WO2017014755A1

WO2017014755A1 - Lubricator for vehicle driveline components

Info

Publication number: WO2017014755A1
Application number: PCT/US2015/041336
Authority: WO
Inventors: Craig A. Campbell; Arthur J. BALL; Melissa L. HAYES
Original assignee: Gkn Driveline North America, Inc.
Priority date: 2015-07-21
Filing date: 2015-07-21
Publication date: 2017-01-26

Abstract

In at least some implementations, a lubricator for vehicle driveline components includes a housing and a pump body. The housing defines at least part of a fluid chamber and has an inlet through which lubricant flows into the chamber and an outlet through which lubricant flows out of the chamber to a driveline component. The pump body is passively driven in opposed directions and arranged to cause lubricant to move into and out of the chamber. In at least some forms, the pump body is driven by vibrations or other forces experienced during operation of the vehicle and is not positively or actively driven by a power source provided for that purpose, such as a motor or hydraulic actuator or pneumatic actuator.

Description

LUBRICATOR FOR VEHICLE DRIVELINE COMPONENTS TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to vehicle driveline components and more particularly to a lubricator for vehicle driveline components.

BACKGROUND

Vehicle drivelines transmit torque from a vehicle's engine to its wheels.

Automotive drivelines sometimes include power transfer units (PTUs, also known as power take-off units), final drive units (FDU) and other components for selectively distributing torque among shafts in the drivelines. The PTUs and FDUs are often equipped in four-wheel and all-wheel drive driveline configurations. PTUs and FDUs typically consist of a housing that encloses and supports gear assemblies, shafts, and bearings, among other possible components. Oil is ordinarily kept in the housing to lubricate the gear assemblies as they rotate and mesh during operation of the driveline, and to lubricate the bearings and other components. The housing is typically filled with oil only partway and not fully, as oil usually makes its way to all of the components when it is sloshed and splashed around in the housing during operation.

SUMMARY

The lubricator may also include a boundary member carried by the housing to define part of the chamber and operably associated with the pump body so that movement of the pump body causes movement of at least part of the boundary member in one or both of a first direction and a second direction. Movement of the boundary member in the first direction reduces the volume of the chamber and movement of the boundary member in the second direction increases the volume of the chamber. In at least some implementations, the pump body is carried by the boundary member. The boundary member may be defined by part of the pump body or it may be a component that is separate from the pump body. The boundary member may include a diaphragm carried by the housing to flex relative to the chamber in response to movement of the pump body.

In at least some implementations, the pump body oscillates in response to vehicle forces generated during operation of the vehicle. In this regard, the pump body may, for example, be pivoted relative to the housing or the pump body may slidably oscillate relative to the housing. Oscillation of the pump body may drive a fluid mover that moves fluid adjacent to the inlet in the chamber to the outlet of the chamber. In at least some implementations, the lubricator of claim may also include an indexing arm associated with the pump body and the fluid mover to rotate the fluid mover in response to movement of the pump body. In at least some implementations, the housing also defines part of a second chamber and movement of the pump body also moves fluid into and out of the second chamber.

In at least some implementations, the lubricator of claim may also include a biasing member that acts on the pump body to move or assist movement of the pump body in one direction. And a boundary member may be formed from a resilient material which acts as a biasing member that provides a force on the pump body after the material is flexed or compressed by movement of the pump body.

In at least some implementations, a lubrication system for vehicle driveline components includes more than one lubricator. For example, the system may include a first lubricator having a housing with a fluid chamber through which lubricant flows and a pump body passively driven in opposed directions and arranged to cause lubricant to move into and out of the chamber, and a second lubricator having a housing with a fluid chamber through which lubricant flows and a pump body passively driven in opposed directions and arranged to cause lubricant to move into and out of the chamber, wherein the pump body of the first lubricator resonates at a different frequency than does the pump body of the second lubricator.

In at least some implementations, the pump body of the first lubricator is connected to housing of the first lubricator in a different manner than the pump body of the second lubricator is connected to the housing of the second lubricator. In at least some implementations, the pump body of the first lubricator has a different mass than the pump body of the second lubricator. In at least some implementations, the pump bodies are yieldably biased in one direction and the biasing force on the pump body of the first lubricator is different than the biasing force on the pump body of the second lubricator. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The following detailed description of preferred embodiments and best mode will be set forth with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a lubricator having a pump body and a housing;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of a lubricator showing a pump body, boundary member, housing, and inlet and outlet check valves;

FIGS. 3 and 4 are perspective views of different lubricators having pivoted pump bodies of different mass;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view a lubricator with two chambers and with a portion broken away to show internal components;

FIG. 6 is a diagrammatic view of a lubricator having an indexed fluid mover driven by a pump body;

FIG. 7 is a diagrammatic view of a lubricator having a sliding pump body; and FIG. 8 is a diagrammatic view of a lubricator having a pendulum type pump body.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring in more detail to the drawings, FIGS. 1 and 2 diagrammatically illustrate a lubricator 10 for a vehicle driveline component. The lubricator 10 is "active" in that it drives or otherwise causes a flow of a lubricant within or onto a driveline component rather than merely relying upon splashing or sloshing of the lubricant caused by vehicle movement. In the illustrated example, the lubricator 10 includes a chamber 12 in which lubricant may be received, an inlet 14 into the chamber 12, an outlet 16 from the chamber 12 and a pump body 18. In operation, the pump body 18 is driven or moved to vary the volume of the chamber 12. Movement of the pump body 18 in a first direction increases the volume of the chamber 12 to take-in or permit entry of additional lubricant into the chamber 12. Movement of the pump body 18 in a second direction decreases the volume of the chamber 12 to move lubricant out of the chamber 12.

In at least some implementations, the pump body 18 is or includes a mass that is moved (e.g. oscillated in first and second directions) by forces (e.g. accelerations and vibrations) that occur within the driveline and vehicle generally, during use of the vehicle. For example, vibrations caused by the vehicle powertrain (e.g. engine and transmission) or by movement of the vehicle over roads or other terrain, as well as accelerations experienced by the vehicle in use, can be used to move the pump body 18 and thereby move lubricant into and out of the chamber 12. Vibrations, for example due to engine operation, are present within the vehicle even when the vehicle is not moving. This permits lubrication to be moved within the system even when the vehicle is not in motion and therefore, is not dependent on splashing or sloshing caused by vehicle movement and/or rotation of driveline components (e.g. gears/shafts/joints). Further, lubricant can be specifically provided where needed, and perhaps in locations where splashing or flowing fluid does not easily or often reach. In many applications, such as to wet a seal or bearing, only a small amount of lubricant may be needed and hence, a small or low-flow rate pump may be used.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the pump body 18 is mounted on and for movement relative to a housing 20 that defines the chamber 12. The pump body 18 may be formed of any suitable material and the mass thereof may be selected to provide a desired movement under a desired magnitude of force. In one example, the mass of the pump body 18 is selected so that the pump body resonates or oscillates at a desired frequency, at least when subjected to vibrations of a certain frequency or range of frequencies. As shown in the drawings, the pump body 18 is a generally cylindrical disc with a circular periphery and a thickness chosen to provide a desired mass. The pump body 18 may be mounted to or on a boundary member such as a diaphragm 24 carried by and preferably seated to the housing 20. In at least some implementations, the pump body 18 may move the diaphragm 24 that, with the housing 20, defines the chamber 12. In this way, the diaphragm 24 may be driven by the pump member 18 to vary the volume of the chamber 12.

The diaphragm 24 may be sealed to the housing 20 to enclose and define part of the chamber 12. This may simplify the construction of the lubricator 10 in that the movable pump member 18 need not be sealed to the housing 20 when the chamber 12 is otherwise sealed. The diaphragm 24 may also act as a spring, such as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 wherein the diaphragm is defined by a disc of compressible and resilient polymeric material. During a compression stroke wherein the pump body 18 moves toward the chamber 12, the disc diaphragm 24 is compressed to reduce the chamber volume and move fluid out of the outlet 16. During an expansion or return stroke, the resilient diaphragm 24 helps to return the pump body 18 to or toward its starting position to enlarge the chamber volume and take fluid into the inlet 14.

To prevent reverse fluid movement (i.e. into the outlet 16 or out of the inlet 14), check valves 26 may be associated with the inlet 14 and outlet 16. In the example shown in FIG. 2, the check valves 26 include balls carried in retainers 28 and movable relative to seats 30 to block the respective reverse fluid flows. Of course, other types of check valves can be used, and while not shown as being biased, a spring or other biasing member may be included within the check valve to assist check valve operation and/or assure a desired valve state (e.g. open or closed) in the absence of a greater opposing force. That is, the valves may be normally open or normally closed, as desired. FIG. 2 diagrammatically illustrates a pump body 18 on a diaphragm that defines part of a chamber, and shows the check valves 26, which may be incorporated into other embodiments in a similar way.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate two similar but not identical lubricators 32, 34 for which similar components will be described together and given the same reference numerals for ease of description. First, the lubricators 32, 34, each include a pump body 36 that may be of any general shape and may be pivoted instead of sliding. In the example shown, the pump body 36 is rectangular in cross-section and pivoted along one edge 38 for movement relative to the chamber defined between the body 36 and a housing 40. Second, instead of a ball-type check valve, the check valves in this embodiment are defined by flaps of material at an inlet 42 (including valve 44) and outlet 46 (including valve 48). The flap valves 44, 48 may permit fluid flow out of the outlet 46 but prevent the reverse flow of fluid into the chamber from the outlet 46, and vice versa for the inlet 42. Third, the mass of the pump body 36 may be different in the lubricators shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. One pump body 36 may be tuned to resonant at a lower frequency than the other and hence, multiple frequency modes can be accounted for in use. As shown, the pump body 36 in the lubricator 32 is larger and has greater mass than the pump body 36 in the lubricator 34. More than one lubricator 32 or 34 can be used within a system, and the various lubricators may have pump bodies of the same type and mass, or they may be different, as desired. This may, for example, account for different modes of vehicle operation, such as at idle and at higher engine speeds to provide at least some lubricator operation at various vehicle operating modes. FIG. 5 illustrates a dual-mode lubricator 50 that has two chambers (nominally called a first chamber 52 and a second chamber 54) separated by a movable boundary or diaphragm 56 that may be sealed within a housing 58. The diaphragm 56 defines part of the first chamber 52 on one side of the diaphragm and part of the second chamber 54 on the other side of the diaphragm. The pump body 60 may be carried by (such as by being affixed thereto) or otherwise associated with the diaphragm 56 to cause desired movement of the diaphragm 56. Movement of the diaphragm 56 in a first direction enlarges the volume of the first chamber 52 and reduces the volume of the second chamber 54. Movement of the diaphragm 56 in the opposite direction decreases the volume of the first chamber 52 and increases the volume of the second chamber 54. Such action moves fluid into and out of the first and second chambers, via inlets 62, 64 and outlets 66, 68, to move fluid in the system as desired.

FIG. 6 illustrates a different lubricator 70 including a pump body 72 associated with a fluid mover 74. The fluid mover 74 includes cavities 76 defined between teeth 78 and is selectively moved relative to an inlet 80 and outlet 82 to move fluid from the inlet to the outlet in response to movement of the pump body 72. In this arrangement, the pump body 72 is separate from the fluid being pumped and is coupled to one end 84 of an indexing arm 86 that has its other end 88 associated with the fluid mover 74 and selectively received between adjacent teeth 78. The pump body 72 moves back-and-forth (up and down in the orientation shown in FIG. 6) under the force of vibration or other forces experienced during vehicle operation, which may be assisted by one or more springs as desired (a return spring 90 is included in the example shown). Movement of the pump body 72 in a first direction causes movement of the indexing arm 86 which engages a tooth 78 and rotates the fluid mover 74 to register a fluid filled cavity 76 with the outlet 82 so that the fluid in that cavity 76 may flow out of the outlet 82. A different cavity 76 is also now aligned with the inlet 80 to allow fluid to flow into that cavity 76 from the inlet 80. Near or at the end of that movement, the indexing arm 86 is removed from the cavity 76 it was just in and upon return movement of the pump body 72 in a second direction, the indexing arm 86 is received in an adjacent cavity 76. Then, upon movement of the pump body 72 in the first direction during the next stroke, the fluid mover 74 is rotated by the indexing arm 86 and the next in line cavity 76 is aligned with the outlet 82 to permit fluid in that cavity to flow out of the outlet, and a cavity 76 is also aligned with the inlet 80 to take fluid into that cavity. In this manner, the fluid mover 74 is indexed by the moving pump body 72 to cause sequential registration of cavities 76 with the inlet 80 and also with the outlet 82. After being rotated past the outlet 82, the cavities 76 are eventually registered with the inlet 80, and thereafter with the outlet 82 again, in a continuous cycle.

FIG. 7 illustrates a lubricator 100 that has a housing 102 with an inlet 104 and an outlet 106, and corresponding inlet and outlet valves 108, 110. A chamber 111 between the inlet 104 and outlet 106 contains fluid that is pumped from the inlet to and out of the outlet. A pump body 112 is movably received within the chamber 111; in the implementation shown in FIG. 7, the pump body 112 slidably oscillates or reciprocates relative to the inlet 104 and outlet 106. Return springs 114 may be provided on one or both sides of the pump body 112 to return the pump body to or toward an initial or start position, (e.g. between the pump body and the inlet and/or between the pump body and the outlet). Movement of the pump body 112 in one direction takes in fluid through the inlet 104 and movement of the pump body in the other direction pumps fluid out through the outlet 106. FIG. 8 illustrates a lubricator 120 including a pendulum type pump body 122. The pump body 122 is suspended at a point 124 spaced from the pump body 122 and moves along an arc defined by a connecting member 126 fixed to the point 124 at one end and the pump body 122 at its other end. The pump body 122 slides or otherwise oscillates, reciprocates or moves back and forth within a housing 128 and relative to an inlet 130 and an outlet 132 (with corresponding check valves 131, 133) to take in fluid through the inlet 130 and pump fluid out through the outlet 132. In FIG. 8, the pump body 122 and connecting member 126 are shown in an equilibrium position between the inlet and outlet, and are shown in dashed lines in tow alternate positions. The pump body 122 may be received within a chamber 134 of the housing 128 and the connecting member 126 may extend out of the housing, as shown, or the connecting member and point could be within a larger housing, and in at least some implementations, spaced from the chamber 134.

The lubricators 10, 32, 34, 50, 70, 100, 120 described above are merely examples of several pumping arrangements that can be provided with a pump body 18, 36, 60, 72, 112, 122 having a mass that is driven by forces experienced during operation of a vehicle. The forces may be caused by, for example without limitation, the operating engine, transmission, other components, vehicle movement and any combination of these forces. In this context, the pump body is passively driven because a separate power source (e.g. a motor, hydraulic actuator, pneumatic actuator, etc) is not provided to move the pump body and instead, existing forces in the vehicle are utilized to drive the pump body. Further, one or more biasing members (e.g. springs, or bodies of flexible/compressible and resilient material) may be used to provide a desired force on the pump body or bodies to facilitate movement of the pump body, as desired. The vehicle components of interest may vibrate/oscillate at one or more known frequencies and the lubricator(s) may be tuned or calibrated accordingly. In at least some implementations, the PTU or axle may vibrate at a frequency of between about 5 and 500Hz when the engine is idling. Of course, other frequencies may be experienced in the vehicle and accounted for in the lubrication system described.

In any vehicle or vehicle system, one or more than one lubricator may be used and the lubricators may be tuned to resonate or move at different frequencies, under different forces, and cause different amounts of fluid flow. This enables a wide range of operation that may be calibrated and tuned as desired for a desired vehicle component or system. Further, the lubricator(s) may be located in various locations, including within a particular component (e.g. in a sump of a differential) or outside of the component (e.g. mounted on or carried by the component, or remotely located with a tube or conduit leading from the outlet to the component).

While the forms of the invention herein disclosed constitute presently preferred embodiments, many others are possible. It is not intended herein to mention all the possible equivalent forms or ramifications of the invention. It is understood that the terms used herein are merely descriptive, rather than limiting, and that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention.

Claims

CLAIMS: What is claimed is:

1. A lubricator for vehicle driveline components, comprising:

a housing defining at least part of a fluid chamber and having an inlet through which lubricant flows into the chamber and an outlet through which lubricant flows out of the chamber to a driveline component; and

a pump body passively driven in opposed directions and arranged to cause lubricant to move into and out of the chamber.

2. The lubricator of claim 1 which also includes a boundary member carried by the housing to define part of the chamber and operably associated with the pump body so that movement of the pump body causes movement of at least part of the boundary member in one or both of a first direction and a second direction, wherein movement of the boundary member in the first direction reduces the volume of the chamber and movement of the boundary member in the second direction increases the volume of the chamber.

3. The lubricator of claim 1 wherein the pump body is carried by the boundary member.

4. The lubricator of claim 2 wherein the boundary member is defined by part of the pump body.

5. The lubricator of claim 2 wherein the boundary member includes a diaphragm carried by the housing to flex relative to the chamber in response to movement of the pump body.

6. The lubricator of claim 1 wherein the pump body moves in response to vehicle forces generated during operation of the vehicle.

7. The lubricator of claim 6 wherein the pump body is pivoted relative to the housing.

8. The lubricator of claim 6 wherein the pump body slidably moves relative to the housing.

9. The lubricator of claim 6 wherein movement of the pump body drives a fluid mover that moves fluid adjacent to the inlet in the chamber to the outlet of the chamber.

10. The lubricator of claim 9 which also includes an indexing arm associated with the pump body and the fluid mover to rotate the fluid mover in response to movement of the pump body.

11. The lubricator of claim 1 wherein the housing also defines part of a second chamber and movement of the pump body also moves fluid into and out of the second chamber.

12. The lubricator of claim 1 which also includes a biasing member that acts on the pump body to move or assist movement of the pump body in one direction.

13. The lubricator of claim 2 wherein the boundary member is formed from a resilient material which acts as a biasing member that provides a force on the pump body after the material is flexed or compressed by movement of the pump body.

14. A lubrication system for vehicle driveline components, comprising:

a first lubricator having a housing with a fluid chamber through which lubricant flows and a pump body passively driven in opposed directions and arranged to cause lubricant to move into and out of the chamber; and

a second lubricator having a housing with a fluid chamber through which lubricant flows and a pump body passively driven in opposed directions and arranged to cause lubricant to move into and out of the chamber, wherein the pump body of the first lubricator resonates at a different frequency than does the pump body of the second lubricator.

15. The system of claim 14 wherein the pump body of the first lubricator is connected to the housing of the first lubricator in a different manner than the pump body of the second lubricator is connected to the housing of the second lubricator.

16. The system of claim 14 wherein the pump body of the first lubricator has a different mass than the pump body of the second lubricator.

17. The system of claim 14 wherein the pump bodies are yieldably biased in one direction and the biasing force on the pump body of the first lubricator is different than the biasing force on the pump body of the second lubricator.