Hybrid vehicle

• US 9,327,590 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2015
• Issued: 05/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2014
• 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: Ideshio, Yukihiko, Matsumoto, Shinji, Suyama, Daiki, Hattori, Katsuhiko, Nishioka, Yo
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Hau
• Assistant Examiner(s): Meyer, Jacob
• Application Number:
  US14/644,506
• Publication Number:
  US 20150258885A1
• Time in Patent Office: 419 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2006/4825 Electric machine connected or connectable to gearbox input shaft
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/36 characterised by the transmission gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/40 characterised by the assembly or relative disposition of components
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/405 Housings
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/44 Series-parallel type
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/48 Parallel type
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/909 Gearing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 903/951 Assembly or relative location of components

Abstract

A hybrid vehicle includes an engine, a front module, a drive wheel, a transmission, a case, an oil inlet, a return passage, and a bypass passage. The case has a first chamber accommodating the front module, and a second chamber accommodating the transmission. The second chamber includes an oil pan. The oil inlet is arranged inside the oil pan. The return passage communicates the first chamber with the second chamber. The return passage keeps a first oil level inside the first chamber higher than a second oil level inside the oil pan by applying flow resistance to oil. The bypass passage is arranged at a position higher than the first oil level when the hybrid vehicle is in a horizontal position and lower than the first oil level when the hybrid vehicle is leaning forward at a predetermined angle.

Claims

1. A hybrid vehicle comprising:

an engine;

a front module including an electric motor and a separating clutch, the separating clutch being provided in a power transmission path between the electric motor and the engine;

a drive wheel;

a transmission provided in a power transmission path between the electric motor and the drive wheel;

a case having a first chamber and a second chamber, the first chamber accommodating the front module, the second chamber accommodating the transmission, the second chamber including an oil pan;

an oil inlet arranged inside the oil pan, oil returned to the oil pan of the second chamber being drawn through the oil inlet and being fed under pressure to the transmission and into the first chamber;

a return passage provided between the first chamber and the second chamber, the return passage being configured to flow oil stored inside the first chamber to the oil pan of the second chamber, the return passage being configured to keep a first oil level inside the first chamber higher than a second oil level inside the oil pan of the second chamber by applying flow resistance to oil flowing from the first chamber to the second chamber; and

a bypass passage arranged at a position higher than the first oil level when the hybrid vehicle is in a horizontal position and lower than the first oil level when the hybrid vehicle is leaning forward at a predetermined angle, the bypass passage being configured to cause oil inside the first chamber to flow out into the second chamber when the hybrid vehicle is leaning forward at the predetermined angle.

2. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

the bypass passage includes a first opening at a side of the first chamber, the first opening is provided at a position that the first oil level reaches when the hybrid vehicle is leaning forward at the predetermined angle, and

the bypass passage includes a second opening at a side of the second chamber, the second opening is provided at a position lower than the first opening when the hybrid vehicle is leaning forward at the predetermined angle.

3. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a torque converter arranged between the electric motor and the transmission, wherein

the case further has a third chamber, the third chamber is arranged between the first chamber and the second chamber, and the third chamber accommodates the torque converter.

4. The hybrid vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the oil inlet is arranged at a position at which the oil inlet is not exposed from the second oil level inside the oil pan even when the hybrid vehicle is leaning forward at the predetermined angle or when the hybrid vehicle is leaning backward at the predetermined angle.