introduction hole and in front of the input gear (15) and the output gear (16), and the 1 st air introduction hole is positioned below the 2 nd air introduction hole and is arranged in an oblique direction of the bottom wall with the 2 nd air introduction hole.

Description

Vehicle drive device

Technical Field

The utility model relates to a drive arrangement for vehicle.

Background

The power transmission device includes a breather chamber configured to release pressure after rising to the outside when the pressure inside the drive case rises, and configured to introduce air from the outside into the drive case when the pressure inside the drive case falls, thereby keeping the pressure inside and outside the drive case constant.

Conventionally, as a power transmission device provided with a breather chamber, a power transmission device described in patent document 1 is known. The power transmission device is provided with a breather chamber on the front side of a transmission case.

An air introduction hole is provided in a bottom wall of the breather chamber, and the air introduction hole includes: a front air introduction hole formed forward in a splashing direction of the oil raised by the final-stage gear; and a rear air introduction hole located rearward of the front air introduction hole in the oil splashing direction and above the front air introduction hole.

Documents of the prior art

Patent document

Patent document 1: japanese laid-open patent publication No. 2015-86935

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

Problem to be solved by utility model

However, patent document 1, which is described in the conventional power transmission device, does not describe the sizes of the front air inlet hole and the rear air inlet hole at all.

Therefore, when the oil that has entered the breather chamber from the rear air introduction hole located above expands in the width direction of the vehicle due to the influence of air flowing through the breather chamber, vibration of the vehicle, or the like, there is a possibility that the oil cannot be discharged from the front air introduction hole.

Therefore, the oil is temporarily retained in the breather chamber, and the performance of separating the oil from the air may deteriorate, leaving room for improvement.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle drive device capable of discharging oil from a breather chamber and improving the separation performance between oil and air even when an event occurs in which the oil flowing through the inside of the breather chamber spreads in the width direction of the vehicle.

Means for solving the problems

The utility model discloses a drive arrangement for vehicle possesses: a drive housing; a speed reduction mechanism having a plurality of rotating shafts including at least an input shaft and an output shaft housed in the drive case, and at least 1 or more gear pairs provided between the plurality of rotating shafts and connected to the plurality of rotating shafts, the speed reduction mechanism reducing and outputting power transmitted from a drive source; and a breather chamber provided in an upper portion of the drive case in front of the reduction mechanism and communicating an inside and an outside of the drive case, the ventilation chamber is surrounded by a peripheral wall portion having a bottom wall inclined upward from a front end toward a rear end, and the vehicle drive device is characterized in that, the bottom wall has a 1 st air inlet hole and a 2 nd air inlet hole which communicate the interior of the drive housing with the ventilation chamber, the 2 nd air introduction hole is positioned rearward of the 1 st air introduction hole and forward of the gear pair, the 1 st air introduction hole is positioned below the 2 nd air introduction hole, and the second air introduction hole and the 2 nd air introduction hole are arranged in an oblique direction of the bottom wall, and a length of the 1 st air introduction hole in the vehicle width direction is formed to be longer than a length of the 2 nd air introduction hole in the vehicle width direction.

The 2 nd air intake hole may be provided so as to be shifted in the vehicle width direction from a gear of the pair of gears that is closest to the 2 nd air intake hole in the vehicle front-rear direction.

Oil may be stored in the bottom of the drive case, a differential device may be provided behind the reduction mechanism, the differential device is housed in the drive case, distributes the power decelerated by the deceleration mechanism to left and right drive wheels, the output shaft has a 1 st gear for outputting power transmitted from the drive source, the differential device has a 2 nd gear, the 2 nd gear is engaged with the 1 st gear and immersed in the oil stored in the bottom of the driving case, the drive case includes a catch tank provided above the reduction gear and temporarily storing the oil raised by the 2 nd gear, the collecting tank has a box-shaped oil reservoir having a front wall located on the side of the ventilation chamber, capturing and storing the oil raised by the 2 nd gear through the front wall, the catch tank being configured to: an imaginary plane extending along a lower surface of the bottom wall of the peripheral wall portion passes through the front wall when viewed from a lateral side in a width direction of the vehicle.

The ventilation chamber may include: a partition wall located between an upper portion and a lower portion of the peripheral wall portion; an upper ventilation chamber located above the partition wall; an air discharge hole located in the upper ventilation chamber behind the 2 nd air introduction hole and communicating the outside of the drive case with the upper ventilation chamber; and a lower vent chamber located below the partition wall and communicating with the interior of the drive case through the 1 st air introduction hole and the 2 nd air introduction hole, wherein a front communication hole communicating the upper vent chamber with the lower vent chamber is provided in a front portion of the partition wall, and the partition wall has a rear communication hole located between the front communication hole and the air discharge hole in a vehicle longitudinal direction and located forward of the 2 nd air introduction hole to communicate the upper vent chamber with the lower vent chamber.

The partition wall may extend in a horizontal direction, and the air discharge hole may be disposed such that: when the drive case is tilted from a state in which the vehicle starts running on a flat road to a state in which the vehicle runs uphill at a maximum tilt angle set in advance, the rear end of the rear communication hole is positioned below the lower end of the air discharge hole.

When the vehicle travels uphill at the maximum inclination angle, the air discharge hole, the rear communication hole, and the 2 nd air introduction hole may be provided with: the central axis of the 2 nd air introduction hole intersects a virtual straight line connecting the lower end of the air discharge hole and the rear end of the rear communication hole at a right angle.

Effect of the utility model

As described above, according to the present invention, even when the oil flowing through the inside of the breather chamber spreads in the width direction of the vehicle, the oil can be discharged from the breather chamber, and the separation performance between the oil and the air can be improved.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a front view of a vehicle drive device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a left side view of the vehicle drive device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a left side view of a right housing of a vehicle drive device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a left side view of a right casing of a vehicle drive device according to an embodiment of the present invention, showing a state in which a reduction mechanism and a differential device are removed.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a reduction mechanism and a differential device of a vehicle drive device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a view in cross section of the VI-VI director of fig. 2.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing the inclination of the drive case when the vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention travels on an ascending road having a small inclination angle.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing the inclination of the drive case when the vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention travels uphill at the maximum inclination angle.

Description of the reference numerals

1: a vehicle; 7: a motor (driving source); 8: a drive device; 9: a drive housing; 10: a left housing (drive housing); 11: a right housing (drive housing); 12: a speed reduction mechanism; 13: a differential device; 14: an input shaft (rotation shaft); 15: input gears (gear pair); 16: output gears (gear pair); 17: an output shaft (rotating shaft); 18: final drive gear (1 st gear); 19: a final driven gear (2 nd gear); 22L, 22R: a drive wheel; 27: a breather chamber; 27A: an upper plenum; 27B: a lower plenum; 29: a peripheral wall portion; 29A: a bottom wall; 29 a: 1 st air introduction hole; 29 b: a 2 nd air introduction hole; 29C: a partition wall; 29 c: a front communication hole; 29 d: a rear communication hole; 29 e: an air discharge hole; 29 f: front end (front end of bottom wall); 29 m: rear end (rear end of bottom wall); 29 n: lower end (lower end of air discharge hole); 29 r: rear end (rear end of rear communication hole); 35: a collection tank; 36: an oil reservoir; 36B: a front wall; 40: a housing space (inside the drive case); c: a central axis (central axis of the 2 nd air introduction hole); l2: a virtual straight line (a virtual straight line connecting the lower end of the air discharge hole and the rear end of the rear side communication hole); l3: an imaginary plane (an imaginary plane extending along the lower surface of the bottom wall of the peripheral wall portion).

Detailed Description

The utility model discloses an embodiment's drive arrangement for vehicle possesses: a drive housing; a speed reduction mechanism having a plurality of rotating shafts including at least an input shaft and an output shaft housed in the drive case, and at least 1 or more gear pairs provided between the plurality of rotating shafts and connecting the plurality of rotating shafts, the speed reduction mechanism reducing and outputting power transmitted from the drive source; and a breather chamber provided in an upper portion of the drive case in front of the speed reduction mechanism and communicating an inside and an outside of the drive case, the breather chamber being surrounded by a peripheral wall portion having a bottom wall inclined upward from a front end toward a rear end, in the vehicle drive device, the bottom wall has a 1 st air introduction hole and a 2 nd air introduction hole communicating the inside of the drive case and the breather chamber, the 2 nd air introduction hole is located rearward of the 1 st air introduction hole and forward of the gear pair, the 1 st air introduction hole is located downward of the 2 nd air introduction hole and is arranged in an inclined direction of the bottom wall with the 2 nd air introduction hole, and a vehicle width direction length of the 1 st air introduction hole is formed to be longer than a vehicle width direction length of the 2 nd air introduction hole.

As a result, the vehicle drive device according to the embodiment of the present invention can discharge the oil from the breather chamber even when the situation occurs in which the oil flowing through the inside of the breather chamber spreads in the width direction of the vehicle, and can improve the separation performance between the oil and the air.

[ examples ]

Hereinafter, a vehicle drive device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1 to 8 are views showing a vehicle drive device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In fig. 1 to 8, regarding the vertical, front, rear, and left and right directions, when the direction in which the vehicle on which the vehicle drive device is mounted travels is defined as front and the direction in which the vehicle retreats is defined as rear, the width direction of the vehicle is the left and right direction, and the height direction of the vehicle is the vertical direction.

First, the configuration is explained.

In fig. 1, a vehicle 1 includes a left side member 2L, a right side member 2R, and a subframe 3.

The left side member 2L and the right side member 2R are spaced apart in the width direction (left-right direction) of the vehicle 1, and extend in the front-rear direction of the vehicle 1. Hereinafter, the width direction of the vehicle 1 is referred to as the vehicle width direction. The subframe 3 extends in the vehicle width direction.

The vehicle 1 has a powertrain 6. The power train 6 is provided in a motor chamber 5 in a front portion of the vehicle 1 and below the subframe 3. The power train 6 includes an electric motor 7 and a drive device 8 connected to a left end portion of the electric motor 7 in the vehicle width direction. The drive device 8 of the present embodiment constitutes a vehicle drive device of the present invention.

The motor 7 constitutes a driving source of the present invention and is driven by electric power supplied from a battery, not shown.

The drive device 8 is provided with a drive case 9, and the drive case 9 has a left case 10 and a right case 11 fastened to the left case 10 by a bolt 50A.

In fig. 1 and 2, the left housing 10 includes: a front wall 10A extending in the up-down direction; a rear wall 10B having a curved shape; a lower wall 10C joining a lower portion of the front wall 10A and a lower portion of the rear wall 10B; and an upper wall 10D that joins an upper portion of the front wall 10A and an upper portion of the rear wall 10B.

The left housing 10 has a side wall portion 10E connecting the front wall 10A, the rear wall 10B, the lower wall 10C, and the upper wall 10D. The upper wall 10D is inclined upward from the rear wall 10B toward the front wall 10A.

In fig. 1 and 3, the right housing 11 includes: a front wall 11A extending in the vertical direction; a rear wall 11B having a curved shape; a lower wall 11C that joins a lower portion of the front wall 11A and a lower portion of the rear wall 11B; and an upper wall 11D that connects an upper portion of the front wall 11A and an upper portion of the rear wall 11B.

The right housing 11 has a side wall portion 11E, and the side wall portion 11E connects the front wall 11A, the rear wall 11B, the lower wall 11C, and the upper wall 11D and extends in the up-down and left-right directions. The upper wall 11D is inclined upward from the rear wall 11B toward the front wall 11A.

In fig. 1, a flange portion 10M is provided at a right end portion of the left housing 10. A flange portion 11M is provided at the left end portion of the right case 11, and the left case 10 and the right case 11 are integrated by fastening the flange portion 10M and the flange portion 11M with bolts 50A.

As shown in fig. 3, a reduction mechanism 12 and a differential device 13 are housed in the drive case 9.

In fig. 3, illustration of the left housing 10 is omitted.

In fig. 3 and 5, the reduction mechanism 12 includes: an input shaft 14 that receives power from the motor 7; an input gear 15 provided on the input shaft 14 and rotating integrally with the input shaft 14; and an output shaft 17 having an output gear 16 meshed with the input gear 15 and rotating integrally with the output gear 16. The input shaft 14 and the output shaft 17 are disposed parallel to the vehicle width direction. The input gear 15 and the output gear 16 of this embodiment constitute the gear pair of the present invention, and the input shaft 14 and the output shaft 17 constitute the rotation shaft of the present invention.

The reduction mechanism 12 has a final drive gear 18 provided on the output shaft 17 and rotating integrally with the output shaft 17. The diameter of the input gear 15 is formed smaller than that of the output gear 16, and the diameter of the output gear 16 is formed larger than that of the final drive gear 18.

The speed reduction mechanism 12 transmits the power of the motor 7 to the output shaft 17 via the input shaft 14, the input gear 15, and the output gear 16, thereby reducing the speed of the power of the motor 7 and outputting the reduced power from the final drive gear 18.

As shown in fig. 5, the differential device 13 includes: a final stage driven gear 19 that meshes with the final stage drive gear 18; a differential case 20 having a final stage driven gear 19 attached to an outer peripheral portion thereof and rotating integrally with the final stage driven gear 19; and a differential gear mechanism 21 housed in the differential case 20. The differential case 20 of the present embodiment constitutes a differential case of the present invention.

The differential gear mechanism 21 includes a pinion shaft 21A fixed to the differential case 20, and a pinion gear 21B and a pinion gear not shown supported by the pinion shaft 21A so as to be rotatable.

The differential gear mechanism 21 includes: the side gear and side gear 21C, not shown, meshes with the pinion gear and pinion gear 21B, not shown, and distributes the power transmitted from the pinion gear and pinion gear 21B, not shown, to the left and

right drive wheels

22L, 22R.

Drive shafts

23L, 23R coupled to the left and

right drive wheels

22L, 22R are spline-fitted to the side gear and the side gear 21C, not shown.

The power transmitted from the electric motor 7 to the differential case 20 through the reduction mechanism 12 is transmitted to the side gear 21C through the pinion 21B and the

drive shaft

23L, 23R, and is distributed to the

drive wheels

22L, 22R through the

drive shaft

23L, 23R from the side gear 21C.

The rear wall 10B of the left housing 10 and the rear wall 11B of the right housing 11 are curved along the circular outer peripheral shape of the final driven gear 19. The final drive gear 18 of this embodiment constitutes the 1 st gear of the present invention, and the final driven gear 19 constitutes the 2 nd gear of the present invention.

As shown in fig. 1, the subframe 3 is linked to the left and

right side members

2L and 2R by left and right

side support members

24L and 24R.

The electric motor 7 is elastically supported at the right end portion of the subframe 3 by the right side mounting member 41R, and the left housing 10 of the drive device 8 is elastically supported at the left end portion of the subframe 3 by the left side mounting member 41L. The rear portion of the right housing 11 is elastically supported to the subframe 3 by the rear mounting member 41B.

Thus, the power train 6 is suspended from the subframe 3 and elastically supported by the left, right, and rear mounting

members

41L, 41R, and 41B on the subframe 3. The lower portion of the right housing 11 is elastically supported by a lower cross member, not shown, via a torque rod, not shown.

In fig. 2, bearing holding

portions

10F, 10G, and 10H are provided on a side wall portion 10E of the left housing 10. In fig. 4, bearing holding

portions

11F, 11G, and 11H are provided on a side wall portion 11E of the right housing 11.

The left end portion 20a (see fig. 5) of the differential case 20 is rotatably supported by the bearing holding portion 10F via a bearing 28A. The right end portion 20B (see fig. 5) of the differential case 20 is rotatably supported by the bearing holding portion 11F via a bearing 28B.

The left end portion 14a (see fig. 5) of the input shaft 14 is rotatably supported by the bearing holding portion 10H via a bearing 28C. The right end portion 14b (see fig. 5) of the input shaft 14 is rotatably supported by the bearing holding portion 11H via a bearing 28D.

The left end portion 17a (see fig. 5) of the output shaft 17 is rotatably supported by the bearing holding portion 10G via a bearing 28E. A right end portion 17b (see fig. 5) of the output shaft 17 is rotatably supported by the bearing holding portion 11H via a bearing 28F.

The

bearing holding portions

11G, 11H protrude from the side wall portion 11E toward the left housing 10 (i.e., leftward) in a cylindrical shape.

Oil O for lubrication (see fig. 3 and 4) is stored in the bottom portions of the left and

right cases

10 and 11, and the lower portions of the final driven gear 19 and the differential case 20 are immersed in the oil O.

The differential case 20 and the final driven gear 19 are provided on the

rear walls

10B, 11B side of the side wall portion 10E of the left case 10 and the side wall portion 11E of the right case 11.

When the final stage driven gear 19 is rotated by the final stage drive gear 18, the oil O is raised by the final stage driven gear 19, flows (splashes) along the

upper walls

10D, 11D and toward the

front walls

10A, 11A.

In fig. 4, a breather chamber 27 is provided in front of the reduction mechanism 12. The ventilation chamber 27 is surrounded by a peripheral wall portion 29 that protrudes from the side wall portion 11E toward the left housing 10 (left side) (see fig. 6).

In fig. 4, the peripheral wall portion 29 is constituted by a space surrounded by the bottom wall 29A, the side wall 29B, an upper portion of the front wall 11A of the right housing 11, and a front portion of the upper wall 11D of the right housing 11.

The bottom wall 29A is inclined upward from the front end 29f toward the rear end 29 r. The bottom wall 29A is provided with a 1 st air introduction hole 29A and a 2 nd air introduction hole 29 b.

The 1 st air introduction hole 29a and the 2 nd air introduction hole 29b communicate the housing space 40 (the housing space 40 of the drive case 9) inside the left case 10 and the right case 11 housing the reduction mechanism 12 and the differential device 13 with the breather chamber 27.

As shown in fig. 6, the 2 nd air introduction hole 29b is located behind the 1 st air introduction hole 29a and in front of the input gear 15 and the output gear 16.

In fig. 4, the 1 st air introduction hole 29A is located below the 2 nd air introduction hole 29b, and is arranged in a direction inclined to the bottom wall 29A with respect to the 2 nd air introduction hole 29 b.

As shown in fig. 6, the 1 st air inlet hole 29a is formed to have a length in the vehicle width direction longer than that of the 2 nd air inlet hole 29 b. The width W1 in the vehicle width direction of the 1 st air introduction hole 29a is formed to be about half the width W of the front wall 11A of the right housing 11 of the breather chamber 27.

The side wall portion 11E of the right housing 11 in the breather chamber 27 is inclined forward from the vehicle width direction outer side (right side) toward the left housing 10.

The 2 nd air introduction hole 29b is provided so as to be shifted in the vehicle width direction from the input gear 15 closest to the 2 nd air introduction hole 29b in the front-rear direction, and a portion of the right side of the 1 st air introduction hole 29a overlaps the input gear 15 in the vehicle width direction. In fig. 6, an imaginary straight line L1 extending in the front-rear direction along the left end portion of the input gear 15 is shown.

In fig. 4, a partition wall 29C is provided in the breather chamber 27, and the partition wall 29C protrudes from the side wall portion 11E toward the left housing 10 (left side). The partition wall 29C is located between the upper wall 11D and the bottom wall 29A and extends in the front-rear direction.

That is, partition wall 29C is provided in ventilation chamber 27 so as to be located between the upper portion and the lower portion of peripheral wall 29. The breather chamber 27 is partitioned into an upper breather chamber 27A and a lower breather chamber 27B by a partition wall 29C.

The upper plenum 27A is a space surrounded by the front wall 11A, the upper wall 11D, the side wall 11E, the side wall 29B, and the partition wall 29C.

The lower ventilation chamber 27B is formed of a space surrounded by the front wall 11A, the side wall 11E, the bottom wall 29A, and the partition wall 29C below the upper ventilation chamber 27A. The lower plenum 27B communicates with the housing space 40 through the 1 st air introduction hole 29a and the 2 nd air introduction hole 29B.

An air discharge hole 29E is formed in the side wall portion 11E of the upper plenum 27A so as to penetrate the side wall portion 11E in the vehicle width direction. The air discharge hole 29e is located behind the 2 nd air introduction hole 29b, and communicates the upper plenum 27A with the outside of the drive case 9.

Specifically, the air outlet hole 29e communicates with a closed space formed by the right housing 11 and the motor 7, and an air outlet hole, not shown, is provided in the right housing 11 to communicate the closed space of the right housing 11 and the motor 7 with the outside of the drive housing 9.

Thus, the air introduced into the upper ventilation chamber 27A is discharged from the air discharge hole 29e to the outside of the drive case 9 through the air discharge hole, not shown, of the right case 11 from the closed space formed by the right case 11 and the motor 7.

A front communication hole 29C is provided in a front portion of the partition wall 29C, and the front communication hole 29C communicates the upper vent chamber 27A and the lower vent chamber 27B.

The partition wall 29C is provided with a rear communication hole 29d, and the rear communication hole 29d communicates the upper vent chamber 27A and the lower vent chamber 27B. The rear communication hole 29d is located between the front communication hole 29c and the air discharge hole 29e in the front-rear direction and is located on the front side of the 2 nd air introduction hole 29 b.

The vent plate 30 (see fig. 3) is fixed to the peripheral wall 29 by bolts 50B, and the vent chamber 27 is surrounded by the peripheral wall 29 and the vent plate 30.

The partition wall 29C extends in the horizontal direction. Specifically, in drive case 9 when vehicle 1 is stopped or running on a flat road, partition wall 29C is in a state of extending in the horizontal direction. When the drive case 9 is tilted during the uphill running or the downhill running of the vehicle 1, the partition wall 29C is tilted.

In the drive device 8, the air discharge hole 29e is configured to: when the drive case 9 is tilted from the state where the vehicle 1 starts running on a flat road to the state where it runs uphill at the maximum inclination angle set in advance, the rear end 29m (see fig. 7 and 8) of the rear communication hole 29d is located below the lower end (see fig. 7 and 8) of the air discharge hole 29e that changes depending on the inclination angle.

Fig. 7 shows the orientation of the right housing 11 when the vehicle 1 is traveling on an uphill road with a small inclination angle. Fig. 8 shows the orientation of the right housing 11 when the vehicle 1 travels uphill at a preset maximum inclination angle.

In fig. 8, the air discharge hole 29e, the rear side communication hole 29d, and the 2 nd air introduction hole 29b are provided: the center axis C of the 2 nd air introduction hole 29b intersects a virtual straight line L2 that connects the lower end 29n of the air discharge hole 29e and the rear end 29m of the rear communication hole 29d when the vehicle 1 travels uphill at a preset maximum inclination angle at right angles.

In fig. 3, a collection tank 35 is provided in the right housing 11. The collecting tank 35 includes a box-shaped oil reservoir 36 and an oil guide 37 extending rearward from the oil reservoir 36.

In fig. 3 and 6, the oil reservoir 36 includes: a bottom wall 36A; a front wall 36B located on the ventilation chamber 27 side and extending upward from the bottom wall 36A; and a rear wall 36C located rearward relative to the front wall 36B and extending upward from the bottom wall 36A.

The oil reservoir 36 is formed in a box shape, and includes: a left side wall 36D extending rearward from a left end portion of the front wall 36B; and a right side wall 36E that joins a right end portion of the front wall 36B and a right end portion of the rear wall 36C. The oil guide portion 37 extends from the oil reservoir portion 36 toward above the final driven gear 19.

The collection tank 35 is configured to: when viewed from the side in the vehicle width direction shown in fig. 3, an imaginary plane L3 extending along the lower surface of the bottom wall 36A of the oil reservoir 36 passes through the front wall 36B.

The oil raised by the final driven gear 19 flows from the oil guide portion 37 to the oil reservoir portion 36. The oil flowing to the oil reservoir 36 is caught by the front wall 36B and stored in the oil reservoir 36.

As shown in fig. 6, the left side wall 36D of the oil reservoir 36 is positioned closer to the left housing 10 than the vent plate 30, and a virtual straight line L4 that crosses the center portion of the final driven gear 19 in the vehicle width direction in the front-rear direction overlaps the left side wall 36D in the vehicle width direction.

Oil delivery holes 36A, 36b, and 36c are formed in a bottom wall 36A of the oil reservoir 36. An oil delivery hole 37A is formed in the bottom wall 37A of the oil guide 37.

In fig. 4, a recess 11I and a boss portion 11J for bolt fastening are provided in a side wall portion 11E of the right housing 11, and the recess 11I and the boss portion 11J are provided above the bearing holding portion 11H.

The bearing holding portion 11G is formed with an oil supply groove 11G, and the oil supply groove 11G communicates between the bottom surface 11I of the recess 11I and the bearing holding portion 11G. An oil supply groove 11H is formed in the bearing holding portion 11H, and the oil supply groove 11H communicates between the bottom surface 11I of the recess 11I and the bearing holding portion 11H.

The right side wall 36E of the oil reservoir 36 is inserted into the recess 11I so as to be surrounded by the recess 11I, and the oil reservoir 36 is fastened to the boss portion 11J by the bolt 50C. Thereby, the collection tank 35 is fixed to the upper portion of the right housing 11.

A gap is formed between the bottom wall 36A of the oil reservoir 36 and the bottom surface 11I of the recess 11I (see fig. 3), the oil delivery hole 36A is located above the oil supply groove 11g, and the oil delivery hole 36b is located above the oil supply groove 11 h.

The oil stored in the oil reservoir 36 is introduced into the bearing holding portion 11G from the oil supply hole 36a through the oil supply groove 11G. Thereby, the bearing 28F provided in the bearing holding portion 11G is lubricated.

The oil stored in the oil reservoir 36 is introduced into the bearing holding portion 11H from the oil delivery hole 36b through the oil supply groove 11H. Thereby, the bearing 28D provided in the bearing holding portion 11H is lubricated.

The oil delivery hole 36c is located above the meshing portion of the input gear 15 and the output gear 16. The oil stored in the oil reservoir 36 is supplied from the oil delivery hole 36c to the meshing portion of the input gear 15 and the output gear 16, whereby the meshing portion of the input gear 15 and the output gear 16 is lubricated.

The oil delivery hole 37a is located above a meshing portion between the final drive gear 18 and the final driven gear 19. The oil stored in the oil reservoir portion 36 is supplied from the oil delivery hole 37a to the meshing portion of the final drive gear 18 and the final driven gear 19, whereby the meshing portion of the final drive gear 18 and the final driven gear 19 is lubricated.

Next, the effect of the driving device 8 of the present embodiment will be described.

In the drive device 8 of the present embodiment, the breather chamber 27 for communicating the housing space 40 of the drive case 9 with the outside of the drive case 9 is provided in the upper portion of the right case 11 in front of the reduction mechanism 12, and the breather chamber 27 is surrounded by the peripheral wall portion 29 having the bottom wall 29A inclined upward from the front end 29f toward the rear end 29 r.

The bottom wall 29A has a 1 st air introduction hole 29A and a 2 nd air introduction hole 29b that communicate the housing space 40 of the drive case 9 with the breather chamber 27.

The 2 nd air introduction hole 29b is located behind the 1 st air introduction hole 29A and in front of the input gear 15 and the output gear 16, and the 1 st air introduction hole 29A is located below the 2 nd air introduction hole 29b and is arranged in the oblique direction of the bottom wall 29A with the 2 nd air introduction hole 29 b.

Thus, when the vehicle 1 is inclined in the front-rear direction, the oil can be returned from the breather chamber 27 to the storage space 40 of the drive case 9 through either one of the 1 st air introduction hole 29a and the 2 nd air introduction hole 29 b.

Therefore, oil can be prevented from accumulating on the upper surface of the bottom wall 29A of the breather chamber 27, and the performance of separating air from oil can be improved.

However, since the 2 nd air introduction hole 29b is located at a position rearward of the 1 st air introduction hole 29a and forward of the input gear 15 and the output gear 16, more oil supplied from the collection tank 35 to the input gear 15 and the output gear 16 and splashed down by the input gear 15 and the output gear 16 is splashed down to the 2 nd air introduction hole 29b than to the 1 st air introduction hole 29 a.

In contrast, in the drive device 8 of the present embodiment, the bottom wall 29A is inclined upward from the front end 29f toward the rear end 29r, and the 1 st air introduction hole 29A is located forward and downward of the 2 nd air introduction hole 29 b.

Accordingly, the oil splashed by the input gear 15 and the output gear 16 and introduced into the breather chamber 27 from the 2 nd air introduction hole 29b flows forward along the bottom wall 29A (see oil O1 in fig. 7), and then returns to the storage space 40 of the drive case 9 from the 1 st air introduction hole 29A.

Therefore, the oil can be more effectively prevented from staying on the upper surface of the bottom wall 29A in the breather chamber 27, and the air-oil separation performance can be more effectively improved.

In addition, according to the drive device 8 of the present embodiment, the 1 st air inlet hole 29a is formed to have a length in the vehicle width direction longer than that of the 2 nd air inlet hole 29 b.

Thus, when the oil introduced from the 2 nd air introduction hole 29b and flowing forward along the bottom wall 29A expands in the vehicle width direction due to vibration of the vehicle 1, air flowing through the breather chamber 27, or the like (see the oil O2 in fig. 6), the oil can be returned to the storage space 40 of the drive case 9 from the 1 st air introduction hole 29A having a wider width than the 2 nd air introduction hole 29 b.

The width W1 in the vehicle width direction of the 1 st air introduction hole 29a is formed to be about half the width W of the front wall 11A of the right housing 11 of the breather chamber 27, and the side wall portion 11E of the right housing 11 in the breather chamber 27 is inclined forward from the vehicle width direction outer side (right side) toward the left housing 10.

Thus, when the oil spreads further largely in the vehicle width direction due to vibration of the vehicle 1, air flowing through the breather chamber 27, or the like, the oil can be guided from the side wall portion 11E of the breather chamber 27 to the 2 nd air introduction hole 29b along the front wall 11A of the breather chamber 27.

In addition, according to the drive device 8 of the present embodiment, the 2 nd air introduction hole 29b is provided so as to be shifted in the vehicle width direction from the input gear 15 which is closer to the 2 nd air introduction hole 29b than the output gear 16 in the front-rear direction.

This prevents oil that splashes down in the radial direction from the input gear 15 closest to the 2 nd air introduction hole 29b in the front-rear direction from being introduced into the 2 nd air introduction hole 29b, and reduces the amount of oil introduced into the breather chamber 27. Therefore, the separation performance of air and oil can be more effectively improved.

In the drive device 8 according to the present embodiment, the drive case 9 includes the catch tank 35, and the catch tank 35 is provided above the reduction mechanism 12 and temporarily stores the oil raised by the final driven gear 19.

The collection tank 35 includes a box-shaped oil reservoir 36, and the oil reservoir 36 has a front wall 36B located on the breather chamber 27 side, and stores oil captured by the front wall 36B.

Furthermore, the collection tank 35 is provided: an imaginary plane L3 extending along the lower surface of the bottom wall 29A passes through the front wall 36B when viewed from the side in the vehicle width direction.

Thereby, the rear of the 2 nd air introduction hole 29B can be covered by the front wall 36B.

Therefore, as shown by oil O3 in fig. 3, the oil raised and raised by the final driven gear 19 can be made to collide with the front wall 36B and prevented from splashing to the 2 nd air inlet hole 29B.

The left side wall 36D of the oil reservoir 36 is located closer to the left housing 10 than the breather plate 30, and a virtual straight line L4 that crosses the center portion of the final driven gear 19 in the vehicle width direction in the front-rear direction overlaps the left side wall 36D in the vehicle width direction.

This makes it possible to more effectively prevent the oil raised by the final driven gear 19 from colliding with the front wall 36B and splashing down to the 2 nd air inlet hole 29B.

As a result, the amount of oil introduced into the breather chamber 27 from the 2 nd air introduction hole 29b can be reduced, and the air-oil separation performance can be improved more effectively.

In addition, according to the drive device 8 of the present embodiment, the partition wall 29C is provided in the breather chamber 27, and the partition wall 29C is located between the upper portion (the upper wall 11D) and the lower portion (the bottom wall 29A) of the peripheral wall portion 29.

The breather chamber 27 has: an upper breather chamber 27A located above the partition wall 29C; and an air discharge hole 29e which is located in the upper ventilation chamber 27A at a position rearward of the 2 nd air introduction hole 29b and communicates the outside of the drive case 9 with the upper ventilation chamber 27A.

The breather chamber 27 has a lower breather chamber 27B, and the lower breather chamber 27B is located below the partition wall 29C and communicates with the housing space 40 of the drive case 9 through the 1 st air introduction hole 29a and the 2 nd air introduction hole 29B.

A front communication hole 29C that communicates the upper vent chamber 27A and the lower vent chamber 27B is provided in a front portion of the partition wall 29C.

The partition wall 29C is provided with a rear communication hole 29d, and the rear communication hole 29d is located between the front communication hole 29C and the air discharge hole 29e in the front-rear direction and is located on the front side of the 2 nd air introduction hole 29B to communicate the upper plenum 27A and the lower plenum 27B.

Thus, when the vehicle 1 travels on an uphill road, the oil (see oil O4 in fig. 7) accumulated in the partition wall 29C behind the rear communication hole 29d in the breather chamber 27 can be returned from the upper breather chamber 27A to the lower breather chamber 27B through the rear communication hole 29 d.

Therefore, when the vehicle 1 travels on an uphill road, oil can be prevented from accumulating on the upper surface of the partition wall 29C of the upper breather chamber 27A, and the air-oil separation performance can be improved.

Further, since the rear communication hole 29d is provided so as to be positioned between the front communication hole 29C and the air discharge hole 29e in the front-rear direction and to be positioned further forward than the 2 nd air introduction hole 29B, the oil introduced from the 2 nd air introduction hole 29B into the lower breather chamber 27B can be caused to collide with the partition wall 29C (see oil O5 in fig. 4).

Therefore, the oil can be easily separated from the air by partition wall 29C, and the performance of separating the air from the oil can be more effectively improved.

Further, by blocking the oil introduced from the 2 nd air introduction hole 29B to the lower breather chamber 27B by the partition wall 29C, the oil introduced to the lower breather chamber 27B can be prevented from leaking to the outside of the drive case 9 through the air discharge hole 29 e.

Further, according to drive device 8 of the present embodiment, partition wall 29C extends in the horizontal direction, and therefore, when drive case 9 is tilted when vehicle 1 travels on an uphill road, bottom wall 29A is tilted such that the front end of partition wall 29C is positioned above the rear end of partition wall 29C.

Thereby, oil is accumulated in the partition wall 29C between the rear communication hole 29d and the air discharge hole 29e (see O4 in fig. 7).

In the driving device 8 of the present embodiment, the air discharge hole 29e is configured to: when the drive case 9 is tilted from the state where the vehicle 1 starts running on a flat road to the state where it runs uphill at the maximum tilt angle set in advance as shown in fig. 8, the rear end 29m of the rear communication hole 29d is located below the lower end 29n of the air discharge hole 29 e.

Thus, even in a state where the vehicle 1 travels uphill at the maximum inclination angle, as shown in fig. 8, the oil O6 can be returned to the lower breather chamber 27B from the rear communication hole 29d before the oil level of the oil O6 accumulated on the upper surface of the partition wall 29C reaches the air discharge hole 29 e.

Therefore, the oil can be prevented from leaking from the air discharge hole 29e to the outside of the drive case 9. Here, as an example, the inclination angle of the uphill road on which the vehicle 1 can ascend is set in advance in the range of 40 ° to 50 °.

When the drive device is tilted when vehicle 1 travels on a downhill, partition wall 29C is tilted such that the front end of partition wall 29C is located below the rear end of partition wall 29C.

Thus, the oil accumulated in the partition wall 29C returns to the lower breather chamber 27B directly through the rear communication hole 29 d.

In addition, according to the driving device 8 of the present embodiment, the air discharge hole 29e, the rear side communication hole 29d, and the 2 nd air introduction hole 29b are provided: the center axis C of the 2 nd air introduction hole 29b intersects a virtual straight line L2 that connects the lower end 29n of the air discharge hole 29e and the rear end 29m of the rear communication hole 29d when the vehicle 1 travels uphill at a preset maximum inclination angle at right angles.

Thus, when the vehicle 1 travels on an uphill road having a maximum inclination angle capable of ascending, the rear communication hole 29d and the 2 nd air introduction hole 29b can be vertically opposed to each other (see fig. 8). Therefore, by directing the oil in the upper breather chamber 27A from the rear communication hole 29d to the 2 nd air introduction hole 29B by its own weight, the oil can be returned to the housing space 40 of the drive case 9 without temporarily accumulating in the lower breather chamber 27B.

Therefore, when the vehicle 1 travels uphill at the maximum inclination angle set in advance, the oil can be more effectively prevented from being accumulated on the upper surface of the partition wall 29C of the lower breather chamber 27B, and the oil can be quickly returned to the housing space 40 of the drive case 9.

As a result, the performance of separating the air and the oil can be more effectively improved, and the oil can be more effectively prevented from leaking from the air discharge hole 29e to the outside of the drive case 9.

Although the reduction mechanism 12 of the present embodiment is provided with a pair of rotating shafts including the input shaft 14 and the output shaft 17, and a pair of gear pairs including the input gear 15 and the output gear 16, the number of rotating shafts and gear pairs is not limited to this.

Although embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. It is intended that all such modifications and equivalents be included in the following claims.

Claims

1. A vehicle drive device is provided with:

a drive housing;

a speed reduction mechanism having a plurality of rotating shafts including at least an input shaft and an output shaft housed in the drive case, and at least 1 or more gear pairs provided between the plurality of rotating shafts and connected to the plurality of rotating shafts, the speed reduction mechanism reducing and outputting power transmitted from a drive source; and

a breather chamber provided in an upper portion of the drive housing in front of the reduction mechanism and communicating an inside and an outside of the drive housing,

the ventilation chamber is surrounded by a peripheral wall portion having a bottom wall inclined upward from a front end toward a rear end, and the vehicle drive device is characterized in that,

the bottom wall has a 1 st air inlet hole and a 2 nd air inlet hole which communicate the interior of the drive housing with the ventilation chamber,

the 2 nd air introduction hole is positioned rearward of the 1 st air introduction hole and forward of the gear pair,

the 1 st air introduction hole is located below the 2 nd air introduction hole and is arranged in an oblique direction of the bottom wall with the 2 nd air introduction hole,

the 1 st air introduction hole is formed to have a length in the vehicle width direction longer than that of the 2 nd air introduction hole.

2. The vehicular drive apparatus according to claim 1,

the 2 nd air intake hole is provided so as to be displaced in the vehicle width direction from a gear of the gear pair that is closest to the 2 nd air intake hole in the vehicle front-rear direction.

3. The vehicular drive apparatus according to claim 1,

oil is stored in the bottom of the driving housing,

a differential device is provided behind the speed reduction mechanism, the differential device is accommodated in the drive case, and distributes the power reduced by the speed reduction mechanism to left and right drive wheels,

the output shaft has a 1 st gear for outputting power transmitted from the driving source,

the differential device has a 2 nd gear, the 2 nd gear is engaged with the 1 st gear and immersed in oil stored in the bottom of the drive case,

the drive case includes a catch tank provided above the reduction gear and temporarily storing the oil raised by the 2 nd gear,

the collecting tank includes a box-shaped oil reservoir having a front wall located on the ventilation chamber side, and the oil raised by the 2 nd gear is captured and stored by the front wall,

the collecting tank is arranged as follows: an imaginary plane extending along a lower surface of the bottom wall of the peripheral wall portion passes through the front wall when viewed from a lateral side in a width direction of the vehicle.

4. The vehicular drive apparatus according to claim 2,

oil is stored in the bottom of the driving housing,

5. The vehicular drive apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,

the breather chamber includes: a partition wall located between an upper portion and a lower portion of the peripheral wall portion; an upper ventilation chamber located above the partition wall; an air discharge hole located in the upper ventilation chamber behind the 2 nd air introduction hole and communicating the outside of the drive case with the upper ventilation chamber; and a lower ventilation chamber located below the partition wall and communicating with the interior of the drive case through the 1 st air introduction hole and the 2 nd air introduction hole,

a front communication hole for communicating the upper ventilation chamber and the lower ventilation chamber is provided in a front portion of the partition wall,

the partition wall has a rear communication hole located between the front communication hole and the air discharge hole in the vehicle longitudinal direction and located forward of the 2 nd air introduction hole to communicate the upper plenum and the lower plenum.

6. The vehicular drive apparatus according to claim 5,

the above-mentioned partition wall extends in the horizontal direction,

the air discharge hole is configured to: when the drive case is tilted from a state in which the vehicle starts running on a flat road to a state in which the vehicle runs uphill at a maximum tilt angle set in advance, the rear end of the rear communication hole is positioned below the lower end of the air discharge hole.

7. The vehicular drive apparatus according to claim 6,

when the vehicle travels uphill at the maximum inclination angle, the air discharge hole, the rear communication hole, and the 2 nd air introduction hole are provided: the central axis of the 2 nd air introduction hole intersects a virtual straight line connecting the lower end of the air discharge hole and the rear end of the rear communication hole at a right angle.