Oil return structure for vehicle drive apparatus

• US 7,942,245 B2
• Filed: 03/21/2008
• Issued: 05/17/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• 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: Yoshida, Masaki, Shibata, Hiroyuki, Noguchi, Akira, Shimizu, Tetsuya, Iwase, Yuji, Kumazaki, Kenta, Noda, Kazuyuki, Tabata, Atsushi, Matsubara, Tooru
• Primary Examiner(s): Mansen; Michael R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Reese; Robert T
• Application Number:
  US12/076,724
• Publication Number:
  US 20080236952A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,152 Days
• Field of Search: 184/6, 184/6.22, 184/6.9, 184/6.12, 184/6.3, 123/196.R, 746/06.R, 746/06.A
• US Class Current: 184/6.9
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2061/004 Venting trapped air from hydraulic systems venting of hydrostatic transmissions F16H61/4174; deaeration or removal of unsolved gas F15B21/044
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 57/0421 on or within the casing, e.g. shields or baffles for collecting lubricant, tubes, pipes, grooves, channels or the like
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/0009 Hydraulic control units for transmission control, e.g. assembly of valve plates or valve units

Abstract

An oil return structure for a vehicle drive apparatus includes a hydraulic control apparatus disposed below an oil supply target device to which oil for lubricating and cooling is supplied; and an oil pan that retains the oil that is supplied to the oil supply target device is provided below the hydraulic control apparatus, wherein a bypass oil path is formed in a body of the hydraulic control apparatus, the bypass oil path being structured in order to guide the oil from the oil supply target device from an upper surface of the body, inside the body and then discharge the oil from a side surface of the body.

Claims

1. An oil return structure for a vehicle drive apparatus, comprising:

a hydraulic control apparatus disposed below an oil supply target device to which oil for lubricating and cooling is supplied; and

an oil pan that retains the oil that is supplied to the oil supply target device is provided below the hydraulic control apparatus,

wherein a bypass oil path is formed in a body of the hydraulic control apparatus, the bypass oil path being structured in order to guide the oil from the oil supply target device from an upper surface of the body, inside the body and then discharge the oil from a side surface of the body.

2. The oil return structure for the vehicle drive apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the body is formed by an upper body and a lower body that are engaged vertically;

an inner oil path, in the upper body and the lower body, is formed on either one of, or on both of, the contact surfaces thereof;

an oil feed path that spans from an upper surface of the upper body to the inner oil path is formed in the upper body;

an oil discharge path, in the upper body and the lower body, that spans from a side surface of the upper body or a side surface of the lower body to the inner oil path is formed on either one of, or on both of, the contact surfaces thereof; and

the bypass oil path is formed by the oil feed path, the inner oil path, and the oil discharge path.

3. The oil return structure for the vehicle drive apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a reverse flow check device that permits a flow of the oil from the oil feed path toward the oil discharge path and suppresses the flow of the oil from the oil discharge path toward the oil feed path is provided in the bypass oil path.

4. The oil return structure for the vehicle drive apparatus according to claim 3, wherein:

a first inner oil path, at least a portion of which coincides in a plane view with the inner oil path of the lower body, and a second inner oil path, at least a portion of which coincides in the plane view with the inner oil path of the lower body, that communicate with the oil feed path are formed as the inner oil path in the contact surface of the upper body;

a first communicating hole that communicates the first inner oil path and the inner oil path of the lower body, and a second communicating hole that communicates the second inner oil path and the inner oil path of the lower body are formed as the communicating hole; and

a reverse flow check device that permits the flow of oil from the oil feed path toward the oil discharge path and suppresses the flow of the oil from the oil discharge path toward the oil feed path is provided in the second communicating hole.

5. The oil return structure for the vehicle drive apparatus according to claim 4, wherein an upper surface side location of the oil feed path is formed in an upwardly widening shape in which an opening area becomes larger toward the upper side thereof.

6. The oil return structure for the vehicle drive apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the bypass oil path is formed such that the oil from the oil supply target device is discharged from a side surface of the body at the front side of the vehicle.

7. The oil return structure for the vehicle drive apparatus according to claim 6, wherein:

a rotary electric machine is provided as the oil supply target device, and a housing chamber that houses this rotary electric machine is formed; and

the bypass oil path is formed such that the oil from the housing chamber is guided from the upper surface of the body to the inside of the body.

8. The oil return structure for the vehicle drive apparatus according to claim 7, wherein a rotary electric machine and a transmission are provided as the oil supply target device, and the rotary electric machine is provided at a front of the vehicle with respect to the transmission.

9. The oil return structure for the vehicle drive apparatus according to claim 8, wherein either one of, or both of, drive power from an engine and drive power from the rotary electric machine are transferred to the transmission.

10. The oil return structure for the vehicle drive apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the body is formed by interposing a separating plate between an upper body and a lower body;

inner oil paths are formed such that at least a portion thereof coincides in a plane view at respective contact surfaces of the upper body and the lower body that are in contact with the separating plate;

an oil feed path that spans from an upper surface of the upper body to an inner oil path is formed in the upper body;

an oil discharge path that spans from a side surface of the upper body or a side surface of the lower body to the inner oil path is formed on either one of, or on both of, the contact surfaces of the upper body and the lower body;

a communicating hole that communicates the inner oil path of the upper body and the inner oil path of the lower body is formed in the separating plate; and

a bypass oil path is formed by the oil feed path, the inner oil path, the communicating hole, and the oil discharge path.

11. The oil return structure for the vehicle drive apparatus according to claim 10, wherein a position of the oil feed path and a position of the oil discharge path are offset in the plane view.

12. The oil return structure for the vehicle drive apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the oil feed path is formed such that an opening area thereof is larger than an opening area of the communicating hole.

13. The oil return structure for the vehicle drive apparatus according to claim 12, wherein a reverse flow check device that permits a flow of the oil from the oil feed path toward the oil discharge path and suppresses the flow of the oil from the oil discharge path toward the oil feed path is provided in the bypass oil path.

14. The oil return structure for the vehicle drive apparatus according to claim 13, wherein an upper surface side location of the oil feed path is formed in an upwardly widening shape in which an opening area becomes larger toward the upper side thereof.

15. The oil return structure for the vehicle drive apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the bypass oil path is formed such that the oil from the oil supply target device is discharged from the side surface of the body at a front side of the vehicle.

16. The oil return structure for the vehicle drive apparatus according to claim 15, wherein:

a rotary electric machine is provided as the oil supply target device, and a housing chamber that houses the rotary electric machine is formed; and

the bypass oil path is formed such that the oil from the housing chamber is guided from the upper surface of the body to the inside of the body.

17. The oil return structure for the vehicle drive apparatus according to claim 16, wherein a rotary electric machine and a transmission are provided as the oil supply target device, and the rotary electric machine is provided at a front of the vehicle with respect to the transmission.

18. The oil return structure for the vehicle drive apparatus according to claim 17, wherein either one of, or both of, drive power from an engine and drive power from the rotary electric machine are transferred to the transmission.

19. The oil return structure for the vehicle drive apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the oil feed path is formed such that an opening area thereof is larger than an opening area of the communicating hole.

20. The oil return structure for the vehicle drive apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a reverse flow check device that permits a flow of the oil from an oil feed path toward an oil discharge path and suppresses the flow of the oil from the oil discharge path toward the oil feed path is provided in the bypass oil path.

21. The oil return structure for the vehicle drive apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the bypass oil path is formed such that the oil from the oil supply target device is discharged from the side surface of the body at a front side of the vehicle.

22. The oil return structure for the vehicle drive apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

a rotary electric machine is provided as the oil supply target device, and a housing chamber that houses this rotary electric machine is formed; and

the bypass oil path is formed such that the oil from the housing chamber is guided from the upper surface of the body to the inside of the body.

23. The oil return structure for the vehicle drive apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a rotary electric machine and a transmission are provided as the oil supply target device, and the rotary electric machine is provided at a front of the vehicle with respect to the transmission.

24. The oil return structure for the vehicle drive apparatus according to claim 23, wherein, either one of, or both of, drive power from an engine and drive power from the rotary electric machine are transferred to the transmission.