Unlock instant, AI-driven research and patent intelligence for your innovation.

Heat-generating portion cooling structure of vehicle drive apparatus

a technology of cooling structure and vehicle drive, which is applied in the direction of cooling/ventilation arrangement, electrical apparatus, dynamo-electric machines, etc., can solve the problems of inability to supply a sufficient amount of oil, and insufficient cooling of motor generators producing maximum heat generated amounts, etc., to enhance the efficiency of vehicle drive apparatus and simple construction

Active Publication Date: 2012-10-02
TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK
View PDF12 Cites 0 Cited by
  • Summary
  • Abstract
  • Description
  • Claims
  • Application Information

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0035]In the cooling structures of the vehicle drive apparatus for cooling the heat-generating portions as defined in the above items (1) to (11), it is preferable that (12) each of the heat-generating portions is constituted by an electric motor capable of generating an electric power.
[0036]By the heat-generating portion cooling structure thus constructed, in the vehicle drive apparatus having a plurality of motor generators, each of the motor generators can be suitably cooled, thereby making it possible to reduce the lowering of the efficiency of the vehicle drive apparatus at the time of the motor generators each having a maximum heat generated amount.
[0037]According to the present invention, the oil can flow down to the second heat-generating portion through the second passage to preferentially cool the second heat-generating portion when the surface of the oil is raised to the second height in the catch tank, while the oil can flow down to the first heat-generating portion through the first passage to sufficiently cool the first heat-generating portion when the surface of the oil is raised to the first height in the catch tank. This makes it possible to reliably prevent the second motor generator from being insufficiently cooled when the second heat-generating portion has a maximum heat generated amount at the time of the amount of oil supply being small for cooling. Therefore, the heat-generating portion cooling structure according to the present invention is yet simple in construction and can enhance the efficiency of the vehicle drive apparatus due to the fact that the oil can be sufficiently supplied to the heat-generating portion at the time of the heat-generating portion having a maximum heat generated amount.

Problems solved by technology

However, there is caused a state in which the motor generator producing the maximum heat generated amount is not sufficiently cooled.
On the other hand, at the time the vehicle is traveling at a low speed, there is caused the oil drawn small in amount, resulting in the motor generator producing the maximum heat generated amount being not sufficiently cooled.
Furthermore, in the case that the oil from the oil pump is supplied to the catch tank, it is not possible to supply a sufficient amount of oil to one of the motor generators being not sufficiently cooled, while the oil is wastefully supplied to the other motor generator sufficiently cooled.
The previous oil supplying method carried out by the conventional cooling structure cannot be described as being efficient.

Method used

the structure of the environmentally friendly knitted fabric provided by the present invention; figure 2 Flow chart of the yarn wrapping machine for environmentally friendly knitted fabrics and storage devices; image 3 Is the parameter map of the yarn covering machine
View more

Examples

Experimental program
Comparison scheme
Effect test

first embodiment

[0061]FIGS. 1 to 6B show the heat-generating portion cooling structure according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The vehicle drive apparatus according to the present embodiment is to be mounted on a hybrid vehicle and comprises an internal combustion engine (hereinafter, simply referred to as “engine”) not shown, and a transaxle 1 (power transmission apparatus) drivably connected to the engine as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0062]The construction will firstly be explained hereinafter.

[0063]As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the transaxle 1 comprises an input shaft 11 received in a case 10 integrally connected with an engine and drivably connected with an output shaft of the engine, and a pair of output shafts drivably connected with left and right drive wheel shafts, respectively, but not shown in the drawings. The case 10 constitutes part of a transmission case.

[0064]The case 10 accommodates therein a pair of planetary gear mechanisms (roughly shown in dotted lines in FIG. 1),...

second embodiment

[0096]FIG. 7 and FIGS. 8A to 8C show a heat-generating portion cooling structure according to a second embodiment of the present invention. Here, the heat-generating portion cooling structures according to the second embodiment and the other following embodiments of the present invention each comprises constitution elements similar in construction to those of the heat-generating portion cooling structure according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and therefore the constitution elements of the second embodiment and the following embodiments the same as those of the constitution elements of the first embodiment will be described hereinafter while respectively bearing the same reference numerals and legends shown in FIGS. 1 to 6. Only the following detailed description will be directed to the elements and parts different from those of the first embodiment in the second embodiment and the following embodiments.

[0097]In the present second embodiment, the oil circulation ...

third embodiment

[0109]FIGS. 9A and 9B show a heat-generating portion cooling structure according to a third embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, while the oil circulation passage 50 has a plurality of oil introduction passages 51, 56 for introducing into the catch tank 52 through a plurality of different paths the oil drawn by the drawing means in the same fashion as the first embodiment, no passage-forming member is provided inside the catch tank 52.

[0110]In the present embodiment, the oil circulation passage 50 has a first passage 81 for flowing down the oil to the stator 31 of the first motor generator 13 and its peripheral portion (first heat-generating portion) when the surface L of the oil in the catch tank 52 is raised to the first height h1, and a second passage 82 for flowing down the oil to the stator 41 of the second motor generator 14 and its peripheral portion (second heat-generating portion) when the surface L of the oil in the catch tank 52 is raised to the...

the structure of the environmentally friendly knitted fabric provided by the present invention; figure 2 Flow chart of the yarn wrapping machine for environmentally friendly knitted fabrics and storage devices; image 3 Is the parameter map of the yarn covering machine
Login to View More

PUM

No PUM Login to View More

Abstract

A heat-generating portion cooling structure of vehicle drive apparatus that sufficiently supplies cooling oil to heat-generating portions to enhance efficiency of the vehicle drive apparatus when the heat-generating portions generate maximum heat includes drawing means for drawing oil in a case into a catch tank, and an oil circulation passage for circulating the oil through the catch tank while supplying the oil to first and second heat-generating portions. The oil circulation passage includes a first passage for the oil to flow to the first heat-generating portion when the oil surface in the catch tank is at a first height and a second passage for the oil to flow to the second heat-generating portion when the oil surface is at a second height lower than the first height, and more amount of oil flows to the second heat-generating portion than to the first heat-generating portion when the oil surface is low.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD[0001]The present invention relates to a heat-generating portion cooling structure of a vehicle drive apparatus, and more particularly to a heat-generating portion cooling structure of a vehicle drive apparatus suitable for the vehicle drive apparatus provided in a case with a catch tank and a pair of heat-generating portions disposed at both sides of the catch tank.BACKGROUND ART[0002]In a hybrid type vehicle drive apparatus equipped with an internal combustion engine and a rotating machine (such as motor, generator, motor generator), there is provided a transmission case accommodating therein a transmission mechanism, a power splitting mechanism, a differential mechanism, and other operating mechanism in addition to the rotating machine in a highly dense state, so that these mechanisms are required to be sufficiently lubricated and cooled, while the rotating machine is also necessary to be sufficiently cooled. For a vehicle drive apparatus having a plurality of rota...

Claims

the structure of the environmentally friendly knitted fabric provided by the present invention; figure 2 Flow chart of the yarn wrapping machine for environmentally friendly knitted fabrics and storage devices; image 3 Is the parameter map of the yarn covering machine
Login to View More

Application Information

Patent Timeline
no application Login to View More
Patent Type & Authority Patents(United States)
IPC IPC(8): H02K9/00
Inventor HAYASHI, KOJITOMITA, MAKOTOKOJIMA, SHINICHIHASEGAWA, RYUICHIMIKI, TAKAHIRO
Owner TOYOTA JIDOSHA KK