JPH03279019A - Power train construction for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To reduce a front wheel load and make a power train compact in both vertical and lengthwise directions by arranging a clutch adjacent to the output side end of an engine but not overlapped with a reduction gear, and installing a front differential gear forward of the engine in the titled power train construction of an FF type vehicle equipped with the engine laid transversely. CONSTITUTION:A clutch 2 is provided at the output side end of an engine 1, or at the left end of a vehicle WD viewed in an advance direction close to the engine 1. On the other hand, a reduction gear 8 is positioned in the vicinity of the right end of the vehicle WD at the rear side of the engine 1, or at a position farthest from the clutch 2. Also, reduction gears 12 to 14, a viscous coupling V, a center differential gear C and a torque transmission mechanism are arranged approximately in line at the left side of the reduction gear 8. Furthermore, a front differential gear F is provided forward of the engine 1. According to the aforesaid construction, a front wheel load can be reduced, and a power train construction can be made compact in both vertical and lengthwise directions.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to a power train structure for a vehicle, which includes a horizontally mounted engine and a transmission arranged parallel to the engine. be.

[Prior art] In FF vehicles (front engine, front drive) or FF-derived four-wheel drive vehicles, the engine is mounted horizontally so that it is longitudinally arranged in the width direction of the vehicle. A powertrain structure in which transmissions are arranged parallel to each other in the longitudinal direction (hereinafter referred to as a horizontal parallel powertrain structure) has been known for some time (for example,
(Refer to Japanese Patent Publication No. 4936296).

[Problem to be solved by the invention] In such a horizontal parallel powertrain structure,
For example, the transmission may be placed behind the engine (on the rear side) when viewed in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and the output shaft of the transmission may also be used as the front axle shaft, or the front axle shaft may be placed close to the output shaft of the transmission. The arranged powertrain structure is known. In addition, in the following, the front side will be referred to as the front side, and the rear side will be referred to as the rear side, as viewed in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. However, in such a powertrain structure, most of the weight of the powertrain is applied to the front wheels, so there is a problem that the load on the front wheels becomes too large.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, for example, a transmission 105, a center differential 106, a front differential 107, and left and right front axle shafts 108 and 109 are arranged on the front side of the engine 102 and clutch 103, and the power train The center of gravity of 101 is front axle shaft 1
A so-called mid-ship powertrain structure has been proposed in which the powertrain is located closer to the rear than the 2008 and 109 models.

In the power train 101, the torque of the engine 102 is transmitted to the transmission 105 via the clutch 103 and the drive chain mechanism 104, and the torque changed by the transmission 105 is transmitted to the center differential 106. Furthermore, a portion of the torque transmitted to the center differential 106 is transmitted to the left and right front wheels 11 through the front differential 107 and the left and right front axle shafts 108, 109.
0°111, and the remaining torque is transmitted to the rear wheels via the propeller shaft 112.

However, in this conventional powertrain lO1,
Since the wheelbase between the front and rear wheels becomes longer, the turning radius relative to the turning angle of the steering wheel becomes larger, causing problems such as poor steering performance.

Further, there is a problem that the length of the power train 101 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle becomes relatively long, and the layout thereof becomes difficult.

The present invention has been made in view of the above conventional problems, and is capable of reducing the front wheel load by appropriately distributing the weight of the power train to the front and rear wheels in a horizontal parallel power train. The objective is to provide a vehicle powertrain structure that is compact in the vertical and longitudinal directions.

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention disposes the engine so as to be longitudinal in the width direction of the vehicle, and also disposes the transmission behind the engine when viewed in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. In a vehicle placed in parallel with the engine, the clutch is adjacent to the output end of the engine, while the transmission is placed in a position where the transmission and clutch do not overlap in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and To provide a power train structure for a vehicle, characterized in that power is input/output to a transmission from a clutch side, and a front differential is disposed in front of an engine when viewed in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

Note that in the present invention, the clutch includes a torque converter for an automatic vehicle.

[Operations and Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention, since the front differential is located closer to the front of the engine, the front axle shaft is also located closer to the front of the engine.

For this reason, the center of gravity of the powertrain is located closer to the rear than the front wheels, resulting in a so-called midship arrangement, which can effectively reduce wheel weight.

Furthermore, since the clutch (torque converter in an automatic vehicle), which is bulky in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and the transmission do not overlap in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the engine and the transmission can be disposed close to each other.

Therefore, it is possible to shorten the length of time the power train is heated, and the power train can be made more compact.

Furthermore, since the transmission is not placed on the front side of the engine, the front axle shaft can be placed close to the engine. Therefore, the wheelbase can be shortened. Furthermore, since the degree of freedom in arranging the front differential is increased, the front differential can be disposed at the center in the vehicle width direction, and torque transmission to the left and right front wheels can be stabilized.

In addition, in a four-wheel drive vehicle, the center differential can be placed in the space between the transmission and the clutch when viewed in the vehicle width direction, so the center differential can be easily placed in the center of the vehicle width direction. can. Accordingly, the front differential or the rear differential can also be disposed at the center in the vehicle width direction, and torque transmission to the left and right sides of the front wheels or rear wheels can be stabilized.

[Embodiment] First, the basic configuration of the torque transmission mechanism will be described.

As shown in Figure 3, an FF-derived four-wheel drive vehicle (vehicle)
The WD power train P outputs the torque of the engine 1 to the main shaft 3 via the clutch 2 (torque converter 2 in automatic vehicles). The torque of the main shaft 3 is transmitted to the transmission input shaft 7 via a main drive gear 4 attached to the main shaft 3, a drive chain 5, and a main driven gear 6.

The torque transmitted to the transmission input shaft 7 is input to the transmission 8 from the left side (clutch side) of the vehicle, and then is shifted in accordance with the shift position in the transmission section 9, and then transferred to the transmission input shaft 7 from the same side (the clutch side).
It is designed to be output to a transmission output shaft 11 that protrudes toward the clutch side). Note that "left" and "right" of the vehicle mean "left" and "right" in the direction of travel of the vehicle, and the same applies below. The output torque of the transmission output shaft 11 is
The deceleration is transmitted via a deceleration sun gear 12 coaxially fixed to the deceleration pinion gear 14 that meshes with the deceleration sun gear I2 and the fixed ring gear 13. The torque of this reduction pinion gear 14 is
Outer case 1 of viscous coupling V which will be explained later
5 to the center differential C. The center differential C includes a ring gear 16 coaxially fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the outer case 15, a sun gear 18 coaxially fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the hollow shaft 19, and a ring gear I6.
It is a double pinion planetary gear type differential device consisting of a sun gear 18 and a pinion gear 17 that mesh with each other, and is configured to differentially drive the front and rear wheels while distributing torque to them at a predetermined ratio. There is.

The torque of the sun gear 18 of the center differential C is transmitted to the front propeller shaft 23 via the hollow shaft 19, the front drive gear 21, and the front driven gear 22.

On the other hand, the torque of the pinion gear 17 is the same as that of the carrier 20.
The signal is transmitted to a rear propeller shaft 26 via a rear drive gear 24 and a rear driven gear 25.

Further, a viscous coupling V is provided as a differential limiting device for limiting the differential between the front propeller shaft 23 and the rear propeller shaft 26 (between the front and rear wheels). A plurality of outer plates 27 are attached to the inner peripheral surface of the outer case 15 of this viscous coupling
A plurality of inner plates 28 are attached to the outer peripheral surface of 9. Note that the outer plates 27 and the inner plates 28 are arranged alternately in the axial direction of the hollow shaft 19. Further, oil is sealed in the outer case 15, and when the front propeller shaft 23 and the rear propeller shaft 26 move differentially, the first or both plates 27.
28 rotate at different rotational speeds, torque is transmitted between the two plates 27 and 28 due to the viscous force of the oil, and the two plates 27 and 28 rotate at different speeds. The differential movement of the propeller shaft 26 is limited.

The torque of the front propeller shaft 23 is transmitted to the differential case 33 of the front differential F via the beher gear 31 and the ring gear 32.

The torque transmitted to the differential case 34 is transmitted to the differential pinion 3
4 to the left and right side gears 35, 36, and the torque of these left and right side gears 35, 36 is transmitted to the left and right front wheels 39, 40 via the left and right front axle shafts 37, 38, respectively. It has become. The front differential F is a normal differential device that differentially drives the left and right front wheels 39.40 and equally distributes torque between them.

Although not shown, the torque of the rear propeller shaft 26 is transmitted to the rear wheels via a rear differential and a rear axle shaft.

The mechanical configuration and arrangement of the power train P will be described below.

Kano IM Ki Flute 9M Ki 1. -Jiju)ro? - The Paro KL and the Non-P are arranged in an engine room 46 defined by a hood 43, a dash panel 44, and a bottom plate member 45.

The V-type engine I, which includes a first bank 47 and a second bank 48, is placed horizontally with the first bank 47 facing the front side. Here, the engine 1 has its upper end inclined toward the front side by an angle θ, that is, the vertical center line ρ of the engine 1 is tilted forward by an angle θ with respect to the vertical center line Q of the vehicle WD. It is arranged so that it slopes to the side. Due to this slope,
The arrangement position of the first bank 47 located on the front side is lowered, and the upper end surface of the first bank 47 is inclined downwardly toward the front. Therefore, a space 49 having a substantially triangular cross section when viewed from the side of the vehicle WD is formed between the upper end surface of the first bank 47 and the bonnet 43.

A surge tank 51 for stabilizing intake air is arranged in this space 49. In addition, from the surge tank 51, the first. In order to supply intake air to the second bank 47,48, the first bank 47. A second intake passage 52,53 is provided.

In this way, since the surge tank 51 is arranged in the space 49 formed between the upper end surface of the first bank 47 and the bonnet 43, the arrangement position of the intake system is lowered, and the bonnet can be effectively lowered. It is becoming more and more popular.

The clutch 2 is attached closely to the engine 1 at the output side end of the engine I, that is, at the left end when facing the traveling direction of the vehicle WD. In addition, in the following, when the left side (left direction) and the right side (right direction) are simply referred to, they mean the left side (left direction) and the right side (right direction), respectively, in the direction of travel of the vehicle.

The clutch housing 55 of the clutch 2 has a circular shape with a fairly large diameter when viewed from the side of the vehicle WD. Therefore, when viewed in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle WD, the clutch housing 55 is connected to the cylinder block 56 of the engine l.
(the part that is not divided into banks) or oil pan 5
4, it protrudes in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. However, as will be explained later, since no members other than the transmission input shaft 7 and the left front axle shaft 37 are disposed in the longitudinal direction of the clutch housing 55, the protrusion of the clutch housing 55 is caused by the power train P. The answer does not affect the layout.

The main drive gear 4, the drive chain 5, and the main driven gear 6 are arranged at the left end of the clutch 2.

The transmission 8 is disposed on the rear side of the engine l, near its right end, that is, at a position farthest from the clutch 2. Then, on the left side of the transmission 8, in order, a reduction gear I2, 13.14, a viscous coupling V, a center differential C, and a torque transmission mechanism from the center differential C to both propeller shafts 23.26 are connected to the vehicle. They are arranged almost in a straight line in the width direction. In this way, the input/output shaft 7.11 of the transmission 8 and the hollow shaft 19 that transmits the torque of the center differential C to the front propeller shaft 23
and are all arranged on the #transmission latch side of the ζ freezing jlR, so in order to avoid mutual interference, the transmission output shaft 11 and the hollow shaft 19 are each formed into a tube shape with a hollow part. A transmission input shaft 7 is disposed in these hollow portions, sharing the same axis. In the above configuration, the torque transmission mechanism from the transmission 8 to both propeller shafts 23, 26 is made very compact.

In addition, the transmission 8 and the torque transmission mechanisms disposed on the left side thereof, which reach both propeller shafts 23 and 26, are all disposed on the right side of the clutch housing 55.
There is no interference between these and the clutch housing 55 in terms of layout. therefore,
The transmission 8 and each torque transmission mechanism from this to the propeller shafts 23 and 26 are respectively arranged close to the engine 1, thereby shortening the length of the power train P in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Compactness is achieved.

In addition, the engine 2 and transmission 8 are as modern as possible 1. AI&1IWfXner #1. - xy: ノ'ノ1のすj
The rear wall surface of the front wall 54 is recessed toward the front, and the transmission 8 is fitted into this recessed portion and disposed closely. Therefore, the length of the assembly of the engine 1 and the transmission 8 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is extremely short, and the power train P is further made more compact in the longitudinal direction. Furthermore, the rigidity of the engine I and transmission 8 assembly is increased.

In addition, the conventional power train structure 1 as shown in Fig. 5
In 01, since the transmission 105 is placed in front of the clutch 103, the engine 102 and the transmission 105 cannot be placed sufficiently close to each other, and therefore the power train 101 cannot be made sufficiently compact in the longitudinal direction. It is not planned.

The front differential F is arranged on the front side of the engine l in close proximity thereto. Therefore, the left and right front axle shafts 37.38 are also arranged on the front side of the engine l, so the center of gravity of the power train P is located rearward from both front axle shafts 37.38, resulting in a so-called mid-ship arrangement, and the power train P The load on the front wheels is appropriately distributed between the front and rear wheels, reducing the front wheel load. In addition, since the transmission 8, center differential C, etc. are not arranged on the front side of the engine l, the front differential F
The degree of freedom in layout in the vehicle width direction increases. For this reason,
The front differential F is arranged approximately at the center in the vehicle width direction, and the torque transmission to the left and right front wheels is stabilized.

In the above embodiment, the viscous coupling V is connected to the deceleration sun gear 12 coaxially fixed to the transmission output shaft 11.
A viscous coupling V' is disposed between the deceleration pinion gear 14 that meshes with this and the center differential C, and as shown in FIG. It's okay. In this case, the outer case 15° is coaxially fixed to the rear ring gear 24, and the outer plate 27° is attached to the inner peripheral surface of the outer case 15″. In this way, the dead space between the rear ring gear 24 and the front ring gear 21 can be effectively used, so the length of the torque transmission mechanism from the transmission 8 to the front ring gear 21 in the vehicle width direction can be shortened. This allows the powertrain to be partially made more compact.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is an explanatory side view of a power train of a four-wheel drive vehicle showing an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partially sectional front explanatory view of the power train shown in FIG. 1, viewed from the front side of the vehicle. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the torque transmission mechanism of the four-wheel drive vehicle shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram similar to FIG. 3 in which a viscous coupling is arranged between a rear ring gear and a front ring gear. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a conventional horizontal parallel powertrain structure. WD...vehicle, C...center differential, F...front differential, P...power train, ■...viscous coupling, l...engine, 2...clutch, 3
・・Main shaft, 7・・Transmission input shaft, 8・・Transmission, II・・Transmission output shaft, 23・Front propeller shaft, 37.38・・Front axle shaft, 3
9.40...Front wheel, 43...Bonnet, 47 ・
1st bank, 48 - 2nd bank, 51... surge tank, 55 - clutch housing.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) In a vehicle in which the engine is arranged longitudinally in the width direction of the vehicle, and the transmission is arranged parallel to the engine behind the engine when viewed in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the output end of the engine While the clutch is adjacent to the transmission, the transmission is placed in a position where the transmission and the clutch do not overlap in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and power is input and output from the clutch side to the transmission when viewed in the width direction of the vehicle. A vehicle powertrain structure characterized in that a front differential is located in front of an engine when viewed in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.