JP2010144762A - Driving force distributing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a small lightweight driving force distributing device of a simple structure capable of actively controlling driving force distribution and rotation speed almost without energy loss. <P>SOLUTION: The driving force distributing device 100 includes: two sets of planetary gear mechanisms 20, each of which comprises a ring gear 21, a planetary gear 22, a planetary gear 23, and a sun gear 24; and a control motor 30 generating differential rotary driving force between right and left wheels. The sun gear 24 is connected to a first gear 25 which driving force from the control motor 30 is input to through a shaft. One of second gears 32 provided on the rotary shafts 34, 35 of the control motor 30 directly meshes with the first gear 25 of the right side planetary gear mechanism 20, and another second gear 31 indirectly meshes with the first gear of the planetary gear mechanism 20 through a third gear 33 provided between the first gear 25 of the left side planetary gear mechanism 20 and the same. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a driving force distribution device, and more particularly to a driving force distribution device including a control motor for distributing the driving force to left and right wheels separately from the driving force input from a driving source.

  Conventionally, for example, in order to solve the problem that the behavior of the vehicle becomes unstable due to loss of driving torque due to loss of one road surface resistance of the wheel when the vehicle turns, a friction brake or 2. Description of the Related Art A differential device (limited slip differential) that incorporates a friction engagement element such as a friction clutch or a mechanism (such as a braking device) using a viscous fluid or a viscus and electronically controls them is known.

In such a differential device that electronically controls the opening and closing of a frictional engagement element or viscous fluid or viscos, not only energy is lost due to heat generated by the frictional engagement element or sliding of the viscous fluid, but the entire device is heavy. There are problems such as becoming larger. In order to solve this problem, there is provided a differential gear device that can control torque distribution and rotational speed of left and right wheels by using a differential control motor without using a friction engagement element or a viscous fluid. It has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2006-214530 A

  The differential gear device disclosed in Patent Document 1 includes two outer cylinder members fixed to the outer periphery of each ring gear of two planetary gear mechanisms so as to be coaxially opposed to each other with a predetermined interval, and the two outer cylindrical members. A differential large gear provided on axially opposed end faces of the cylindrical member, a rotatable gear member meshing with the differential large gear, and a control motor coupled to the gear member via a control device.

  In this differential gear device, differential control is performed by rotating the control motor under the control of the control device and transmitting the rotation output to the ring gears of the two planetary gear mechanisms via the gear member.

  However, in the differential gear device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the left and right intermediate outputs are taken out via the planetary gear by the hypoid gear or the face gear, and meshed with the output of the control motor for controlling the left and right driving force distribution. Yes. For this reason, the hypoid gear or the face gear (that is, the outer cylinder member) must surround the hypoid gear (that is, the input member) of the main input shaft, and the mechanical structure becomes very large. As a result, there is a problem that the manufacturing cost of the entire differential gear device is increased and the weight thereof is also increased.

  In a differential gear device using a friction engagement element or a viscous fluid, the driving force from the drive source is adjusted by reducing the frictional engagement element or viscous fluid and transmitted to the right and left wheels at an appropriate ratio. It is. For this reason, the driving force from the driving source must be transmitted to the differential gear device as a driving force that is greater than the driving force that is normally used, and there is also a problem that energy loss increases in this respect.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a driving force distribution device that can improve steering and turning performance of a vehicle by controlling left and right driving force (torque). That is. More specifically, the object of the present invention is to use a motor instead of a frictional engagement element or a viscous fluid in the left and right driving force distribution device, so that the driving force distribution and rotation can be performed with almost no energy loss. An object of the present invention is to provide a lightweight and compact driving force distribution device that can actively control the speed, has a simple configuration, and can suppress an increase in size of the device.

  In order to solve the above problems, the driving force distribution device (100, 200, 300, 400) of the present invention is a driving force distribution device that can variably distribute the driving force from the driving source between the left and right wheels. In order to transmit the driving force from the input member to the left and right wheels, each of the input member (11-15) to which the driving force from the driving source is input, Each planetary gear mechanism (20) includes two sets of planetary gear mechanisms (20) respectively provided between the left and right wheels and a motor (30) for generating a differential rotational driving force between the left and right wheels. Of the three elements constituting the first element (21, 24), the first element (21, 24) is connected to the input member, the second element (23) is connected to the axle (2, 3) that transmits the driving force to the left and right wheels, Whether the third element (24, 26) is a motor (30) One of the two second gears (32) provided on the rotating shaft (34, 35) of the motor (30) is provided with a first gear (25, external teeth of the ring gear 26) to which the following driving force is input. It directly meshes with the first gear (25 etc.) of one planetary gear mechanism (20), and the other second gear (31) is between the first gear (25 etc.) of the other planetary gear mechanism (20). The two planetary gear mechanisms (20) are engaged with the first gear (25, etc.) of the other planetary gear mechanism (20) indirectly via the third gear (33) provided, and are operated by the motor (30). The driving force from the driving source is distributed to the left and right wheels by giving a differential rotational driving force to the rotation of the first gear (25).

  According to the driving force distribution device of the present invention, a motor and a plurality of gears (first to third gears) for driving force distribution and rotation speed control without using a conventional frictional engagement element and viscous fluid are used. By using the gear), it is possible to actively control the driving force distribution and the rotational speed of the differential device with almost no energy loss.

  Further, since it is not necessary to distribute the driving force of the motor to the left and right planetary gear mechanisms using, for example, two left and right hypoid gears or face gears as in the prior art, the configuration of the driving force distribution device itself can be simplified, The entire device can be reduced in size and weight. Thereby, the manufacturing cost and its weight of a driving force distribution apparatus can be reduced. In the configuration as described above, it is only necessary that the motor is disposed so that the rotation shaft of the motor is parallel to the axle.

  In the driving force distribution device of the present invention, the driving source described above may be a motor (4) instead of a vehicle engine. With this configuration, for example, the configuration of the driving force distribution device for the rear wheels of the electronically controlled four-wheel drive vehicle can be simplified, and the device main body can be reduced in size and weight. Furthermore, since the configuration can be simplified in this way, the manufacturing cost of the driving force distribution device can be reduced.

  In the driving force distribution device of the present invention, for example, the first element and the second element of each planetary gear mechanism (20) may be a ring gear (21) and a planetary carrier (23), respectively. It may be a planetary carrier (23).

  The reference numerals in the parentheses described above exemplify corresponding constituent elements in the embodiments described later for reference.

  According to the present invention, by using a motor and a plurality of gears for controlling the driving force distribution and the rotational speed, it is possible to actively control the driving force distribution and the rotational speed of the differential device with almost no energy loss. Can do. Further, since it is not necessary to use a conventional hypoid gear or the like, the configuration can be simplified, and the driving force distribution device can be reduced in size and weight.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a driving force distribution device of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

(First Embodiment)
With reference to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the driving force distribution apparatus in 1st Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated in detail. FIG. 1 is an overall configuration diagram of a driving force distribution device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of each gear viewed from the left side of the apparatus of FIG. First, the configuration of the driving force distribution device according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  The driving force distribution device 100 of the present embodiment is a driving force distribution device that can variably distribute the driving force from a driving source (not shown) (for example, a vehicle engine) between the left and right wheels. The driving force distribution device 100 generates a differential rotational driving force between an input member to which a driving force from a driving source is input, two sets of planetary gear mechanisms (planetary gear mechanisms) 20, and left and right wheels (not shown). And a control motor 30 for generating the same. In this embodiment, the input member meshes with the drive gear 11 connected to the input shaft 1 for transmitting the driving force from the driving source, and transmits the driving force to the planetary gear mechanism 20 via the shaft 27. The driven gear 12 is configured. Here, the drive gear 11 and the driven gear 12 are illustrated as bevel gears. One end of the shaft 27 is fixed to the end of each driven gear 12 on the planetary gear mechanism 20 side. The other end of the shaft 27 is fixed to a ring gear 21 described later of the planetary gear mechanism 20. Thereby, the ring gear 21 rotates integrally with the driven gear 12 and the shaft 27.

  Each planetary gear mechanism 20 includes three elements, that is, a ring gear 21, a planetary gear, in order to transmit the driving force from the input members (drive gear 11, driven gear 12 and shaft 27) to left and right wheels (not shown). A carrier (planetary carrier) 23 (a plurality of planetary gears (planetary gears) 22) and a sun gear 24 are provided between the input member and the left and right wheels (axles 2, 3).

  Inner teeth are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the ring gear 21, and outer teeth are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the sun gear (sun gear) 24. Each planetary gear 22 is disposed between the sun gear 24 and the ring gear 21 and meshes with both the outer teeth of the sun gear 24 and the inner teeth of the ring gear 21. The planetary gears 22 are rotatably supported by the planetary carrier 23, respectively. One ends of the axles 2 and 3 are fixed to the planetary carrier 23, and the central axes of the axles 2 and 3 coincide with the central axis around which the planetary gear 22 revolves, that is, the central axis of the planetary gear mechanism 20.

  In the present embodiment, the ring gear 21 as the first element is connected to the driven gear 12 as the input member via the shaft 27 as described above. The planetary gear 22 is connected to axles 2 and 3 that transmit driving force to left and right wheels via a planetary carrier 23 that is a second element. The sun gear 24 that is the third element includes a first gear 25 to which a driving force from the control motor 30 is input. In other words, the first gear 25 that rotates together with the sun gear 24 is connected to the sun gear 24 via, for example, a shaft. Accordingly, in the present embodiment, the ring gear 21 and the planetary carrier 23 serve as an input portion for driving force to the planetary gear mechanism 20 and an output portion thereof, respectively.

  In this embodiment, the driving force from the control motor 30 is input to the sun gear 24. However, when the ring gear 21 rotates, the driving force is directly applied to the outer periphery or inner periphery of the sun gear 24 rotating together with the ring gear 21. Since it cannot be input, it is input via the first gear 25.

  Further, two second gears 31 and 32 are provided at the ends of the rotation shafts 34 and 35 of the control motor 30, respectively, and are driven to rotate by the control motor 30. As shown in FIG. 1, the second gear 32 directly meshes with the first gear 25 of the sun gear 24 of the right planetary gear mechanism 20. On the other hand, the second gear 31 indirectly meshes with the first gear 25 via a third gear 33 provided between the sun gear 24 of the left planetary gear mechanism 20 and the first gear 25. With this configuration, when the control motor 30 operates, the second gears 31 and 32 rotate in the same direction as the rotation of the control motor 30. The third gear 33 that meshes with the second gear 31 rotates in the opposite direction to the second gears 31 and 32. Therefore, a driving force is applied to the first gear 25 connected to the sun gear 24 of the two planetary gear mechanisms 20 so as to rotate in opposite directions.

  Therefore, by operating the control motor 30, the differential rotation driving force is applied to the rotation of the first gear 25 of the two sets of planetary gear mechanisms 20, so that the driving force from the driving source (for example, the engine) is changed between the left and right wheels (axle 2, 3) can be appropriately distributed.

  The operation of the control motor 30 is controlled by an electronic control unit (ECU) (not shown) that controls the entire vehicle. For example, a driving force (torque) command value for the left and right wheels is calculated based on detection results of a vehicle speed sensor, a wheel speed sensor, a steering angle sensor, a lateral G sensor, etc. (not shown), and control is performed based on the calculation result. The drive current value and duty ratio of the motor 30 may be determined.

  Here, with reference to a side view of the driving force distribution device 100 of FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the second gear 31 connected to the rotation shaft 34 of the control motor 30 meshes with the third gear 33 supported by the rotation shaft 36, and the control motor 30 is driven to rotate. The force is transmitted to the third gear 33. The third gear 33 meshes with the first gear 25 that can rotate coaxially with the axle 2, and transmits the driving force transmitted from the control motor 30 via the second gear 31 to the first gear 25. In the present embodiment, the second gears 31 and 32 and the third gear 33 have the same number of teeth. In FIG. 2, the second gear 31 also appears to mesh with the first gear 25, but as can be seen from FIG. 1, the tooth surfaces are not meshed because the tooth surfaces are displaced in the axial direction.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the second gear 31 and the third gear 33 can be arranged so as to overlap vertically (partially). Increase in the total length in the direction) can be suppressed, and as a result, the manufacturing cost and vehicle weight of the entire vehicle can be reduced. In this case, the control motor 30 is arranged such that the rotation shafts 34 and 35 of the control motor 30 are parallel to the axles 2 and 3. For this reason, especially compared with the case where the conventional hypoid gear or face gear is used, it can fully suppress that the dimension of the whole vehicle increases.

  In the driving force distribution device 100 of the present embodiment, the driving force can be distributed without using a friction engagement element such as a friction brake or a friction clutch, or a viscous fluid, so that energy can be compared with the conventional driving force distribution device. Loss can be very small. Further, by controlling the control motor 30 by the electronic control unit as described above, the driving force distribution (torque distribution) for generating the differential rotational driving force (differential rotational torque) and the rotational speed can be controlled continuously and freely. can do.

  Furthermore, in the driving force distribution device 100 of the present embodiment, it is not necessary to provide a hypoid gear or a face gear that is used for inputting the driving force of the control motor in the conventional differential gear device, but instead, a control control device is used. Since the rotation of the output gear of the motor 30 is reversed by only the three small-diameter gears, the weight and size of the entire apparatus can be greatly reduced, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  Next, operation | movement of the driving force distribution apparatus 100 in 1st Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated. Here, the operation of the driving force distribution device 100 when the vehicle turns right will be described as an example.

  In FIG. 1, for example, when a drive input from a drive source (not shown) causes the input shaft 1 to rotate in the direction indicated by arrow A, and the drive gear 11 coupled to the input shaft 1 similarly rotates in the direction indicated by arrow A. The driven gear 12 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow B as the entire shaft connecting the axles 2 and 3. Accordingly, the ring gear 21 rotates integrally with the driven gear 12, and each planetary gear 22 that meshes with the ring gear 21 revolves in the direction indicated by the arrow B. Due to the revolution of the planetary gear 22, the planetary carrier 23 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow B, and the axles 2 and 3 (and wheels (not shown)) rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow C. When the control motor 30 is not operating, the axles 2 and 3 rotate at a constant speed.

  Here, when the vehicle turns right, when the control motor 30 is operated so as to rotate the rotating shafts 34 and 35 in the direction indicated by the arrow D, the second gear provided at the other end of the rotating shafts 34 and 35. 31 and 32 rotate in the same direction as the direction indicated by arrow D. The third gear 33 meshing with the second gear 31 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow E, that is, the direction opposite to the direction indicated by the arrow D. Since the second gear 32 and the third gear 33 are respectively engaged with the first gear 25 of the planetary gear mechanism 20, the two first gears 25 are in directions indicated by arrows F and G in opposite directions as shown in the figure. And the rotational driving force is transmitted to the corresponding sun gear 24.

  The planetary gear mechanism 20 on the left side that rotates the sun gear 24 in the direction indicated by the arrow F that is the same as the direction indicated by the arrow B accelerates the rotation of the planetary carrier 23 that is the output of the planetary gear mechanism 20, and conversely the ring gear 21. The planetary gear mechanism 20 on the right side in which the rotation of the first gear 25 is in the opposite direction decelerates the rotation of the planetary carrier 23. Thus, by distributing the output of each planetary gear mechanism 20, that is, the driving force of the left and right wheels, differential control suitable for the vehicle turning right can be performed. Thereby, the steering and turning performance of the vehicle can be improved.

  When the direction of the operation rotation of the control motor 30 is reversed, the rotation direction of the first gear 25 is reversed, and the left planetary gear mechanism 20 decelerates the rotation of the planetary carrier 23 and the right planetary gear. The mechanism 20 speeds up the rotation of the planetary carrier 23. Thereby, the differential control suitable for the vehicle turning left can be performed. As described above, almost no energy loss is caused by devising the engagement of the control motor 30 and the plurality of gears 31 to 33, 25, etc. without using a friction engagement element such as a friction brake or a friction clutch, or a viscous fluid. Without, torque distribution and rotational speed can be controlled.

  As described above, according to the driving force distribution device 100 of the present embodiment, the drive gear 11 and the driven gear 12 to which driving force from a driving source (not shown) is input, and the driving force from the driven gear 12 are applied to the left and right wheels. In order to transmit, two sets of planetary gear mechanisms each composed of a ring gear 21, a planetary carrier 23 (plurality of planetary gears 22) and a sun gear 24, each of which is provided between the driven gear 12 and the left and right wheels. 20 and a control motor 30 for generating a differential rotational driving force between the left and right wheels. A ring gear 21 as a first element is connected to the driven gear 12 via a shaft 27, and a planetary as a second element. A carrier 23 is connected to axles 2 and 3 for transmitting driving force to the left and right wheels, and is a third element. 24 includes a first gear 25 to which driving force from the control motor 30 is input, and one second gear 32 provided on the rotating shafts 34 and 35 of the control motor 30 is connected to the right planetary gear mechanism 20. The first gear 25 directly meshes with the other second gear 31 via the third gear 33 provided between the left planetary gear mechanism 20 and the first gear 25 of the planetary gear mechanism 20. The driving force from the driving source is distributed to the left and right wheels by providing a differential rotational driving force to the rotation of the first gear 25 of the two sets of planetary gear mechanisms 20 by the operation of the control motor 30 indirectly. It was decided to. With this configuration, the control motor 30 and the plurality of gears (first to third) for controlling the driving force distribution and the rotation speed can be obtained without using a conventional frictional engagement element or viscous fluid. By using the gears 25, 31 to 33), it is possible to actively control the driving force distribution and the rotational speed of the differential device with almost no energy loss.

  Further, since it is not necessary to distribute the driving force of the control motor to the left and right planetary gear mechanisms by using, for example, two left and right hypoid gears or face gears as in the prior art, the configuration of the driving force distribution device itself can be simplified. In addition, the entire apparatus can be reduced in size and weight. Thereby, the manufacturing cost and its weight of a driving force distribution apparatus can be reduced.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, with reference to FIG. 3, the driving force distribution apparatus in 2nd Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated in detail. The same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, detailed description thereof is omitted, and differences from the first embodiment will be mainly described. FIG. 3 is an overall configuration diagram of the driving force distribution device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. First, the configuration of the driving force distribution device according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  The driving force distribution device 200 according to the present embodiment uses, for example, a motor 4 provided exclusively for rotational driving of the left and right wheels connected to the driving force distribution device 200 as a drive source, instead of a vehicle engine (not shown). Except for the point, it is substantially equivalent to the driving force distribution device 100 in the first embodiment. Therefore, the driving force input portion will be mainly described in detail.

  In the driving force distribution device 200 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the motor 4 is used as a driving source. The motor 4 is, for example, a wheel driving motor for driving the rear wheels of an electronically controlled four-wheel drive vehicle, and is controlled by an electronic control unit (ECU) (not shown). A drive gear 6 that rotates together with the rotation shaft 5 of the motor 4 is provided on one of the rotation shafts 5 of the motor 4. The drive gear 6 meshes with a driven gear 12 that is a part of the input member. When the rotational driving force of the motor 4 is transmitted to the driven gear 12 via the drive gear 6, the rotational driving force of the driven gear 12 is transmitted to the ring gear 21 of the planetary gear mechanism 20 via the shaft 27 as in the first embodiment described above. Communicated to

  When the ring gear 21 is rotationally driven, a plurality of planetary gears 22 that mesh with the ring gear 21 revolve around the rotational shaft of the planetary gear mechanism 20, and the rotational driving force of the planetary gear 22 is transmitted to the axles 2 and 3 via the planetary carrier 23. Is done. Therefore, also in the present embodiment, the ring gear 21 serves as an input portion for driving force to the planetary gear mechanism 20, and the planetary carrier 23 serves as an output portion from the planetary gear mechanism 20.

  The configuration and arrangement of the control motor 30, which is a characteristic part of the present invention, and a plurality of gears, that is, the first gear 25, the second gears 31, 32, and the third gear 33 are the same as in the first embodiment. Detailed description of the configuration and operation of the entire driving force distribution apparatus 200 will be omitted.

  According to the driving force distribution device 200 of the present embodiment, the two planetary gear mechanisms 20, the control motor 30, and the rotational driving force of the control motor 30 are converted into planetary gears, as in the driving force distribution device 100 of the first embodiment. In the configuration including a plurality of gears 25 and 31 to 33 for inputting to the mechanism 20, the motor 4 is used as a drive source. For example, for a rear wheel that is a driven wheel of an electronically controlled four-wheel drive vehicle. It can be used as a driving force distribution device. Accordingly, the configuration of the driving force distribution device for the rear wheels of the electronically controlled four-wheel drive vehicle can be simplified, and the device main body can be reduced in size and weight. Furthermore, since the configuration can be simplified in this way, the manufacturing cost of the driving force distribution device can be reduced.

(Third embodiment)
Next, with reference to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the driving force distribution apparatus in 3rd Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated in detail. Note that components similar to those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, detailed description thereof is omitted, and differences from the first or second embodiment will be mainly described. FIG. 4 is an overall configuration diagram of the driving force distribution device according to the third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of each gear viewed from the left side of the apparatus of FIG. First, the configuration of the driving force distribution device according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  In the driving force distribution device 300 of this embodiment, the driving force input to the planetary gear mechanism 20 is changed from the ring gear 21 to the sun gear 24, and the rotational driving force of the control motor 30 is not the first gear 25 but the ring gear 26. Except for using external teeth (not shown), it is substantially the same as the driving force distribution device 100 in the first embodiment. The external teeth of the ring gear 26 mesh with the third gear 33. Since the rotational driving force of the third gear 33 can be directly input to the ring gear 26 via the external teeth of the ring gear 26, it is necessary to provide the first gear 25 like the driving force distribution device 100 of the first embodiment. Absent. These external teeth substantially serve as the first gear 25.

  In this embodiment, the input member is fixed to a drive gear 11 connected to an input shaft 1 for transmitting a driving force from a drive source, and meshed with the drive gear 11 and fixed to a shaft 14 coaxial with the axles 2 and 3. The driven gear 13 and the shaft 14 are provided. Both ends of the shaft 14 are fixed to the sun gears 24 of the two planetary gear mechanisms 20. Therefore, the driven gear 13, the shaft 14, and the sun gear 24 rotate integrally.

  As described above, the ring gear 26 of the planetary gear mechanism 20 has external teeth (not shown) on the outer periphery thereof, and the external teeth mesh with the third gear 33. As a result, the rotational driving force of the control motor 30 is directly applied to the ring gear 26 of the planetary gear mechanism 20 via the rotation shafts 34 and 35, the second gears 31 and 32, the third gear 33 and the outer teeth of the ring gear 26. Entered.

  Here, with reference to the side view of the driving force distribution device 300 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, the second gear 31 connected to the rotation shaft 34 of the control motor 30 meshes with the third gear 33 supported by the rotation shaft 36, and the control motor 30 is driven to rotate. The force is transmitted to the third gear 33. The third gear 33 meshes with the ring gear 26 that can rotate coaxially with the shaft 14 and the axle 2, and transmits the driving force transmitted from the control motor 30 via the second gear 31 to the ring gear 26. In the present embodiment, the second gears 31 and 32 and the third gear 33 have the same number of teeth. In FIG. 5, the second gear 31 also appears to mesh with the ring gear 26, but as can be seen from FIG. 4, the tooth surfaces do not mesh with each other because the tooth surfaces are displaced in the axial direction.

  In the present embodiment, three planetary gears 22 mesh with the ring gear 26, and each planetary gear 22 meshes with the sun gear 24 simultaneously. Although not shown in FIG. 5, the axle 2 is connected to a planetary carrier 23 formed concentrically with the ring gear 26 including the center axis of the planetary gear 22.

  Next, the operation of the driving force distribution device 300 according to the third embodiment of the present invention will be described. Here, the operation of the driving force distribution device 300 when the vehicle turns to the left will be described as an example.

  In FIG. 4, for example, when a drive input from a drive source (not shown) causes the input shaft 1 to rotate in the direction indicated by arrow A and the drive gear 11 connected to the input shaft 1 similarly rotates in the direction indicated by arrow A. The driven gear 13 and the shaft 14 rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow B. Accordingly, the sun gear 24 rotates integrally with the driven gear 12, and each planetary gear 22 that meshes with the sun gear 24 revolves in the direction indicated by the arrow B. Due to the revolution of the planetary gear 22, the planetary carrier 23 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow B, and the axles 2 and 3 (and wheels (not shown)) rotate in the direction indicated by the arrow C. When the control motor 30 is not operating, the axles 2 and 3 rotate at a constant speed.

  Here, when the control motor 30 is operated to rotate the rotation shafts 34 and 35 in the direction indicated by the arrow D when the vehicle turns left, the second gear 31 provided at the other end of the rotation shafts 34 and 35. , 32 rotate in the same direction as the direction indicated by arrow D. The third gear 33 meshing with the second gear 31 rotates in the direction indicated by the arrow E, that is, the direction opposite to the direction indicated by the arrow D. Since the second gear 32 and the third gear 33 are respectively engaged with the external teeth of the ring gear 26 of the planetary gear mechanism 20, each ring gear 26 rotates in the directions indicated by the arrows F and G in opposite directions as shown in the figure. To do.

  The planetary gear mechanism 20 on the right side that rotates the ring gear 26 in the direction indicated by the arrow G that is the same as the direction indicated by the arrow B speeds up the rotation of the planetary carrier 23 that is the output of the planetary gear mechanism 20. The planetary gear mechanism 20 on the left side in which the rotation of the sun gear 24 is in the opposite direction decelerates the rotation of the planetary carrier 23. Thus, by distributing the output of each planetary gear mechanism 20, that is, the driving force of the left and right wheels, differential control suitable for turning the vehicle to the left can be performed. Thereby, the steering and turning performance of the vehicle can be improved.

  When the direction of the operation rotation of the control motor 30 is reversed, the rotation direction of the ring gear 26 is reversed, and the left planetary gear mechanism 20 accelerates the rotation of the planetary carrier 23 and the right planetary gear mechanism. 20 decelerates the rotation of the planetary carrier 23. Thereby, the differential control suitable for the vehicle turning right can be performed. As described above, almost no energy loss is caused by devising the engagement of the control motor 30 and the plurality of gears 31 to 33 without using a friction engagement element such as a friction brake or a friction clutch or a viscous fluid. Torque distribution and rotation speed can be controlled.

  As described above, according to the driving force distribution device 300 of the present embodiment, the driving force from the driving gear 11, the driven gear 13 and the shaft 14 to which the driving force from the driving source (not shown) is input, and the driving force from the driven gear 13 are changed to the left and right. Each of which is composed of a ring gear 26, a planetary carrier 23 (plurality of planetary gears 22) and a sun gear 24, each of which is provided between the shaft 14 and the left and right wheels. The planetary gear mechanism 20 and a control motor 30 for generating a differential rotational driving force between the left and right wheels. The sun gear 24 as the first element is connected to the shaft 14 and the planetary carrier 23 as the second element. Are connected to axles 2 and 3 for transmitting driving force to the left and right wheels, and a ring gear 26 as a third element is controlled. One second gear 32 provided with external teeth (corresponding to the first gear 25 in the first embodiment) for inputting driving force from the motor 30 and provided on the rotating shafts 34 and 35 of the control motor 30. Is directly meshed with the outer teeth of the ring gear 26 of the right planetary gear mechanism 20, and the other second gear 31 is connected to the ring gear 26 of the left planetary gear mechanism 20 via a third gear 33. The driving force from the driving source is obtained by indirectly meshing with the external teeth of the ring gear 26 of the planetary gear mechanism 20 and applying a differential rotational driving force to the rotation of the ring gear 26 of the two sets of planetary gear mechanisms 20 by the operation of the control motor 30. Was distributed to the left and right wheels. With this configuration, the control motor 30 and the plurality of gears (second and third gears) for driving force distribution and rotation speed control can be obtained without using a conventional frictional engagement element or viscous fluid. By using the gears 31 to 33), it is possible to actively control the driving force distribution and the rotational speed of the differential device with almost no energy loss.

  Similarly to the first embodiment, since it is not necessary to distribute the driving force of the control motor to the left and right planetary gear mechanisms by using, for example, two left and right hypoid gears or face gears as in the prior art, the driving force distribution device itself The configuration can be simplified, and the entire apparatus can be reduced in size and weight. Thereby, the manufacturing cost and its weight of a driving force distribution apparatus can be reduced.

(Fourth embodiment)
Next, with reference to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, the driving force distribution apparatus in 4th Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated in detail. Note that the same components as those in the first embodiment, the second embodiment, or the third embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted. Differences from the first to third embodiments are described. Mainly explained. FIG. 6 is an overall configuration diagram of the driving force distribution device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of each gear viewed from the left side of the apparatus in FIG. First, the configuration of the driving force distribution device according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  The driving force distribution device 400 according to the present embodiment uses, for example, a motor 4 provided exclusively for rotational driving of the left and right wheels connected to the driving force distribution device 400 as a drive source, instead of a vehicle engine (not shown). Except for this point, it is substantially the same as the driving force distribution device 300 in the third embodiment. Therefore, the driving force input portion will be mainly described in detail.

  In the driving force distribution device 400 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the motor 4 is used as a driving source. The motor 4 is, for example, a wheel driving motor for driving the rear wheels of an electronically controlled four-wheel drive vehicle, and is controlled by an electronic control unit (ECU) (not shown). A drive gear 6 that rotates together with the rotation shaft 5 of the motor 4 is provided on one of the rotation shafts 5 of the motor 4. The drive gear 6 meshes with a driven gear 15 that is a part of the input member. When the rotational driving force of the motor 4 is transmitted to the driven gear 15 via the drive gear 6, the rotational driving force of the driven gear 15 is transmitted to the sun gear 24 of the planetary gear mechanism 20 via the shaft 14 as in the third embodiment described above. Communicated to

  When the sun gear 24 is driven to rotate, a plurality of planetary gears 22 that mesh with the sun gear 24 revolve around the rotating shaft of the planetary gear mechanism 20, and the rotational driving force of the planetary gear 22 is transmitted to the axles 2 and 3 via the planetary carrier 23. Is done. Therefore, also in the present embodiment, as in the third embodiment, the sun gear 24 is an input unit for driving force to the planetary gear mechanism 20, and the planetary carrier 23 is an output unit from the planetary gear mechanism 20.

  Since the configuration and arrangement of the control motor 30 and the plurality of gears, that is, the second gears 31 and 32 and the third gear 33, which are characteristic features of the present invention, are the same as those in the third embodiment, the configuration and driving thereof are the same. Detailed description of the overall operation of the force distribution apparatus 400 is omitted. Further, as can be seen from FIG. 7 which is a side view seen from the left side of the driving force distribution device 400, the arrangement of the second gear 31, the third gear 33 and the planetary gear mechanism 20 is the same as in the third embodiment. A detailed description of the arrangement is also omitted.

  According to the driving force distribution device 400 of the present embodiment, the two planetary gear mechanisms 20, the control motor 30, and the rotational driving force of the control motor 30 are converted to planetary gears, as in the driving force distribution device 300 of the third embodiment. In the configuration including a plurality of gears 31 to 33 for inputting to the mechanism 20, the motor 4 is used as a drive source. For example, a drive for a rear wheel that is a driven wheel of an electronically controlled four-wheel drive vehicle. It can be used as a power distribution device. Accordingly, the configuration of the driving force distribution device for the rear wheels of the electronically controlled four-wheel drive vehicle can be simplified, and the device main body can be reduced in size and weight. Furthermore, since the configuration can be simplified in this way, the manufacturing cost of the driving force distribution device can be reduced.

  In the driving force distribution device 400 of this embodiment, the internal and external teeth of the ring gear 26 are helical gears, and the planetary gear 22 and the third gear 33 are also engaged with the internal and external teeth of the ring gear 26, respectively. Alternatively, a helical gear may be used. In this case, the force generated in the axial direction due to the meshing can be canceled by setting the internal gear teeth and the external teeth of the ring gear 26 to have opposite angles. Thereby, the capacity | capacitance of the bearing (not shown) which supports the ring gear 26 can be made small.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of the drive force distribution apparatus of this invention was described in detail based on the accompanying drawing, this invention is not limited to these structures, and is described in a claim, a specification, and drawing. Various modifications are possible within the scope of the technical idea. In addition, even if it has a shape, structure, or function that is not directly described in the specification and drawings, it is within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention as long as it has the effects and advantages of the present invention. That is, each part which comprises a power transmission device or a failure detection apparatus can be substituted with the thing of the arbitrary structures which can exhibit the same function. Moreover, arbitrary components may be added.

  In the above-described embodiment, in the first and second embodiments, the input portion of the driving force to the planetary gear mechanism 20 and the output portion thereof are the ring gear 21 and the planetary carrier 23, respectively, and in the third and fourth embodiments, the planetary gear. The input part of the driving force to the mechanism 20 and the output part thereof are the sun gear 24 and the planetary carrier 23, respectively. However, the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and the strength and durability for driving the wheel are allowable. As long as it does, you may comprise so that any two of the three elements of the planetary gear mechanism 20 may be used.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of a driving force distribution device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a block diagram of each gear seen from the apparatus left side of FIG. It is a whole block diagram of the driving force distribution apparatus in 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a whole block diagram of the driving force distribution apparatus in 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of each gear seen from the apparatus left side of FIG. It is a whole block diagram of the driving force distribution apparatus in 4th Embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram of each gear seen from the apparatus left side of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Input shaft 2, 3 Axle 4 Motor 5 Rotating shaft 6, 11 Drive gear 12, 13, 15 Driven gear 14 Shaft 20 Planetary gear mechanism 21, 26 Ring gear 22 Planetary gear 23 Planetary carrier 24 Sun gear 25 First gear 27 Shaft 30 Control motor 31 , 32 Second gear 33 Third gear 34, 35, 36 Rotating shaft 100, 200, 300, 400 Driving force distribution device

Claims (3)

A driving force distribution device capable of variably distributing the driving force from the driving source between the left and right wheels,
An input member to which a driving force from the driving source is input;
In order to transmit the driving force from the input member to the left and right wheels, two sets of planetary gear mechanisms each comprising three elements, each provided between the input member and the left and right wheels,
A motor for generating a differential rotational driving force between the left and right wheels,
Of the three elements constituting each planetary gear mechanism, a first element is connected to the input member, a second element is connected to an axle that transmits driving force to the left and right wheels, and a third element is connected to the motor. A first gear to which the driving force is input,
One of the two second gears provided on the rotating shaft of the motor directly meshes with the first gear of one planetary gear mechanism, and the other second gear is connected to the first gear of the other planetary gear mechanism. Indirectly meshing with the first gear of the other planetary gear mechanism via a third gear provided between the two,
Driving force from the driving source is distributed to the left and right wheels by applying a differential rotational driving force to the rotation of the first gear of the two sets of planetary gear mechanisms by the operation of the motor. Distribution device.   The driving force distribution device according to claim 1, wherein the driving source is a motor.   3. The driving force distribution device according to claim 1, wherein the motor is disposed such that a rotation shaft of the motor is parallel to the axle. 4.

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