JP3326916B2 - Lubrication device for extension housing bearing of automatic transmission - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a lubricating device for an extension housing bearing of an automatic transmission, and more particularly to a lubricating device for preventing leakage of hydraulic oil when the automatic transmission is mounted on a vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an extension housing that houses an output shaft of a transmission mechanism is connected to a transmission case that houses a transmission mechanism of an automatic transmission.
When the automatic transmission is mounted on a vehicle, a sleeve yoke of a universal joint connected to the output shaft is inserted through an opening of the extension housing to connect the output shaft to a propeller shaft, and is connected to the output shaft by spline fitting. . In this state, the output shaft is supported by the bearing bush provided at the rear of the extension housing via the sleeve yoke.

As described above, since the sliding portion between the bearing bush and the sleeve yoke and the spline fitting portion between the output shaft and the sleeve yoke are located at the rearmost portion of the automatic transmission, the lubrication tends to be insufficient. Therefore, in order to enable a sufficient supply of lubricating oil to these portions, a proposal has been made to form an oil reservoir P in the extension housing 03 as shown in FIG. 4 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-121364). And JP-A-60-139971). In these proposals, the oil sump P is connected to the extension housing 03
A gutter 032 integrated with a housing 03 extending inward from the opening 031 of the above, and fixed to an inner end of the gutter 032,
An annular weir plate 06 surrounding the circumference of the output shaft 02 is defined. With this configuration, the hydraulic oil supplied from the lubricating oil passage is stored between the dam plate 06 of the gutter 032 and the oil seal 07, and the bearing bush 04 and the sleeve yoke 0
Sufficient lubricating oil can be supplied to the sliding portion of the sleeve 8 and the spline fitting portion of the output shaft 02 and the sleeve yoke 08.

By the way, the assembled automatic transmission before being mounted on the vehicle is shipped after completing the injection of the hydraulic oil, so that the hydraulic oil leaks and dusts at the time of transport to the mounting on the vehicle at the vehicle assembly factory. In order to prevent intrusion etc. and to protect the output shaft,
A shipping shipping cap that replaces the sleeve yoke 08 is inserted into the opening 031 through which the sleeve yoke 08 is inserted.

[0005]

When the oil sump P according to the above proposal is provided in the extension housing 03, the hydraulic oil flows into the oil sump P due to vibration, inclination, etc. at the time of loading, transportation, and transshipment. There is. The oil thus poured is blocked by the weir plate 06 and is not discharged from the oil reservoir P.
As shown in FIG.
9 is removed, oil dripping out of the oil cover 07 fitted to the opening 031 and flowing to the dust cover 010 is generated. In many cases, oil adhering to the dust cover 010 cannot be removed even by washing after vehicle assembly, which is usually performed. It is erroneously recognized as an oil leak and the normal oil seal 07 must be replaced. Thus, securing a sufficient amount of lubricating oil and avoiding oil drips include incompatible and difficult problems to be solved.

The present invention has been devised in view of the above circumstances, and prevents the accumulation of oil in an oil sump during transportation.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a lubricating device for an extension housing bearing of an automatic transmission that can store sufficient oil for lubrication during operation.

[0007]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention is directed to an extension housing which is attached to a transmission case which houses a transmission mechanism and houses an output shaft extending from the transmission mechanism, and an extension housing inside the extension housing. An opening through which a sleeve yoke that fits into the output shaft is inserted, a bearing that supports the sleeve yoke in the extension housing, a lubricating oil passage that supplies hydraulic fluid circulating in the transmission case to the bearing, An oil reservoir for storing hydraulic oil supplied through a lubricating oil passage in the vicinity of the bearing; and an oil reservoir for regulating the outflow of hydraulic oil from the oil reservoir to maintain an oil level in the oil reservoir at a predetermined level. In the automatic transmission having an oil reservoir, the oil sump is provided with a discharge hole having a discharge oil amount less than a supply oil amount per unit time of the hydraulic oil. It is referred to as configuration.

[0008]

According to the present invention having the above-described structure, during the transportation without the normal supply of the hydraulic oil from the lubricating oil passage, the operating oil accidentally flows into the oil reservoir from the oil passage or another passage. Even so, the hydraulic oil does not flow out of the discharge hole formed in the oil sump and remains in the oil sump. When a normal amount of hydraulic oil is supplied during operation after the vehicle is mounted, the outflow of hydraulic oil from the oil sump causes a discharge of an amount of discharged oil less than the oil supply per unit time provided in the oil sump. Since the oil is restricted by the holes, the hydraulic oil is stored in the oil reservoir at a predetermined level.

Therefore, according to the lubricating device of the present invention,
During operation for mounting on the vehicle, oil leakage from the opening of the extension housing of the automatic transmission can be prevented, and erroneous failure judgment can be avoided. It is possible to secure the amount of lubricating oil in and near the extension housing bearing of the automatic transmission.

[0010]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings showing embodiments. As shown in FIG. 1, an automatic transmission 1 whose overall configuration is not shown is attached to a transmission case (not shown) that houses a transmission mechanism, and an extension housing 3 that houses an output shaft 2 that extends from the transmission mechanism, and an extension housing. A sleeve yoke 8 fitted into the output shaft 2 in 3 (see FIG. 3 showing an operating state)
And the extension housing 3
A bearing 4 (in this example, a bush 40) for supporting a sleeve yoke 8 therein, a lubricating oil passage 5 (in this example, an oil supply pipe 50) for supplying hydraulic oil circulating in the transmission case to the bearing 4, and a lubricating oil passage An oil reservoir P for storing the hydraulic oil supplied through the oil reservoir 5 near the bearing 4 and an oil level L in the oil reservoir P by restricting the outflow of the hydraulic oil from the oil reservoir P (see FIG. 3 showing the operating state). And an oil sump 6 (in this example, a weir plate 60) for keeping the pressure at a predetermined level.

In accordance with the subject of the present invention, the lubricating apparatus according to the present invention further supplies the oil sump 6 with a discharge oil amount Qd less than the supply oil amount Qs per unit time (see FIG.
(See FIG. 2).

Further, each part will be described in detail.
The extension housing 3 is made of an aluminum alloy casting, and is sequentially reduced in diameter from the side connected to the transmission case (left side in the drawing, the left side is referred to as front, and the right side is referred to as rear for convenience of description). Exterior wall 3
0, and an inner wall 32 extending forward from the rear side of the outer wall 30, and the rear end of the outer wall 30 is enlarged in diameter to secure a housing space for the oil seal 7. The inner wall 32 is formed in a semi-cylindrical gutter shape concentric with the output shaft 2, and an inner peripheral surface thereof defines a peripheral wall of the oil reservoir P. In this example, the inner wall 3
The lower inner surface 2 is formed as a peripheral wall inclined forward and downward from the middle, and the inclined inner peripheral surface T is a final gathering portion of accumulated oil below the level of the discharge hole 61, and the accumulated oil flows backward. Plays the function of hindering. In the figure, reference numeral 9 is used.
Are the shipping caps of plastic molded products, 10
Denotes a dust cover of a thin steel sheet pressed product fitted on the outer periphery of the rear end of the outer wall 30.

The output shaft 2 extends through the extension housing 3, slightly projects from the opening 31, and terminates in the dust cover 10. In the rear half of the output shaft 2, outer peripheral spline teeth 21 are formed over substantially half the length of the shaft, and these constitute a connecting portion that meshes with the inner peripheral spline teeth 81 of the sleeve yoke 8 shown in FIG. 3. In the drawing, reference numeral 11 denotes a speedometer gear that is connected to the output shaft 2 by rotation prevention with a ball 12, and 13 denotes a key 1 on the output shaft 2.
An electronic vehicle speed sensor 23 which is detented and connected at 4 indicates a lubricating oil hole for supplying hydraulic oil to these connections.

A bush 40 constituting the bearing 4 is made of an appropriate bearing material, and is fitted into a minimum diameter portion of the outer wall 30 of the extension housing 3. An oil guide groove 41 having an appropriate shape is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the bush 40.

The lubricating oil passage 5 for supplying the working oil circulating in the transmission case to the bearing 4 is, in this example, an oil supply pipe 50 made of a suitable soft metal material, and its front end is connected to the transmission case. The extension part 3 is inserted into a packing 15 for sealing, and is fixed in a groove below the front of the extension housing 3.
And is detoured so as to avoid interference with the damper plate 60 and is inserted into and supported by the hole 62 of the weir plate 60.
And is inserted and held in the groove. At the rear end of the oil supply pipe 50, an orifice 51 for controlling the supply flow rate of hydraulic oil is provided.
Are formed.

As shown in FIG. 2, the dam plate 60 is connected to the output shaft 2.
Through the center hole 63 through which the oil supply pipe 50 is inserted.
Is formed into a ring shape by pressing a metal plate to form a reinforcing flange 64 by bending the periphery in the axial direction, and is fitted to the step of the inner wall 32 constituting the oil reservoir P, The front end side of the sump P is defined. In accordance with the subject of the present invention, a reinforcing flange 6
The discharge hole 61 formed in the vicinity of the orifice 4 has an oil supply amount Q per unit time in relation to the diameter of the orifice 51.
It is an axial hole having a diameter such that the discharged oil amount Qd less than s (see FIG. 3).

The automatic transmission 1 having the lubricating device thus configured is shipped and transported in the state shown in FIG. Therefore, the hydraulic oil does not flow into the oil sump P in the horizontal state as shown in the figure, but the inclination at the time of loading, the vibration during transportation, etc., causes the oil to pass through the oil supply pipe 50 or the bottom of the outer wall 30 of the extension housing 3 and the bottom. Along the inner wall 32, the weir plate 60
In some cases, the operating oil directly flows into the oil reservoir P beyond the center hole 63 of the oil reservoir. In such a case, the hydraulic oil temporarily accumulates in the oil reservoir P, and the accumulated hydraulic oil is discharged from the discharge hole 61 formed in the dam plate 60 according to the present invention when the automatic transmission is returned to the normal horizontal state. It is discharged to the bottom of the extension housing 3 again. By this action, the oil level of the hydraulic oil remaining in the oil reservoir P becomes extremely low as shown by the imaginary line in FIG.
Only a small amount of hydraulic oil remains.

In this state, even if the shipping cap 9 is pulled out for mounting on a vehicle, the amount of hydraulic oil remaining in the oil reservoir P is very small. Also, by merely flowing into the space S defined by the enlarged diameter portion of the extension housing 3 behind the bush 40 and the oil seal 7, it may not flow out of the opening 31 beyond the seal lip 71 of the oil seal 7. Absent. This prevention of the outflow can be achieved even if the automatic transmission is in a considerably downwardly inclined posture, in an extreme case, about 40 degrees.

The operation proceeds, and as shown in FIG.
The sleeve yoke 8 is inserted into the inside 1. The sleeve yoke 8 is connected to the spline teeth 81 formed on the inner periphery of the output shaft 2.
The outer periphery of the sleeve yoke 8 is fitted to the inner periphery of the bush 40, and is supported by the extension housing 3 via the bush 40.

During the operation of the automatic transmission after the vehicle is mounted, that is, when the oil pressure is generated by the operation of the oil pump, the hydraulic oil is supplied from the transmission case through the oil supply pipe 50, and the desired flow rate per unit time is obtained. The hydraulic oil of Qs is ejected from the orifice 51 to the upper part of the bush 40. When such a supply of the hydraulic oil is performed, the hydraulic oil flows into the oil reservoir P via the inner and outer circumferences of the bush 40, the outer circumference of the sleeve yoke 8, and the outer circumference of the output shaft 2, and the front end side of the damper plate 60,
The peripheral surface is regulated by the inner wall 32, and the rear end side is regulated by the seal lip 71 of the oil seal 7 and accumulates in the oil reservoir P. At this time, the discharge flow rate Qd per unit time from the discharge holes 61 of the weir plate 60
Is smaller than the supply oil amount Qs as described above,
The oil level L is maintained at the level shown in the figure, and the lubrication of the bearing sliding portion and the spline fitting portion is well maintained.

In summary, the discharge hole 61 in the above-described embodiment according to the subject of the present invention prevents the hydraulic oil in the oil reservoir P from discharging and remaining, and also discharges the hydraulic oil from the oil reservoir P. Conflicting demands for regulating and maintaining a predetermined oil level L level can be satisfied according to conditions.

In the above embodiment, the supply oil passage 5 is connected to the oil supply pipe 5 separate from the extension housing 3.
0, and the dam plate 60 is made separate from the extension housing 3 for the sake of assembling convenience in relation to the structure in which the dam plate 60 is supported by the extension housing 3. In the case where the output shaft 2 is formed as an oil hole as in the proposal of Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 60-121364, or in the case where the oil hole is not formed, the output shaft 2 may be integrally formed with the extension housing 3. In such a configuration, the discharge hole 61 is formed directly in the extension housing 3 as a matter of course.

Although the present invention has been described based on an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a specific automatic transmission, the application of the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. It goes without saying that implementation with various changes within the description of the claims is possible.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an axial cross-sectional view of a rear portion of an automatic transmission showing an embodiment of a lubrication device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the weir plate of the embodiment.

FIG. 3 is an axial cut end view of a rear portion of the automatic transmission, showing an operation state of the lubrication device.

FIG. 4 is an axial cross-sectional end view of a rear portion of an automatic transmission showing an operation state of a conventional lubrication device.

FIG. 5 is an axially cut end view of a rear portion of the automatic transmission showing a state in which a shipping cap of a conventional lubricating device is removed.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 automatic transmission 2 output shaft 3 extension housing 4 bush (bearing) 5 lubricating oil supply oil passage 6 oil reservoir 8 sleeve yoke 9 shipping cap 31 opening 50 oil supply pipe 60 dam plate 61 discharge hole P oil reservoir

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] An extension housing attached to a transmission case accommodating a transmission mechanism and accommodating an output shaft extending from the transmission mechanism; an opening in the extension housing for inserting a sleeve yoke fitted to the output shaft; A bearing that supports a sleeve yoke in the extension housing, a lubricating oil passage that supplies hydraulic oil circulating in the transmission case to the bearing, and a hydraulic oil that is supplied through the lubricating oil passage is stored near the bearing. An oil sump, and an oil sump that regulates outflow of hydraulic oil from the sump to maintain an oil level in the sump at a predetermined level. An extension housing for an automatic transmission, characterized in that a discharge hole having a discharge oil amount less than a supply oil amount per unit time is formed. Bearing lubrication device.