VEHICLE DRIVE DEVICE

• US 20110121692A1
• Filed: 11/17/2010
• Published: 05/26/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: JINNAI, Naoya, OKISHIMA, Tatsuya, IWASE, Mikio, KAMIYA, Toshihiko, SUZUKI, Tomohide
• Granted Patent: US 8,836,181 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 310/67.R
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2006/4825 Electric machine connected or connectable to gearbox input shaft
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/40 characterised by the assembly or relative disposition of components
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/48 Parallel type
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/50 Structural details of electrical machines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/486 Operating parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 25/0638 with more than two discs, e.g. multiple lamellae
• CPC Class Codes: F16D 25/123 in view of cooling and lubrication
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2045/002 comprising a clutch between prime mover and fluid gearing
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2045/0284 Multiple disk type lock-up clutch
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2061/0046 Details of fluid supply channels, e.g. within shafts, for supplying friction devices or transmission actuators with control fluid
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 45/02 with mechanical clutches for bridging a fluid gearing of the hydrokinetic type control of torque converter lock-up clutches F16H61/14
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/2189 Cooling

Abstract

A vehicle drive device, having a case with a support wall that extends at least radially, and an axially protruding portion that is cylindrically shaped integrally with the support wall and protrudes axially from the support wall toward a rotating electrical machine. A rotor support member is supported radially and axially so as to be rotatable with respect to the axially protruding portion via a support bearing provided on an outer or inner peripheral surface of the axially protruding portion. The element to be supplied with the oil pressure is positioned on a side axially opposite to the support wall. The vehicle drive device includes a supply oil passage, which is provided inside the support wall and the axially protruding portion, and has an end face opening that is formed in an end face located in a protruding direction of the axially protruding portion.

Claims

1. A vehicle drive device, comprising:

a rotating electrical machine having a rotor that rotates about a central axis;

a case accommodating the rotating electrical machine; and

an oil passage provided in the case to supply oil to a predetermined element to be supplied with an oil pressure, wherein

the case has a support wall that extends at least radially, and an axially protruding portion that is cylindrically shaped and formed integrally with the support wall and protrudes axially from the support wall toward the rotating electrical machine,

a rotor support member that extends at least radially to support the rotor is supported radially and axially so as to be rotatable with respect to the axially protruding portion via a support bearing that is provided on an outer peripheral surface or an inner peripheral surface of the axially protruding portion,

the element to be supplied with the oil pressure is positioned on a side axially opposite to the support wall with respect to the rotor support member, and an accommodating member that accommodates the element to be supplied with the oil pressure is positioned axially in contact with the rotor support member,

the vehicle drive device includes a supply oil passage to the element to be supplied with the oil pressure, which is provided inside the support wall and the axially protruding portion, and

the supply oil passage has an end face opening that is formed in an end face located in a protruding direction of the axially protruding portion.

2. The vehicle drive device according to claim 1, wherein

the element to be supplied with the oil pressure is a friction engagement device which has an engagement oil chamber and a plurality of friction materials, and whose engagement and disengagement are controlled by controlling a supply pressure of oil to the engagement oil chamber,

the supply oil passage and the end face opening serve as a first supply oil passage and a first opening, respectively,

in addition to the first supply oil passage, the vehicle drive device further includes a second supply oil passage, which is formed inside the support wall and the axially protruding portion, and has a second opening that is formed in the outer peripheral surface of the axially protruding portion, and

the first supply oil passage serves as a supply passage for oil to be supplied to the friction materials, and the second supply oil passage serves as a supply passage for oil to be supplied to the engagement oil chamber.

3. The vehicle drive device according to claim 1, wherein

the supply oil passage and the end face opening serve as a first supply oil passage and a first opening, respectively, and

in addition to the first supply oil passage, the vehicle drive device further includes a discharge oil passage, which is formed inside the support wall and the axially protruding portion, and has a discharge opening that is formed in the end face located in the protruding direction of the axially protruding portion or in the inner peripheral surface of the axially protruding portion.

4. The vehicle drive device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a hydraulic transmission device having a driving rotating member and a driven rotating member, and structured to be able to transfer a driving force via a fluid contained in the hydraulic transmission device; and

a hydraulic transmission device support member that forms the accommodating member and also supports the hydraulic transmission device, wherein

the hydraulic transmission device support member is connected to the rotor support member, and axially on the support wall side of the hydraulic transmission device, the hydraulic transmission device support member is supported radially and axially so as to be rotatable with respect to the axially protruding portion via the support bearing.

5. The vehicle drive device according to claim 4, wherein

the rotor support member has a cylindrical inner peripheral surface portion, an internal spline engagement groove formed in the inner peripheral surface portion, and a first cylindrical protruding portion that that is cylindrically shaped and protrudes axially toward the hydraulic transmission device support member,

the hydraulic transmission device support member has a cylindrical outer peripheral surface portion, an external spline engagement groove formed in the outer peripheral surface portion, and a second cylindrical protruding portion that is cylindrically shaped and protrudes axially toward the rotor support member,

the internal spline engagement groove engages with the external spline engagement groove, and the first cylindrical protruding portion fits on the second cylindrical protruding portion so as to restrict radial relative movement between the rotor support member and the hydraulic transmission device support member, and

an axial end face of the first cylindrical protruding portion is in contact with the hydraulic transmission device support member, or an axial end face of the second cylindrical protruding portion is in contact with the rotor support member.

6. The vehicle drive device according to claim 1, wherein

the element to be supplied with the oil pressure is positioned radially inside the rotor so as to axially overlap the rotor.