JP5130924B2 - Gear unit and method for preventing lubricant from splashing - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a gear unit and a technique for preventing lubricant oil leaking from the gear unit from scattering.

  In a gear unit, for example, a final drive unit, an oil seal is interposed between the unit case and the output shaft extending from the unit case toward the left and right drive wheels, and the lubricating oil inside the unit case leaks to the outside of the unit case. Is suppressed.

  However, if the deviation of the lubricating oil inside the unit case becomes large during left / right turning or acceleration / deceleration, the lubricating oil leaks from the oil seal and scatters, and adheres to the vehicle components where it is undesirable for the lubricating oil to adhere. there is a possibility.

The final drive unit disclosed in Patent Document 1 prevents the leaked lubricating oil from scattering by attaching a cover for preventing the scattered lubricating oil around the output shaft (see FIG. 7).
Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 63-135059

  According to the configuration disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is possible to prevent the leaked lubricating oil from scattering to some extent. However, in this configuration, the lubricating oil trapped by the cover eventually leaks out of the cover and flows along the surface of the unit case. There was a possibility of adhering to vehicle components that are not desirable to adhere.

  The present invention has been made in view of such technical problems of the prior art, and suppresses the scattering of the lubricating oil and prevents the lubricating oil from adhering to the components of the vehicle where the adhesion of the lubricating oil is not preferable. For the purpose.

The unit case of the gear unit according to the present invention is provided with an output shaft opening into which an output shaft to which the rotation of the input shaft is transmitted is inserted, and an oil discharge opening formed at the bottom of the unit case. Yes. Unit case is divided, in at least one of the mating surfaces of the divided unit case, and forms the shape of the oil passage communicating the oil outlet opening from the output shaft opening.

According to the present invention, the lubricating oil leaking from the unit case is guided to the bottom surface of the unit case through the oil passage and dropped from the bottom surface of the unit case. Thus, since the dripping position of the lubricating oil leaked from the unit case can be controlled, it is possible to prevent the lubricating oil from adhering to the components of the vehicle to which the lubricating oil does not adhere. For example, in the case of a final drive unit, usually there are no vehicle components below the bottom surface of the unit case, and the dropped lubricating oil does not adhere to the vehicle components.
Also, since the oil passage is formed on one of the mating surfaces of the unit case, it can be molded together when the unit case is molded, and the increase in cost due to the formation of the oil passage can be minimized. it can.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  1 to 3 show a final drive unit according to the present invention. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a portion indicated by a circle A in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the unit case 1 of the final drive unit is divided so as to pass through the approximate center in the vehicle front-rear direction of the output shaft opening 3 through which the output shaft 2 passes, and the front side of the vehicle is the gear carrier 4 and the rear The side is the rear cover 5.

  A differential case 7 is rotatably supported inside the unit case 1 via a side bearing 6. Rotation transmitted from the outside (for example, a propeller shaft (not shown)) is transmitted to the left and right output shafts 2 via the ring gear 8, the differential case 7, the pinion gear 9, and the side gear 10 constituting the differential mechanism. A predetermined amount of lubricating oil is contained inside the unit case 1, and the rotating ring gear 8 agitates the lubricating oil and lubricates the differential mechanism.

  On the left and right sides of the rear cover 5, semicircular recesses 3 a that constitute a part of the output shaft opening 3 are formed. An annular oil seal 12 is interposed between the semicircular recess 3a and the output shaft 2 to prevent the lubricating oil inside the unit case 1 from leaking to the outside.

  The mating surface of the rear cover 5 with the gear carrier 4 is formed with a lubricating oil discharge groove 13 that opens at a position below the semicircular recess 3a and opens at the bottom surface of the rear cover 5, so that the semicircular recess 3a A lubricating oil guide groove 14 extending in the circumferential direction is formed on the inner periphery.

  Although not shown, a similar lubricating oil discharge groove 13 is formed on the mating surface of the gear carrier 4 with the rear cover 5, and also in the semicircular recess 3 a constituting a part of the output shaft opening 3 of the gear carrier 4. A similar lubricating oil guide groove 14 is formed.

  The lubricating oil discharge groove 13 and the lubricating oil guide groove 14 are formed together when the gear carrier 4 and the rear cover 5 are formed (for example, die casting).

  By forming the lubricating oil discharge groove 13 and the lubricating oil guide groove 14 in the gear carrier 4 and the rear cover 5 respectively, the gear carrier 4 and the rear cover 5 are brought into contact with each other via a gasket and fastened with a bolt. 1, a lubricating oil guide groove 14 extending substantially over the entire circumference is formed on the inner circumference of the output shaft opening 3, and a lubricating oil inlet 16 as shown in FIG. 4 is formed below the lubricating oil guide groove 14. And a lubricating oil discharge port 17 as shown in FIG. 5 is formed on the bottom surface of the unit case 1. In the wall of the unit case 1, a lubricating oil discharge passage that connects the lubricating oil introduction opening 16 and the lubricating oil discharge opening 17 is formed along the outer wall of the unit case 1.

  As shown in FIG. 3, an annular dust cover 21 is attached to a position outside the oil seal 12 of the output shaft 2 to prevent dust from entering the unit case 1 from the outside to the inside. The dust cover 21 is externally fitted to the output shaft 2 and is pressed against a step 2 s formed on the outer periphery of the output shaft 2 by an extending portion 12 a extending from the oil seal 12 toward the outside of the unit case 1.

  The lubricating oil leaked from the oil seal 12 is collected by the dust cover 21, and the collected lubricating oil flows out to the inner periphery of the output shaft opening 3. The lubricating oil that has flowed out is guided to the lubricating oil inlet 16 by the lubricating oil guide groove 14, passes through the lubricating oil discharge passage formed by the lubricating oil discharge groove 13 in the wall of the unit case 1, and passes through the lubricating oil discharge port. It is discharged from 17 to the outside of the vehicle.

  On the other hand, on the inner wall of the rear cover 5, as shown in FIG. 6, a fin-like rectifying plate 20 extending in the rotation direction of the output shaft 2 is erected at a substantially central position that does not hinder the rotation of the ring gear 8. . The rectifying plate 20 reduces the movement of the lubricating oil between the left and right inside the unit case 1, and the lubricating oil stirred by the ring gear 8 becomes a wall flow that travels along the inner wall of the unit case 1 and rotates in the unit case 1. To do. The rectifying plate 20 is formed integrally with the rear cover 20 when the rear cover 5 is formed.

  The final drive unit according to the present invention is configured as described above and has the following operational effects.

  In the final drive unit according to the present invention, as described above, the unit case 1 is divided at the front and rear of the vehicle so as to pass through the output shaft opening 3, the vehicle front side is the gear carrier 4, and the vehicle rear side is the rear cover 5. A lubricating oil discharge groove 13 extending from the output shaft opening 3 to the bottom surface of the unit case is formed on at least one of the mating surfaces of 4 and the rear cover 5.

  Thereby, the lubricating oil leaking from the unit case 1 is guided to the lower side of the unit case 1 through the lubricating oil discharge groove 13 and discharged from the bottom surface (lubricating oil discharge port 17) of the unit case 1 to the outside of the vehicle. Since there are usually no vehicle components below the bottom surface of the unit case, it is possible to prevent the scattered lubricating oil from adhering to the vehicle components.

  In particular, since the lubricating oil discharge groove 13 is formed on the mating surface of the gear carrier 4 and the rear cover 5, the lubricating oil discharge groove 13 can be formed together when the gear carrier 4 and the rear cover 5 are formed. The cost increase due to this can be minimized.

  In the above-described embodiment, the lubricating oil discharge groove 13 is formed in both the gear carrier 4 and the rear cover 5. However, as long as the lubricating oil discharge groove 13 is formed in at least one of the gear carrier 4 and the rear cover 5. The lubricating oil discharge passage can be formed in the bottom side wall of the unit case 1.

  Furthermore, in the said embodiment, the guide member which collects the lubricating oil which leaked from the oil seal 12, and guides the collected lubricating oil to the opening by the side of the output-shaft opening part 3 side of the lubricating oil guide groove 13 was provided. Thereby, the lubricating oil leaked from the unit case 1 can be more reliably guided to the lubricating oil discharge groove 13, and the scattering of the lubricating oil can be further suppressed.

  In the above embodiment, the guide member is constituted by the dust cover 21 for preventing the intrusion of dust from the outside of the unit case 1. According to this configuration, it is necessary to provide the guide member separately from the dust cover 21. The cost can be reduced.

  In the above embodiment, the dust cover 21 is used as a guide member. For example, a rib is formed on the outer periphery of the output shaft 2, a ring-shaped member is attached, or the inner periphery of the output shaft opening 3 is provided. The guide member can also be configured by forming a rib or attaching a ring-shaped member.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the lubricating oil guide groove 14 connected to the opening on the output shaft opening 3 side of the lubricating oil discharge groove 13 is formed over substantially the entire circumference along the inner periphery of the output shaft opening 3. As a result, the lubricating oil leaking from the upper side or the side of the output shaft opening 3 is guided to the opening (lubricating oil inlet 16) on the output shaft opening 3 side of the lubricating oil discharge groove 13, and the lubricating oil is removed. Scattering can be further suppressed.

  In the above embodiment, the lubricating oil discharge groove 13 is formed by forming a concave groove along the inner periphery of the output shaft opening 3. However, the method of forming the lubricating oil discharge groove 13 is not limited to this. For example, you may form by forming a protruding item | line along the inner periphery of the opening part 3 for output shafts.

  Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the fin-like rectifying plate 20 extending in the rotation direction of the output shaft 2 is erected at the approximate center of the inner wall of the rear cover 5 so that the lubricating oil moves between the left and right inside the unit case 1. The lubricating oil stirred by the ring gear 8 is rotated as a wall flow along the inner wall of the unit case 1.

  As a result, even when the unit case 1 is tilted when turning left and right, the lubricating oil inside the unit case 1 continues to rotate along the inner wall of the unit case 1 and passes from the output shaft opening 3 to the outside of the unit case. It is possible to reduce the amount of lubricating oil that leaks and thus the amount of lubricating oil scattered from the unit case 1.

  In particular, since the leakage of the lubricating oil from the output shaft opening 3 on the side (right side in FIG. 2) where the ring gear 8 of the unit case 1 is accommodated can be reduced, the ring gear 8 with great layout restrictions is accommodated. The size of the unit case 1 can be avoided by forming the lubricating oil discharge groove 13 by making the lubricating oil discharge groove 13 on the provided side thinner than the uncovered side.

  In the above embodiment, the rectifying plate 20 is integrally formed when the rear cover 5 is formed. However, the rectifying plate 20 may be formed as a separate part from the rear cover 5 and attached to the rear cover 5 during assembly.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, the said embodiment showed only one example of application of this invention, and is not the meaning which limits the technical scope of this invention only to the structure of the said embodiment. . Various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and are included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  For example, although the final drive gear has been described as an embodiment of the present invention, the present invention can also be applied to a gear unit such as a transfer whose output shaft extends in the vehicle lateral direction. In this case, the unit case may be divided in the vehicle lateral direction so as to pass through the output shaft opening, and a lubricating oil discharge groove may be formed on at least one of the mating surfaces of the divided unit case.

  Furthermore, the oil passage for guiding the lubricating oil from the output shaft opening to the oil discharge opening is not only formed by a groove provided in the mating surface of the divided unit case, but also the inner surface of the unit case and the unit It can also be formed by through holes formed between the outer surfaces of the case.

It is a side view of the final drive unit concerning the present invention. It is II-II sectional drawing of FIG. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 2. It is the figure which looked at the opening part for the side shaft of a final drive unit from diagonally upward in the state which does not attach a side shaft. It is the figure which looked at the bottom of the final drive unit from diagonally below. It is a perspective view of a rear cover.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Unit case 2 Output shaft 3 Output shaft opening 4 Gear carrier 5 Rear cover 12 Oil seal 13 Lubricating oil discharge groove 14 Lubricating oil guide groove 16 Lubricating oil introduction port 17 Lubricating oil discharge port 20 Rectifier plate 21 Dust cover (guide member)

Claims (6)

In the gear unit that transmits the rotation of the input shaft to the output shaft,
A unit case containing a gear for transmitting the rotation of the input shaft to the output shaft and an oil for lubricating the gear,
An output shaft opening into which the output shaft is inserted;
An oil discharge opening formed at the bottom of the unit case,
The unit case is divided,
A gear unit , wherein an oil passage that communicates the oil discharge opening from the output shaft opening is formed on at least one of the divided mating surfaces of the unit case . A unit case, a pair of output shafts extending left and right from the output shaft openings formed on the left and right sides of the unit case, and a pair of output shafts rotatably supported in the unit case and receiving rotation input from the outside In a gear unit comprising a differential mechanism that transmits to the output shaft,
The unit case is divided at the front and rear of the vehicle so as to pass through the output shaft opening, the vehicle front side is a gear carrier, and the vehicle rear side is a rear cover.
A gear unit, wherein a lubricating oil discharge groove extending from the output shaft opening to the bottom surface of the unit case is formed on at least one of the mating surfaces of the gear carrier and the rear cover.   The output shaft opening includes a guide member that collects the lubricating oil leaked from the unit case and guides the collected lubricating oil to the opening on the output shaft opening side of the lubricating oil discharge groove. The gear unit according to claim 2, wherein   The gear unit according to claim 3, wherein the guide member is a dust cover for preventing dust from entering from outside the unit case.   The lubricating oil guide groove connected to the opening on the output shaft opening side of the lubricating oil discharge groove is formed over substantially the entire circumference along the inner periphery of the output shaft opening. The gear unit described.   The gear unit according to claim 2, wherein a fin-shaped rectifying plate extending in a rotation direction of the output shaft is erected substantially at the center of the inner wall of the rear cover.

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