JP2023097989A - Driving device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a driving device that can be compact.SOLUTION: A driving device comprises: a motor having a rotor which can rotate around a motor axis; a gear mechanism that is connected to the rotor; a housing that includes a motor housing for housing the motor inside and a gear housing for housing a gear mechanism inside; a flow channel 90 in which a fluid flows; and a pump 70 that is connected to the flow channel. The housing has a partition wall part that partitions an inner space of the motor housing and an inner space of the gear housing. The gear housing has a cover wall part 15 that is opposite the partition wall part via the inner space of the gear housing. The pump is provided on the cover wall part. The flow channel has a relay flow channel part that is connected to a discharge port of the pump and extends in an axial direction in the inner space of the gear housing. The relay flow channel part includes: a first relay pipe part 92a that is provided in the cover wall part and extends to the partition wall part side; and a second relay pipe part 92b that is provided in the partition wall part, extends to the cover wall part side, and is opposite and connected to the first relay pipe part.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a driving device.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, the development of driving devices mounted on electric vehicles has been actively carried out. Such a driving device is equipped with a cooling structure that supplies oil to the motor using an oil pump to cool the motor. Patent Literature 1 discloses a structure in which oil discharged from a mechanical oil pump and an electric oil pump is passed through an oil passage extending outside a case and supplied to a motor.

JP 2020-178520 A

In conventional drive devices, the flow path is arranged around the outside of the housing. As a result, there is a problem that the length of the flow path is long, the pressure loss is high, and the size of the driving device tends to be large.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a driving device that can be downsized.

One aspect of the drive device of the present invention comprises a motor having a rotor rotatable about the motor axis, a gear mechanism connected to the rotor, a motor housing housing the motor inside, and the gear mechanism. A housing having a gear housing housed therein, a flow path through which a fluid flows, and a pump connected to the flow path. The housing has a partition that separates an internal space of the motor housing and an internal space of the gear housing. The gear housing has a cover wall facing the partition through the internal space of the gear housing. The pump is provided on the cover wall. The flow path has a relay flow path portion connected to the discharge port of the pump and axially extending in the inner space of the gear housing. The relay passage portion includes a first relay pipe portion provided on the cover wall portion and extending toward the partition wall portion, and a first relay pipe portion provided on the partition wall portion and extending toward the cover wall portion and extending toward the partition wall portion. and a second relay pipe portion that is opposed and connected.

According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the size of the driving device.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a driving device according to one embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the mechanical pump of one embodiment. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing a relay channel portion of one embodiment. FIG. 4 is a front view of the housing body of one embodiment.

In the following description, the vertical direction is defined based on the positional relationship when the drive system of the embodiment is mounted on a vehicle positioned on a horizontal road surface. In other words, the relative positional relationship in the vertical direction, which will be described in the following embodiments, should be satisfied at least when the driving device is mounted on a vehicle positioned on a horizontal road surface.

In the drawings, an XYZ coordinate system is appropriately shown as a three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system. In the XYZ coordinate system, the Z-axis direction is the vertical direction. The side to which the arrow of the Z-axis points (+Z side) is the upper side in the vertical direction, and the side opposite to the side to which the arrow of the Z-axis points (-Z side) is the lower side in the vertical direction. In the following description, the vertically upper side is simply called "upper side", and the vertically lower side is simply called "lower side". The X-axis direction is a direction orthogonal to the Z-axis direction and is the front-rear direction of the vehicle on which the driving device is mounted. In the following embodiments, the side to which the X-axis arrow points (+X side) is the front side of the vehicle, and the side opposite to the side to which the X-axis arrow points (-X side) is the rear side of the vehicle. The Y-axis direction is a direction orthogonal to both the X-axis direction and the Z-axis direction, and is the left-right direction of the vehicle, that is, the vehicle width direction. In the following embodiments, the side to which the Y-axis arrow points (+Y side) is the left side of the vehicle, and the side opposite to the side to which the Y-axis arrow points (-Y side) is the right side of the vehicle. The front-rear direction and the left-right direction are horizontal directions orthogonal to the vertical direction.

Note that the positional relationship in the front-rear direction is not limited to the positional relationship in the following embodiments. -X side) may be the front side of the vehicle. In this case, the side to which the Y-axis arrow points (+Y side) is the right side of the vehicle, and the side opposite to the side to which the Y-axis arrow points (-Y side) is the left side of the vehicle. Moreover, in this specification, the “parallel direction” includes substantially parallel directions, and the “perpendicular direction” includes substantially perpendicular directions.

A motor axis J1 appropriately shown in the figure is a virtual axis extending in a direction intersecting the vertical direction. More specifically, the motor axis J1 extends in the Y-axis direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, that is, in the lateral direction of the vehicle. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the direction parallel to the motor axis J1 is simply referred to as the "axial direction", the radial direction about the motor axis J1 is simply referred to as the "radial direction", and the motor axis J1 is referred to as the "radial direction". The circumferential direction around the center, that is, the circumference of the motor axis J1 is simply referred to as the "circumferential direction". In the following embodiments, the left side (+Y side) is called "one axial side" and the right side (−Y side) is called "the other axial side".

(driving device)
A driving device 100 of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is mounted on a vehicle and rotates an axle 39 . A vehicle in which drive device 100 is mounted is a vehicle using a motor as a power source, such as a hybrid vehicle (HEV), a plug-in hybrid vehicle (PHV), an electric vehicle (EV), or the like. The driving device 100 includes a housing 10, a motor 20, a gear mechanism 30, and a pump 70.

(housing)
The housing 10 can be separated into a housing body 10B, a motor cover 10A and a gear cover 10C. The housing main body 10B, the motor cover 10A, and the gear cover 10C are separate members. The motor cover 10A is arranged on the other axial side (-Y side) of the housing body 10B. The gear cover 10C is arranged on one axial side (+Y side) of the housing body 10B.

In this embodiment, the case where the housing 10 is composed of the above three members (housing main body 10B, motor cover 10A, and gear cover 10C) and can be separated from each other will be described. However, the member configuration of the housing 10 of this embodiment is not limited to this embodiment. Each member of housing 10 may also be separable. Moreover, the housing 10 may further have a portion for accommodating an inverter (not shown).

The housing 10 has a motor housing 11 containing a motor 20 therein and a gear housing 12 containing a gear mechanism 30 therein. The motor housing 11 and the gear housing 12 are composed of a housing body 10B, a motor cover 10A and a gear cover 10C.

The motor housing 11 is composed of a cylindrical portion of a housing body 10B and a motor cover 10A that covers an opening on the other axial side (-Y side) of the cylindrical portion. The motor housing 11 is arranged in a space surrounded by the housing main body 10B and the motor cover 10A.

The gear housing 12 is composed of a concave portion that opens to one axial side (+Y side) of the housing body 10B, and a gear cover 10C that covers the opening of the concave portion. The gear mechanism 30 is arranged in a space surrounded by the housing body 10B and the gear cover.

The housing 10 includes a gear cover wall portion (cover wall portion) 15 extending along a plane perpendicular to the motor axis J1, a partition wall portion 13, a motor cover wall portion 14, and a gear enclosing portion ( 16, and a motor surrounding portion 17 that surrounds the motor 20 from the outside in the radial direction.

The partition part 13 is provided in the housing main body 10B. The partition wall 13 partitions the internal space of the motor housing 11 and the internal space of the gear housing 12 . Partition wall 13 forms part of motor housing 11 and gear housing 12 . The partition wall portion 13 is provided with a hole portion 13a and a partition wall opening 13b. The hole 13 a and the partition wall opening 13 b connect the internal space of the motor housing 11 and the internal space of the gear housing 12 . The motor shaft 23 and the gear shaft 33 are inserted through the hole 13a.

The motor cover wall portion 14 is provided on the motor cover 10A. The motor cover wall portion 14 forms part of the motor housing 11 . The motor cover wall portion 14 is arranged on the other axial side (−Y side) of the motor 20 . The motor cover wall faces the partition wall 13 through the inner space of the motor housing 11 .

The gear cover wall portion 15 is provided on the gear cover 10C. The gear cover wall portion 15 forms part of the gear housing 12 . The gear cover wall portion 15 is arranged on one axial side (+Y side) of the gear mechanism 30 . The gear cover wall portion 15 faces the partition wall portion 13 via the internal space of the gear housing 12 .

As shown in FIG. 2, the gear cover wall portion 15 has a holding hole portion 15a recessed toward one axial side (+Y side) from the surface of the gear cover wall portion 15 on the other axial side (−Y side). The holding hole portion 15a is a circular hole centered on an intermediate axis J2, which will be described later. The holding hole portion 15a is a hole having a bottom portion on one side in the axial direction. The holding hole portion 15a has a large diameter hole portion 15b and a small diameter hole portion 15c. The large-diameter hole portion 15b opens to the surface of the gear cover wall portion 15 on the other side in the axial direction. The small-diameter hole portion 15c is connected to one axial side of the large-diameter hole portion 15b. The inner diameter of the small diameter hole portion 15c is smaller than the inner diameter of the large diameter hole portion 15b. An annular groove portion 15d extending around the intermediate axis J2 is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the small-diameter hole portion 15c.

The gear surrounding portion 16 surrounds the gear mechanism 30 from the radially outer side of the gears 34 , 35 , 36 , 38 of the gear mechanism 30 . The gear surrounding portion 16 extends along the axial direction. The gear surrounding portion 16 connects the gear cover wall portion 15 and the partition wall portion 13 . The gear surrounding portion 16 has a first surrounding wall 16a and a second surrounding wall 16b.

The first surrounding wall 16 a protrudes from the gear cover wall portion 15 toward the partition wall portion 13 . The first surrounding wall 16a is part of the gear cover 10C. That is, the gear cover 10C has a gear cover wall portion 15 and a first surrounding wall 16a.

The second surrounding wall 16 b protrudes from the partition wall 13 toward the gear cover wall 15 . The second surrounding wall 16b is part of the housing body 10B. The housing body 10B has a partition wall portion 13, a second surrounding wall 16b, and a motor surrounding portion 17, which will be described later.

The first surrounding wall 16a has a first opposing surface 16f facing the partition wall portion 13 side. On the other hand, the second surrounding wall 16b has a second facing surface 16g facing the gear cover wall 15 side. The first opposing surface 16f and the second opposing surface 16g face each other in the axial direction. The first opposing surface 16f and the second opposing surface 16g are in contact with each other via a sealing member such as a gasket. Thereby, the first surrounding wall 16a and the second surrounding wall 16b are connected to each other.

The motor enclosing portion 17 is provided on the housing main body 10B. The motor enclosing part 17 forms part of the motor housing 11 . The motor enclosing portion 17 has a tubular shape extending along the axial direction around the motor axis J1. The motor enclosing portion 17 connects the partition wall portion 13 and the motor cover wall portion 14 . The motor enclosing portion 17 encloses the motor 20 from the radially outer side of the motor axis J1.

As shown in FIG. 1, the inside of the gear housing 12 contains a fluid O. As shown in FIG. Fluid O is, for example, oil. Fluid O is stored in a lower region within gear housing 12 . The fluid O flows through a channel 90 which will be described later. In this embodiment, fluid O is used as a coolant for cooling motor 20 . Further, the fluid O is used as lubricating oil for the gear mechanism 30 and each bearing described later. As the fluid O, for example, it is preferable to use an oil equivalent to automatic transmission fluid (ATF), which has a relatively low viscosity, in order to function as a refrigerant and a lubricating oil.

(motor)
The motor 20 has a rotor 21 rotatable around the motor axis J1 and a stator 22 facing the rotor 21 with a gap therebetween. The rotor 21 has a hollow motor shaft 23, a rotor core 24a fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the motor shaft 23, and magnets 24b fixed to the rotor core 24a. The motor shaft 23 has a cylindrical shape centered on the motor axis J1 and opening on both sides in the axial direction. The motor shaft 23 has a through hole 23 a that extends radially through the wall of the motor shaft 23 from the inner peripheral surface of the motor shaft 23 to the outer peripheral surface of the motor shaft 23 . A plurality of through holes 23a are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction.

The end of the motor shaft 23 on the other side (−Y side) in the axial direction is supported by the motor cover wall 14 via a bearing 41 . One axial end (+Y side) of the motor shaft 23 is supported by the partition wall 13 via a bearing 42 . The rotor 21 is rotatably supported by the bearings 41 and 42 around the motor axis J1. The bearing 41 is held in the holding hole 14a of the motor cover wall 14 and supports the end of the motor shaft 23 on the other side in the axial direction. The bearing 42 is held in the hole 13a of the partition wall 13 and supports one end of the motor shaft 23 in the axial direction. The bearings 41 and 42 are ball bearings, for example.

The stator 22 is positioned radially outside the rotor 21 . The stator 22 is fixed inside the motor housing 11 . The stator 22 has an annular stator core 25 surrounding the rotor 21 and a plurality of coils 26 attached to the stator core 25 .

(gear mechanism)
Gear mechanism 30 is connected to rotor 21 . More specifically, the gear mechanism 30 is connected to one axial end (+Y side) of the motor shaft 23 . The gear mechanism 30 has a reduction gear 31 and a differential gear 32 . The reduction gear 31 is connected to one axial end of the motor shaft 23 . The reduction gear 31 has a first gear shaft 33 , a first gear 34 , a second gear 35 , a third gear 36 and a second gear shaft 37 .

The first gear shaft 33 is connected to one axial side (+Y side) of the motor shaft 23 . The first gear shaft 33 is a hollow shaft extending in the axial direction. The first gear shaft 33 is centered on the motor axis J1 and has a cylindrical shape with openings on both sides in the axial direction. The end of the first gear shaft 33 on the other axial side (−Y side) is fitted inside the motor shaft 23 . In this embodiment, the other end of the first gear shaft 33 in the axial direction is connected to the one end of the motor shaft 23 in the axial direction by spline fitting. The first gear shaft 33 is supported by a bearing 43 held in the hole 13a of the partition wall 13 and a bearing 44 held in the gear cover wall 15 so as to be rotatable about the motor axis J1. The bearings 43, 44 are, for example, ball bearings.

The first gear 34 is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the first gear shaft 33 . Thereby, the first gear 34 is connected to the rotor 21 via the first gear shaft 33 . The first gear shaft 33 and the first gear 34 rotate together with the rotor 21 around the motor axis J1.

The second gear shaft 37 extends axially. The second gear shaft 37 has a cylindrical shape centered on an intermediate axis J2 extending in the axial direction. The intermediate axis J2 is a virtual axis parallel to the motor axis J1. The intermediate axis J2 is located, for example, below the motor axis J1. In this embodiment, the second gear shaft 37 is a shaft that is provided in the gear mechanism 30 and rotates together with the second gear 35 . In this embodiment, the second gear shaft 37 corresponds to a "rotating shaft". As shown in FIG. 2, the second gear shaft 37 includes a second gear shaft main body 37a extending in the axial direction, and a pump connecting portion 37b connected to one axial side (+Y side) of the second gear shaft main body 37a. have.

One axial end (+Y side) of the second gear shaft main body 37 a is rotatably supported by a bearing 45 held by the gear cover wall portion 15 . A bearing 45 is held in the large-diameter hole 15b. As shown in FIG. 1, the end of the second gear shaft main body 37a on the other axial side (-Y side) is rotatably supported by a bearing 46 held by the partition wall 13. As shown in FIG. Bearings 45 and 46 are, for example, ball bearings. As shown in FIG. 2, the second gear shaft body 37a has a connecting hole 37e. The connecting hole 37e is recessed from the end surface of the second gear shaft main body 37a on one axial side toward the other axial side.

The pump connecting portion 37b has a cylindrical shape extending in the axial direction around the intermediate axis J2. The outer diameter of the pump connecting portion 37b is smaller than the outer diameter of the second gear shaft main body 37a. The pump connecting portion 37b has a first connecting portion 37c and a second connecting portion 37d. The first connecting portion 37c protrudes to one side (+Y side) in the axial direction from the second gear shaft main body 37a. One axial end of the first connecting portion 37 c is connected to the pump 70 . The second connecting portion 37d is connected to the other axial side (-Y side) of the first connecting portion 37c. The second connecting portion 37d is fitted in the connecting hole 37e. The second connecting portion 37d is connected to one axial end of the second gear shaft main body 37a by spline fitting. The outer diameter of the second connecting portion 37d is larger than the outer diameter of the first connecting portion 37c.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the second gear 35 and the third gear 36 are fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the second gear shaft 37 . More specifically, the second gear 35 and the third gear 36 are fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the second gear shaft main body 37a. The second gear 35 meshes with the first gear 34 . The third gear 36 meshes with a ring gear 38 of the differential gear 32, which will be described later.

The differential gear 32 has a ring gear 38 . Torque output from the motor 20 is transmitted to the ring gear 38 via the reduction gear 31 . A lower end of the ring gear 38 is immersed in the fluid O stored in the gear housing 12 . The fluid O is scooped up by the rotation of the ring gear 38 . The scooped-up fluid O is supplied, for example, to the reduction gear 31 and the differential gear 32 as lubricating oil. The differential 32 rotates the axle 39 around the differential axis J3. That is, the differential gear 32 is centered on the differential axis J3. The differential axis J3 is a virtual axis extending parallel to the motor axis J1.

(pump)
The pump 70 of this embodiment is a mechanical pump that is connected to a rotating shaft and driven by the power of the rotating shaft. The pump 70 is connected to a channel 90 which will be described later. The pump 70 is provided on the gear cover wall portion 15 . According to this embodiment, by providing the pump 70 on the gear cover wall portion 15 , it becomes easier to adopt a mechanical pump as the pump 70 .

The pump 70 is connected to one axial end (+Y side) of the second gear shaft 37 . As shown in FIG. 2 , the pump 70 has an inner rotor 71 , an outer rotor 72 surrounding the inner rotor 71 , and a pump cover 79 .

The pump cover 79 is fixed to the gear cover wall portion 15 from the outside of the gear housing 12 . The pump cover 79 covers the inner rotor 71 and the outer rotor 72 from outside the gear housing 12 . Therefore, a maintenance worker can expose the inner rotor 71 and the outer rotor 72 to the outside of the gear housing 12 by removing the pump cover 79 from the gear cover wall portion 15 .

The inner rotor 71 and the outer rotor 72 are annular and surround the intermediate axis J2. The first connecting portion 37c of the pump connecting portion 37b is fitted inside the inner rotor 71 . The inner rotor 71 is connected to the pump connection portion 37b so as not to be relatively rotatable around the intermediate axis J2. Although not shown, the outer peripheral surface of the inner rotor 71 and the inner peripheral surface of the outer rotor 72 are each provided with a plurality of teeth. The teeth of the inner rotor 71 and the teeth of the outer rotor 72 mesh with each other.

The inner rotor 71 and the outer rotor 72 are positioned inside the small-diameter hole portion 15c of the holding hole portion 15a. In this embodiment, the inner rotor 71 and the outer rotor 72 are held in the holding hole portion 15a by a holding member 76. As shown in FIG. The holding member 76 is a cylindrical member that opens on one axial side (+Y side). The holding member 76 is fitted in the small-diameter hole portion 15c. The holding member 76 includes a disc portion 76a located on the other side (-Y side) of the inner rotor 71 and the outer rotor 72 in the axial direction, and a cylindrical portion protruding from the outer peripheral edge portion of the disc portion 76a to one side in the axial direction. 76b and .

The disk portion 76a supports the inner rotor 71 and the outer rotor 72 from the other axial side (-Y side). An annular recess 76c recessed toward one side (+Y side) in the axial direction is provided on the outer peripheral edge portion of the surface on the other side in the axial direction of the disc portion 76a. The disc portion 76a has a hole portion 76d that axially penetrates the disc portion 76a. The first connecting portion 37c is axially passed through the hole portion 76d. The inner rotor 71 and the outer rotor 72 are housed inside the cylindrical portion 76b. The one axial end of the cylindrical portion 76b contacts, for example, the one axial bottom surface of the holding hole portion 15a.

The holding member 76 is supported from the other axial side (-Y side) by a snap ring 77 fitted in the groove 15d. This prevents the holding member 76 from moving to the other side in the axial direction. Although not shown, the snap ring 77 has a C shape surrounding the intermediate axis J2. The snap ring 77 supports the annular recess 76c from the other side in the axial direction. The opening on one axial side (+Y side) of the holding member 76 is closed by the bottom surface on one axial side of the holding hole portion 15a, thereby forming a pump chamber 73 that accommodates the inner rotor 71 and the outer rotor 72 therein. It is

The pump 70 has an inflow portion 74 into which the fluid O flows and a discharge portion 75 into which the fluid O is discharged. In this embodiment, the discharge portion 75 is positioned above the inflow portion 74 . When the second gear shaft 37 rotates and the inner rotor 71 rotates, the outer rotor 72 meshing with the inner rotor 71 also rotates. When the inner rotor 71 and the outer rotor 72 rotate, the fluid O is sucked between the inner rotor 71 and the outer rotor 72 via the inflow portion 74 . The fluid O sucked between the inner rotor 71 and the outer rotor 72 is sent to the discharge portion 75 as the inner rotor 71 and the outer rotor 72 rotate, and is discharged from the discharge portion 75 to the outside of the pump 70 .

The pump 70 of this embodiment is a mechanical pump connected to a second gear shaft 37 as a rotating shaft provided in the gear mechanism 30 . Therefore, the second gear shaft 37 rotates as the motor 20 is driven, so that the pump 70 can be driven and the fluid O can flow into the flow path 90 . This allows the fluid O to flow through the flow path 90 without using an electric pump. Therefore, a circuit for controlling the electric pump and wiring connected to the electric pump are not required, and the number of components of the drive device 100 can be reduced. Moreover, the manufacturing cost of the driving device 100 can be reduced. In addition, it is easier to miniaturize the drive device 100 compared to the case where an electric pump is provided.

Further, according to this embodiment, the pump 70 is provided on the gear cover wall portion 15 . Therefore, the pump 70 can be disassembled from the outside of the housing 10, and maintenance of the pump 70 can be enhanced.

(Reservoir)
As shown in FIG. 1 , the drive device 100 in this embodiment includes a first reservoir 61 and a second reservoir 62 . The first storage portion 61 and the second storage portion 62 can store the fluid O. As shown in FIG. The first reservoir 61 and the second reservoir 62 are provided inside the gear housing 12 .

The first reservoir 61 is configured by the lower portion of the gear housing 12 . The inside of the first reservoir 61 is the lower area inside the gear housing 12 . A portion of the first storage portion 61 is configured by the bottom portion of the gear housing 12 . By storing the fluid O in the first storage portion 61 , a fluid reservoir P is provided in the lower region inside the gear housing 12 . The lower end of the ring gear 38 is positioned inside the first reservoir 61 . The lower end of ring gear 38 is the lower end of gear mechanism 30 . That is, in this embodiment, the lower end of the gear mechanism 30 is located inside the first reservoir 61 . As a result, the lower end of the ring gear 38 is immersed in the fluid reservoir P.

The second reservoir 62 is located above the first reservoir 61 . In this embodiment, the second reservoir 62 is positioned above the gear mechanism 30 . The second reservoir 62 is open upward. The second reservoir 62 is, for example, gutter-shaped. At least part of the fluid O scooped up by the ring gear 38 is stored inside the second storage portion 62 . The second reservoir 62 has a plurality of supply ports 62a. The fluid O stored in the second reservoir 62 is supplied from the supply port 62a to the bearings 43, 44, 45, 46 that rotatably support the first gear shaft 33 and the second gear shaft 37, and the gear mechanism 30. be done.

(Flow path)
In this embodiment, the drive device 100 comprises a channel 90 at least partially defined by the housing 10 . A fluid O flows through the channel 90 . In this embodiment, the flow path 90 is an oil path through which oil flows.

The flow path 90 includes a suction flow path portion 91A, a discharge flow path portion 91B, a relay flow path portion 92, a connection flow path portion 93, an in-wall flow path portion 94, a motor cover flow path portion 97, a shaft It has an inner flow passage portion 95 and a rotor core inner flow passage portion 96 .

The suction channel portion 91A is provided in the gear cover wall portion 15 . The suction channel portion 91A extends in the vertical direction. An upstream end portion of the suction flow path portion 91A opens inside the first storage portion 61 . Here, the opening positioned at the upstream end of the suction channel portion 91A is referred to as the suction port 91p. The pump 70 sucks the fluid O accumulated in the fluid pool P from the suction port 91p. A strainer (not shown) is arranged in the suction port 91p. A downstream end of the suction channel portion 91A is connected to the inflow portion 74 of the pump 70 .

The discharge channel portion 91B is provided in the gear cover wall portion 15 . The discharge channel portion 91B extends in the vertical direction. The upstream end of the discharge channel portion 91B is connected to the discharge portion 75 of the pump 70 . A downstream end of the discharge channel portion 91</b>B is connected to the relay channel portion 92 .

As shown in FIG. 2 , the suction channel portion 91A and the discharge channel portion 91B are provided between the gear cover wall portion 15 and the pump cover 79 . In addition, in FIG. 2, the discharge flow path portion 91B is schematically shown, and is illustrated so as to extend upward with respect to the pump 70. As shown in FIG. However, the actual discharge channel portion 91B extends downward with respect to the pump 70 as shown in FIG.

The relay channel portion 92 is a channel extending between the gear cover wall portion 15 and the partition wall portion 13 . The relay channel portion 92 connects the discharge channel portion 91B and the connection channel portion 93 . The relay channel portion 92 is connected to the discharge port of the pump 70 via the discharge channel portion 91B. In addition, the relay passage portion 92 extends axially through the internal space of the gear housing 12 .

The relay passage portion 92 of this embodiment extends in the inner space of the gear housing 12 in the axial direction. According to the present embodiment, the flow path 90 can be arranged by effectively utilizing the gaps between the gears in the internal space of the gear housing 12, and an increase in the size of the housing 10 due to the provision of the flow path 90 can be suppressed. can.

According to the present embodiment, since the intermediate flow passage portion 92 is arranged in the internal space of the gear housing 12, the flow passage portion connecting the gear cover wall portion 15 and the partition wall portion 13 is provided inside the wall of the gear housing 12. In comparison, the walls of the housing 10 can be made thinner, and the size and weight of the drive device 100 can be reduced.

According to this embodiment, channel 90 extends across the interior space of gear housing 12 at intermediate channel portion 92 . Therefore, compared to the case where the flow path 90 extends along the inner peripheral surface of the gear housing 12, that is, extends around the internal space, the flow path 90 is shortened and linearly arranged. be able to. Thereby, the pressure loss of the fluid O flowing through the flow path 90 is reduced.

As shown in FIG. 1, the relay flow path portion 92 has a first relay pipe portion 92a and a second relay pipe portion 92b. The first relay pipe portion 92a and the second relay pipe portion 92b each have a tubular shape extending along the axial direction. The first relay pipe portion 92 a and the second relay pipe portion 92 b are connected to each other in the internal space of the gear housing 12 .

The first relay pipe portion 92a extends from the gear cover wall portion 15 toward the partition wall portion 13 side. The first relay pipe portion 92a is part of the gear cover 10C. The first relay pipe portion 92a is connected to the discharge channel portion 91B and extends axially from the downstream end of the discharge channel portion 91B.

The second relay pipe portion 92b extends from the partition wall portion 13 toward the gear cover wall portion 15 side. The second relay pipe portion 92b is part of the housing body 10B. The second relay pipe portion 92 b is connected to the connection flow path portion 93 .

The first relay pipe portion 92a has a first tip surface 92f facing the partition wall portion 13 side. On the other hand, the second relay pipe portion 92b has a second tip surface 92g facing the gear cover wall portion 15 side. The first tip surface 92f and the second tip surface 92g are connected to each other in the axial direction so as to face each other. That is, the second relay pipe portion 92b faces and is connected to the first relay pipe portion 92a.

The first relay pipe portion 92a and the second relay pipe portion 92b are connected by arranging the tip surfaces 92f and 92g to face each other. In general, it is difficult to align the centers of the pipes when fitting the pipes together. According to this embodiment, the first relay pipe portion 92a and the second relay pipe portion 92b can be connected by abutting the tip surfaces 92f, 92f, and the assembly process of the housing 10 can be simplified.

The first tip surface 92f and the second tip surface 92g may be in contact with each other, or may face each other with a fine gap therebetween. According to the present embodiment, the intermediate passage portion 92 is arranged in the internal space of the gear housing 12 . Therefore, even if a gap is provided between the first tip surface 92f and the second tip surface 92g, the fluid O leaked from the gap can be recovered in the fluid reservoir P. In addition, since the first relay pipe portion 92a and the second relay pipe portion 92b of the present embodiment can collect the fluid O leaking from the connection portion, for example, the central positions thereof may be slightly shifted. According to this embodiment, in the process of assembling the housing 10, it is not necessary to strictly align the pipe portions 92a and 92b, and the assembling process can be simplified.

In the relay flow path portion 92 of the present embodiment, a first relay pipe portion 92a projecting from the gear cover wall portion 15 and a second relay pipe portion 92b projecting from the partition wall portion 13 are butted against each other at tip surfaces 92f and 92g. . According to this embodiment, compared to the case where the pipe portions extend only from either the gear cover wall portion 15 or the partition wall portion 13, the projecting length of each of the pipe portions 92a and 92b can be shortened. This facilitates molding of the pipe portions 92a and 92b in the manufacturing process. In addition, by suppressing the projecting length of the tube portions 92a and 92b, it becomes easier to handle the housing body 10B and the gear cover 10C in the assembly process of the housing 10, thereby simplifying the assembly process.

As shown in FIG. 3, the first end surface 92f of the first relay pipe portion 92a is arranged on the same plane as the first opposing surface 16f of the first surrounding wall 16a. Similarly, the second end surface 92g of the second relay pipe portion 92b is arranged on the same plane as the second opposing surface 16g of the second surrounding wall 16b.

Here, the boundary surface between the first facing surface 16f and the second facing surface 16g is called a first boundary surface (boundary surface) F1, and the boundary surface between the first tip surface 92f and the second tip surface 92g is called a second boundary surface. The surface (boundary surface) is called F2. The first boundary surface F1 is a surface that divides the first surrounding wall 16a and the second surrounding wall 16b in the gear surrounding portion 16. As shown in FIG. In addition, the second boundary surface F2 is a surface that separates the first relay pipe portion 92a and the second relay pipe portion 92b in the relay flow path portion 92 .

According to this embodiment, the first boundary surface F1 between the first surrounding wall 16a and the second surrounding wall 16b is flush with the second boundary surface F2 between the first relay pipe portion 92a and the second relay pipe portion 92b. placed above. According to this embodiment, when the gear cover 10C is machined, the first end surface 92f and the first opposing surface 16f can be machined simultaneously by milling or the like. Similarly, when processing the housing body 10B, the second end surface 92g and the second opposing surface 16g can be processed at the same time. Therefore, the relative positional accuracy between the first tip surface 92f and the first opposing surface 16f and the relative positional accuracy between the second tip surface 92g and the second opposing surface 16g can be enhanced. As a result, when assembling the housing main body 10B and the gear cover 10C, unevenness occurs between the first opposing surface 16f and the second opposing surface 16g and between the first end surface 92f and the second end surface 92g. It is possible to suppress the occurrence of gaps.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the relay flow path portion 92 of the present embodiment is arranged below all rotating shafts (first gear shaft 33 , second gear shaft 37 , axle 39 ) of the gear mechanism 30 . According to this embodiment, it is easy to secure the distance between the relay passage portion 92 and the gears 34, 35, 36, and 38 in the internal space of the gear housing 12, and interference with the gears can be suppressed.

According to the present embodiment, the relay flow passage portion 92 is arranged below all the rotating shafts (the first gear shaft 33, the second gear shaft 37, and the axle 39), so that the relay flow passage portion 92 is located in the gear housing. It is easy to arrange in the lower area of 12 interior spaces. As described above, the lower area inside the gear housing 12 is provided with a fluid pool P. As shown in FIG. According to this embodiment, the relay flow path portion 92 can be immersed in the fluid reservoir P. That is, the relay passage portion 92 of the present embodiment is arranged below the liquid surface S of the fluid reservoir P inside the gear housing 12 . Therefore, even if a gap is provided between the first end surface 92f and the second end surface 92g, the liquid pressure of the fluid pool P is applied to the gap, so that the fluid O from the relay flow path portion 92 can suppress the amount of leakage.

The height of the liquid surface S of the fluid pool P changes depending on the driving state of the motor 2 and the like. In the relay channel portion 92 of the present embodiment, when the liquid level S is the highest, at least the entire connecting portion between the first relay pipe portion 92a and the second relay pipe portion 92b is positioned below the liquid level S. All you have to do is In addition, regardless of the change in the height of the liquid surface S, the entire connecting portion between the first relay pipe portion 92a and the second relay pipe portion 92b of the relay flow path portion 92 is always positioned below the liquid surface S. It is more preferable to have

As shown in FIG. 4 , the relay flow path portion 92 of the present embodiment is arranged below the partition wall opening 13 b provided in the partition wall portion 13 . According to this embodiment, it is easy to secure the distance between the relay passage portion 92 and the gears 34, 35, 36, and 38 in the internal space of the gear housing 12, and interference with the gears can be suppressed. Further, according to the present embodiment, the relay flow path portion 92 can be easily arranged in the lower region of the internal space of the gear housing 12, and the relay flow path portion 92 can be immersed in the fluid reservoir P.

When viewed from the axial direction of the motor axis J1, the distance D2 from the differential axis J3 to the suction port 91p of the pump 70 is longer than the distance D1 from the differential axis J3 to the relay passage portion 92. As described above, the fluid O accumulated in the internal space of the gear housing 12 is agitated by the ring gear 38 rotating around the differential axis J3. According to the present embodiment, since the suction port 91p of the pump 70 is arranged sufficiently away from the differential axis J3, it is possible to suppress the flow of air bubbles generated by the stirring by the ring gear 38 into the pump 70 from the suction port 91p. . In addition, since the relay flow path portion 92 is arranged between the suction port 91p and the ring gear 38, the fluid O flowing from the ring gear 38 toward the suction port 91p is straightened by the outer peripheral surface of the relay flow passage portion 92. be able to. Thereby, it is possible to suppress the air bubbles from reaching the suction port 91p.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the connection channel portion 93 is provided in the partition wall portion 13 . The connection flow path portion 93 extends along a plane perpendicular to the motor axis J1. The connection channel portion 93 connects the relay channel portion 92 and the in-wall channel portion 94 .

As shown in FIG. 4, the connection channel portion 93 has a first region 93a and a second region 93b. The first region 93 a is the region on the upstream side of the connecting channel portion 93 , and the second region 93 b is the region on the downstream side of the connecting channel portion 93 . The first region 93a and the second region 93b are provided in the partition wall 13 by drilling or the like. The first region 93a and the second region 93b each extend linearly. In addition, in the connection channel portion 93, the flow direction of the fluid O is bent at the connection portion between the first region 93a and the second region 93b.

In the present embodiment, the first region 93a extends from the connecting portion with the relay flow path portion 92 toward the vehicle front side (+X side). The first region 93a extends in a direction away from the differential axis J3 as it goes from the relay flow path portion 92 toward the in-wall flow path portion 94 side. In addition, the second region 93b extends upward from the connecting portion with the first region 93a as it approaches the in-wall channel portion 94 .

The connection channel portion 93 of the present embodiment extends away from the differential axis J3 as it goes from the relay channel portion 92 toward the in-wall channel portion 94 . Therefore, the in-wall channel portion 94 connected to the downstream side of the relay channel portion 92 can be arranged away from the axle 39 centered on the differential axis J3. A sufficient distance can be secured between the axle 39 and the housing 10 at the portion where the in-wall flow path portion 94 is provided, and interference between the axle 39 and the housing 10 can be suppressed.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the in-wall passage portion 94 is provided inside the wall of the motor housing 11 . More specifically, the in-wall channel portion 94 is provided inside the wall of the motor enclosing portion 17 . The in-wall channel portion 94 extends axially below the motor 20 . The in-wall channel portion 94 connects the second region 93 b of the connection channel portion 93 and the motor cover channel portion 97 .

In this embodiment, the lower end of the motor housing 11 is arranged above the lower end of the gear housing 12 . Therefore, the fluid O accumulated in the motor housing 11 can be positively returned to the gear housing 12 . In addition, in the present embodiment, the in-wall channel portion 94 extends axially below the motor 20 . Therefore, the space under the motor housing 11 can be used to dispose the in-wall flow passage portion 94 . As a result, the flow paths 90 can be efficiently arranged while suppressing the drive device 100 from increasing in size.

As described above, the relay passage portion 92 of this embodiment is arranged in the lower region in the internal space of the gear housing 12 . Therefore, by arranging the in-wall channel portion 94 below the motor 20, the connection channel portion 93 that connects the relay channel portion 92 and the in-wall channel portion 94 can be shortened. Thereby, the total length of the flow path 90 can be shortened and the pressure loss of the flow path 90 can be reduced.

The motor cover channel portion 97 is provided in the motor cover wall portion 14 . The motor cover channel portion 97 connects the in-wall channel portion 94 and the in-shaft channel portion 95 . The upstream end of the motor cover channel portion 97 is connected to the end of the in-wall channel portion 94 on the other axial side (−Y side). A downstream end portion of the motor cover channel portion 97 is connected to the holding hole portion 14a. As a result, the fluid O flowing through the motor cover channel portion 97 flows into the shaft inner channel portion 95 via the holding hole portion 14a.

At least a portion of the in-shaft flow path portion 95 is configured by the inside of the motor shaft 23 . In the present embodiment, the shaft inner channel portion 95 is configured by the inside of the motor shaft 23 and the inside of the first gear shaft 33 . The shaft inner channel portion 95 extends from the motor cover wall portion 14 to the gear cover wall portion 15 through the partition wall portion 13 in the axial direction.

The rotor core internal flow path portion 96 is provided in the rotor core 24a. The rotor core internal channel portion 96 is connected to the shaft internal channel portion 95 via the through hole 23a. The rotor core internal flow path portions 96 are open at both axial end portions of the rotor core 24a.

When the motor 20 is driven and the second gear shaft 37 rotates around the intermediate axis J2, the inner rotor 71 rotates around the intermediate axis J2 and the pump 70 is driven. When the pump 70 is driven, the fluid O in the fluid reservoir P is sucked into the channel 90 from the suction port 91p provided at the upstream end of the suction channel portion 91A. The fluid O sucked into the flow path 90 passes through the intake flow path portion 91A, the pump 70, the discharge flow path portion 91B, the relay flow path portion 92, the connection flow path portion 93, the in-wall flow path portion 94, and the motor cover flow path. Through the portion 97 , it flows into the shaft inner channel portion 95 . A part of the fluid O that has flowed into the shaft internal flow channel portion 95 flows into the rotor core internal flow channel portion 96 via the through hole 23a. The fluid O that has flowed into the rotor core internal flow path portion 96 scatters radially outward from both axial end portions of the rotor core 24 a and is supplied to the coils 26 . Thereby, the stator 22 can be further cooled by the fluid O. The fluid O supplied to the coil 26 from the rotor core internal flow path portion 96 returns into the gear housing 12 through the partition wall opening 13b.

Another portion of the fluid O that has flowed into the shaft inner channel portion 95 is supplied to the portion where the motor shaft 23 and the first gear shaft 33 are spline-fitted. Still another part of the fluid O that has flowed into the shaft inner channel portion 95 flows from the inside of the motor shaft 23 into the inside of the first gear shaft 33, and flows toward the first gear shaft 33 in the axial direction (+Y side). end into the gear housing 12 .

Various embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but each configuration and combination thereof in each embodiment are examples, and addition, omission, replacement, and Other changes are possible. Moreover, the present invention is not limited by the embodiments.

For example, in the above-described embodiments, the case of using a mechanical pump as the pump has been described. However, the pump may also be an electric pump. Moreover, the rotating shaft to which the mechanical pump is connected may be any shaft as long as it is provided in a motor or gear mechanism. The rotating shaft to which the mechanical pump is connected may be the motor shaft or the first gear shaft of the gear mechanism connected to the motor shaft. The mechanical pump may have any configuration as long as it is connected to the rotating shaft and provided on the gear cover wall of the gear housing. The structure of the mechanical pump is not particularly limited.

Applications of the driving device to which the present invention is applied are not particularly limited. For example, the driving device may be mounted on a vehicle for purposes other than the use of rotating the axle, or may be mounted on equipment other than the vehicle. There are no particular restrictions on the orientation of the driving device when it is used. The central axis of the motor may be inclined with respect to the horizontal direction orthogonal to the vertical direction, or may extend in the vertical direction. The configurations described above in this specification can be appropriately combined within a mutually consistent range.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Housing 11... Motor housing 12... Gear housing 13... Partition wall part 13b... Partition wall opening 15... Gear cover wall part (cover wall part) 16... Gear enclosure part (enclosure part) 16a... First enclosure Wall 16b...Second surrounding wall 20...Motor 21...Rotor 30...Gear mechanism 32...Differential device 33...Rotating shaft 34...Gear 70...Pump 90...Flow path 91p...Suction port , 92... Relay flow path part 92a... First relay pipe part (pipe part) 92b... Second relay pipe part (pipe part) 93... Connection flow path part 94... In-wall flow path part 100... Drive Device, D1, D2 ... distance, F1 ... first boundary surface (boundary surface), F2 ... second boundary surface (boundary surface), J1 ... motor axis line, J3 ... differential axis line, O ... fluid

Claims (8)

a motor having a rotor rotatable about a motor axis;
a gear mechanism connected to the rotor;
a housing having a motor housing containing the motor therein and a gear housing containing the gear mechanism;
a channel through which the fluid flows;
a pump connected to the flow path,
The housing has a partition wall that separates an internal space of the motor housing and an internal space of the gear housing,
The gear housing has a cover wall facing the partition via an internal space of the gear housing,
The pump is provided on the cover wall,
the flow path has a relay flow path portion connected to the discharge port of the pump and extending axially through the internal space of the gear housing;
The relay flow path part is
a first relay pipe portion provided in the cover wall portion and extending toward the partition wall portion;
a second relay pipe portion provided in the partition wall portion, extending toward the cover wall portion, and facing and connected to the first relay pipe portion;
drive. The gear housing has an enclosing portion that encloses the gear mechanism from the radially outer side of each gear of the gear mechanism,
The enclosing part is
a first surrounding wall projecting from the cover wall toward the partition;
a second surrounding wall projecting from the partition wall toward the cover wall;
A boundary surface between the first surrounding wall and the second surrounding wall is arranged on the same plane as a boundary surface between the first relay pipe portion and the second relay pipe portion,
2. The driving device according to claim 1. The pump is a mechanical pump connected to a rotating shaft provided in the motor or the gear mechanism,
3. The driving device according to claim 1 or 2. the lower end of the motor housing is arranged above the lower end of the gear housing;
The flow path has an in-wall flow path portion that extends axially inside the wall of the motor housing and below the motor.
A driving device according to any one of claims 1 to 3. The relay flow path portion is arranged below all rotating shafts of the gear mechanism,
A driving device according to any one of claims 1 to 4. The relay passage portion is arranged below a partition wall opening that is provided in the partition wall and connects an internal space of the gear housing and an internal space of the motor housing,
A driving device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. said gear mechanism having a differential centered on a differential axis,
When viewed from the axial direction, the distance from the differential axis to the suction port of the pump is longer than the distance from the differential axis to the relay flow path.
A driving device according to any one of claims 1 to 6. said gear mechanism having a differential centered on a differential axis,
The flow path is
an in-wall flow path extending axially in the wall of the motor housing;
a connecting flow channel portion connecting the relay flow channel portion and the in-wall flow channel portion;
The connection channel portion extends along a plane orthogonal to the motor axis, and is spaced apart from the differential axis as it goes from the relay channel portion toward the in-wall channel portion.
A driving device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

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