JP2008128338A - Oil controller for vehicular transmission - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an oil controller for a vehicular transmission, which is inexpensive but makes proper oil control depending on the operating condition of the transmission without requiring a special driving source. <P>SOLUTION: An oil reservoir tank 80 is arranged in a transaxle case 5. The oil reservoir tank 80 is opened on its back side to form a back opened portion 82 above which an opening/closing plate 83 is turnably arranged. The opening/closing plate 83 has a cover portion 83a for opening/closing the back opened portion 82, and a travelling wind pressure receiving portion 83b for receiving travelling wind pressure on a vehicle. When the vehicle is stopped or it travels at a low speed, the cover portion 83a is moved backward from the back opened portion 82 by the energizing force of a coil spring 84 to return oil to an oil pan 12. When the vehicle travels at a high speed, the cover portion 83a receives the travelling wind pressure to close the back opened portion 82 and the oil is reserved in the oil reservoir tank 80 to lower an oil level in the oil pan 12. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an oil amount adjusting device for adjusting the amount of oil stored in an oil pan of a transmission mounted on an automobile. In particular, the present invention relates to a countermeasure for adjusting an appropriate oil amount according to the operating state of the transmission.

  Conventionally, a predetermined amount of oil (hydraulic oil; AT fluid) for shifting processing and lubrication has been injected into an automatic transmission mounted on an automobile. This oil is stored in an oil pan disposed at the bottom of the automatic transmission, and is sucked out of the oil pan by the oil pump, circulates in the transmission, and then returned to the oil pan again.

  By the way, the volume of the oil increases or decreases depending on the temperature. That is, volume expansion occurs at high temperatures and volume contraction occurs at low temperatures. For this reason, when the temperature of oil falls, there is a possibility that the amount of stored oil may be insufficient, and there is a concern that the shift process and lubrication of the automatic transmission may be adversely affected. Conversely, if the temperature of the oil rises, there is a possibility that the amount of oil stored will become excessive, resulting in increased energy loss due to agitation resistance when the oil is agitated with gears, etc. There is concern about problems such as erupting. In addition, in order to avoid a local oil level drop when the vehicle turns and the oil pump sucks air, especially when the oil storage amount is set to be large, the above-mentioned stirring resistance There will be a situation where there is concern about an increase and oil jets from the breather. For this reason, it is necessary to appropriately adjust the oil level in the oil pan regardless of the temperature change of the oil.

  In view of this point, there are the following Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2.

  In Patent Document 1, an oil reservoir capable of collecting a part of oil from an oil pan is provided, and the oil level in the oil pan can be adjusted by adjusting the amount of oil stored in the oil reservoir. Yes. Specifically, an on-off valve made of bimetal or the like is provided on the oil reservoir discharge side, and when the oil temperature is high, the on-off valve is closed to increase the amount of oil stored in the oil reservoir. Make sure that the oil level in the oil pan does not become too high. Conversely, when the temperature of the oil is low, most of the oil in the oil reservoir is returned to the oil pan by opening the on-off valve so that the oil level in the oil pan does not become too low.

Moreover, the thing of patent document 2 is provided with the oil level adjustment apparatus in parallel with the oil cooler. In this oil level adjusting device, a plunger energized in one direction by a bias spring is housed in a cylinder capable of storing oil, and the inside of the cylinder is partitioned into two spaces by this plunger. One side (the side whose volume is reduced by the biasing force of the bias spring) is an oil pressure working chamber, and the other side (the side whose volume is increased by the biasing force of the bias spring) is an oil recovery chamber. In a situation where the temperature of the oil is low, the pressure loss of the oil cooler is high, so that the oil pressure acting on the working chamber increases, and the plunger moves by pushing and contracting the bias spring and is stored in the oil recovery chamber. Forced oil into the automatic transmission. On the other hand, when the temperature of the oil increases, the pressure loss of the oil cooler decreases, so the oil pressure acting on the working chamber decreases, and the bias spring biases the plunger back to its original position, expanding the oil recovery chamber. Unnecessary oil is recovered from the automatic transmission into the oil recovery chamber.
Japanese Patent No. 3074819 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-74973

  However, in each of the above-mentioned patent documents, the amount of oil recovered from the oil pan to the oil reservoir and the oil level adjusting device is adjusted according to the temperature change of the oil. That is, even if the automatic transmission is operating at a high speed, the oil level of the oil pan cannot be lowered unless the temperature of the oil rises to a predetermined temperature or higher.

  For this reason, for example, when the oil storage amount is set to be large in advance to avoid air suction of the oil pump as described above, the vehicle starts running in a state where the oil temperature is not sufficiently increased immediately after the engine is started. In this situation, although the automatic transmission is operating at a high speed, the oil level remains high, so that the energy loss due to the agitation resistance in which the oil is agitated by a gear or the like increases. It was something that would end up.

  In addition, a valve mechanism having a drive source such as an electromagnetic solenoid is provided on the discharge side of the oil reservoir, and in a situation where the automatic transmission operates at a high speed, the valve mechanism is closed regardless of the oil temperature. It is also conceivable to employ a configuration that increases the amount of oil stored. However, this leads to various problems such as a complicated configuration, a rise in cost, an increase in failure factor locations, and energy (electrical energy, etc.) for driving the valve mechanism. Is lacking.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and the object of the present invention is not to require a special drive source, and at a low cost, it is suitable for the operating condition of the transmission. An object of the present invention is to provide an oil amount adjusting device for a vehicle transmission capable of adjusting the oil amount.

-Solving principle-
The solution principle of the present invention taken to achieve the above object is to enable adjustment of the amount of oil stored in the oil reservoir by using the traveling wind pressure of the vehicle as a power source. Only), the oil discharge opening of the oil reservoir is closed using the traveling wind pressure to increase the amount of oil stored in the oil reservoir, thereby preventing the oil level in the oil pan from becoming too high. Yes.

-Solution-
Specifically, the present invention relates to a vehicle transmission having an oil reservoir capable of lowering the oil level in the transmission case by collecting part of the oil stored in the bottom of the transmission case. Assuming a machine oil level adjustment device. An oil discharge opening for returning the recovered oil to the bottom of the transmission case is formed in the oil reservoir for the oil amount adjusting device. In addition, when the vehicle travels below a predetermined vehicle speed or stops, the oil discharge opening is opened, while the oil holding release state is opened. An opening / closing means for entering an “oil holding state” for closing the discharge opening is provided. The predetermined vehicle speed here is, for example, about 10 km / h, and when this speed is exceeded, a certain amount of traveling wind pressure is generated. This speed is not limited to this value.

  Due to this specific matter, in a situation where oil is recovered from the bottom of the transmission case (for example, inside the oil pan) and collected in the oil reservoir, no traveling wind pressure is generated when the vehicle is stopped, Since the traveling wind pressure is small at a relatively low vehicle speed (when traveling below the predetermined vehicle speed), the opening / closing means is in an “oil retention release state” in which the oil discharge opening is opened. For this reason, the oil in the oil reservoir is sent out toward the bottom in the transmission case. The transmission is not operating when the vehicle is stopped, and the operation speed of the transmission is low at low vehicle speeds. Therefore, even if the oil level in the transmission case is high, the agitation resistance (oil is not geared). This is not a situation in which a large amount of oil is agitated, and the amount of oil in the transmission case is sufficiently secured so that air suction of the oil pump can be avoided. In addition, the speed change operation of the transmission during acceleration and the lubricating performance of each part can be ensured satisfactorily.

  On the other hand, when the vehicle exceeds a predetermined speed, a large traveling wind pressure is generated, and the traveling wind pressure is received by the opening / closing means. This opening / closing means closes the oil discharge opening. State ". For this reason, the oil is stored in the oil reservoir, and the oil level in the transmission case is lowered. In such a traveling state of the vehicle, the transmission operates at a relatively high speed, so that the agitation resistance can be suppressed by lowering the oil level in the transmission case. As described above, according to the present solution, the oil level in the transmission case can be lowered as the vehicle speed increases without waiting for the oil temperature to rise. Even when the oil storage amount is set to be large in advance in order to avoid this, it is possible to suppress the stirring resistance by quickly lowering the oil level in the transmission case after the vehicle starts. . When the vehicle stops again (during non-travel) after the vehicle travels, or when the vehicle is in a low-speed travel state, the opening / closing means becomes the “oil retention release state”, and the oil level in the transmission case again Highly secured.

  Specific examples of the opening / closing means include the following. First, the opening / closing means is provided with an opening / closing member movable between an opening posture for opening the oil discharge opening of the oil reservoir and a closing posture for closing the oil discharge opening, and the opening posture with respect to the opening / closing member. An urging means for applying an urging force to the side is provided. A part of the opening / closing member is formed as a traveling wind pressure receiving portion that extends to a region where traveling wind flows when the vehicle travels, and the traveling wind pressure receiving portion receives the traveling wind pressure to attach the opening / closing member. It is configured to move from the open posture to the closed posture against the biasing force of the biasing means.

  More specifically, the oil reservoir is disposed in the upper space in the transmission case, and the opening / closing member is supported rotatably about a rotation axis extending in the vehicle width direction with respect to the upper wall of the transmission case. The opening / closing member is provided with a lid portion that is located inside the transmission case and opens and closes the oil discharge opening. The traveling wind pressure receiving portion is located outside the transmission case so as to receive the traveling wind pressure when the vehicle is traveling.

  Due to these specific matters, when the vehicle is stopped or at a low vehicle speed, the opening / closing member receives an urging force from the urging means to open the oil discharge opening of the oil reservoir. In other words, by not storing oil in the oil reservoir, the oil amount in the transmission case is sufficiently secured. On the other hand, when the vehicle is traveling (when traveling beyond a predetermined vehicle speed), the traveling wind pressure receiving portion of the opening / closing member receives the traveling wind pressure and closes the oil discharge opening of the oil reservoir against the urging force from the urging means ( Closing the oil discharge opening by the lid). That is, the oil level in the transmission case is lowered by storing oil in the oil reservoir. With such an operation, the oil level in the transmission case can be adjusted in accordance with the operating condition of the transmission, so that the reliability of the oil level adjusting operation can be improved.

  In addition, when the traveling wind guide member for guiding the traveling wind toward the traveling wind pressure receiving portion of the opening / closing member is disposed outside the transmission case, the traveling wind is driven by the opening / closing member after the vehicle starts. It is possible to effectively send the pressure toward the pressure receiving portion, and the state of the opening / closing means can be changed from the “oil retention release state” to the “oil retention state” within a short time after starting. That is, the oil level in the transmission case can be lowered immediately after the start of the vehicle, and a situation in which the agitation resistance hardly occurs after the start of the vehicle can be obtained quickly.

  In the present invention, the oil discharge opening of the oil reservoir is closed using the traveling wind pressure of the vehicle to increase the amount of oil stored in the oil reservoir, thereby causing the oil level at the bottom in the transmission case to become too high. So that you can avoid it. For this reason, after starting the vehicle, the oil level in the transmission case can be quickly lowered without waiting for the oil temperature to rise, and energy loss due to the stirring resistance can be suppressed.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, a case in which the present invention is applied to level adjustment of oil (ATF; Automatic Transmission Fluid) stored in an oil pan of a belt type continuously variable transmission (so-called CVT: Continuously Variable Transmission) for an automobile will be described. . In the following embodiments, a belt type continuously variable transmission mounted on an FF (front engine / front drive) vehicle will be described.

-First embodiment-
(Overall structure of transaxle)
First, the overall configuration of a transaxle equipped with a belt type continuously variable transmission will be described.

  FIG. 1 is a skeleton diagram of a transaxle when a belt type continuously variable transmission is applied to an FF vehicle. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes an engine as a driving force source of a vehicle, and the type thereof is not particularly limited. In the following description, a case where a gasoline engine is used as the engine 1 will be described for convenience.

  A transaxle 3 is provided on the output side of the engine 1, and this transaxle 3 is connected to a transaxle housing 4 attached to the output side of the engine 1 (side of the vehicle), and on the opposite side of the engine 1. A transaxle case 5 attached to the opening end and a transaxle rear cover 6 attached to the opening end opposite to the transaxle housing 4 are sequentially provided. A torque converter (T / C) 7 is provided in the transaxle housing 4, and a forward / reverse switching mechanism 8, a belt type continuously variable transmission (inside the transaxle case 5 and the transaxle rear cover 6). CVT) 9, a final reduction gear 10 having a differential mechanism, and the like are provided.

  An input shaft 11 is provided on the same axis as the crankshaft 2 inside the transaxle housing 4, and a turbine runner 13 is attached to an end of the input shaft 11 on the engine 1 side. On the other hand, a front cover 15 is connected to the end of the crankshaft 2 via a drive plate 14, and a pump impeller 16 is connected to the front cover 15. The turbine runner 13 and the pump impeller 16 are arranged to face each other, and a stator 17 is provided inside the turbine runner 13 and the pump impeller 16. An oil pump 20 is provided between the torque converter 7 and the forward / reverse switching mechanism 8.

  As the operation of the torque converter 7, as the crankshaft 2 is rotated by driving the engine 1, the pump impeller 16 rotates via the drive plate 14 and the front cover 15, and the flow of hydraulic fluid supplied from the oil pump 20 As a result, the turbine runner 13 starts to be dragged. When the rotational speed difference between the pump impeller 16 and the turbine runner 13 is large, the stator 17 converts the flow of hydraulic fluid into a direction that assists the rotation of the pump impeller 16.

  When the vehicle speed reaches a predetermined speed after the vehicle starts, the lockup clutch 18 is operated so that the power transmitted from the engine 1 to the front cover 15 is mechanically and directly transmitted to the input shaft 11. Become. Further, the fluctuation of the torque transmitted from the front cover 15 to the input shaft 11 is absorbed by the damper mechanism 19.

  The forward / reverse switching mechanism 8 is provided in a power transmission path between the input shaft 11 and the belt type continuously variable transmission 9. The forward / reverse switching mechanism 8 has a double pinion type planetary gear mechanism 24. The planetary gear mechanism 24 includes a sun gear 25 provided on the input shaft 11, a ring gear 26 disposed concentrically with the sun gear 25 on the outer peripheral side of the sun gear 25, and an inner pinion gear 27 meshed with the sun gear 25. The outer pinion gear 28 meshed with the inner pinion gear 27 and the ring gear 26, the pinion gears 27, 28 are supported so as to be capable of rotating, and the pinion gears 27, 28 can be integrally revolved around the sun gear 25. And the carrier 29 held in the above. The carrier 29 is connected to a primary shaft (transmission input shaft) 30 to be described later of the belt type continuously variable transmission 9. A forward clutch CL for connecting / disconnecting a power transmission path between the carrier 29 and the input shaft 11 and a reverse brake BR for controlling rotation / fixation of the ring gear 26 are provided. By controlling the forward clutch CL and the reverse brake BR, the power transmission path can be changed to switch between forward rotation power (forward rotation direction) and reverse rotation power (reverse rotation direction).

  The belt type continuously variable transmission 9 includes a primary shaft (drive side shaft) 30 disposed on the same axis as the input shaft 11, and a secondary shaft (driven side shaft) 31 disposed in parallel to the primary shaft 30. have. The primary shaft 30 is rotatably supported by bearings 32 and 33, and the secondary shaft 31 is rotatably supported by bearings 34 and 35, respectively.

  A primary pulley (driving side pulley) 36 is provided on the primary shaft 30 side, and a secondary pulley (driven pulley) 37 is provided on the secondary shaft 31 side.

  The primary pulley 36 has a fixed sheave 38 formed integrally with the primary shaft 30 and a movable sheave 39 configured to be movable in the axial direction of the primary shaft 30. A V-shaped groove 40 is formed between the opposed surfaces of the fixed sheave 38 and the movable sheave 39.

  Further, a hydraulic actuator 41 is provided for moving the movable sheave 39 in the axial direction of the primary shaft 30 to bring the movable sheave 39 and the fixed sheave 38 closer to or away from each other.

  On the other hand, the secondary pulley 37 similarly has a fixed sheave 42 formed integrally with the secondary shaft 31 and a movable sheave 43 configured to be movable in the axial direction of the secondary shaft 31. A V-shaped groove 44 is formed between the surfaces facing the movable sheave 43. Further, a hydraulic actuator 45 that moves the movable sheave 43 and the fixed sheave 42 closer to and away from each other by operating the movable sheave 43 in the axial direction of the secondary shaft 31 is provided.

  A belt 46 is wound around the groove 40 of the primary pulley 36 and the groove 44 of the secondary pulley 37. The belt 46 is configured as a so-called push-type metal belt having a number of metal pieces (also referred to as elements and blocks) and a plurality of steel rings (also referred to as hoops and bands). (See, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 2000-220697 and 2002-257200).

  The belt 46 is configured such that the winding position of the pulleys 36 and 37 is changed in accordance with the forward and backward movement of the movable sheaves 39 and 43, and power transmission (torque transmission) is performed while obtaining a predetermined gear ratio. .

  A counter drive gear 47 is fixed to the secondary shaft 31 and supported by bearings 48 and 49. Further, the bearing 35 is provided on the transaxle rear cover 6 side, and a parking gear PG is provided between the bearing 35 and the secondary pulley 37.

  Further, an intermediate shaft 50 parallel to the secondary shaft 31 is supported by bearings 51 and 52 in the power transmission path between the counter drive gear 47 of the belt type continuously variable transmission 9 and the final reduction gear 10. It is arranged by. The intermediate shaft 50 is provided with a counter driven gear 53 that meshes with the counter drive gear 47 and a final drive gear 54.

  On the other hand, the final reduction gear 10 has a hollow differential case 55 that is rotatably supported by bearings 56 and 57, and a final ring gear 58 that meshes with the final drive gear 54 is provided on the outer periphery of the differential case 55. A pinion shaft 59 to which two pinion gears 60 and 60 are attached is disposed inside the differential case 55. Two side gears 61 and 61 are meshed with the pinion gear 60 and are connected to wheels 63 via left and right drive shafts 62 and 62, respectively.

  Further, reference numerals 71 and 72 denote rotation speed sensors for detecting the rotation speeds of the primary pulley 36 and the secondary pulley 37, respectively.

  The hydraulic pressure generated by the oil pump 20 is controlled and supplied to the hydraulic actuator 41 of the primary pulley 36 and the hydraulic actuator 45 of the secondary pulley 37 via the hydraulic control circuit 200. Here, reference numerals 73 and 74 denote hydraulic sensors that detect control hydraulic pressures Ppri and Psec supplied to the hydraulic actuator 41 of the primary pulley 36 and the hydraulic actuator 45 of the secondary pulley 37, respectively.

  More specifically, the hydraulic oil sucked from the oil pan and discharged from the oil pump 20 is regulated by a duty-regulated pressure regulating valve and controlled as a line pressure PL. The hydraulic oil having the line pressure PL is set to the above-described control hydraulic pressure Ppri by the duty-controlled primary side pressure reducing valve and supplied to the primary side hydraulic actuator 41. Further, the hydraulic oil having the line pressure PL is similarly duty-controlled and controlled by the secondary-side pressure reducing valve to the control hydraulic pressure Psec, and is supplied to the secondary-side hydraulic actuator 45.

  Reference numeral 300 denotes a CVT electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as CVT / ECU) for controlling the transaxle 3, and reference numeral 400 denotes an engine electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as E / G / ECU) for controlling the engine 1. , Each of which is constituted by an arithmetic processing unit (CPU or MPU), a storage unit (RAM and ROM), and a microcomputer mainly having an input / output interface.

  For the CVT / ECU 300, in addition to the signals from the rotation speed sensors 71 and 72 and the hydraulic pressure sensors 73 and 74, various parameters indicating the state of the transaxle 3, such as the torque ratio of the torque converter 7 and the vehicle speed. Information such as V is input. On the other hand, the E / G • ECU 400 receives various parameters representing the operating state of the engine 1, such as engine speed, accelerator opening, throttle opening sensor signals, etc., and requires information on the calculation results. In response, it is input to the CVT / ECU 300. In this way, information such as the rotation speed Np of the primary shaft 30 and the rotation speed Ns of the secondary shaft 31 by the rotation speed sensors 71 and 72 as well as the vehicle speed V is stored in the CVT / ECU 300 as various sensors and calculation results. The above-described control oil pressure Ppri and control oil pressure Psec are formed in order to obtain the required gear ratio γ (= Np / Ns) and the belt clamping pressure based on a map that is input as a signal and obtained in advance through experiments or the like. The

(Oil quantity adjusting device)
Next, an oil amount adjusting device that is a characteristic part of the present embodiment will be described. This oil amount adjusting device is for adjusting the amount of oil (ATF) stored in an oil pan attached to the lower part of the transaxle case 5, and corresponds to the operating state of the transaxle 3. An appropriate oil amount (oil level) is obtained in the oil pan.

  FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view of the periphery of the upper wall 5A of the transaxle case 5 viewed from the side of the vehicle when the vehicle is stopped or at a low vehicle speed (for example, 10 km / h or less). FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view showing the oil level in the oil pan 12 (the bottom in the transmission case referred to in the present invention) when the vehicle is stopped or at a low vehicle speed. On the other hand, FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view of the periphery of the upper wall 5A of the transaxle case 5 viewed from the side of the vehicle when the vehicle is traveling (when traveling at a relatively high speed: for example, when traveling at a speed exceeding 10 km / h). FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view showing the oil level in the oil pan 12 when the vehicle is running. 2 and 3, the left side in the figure is the front of the vehicle.

  Inside the oil pan 12 attached to the lower part of the transaxle case 5 is stored oil (ATF) for the above-mentioned shift processing and lubrication of each part. When the engine 1 is driven, oil is sucked from the oil pan 12 by the oil pump 20 and supplied to the hydraulic actuators 41 and 45 through the hydraulic control circuit 200, or at each sliding portion and the meshing portion of the gears. It is supplied as lubricating oil. The oil supplied to various places in this manner is circulated in the transaxle 3 and then returned to the oil pan 12 again.

  Further, the oil stored in the oil pan 12 is splashed up with the rotation of the final ring gear 58, for example, and is guided to a portion requiring lubrication. That is, an oil splashing type lubrication mechanism is employed.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the oil amount adjusting device will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

  An oil reservoir tank 80 is disposed in the upper part of the transaxle case 5. The oil reservoir tank 80 is a box-shaped container, and is fixed to, for example, a side surface inside the transaxle case 5. The volume of the oil reservoir tank 80 is set to about ½ of the volume of the oil pan 12, for example. The volume of the oil reservoir tank 80 is not limited to this and can be arbitrarily set.

  Further, the oil reservoir tank 80 has an upper surface side and a rear surface side which is the rear side of the vehicle, and is formed as an upper open portion 81 and a rear open portion (oil discharge opening) 82, respectively. A part of the oil splashed with the rotation of the final ring gear 58 flows into the oil reservoir tank 80 from the upper open part 81 (see arrow A in the figure).

  The back open portion 82 of the oil reservoir tank 80 can be opened and closed by an opening / closing plate 83 as an opening / closing member. Hereinafter, a mechanism for opening and closing the opening / closing plate 83 will be described.

  The opening / closing plate 83 is set such that its width dimension (width dimension in the vehicle width direction) is the same as or slightly longer than the width dimension of the rear open part 82 of the oil reservoir tank 80. It is made of metal plate material. The opening / closing plate 83 is supported on the upper wall 5A of the transaxle case 5 so as to be rotatable about a rotation axis O extending in the vehicle width direction. Further, the position of the rotation axis O is set substantially vertically above the rear open portion 82 of the oil reservoir tank 80.

  In addition, the opening / closing plate 83 is formed as a lid portion 83 a for opening and closing the back surface opening portion 82, which is located below the rotational axis O and located inside the transaxle case 5. On the other hand, the portion located above the rotational axis O and positioned outside the transaxle case 5 is formed as a traveling wind pressure receiving portion 83b that receives the traveling wind pressure of the vehicle.

  For this reason, as the rotation position of the opening / closing plate 83, the lid 83a of the opening / closing plate 83 is retracted from the back surface open portion 82 at the position shown in FIG. 2A, and the back surface open portion 82 is open. Become. That is, the oil in the oil reservoir tank 80 is discharged toward the oil pan 12 (see arrow B in the figure).

  On the other hand, at the position shown in FIG. 3A as the rotation position of the opening / closing plate 83, the lid portion 83a of the opening / closing plate 83 comes into contact with the peripheral edge of the rear open portion 82, and the rear open portion 82 is closed. . That is, the oil in the oil reservoir tank 80 is prevented from being discharged toward the oil pan 12, and the oil is stored in the oil reservoir tank 80. In this case, a sealing material may be applied to the opening edge of the oil reservoir tank 80 in order to ensure adhesion between the lid 83 a of the opening / closing plate 83 and the opening edge of the oil reservoir tank 80. preferable. When the amount of oil collected in the oil reservoir tank 80 increases and the oil level exceeds the upper end of the oil reservoir tank 80, the overflow amount is directed from the upper open portion 81 toward the oil pan 12. Will be discharged.

  The opening / closing plate 83 receives an urging force in a direction in which the lid portion 83 a moves backward from the rear open portion 82 by an urging force from a coil spring (urging means) 84. Specifically, the upper wall 5A of the transaxle case 5 is provided with a spring support plate 5B extending vertically downward toward the inside of the case, and the spring support plate 5B and the lid portion 83a of the opening / closing plate 83 are provided. A coil spring 84 is disposed in a compressed state therebetween. For this reason, the urging force of the coil spring 84 presses the lid 83a toward the rear side of the vehicle body against the opening / closing plate 83, whereby external force other than the urging force of the coil spring 84 is applied to the opening / closing plate 83. In a state where it does not act, the lid portion 83a of the opening / closing plate 83 is retracted from the rear open portion 82, and the rear open portion 82 is opened (see FIG. 2).

  Further, an air duct (traveling wind guide member) 85 is disposed above the upper wall 5A of the transaxle case 5 so that traveling wind during vehicle traveling is introduced. In other words, an air duct 85 is disposed from the radiator grille of the vehicle to the upper space of the transaxle case 5, and when the vehicle travels, the traveling wind passing through the air duct 85 is directed to the traveling wind pressure receiving portion 83 b of the opening / closing plate 83. The traveling wind pressure is applied to the rear.

  As described above, the opening / closing means referred to in the present invention is configured to be in the “oil retention release state” when the vehicle is stopped or at a low vehicle speed, and to be in the “oil retention state” when the vehicle is traveling (at a relatively high vehicle speed). Has been.

(Oil quantity adjustment operation)
Next, the oil amount adjusting operation in the oil amount adjusting device configured as described above will be described.

  First, no traveling wind pressure is generated when the vehicle is stopped (when the vehicle is not traveling), and the traveling wind pressure is small at a relatively low vehicle speed (when traveling below the predetermined vehicle speed). 2, the lid 83 a of the opening / closing plate 83 receives the urging force from the coil spring 84, thereby opening the back opening portion 82 of the oil reservoir tank 80. That is, by not storing oil in the oil reservoir tank 80, a sufficient amount of oil in the oil pan 12 is secured (see FIG. 2B).

  In such a stopped state of the vehicle, the transmission 9 and the final reduction gear 10 are not operated, and the operating speed of the transmission 9 and the final reduction gear 10 at a low vehicle speed is low. Even if the oil level is high, the above-described stirring resistance (resistance due to the stirring of the oil in the oil pan 12 by the final ring gear 58 and the like) does not occur, and the amount of oil in the oil pan 12 is sufficiently secured. Therefore, the air suction of the oil pump 20 can be avoided, and the speed change operation of the transmission 9 and the lubrication performance of each part at the time of starting and accelerating the vehicle are ensured well.

  On the other hand, when the vehicle is traveling at a high vehicle speed, as shown in FIG. 3, the traveling wind pressure receiving portion 83 b of the opening / closing plate 83 receives the traveling wind pressure, and the opening / closing plate 83 resists the urging force from the coil spring 84. The lid 83a closes the rear open portion 82 of the oil reservoir tank 80 by rotating (rotating clockwise in the figure). That is, the oil level in the oil pan 12 is lowered by storing oil in the oil reservoir tank 80 (see FIG. 3B).

  In such a running state of the vehicle, the transmission 9 and the final speed reducer 10 operate at a relatively high speed. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the stirring resistance by lowering the oil level in the oil pan 12. it can.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the oil level in the oil pan 12 can be lowered as the vehicle starts without waiting for the oil temperature to rise. Even when the oil storage amount is set to be large in advance to avoid suction, the above-described stirring resistance can be suppressed by quickly lowering the oil level in the oil pan 12 after the vehicle starts. it can. As a result, the oil level in the oil pan 12 can be adjusted appropriately according to the operating state of the transaxle 3, and the oil jet from the breather due to the deterioration of fuel consumption, the early deterioration of the oil, and the increase of the oil temperature is effectively suppressed. can do.

-Second Embodiment-
Next, a second embodiment of the oil amount adjusting device will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, the opening / closing mechanism of the oil reservoir tank 80 by the opening / closing plate 83 is different from that of the first embodiment, and the entire configuration of the transaxle 3 is the same as that of the first embodiment.

(Oil quantity adjusting device)
FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view of the periphery of the upper wall 5A of the transaxle case 5 viewed from the side of the vehicle when the vehicle is stopped or at a low vehicle speed (for example, 10 km / h or less). FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view showing the oil level in the oil pan 12 when the vehicle is stopped or at a low vehicle speed. On the other hand, FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view of the periphery of the upper wall 5A of the transaxle case 5 viewed from the side of the vehicle when the vehicle is traveling (when traveling at a relatively high speed: for example, when traveling at a speed exceeding 10 km / h). FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view showing the oil level in the oil pan 12 when the vehicle is running. 4 and 5, the left side in the figure is the front of the vehicle.

  The oil reservoir tank 80 in the present embodiment is also a box-shaped container, and is fixed to, for example, a side surface inside the transaxle case 5. The volume of the oil reservoir tank 80 is set to about ½ of the volume of the oil pan 12, for example. The volume of the oil reservoir tank 80 is not limited to this and can be arbitrarily set.

  In addition, the oil reservoir tank 80 of the present embodiment has an upper surface side and a front side that is the front side of the vehicle open, and is formed as an upper open portion 81 and a front open portion (oil discharge opening) 86, respectively. A part of the oil splashed with the rotation of the final ring gear 58 flows into the oil reservoir tank 80 from the upper open part 81 (see arrow A in the figure).

  The front open portion 86 of the oil reservoir tank 80 can be opened and closed by an opening / closing plate 83 as an opening / closing member. Hereinafter, a mechanism for opening and closing the opening / closing plate 83 will be described.

  The opening / closing plate 83 is set so that its width dimension (width dimension in the vehicle width direction) is the same as or slightly longer than the width dimension of the front opening portion 86 of the oil reservoir tank 80. It is made of metal plate material.

  On the other hand, in the upper wall 5A of the transaxle case 5, a guide hole 5C is formed at a location corresponding to the upper side of the front open portion 86 of the oil reservoir tank 80. The opening / closing plate 83 is inserted into the guide hole 5C, and is supported so as to be slidable in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body (the left-right direction in the figure) while being guided by the guide hole 5C.

  Further, the opening / closing plate 83 is formed as a lid portion 83a for opening and closing the front opening portion 86 at a portion located below the portion inserted into the guide hole 5C and positioned inside the transaxle case 5. ing. On the other hand, a portion located above the portion inserted into the guide hole 5C and positioned outside the transaxle case 5 is formed as a traveling wind pressure receiving portion 83b that receives the traveling wind pressure of the vehicle.

  For this reason, at the position shown in FIG. 4A as the movement position of the opening / closing plate 83, the lid portion 83a of the opening / closing plate 83 retreats (moves toward the front side of the vehicle body) from the front opening portion 86. Will be open. That is, the oil in the oil reservoir tank 80 is discharged toward the oil pan 12 (see arrow B in the figure).

  On the other hand, at the position shown in FIG. 5A as the movement position of the opening / closing plate 83, the lid portion 83a of the opening / closing plate 83 comes into contact with the peripheral edge of the front opening portion 86, and the front opening portion 86 is closed. That is, the oil in the oil reservoir tank 80 is prevented from being discharged toward the oil pan 12, and the oil is stored in the oil reservoir tank 80. Also in this case, a sealing material is applied to the opening edge portion of the oil reservoir tank 80 in order to ensure adhesion between the lid portion 83a of the opening / closing plate 83 and the opening edge portion of the oil reservoir tank 80. Is preferred. When the amount of oil collected in the oil reservoir tank 80 increases and the oil level exceeds the upper end of the oil reservoir tank 80, the overflow amount is directed from the upper open portion 81 toward the oil pan 12. Will be discharged.

  In addition, flanges 83c and 83d extending in the horizontal direction are projected from the front and rear surfaces of the opening / closing plate 83. These flanges 83c and 83d are in contact with the upper wall 5A of the transaxle case 5 and not only prevent the opening / closing plate 83 from falling into the transaxle case 5 from the guide hole 5C. Regardless of the sliding position of the opening / closing plate 83, the guide hole 5C is closed, thereby preventing oil in the transaxle case 5 from being ejected from the guide hole 5C to the outside.

  The opening / closing plate 83 receives a biasing force in a direction in which the lid portion 83 a moves backward from the front opening portion 86 by a biasing force from the coil spring 84. Specifically, the upper wall 5A of the transaxle case 5 is provided with a spring support plate 5B extending vertically downward toward the inside of the case, and the spring support plate 5B and the lid portion 83a of the opening / closing plate 83 are provided. A coil spring 84 is disposed in a compressed state therebetween. For this reason, the biasing force of the coil spring 84 presses the opening / closing plate 83 toward the front side of the vehicle body, and in this situation, no external force other than the biasing force of the coil spring 84 acts on the opening / closing plate 83. The open / close plate 83 is retracted from the front opening portion 86, and the front opening portion 86 is opened (see FIG. 4).

  In addition, an air duct 85 is disposed above the upper wall 5A of the transaxle case 5 and on the front side of the opening / closing plate 83 so as to introduce a traveling wind during traveling of the vehicle. In other words, an air duct 85 is disposed from the radiator grille of the vehicle to the upper space of the transaxle case 5, and when the vehicle travels, the traveling wind passing through the air duct 85 is directed to the traveling wind pressure receiving portion 83 b of the opening / closing plate 83. The traveling wind pressure is applied to the rear.

(Oil quantity adjustment operation)
Next, the oil amount adjusting operation of the oil amount adjusting device in the present embodiment will be described.

  First, no traveling wind pressure is generated when the vehicle is stopped (when the vehicle is not traveling), and the traveling wind pressure is small at a relatively low vehicle speed (when traveling below the predetermined vehicle speed). 4, the opening / closing plate 83 is positioned at the front end portion of the guide hole 5 </ b> C by receiving the urging force from the coil spring 84, whereby the lid portion 83 a opens the front opening portion 86 of the oil reservoir tank 80. That is, by not storing oil in the oil reservoir tank 80, a sufficient amount of oil in the oil pan 12 is secured (see FIG. 4B).

  In such a stopped state of the vehicle, the transmission 9 and the final reduction gear 10 are not operated, and the operating speed of the transmission 9 and the final reduction gear 10 at a low vehicle speed is low. Even if the oil level is high, the above-described stirring resistance (resistance due to the stirring of the oil in the oil pan 12 by the final ring gear 58 and the like) does not occur, and the amount of oil in the oil pan 12 is sufficiently secured. Therefore, the air suction of the oil pump 20 can be avoided, and the speed change operation of the transmission 9 and the lubrication performance of each part at the time of starting and accelerating the vehicle are ensured well.

  On the other hand, when the vehicle is traveling at a high vehicle speed, as shown in FIG. 5, the traveling wind pressure receiving portion 83 b of the opening / closing plate 83 receives the traveling wind pressure, and the opening / closing plate 83 resists the urging force from the coil spring 84. The cover 83a closes the front opening portion 86 of the oil reservoir tank 80 by moving to the rear side of the vehicle body. That is, the oil level in the oil pan 12 is lowered by storing oil in the oil reservoir tank 80 (see FIG. 5B).

  In such a running state of the vehicle, the transmission 9 and the final speed reducer 10 operate at a relatively high speed. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the stirring resistance by lowering the oil level in the oil pan 12. it can.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the oil level in the oil pan 12 can be lowered as the vehicle starts without waiting for the oil temperature to rise. Even when the oil storage amount is set to be large in advance in order to avoid this, it is possible to suppress the stirring resistance by quickly lowering the oil level in the oil pan 12 after the vehicle starts. . As a result, the oil level in the oil pan 12 can be adjusted appropriately according to the operating state of the transaxle 3, and the oil jet from the breather due to the deterioration of fuel consumption, the early deterioration of the oil, and the increase of the oil temperature is effectively suppressed. can do.

-Other embodiments-
Each embodiment described above demonstrated the case where this invention was applied to adjustment of the oil quantity stored by the oil pan 12 of the transaxle 3 provided with the belt-type continuously variable transmission 9. FIG. The present invention is not limited to this, and can also be applied to a stepped automatic transmission including a plurality of planetary gear mechanisms, and one including other various transmissions. In addition, the type of vehicle to be applied is not limited to the FF (front engine / front drive) type, but the present invention can be applied to other types such as an FR (front engine / rear drive) type. is there.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the oil in the oil pan 12 is collected in the oil reservoir tank 80 by an oil splashing type lubrication mechanism. The present invention is not limited to this, and a part of the supply path of oil discharged from the oil pump 20 is branched into the oil reservoir tank 80, or dedicated for collecting oil into the oil reservoir tank 80. An oil pump may be provided.

  Further, as the traveling wind guide member for introducing the traveling wind toward the traveling wind pressure receiving portion 83b of the opening / closing plate 83, the dedicated air duct 85 is disposed in each of the above embodiments, but the present invention is not limited thereto. A structure in which an existing air duct is branched toward the traveling wind pressure receiving portion 83b, or in the case of a vehicle equipped with a turbocharger, a part of the air introduced from the air intake for the intercooler is directed to the traveling wind pressure receiving portion 83b. May be adopted.

  Further, the configuration of the opening / closing member that opens and closes the oil reservoir tank 80 is not limited to the plate-shaped member described above. For example, only the traveling wind pressure receiving portion is plate-shaped (a plate that is curved so that the rear of the vehicle is convex so as to be easily subjected to traveling wind pressure), and a shaft that extends from the lower end of the traveling wind pressure receiving portion extends around the horizontal axis. It is good also as a structure which attached to the lower end part of this shaft so that rotation was possible, and attached the plug material (what is corresponded to the said cover part 83a). In other words, a circular opening or the like is formed in the bottom of the side surface of the oil reservoir tank 80, and the opening can be closed by the plug material.

It is a skeleton figure of a transaxle at the time of applying a belt type continuously variable transmission in an embodiment to FF vehicles. FIG. 2 (a) is a cross-sectional view of the periphery of the upper wall of the transaxle case when the vehicle is stopped or at low vehicle speed, as viewed from the side of the vehicle. It is sectional drawing which shows the oil level in an oil pan at the time of a vehicle stop and low vehicle speed. FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view of the periphery of the upper wall of the transaxle case viewed from the side of the vehicle at a high vehicle speed, and FIG. 3B is a diagram according to the first embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the oil level in an oil pan. FIG. 3 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 2 in a second embodiment. FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to FIG. 3 in the second embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

5 Transaxle case 5A Upper wall 9 Belt type continuously variable transmission (vehicle transmission)
12 Oil pan 80 Oil reservoir tank (oil reservoir)
82 Rear open part (oil discharge opening)
83 Opening / closing plate 83a Lid portion 83b Traveling wind pressure receiving portion 84 Coil spring (biasing means)
85 Air duct (running wind guide member)
86 Front open part (oil discharge opening)
O Rotation center of the opening / closing plate

Claims (4)

In an oil amount adjusting device for a vehicle transmission provided with an oil reservoir capable of lowering an oil level in the transmission case by collecting a part of the oil stored in the bottom of the transmission case,
The oil reservoir is formed with an oil discharge opening for returning the recovered oil to the bottom of the transmission case,
When the vehicle travels below the predetermined vehicle speed or stops, the oil discharge opening is opened, and the oil discharge release state is opened. An oil amount adjusting device for a vehicle transmission, comprising: opening / closing means that is in an “oil holding state” for closing the vehicle. The oil amount adjusting device for a vehicle transmission according to claim 1,
The opening / closing means includes an opening / closing member movable between an opening posture for opening the oil discharge opening of the oil reservoir and a closing posture for closing the oil discharge opening, and the opening posture side with respect to the opening / closing member. An urging means for applying an urging force to
A part of the opening / closing member extends to an area where the traveling wind flows when the vehicle travels, and is formed as a traveling wind pressure receiving portion. The traveling wind pressure receiving portion receives the traveling wind pressure, thereby energizing the opening / closing member. An oil amount adjusting device for a vehicle transmission, characterized in that the device moves from an open posture to a closed posture against the biasing force of the means. The oil quantity adjusting device for a vehicle transmission according to claim 2,
While the oil reservoir is located in the upper space inside the transmission case,
The opening / closing member is rotatably supported around a rotation axis extending in the vehicle width direction with respect to the upper wall of the transmission case, and is a lid portion that is located inside the transmission case and opens and closes the oil discharge opening An oil amount adjusting device for a vehicle transmission, characterized in that the traveling wind pressure receiving portion is located outside the transmission case and is configured to receive the traveling wind pressure when the vehicle is traveling. In the oil amount adjusting device for a vehicle transmission according to claim 2 or 3,
An oil amount adjusting device for a vehicle transmission, characterized in that a traveling wind guide member for guiding traveling wind toward the traveling wind pressure receiving portion of the opening / closing member is disposed outside the transmission case.

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