JP5076607B2 - Lubrication device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a lubrication apparatus configured to return lubricating oil pumped up from an oil reservoir to a oil reservoir after passing through a predetermined flow passage.

  Various machines and devices such as a transmission for a vehicle are lubricated with oil. As a form of lubrication, there are known forms such as forced lubrication in which oil is pressurized and supplied to a lubrication site such as a bearing and a gear, and scraping lubrication that is scraped up by a rotating member and supplied to the lubrication site. In any type, since the temperature of the lubricating oil rises and the temperature rises too much, the deterioration proceeds, and therefore, cooling may be performed with an oil cooler.

  Examples thereof are described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2. The device described in Patent Document 1 stores cooling oil at the bottom of a housing that houses a motor, and is provided with a catch tank at the top of the housing, and an oil cooler with a built-in pump is connected to the bottom of the housing. The tank is arranged to communicate with the tank. Patent Document 2 describes a cooling circuit for an automatic transmission. The cooling circuit includes a radiator and an oil cooler. Further, when the oil pressure in the vicinity of the oil cooler exceeds a predetermined pressure, The bypass circuit that connects the oil path between the oil cooler and the radiator to the inside of the transmission is opened.

JP 2005-117790 A Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 5-27414

  Each of the devices described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2 is configured to circulate oil to a location other than a location to be lubricated or cooled, such as an oil cooler or a radiator. Accordingly, it is necessary to circulate the oil by applying pressure higher than the pipe resistance leading to the oil cooler or the difference between the water heads, so that the oil is circulated by driving the pump. On the other hand, when the vehicle stops, the driving devices such as the engine and the motor are stopped, so that the pump is also stopped. In that case, the oil pumped up by the pump remains in the oil cooler, radiator, etc., so the amount of oil in the oil reservoir, such as the oil pan or the bottom of the housing, decreases, and the oil level becomes lower. There is. As a result, a lubrication point that should be immersed in oil such as a bearing protrudes upward from the oil surface, so-called oil shortage may occur, and lubrication may be insufficient during restart. In addition, when scraping lubrication is performed, there is a possibility that the amount of scraping is reduced due to the oil level being lowered, resulting in insufficient lubrication.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above technical problem, and even when the pump for pumping up oil is stopped, the lubrication that can ensure the oil amount and the oil surface height in the oil reservoir portion. The object is to provide an apparatus.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is directed to a lubricating device that pumps lubricating oil from an oil reservoir by a pump and supplies the lubricating oil to a predetermined flow passage communicating with the pump, and then returns the lubricating oil to the oil reservoir. And a return mechanism for returning the lubricating oil in the circulation part to the oil reservoir when the pump is stopped, the return mechanism being disposed at a position higher than the pump and the oil reservoir. A bypass path that is branched from a pipe path that communicates with the flow section through which the lubricating oil is pumped up and connected to the oil reservoir section, and operates by the discharge pressure of the pump to close the bypass path and the pump and the When the pump is stopped while communicating with the circulation section, the bypass section is opened to open the circulation section and the oil reservoir section. And a valve mechanism for communicating the pump is characterized in that it is configured to return the lubricating oil to the oil reservoir from the flow portion through the bypass passage when stopped.

  A second aspect of the present invention is the lubrication apparatus according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein the flow part is disposed at a position higher than the oil reservoir part.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the flow section includes an oil cooling device.

A fourth aspect of the present invention is the lubricating device according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the return mechanism includes a pump capable of backflow.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the third aspect of the present invention, the return mechanism includes a supply pipe that supplies lubricating oil pumped up by the pump to an upper portion of the cooling device, a bottom portion of the cooling device, and the oil reservoir portion. And a return pipe line that communicates with each other.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the invention according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the oil reservoir portion is provided at a bottom portion of a transmission of a vehicle, and the circulation portion is disposed outside the transmission. The lubricating device is arranged at a higher position .
According to a seventh aspect of the invention, the lubricating device of the lubricating oil pumped up by a pump from an oil reservoir back into the oil reservoir after providing a predetermined distribution unit in communication to the pump, the flow unit, oil cooling includes a device, if the previous SL pump stops, with a return mechanism for returning the lubricating oil in the circulation unit to the oil reservoir, the return mechanism includes a reverse flow pump capable, the backflow can pump a supply conduit for supplying the upper portion of the oil cooler lubricating oil pumped up, characterized in that you are made up of a return line communicating between the bottom portion and the oil reservoir of the cooling device is there.
The invention of claim 8 is the inventions of claim 7, wherein the circulation unit is a lubricating apparatus characterized by being arranged at a higher position than the oil reservoir.
請 invention sought to claim 9 is the invention of claim 7 or 8, wherein the oil sump is provided at the bottom of the vehicle transmission, and the flow portion is higher than the transmission outside of the transmission position It is the lubrication apparatus characterized by being arrange | positioned.
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lubrication apparatus that pumps lubricating oil from an oil reservoir by a pump and supplies the lubricating oil to a predetermined flow passage communicated with the pump, and then returns the oil to the oil reservoir when the pump is stopped. A return mechanism for returning the lubricating oil in the circulation part to the oil reservoir, the circulation part including an oil cooling device, and the return mechanism is configured to place the lubricating oil pumped up by the pump on the upper part of the cooling device. It is characterized by comprising a supply pipeline to be supplied and a return pipeline for communicating the bottom of the cooling device and the oil reservoir.
An eleventh aspect of the invention is the lubrication apparatus according to the tenth aspect of the invention, wherein the flow part is disposed at a position higher than the oil reservoir part.
The invention of claim 12 is the invention of claim 10 or 11, wherein the oil sump is provided at the bottom of the vehicle transmission, and the flow portion is higher than the transmission outside of the transmission The lubricating device is arranged at a position .

According to this invention, when the pump that circulates the lubricating oil between the oil reservoir and the circulation portion stops, the lubricating oil in the circulation portion is returned to the oil reservoir by the return mechanism, and therefore the lubricating oil is returned to the circulation portion. Is prevented or suppressed from remaining. As a result, even when the pump is stopped, the amount of lubricating oil and the oil level in the oil reservoir can be secured.

Further , according to the present invention, when the pump is stopped, the lubricating oil is returned from the circulation part or the oil cooling device to the oil reservoir, so that even when the volume of the oil cooling device is large, The amount of lubricating oil and the oil level height in the oil reservoir can be ensured.

Furthermore, according to the present invention, if the pump stops, as possible out to return the lubricating oil to the oil reservoir through the bypass passage.

Then, according to the present invention, it is possible to automatically by opening and closing the pump stopping and starting of the bypass passage, not only can simplify the structure of the return mechanism, opening and closing control of the bypass passage is facilitated .

Further , according to the present invention, when the pump stops, the stopped pump flows backward to return the lubricating oil to the oil reservoir, or the pump rotates backward to return the lubricating oil to the oil reservoir. Therefore, similarly to each of the above-described inventions, it is possible to ensure the amount of lubricating oil and the oil surface height in the oil reservoir, and in addition to this, the configuration of the piping path can be simplified.

And furthermore , according to this invention, since the bottom part of a cooling device and the oil sump part arranged below it are connected, lubricating oil in a cooling device recirculates to an oil sump part by gravity, As a result, it is possible to ensure the amount of lubricating oil and the oil level in the oil reservoir when the pump is stopped.

According to the present invention, the amount of lubricating oil in the oil reservoir in the vehicle transmission and the liquid level thereof are ensured even when the pump is stopped, and the lubrication at the start of traveling is reliably performed. be able to.

Next, the present invention will be described more specifically. Lubricating apparatus according to the present invention, the lubricating oil up 汲 seen from the oil sump by a pump, after supplying it to a predetermined distribution unit, is configured to return to the oil sump. The distribution part is a part other than the part to be lubricated, such as an oil cooler, a strainer, or a warmer that selectively keeps the lubricating oil warm. Moreover, the pump may be provided separately from the circulation part, or may be incorporated in the circulation part. Furthermore, the oil reservoir portion may be not only a portion provided for the purpose of storing oil, such as an oil pan, but may also be a predetermined housing or a bottom portion of the casing. And when the pumping of the lubricating oil by the pump stops, a return mechanism is provided for returning the lubricating oil in the flow section to the oil reservoir. This return mechanism may be either configured to return the lubricating oil by gravity or configured to return using some power. In the case of the configuration using the former gravity, the circulation portion is arranged at a position higher than the oil reservoir portion, and in the configuration using the latter power, the relative height of the circulation portion and the oil reservoir portion is determined. Is not a problem.

  FIG. 1 schematically shows an example of the present invention. In this example, the lubricating oil 2 in the unit 1 is cooled by the radiator 3. The unit 1 is a device or mechanism including a portion to be lubricated to be lubricated or cooled by the lubricating oil 2, for example, a vehicle transmission or a transaxle. The unit 1 includes a housing 4 that is closed in a liquid-tight state, accommodates lubricated parts such as gears and bearings, and the bottom of the housing 4 serves as an oil reservoir 5. The lubrication oil may be supplied to the lubricated part by scraping the lubrication oil 2 with any of the rotating members, and the lubricated part located at a low place such as a bearing has a higher oil level. Then, the lubricating oil may be supplied to the lubricated portion by immersing the lubricated portion in the lubricating oil 2.

  The radiator 3 is for cooling the lubricating oil 2 with air or water, and is disposed at a position higher than the oil reservoir 5. The bottom of the radiator 3 and the oil reservoir 5 are communicated with each other by a supply line 7 having a pump 6 interposed therebetween. The supply line 7 is constituted by a suction line 7 a that connects the oil reservoir 5 and the suction port of the pump 6, and a discharge line 7 b that connects the discharge port of the pump 6 and the radiator 3. Further, a discharge port provided in the upper portion of the radiator 3 and the upper portion of the unit 1 are communicated with each other by a return pipe 8. Accordingly, the lubricating oil 2 is pumped up from the oil reservoir 5 by the pump 6, supplied to the radiator 3 from the bottom, and further sent from the upper portion of the radiator 3 to the upper portion of the unit 1. Is circulated between the oil reservoir 5 and the radiator 3. Therefore, the radiator 3 and the pipe lines before and after the radiator 3 correspond to the distribution section of the present invention.

  There is provided a bypass passage 9 for communicating the discharge conduit 7b and the suction conduit 7a, in other words, a bypass conduit 9 for communicating the bottom of the radiator 3 and the oil reservoir 5. This bypass path 9 is for returning the lubricating oil 2 inside the radiator 3 to the oil reservoir 5 by gravity when the pump 6 is stopped, and is therefore opened when the pump 6 is stopped. Yes. That is, a check valve 10 is provided at a branch portion between the discharge pipe 7 b and the bypass 9. For example, as shown in FIG. 2A, the check valve 10 closes the bypass passage 9 by the discharge pressure when the pump 6 is discharging the lubricating oil 2, and the check valve 10 in FIG. ) Is a valve mechanism that operates to open the bypass passage 9 and connect the radiator 3 to the oil reservoir 5 when the discharge pressure of the pump 6 is exhausted. For example, a conventionally known appropriate configuration can be used. Therefore, the bypass line 9 and the check valve 10 correspond to the return mechanism of the present invention.

  In the configuration shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the operation of the pump 6 causes the lubricating oil 2 in the oil reservoir 5 to be pumped up to the radiator 3, and after cooling, the upper part of the unit 1 is passed through the return line 8. Then, the inside flows down or drops toward the oil reservoir 5. Lubricating oil 2 that flows down or drops inside the housing 4 is supplied to a lubricated portion such as a gear or a bearing, or the lubricating oil 2 that is scraped up by a rotating member such as a gear is supplied. Done. In a state where the lubricating oil 2 is circulated by the pump 6 in this way, a part of the lubricating oil 2 is also sent to the radiator 3, so that the amount of the lubricating oil 2 accumulated in the oil reservoir 5 is small. Although the oil level is low, the supply of the lubricating oil 2 to the lubricated part is performed as described above, so that there is no occurrence of poor lubrication or shortage.

  On the other hand, when the pump 6 is stopped due to the vehicle being stopped or the like, the discharge pressure of the pump 6 is lost, so that the check valve 10 operates as shown in FIG. Is opened, and the bottom of the radiator 3 and the oil reservoir 5 communicate with each other. As a result, the lubricating oil 2 remaining in the radiator 3 flows down to the oil reservoir 5 through the discharge pipe 7 b and the bypass pipe 9 due to gravity, and is returned to the oil reservoir 5. That is, when the pump 6 is stopped, almost the entire amount of the lubricating oil 2 in the entire circulation system mainly composed of the unit 1 and the radiator 3 returns to the oil reservoir 5, so that the amount of the lubricating oil 2 in the oil reservoir 5 And the oil level is sufficiently secured. Therefore, even if a lubricated portion such as a bearing is disposed at a low position of the housing 4, the lubricated portion can be immersed in the lubricating oil 2 when the unit 1 or the vehicle is stopped. Insufficient lubrication can be avoided or suppressed when the vehicle is restarted. Moreover, since the check valve 10 opens and closes according to the discharge pressure of the pump 6 as described above, the configuration is simplified and the opening and closing control is easy.

  Next, another specific example of the present invention will be described. 3 (a) and 3 (b) show that the lubricating oil 2 can be supplied to the radiator 3 without providing the bypass line 9 by making the communication state of the pump 6 and the unit 1 different from those shown in FIG. This is an example configured to return to the reservoir 5. That is, the radiator 3 is disposed at a position higher than the oil reservoir 5, the discharge pipe 7 b is connected to the supply port provided at the top of the radiator 3, and is provided at the bottom of the radiator 3. A return pipe 8 is connected to the discharge port. That is, the lubricating oil 2 pumped up by the pump 6 is supplied to the radiator 3 from the upper side of the radiator 3, and the lubricating oil 2 is discharged from the lower side of the radiator 3. Therefore, the connection structure of the discharge pipe 7b and the return pipe 8 to the radiator 3 corresponds to the return mechanism of the present invention. Since the other configuration is the same as the configuration shown in FIG. 1, the same components as those shown in FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIG.

  Therefore, in the configuration shown in FIG. 3, if the pump 6 is operating, the lubricating oil 2 is pumped from the oil reservoir 5 to the radiator 3 as shown in FIG. 5, the amount of the lubricating oil 2 is reduced, and the oil level is lowered. The lubrication oil 2 is supplied to lubricated parts such as bearings and gears in the same manner as in the example shown in FIG. 1 and lubricated. On the other hand, when the pump 6 is stopped, the lubricating oil 2 remaining inside the radiator 3 is naturally discharged from the radiator 3 by gravity because the bottom of the radiator 3 communicates with the inside of the unit 1, and the oil pool is stored. Returned to part 5. As a result, when the pump 6 is stopped, almost the entire amount of the lubricating oil 2 in the entire circulation system mainly composed of the unit 1 and the radiator 3 returns to the oil reservoir 5, so that the lubricating oil 2 in the oil reservoir 5 is reduced. The amount and the oil level are sufficiently secured. Therefore, even if a lubricated portion such as a bearing is disposed at a low position of the housing 4, the lubricated portion can be immersed in the lubricating oil 2 when the unit 1 or the vehicle is stopped. Insufficient lubrication can be avoided or suppressed when the vehicle is restarted.

  Furthermore, in this invention, the structure of the pump 6 can be changed and this can be used as a return mechanism. 4 (a) and 4 (b) show an example thereof. In the example shown here, a pump 6A that allows the lubricating oil 2 to flow backward when stopped is employed. The suction port and the oil reservoir 5 are communicated with each other through a suction pipe 7a, and the discharge port of the pump 6A and the bottom of the radiator 3 are communicated with each other through a discharge pipe 7b. Further, the upper outlet of the radiator 3 and the upper part of the unit 1 are communicated with each other by a return pipe 8. Therefore, the bypass line 9 and the check valve 10 shown in FIG. 1 are not provided. In addition, this kind of pump 6A may be a thing used as a water pump in the engine for vehicles, for example.

  Therefore, if the pump 6A is operating, as shown in FIG. 4A, the lubricating oil 2 is pumped from the oil reservoir 5 to the radiator 3, and as a result, the amount of the lubricating oil 2 in the oil reservoir 5 is increased. And the oil level becomes lower. The lubrication oil 2 is supplied to lubricated parts such as bearings and gears in the same manner as in the example shown in FIG. 1 and lubricated. On the other hand, when the pump 6A is stopped, the lubricating oil 2 remaining in the radiator 3 flows backward from the bottom of the radiator 3 through the discharge pipe 7b, the pump 6A, and the suction pipe 7a to the oil reservoir 5 by gravity. Returned. As a result, when the pump 6A is stopped, almost the entire amount of the lubricating oil 2 in the entire circulation system mainly composed of the unit 1 and the radiator 3 returns to the oil reservoir 5, so that the lubricating oil 2 in the oil reservoir 5 is reduced. The amount and the oil level are sufficiently secured. Therefore, even if a lubricated portion such as a bearing is disposed at a low position of the housing 4, the lubricated portion can be immersed in the lubricating oil 2 when the unit 1 or the vehicle is stopped. Insufficient lubrication can be avoided or suppressed when the vehicle is restarted.

  The above-described specific examples are examples in which the radiator 3 is used as a distribution section, but the present invention is not limited to the above-described specific examples, and the place where the lubricating oil is pumped up by the pump is lubricated in addition to the radiator. An oil cooler that forcibly cools oil or a mechanism that removes contaminants from the lubricating oil may be used. Further, the return mechanism according to the present invention may be configured to provide a second pump and forcibly return the lubricating oil by the second pump, in addition to the configuration to return the lubricating oil by gravity.

It is a figure which shows typically an example of the lubricating device which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the operation state of the check valve. It is a figure which shows typically the other example of the lubricating device which concerns on this invention. It is a figure which shows typically the further another example of the lubricating device which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Unit, 2 ... Lubricating oil, 3 ... Radiator, 4 ... Housing, 5 ... Oil reservoir, 6, 6A ... Pump, 7 ... Supply line, 7a ... Intake line, 7b ... Discharge line, 8 ... Return Pipe line, 9 ... Bypass path, 10 ... Check valve.

Claims (12)

In a lubricating device that pumps up lubricating oil from an oil reservoir by a pump and supplies the lubricating oil to a predetermined flow passage communicating with the pump, and then returns the oil to the oil reservoir,
When the pump is stopped, a return mechanism for returning the lubricating oil in the circulation part to the oil reservoir part is provided,
The return mechanism, a bypass path connected to and to the oil sump branched from the pipe passage which communicates with the circulation unit which lubricating oil is pumped by the arranged and the pump at a position higher than the pump and the oil reservoir And by operating the discharge pressure of the pump to close the bypass path to connect the pump and the circulation part, and when the pump is stopped, open the bypass path and open the circulation part and the oil reservoir. A valve mechanism for communicating with the part,
A lubricating device configured to return lubricating oil from the flow portion to the oil reservoir portion via the bypass when the pump stops.   The lubricating device according to claim 1, wherein the circulation part is disposed at a position higher than the oil reservoir part.   The lubrication device according to claim 1, wherein the circulation unit includes an oil cooling device. The return mechanism, the lubricating apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in it to contain backflow capable Po down flop. The return mechanism, the upper the supply feed line of the cooling device the lubricant port down flop is pumped, is composed of a return line for communicating with the oil reservoir and the bottom of the cooling device lubricating apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the Iruko. Prior Symbol oil sump, provided at the bottom of the vehicle transmission, and the flow section claims 1, characterized in that it is arranged outside at a higher than the transmission position of the transmission 5 The lubricating device according to any one of the above. In the lubrication apparatus returned to the oil reservoir after providing a predetermined flow passage portion in communication to the pump pumped up by the pump lubricant from OIL reservoir,
The distribution unit includes an oil cooling device,
When the pump is stopped, a return mechanism for returning the lubricating oil in the circulation part to the oil reservoir part is provided,
The return mechanism includes a pump capable of backflow, and communicates a supply pipe for supplying lubricating oil pumped up by the pump capable of backflow to the upper portion of the oil cooling device, a bottom portion of the cooling device, and the oil reservoir. it lubrication device you characterized that is composed of a cause return line that is. Wherein the flow passage unit, lubrication apparatus according that you are disposed higher than the previous SL oil sump located in claim 7 shall be the features. Before Symbol oil sump is provided at the bottom of the vehicle transmission, and wherein the flow passage section or claim 7, characterized in that it is disposed outside the transmission by Ri high position of the transmission 9. The lubricating device according to 8 . In a lubricating device that pumps up lubricating oil from an oil reservoir by a pump and supplies the lubricating oil to a predetermined flow passage communicating with the pump, and then returns the oil to the oil reservoir,
When the pump is stopped, a return mechanism for returning the lubricating oil in the circulation part to the oil reservoir part is provided,
Before SL circulation unit includes an oil cooler,
The return mechanism includes a supply pipe that supplies lubricating oil pumped up by the pump to the top of the cooling device, and a return pipe that communicates the bottom of the cooling device and the oil reservoir. It characterized the door lubrication apparatus. The flow section, the lubricating apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that it is disposed higher than the previous SL oil sump position. The oil sump is provided at the bottom of the vehicle transmission, and the flow section according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that it is arranged at a position higher than the transmission outside of the transmission Lubrication equipment.

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