JP2001146956A - Differential device of automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a differential device of automobile capable of preventing noise emission and enhancing the fuel consumption and/or output by reducing the friction. SOLUTION: This differential device is structured so that a carrier side flange of a differential carrier is formed other than circular, and the rigidity of the differential carrier is heightened in the axial direction of the axle for heightening of the rigidity of the whole differential carrier so that inclination of a differential case is suppressed and the meshing performance of a bevel pinion with a bevel ring gear is enhanced, and thereby the differential device with intended performance is established.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a differential device for a motor vehicle, and more particularly to a differential device for a motor vehicle which improves the rigidity of a differential carrier.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A motor vehicle is provided with a differential device for absorbing a difference in rotation between left and right wheels due to turning or the like. This differential device is provided with a differential carrier having a carrier side flange, a pinion shaft holding portion, and a differential case supporting portion, and a pinion shaft provided with a bevel pinion is held and provided in the pinion shaft holding portion,
A differential case to which a bevel ring gear meshing with the bevel pinion is attached is provided to be supported by a differential case support portion, and an axle housing is provided to cover the differential case and attach a carrier side flange.

[0003] As shown in FIG. 13, a vehicle 102 is provided with a differential device 104 to which a propeller shaft (not shown) is connected from the front, and axle shafts 106 are connected to the left and right of the differential device 104. Rear wheels 108 are attached to the tip sides of the axle shafts 106. Also, near these rear wheels 108, 108, the coil springs 112, 112 of the suspension devices 110, 110, the shock absorber 1
Parts such as 14 and 114, trailing arms 116 and 116, and a lateral rod 118 are attached.

In the differential device 104,
As shown in FIGS. 13 to 16, an axle housing 120 and a differential carrier 122 attached to the axle housing 120 are provided.

The axle housing 120 includes a case cover 126 provided with a circular housing-side flange 124, a shaft pipe portion 128 connected to the case cover 126 and covering the axle shaft 106. An end cover 130 is attached to the rear side of the part 126.

The differential carrier 122 has a carrier-side flange 132 formed in a circular shape corresponding to the above-described circular housing-side flange 124, a central cover portion 134 provided in front of the carrier-side flange 132, and a differential carrier 122. A pinion shaft holding portion 136 connected to the central cover portion 134
And a differential case supporting portion 138 which is continuously provided so as to protrude to the rear side of the carrier-side flange 132.

[0007] The pinion shaft holding portion 136 holds a pinion shaft 140. The pinion shaft 140 has a bevel pinion 142 on the distal end side, and sequentially from the bevel pinion 142 side, a shim 144, a rear bearing 146, a spacer 148, a front bearing 150, and an oil seal material 152.
Are held by the pinion shaft holding portion 136. The pinion shaft 140 is connected to the spline section 14.
The universal joint flange 154 is attached to the universal joint flange 154 by screwing the universal joint flange 154 into the threaded portion 140B.

A differential case 158 is attached to the differential case support 138. In this differential case 158, a first case portion 158A and a second case portion 158B are integrally attached with case attachment bolts 160. First
A bevel ring gear 162 that meshes with the bevel pinion 142 is attached to the case portion 158A with a gear attachment bolt 164. The differential case 158 has a one-side bearing adjuster 1 fitted on one axle shaft 106.
66 and the one-side bearing 168 are held, and the other-side bearing adjuster 1 fitted to the axle shaft 106 on the other side.
70 and the other-side bearing 172 are held. The differential case 158 is attached to a differential case supporting portion 138 of the differential carrier 122 and is covered by a case cover 126 of the axle housing 120.

As shown in FIGS. 17 to 24, the axis C1 of the pinion shaft holding portion 136 deviates obliquely downward from the axis C2 of the carrier-side flange 132 by a distance D when viewed from the front (front).

The differential case supporting portion 138 is configured such that a pair of one-side supports 174A and the other-side supports 174B projecting in parallel to the other side of the carrier-side flange 132 face each other at a predetermined distance. . This one side, the other side support 1
74A and 174B have one-side and other-side shaft caps 176.
A, 176B is one side, the other side cap mounting bolt 178
A, 178B, thereby forming one and other shaft insertion holes 180A, 180B. One side,
The shaft hole axes C3 of the other shaft insertion holes 180A and 180B are orthogonal to the axis C1 of the pinion shaft holding portion 136, but are offset by the height H.

A plurality of reinforcing ribs 182 are provided on an outer surface between the pinion shaft holding portion 136 located on one side of the carrier side flange 132 and the carrier side flange 132 to reinforce the pinion shaft holding portion 136. Is the front bearing 15
0 from the bearing portion P2 to the axis C of the pinion shaft holding portion 136.
1 and radially up to the carrier-side flange 132.

A plurality of carrier-side mounting bolts 18 are provided on the housing-side flange 124.
It is attached with 4.

Further, such a differential device is disclosed in, for example, JP-A-8-159246 and JP-A-8-320059. JP 8
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 159246 discloses a technique in which a weight increasing portion is formed in a differential carrier extending forward from an axle shaft to reduce rattling noise caused by impact. Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 8-320059 discloses a differential case in which ribs are provided on the outer surface of a differential case.

[0014]

However, conventionally, in a differential device, as shown in FIGS. 17 to 24, the carrier side flange is circular, and the shaft center C1 of the pinion shaft holding portion and the carrier side flange are connected to each other. Shaft center C2
Are offset by the distance D, and the axis C3 of the shaft hole of the differential case supporting portion and the axis C1 of the pinion shaft holding portion are offset by the height H, so that the axle in the direction of the axis C3 of the shaft hole. When a large amount of force is applied in the axial direction, the gap between the differential case support and the carrier flange at the portion of the carrier flange located in the axle axis direction is narrow, and the differential case support is thin and has sufficient rigidity. Therefore, the differential case is tilted, and therefore, the bevel ring gear attached to the differential case is also tilted, and the mounting position and the arrangement of the reinforcing ribs of the pinion shaft holding portion are affected by the load acting on the drive pinion shaft. The bevel ring gear and bevel pinion are tilted separately, and the meshing of both becomes poor. And disadvantageously it generates, there is an inconvenience of causing a deterioration in fuel economy and output due to friction increases.

[0015]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION To solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a differential carrier having a carrier-side flange, a pinion shaft holding portion, and a differential case supporting portion. The pinion shaft provided is held by the holding portion for the pinion shaft, a differential case with a bevel ring gear meshing with the bevel pinion is supported by the differential case support portion, and the differential case is covered and the carrier side is provided. In a vehicle differential device provided with an axle housing to which a flange is attached, the carrier-side flange is formed in a shape other than a circular shape.

[0016]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS According to the present invention, the carrier side flange is formed in a shape other than the circular shape, and a sufficient space for reinforcing the differential case supporting portion is secured. The rigidity of the differential carrier as a whole, thereby improving the rigidity of the differential carrier as a whole, thereby suppressing the inclination of the differential case, improving the engagement between the bevel pinion and the bevel ring gear, and preventing the generation of abnormal noise. It is possible to improve fuel efficiency and output performance by reducing friction.

[0017]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of the present invention; 1 to 10 show the first embodiment of the present invention.
It shows an embodiment. 9 and 10, 2 is an automobile, 4 is a differential device to which a propeller shaft (not shown) is connected from the front, 6.6 is an axle shaft, 8.8
Is a rear wheel, and 10.10 is a suspension device. Suspension device 10
Has a coil spring 12, a shock absorber 1
4. Parts such as a trailing arm 16, a lateral rod 18 and the like are attached.

The differential device 4 is provided with an axle housing 20 and a differential carrier 22 attached to the axle housing 20.

The axle housing 20 includes a case cover 26 provided with a housing-side flange 24, a shaft pipe 28 connected to the case cover 26 and covering the axle shaft 6.6, and a case cover 26. It comprises an end side cover part 30 attached to the rear side.

The differential carrier 22 includes a carrier-side flange 32 corresponding to the housing-side flange 24 and a central cover portion 34 provided in front of the carrier-side flange 32.
In addition, a pinion shaft holding portion 36 connected to the central cover portion 34 and a differential case support portion 38 connected to the carrier side flange 32 and protruding rearward of the carrier 32 are integrally formed.

The pinion shaft holding portion 36 has a pinion shaft 4
0 is held. The pinion shaft 40 has a bevel pinion 42 on the tip end side. The pinion shaft 40 is inserted through the shim 44, the rear bearing 46, the spacer 48, the front bearing 50, and the oil seal material 52 sequentially from the bevel pinion 42 side. 36. The pinion shaft 40 has a universal joint flange 54 spline-fitted to the spline portion 40A.
The universal joint flange 54 is attached by screwing a nut 56 to B.

The differential case supporting portion 38 has a differential case 5
8 is attached. In this differential case 58, a first case portion 58A and a second case portion 58B are integrally attached by case attachment bolts 60. First case part 58
A is fitted with a bevel ring gear 62 that meshes with the bevel pinion 42 with a gear mounting bolt 64. The differential case 58 holds a one-side bearing adjuster 66 and a one-side bearing 68 fitted on the one-side axle shaft 6, and a second-side bearing adjuster fitted on the other-side axle shaft 6. 70 and the other-side bearing 72 are held. The differential case 58 is attached to the differential case supporting portion 38 of the differential carrier 22, and the axle housing 2
0 case cover 26.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 8, the pinion shaft holding portion 3
When viewed from the front (front), the axis C1 of 6 is deviated obliquely downward by a distance D from the axis C2 of the carrier-side flange 32.

The differential case support portion 38 is configured such that a pair of one-side support members 74A and the other-side support members 74B projecting in parallel to the other side of the carrier-side flange 32 are opposed to each other at a predetermined distance. . This one side, the other side support 74A, 7
4B, one-side and other-side shaft caps 76A and 76B are attached with one-side and other-side cap mounting bolts 78A and 78B, thereby forming one-side and other-side shaft insertion holes 80A and 80B.
Are formed. One side, other side shaft insertion hole 80A, 80B
Is perpendicular to the axis C1 of the pinion shaft holding portion 36, but is deviated by the height H.

The differential carrier 22 has an upper oil wall 82 and a lower oil wall 8 on the outer surfaces of the pinion shaft holder 36, the center cover 34, and the carrier side flange 32.
4 are provided so as to protrude.

The carrier-side flange 132 of the differential carrier 22 has a shape other than a circular shape in order to secure a space in which the thickness can be increased and the reinforcing means 86 for other members such as ribs can be added. For example, an elliptical shape protruding in the left-right direction, a polygon, or a shape obtained by rounding corners of a polygon so as to be large in the direction of the axle axis 6.

More specifically, the carrier-side flange 32 of the differential carrier 22 is formed in a shape other than a circular shape, for example, a spindle shape, and includes an upper edge 88-1 and a lower edge located in the vertical direction. Part 88-2, one side protruding edge 88-3 and the other side protruding edge 88- positioned in the direction of the shaft hole axis C3.
4

The carrier side flange 32 has a vertical center line 3
One side with respect to 2V, one side upper boss 90-1A of circular shape, one side center first boss 90-2A of horizontal shape, one side center second boss 90-3A of horizontal shape, and one side of horizontal shape A central third boss 90-4A and a circular one-side lower boss 90-5A are provided, and the one-side upper boss 90-1A, the one-side central first boss 90-2A, and the one-side central second boss 90-A. 3A, one-side central third boss 90-4A and one-side lower boss 90-5A, one-side upper bolt hole 92-1A, one-side central first bolt hole 92-2A, and one-side central second bolt hole 92- 3A, one side central third bolt hole 92-4A, and one side lower bolt hole 92-5A are formed.

On the carrier-side flange 32, on the other side with respect to the vertical center line 32V, a circular other-side upper boss 90-.
1B, the other center 1st boss 90-2B on the other side, the other center 2nd boss 90-3B on the other side, the other center 3rd boss 90-4B on the other side, and the other lower boss 90-C on the other side. 5B, the other upper boss 90-1B, the other central first boss 90-2B, the other central second boss 90-3B, the other central third boss 90-4B, and the other lower boss 90. -5B and the other side upper bolt hole 92-1B and the other side center first bolt hole 92-
2B and the other side center second bolt hole 92-3B and the other side center third
A bolt hole 92-4B and another lower bolt hole 92-5B are formed. The one-side center second bolt hole 92-3A and the other-side center second bolt hole 92-3B are located on the horizontal center line 32H of the carrier-side flange 32, that is, on the shaft hole axis C3.

Thus, in the differential carrier 22, the rigidity of the carrier-side flange 32 is increased, and thus the rigidity of the differential case supporting portion 38 is increased.

In the differential carrier 22, a plurality of reinforcing ribs 94 are provided to reinforce the pinion shaft holding portion 36.
Is provided.

That is, on the outer side surface of the differential carrier 22, one side is positioned parallel to the horizontal center line 32H, that is, is directed parallel to the axle shaft 6, and the upper rib 94- 1A and one lower rib 94-2A are provided, and one lower oblique rib 94-3A is provided radially with respect to the pinion shaft holding portion 36. One side upper rib 94-
1A has one end connected to the side surface of the upper oil wall 82 and the other end connected to the one-side protruding edge 88-3. One end of the one-side lower rib 94-2A is connected to the sealing portion P1 of the pinion shaft holding portion 36 where the oil seal material 52 is located, and the other end is connected to the one-side protruding edge 88-3. One side lower oblique rib 94-3A
One end of the oil seal material 5 of the pinion shaft holding portion 36
2, and the other end is connected to an intermediate portion between the one-side protruding edge 88-3 and the lower edge 88-2.

On the outer side of the differential carrier 22, the other side is radially arranged with respect to the pinion shaft holding portion 36,
The other upper first oblique rib 94-1B and the other upper second oblique rib 9
4-2B, and the lower oblique rib 94-3 on the other side.
B is provided. 1st oblique rib 94-1B on the other side
One end of the oil seal material 5 of the pinion shaft holding portion 36
2 and the other end is connected to the upper edge 88-1 and the other side protruding edge 88-4.
Is connected to an intermediate part between the two. The other upper second oblique rib 94-2B has one end connected to the sealing portion P1 of the pinion shaft holding portion 36 where the oil seal material 52 exists, and the other end connected to the other side projecting edge 88-4. Have been. One end of the other lower oblique rib 94-3B is connected to the sealing portion P1 where the oil seal material 52 of the pinion shaft holding portion 36 is present, and the other end is connected to the other side projecting edge 88-4 and the lower edge. The portion 88-2 is connected to an intermediate portion.

Thus, in the differential carrier 22, the rigidity of the pinion shaft holding portion 36 is increased.

On the other hand, the housing-side flange 24 of the axle housing 20 is formed in a similar shape corresponding to the carrier-side flange 32.

The carrier-side flange 32 is attached to the housing-side flange 24 with a carrier-side mounting bolt 96 inserted into each bolt hole 92.

As shown in FIG. 2, a pinion shaft is provided on one side of the carrier side flange 32 and on the inner surface of the central cover portion 34 corresponding to the other side projecting edge portions 88-3 and 88-4 for reinforcement. The inner side ribs 94 are provided in a plurality of stages in the axial direction of
C is provided.

Next, the operation of the first embodiment will be described.

When the differential device 4 is assembled, first, the shim 44 and the rear bearing 46 are sequentially mounted on the pinion shaft 40 from the bevel pinion 42 side on the differential carrier 22.
, The spacer 48, the front bearing 50, and the oil seal material 52, which are held by the pinion shaft holding portion 36, the universal joint 54 is spline-fitted to the spline portion 40 A of the pinion shaft 40, and the screw portion 40 B
Nut 56 is screwed into the universal joint 54
Is attached.

Next, the bevel ring gear 62 is fixed to the first case portion 58A of the differential case 58 with gear mounting bolts 64. The differential case 58 has a one-side bearing adjuster 66 fitted to the one-side axle shaft 6 and a one-side bearing 6.
8 and the other-side bearing adjuster 70 and the other-side bearing 72 fitted to the axle shaft 6 on the other side.
A, 76B are on one side and the other side cap mounting bolts 78A, 7
Attach and fix with 8B.

Then, the differential carrier 22 is fixed to the axle housing 20 with a carrier-side mounting bolt 96.

In this embodiment, since the carrier-side flange 32 of the differential carrier 22 and the housing-side flange 24 of the axle housing 20 are formed in a shape other than a circular shape, the axle shaft of the differential carrier 22 is formed. 6, the rigidity of the differential case support portion 38 in the direction 6 is increased, thereby improving the rigidity of the differential carrier 22 as a whole, suppressing the inclination of the differential case 58, and controlling the bevel pinion 4
The meshing between the gear 2 and the bevel ring gear 62 can be improved, noise can be prevented from occurring, and friction can be reduced to improve fuel economy and output performance.

In the differential carrier 22, reinforcing ribs 94 are provided on the pinion shaft holding portion 36 from the sealing portion P1 of the oil seal member 52 on the tip side, and a part of the reinforcing ribs 94 is parallel to the axle shaft 6. And also
Since the reinforcing ribs 94 are provided from the seal portion P1 to the carrier-side flange 32, the rigidity of the pinion shaft holding portion 36 can be improved, the load acting on the front bearing 50 can be dispersed, and the inclination of the pinion shaft 40 can be improved. , The engagement between the bevel pinion 42 and the bevel ring gear 62 is improved, and the generation of abnormal noise can be prevented.

Further, in the differential carrier 22, even if the carrier-side flange 32 is formed in a shape other than a circular shape, the reinforcing ribs 94C are provided in a plurality of steps on the outer surface and the inner surface, so that the overall rigidity is improved. Can be effectively improved.

FIG. 11 shows a special configuration of the present invention, which is a second embodiment.

In the following embodiment, the same functions as those in the first embodiment will be described with the same functions.

The features of the second embodiment are as follows. That is, the axis C1 of the pinion shaft holding portion 36
Since the rigidity of the portion of the carrier-side mounting bolt 96 that is obliquely separated to the maximum is low, in order to increase the rigidity of the portion of the carrier-side mounting bolt 96, the carrier-side mounting bolt 96 is sandwiched and gradually sandwiched. Two reinforcing ribs 94-1A and 94-2A were arranged so as to be depressed.

According to the structure of the second embodiment, the rigidity of the portion of the carrier-side mounting bolt 96 that is obliquely and maximally separated from the axis C1 of the pinion shaft holding portion 36 is increased, and the rigidity of the entire differential carrier 22 is reduced. Can be improved.

FIG. 12 shows a special configuration of the present invention, and shows a third embodiment.

The features of the third embodiment are as follows. That is, in the differential carrier 22, a reinforcing member 98 formed in a predetermined shape that connects the one side of the differential case supporting portion 38 and the other side supporting portions 74A and 74B is installed.

According to the configuration of the third embodiment, the rigidity of the one-side and other-side support portions 74A and 74B can be increased by the reinforcing member 98, so that the rigidity of the entire differential carrier 22 can be improved.

In the present invention, the carrier-side flange of the differential carrier may be formed in another shape such as a rectangular shape, a triangular shape, or a polygonal shape so as to be large in the axial direction of the axle shaft. is there.

Further, in the shape of the reinforcing rib, the thickness of the reinforcing rib on the carrier side flange side can be made larger than the thickness on the pinion shaft holding portion side, and the strength can be improved on the carrier side flange side. Moreover, the rigidity of the differential carrier can be improved by increasing the thickness of the carrier-side flange on the one protruding edge side.

[0054]

As apparent from the above detailed description, according to the present invention, since the carrier-side flange of the differential carrier is formed in a shape other than the circular shape, a space for improving rigidity can be secured. The rigidity of the differential case in the axle axis direction can be increased by increasing the thickness of the differential case supporting portion and increasing the thickness of the differential case supporting portion and adding reinforcement means for other members such as ribs. Accordingly, the rigidity of the differential carrier as a whole is improved, whereby the inclination of the differential case is suppressed, the engagement between the bevel pinion and the bevel ring gear is improved, and generation of abnormal noise can be prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a differential carrier.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the differential carrier of FIG. 1 from the other side.

FIG. 3 is a front view of a differential carrier.

FIG. 4 is a right side view of the differential carrier.

FIG. 5 is a rear view of the differential carrier.

FIG. 6 is a left side view of the differential carrier.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a differential carrier.

FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the differential carrier.

FIG. 9 is a partial perspective view of an automobile.

FIG. 10 is an assembled perspective view of the differential device.

FIG. 11 is a front view of a differential carrier according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a plan view of a differential carrier according to a third embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a partial perspective view of a conventional automobile.

FIG. 14 is an assembled perspective view of a conventional differential device.

FIG. 15 is another sectional view of a conventional differential device.

FIG. 16 is a sectional view of a conventional differential device.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a conventional differential carrier.

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of the differential carrier of FIG. 17 from the other side.

FIG. 19 is a front view of a conventional differential carrier.

FIG. 20 is a right side view of a conventional differential carrier.

FIG. 21 is a rear view of a conventional differential carrier.

FIG. 22 is a left side view of a conventional differential carrier.

FIG. 23 is a plan view of a conventional differential carrier.

FIG. 24 is a bottom view of a conventional differential carrier.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 2 automobile 4 differential device 6 axle shaft 20 axle housing 22 differential carrier 40 pinion shaft 42 bevel pinion 52 oil seal material 58 differential case 62 bevel ring gear 86 reinforcing means

 ────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Shigeru Inoue 300 Takatsukacho, Hamamatsu-shi, Shizuoka Suzuki Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 3J027 FB02 HA01 HB01 HC20 HH20 3J063 AA02 AB04 AC11 BA09 BB12 CA05 CD46 XB07

Claims (2)

[Claims] A differential carrier having a carrier-side flange, a pinion shaft holding portion, and a differential case support portion, wherein a pinion shaft provided with a bevel pinion is held and provided on the pinion shaft holding portion; In a differential device for an automobile, a differential case to which a bevel ring gear meshing with a pinion is attached is provided to be supported by the differential case supporting portion, and an axle housing is provided to cover the differential case and attach the carrier-side flange. Is formed in a shape other than a circular shape. 2. The differential carrier is provided with a plurality of reinforcing ribs between a front end side and a rear end side of the carrier side flange of the pinion shaft holding portion, and a part of these reinforcing ribs is connected to an axle shaft. The differential device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the differential device is arranged in parallel.