JPH03258619A - Power train structure of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce load distribution to a front wheel and to make a transmission system compact by arranging a middle member between an engine and a change gear in the vicinity of a rear end part of the change gear, and by arranging a front wheel side driving shaft on a space part between the engine and the change gear. CONSTITUTION:An output torque of an engine 5 is transmitted to an automatic transmission 8 through a torque converter 6 adjacent to the rear end part of the engine, as well as a drive chain mechanism by a power train P. The speed- changed torque is transmitted to drive shafts 11, 12 on front wheel side and on rear wheel side through a center differential 9. In this structure, the center differential 9 is arranged between the automatic transmission 8 and a housing 40 of the torque converter 6, seen in the width direction of a vehicle, and in the vicinity of the rear end part of the automatic transmission 8, seen in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The front wheel side drive shaft 11 is extended forward through a space part formed between the engine 5 and the automatic transmission 8, and is linked to a front differential 13.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Field of Application] The present invention relates to a power supply system for a vehicle equipped with an engine arranged vertically and a transmission arranged laterally in parallel with the engine. It concerns the train structure.

[Conventional technology] In FF cars (front engine/front drive) or FF-derived four-wheel drive cars, the engine is placed horizontally (
Conventional powertrains (hereinafter referred to as transverse powertrains) have a transmission positioned parallel to the rear of the engine when viewed from the front and back of the vehicle. better known. In such a horizontally mounted powertrain, the output shaft of the engine and the input/output shaft of the transmission are arranged parallel to the axle shaft of the front wheels, which has the advantage of smoother power transmission. However, in a normal wheelbase vehicle, the inherent advantage of a front-wheel drive vehicle (FF vehicle), such as horizontally mounted power, will be lost.

Therefore, in recent years, powertrains have been proposed in which the engine is arranged vertically and the transmission is arranged parallel to the engine (hereinafter referred to as a "vertical parallel powertrain"). ), in vehicles equipped with such a vertically-mounted parallel powertrain, the load distribution to the front wheels is reduced compared to vehicles equipped with a horizontally-mounted powertrain, and the tunnel does not protrude into the passenger compartment, making the vehicle more stable. This has the advantage of making the room larger.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, in the conventional longitudinal parallel powertrain structure disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 56-73940, the output torque of the transmission is distributed between the front wheels and the rear wheels. A center differential is placed in front of the transmission, and further in front of the center differential is a front differential that distributes torque from the front wheels to the left and right front wheels. Therefore, the length of the moving knob transmission system including the power train in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle increases, making the power transmission system bulky.If the lay train is installed in the engine room, most of the weight of the power train will be placed on the front wheels. Compared to FR vehicles (front engine/rear drive) equipped with a powertrain in which the engine and transmission are arranged vertically in series (hereinafter referred to as a vertical series powertrain), the load is distributed more heavily to the front wheels. There is a problem with becoming too much.

Therefore, it is possible to reduce the load distribution to the front wheels by placing the front wheels further forward than in a normal vehicle and by placing the center of gravity of the power train at the rear of the front wheels. Since the wheelbase between the wheels becomes longer, the turning radius relative to the turning angle of the steering wheel becomes larger, causing problems such as poor steering performance.

Another possible method would be to arrange the engine and transmission in series in a vertical manner, similar to FR cars, and provide a power transmission mechanism that transmits the output of the transmission to the front wheel axle shaft. Since the machine is placed below the passenger compartment, there is a problem in that the tunnel portion bulges into the passenger compartment, making it difficult to exit if the passenger compartment is made wider.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the conventional technology, and it is possible to improve the front wheels of FF vehicles or FF-derived four-wheel drive vehicles without causing problems such as increasing the wheelbase or narrowing the passenger compartment. An object of the present invention is to provide a power train structure for a vehicle that can reduce load distribution, make the power transmission system including the power train more compact, and facilitate layout in an engine compartment.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the invention of claim 1 provides an engine that is mounted vertically on a vehicle, and an engine that is disposed laterally in parallel with the engine and receives input from the engine. A power train for a vehicle that is equipped with a transmission that changes the torque and outputs it to an output member, an intermediate member that receives power from the output member, and a front wheel drive shaft that transmits the power of the intermediate member to the front wheels. In the structure, the output member is arranged near the rear end of the transmission, and the intermediate member is located near the rear end of the transmission when viewed in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and between the engine and the transmission when viewed in the vehicle width direction. The present invention also provides a vehicle powertrain structure characterized in that the front wheel side drive shaft is disposed through a space between the engine and the transmission.

The invention as claimed in claim 2 provides the vehicle powertrain structure, characterized in that the clutch housing is disposed behind the engine, and the intermediate member is disposed immediately behind the clutch housing. do. Note that the clutch housing here means a clutch housing in a manual vehicle, and a torque converter housing in an automatic vehicle. The invention of claim 4 is characterized in that the intermediate member is disposed below the engine output shaft and the transmission output shaft. Since the member transmits the power of the output member to the front, and the output member and the intermediate member are arranged near the rear end of the power train, the load distribution to the front wheels can be further reduced.

Further, since the intermediate member is disposed near the rear end of the power train between the engine and the transmission, the length of the power transmission system in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle can be reduced. In addition, since the front wheel drive shaft is arranged by effectively utilizing the narrow dead space formed between the engine and the transmission, the power transmission system can be made more compact.

According to the invention of claim 2, first of all, the effect of the invention of claim 1 can be obtained. Furthermore, the intermediate member is placed directly behind the clutch housing (the clutch housing for manual cars and the torque converter housing for automatic cars), but the clutch housing generally has a small diameter at the rear. Since the intermediate member is formed in a substantially tapered shape, the space formed between the tapered portion and the transmission can be effectively utilized to arrange the intermediate member. Therefore, the invention of claim 5, which is characterized by a power train structure for a vehicle characterized by a power distribution means that further distributes the power transmission system to the rear wheel side and the rear wheel side, is ``power train of a bipedal vehicle.'' In the structure, a front differential is provided that distributes the power of the front output shaft to the left and right front wheels, and the front differential is located between the axis of the engine output shaft and the axis of the transmission output shaft, and is located forward of the transmission. To provide a vehicle powertrain structure characterized in that the powertrain structure is arranged in a position where

[Operations and effects of the invention] According to the invention of claim 1, the engine is arranged vertically,
The transmission is placed on the side of the engine in parallel with it, allowing the center of gravity of the powertrain to be located behind the front wheels. Therefore, the load distribution to the front wheels can be reduced without increasing the wheelbase. Also, since the transmission can be placed forward of the passenger compartment,
The tunnel part does not bulge out on the floor, allowing the vehicle interior to be made wider.

It can be made into a pact.

According to the invention of claim 3, first of all, the effect of the invention of claim 1 can be obtained. Further, since the intermediate member is disposed below the engine output shaft and the transmission output shaft, that is, near the lower end of the engine room, space in the engine room can be utilized without wasting space. and,
In the case of a four-wheel drive vehicle, since the rear wheel drive shaft can be placed at a low position, interference between the rear wheel drive shaft and the vehicle interior can be prevented.

According to the invention of claim 4, first of all, the effects of the invention of claim 1 can be obtained. Furthermore, since the intermediate member serves as the power distribution means, four-wheel drive can be performed without providing a special arrangement space for the power distribution means.

According to the invention of claim 5, first of all, the effects of the invention of claim 1 can be obtained. Furthermore, since the front differential is placed in front of the transmission, making effective use of the space formed between the engine output shaft axis and the transmission output shaft axis, the power transmission system can be made more compact. I can do it.

[Example] Examples of the present invention will be specifically described below.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a power train P of an FF-derived four-wheel drive vehicle WD (hereinafter referred to as vehicle WD) is defined by a bonnet 1, a dash panel 2, and a bottom plate member 3. It is arranged in an engine room 4 made up of

This power train P automatically converts the output torque of the vertical VL engine 5 through a torque converter 6 (hereinafter referred to as torque converter 6) provided adjacent to the rear end of the engine 5 and a drive chain mechanism 7. The basic configuration is such that the torque transmitted to the transmission 8 and the torque changed by the transmission 8 is transmitted to the front wheel drive shaft 11 and the rear wheel drive shaft 12 via the center differential 9.

After this, the torque of the front wheel side drive shaft 11 is transmitted to the front differential 13 and the left and right front axle shafts 14,
It is transmitted to the left and right front wheels 16.17 via I5,
On the other hand, the drive shaft 12 on the rear wheel side is arranged vertically so as to face the rear wheel side drive shaft 12. When viewed in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle WD, the engine 5 is located at its center (
The center of gravity) is near front wheel 16.17 or front wheel 16
．． It is located slightly behind No. 17.

Further, the engine 5 is arranged with its upper part tilted forward. That is, when viewed from the side of the vehicle WD, the vertical axis Q5 of the engine 5 is the vertical axis Q4 of the vehicle WD.
It is tilted forward by an angle θ2 relative to the vehicle.

Furthermore, when viewed in the vehicle width direction (horizontal direction in FIG. 2), the engine 5 is arranged such that its center is located slightly to the left (on the right in FIG. 2) of the center Q1 of the vehicle WD,
Therefore, the center of gravity of the engine 5 is located to the left of the center portion 12+. Further, the engine 5 is disposed with its upper portion inclined toward the right side, that is, toward the transmission 8. That is, the vertical axis Q3 of the engine 5 is tilted to the right (towards the transmission 8) by an upward angle θ of the vertical axis Q2 of the vehicle WD. Therefore, the upper end surface of the right bank 31 of the engine 5 is lower than the upper end surface of the left bank 32. Although not shown, the torque is transmitted to the left and right rear wheels via a rear differential and left and right rear axle shafts. In this embodiment, the left and right sides of the vehicle WD are the left and right sides of the vehicle WD in the forward direction.

In addition, the engine room 4 is provided with a radiator 2I that cools the cooling water of the engine 5, a power steering device 22, a brake mask device 23, an alternator 24, an air conditioner 25, and the like. Further, inside the vehicle compartment 20 on the rear side of the dash panel 2, a handle 26, a shift lever 27 for changing the range of the automatic transmission 8, an accelerator pedal 28, a brake pedal 29, etc. are provided.

Hereinafter, a power train P that is substantially composed of an engine 5, a torque converter 6, a drive chain mechanism 7, and a transmission 8 will be specifically explained.

Basically, the engine 5 is installed so that it is longitudinal in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle WD (the left-right direction in FIG. 1), that is, the axis of the engine output shaft 10 is oriented in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. A surge tank 33 is disposed above and close to the upper end surface, and an intake passage 34 is provided that communicates the surge tank 33 with each cylinder of both banks 31, 32.

A torque converter 6 is attached to the rear end of the engine 5 adjacent to it.
It is located at approximately the same height as the lower half of the.

When viewed in the vehicle width direction, the transmission 8 is mounted slightly to the right of the center portion 121 of the vehicle WD, that is, to the right of the engine 5, so that the axes of the input/output shafts 44, 47 (see FIG. 4) are directed in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. It is placed vertically. Further, when viewed in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the transmission 8 is disposed from the rear of the engine 5 to the position where the torque converter 6 is disposed, and therefore the transmission 8 is disposed completely behind the front wheels 1617. Note that the transmission 8 is arranged at a position slightly lower than the torque converter 6 when viewed in the vertical direction.

When viewed in the vehicle width direction, an appropriate gap space 39 is formed between the transmission 8 and the lower part of the cylinder block 35 (the part that does not branch into banks) or the oil pan 38. As mentioned above, the engine 5 connects its upper end to the transmission 8.
Since it is tilted to the side, the right side bank 31 takes a position in which it slightly covers the left half of the transmission 8. In addition, the power train P has left and right side frames 36.3
It is located between 7.

In the above configuration, first, the engine 5 is arranged vertically, and its center of gravity is near the front wheels 16.17 or 16.17.
Since the center of gravity of the torque converter 6 and the center of gravity of the transmission 8 are located considerably behind the front wheels 16.17, the center of gravity of the power train P as a whole is located behind the front wheels 16.17. (so-called Mizdoship).

Therefore, the load distribution to the front wheels 16, 17 can be reduced. Further, since the transmission 8 is disposed laterally to the engine 5, the transmission 8 is located forward of the vehicle interior 20. Therefore, since the tunnel portion does not bulge into the vehicle interior 20, the vehicle interior 20 can be made larger. Furthermore, the overall height of the powertrain system, which has a wheelbase of 5 times that of a normal car, is reduced. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the hood of the vehicle WD.

Furthermore, since the engine 5 is disposed with its upper part tilted forward, the front upper end surface of the power train P is lowered, and the bonnet of the vehicle WD can be further lowered. That is, since the hood generally curves downward at the front of the vehicle, interference between the bonnet and the power train usually occurs at the front of the power train, but according to the present invention, the front upper end surface of the power train P is particularly low. Therefore, the vehicle WD can have a low bonnet. Note that in a vertically installed in-line powertrain, when the upper part of the engine is tilted forward, the transmission or propeller shaft is disposed higher, so the transmission or propeller shaft interferes with the passenger compartment. For this reason, in a longitudinally installed in-line powertrain, it is difficult to tilt the upper part of the engine forward to lower the bonnet. According to the present invention, since the arrangement position of the rear wheel drive shaft 12 is not directly related to the inclination of the engine 5 in the longitudinal direction, it is needless to say that the engine 5 does not need to be larger than both.

Next, since the engine 5 is disposed with its second part inclined toward the transmission 8 side, the bias in load distribution in the vehicle width direction of the power train P is reduced. That is, when viewed in the vehicle width direction, the engine 5 is disposed on the left side of the center portion Q1, and the transmission 8 is disposed on the right side, but since the weight of the engine 5 is originally much larger than the weight of the transmission 8, simply engine 5
If the and transmission 8 are arranged in parallel, the weight of the power train P will be biased toward the engine 5 side, and the load of the vehicle WD in the vehicle width direction will become unbalanced.

However, according to the present invention, since the upper part of the engine 5 is tilted toward the transmission 8 side, the center of gravity of the engine 5 is shifted from the center of the engine toward the transmission 8 side, thereby reducing the deviation of the center of gravity of the power train P. This makes it possible to equalize the load distribution of the vehicle WD.

In addition, since the intake device such as the surge tank 33 is arranged close to the upper end surface on one side of the right bank 31 where the upper end surface is lower, the arrangement position of the intake device is lower, and therefore the intake device It can be tilted relatively freely, including 16 degrees, and the hood of the vehicle can be lowered.

The torque transmission mechanism from the power train P to the front and rear wheels will be specifically described below.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the output shaft I of the engine 5
The torque of O is first input to the torque converter 6, converted into torque there, and then output to the torque converter output shaft 41. The torque converter output shaft 41 extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and is arranged so that its rear end slightly protrudes rearward from the housing 40 of the torque converter 6.
A drive gear 42 is provided near the rear end of the vehicle.

Note that the housing 40 corresponds to the clutch housing of claim 2.

A transmission input shaft 44 is disposed in the transmission 8 and extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.
The rear end portion is disposed at approximately the same position as the rear end portion of the torque converter output shaft 4I, and a driven gear 45 is provided near the rear end portion of the transmission input shaft 44. And drive gear 4
A chain 43 is wound around the torque converter 2 and the tribuno gear 45, so that the output torque of the torque converter 6 is input to the transmission 8.

Although not shown in detail, the torque input to the transmission input shaft 44 is shifted in accordance with engine load, vehicle speed, etc. by a transmission section 46 consisting of a transmission gear, a hydraulic clutch, etc. 5o to the transmission output shaft 47. This transmission output shaft 47 is
In the rear half of the transmission 8, they are disposed on the outer periphery of the transmission input shaft 44 so as to share an axis with the transmission input shaft 44 and to be able to freely rotate relative to each other around the axis.

The output gear 4 is located near the rear end of the transmission output shaft 47.
8 is attached. This output gear 48 meshes with an idle gear 49, and the idle gear 49 meshes with an input gear 5I that rotates integrally with a center differential case 52 of the center differential 9. Therefore, the output torque of the transmission 8 is transmitted to the center differential case 52 via the output gear 48, the idle gear 49, and the input gear 51. The torque of the left and right side gears 66.67 is transmitted to the left and right side gears 66.67 through the left and right side gears 965, and the torque of the left and right side gears 66.67 is transmitted to the left and right front axle shafts 14.
15 to the left and right front wheels 16 and 17. The front differential 13 is of a bevel gear type that differentially connects the left front axle shaft 14 and the right front axle shaft 15 and distributes the torque input to the front differential case 63 to both front axle shafts 14 and 15. It is a normal differential device.

On the other hand, as described above, the torque of the rear wheel side drive shaft 12 is transmitted to the left and right rear wheels via the rear differential (not shown) and the left and right rear axle shafts.

By the way, the center differential 9 is disposed between the transmission 8 and the housing 40 when viewed in the vehicle width direction, and is located near the rear end of the transmission 8 and immediately behind the housing 40 when viewed in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. It is located in Also, when viewed in the vertical direction, the engine output and torque input to the center differential case 52 are transmitted to the front and rear wheel side side gears via a center differential pinion 54 attached to a shaft portion 53 fixed to the center differential case 52. 55 and 56, and is further transmitted to front and rear drive shafts 11 and 12, which rotate integrally with front and rear side gears 55 and 56, respectively. The center differential 9 is a normal bevel gear type that differentially connects the front and rear drive shafts +1.12 and distributes the torque input to the center differential case 52 to both drive shafts 11.12. It is a moving device.

The torque of the front wheel side drive shaft II is generated by a bevel gear 61 attached to the front end of the drive shaft II, and a bevel gear 61 attached to the front end thereof.
Through the ring gear 62 that meshes with the ring gear 62
The transmission is transmitted to the front differential case 63, which rotates integrally with the front differential case 63.

Then, the torque input to the front differential case 63 is applied to the front differential pinion attached to the shaft portion 64 fixed to the front differential case 63 = 20 shaft 10. Torque converter output shaft 4I and transmission hole/output shaft 4
It is located at a lower position than 4.47.

Here, since the housing 40 is formed in a tapered shape with a smaller diameter at the rear end, an extra space 60 is formed between the rear end of the housing 40 and the transmission 8. Since the center differential 9 is placed in such a way that it fits into this extra space 60, the extra space 60, which is originally a dead space, can be effectively used to arrange the center differential 9, and the power train P can be made compact. Furthermore, since the center differential 9 is disposed at the rear of the power train P, the center of gravity of the power train P can be moved closer to the rear wheels, and the load distribution to the front wheels 16, 17 can be further reduced. In addition, since the center differential 9 is arranged at a low position, the arrangement position of the rear wheel drive shaft I2 is lowered, thereby preventing interference between the rear wheel drive shaft 12 and the vehicle interior 20 (see Fig. 1). be able to.

The front drive shaft 11 extends forward from the center differential 9 through a gap 39 formed between the engine 5 and the transmission 8, and is connected to the front differential 13. The front differential 13 is arranged slightly forward of the front end surface of the transmission 8 when viewed in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and is aligned with the axis of the output shaft IO of the engine 5 and the input/output shaft of the transmission 8 in the vehicle width direction Z. 44, 47, and at approximately the same height as the center differential 9. In addition, in such a structure, the left front axle shaft 14 is arranged to pass through the oil pan 38 (see FIG. 2), or the bottom part of the oil pan 38 is disposed at the engagement part with the left front axle shaft 14. will be raised.

In this way, the front wheel side drive shaft 11 is disposed by effectively utilizing the gap space 39, which is originally a dead space, so that the power train P can be made compact. In addition, the center differential I3 is disposed between the axis of the output shaft 10 and the axis of the transmission joist/output shaft 44°47, making effective use of the dead space formed in front of the transmission 8. 40... Housing, 41... Torque converter output shaft, 4
4. Transmission input shaft, 47. Transmission output shaft.

Claims (5)

[Claims] (1) An engine installed vertically in a vehicle, a transmission placed parallel to the engine on the side of the engine, which changes the speed of the torque input from the engine and outputs it to an output member, and a transmission that outputs power from the output member. In the powertrain structure of a vehicle, the output member is disposed near the rear end of the transmission, and the intermediate member is provided with an intermediate member to which power is input, and a front wheel drive shaft that transmits the power of the intermediate member to the front wheels. is located near the rear end of the transmission when viewed in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and between the engine and the transmission when viewed in the width direction of the vehicle, and the front drive shaft is located in the space between the engine and the transmission. A vehicle powertrain structure characterized by being arranged through the vehicle. (2) The vehicle powertrain structure according to claim 1, wherein the clutch housing is disposed at the rear of the engine, and the intermediate member is disposed immediately behind the clutch housing. . (3) The vehicle powertrain structure according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate member is disposed below the engine output shaft and the transmission output shaft. (4) In the vehicle powertrain structure according to claim 1, the intermediate member is a power distribution means for distributing the power of the output member between the front wheels and the rear wheels. structure. (5) In the vehicle powertrain structure according to claim 1, a front differential is provided that distributes the power of the front output shaft to the left and right front wheels, and the front differential is connected to the axis of the engine output shaft and the transmission output. A powertrain structure for a vehicle, characterized in that the powertrain structure is located between the axis of the shaft and in front of the transmission.