DE102020204587B4 - VEHICLE DRIVE DEVICE - Google Patents

Abstract

A vehicle drive device characterized by comprising:a drive housing (9) storing oil in its lower portion,a deceleration mechanism (12) housed in the drive housing (9), a plurality of rotary shafts including at least one input shaft (14) and one output shaft (17) to which power is transmitted from a drive source (7), and at least one gear pair provided between the plurality of rotary shafts and connecting the plurality of rotary shafts to each other, and decelerating and outputting the power transmitted from the drive source (7),a differential device (13) comprising a rotary body (19) to which the power of the deceleration mechanism (12) is transmitted and which distributes the power of the deceleration mechanism (12) to the left and right drive wheels (22L, 22R), anda receiver (35) provided above the deceleration mechanism (12) and in front of the rotary body (19), wherein the receiver (35) has an oil storage portion (36) having a bottom wall (36A), a front wall (36B) extending upward from the bottom wall (36A), and a rear wall (36C) extending upward from the bottom wall (36A) so as to be located behind the front wall (36B), and having an upper end (36n) lower than an upper end (36m) of the front wall (36B), and temporarily storing oil scraped off and lifted by the rotation of the rotary body (19),the bottom wall (36A) includes an oil supply hole (36a, 36b, 36c) that supplies the oil stored in the oil storage portion (36) to the deceleration mechanism (12),a gear (16) to be lubricated is installed among the gears constituting the gear pair on a scattering path of oil spilled by overflow from the rear wall (36C) of the oil storage portion (36) to be scattered, and a rotational direction at the time of travel of a vehicle (1) is the same direction as a scattering direction of the oil. characterized in thatthe differential device (13) comprises a differential case (20) having the rotary body (19) provided at an outer peripheral portion thereof, and a differential gear mechanism (21) housed in the differential case (20),the differential case (20) is installed at a position rearward of the gear (16) to be lubricated and lower than the gear (16) to be lubricated, andthe differential case (20) has opening portions (20A, 20B), the opening portions (20A, 20B) opening in the same direction as a radial direction of the gear (16) to be lubricated.

Description

[Technical area]

The present invention relates to a vehicle drive device.

[Technical background]

As a conventional vehicle transmission, there is known a vehicle transmission which includes a lubricating oil storage portion in which lubricating oil scraped and lifted from a final gear is stored, and which supplies oil stored in the lubricating oil storage portion to a portion to be lubricated which is installed below the lubricating oil storage portion (see JP 2014- 240 668 A ).

From the EN 10 2006 000 285 A1 a transmission device is known. The transmission device includes a housing provided with shafts, a rotary member provided in the housing at an end portion in an axial direction of the shafts, the rotary member being configured to upwardly feed a lubricating oil to supply the lubricating oil to a part other than the end portion in the housing, and an oil passage provided along the axial line direction of the shafts. The oil passage is configured to receive the lubricating oil fed up by the rotary member at the first end portion with respect to a longitudinal direction of the oil passage and to supply the lubricating oil to a part inside the housing far away from the rotary member through a second end portion with respect to the longitudinal direction of the oil passage, the oil passage being integrally formed with the housing.

From the JP S60 - 59 864 U A gearbox is known which is housed in two housings, with an oil groove installed from the first housing to the second housing to act as a "self-lubricating" lubrication device for the gearbox.

From the DE 38 19 519 A1 A device for ensuring the start-up lubrication of a reduction gear arranged in a gearbox is known, wherein a gear wheel is continuously immersed in an oil sump and meshes with a pinion on the motor shaft, which passes through a cover on the gearbox housing, wherein an oil pan for the pinion is attached to the cover below the pinion and an oil collecting pan with an oil overflow leading to the oil pan is arranged above the pinion, which is filled by oil thrown off by the gearbox and by oil dripping from housing parts and supplies the oil pan with a sufficient amount of oil for the pinion via the oil overflow.

From the US 2009 / 0 186 737 A1 a power transmission device is known which is capable of supplying lubricant to a seal arranged between a shaft and an opening of a housing of the device, wherein a lubricant guide is arranged to receive the lubricant sprayed from the ring gear and the helical spur gears of the intermediate shaft and to guide the received lubricant to the oil seal and a ball bearing.

From the JP 2006 - 292 071 A A lubricant cooling device is known, comprising a housing in which components lubricated with a lubricant are stored, partition walls which divide an interior of the housing to define a first and a second space, and a circulation device which removes the lubricant from the second space, cools the lubricant and supplies the cooled lubricant to the first space.

[Summary of the invention]

[Technical task]

In conventional vehicle transmissions according to JP 2014- 240 668 A However, during accelerated travel or high-speed travel, such as when the final gear speed is high, the amount of lubricating oil to be scraped off and lifted from the last gear increases. In this way, oil may overflow from the lubricating oil storage section.

In this case, unless the oil overflowing from the lubricating oil storage section is properly processed, more lubricating oil than necessary is supplied to a gear that forms the portion to be lubricated. As a result, the stirring resistance of the gear increases, so that the power requirement of an engine may increase.

The present invention has been made in view of the circumstances described above, and aims to provide a vehicle drive device capable of supplying an amount of oil to a gear pair corresponding to the running state of a vehicle, so that the lubricating performance of the gear pair can be improved.

[Solution of the task]

The present invention is characterized in that it comprises: a drive housing that stores oil in its lower portion, a deceleration mechanism housed in the drive housing, comprising a plurality of rotary shafts that includes at least an input shaft and an output shaft to which power is transmitted from a drive source, and at least one gear pair that is provided between the plurality of rotary shafts and connects the plurality of rotary shafts to each other and decelerates and outputs the power transmitted from the drive source, a differential device that includes a rotary body to which the power of the deceleration mechanism is transmitted and that distributes the power of the deceleration mechanism to the left and right drive wheels, and a receiver tank provided above the deceleration mechanism and in front of the rotary body, the receiver tank including an oil storage portion that has a bottom wall, a front wall extending upward from the bottom wall, and a rear wall extending upward from the bottom wall so as to be positioned behind the front wall, and that has an upper end that is lower than an upper end of the front wall, and temporarily stores oil that is scraped and raised by the rotation of the rotary body, the bottom wall includes an oil supply hole that supplies the oil stored in the oil storage portion to the deceleration mechanism, a gear to be lubricated among the gears constituting the gear pair is installed on a scattering path of oil to be scattered by overflow from the rear wall of the oil storage portion, and a rotation direction at the time of travel of a vehicle is the same direction as a scattering direction of oil. According to the invention, the differential device includes a differential case having the rotary body provided at an outer peripheral portion thereof and a differential gear mechanism housed in the differential case, the differential case is installed at a position rearward of the gear to be lubricated and lower than the gear to be lubricated, and the differential case has opening portions, the opening portions opening in the same direction as a radial direction of the gear to be lubricated.

[Advantageous effect of the invention]

Accordingly, according to the present invention, an amount of oil corresponding to the driving state of a vehicle can be supplied to a gear pair, so that a lubricating performance of the gear pair can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

• [ 1 ] 1 is a front view of a vehicle drive device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
• [ 2 ] 2 is a left side view of the vehicle drive device according to the embodiment of the present invention.
• [ 3 ] 3 is a left side view of a right housing in the vehicle drive device according to the embodiment of the present invention.
• [ 4 ] 4 is a left side view of the right case in the vehicle drive device according to the embodiment of the present invention, and illustrates a state in which a deceleration mechanism and a differential device have been removed.
• [ 5 ] 5 is a plan view of the deceleration mechanism and the differential device in the vehicle drive device according to the embodiment of the present invention.
• [ 6 ] 6 is a perspective view of a deceleration mechanism, a differential device and a collecting container according to the embodiment of the present invention.
• [ 7 ] 7 is a perspective view of the right housing in the vehicle drive device according to the embodiment of the present invention, with the collecting container shown as viewed obliquely from below.
• [ 8th ] 8th is a cross-sectional view along a line VIII-VIII taken in 1 is shown.

[Description of an embodiment]

A vehicle drive device according to an aspect of the present invention is characterized by comprising: a drive housing storing oil in its lower portion, a deceleration mechanism housed in the drive housing, a plurality of rotary shafts including at least an input shaft and an output shaft to which power is transmitted from a drive source, and at least one gear pair provided between the plurality of rotary shafts and connecting the plurality of rotary shafts to each other, and decelerating and outputting the power transmitted from the drive source, a differential device including a rotary body to which the power of the deceleration mechanism is transmitted, and which distributes the power of the deceleration mechanism to the left and right drive wheels, and a catch tank provided above the deceleration mechanism and in front of the rotary body, the catch tank including an oil storage portion having a bottom wall, a front wall extending upward from the bottom wall, and a rear wall extending upward from the bottom wall so as to be disposed behind the front wall, and having an upper end lower than an upper end of the front wall, and temporarily storing oil scraped off and raised by the rotation of the rotary body, the bottom wall including an oil supply hole supplying the oil stored in the oil storage portion to the deceleration mechanism, a gear to be lubricated among the gears constituting the gear pair is installed on a scattering path of oil to be scattered by overflowing from the rear wall of the oil storage portion, and a rotation direction at the time of travel of a vehicle is the same direction as a scattering direction of oil. According to the invention, the differential device includes a differential case having the rotating body provided at an outer peripheral portion thereof and a differential gear mechanism housed in the differential case, the differential case is installed at a position rearward of the gear to be lubricated and lower than the gear to be lubricated, and the differential case has opening portions, the opening portions opening in the same direction as a radial direction of the gear to be lubricated.

As a result, the vehicle drive device according to the aspect of the present invention can supply an amount of oil corresponding to a running state of the vehicle to the gear pair, so that a lubricating performance of the gear pair can be improved.

[Embodiment]

A vehicle drive device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1 until 8th are drawings each illustrating a vehicle drive device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the 1 to 8 the up/down direction corresponds to the height direction of the vehicle, the left/right directions correspond to the width direction of the vehicle, when a direction in which a vehicle loaded with the vehicle drive device moves forward corresponds to the forward direction and a direction in which the vehicle moves backward corresponds to the backward direction.

First, a configuration is described.

In 1 a vehicle 1 comprises 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 separated from each other in the width direction (left/right direction) of the vehicle 1 and extend in the front/backward direction of the vehicle 1. The width direction of the vehicle 1 is hereinafter referred to as the vehicle width direction. The subframe 3 extends in the vehicle width direction.

The vehicle 1 includes a power train 6. The power train 6 is installed in an engine compartment 5 in a front part of the vehicle 1 and arranged below the subframe 3. The power train 6 includes an engine 7 and a drive device 8 connected to a left end in the vehicle width direction of the engine 7. The drive device 8 in the present embodiment constitutes the vehicle drive device according to the present invention.

The motor 7 is a drive source in the present invention and is driven by electricity supplied from a battery (not shown).

The drive device 8 includes a drive housing 9, and the drive housing 9 includes a left housing 10 and a right housing 11 which is fixed to the left housing 10 with a bolt 50A.

In 1 and 2 the left case 10 has a front wall 10A extending in the up/down direction, a rear wall 10B having a curved shape, a lower wall 10C connecting a lower part of the front wall 10A and a lower part of the rear wall 10B, and an upper wall 10D connecting an upper part of the front wall 10A and an upper part of the rear wall 10B.

The left housing 10 includes a side wall portion 10E connecting the front wall 10A, the rear wall 10B, the bottom wall 10C and the top wall 10D. The top wall 10D slopes upward from the rear wall 10B toward the front wall 10A.

In 1 and 3 the right housing 11 has a front wall 11A extending in the up/down direction, a rear wall 11B having a curved shape, a lower wall 11C connecting a lower part of the front wall 11A and a lower part of the rear wall 11B, and an upper wall 11D connecting an upper part of the front wall 11A and an upper part of the rear wall 11B.

The right housing 11 includes a side wall portion 11E connecting the front wall 11A, the rear wall 11B, the bottom wall 11C and the upper wall 11D. The upper wall 11D slopes upward from the rear wall 11B toward the front wall 11A.

In 1 A flange portion 10M is provided in a right end portion of the left housing 10. A flange portion 11M is provided in a left end portion of the right housing 11. The left housing 10 and the right housing 11 are integrated with each other when the flange portion 10M and the flange portion 11M are fastened to each other with the bolt 50A.

As in 3 As shown, the drive housing 9 houses a slowdown mechanism 12 and a differential device 13.

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

In 5 and 6 the deceleration mechanism 12 includes an input shaft 14 to which the power from the engine 7 is transmitted, an input gear 15 provided in the input shaft 14 and rotating integrally with the input shaft 14, an output gear 16 meshing with the input gear 15, and an output shaft 17 rotating integrally with the output gear 16. The input shaft 14 and the output shaft 17 are installed parallel to the vehicle width direction.

In the present embodiment, the input gear 15 and the output gear 16 constitute a gear pair of the present invention, and the output gear 16 constitutes a gear to be lubricated of the present invention. The input shaft 14 and the output shaft 17 constitute a rotary shaft of the present invention.

The deceleration mechanism 12 includes a final drive gear 18 provided in the output shaft 17 and rotating integrally with the output shaft 17. The input gear 15 is shaped to have a smaller diameter than the output gear 16, and the output gear 16 is shaped to have a larger diameter than the final drive gear 18.

The deceleration mechanism 12 transmits the power from the engine 7 to the output shaft 17 via the input shaft 14, the input gear 15 and the output gear 16 to decelerate the power from the engine 7 and output the decelerated power through the final drive gear 18.

The differential device 13 includes a final driven gear 19 that engages with the final drive gear 18, a differential case 20 to whose outer peripheral portion the final driven gear 19 is fixed and which rotates integrally with the final driven gear 19, and a differential gear mechanism 21 housed in the differential case 20.

The differential case 20 is installed at a position rearward of the output gear 16 and lower than the output gear 16. Specifically, an upper end 20m of the differential case 20 is disposed below an upper end 16m of the output gear 16, and a lower end 20n of the differential case 20 is disposed below a lower end 16n of the output gear 16. In the present embodiment, the differential case 20 constitutes a differential case according to the present invention, and the final driven gear 19 constitutes a rotating body according to the present invention.

The opening portions 20A and 20B are formed in the differential case 20, and the differential gear mechanism 21 is housed within the differential case 20 via the opening portions 20A and 20B. The differential case 20 is penetrated by the opening portions 20A and 20B in its radial direction, and the opening portions 20A and 20B open in the same direction as a radial direction of the output gear 16.

The differential gear mechanism 21 includes a pinion shaft 21A fixed to the differential case 20 and a pair of pinions 21B and 21C rotatably supported on the pinion shaft 21A.

The differential gear mechanism 21 includes a pair of side gears 21D and 21E which mesh with the pinions 21B and 21C and distribute the power transmitted from the pinions 21B and 21C to the left and right drive wheels 22L and 22R. The drive shafts 23L and 23R which are respectively engaged with the left and right drive wheels 22L and 22R are meshed with the axle shaft gears 21D and 21E.

The power transmitted from the engine 7 to the differential case 20 via the slowdown mechanism 12 is transmitted to the side gears 21D and 21E via the pinions 21B and 21C, respectively, and distributed from the side gears 21D and 21E to the drive wheels 22L and 22R via the drive shafts 23L and 23R.

The rear wall 10B of the left housing 10 and the rear wall 11B of the right housing 11 are curved along a circular outer peripheral shape of the final driven gear 19.

As in 1 As shown, the subframe 3 is connected to the left side member 2L and the right side member 2R via a left support member 24L and a right support member 24R.

The motor 7 is elastically supported on a right end portion of the sub-frame 3 by a right side support member 41R, and the left housing 10 in the drive device 8 is elastically supported on a left end portion of the sub-frame 3 by a left side support member 41L. The rear part of the right housing 11 is elastically supported on the sub-frame 3 by a rear support member 41B.

As a result, the drive train 6 is elastically supported on the subframe 3 by the left support member 41L, the right support member 41R and the rear support member 41B to be suspended from the subframe 3. A lower part of the right housing 11 is elastically supported on a lower cross member (not shown) by a torsion bar (not shown).

In 2 the side wall section 10E in the left housing 10 is provided with the bearing receiving sections 10F, 10G and 10H. In 4 the side wall portion 11E in the right housing 11 is provided with the bearing receiving portions 11F, 11G and 11H.

A left end section 20a (see 5 ) of the differential housing 20 is rotatably supported on the bearing receiving section 10F via a bearing 28A. A right end section 20b (see 5 ) of the differential housing 20 is rotatably supported on the bearing receiving portion 11F via a bearing 28B.

A left end section 14a (see 5 ) of the input shaft 14 is rotatably supported on the bearing receiving section 10H via a bearing 28C. A right end section 14b (see 5 ) of the input shaft 14 is rotatably supported on the bearing receiving portion 11H via a bearing 28D. The right end portion 14b in the present embodiment represents an end portion of an input shaft according to the present invention.

The bearing receiving portions 10G and 11G are respectively located on the side of the bearing receiving portions 10F and 11F, that is, on the side of the differential device 13 with respect to the bearing receiving portions 10H and 11H.

A left end section 17a (see 5 ) of the output shaft 17 is rotatably mounted on the bearing receiving section 10G via a bearing 28E. A right end section 17b (see 5 ) of the output shaft 17 is rotatably supported on the bearing receiving portion 11G via a bearing 28F. The right end portion 17b in the present embodiment represents an end portion of an output shaft according to the present invention.

The bearing receiving portions 11G and 11H protrude in a cylindrical shape from the side wall portion 11E toward the left housing 10 (i.e., to the left).

In the present embodiment, the bearing receiving portion 11H represents an input bearing receiving portion according to the present invention, and the bearing 28D represents an input bearing according to the present invention. The bearing receiving portion 11G represents an output bearing receiving portion according to the present invention in the present embodiment, and the bearing 28F represents an output bearing according to the present invention.

Lubricating oil O (see 3 and 4 ) is stored in the respective lower portions of the left case 10 and the right case 11, and a lower part of the final driven gear 19 and a lower part of the differential case 20 are immersed in the oil O.

The differential case 20 and the final drive gear 19 are each installed laterally on the respective rear walls 10B and 11B in the side wall section 10E in the left housing 10 and in the side wall section 11E in the right housing 11.

When the final drive gear 18 rotates the final driven gear 19, the oil O is scraped and lifted by the final driven gear 19 so that it is scattered toward the front walls 10A and 11A along the upper walls 10D and 11D, respectively.

In 4 A vent chamber 27 is provided in front of the slowing mechanism 12. The vent chamber 27 is surrounded by a peripheral wall section 29 which extends in the direction of the lin ken housing 10 protrudes (to the left) from the side wall section 11E.

The peripheral wall portion 29 is provided with the air introduction holes 29a and 29b. In the vent chamber 27, the side wall portion 11E is provided with an air outlet opening 29c.

A vent plate 30 is attached to the peripheral wall section 29 with a bolt 50B (see 3 and 7 ), and the vent chamber 27 is surrounded by the peripheral wall portion 29 and the vent plate 30.

When the pressure in the drive housing 9 increases, air is introduced into the vent chamber 27 through the air introduction holes 29a and 29b, and air and oil are separated from each other within the vent chamber 27. Air separated from the oil is discharged from the drive housing 9 through the air discharge port 29c. This can prevent pressure increase within the drive housing 9.

In 3 the right housing 11 is provided with a collecting tank 35. The collecting tank 35 comprises an oil storage section 36 which has the shape of a box and an oil guide section 37 which extends rearward from the oil storage section 36.

In 5 and 6 the oil storage portion 36 has a bottom wall 36A, a front wall 36B positioned on the side of the vent chamber 27 and extending upward from the bottom wall 36A, and a rear wall 36C extending upward from the bottom wall 36A and positioned behind the front wall 36B.

The oil storage portion 36 has a left side wall 36D extending rearward from a left end portion 36r of the front wall 36B and a right side wall 36E connecting a right end portion 36s of the front wall 36B and a right end portion 36t of the rear wall 36C, and is formed in a box shape. In the present embodiment, the right end portion 36s of the front wall 36B forms an end portion of a front wall according to the present invention, and the right end portion 36t of the rear wall 36C forms an end portion of a rear wall according to the present invention.

The oil guide portion 37 has a bottom wall 37A extending rearward from the bottom wall 36A of the oil storage portion 36, a left side wall 37B extending rearward from the left side wall 36D of the oil storage portion 36 and extending upward from the bottom wall 37A, and a right side wall 37C extending rearward from a left end portion of the rear wall 36C of the oil storage portion 36 and extending upward from the bottom wall 37A.

The oil guide section 37 extends from the oil storage section 36 to a section above the final drive gear 19.

As in 3 As shown in Fig. 1, when the vehicle 1 is running at high speed, the rotational speed of the final driven gear 19 is high. Therefore, the scattering amount of the oil scraped and lifted from the final driven gear 19 and scattered along the upper wall of the right case 11 toward the front wall 11A increases (see Oil O1 and Oil O2 in 3 ). As a result, the amount of oil to be temporarily stored in the collecting container 35 also increases.

At this time, an oil surface of the oil O is greatly lowered. This reduces a stirring resistance of the final drive gear 19.

On the other hand, when the vehicle 1 runs at a low speed, the rotational speed of the final driven gear 19 is lower than the rotational speed when the vehicle 1 runs at a high speed. Therefore, the scattering amount of the oil that needs to be scraped off and lifted from the final driven gear 19 is smaller than when the vehicle 1 runs at a high speed, for example.

As a result, the amount of oil to be temporarily stored in the collecting tank 35 is smaller than that when the vehicle 1 is traveling at high speed.

As in 8th As shown, an upper end 36n of the rear wall 36C of the oil storage portion 36 is shaped to be lower than an upper end 36m of the front wall 36B, and the front wall 36B and the rear wall 36C are shaped to have different heights in the up/down direction, respectively.

Accordingly, oil to be temporarily stored in the oil storage section 36 overflows rearward from the rear wall 36C before its oil surface reaches the upper end 36m of the front wall 36B.

The output gear 16 is installed on a scattering path of the oil to be scattered by overflowing from the rear wall 36C, and a rotation direction of the output gear 16 at the time of forward movement of the vehicle 1 becomes the same direction as a scattering direction of the oil.

Specifically, the rear wall 36C is positioned on an imaginary straight line L1 passing through a rotational center axis C of the output gear 16 (a rotational center axis C of the output shaft 17) in the up/down direction, and the output gear 16 rotates clockwise R at the time of forward movement of the vehicle 1, in a direction shown in 8th shown vehicle width direction seen from the left side.

As a result, the rotation direction of the output gear 16 at the time of forward movement of the vehicle 1 becomes the same direction (forward direction) as the scattering direction of the oil. The rear wall 36C can be installed behind the imaginary straight line L1.

In 4 the side wall portion 11E in the right housing 11 is provided with a recess 11I and a boss portion 11J for screw fastening, and the recess 11I and the boss portion 11J are provided above the bearing receiving portion 11H.

As in 8th As shown, the recess 11I accommodates the right side wall 36E of the oil storage portion 36 to surround the right side wall 36E. The recess 11I has a bottom surface 11i, and a gap is formed in the up/down direction between the bottom wall 36A of the oil storage portion 36 and the bottom surface 11i.

That is, the bottom surface 11i of the recess 11I faces the bottom wall 36A of the oil storage portion 36 with the gap therebetween in the up/down direction. In this state, the catch tank 35 is fixed to an upper portion of the right case 11 when the oil storage portion 36 is fixed to the boss portion 11J via the bolt 50C.

In 5 and 7 Oil supply holes 36a, 36b and 36c are formed in the bottom wall 36A of the oil storage portion 36. An oil supply hole 37a is formed in the bottom wall 37A of the oil guide portion 37.

In 4 and 7 an oil supply groove 11g is formed in the bearing receiving portion 11G, and the oil supply groove 11g causes the bottom surface 11i of the recess 11I and the bearing receiving portion 11G to communicate with each other. an oil supply groove 11h is formed in the bearing receiving portion 11H, and the oil supply groove 11h causes the bottom surface 11i of the recess 11I and the bearing receiving portion 11H to communicate with each other.

In 7 the oil supply hole 36b is provided in the bottom wall 36A so that it is positioned above the oil supply groove 11h. The oil to be stored in the oil storage portion 36 is introduced from the oil supply hole 36b into the bearing receiving portion 11H via the oil supply groove 11h (see oil O3). This lubricates the bearing 28D provided in the bearing receiving portion 11H.

The oil supply hole 36a is located behind the oil supply hole 36b and is provided in the bottom wall 36A to be positioned above the oil supply groove 11g. The oil to be stored in the oil storage portion 36 is introduced from the oil supply hole 36a into the bearing receiving portion 11G via the oil supply groove 11g (see oil O4). This lubricates the bearing 28F provided in the bearing receiving portion 11G.

The oil supply hole 36c is provided in the bottom wall 36A so as to be positioned to the left of the oil supply hole 36b, and is located above an engaging portion between the input gear 15 and the output gear 16. When the oil to be stored in the oil storage portion 36 is supplied to the engaging portion between the input gear 15 and the output gear 16 from the oil supply hole 36c (see oil O5 in 3 ), the engagement portion between the input gear 15 and the output gear 16 is lubricated.

The oil supply hole 37a is provided in the bottom wall 37A of the oil guide portion 37 so as to be positioned behind the oil supply hole 36a, and is located above an engagement portion between the final drive gear 18 and the final driven gear 19.

When the oil to be stored in the oil storage portion 36 is supplied to the engagement portion between the final drive gear 18 and the final driven gear 19 via the oil supply hole 37a (see oil O6 in 3 ), the engagement portion between the final drive gear 18 and the final driven gear 19 is lubricated.

In the present embodiment, the oil supply hole 36b represents a first oil supply hole of the present invention, and the oil supply hole 36a represents a second oil supply hole of the present invention. The oil supply groove 11h represents a first oil path of the present embodiment, the oil supply groove 11g represents a second oil path of the present embodiment.

As in 4 and 8th As shown, the side wall portion 11E in the right case 11 is provided with a projection 11K. The projection 11K projects upward from the bottom surface 11i of the recess 11I, and the projection 11K is supported by the bottom wall 36A of the oil storage portion 36.

As a result, a gap is formed between the bottom wall 36A of the oil storage portion 36 and the bottom surface 11i of the recess 11I in the up-down direction. The projection 11K is provided between the oil supply groove 11h and the oil supply groove 11g in the front-back direction.

In 4 the projection 11K is provided at a position closer to an upper end portion on the recess 11I side of the oil supply groove 11g than a middle portion C1 of an imaginary straight line L2 connecting an upper end portion on the recess 11I side of the oil supply groove 11h and an upper end portion on the recess 11I side of the oil supply groove 11g in the front-back direction.

The imaginary straight line L2 is located along the bottom surface 11i of the recess 11I between the upper end portion on the side of the recess 11I of the oil supply groove 11h and the upper end portion on the side of the recess 11I of the oil supply groove 11g, and an imaginary straight line L3 passes in the up-down direction through the middle portion C1 of the imaginary straight line L2 in 4 .

Now, an action of the drive device 8 according to the present embodiment will be described.

The drive device 8 in the present embodiment includes the collecting container 35 which is provided above the deceleration mechanism 12 and in front of the final driven gear 19.

The catch tank 35 includes an oil storage portion 36 having the bottom wall 36A, the front wall 36B extending upward from the bottom wall 36A, and the rear wall 36C extending upward from the bottom wall 36A and disposed behind the front wall 36B, and whose upper end 36n is lower than the upper end 36m of the front wall 36B and in which oil scraped and raised by the rotation of the final driven gear 19 is temporarily stored.

The bottom wall 36A includes the oil supply holes 36a, 36b and 36c which supply the oil stored in the oil storage portion 36 to the deceleration mechanism 12.

In addition, the output gear 16 is installed on a scattering path of the oil to be scattered by overflowing from the rear wall 36C of the oil storage portion 36, and a rotation direction at the time of traveling of the vehicle 1 is the same direction as the scattering direction of the oil.

The input gear 15 and the output gear 16 in the deceleration mechanism 12 are meshed by a relatively large torque of the engine 7 when the vehicle 1 is performing an accelerated travel or traveling at a high speed. When the vehicle 1 is performing an accelerated travel, the oil stored in the oil storage section 36 is pushed backward by an inertial force (see in 8th shown oil O7) and flows from the rear wall 36C to the rear, as shown in 3 and 8th shown oil O8.

When the vehicle 1 runs at high speed, the amount of oil 19 scattered from the final driven gear increases, and the oil in the oil storage portion 36 overflows rearward from the rear wall 36C before its oil surface reaches the upper end 36m of the front wall 36B. Part of the oil scattered by the overflow from the rear wall 36C to the output gear 16 is supplied to the engagement portion between the input gear 15 and the output gear 16 by rotation of the output gear 16.

Accordingly, the oil O8 which has overflowed rearward from the rear wall 36C is supplied to the engaging portion between the input gear 15 and the output gear 16 in addition to the oil supplied from the oil supply hole 36c at the time of accelerated running or high-speed running of the vehicle 1 when the input gear 15 and the output gear 16 are engaged with each other by a large torque from the engine 7.

Accordingly, for example, when the vehicle 1 is accelerated or traveling at high speed, the amount of oil to be supplied to the engaging portion between the input gear 15 and the output gear 16 can be increased more than when the vehicle 1 is traveling at a constant speed or decelerating. This can improve the lubricating performance of the input gear 15 and the output gear 16. This can prevent the input gear 15 and the output gear 16 from being sintered together.

In addition, the output gear 16 installed in the oil dispersion path rotates in the same direction as the oil dispersion direction when the vehicle 1 moves forward.

When the oil O8 overflowed from the rear wall 36C has been scattered into the output gear 16, an increase in the stirring resistance of the output gear 16 can be prevented more than when the output gear 16 rotates against the scattering direction of the oil. This can prevent the power consumption of motor 7 from increasing.

The catch tank 35 includes the oil storage portion 36 with the bottom wall 36A, and the bottom wall 36A includes the oil supply holes 36a, 36b and 36c which supply the oil stored in the oil storage portion 36 to the deceleration mechanism 12.

As a result, when an amount of oil to be scraped and raised from the final driven gear 19 into the oil storage portion 36 is smaller during constant speed of the vehicle 1 or during deceleration travel than during, for example, accelerated travel or high speed travel, an appropriate amount of oil can be supplied to the deceleration mechanism 12 from the oil supply holes 36a, 36b and 36c without the oil overflowing rearward from the rear wall 36C.

That is, when the vehicle 1 is running at a constant speed or performing a decelerated run, a torque to be applied to the engaging portion between the input gear 15 and the output gear 16 is smaller than, for example, when running at an accelerated speed or running at a high speed. Therefore, an amount of oil to be supplied from the oil supply hole 36c is sufficient. This can prevent a stirring resistance of the input gear 15 and the output gear 16 from increasing and the power consumption of the motor 7 from increasing.

According to the drive device 8 in the present embodiment, the differential case 20 is installed at a position rearward of the output gear 16 and lower than the output gear 16. In addition, the differential case 20 includes opening portions 20A and 20B, the opening portions 20A and 20B opening in the same direction as the radial direction of the output gear 16.

As a result, for example, during accelerated driving or during high-speed driving, oil scattered by overflow from the rear wall 36C into the output gear 16 is scattered by a centrifugal force due to the rotation of the output gear 16 to the differential case 20 (see Oil O9 in and ) and from the opening portions 20A and 20B in the differential case 20 into the differential case 20.

Accordingly, for example, when the vehicle 1 is accelerated or traveling at high speed, the differential gear 21 can be lubricated with oil, so that the lubricating performance of the differential gear 21 can be improved. This can prevent the pinion shaft 21A and the pinions 21B and 21C and the pinions 21B and 21C and the side gears 21D and 21E from being sintered together.

According to the drive device 8 in the present embodiment, the deceleration mechanism 12 includes the input gear 15 provided in the input shaft 14, the output gear 16 provided in the output shaft 17 and meshing with the input gear 15, and the final drive gear 18 provided in the output shaft 17.

In addition, the differential device 13 includes the final driven gear 19 meshing with the final drive gear 18, and the opening portions 20A and 20B in the differential device 13 open in the same direction as the radial direction of the output gear 16.

Thereby, for example, in a running state of accelerated running or high-speed running of the vehicle 1 with a large torque to be input from the engine 7 to the deceleration mechanism 12, oil scattered by overflow from the rear wall 36C into the output gear 16 can be supplied to the differential gear 21 via the opening portions 20A and 20B in the differential case 20 by a centrifugal force at the time of rotation of the output gear 16.

Oil that has not been scattered into the differential gear mechanism 21 remains on a tooth surface of the output gear 16 and can be supplied to the engagement portion between the input gear 15 and the output gear 16 by rotation of the output gear 16.

In addition, an amount of oil that must be scraped and lifted from the final driven gear 19 increases with increasing rotational speed of the final driven gear 19. Thus, the amount of oil that can be supplied to the engaging portion between the final drive gear 18 and the final driven gear 19 also increases due to the rotation of the final driven gear 19.

Thereby, for example, when the vehicle is performing an accelerated trip or traveling at high speed, an amount of oil to be supplied to the differential gear 21 or the engaging portion between the input gear 15 and the output gear 16 can be increased by oil stored in the collecting tank 35, while an amount of oil to be supplied to the engaging portion between the final drive gear 18 and the final output gear 16 can be increased. wheel 19 can also be increased so that the lubrication performance can be improved.

When the installation position of the output gear 16 is optimized in this way, the entire differential gear 21, the engagement portion between the input gear 15 and the output gear 16, and the engagement portion between the final drive gear 18 and the final driven gear 19 can be effectively lubricated when the vehicle 1, for example, performs accelerated travel or travels at high speed.

Therefore, the need to supply oil to their lubrication points from another route can be eliminated. Thus, a configuration of the drive device 8 can be simplified.

According to the drive device 8 in the present embodiment, the oil storage portion 36 has the right side wall 36E connecting the right end portion of the front wall 36B and the right end portion of the rear wall 36C.

The side wall portion 11E in the right housing 11 includes the recess 11I in which the right side wall 36E of the oil storage portion 36 is housed so as to surround the right side wall 36E of the oil storage portion 36 and the bottom surface 11i faces the bottom wall 36A with a gap therebetween in the up/down direction, the oil supply groove 11h communicating the bottom surface 11i of the recess 11I and the inside of the bearing receiving portion 11H with each other, and the oil supply groove 11g communicating the bottom surface 11i of the recess 11I and the inside of the bearing receiving portion 11G with each other.

Furthermore, the bottom wall 36A of the oil storage portion 36 is provided with the oil supply hole 36b which supplies oil into the bearing receiving portion 11H via the oil supply groove 11h and the oil supply hole 36a which supplies oil into the bearing receiving portion 11G via the oil supply groove 11g.

This allows the bearing 28D provided in the bearing receiving section 11H and the bearing 28F provided in the bearing receiving section 11G to be lubricated with oil.

The side wall portion 11E in the right housing 11 includes the projection 11K which projects upward from the bottom surface 11i of the recess 11I and supports the bottom wall 36A of the oil storage portion 36, and the projection 11K is provided between the oil supply groove 11h and the oil supply groove 11g.

Therefore, when the bottom surface 11i of the recess 11I is inclined when the vehicle 1 is traveling on an uphill road, oil supplied from the oil supply hole 36b to the bottom surface 11i of the recess 11I may be prevented from flowing from the oil supply hole 36b into the oil supply groove 11g by colliding with the projection 11K.

In addition, when the vehicle 1 runs on a downhill road, oil supplied from the oil supply hole 36a to the bottom surface 11i of the recess 11I may be prevented from flowing from the oil supply hole 36a into the oil supply groove 11h by colliding with the projection 11K.

As a result, when the bottom surface 11i of the recess 11I is inclined, an optimum amount of oil can be supplied for lubricating the bearing 28D and the bearing 28F without being forced toward the bearing 28D or the bearing 28F.

According to the drive device 8 in the present embodiment, the projection 11K is provided at a position closer to the upper end portion on the recess 11I side of the oil supply groove 11g than the middle portion C1 of the imaginary straight line L2 connecting the upper end portion on the recess 11I side of the oil supply groove 11h and the upper end portion on the recess 11I side of the oil supply groove 11g in the front-rear direction (the imaginary straight line L3).

Thereby, the gap between the bottom surface 11i of the recess 11I and the bottom wall 36A of the oil storage portion 36 is divided by the projection 11K in the front-back direction, and the gap between the bottom surface 11i of the recess 11I on the side of the oil supply groove 11h and the bottom wall 36A of the oil storage portion 36 can be made larger than the gap between the bottom surface 11i of the recess 11I on the side of the oil supply groove 11g and the bottom wall 36A of the oil storage portion 36.

Accordingly, the oil discharged from the oil supply hole 36b can be stored in a larger amount in the gap between the bottom surface 11i of the recess 11I on the side of the oil supply groove 11h and the bottom wall 36A of the oil storage portion 36.

Therefore, when oil is pushed to the rear of the oil storage portion 36 at the time of accelerated travel or downhill travel, for example, when a load to be applied to the bearing receiving portion 11H from the input shaft 14 is large, even if an amount of oil to be supplied from the oil supply hole 36b is reduced, the oil stored in the gap between the bottom surface 11i of the recess 11I on the side of the oil supply groove 11h and the bottom wall 36A of the oil storage portion 36 can be supplied to the bearing 28D from the oil supply groove 11h.

This can prevent the lubrication performance of the bearing 28D from deteriorating and the bearing 28D from being sintered.

On the other hand, the gap between the bottom surface 11i of the recess 11I on the side of the oil supply groove 11g and the bottom wall 36A of the oil storage portion 36 is smaller than the gap between the bottom surface 11i of the recess 11I on the side of the oil supply groove 11h and the bottom wall 36A of the oil storage portion 36.

It follows that when oil is pushed to the front of the oil storage portion 36 at the time of decelerated travel or downhill travel of the vehicle 1, if an amount of oil to be supplied from the oil supply hole 36a is reduced, an amount of oil to be stored in the gap between the bottom surface 11i of the recess 11I on the side of the oil supply groove 11g and the bottom wall 36A of the oil storage portion 36 is small, and an amount of oil that can be supplied to the bearing 28F is limited.

When the vehicle 1 performs deceleration travel or downhill travel, the load to be applied to the bearing 28F from the output shaft 17 is smaller than, for example, when the vehicle 1 performs acceleration travel or uphill travel. Thus, even if an amount of oil to be supplied to the bearing 28F cannot be ensured, the bearing 28F can be prevented from being sintered.

[List of reference symbols]

1...vehicle, 7...engine (drive source), 8...drive device (vehicle drive device), 9...drive case, 10...left case (drive case), 11...right case, 11E...side wall portion, 11H...bearing receiving portion (input bearing receiving portion), 11h...oil supply groove (first oil path), 11G...bearing receiving portion (output bearing receiving portion), 11g...oil supply groove (second oil path), 11I...recess, 11i...bottom surface (bottom surface of recess), 11K...protrusion, 12...deceleration mechanism, 13...differential device, 14...input shaft, 14b...right end portion (one end portion of input shaft), 15...input gear (gear pair), 16...output gear (gear pair, gear to be lubricated), 17...output shaft, 17b...right End section (an end section of the output shaft), 18 ... Final drive gear, 19 ... Final driven gear (rotary body), 20 ... Differential case, 20A, 20B ... Opening section, 21 ... Differential gear, 22L, 22R ... Drive gear, 28D ... Bearing (input bearing), 28F ... Bearing (output bearing), 35 ... Catch tank, 36 ... Oil storage section, 36A ... Bottom wall, 36a ... Oil supply hole (second oil supply hole), 36B ... Front wall, 36b ... Oil supply hole (first oil supply hole), 36C ... Rear wall, 36c ... Oil supply hole, 36E ... Right side wall (side wall), 36m ... Upper end (upper end of the front wall), 36n ... Upper end (upper end of the rear wall), 36s ... Right end section (an end section of the front wall), 36t ... Right End portion (an end portion of the rear wall), 37a ... oil supply hole, C1 ... middle portion (middle portion of an imaginary straight line connecting the upper end portion on the recess side of the first oil channel and the upper end portion on the recess side of the second oil channel in the front-back direction), L2 ... imaginary straight line (imaginary straight line connecting the upper end portion on the recess side of the first oil channel and the upper end portion on the recess side of the second oil channel in the front-back direction),

Claims (4)

A vehicle drive device characterized by comprising: a drive housing (9) storing oil in its lower portion, a deceleration mechanism (12) housed in the drive housing (9), a plurality of rotary shafts including at least one input shaft (14) and one output shaft (17) to which power is transmitted from a drive source (7), and at least one gear pair provided between the plurality of rotary shafts and connecting the plurality of rotary shafts to each other, and decelerating and outputting the power transmitted from the drive source (7), a differential device (13) comprising a rotary body (19) to which the power of the deceleration mechanism (12) is transmitted and which distributes the power of the deceleration mechanism (12) to the left and right drive wheels (22L, 22R), and a receiver (35) provided above the deceleration mechanism (12) and in front of the rotary body (19), the receiver (35) having an oil storage portion (36) comprising a bottom wall (36A), a front wall (36B) extending upward from the bottom wall (36A), and a rear wall (36C) extending upward from the bottom wall (36A) so as to be disposed behind the front wall (36B), and having an upper end (36n) lower than an upper end (36m) of the front wall (36B), and temporarily storing oil which is scraped and raised by the rotation of the rotary body (19), the bottom wall (36A) includes an oil supply hole (36a, 36b, 36c) which supplies the oil stored in the oil storage portion (36) to the deceleration mechanism (12), a gear (16) to be lubricated among the gears constituting the gear pair is installed on a scattering path of oil to be scattered by overflowing from the rear wall (36C) of the oil storage portion (36), and a rotation direction at the time of travel of a vehicle (1) is the same direction as a scattering direction of the oil. characterized in that the differential device (13) comprises a differential case (20) having the rotary body (19) provided at an outer peripheral portion thereof and a differential gear mechanism (21) housed in the differential case (20), the differential case (20) is installed at a position rearward of the gear (16) to be lubricated and lower than the gear (16) to be lubricated, and the differential case (20) has opening portions (20A, 20B), the opening portions (20A, 20B) opening in the same direction as a radial direction of the gear (16) to be lubricated. Vehicle drive device according to Claim 1 , characterized in that the gear pair comprises an input gear (15) provided on the input shaft (14) and an output gear (16) provided on the output shaft (17) and engaging with the input gear (15), the output shaft (17) comprises a final drive gear (18), the rotary body (19) is formed by a final driven gear (19) which meshes with the final drive gear (18), and the gear (16) to be lubricated is formed by the output gear (16). Vehicle drive device according to Claim 1 or 2 , characterized in that the oil storage section (36) has a side wall (36E) which connects an end section (36s) of the front wall (36B) and an end section (36t) of the rear wall (36C) to each other, the drive housing (9) comprises a side wall section (11E), the side wall section (11E) comprises an input bearing receiving section (11H) which rotatably supports an end section (14b) of the input shaft (14) via an input bearing (28D), an output bearing receiving section (11G) which is positioned on the side of the differential device (13) with respect to the input bearing receiving section (11H) and rotatably supports an end section (17b) of the output shaft (17) via an output bearing (28F), a recess (11I) which receives the side wall (36E) of the oil storage section (36) so that it supports the side wall (36E) of the oil storage section (36) and having a bottom surface (11i) facing the bottom wall (36A) of the oil storage portion (36) with a gap arranged therebetween in an up-down direction, a first oil path (11h) causing the bottom surface (11i) of the recess (11I) and an inner side of the input bearing receiving portion (11H) to communicate with each other, and a second oil path (11g) causing the bottom surface (11i) of the recess (11I) and an inner side of the output bearing receiving portion (11G) to communicate with each other, the oil supply hole comprises a first oil supply hole (36b) provided in the bottom wall (36A) of the oil storage portion (36) so as to be positioned above the first oil path (11h) and supplying oil into the input bearing receiving portion (11H) via the first oil path (11h), and a second oil supply hole (36a) located behind the first oil supply hole (36b) is arranged and is provided in the bottom wall (36A) of the oil storage portion (36) so as to be arranged above the second oil path (11g), and guides oil into the output bearing receiving portion (11G) via the second oil path (11g), the side wall portion (11E) in the drive housing (9) includes a projection (11K) which projects upward from the bottom surface (11i) of the recess (11I) and supports the bottom wall (36A) of the oil storage portion (36), and the projection (11K) is provided between the first oil path (11h) and the second oil path (11g) in a front-backward direction of the vehicle (1). Vehicle drive device according to Claim 3 , characterized in that the projection (11K) is provided at a position closer to an upper end portion on the recess side (11I) of the second oil path (11g) than a central part (C1) of an imaginary straight line (L2) connecting an upper end portion on the recess side (11I) of the first oil path (11h) and the upper end portion on the recess side (11I) of the second oil path (11g) in the front-back direction.

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