JP2010144749A - Lubricating structure for automatic transmission - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a lubricating structure for an automatic transmission capable of supplying oil immediately to lubrication required parts positioned at the end sides of oil supply passages on a start. <P>SOLUTION: The automatic transmission includes a parking lock mechanism 8 which is changed over to a lock state or an unlock state according to a requirement. In the automatic transmission, the lubrication of the lubrication required parts is carried out by oil sent by a pressure from an oil pump 9 through the oil supply passages. Furthermore, an oil catch tank 14 is provided at the end side position of the oil supply passages and above a bearing 45 arranged below a parking lock pole 82 of the parking lock mechanism 8. The oil supply from an oil supply port 14a of the oil catch tank 14 to the bearing 45 is prevented when the parking lock mechanism 8 is in the lock state and permitted when in the unlock state. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a lubricating structure for an automatic transmission mounted on an automobile or the like.

  An automatic transmission mounted on an automobile or the like is provided with a transmission mechanism unit having, for example, a planetary gear mechanism, and the transmission path in the transmission mechanism is changed to enable shifting and forward / reverse switching. . And oil is supplied to the rotation support part and sliding part of each component of an automatic transmission, and it is trying to prevent wear and seizure of these lubrication required parts. In this case, the oil is sucked up by an oil pump from an oil reservoir provided at the bottom of the transmission case, and is pumped through an oil supply path to be supplied to the above-mentioned lubrication required portion. The oil is called ATF (Automatic Transmission Fluid) and is used as a hydraulic fluid for the torque converter and a hydraulic fluid for the drive system for engaging and releasing the clutch, brake, etc. provided in the transmission mechanism. It has come to be.

Patent Documents 1 to 3 show a lubrication structure for the purpose of effectively lubricating a rotation support portion and a sliding portion of each component of an automatic transmission.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 08-086348 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-120795 JP 2003-329116 A

  By the way, in the configuration in which the oil pumped through the oil supply path by the oil pump as described above is supplied to the portion requiring lubrication, when the vehicle is left with the engine stopped, the oil supplied to the portion requiring lubrication falls downward. And returned to the oil reservoir. However, in this configuration, the oil is supplied in order from the lubrication-required portion located upstream of the oil supply path, so that the oil supply path is located at or near the end (hereinafter referred to as “terminal side”) when starting the engine. It takes a long time for the oil to reach the required lubrication site.

  Therefore, in such a portion requiring lubrication, for example, when the vehicle starts suddenly immediately after the engine is started, the oil may be insufficient, and seizure may occur. An example of a portion requiring lubrication located on the end side of the oil supply path is a bearing used as a bearing for a counter shaft in a transaxle mounted on a front engine / front drive (FF) vehicle. Patent Documents 1 to 3 show that lubrication of the rotation support portion and sliding portion of each component of the automatic transmission is effectively performed, but a solution to the above-described problem is shown. Not.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and lubricates an automatic transmission that can quickly supply oil to a lubrication-required portion located on the terminal side of the oil supply path when starting. The purpose is to provide a structure.

  In the present invention, means for solving the above-described problems are configured as follows. That is, the present invention is provided with a parking lock mechanism for switching the power transmission shaft between a non-rotatable locked state and a rotatable unlocked state as required, and requires lubrication with oil pumped through an oil supply path by an oil pump. A lubricating structure for an automatic transmission configured to lubricate a portion, which is located at or near the end (end side) of the oil supply path and below the parking lock pole of the parking lock mechanism An oil sump is provided above the portion requiring lubrication disposed in the oil reservoir, and oil supply from the oil supply port of the oil sump to the portion requiring lubrication is blocked when the parking lock mechanism is in a locked state. It is characterized by being allowed in the unlocked state. Here, examples of the lubrication-necessary parts include a bearing that rotatably supports the power transmission shaft on the transmission case. An example of such a bearing is a bearing used as a bearing of a countershaft in a transaxle mounted on a front engine / front drive (FF) type vehicle.

  According to the above configuration, when the vehicle starts, the parking lock mechanism is switched from the locked state to the unlocked state, and in conjunction with this switching, the lubrication located on the terminal side of the oil supply path from the oil reservoir filling port is lubricated. Oil is supplied to the necessary parts. Therefore, at the time of starting, oil can be supplied promptly to the portion requiring lubrication located on the end side of the oil supply path, and the portion requiring lubrication can be reliably lubricated. Thereby, even when a sudden start is performed immediately after the engine is started, it is possible to prevent seizure from occurring at a portion requiring lubrication located on the end side of the oil supply path. In addition, since oil is supplied to the part requiring lubrication located on the end side of the oil supply path in conjunction with the switching operation of the parking lock mechanism that is always performed at the time of starting, special equipment and control for that are not required, and the cost is reduced. It can contribute to reduction.

  In the present invention, the parking lock pole of the parking lock mechanism is preferably an on-off valve that opens and closes the oil sump of the oil sump.

  In this configuration, there is no need to separately provide an on-off valve for the fuel filler port, which can contribute to downsizing of the device.

  In the present invention, the oil sump is preferably provided in the transmission case.

  In this configuration, it is not necessary to separately secure an oil sump installation location in the transmission case, which can contribute to a compact device.

  According to the present invention, when the vehicle starts, the oil is fed from the oil reservoir inlet to the lubrication-needed portion located on the end side of the oil supply path in conjunction with the switching of the parking lock mechanism from the locked state to the unlocked state. Supplied. Therefore, at the time of starting, oil can be supplied promptly to the portion requiring lubrication located on the end side of the oil supply path, and the portion requiring lubrication can be reliably lubricated. Thereby, even when a sudden start is performed immediately after the engine is started, it is possible to prevent seizure from occurring at a portion requiring lubrication located on the end side of the oil supply path.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an automatic transmission mounted on an automobile will be described. In this embodiment, a transaxle mounted on a front engine / front drive (FF) type vehicle is taken as an example of an automatic transmission.

  First, the overall configuration of the transaxle will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a skeleton diagram showing an expanded configuration of a transaxle.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the transaxle 1 receives rotational power input from an internal combustion engine (engine) via a torque converter 2 via a transmission mechanism unit 3, a power transmission mechanism 4, and a differential 5. It is comprised so that it may transmit to the drive wheel (illustration omitted) attached to the drive shafts 6L and 6R. These components of the transaxle 1 are accommodated in the case 11 of the transaxle 1. The case 11 of the transaxle 1 is configured as an integral case including a transaxle housing, a transaxle case, a rear cover, and the like. In FIG. 1, only a part of the case 11 is illustrated.

  Since the basic configuration of each component of the transaxle 1 and the operation of the transaxle 1 are known, they will be briefly described here.

  The torque converter 2 and the transmission mechanism unit 3 are provided on an input shaft 31 that is disposed coaxially with the crankshaft 7 of the internal combustion engine. The torque converter 2 mainly includes a pump impeller 21 connected to an input shaft 31, a turbine runner 22, a stator 23, and a lockup clutch 24.

  The transmission mechanism unit 3 includes a planetary gear mechanism called a Ravinio type, a plurality of clutches C1 to C3, a plurality of brakes B1 to B3, and a plurality of one-way clutches F1 and F2. It is configured to perform a shift of four forward speeds and one reverse speed.

  The power transmission mechanism 4 mainly includes a counter drive gear 41, a counter driven gear 42, and a counter shaft 43. The counter drive gear 41 is attached to the input shaft 31 so as to be relatively rotatable, and the counter driven gear 42 is attached to the counter shaft 43 so as to be integrally rotatable. The counter shaft 43 is disposed in parallel with the input shaft 31 and is rotatably supported by the case 11 via bearings 45 and 46. The bearings 45 and 46 are, for example, cylindrical roller bearings, but other bearings (for example, tapered roller bearings) may be used. A differential drive pinion 44 is attached to the counter shaft 43 so as to be integrally rotatable.

  The differential 5 distributes and transmits the power input from the final ring gear 51 meshing with the differential drive pinion 44 to the left and right drive wheels via the left and right drive shafts 6L and 6R as necessary. The differential 5 has a two-pinion type configuration, for example.

  Further, the transaxle 1 is provided with a parking lock mechanism 8 as shown in FIG. The parking lock mechanism 8 switches the output shaft (power transmission shaft) of the automatic transmission between a non-rotatable locked state and a rotatable unlocked state. In this embodiment, the output shaft of the automatic transmission is the countershaft 43 described above, but other power transmission shafts are also possible. In FIG. 2, only the parking lock mechanism 8 is illustrated.

  The parking lock mechanism 8 mainly includes a parking gear 81, a parking lock pole 82 that engages and disengages with the parking gear 81, a parking rod 83, a detent plate 84, and an actuator 86. . The parking gear 81 is externally fixed to the counter shaft 43 so as to be integrally rotatable.

  The parking lock pole 82 is disposed in the vicinity of the parking gear 81 so as to be tiltable about one end side as a fulcrum. In the middle of the parking lock pole 82 in the longitudinal direction, a claw 82a that can be engaged or disengaged between the teeth of the parking gear 81 is provided. The parking lock pole 82 is always urged in a direction to be separated from the parking gear 81 by a spring (not shown).

  The parking rod 83 is disposed so as to be displaced substantially parallel to the counter shaft 43. One end of the parking rod 83 is connected to the detent plate 84, and the parking rod 83 is pushed and pulled by the tilting operation of the detent plate 84. A taper cone 83 a for tilting the parking lock pole 82 is provided at the other end of the parking rod 83. The tapered cone 83a is pressed toward the parking gear 81 by a coil spring 83b. The coil spring 83 b is externally mounted on the parking rod 83, and one end thereof is received by a retaining ring 83 c that is locked and fixed to the parking rod 83.

  The detent plate 84 is supported to be tiltable so as to push and pull the parking rod 83. The tilting posture of the detent plate 84 is held by a latch lever 85. On the lower end side of the detent plate 84, two engagement grooves 84a and 84b that can be engaged with the roller 85a of the latch lever 85 are provided. When the parking lock mechanism 8 is unlocked, the roller 85a of the latch lever 85 is engaged with the first engagement groove 84a of the detent plate 84, and when locked, the roller 85a is engaged with the second engagement groove 84b. It has become.

  The detent plate 84 is connected to the actuator 86 via the control shaft 87. The detent plate 84 is tilted by rotating the control shaft 87 by a predetermined angle in both forward and reverse directions by the actuator 86. In this embodiment, the operation of the shift lever by the driver is detected by a sensor, a switch or the like, and the detent plate 84 is driven by the actuator 86 in accordance with the detected shift range signal. That is, in this embodiment, the parking lock mechanism 8 has a configuration called a shift-by-wire system.

  When the parking range P is selected by operating the shift lever by the driver, the parking rod 83 is displaced to one side in the axial direction (left side in FIG. 2) by the tilting operation of the detent plate 84 driven by the actuator 86. Is done. Accordingly, the taper cone 83a pushes down the parking lock pole 82 downward, and the claw 82a is engaged between the teeth of the parking gear 81. As a result, the counter shaft 43 enters a locked state in which it cannot rotate.

  On the other hand, when the other range (for example, forward travel range D) is selected from the position of the parking range P, the parking rod 83 is moved to the other side in the axial direction (by the tilting operation of the detent plate 84 by driving the actuator 86 ( It is displaced to the right side of FIG. Accordingly, the pressing force of the parking lock pole 82 by the taper cone 83 a is released, the parking lock pole 82 rises upward, and the pawl 82 a comes out from between the teeth of the parking gear 81. Thereby, it will be in the unlocked state which counter shaft 43 can rotate.

  An oil reservoir is provided at the bottom of the case 11 that houses the components of the transaxle 1 as described above, and a predetermined amount of oil (ATF) is stored in the oil reservoir. For example, this oil is used as a lubricating oil for a rotation support portion and a sliding portion of each component of the transaxle 1, as a working oil for the torque converter 2, and further to the clutches C <b> 1 to C <b> 3 and the brake B <b> 1 of the transmission mechanism unit 3. Used as hydraulic fluid for a drive system (not shown) for engaging and releasing B3 and the like. The oil is pumped up from the oil reservoir by an oil pump 9 and is pumped through an oil supply path to be supplied to the necessary portion of the transaxle 1.

  In this embodiment, at the time of starting, oil is supplied to a portion requiring lubrication (terminal lubrication portion) located on the end side of the oil supply path in conjunction with the operation of the parking lock pole 82 of the parking lock mechanism 8. It is a feature. Specifically, the oil is supplied to a portion requiring lubrication located on the end side of the oil supply path in conjunction with the switching of the parking lock mechanism 8 from the locked state to the unlocked state. In this embodiment, the portion requiring lubrication located on the end side of the oil supply path is a bearing 45 used as a bearing for the countershaft 43.

  Hereinafter, this characteristic part will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a plan view schematically showing a portion of the transaxle 1 to which the lubricating structure of the present invention is applied (a portion around the bearing 45 of the countershaft 43). FIG. 4 is an arrow view of the portion of FIG. 3 to which the lubricating structure of the present invention is applied as seen from the X1 direction. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line X2-X2 of FIG.

  First, during normal operation, the bearing 45 positioned on the end side of the oil supply path is connected to the oil pump through the through hole 43a and the oil hole 43b formed in the countershaft 43 as shown in FIG. Pumped oil is supplied. That is, the countershaft 43 is a hollow shaft, and the through hole 43a extending in the axial direction and the oil hole 43b extending in the radial direction are used as an oil supply path. Note that oil is circulated from the right side to the left side in FIG.

  However, even when starting, if oil is supplied to the bearing 45 located on the end side of the oil supply path through the same oil supply path as in normal operation, it takes a long time for the oil to reach the bearing 45. Will be required. Therefore, in this embodiment, the initial oil supply to the bearing 45 at the time of starting is performed in conjunction with the operation of the parking lock pole 82 of the parking lock mechanism 8.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the countershaft 43 is supported via a bearing 45 in the case 11 of the transaxle 1. The bearing 45 is fitted in a recess 12 formed on the inner surface of the case 11. The bearing 45 is disposed below the parking lock pole 82 of the parking lock mechanism 8.

  The counter shaft 43 is provided with a parking gear 81 of the parking lock mechanism 8 and a counter driven gear 42 side by side. In this embodiment, the parking gear 81 is formed integrally with the counter driven gear 42.

  Although the parking gear 81 is disposed in the vicinity of the case 11, a gap C is generated between the parking gear 81 and the inner surface of the case 11. In this case, the gap C is secured by forming the recess 13 on the inner surface of the case 11. The gap C serves as an oil supply path for supplying oil that has flowed out from an oil catch tank 14 described later to the bearing 45.

  The case 11 is formed with an oil catch tank (oil sump) 14 capable of storing oil. An oil supply port 14 a is formed in the lower portion of the oil catch tank 14. The opening shape of the fuel filler opening 14 a is such that the parking lock mechanism 82 can be entirely covered by the parking lock pole 82 when the parking lock mechanism 8 is locked. The oil filler port 14 a is located vertically above the bearing 45.

  In this embodiment, the parking lock pole 82 of the parking lock mechanism 8 is disposed on the upper side of the parking gear 81, and the pawl 82 a of the parking lock pole 82 is engaged with the teeth of the parking gear 81 from above. It has become. The parking lock pole 82 is in sliding contact with the inner surface of the case 11, and it is almost impossible for oil to flow between the parking lock pole 82 and the inner surface of the case 11.

  The parking lock pole 82 is an open / close valve that opens and closes the oil supply port 14 a of the oil catch tank 14. Hereinafter, this point will be described.

  First, when the parking range P is selected by the driver operating the shift lever, the parking lock mechanism 8 is locked, and the parking lock pole 82 faces downward as shown by the two-dot chain line in FIGS. The pawl 82a is engaged between the teeth of the parking gear 81. At the time of this lock, the oil supply port 14 a of the oil catch tank 14 is closed by the parking lock pole 82. That is, the parking lock pole 82 as an on-off valve is closed.

  For this reason, the oil in the oil catch tank 14 is prevented from flowing out by the parking lock pole 82. Therefore, the oil in the oil catch tank 14 is not supplied to the bearing 45 when locked. In this case, when the oil pump 9 is driven, oil is supplied and stored in the oil catch tank 14 from an oil supply path (not shown).

  On the other hand, when another range (for example, forward travel range D) is selected from the position of the parking range P by the operation of the shift lever by the driver, the parking lock mechanism 8 is unlocked, and FIG. As indicated by a solid line 5, the parking lock pole 82 rises upward, and the pawl 82 a comes out from between the teeth of the parking gear 81. By the movement of the parking gear 81, the oil supply port 14a of the oil catch tank 14 is opened. That is, the parking lock pole 82 as an on-off valve is in an open state.

  For this reason, the oil in the oil catch tank 14 is allowed to flow out to the outside. And the oil which flowed out from the oil filler opening 14a flows down along the inner surface of the case 11 by its own weight as shown by an arrow Z in FIG. 5, and further, is supplied to the bearing 45 through the gap C. In this way, the oil in the oil catch tank 14 is supplied to the bearing 45 when unlocked.

  In this embodiment, as described above, oil supply from the oil catch tank 14 to the bearing 45 located on the end side of the oil supply path is blocked when the parking lock mechanism 8 is in the locked state, while in the unlocked state. Therefore, the following effects can be obtained.

  When the vehicle starts, the parking lock mechanism 8 is switched from the locked state to the unlocked state, and oil is supplied from the oil catch tank 14 to the bearing 45 in conjunction with this switching. Therefore, at the time of starting, oil can be supplied promptly to the bearing 45 located on the end side of the oil supply path, and the bearing 45 can be reliably lubricated. This can prevent the occurrence of seizure in the bearing 45 located on the end side of the oil supply path even when a sudden start is made immediately after the engine is started.

  In addition, since the oil is supplied to the bearing 45 located on the end side of the oil supply path in conjunction with the switching operation of the parking lock mechanism 8 that is always performed at the time of starting, no special device or control is required, and the cost is reduced. It can contribute to reduction. In this case, since the parking lock pole 82 of the parking lock mechanism 8 serves as an opening / closing valve for the oil supply port 14a of the oil catch tank 14, it is not necessary to provide a separate opening / closing valve for the oil supply port 14a, contributing to the compactness of the apparatus. can do. Further, since the oil catch tank 14 is provided in the case 11, it is not necessary to separately secure an installation location of the oil catch tank 14 in the case 11, which can contribute to downsizing of the apparatus.

-Other embodiments-
The embodiment of the present invention has been described above. However, the embodiment shown here is an example and can be variously modified.

  In the above embodiment, an example in which the lubrication structure according to the present invention is applied to the periphery of the bearing 45 of the countershaft 43 of the transaxle 1 is described. The present invention can be applied to any portion in the transaxle 1 as long as it is a portion requiring lubrication provided below the parking lock pole 82 of the parking lock mechanism 8.

  Moreover, although the example which drives the detent plate 84 of the parking lock mechanism 8 by the structure called a shift-by-wire system was given in the said embodiment, the drive form of a detent plate may be other than this. For example, the shift lever and the detent plate may be directly interlocked and connected with a wire, a rod, or the like, and the detent plate may be directly driven by the operation force of the shift lever.

  In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the automatic transmission is a transaxle mounted on a front engine / front drive (FF) type vehicle has been described. However, a front engine / rear drive (FR) type vehicle or other type is used. The present invention can also be applied to an automatic transmission mounted on such a vehicle.

  In the above-described embodiment, a type in which the transmission mechanism portion of the automatic transmission is a planetary gear mechanism is taken as an example. However, the transmission mechanism portion can be, for example, various types of continuously variable transmission mechanisms. Examples of the continuously variable transmission mechanism include a belt type continuously variable transmission and a toroidal type continuously variable transmission.

It is a skeleton figure which expands and shows composition of one embodiment of an automatic transmission to which the present invention is applied. It is a perspective view which shows schematic structure of the parking mechanism with which the automatic transmission of FIG. 1 is equipped, and has shown the unlocking state of the parking mechanism. FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically showing a portion to which the lubricating structure of the present invention is applied in the automatic transmission of FIG. 1. It is the arrow line view which looked at the part which applied the lubrication structure of this invention of FIG. 3 from X1 direction. It is the X2-X2 sectional view taken on the line of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Transaxle 11 Case 14 Oil catch tank 14a Oil supply port 3 Transmission mechanism part 4 Power transmission mechanism 42 Counter driven gear 43 Counter shaft 45 Bearing 8 Parking lock mechanism 81 Parking gear 82 Parking lock pole 9 Oil pump

Claims (4)

A parking lock mechanism is provided to switch the power transmission shaft between a non-rotatable locked state and a rotatable unlocked state as required, and the oil supply path is lubricated by the oil pumped by the oil pump to lubricate the necessary parts. A lubricating structure for an automatic transmission configured as follows:
An oil sump is provided above a portion requiring lubrication located at or near the end of the oil supply path and below the parking lock pole of the parking lock mechanism,
The automatic transmission is characterized in that oil supply from the oil reservoir inlet to the portion requiring lubrication is blocked when the parking lock mechanism is in a locked state and allowed when the parking lock mechanism is in an unlocked state. Lubrication structure. In the lubricating structure of the automatic transmission according to claim 1,
A lubricating structure for an automatic transmission, wherein a parking lock pole of the parking lock mechanism is an on-off valve that opens and closes an oil supply port of the oil sump. In the lubricating structure of the automatic transmission according to claim 1 or 2,
The lubricating structure of an automatic transmission, wherein the lubrication-needed portion is a bearing that rotatably supports the power transmission shaft on a transmission case. In the lubricating structure of the automatic transmission according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A lubricating structure for an automatic transmission, wherein the oil sump is provided in the transmission case.

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