JPH0524451A - Power train structure for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To downsize a power train when a clutch or a torque converter is positioned in axial direction at the center of a crankshaft of a transverse engine. CONSTITUTION:An engine 7 is positioned transversely A clutch 20 is positioned roughly at the center of a transversely of the engine 7. On the engine 7 at the rear of a vehicle, a transmission 12 is positioned close to the engine 7 on the clutch 20 at the left side of the vehicle body, and a differential for front wheel 15 is positioned on the clutch 20 at the left side of the vehicle body. The differential 15 is positioned co-axially with the shaft of the transmission 12. Accordingly, the transmission 12 and the differential 15 are positioned in two spaces divided in the lateral direction of the vehicle body, respectively, by projecting the large diameter clutch 20 from the engine 7. Then, using these spaces effectively, a power train can be shortened in both longitudinal and vertical directions of the vehicle body as compared with the case when the transmission and the differential are positioned ex-axially in the longitudinal or vertical direction of the vehicle.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a powertrain structure for a vehicle, and more particularly to an improvement of a horizontal engine arrangement.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a powertrain structure for a vehicle of this type, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-313630, a crankshaft of an engine is installed in an engine room at the front of a vehicle body in a vehicle width direction. And a front transmission on the rear side of the engine, in which the transmission is located rearward of the vehicle body with the axis parallel to the crankshaft of the engine. It is known that the power trains are compactly shortened in the front-rear direction and the width direction of the vehicle body by arranging.

[0003]

By the way, when disposing the front wheel side differential in the engine room as described above, it is common to dispose the shaft on a shaft different from the shaft of the transmission. ..

However, in this case, when the transmission and the differential are arranged in the vertical direction of the vehicle body,
There is a drawback that the entire power train becomes longer in that direction, and similarly, when both of them are arranged in the vehicle front-rear direction, they become longer in that direction by the axial distance.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and particularly when the clutch or the torque converter is arranged at the substantially central portion of the crankshaft of the engine, the longitudinal length of the engine is increased by the large diameter clutch or the like. Paying attention to the fact that the direction (vehicle width direction) is divided into two spaces, the purpose is to make effective use of these two divided spaces to properly arrange the transmission and the front wheel differential, and To shorten the front-rear direction or the up-down direction of the train.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to the present application employs a configuration in which the transmission and the differential are arranged coaxially by utilizing the two partitioned spaces.

That is, the specific means for solving the problems of the first aspect of the invention is to arrange the engine horizontally in the engine room at the front of the vehicle body, and to dispose the transmission in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body of the engine. It is premised on a power train structure of a vehicle in which a clutch or a torque converter for transmitting power from the engine to a transmission is arranged substantially parallel to the crankshaft of the engine in parallel with the crankshaft. Then, the transmission is arranged on one side of the clutch or the torque converter, and on the other side,
The differential is arranged coaxially with the transmission.

[0008]

With the above construction, in the invention of claim 1,
The longitudinal direction of the engine is divided into two spaces by a large-diameter clutch or torque converter existing in the substantially central portion of the transversely mounted engine, and a transmission and a differential are arranged in each of the divided spaces, Since both of these devices are provided coaxially, the transmission and the differential are coaxially arranged while effectively utilizing the above two spaces, so that compared to the case where they are arranged on different conventional axes. hand,
The length of the power train in the front-rear direction or the up-down direction of the vehicle body is shortened.

[0009]

As described above, according to the powertrain structure for a vehicle of the first aspect of the present invention, the engine is partitioned by the clutch or the torque converter arranged substantially in the center of the crankshaft of the horizontal engine. Since the transmission and the front wheel differential are coaxially arranged while effectively utilizing the two spaces in the longitudinal direction, the length of the powertrain in the vehicle front-rear direction or the vertical direction can be shortened by that amount, and the powertrain can be shortened accordingly. Can be made compact.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

1, 2, and 3 show a powertrain structure for a front-wheel drive vehicle. In the figure, 1 is a bonnet forming part of the vehicle body, 2 is a dash panel,
The dash panel 2 forms an engine room 3 on the front side of the vehicle body on the side of the hood 1 and a vehicle room 4 on the opposite side.

Inside the engine room 3, a radiator 6 is arranged on the front side of the vehicle body, and an engine 7 is arranged behind it. The engine 7 has its crankshaft 8
Is placed horizontally in the vehicle width direction.

At the rear of the vehicle body of the engine 7, there are two upper and lower parts.
A two-shaft transmission 12 having two shafts 12a and 12b is arranged, and a front wheel side differential 15 is arranged coaxially with the lower shaft 12b of the transmission 12. The differential 15 has left and right front axles 32.
The left and right front wheels W are connected via a and 32b.

As shown in FIG. 2, the specific arrangement of the power train devices is as follows. As shown in FIG. 2, the shaft 12a on the upper side of the transmission 12 is located behind and above the axis P1 of the crankshaft 8 of the engine 7. Is set on the lower side of the shaft 12b, and the shaft center P3 of the differential 15 is set on the front side of the vehicle body relative to the shaft center P2 of the upper shaft 12a.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, a large-diameter clutch 20 for transmitting power from the engine 7 to the transmission 12 is arranged substantially in the longitudinal center of the crankshaft 8 of the engine 7. There is. The clutch 20 is a support disc 20 that is connected to the crankshaft 8 so as to rotate integrally therewith.
a, a clutch disc 20b arranged to face the support disc 20a and rotatably supported by the crankshaft 8, and a pressure plate 20c for pressing the clutch disc 20b against the support disc 20a. Further, the clutch disc 20b
The output gear 21 is connected to the transmission 12
An input gear 22 meshing with the output gear 21 is rotatably connected to the upper shaft 12a of the. With this configuration,
When the clutch 20 is engaged, the power of the engine 7 is transmitted from the crankshaft 8 to the upper shaft 12a of the transmission 12, and when the clutch 20 is disengaged, the transmission of the power is cut off.

The upper shaft 12a and the lower shaft 1 of the transmission 12
A gear train 30 for speed change is arranged between the gears 2b and 2b, and the rotation of the lower shaft 12b is transmitted to the bevel gear type front wheel differential 15. The differential 15 divides the power into left and right, and the front axle 32
It is configured to be transmitted to the left and right front wheels W via a and 32b.

The clutch 20, the transmission 12,
As shown in FIG. 3, the positional relationship between the differential 15 and the differential 15 as viewed from the upper surface of the vehicle body is as shown in FIG. 12 is arranged, and the differential 15 is provided on the left side of the vehicle body which is the other side of the clutch 20.
The front axle 32b for the right front wheel is coaxially arranged inside the lower shaft 12b of the transmission 12 and extends to the right front wheel W side as shown in FIG.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the engine 7 is arranged so as to be inclined rearward of the vehicle body, and an intake port 9 is provided on the front side of the vehicle body and an exhaust port 10 is provided on the rear side of the vehicle body.
Are arranged so that. Exhaust port 10
An exhaust manifold 39 is connected to the exhaust manifold 39, and an exhaust pipe 40 is communicatively connected to the collecting portion of the exhaust manifold 39. The exhaust pipe 40 extends diagonally below the vehicle body through a space above the clutch 20. The exhaust gas purification device 41 is disposed horizontally extending toward the rear of the vehicle body, and an exhaust gas purification device 41 is provided in the middle of the horizontal portion.

On the other hand, a surge tank 43 is arranged in a space diagonally above the engine 7, and a plurality of (four) independent intake passages 46 corresponding to each cylinder are provided in the front portion of the surge tank 43. The independent intake passages 46 are connected to each other, extend obliquely downward and forward of the vehicle body, and then bend backward to communicate with the intake ports 9 of the cylinders of the engine 7.

In FIG. 1, 47 is a fuel injection valve arranged in each independent intake passage 46. Therefore, in the above-described embodiment, the large-diameter clutch 20 is arranged substantially in the center of the crankshaft 8 of the engine 7 in the axial direction, and vacant spaces are formed on the left side and the right side of the clutch 20. Since the transmission 12 is arranged close to the rear of the engine 7 in the empty space on the right side and the differential 15 is arranged in the empty space on the left side of the vehicle body, the differential 15 is arranged behind the vehicle body of the transmission 12. The power train is more compact in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body than the case of arranging.

Moreover, since the differential 15 is coaxially arranged with the lower shaft 12b of the transmission 12 and the axis P3 being the same, the transmission 12 and the differential 15 are arranged in the longitudinal direction or the vertical direction of the vehicle body. In comparison with the case where the power train is arranged on another axis, the length in the front-rear direction or the up-down direction of the vehicle body can be shortened accordingly, and the power train can be made compact.

Although the clutch 20 is used as an element for transmitting the power of the engine 7 to the transmission 12 in the above embodiment, it goes without saying that a torque converter may be used.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a skeleton diagram of a power train showing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view showing an arrangement state of a power train in a front portion of a vehicle body.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the same.

[Explanation of symbols]

 3 Engine Room 7 Engine 8 Crank Shaft 12 Transmission 12a Upper Shaft 12b Lower Shaft 15 Differential W Front Wheel 20 Clutch 32a, 32b Axle

Claims (1)

Claim: What is claimed is: 1. An engine is laterally arranged in an engine room at the front of a vehicle body, and a transmission is arranged parallel to the crankshaft of the engine in the longitudinal direction of the engine body. A clutch or a torque converter for transmitting power from the engine to the transmission is arranged substantially in the center of the crankshaft of the engine, and the transmission is provided on one side of the clutch or the torque converter. Is disposed, and the differential is disposed coaxially with the transmission on the other side. A powertrain structure for a vehicle.