Front end cover assembly and vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a front end cover assembly and a vehicle, and is applied to the field of vehicle frame structures. The front end cover assembly comprises a front end cover, a shaft cover and a lubricating oil pump, the front end cover comprises a mounting hole used for mounting a transmission input shaft and a first stepped hole formed along the periphery of the mounting hole, and the first stepped hole is used for assembling an oil seal; the shaft cover is detachably mounted on the front end cover and is used for packaging the oil seal in the first stepped hole; the front end cover further comprises a first intermediate shaft hole, and the lubricating oil pump is assembled in the first intermediate shaft hole and can be in transmission connection with the transmission intermediate shaft. An oil cavity and a lubricating oil channel are formed in the front end cover, and the first middle shaft hole and the first stepped hole can communicate with the oil cavity through the lubricating oil channel. The first stepped hole is formed in the end face, matched with the first shaft cover, of the front end cover, so that the oil seal is packaged in the first stepped hole after the first shaft cover is assembled, axial limiting of the oil seal is achieved, the front end cover and the first shaft cover are detachably connected, and dismounting and mounting operation of the oil seal can be facilitated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of vehicle frame structures, and in particular to a front end cover assembly and a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] The transmission is a transmission system component used in vehicles. Its function is to transfer the power and torque generated by the engine to the drive wheels through different gear ratios to adapt to different driving conditions and needs. Usually, the transmission uses a front cover assembly to integrate the lubricating oil pump and the intermediate shaft sealing cover to achieve modular design and reduce the number of parts.

[0003] In the related technology, the front cover assembly is the core component for achieving lubrication, sealing the front end of the transmission, and supporting the clutch release bearing. It is usually composed of a shaft cover, a lubricating oil pump, an oil seal, and a front cover. In actual application, the clutch release bearing is supported by a shaft cover to achieve clutch separation and engagement, and the lubricating oil pump and the lubricating oil circuit arranged on the front cover provide lubricating oil for the transmission.

[0004] However, the overall structure of the front cover assembly after adopting the integrated design is fixed, the assembly flexibility is low, and it is easy to make the oil seal difficult to remove. Summary of the invention

[0005] Based on this, it is necessary to provide a front end cover assembly and a vehicle to address the problem that the oil seal of the front end cover assembly after the integrated design is difficult to remove.

[0006] In a first aspect, the present application provides a front end cover assembly, which adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] A front end cover assembly comprises a front end cover, a shaft cover, and a lubricating oil pump, wherein the front end cover comprises a mounting hole for mounting a transmission input shaft, and a first stepped hole provided along the periphery of the mounting hole, wherein the first stepped hole is used for assembling an oil seal; the shaft cover is detachably mounted on the front end cover to encapsulate the oil seal in the first stepped hole; the front end cover also comprises a first intermediate shaft hole, wherein the lubricating oil pump is mounted in the first intermediate shaft hole and can be transmission-connected to the transmission intermediate shaft; wherein an oil chamber and a lubricating oil passage are provided in the front end cover, wherein the first intermediate shaft hole and the first stepped hole can be connected to the oil chamber by means of the lubricating oil passage.

[0008] In one embodiment, the lubricating oil passage includes a lubricating passage, an oil inlet passage and an oil outlet passage, the lubricating passage connects the first stepped hole to the oil chamber, and the oil inlet passage and the oil outlet passage are both connected between the oil chamber and the first intermediate shaft hole.

[0009] In one of the embodiments, a second stepped hole is provided on one side of the front end cover for cooperating with the transmission, and the lubricating oil pump further includes an oil pump cover provided in the second stepped hole, and the oil pump cover is detachably connected to the front end cover.

[0010] In one embodiment, the lubricating oil pump includes a drive shaft arranged in the first intermediate shaft hole, an inner rotor coaxially fixed to the drive shaft, and an outer rotor sleeved on the outer periphery of the inner rotor, and the drive shaft includes a right connecting end, which passes through the oil pump cover and can be transmission-connected to the transmission intermediate shaft.

[0011] In one of the embodiments, the front end cover further includes a weight-reducing groove, and the weight-reducing groove is arranged along the circumference of the mounting hole.

[0012] In one of the embodiments, the shaft cover is configured to be made by a sheet metal stamping process.

[0013] In one embodiment, the shaft cover is constructed as an integral structure.

[0014] In one of the embodiments, the front end cover assembly further includes a plurality of reinforcing ribs disposed on the surface of the shaft cover, and the reinforcing ribs are integrally formed with the shaft cover.

[0015] In one of the embodiments, the front end cover further includes a second intermediate shaft hole, and the second intermediate shaft hole is formed with a cavity for avoiding the intermediate shaft of the transmission on the other side.

[0016] In a second aspect, the present application provides a vehicle, which adopts the following technical solution:

[0017] A vehicle comprises the front end cover assembly mentioned above.

[0018] The above-mentioned front end cover assembly is provided with a first stepped hole at the end surface where the front end cover and a shaft cover cooperate, so that the oil seal is encapsulated in the first stepped hole after the shaft cover is assembled, thereby realizing the axial limitation of the oil seal on the front end cover. In the present application, the front end cover and the shaft cover are assembled in a detachable connection manner, thereby facilitating the installation and disassembly of the oil seal and reducing the difficulty of maintenance. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] FIG. 1 is a front cross-sectional view of a front end cover assembly in one embodiment of the present application.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a left sectional view of a front end cover assembly in one embodiment of the present application.

[0021] FIG. 3 is an isometric view of a shaft cover in an embodiment of the present application.

[0022] Notes on the attached drawings:

[0023] 1. Front end cover; 11. Mounting hole; 12. First stepped hole; 13. First intermediate shaft hole; 14. Oil chamber; 151. Lubrication channel; 152. Oil inlet channel; 153. Oil outlet channel; 16. Second stepped hole; 17. Weight reduction groove; 18. Second intermediate shaft hole; 2. First shaft cover; 3. Lubricating oil pump; 31. Oil pump cover; 32. Drive shaft; 33. Inner rotor; 34. Outer rotor; 4. Oil seal; G1, center axis; AA, vertical end face. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] In order to make the above-mentioned purposes, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the specific implementation methods of the present application are described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. In the following description, many specific details are set forth to facilitate a full understanding of the present application. However, the present application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without violating the connotation of the present application, so the present application is not limited by the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0025] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that if the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise", "axial", "radial", "circumferential", etc. appear, the orientation or position relationship indicated by these terms is based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, which is only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and does not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0026] In addition, if the terms "first" or "second" appear, these terms are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of this application, if the term "plurality" appears, the meaning of "plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0027] In this application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, if the terms "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like appear, these terms should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integrated connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, it can be the internal connection of two elements or the interaction relationship between two elements, unless otherwise clearly defined. For ordinary technicians in this field, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0028] In the present application, unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, if there is a description that a first feature is "above" or "below" a second feature, etc., or similar descriptions appear, it may mean that the first and second features are in direct contact, or that the first and second features are in indirect contact through an intermediate medium. Moreover, the first feature being "above", "above" and "above" the second feature may mean that the first feature is directly above or obliquely above the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is higher in level than the second feature. The first feature being "below", "below" and "below" the second feature may mean that the first feature is directly below or obliquely below the second feature, or simply means that the first feature is lower in level than the second feature.

[0029] It should be noted that if an element is referred to as being "fixed to" or "disposed on" another element, it may be directly on the other element or there may be a central element. If an element is considered to be "connected to" another element, it may be directly connected to the other element or there may be a central element at the same time. If any, the terms "vertical", "horizontal", "upper", "lower", "left", "right" and similar expressions used in this application are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only implementation method.

[0030] The transmission refers to the transmission system component used in vehicles. Its function is to transmit the power and torque generated by the engine to the drive wheels through different gear ratios to adapt to different driving conditions and needs.

[0031] In the related art, the transmission usually uses a front cover assembly to integrate the lubricating oil pump and the intermediate shaft sealing end cover to achieve modular design and reduce the number of parts. The front cover assembly is the core component for achieving lubrication, sealing the front end of the transmission, and supporting the clutch release bearing. It is usually composed of a shaft cover, a lubricating oil pump, an oil seal, and a front cover. The clutch release bearing is supported by a shaft cover to achieve clutch separation and engagement, and the lubricating oil pump and the lubricating oil circuit arranged on the front cover provide lubricating oil for the transmission.

[0032] In some prior arts, in order to realize an integrated design, the integrated front end cover assembly, the shaft cover and the front end cover are made into one piece, but at the same time, it brings problems such as complex and difficult casting process, complex parts machining process and heavy overall weight.

[0033] In some other prior arts, an axle cover is divided into two sections, one of which is a sheet metal part and the other is a casting, which are connected by nesting and bolts, and finally the front end cover is fixed to the front shell by bolts to achieve assembly. However, this also leads to the problem of complex structure and high manufacturing difficulty of the axle cover, and the oil pump lubrication function is not realized.

[0034] In some other related technologies, there is a design that divides a shaft cover into a two-section structure, and connects the two sections of the shaft components into a whole by welding to achieve the functions of sealing and supporting the separation bearing. However, the stamping parts of the shaft cover need to be welded and machined to achieve the function, which is overall difficult and costly and not easy to manufacture.

[0035] Therefore, the use of a front cover structure after an integrated design will inevitably lead to an increase in weight, increase the fuel consumption of the vehicle and product costs, and even the risk of oil leakage due to improper layout, and the problem of difficulty in removing the oil seal. In response to the above-mentioned problems, the present application designs a front cover assembly based on the principles of light weight and low cost to solve the above-mentioned technical problems. The following is a further detailed description of the embodiments of the present application in conjunction with Figures 1-3.

[0036] Refer to Figure 1, which shows a main sectional view of a front end cover assembly in an embodiment of the present application. An embodiment of the present application provides a front end cover assembly, including a front end cover 1, a shaft cover 2 detachably mounted on the front end cover 1, and a lubricating oil pump 3 embedded in the front end cover 1. The lubricating oil pump 3 can be transmission-connected to the intermediate shaft of the transmission, so as to pump lubricating oil driven by the intermediate shaft of the transmission to realize the circulation movement of the lubricating oil.

[0037] Among them, along the direction of the central axis G1 of the front end cover 1, a mounting hole 11 for mounting the transmission input shaft is provided at the axial position of the front end cover 1. In the embodiment of the present application, the end surface of the front end cover 1 used to assemble a shaft cover 2 is defined as a vertical end surface AA, and the vertical end surface AA is perpendicular to the central axis G1 of the front end cover 1. Specifically, a shaft cover 2 can be detachably assembled on the vertical end surface AA by means of fasteners, and the fasteners include but are not limited to bolts.

[0038] Furthermore, a first stepped hole 12 with the vertical end face AA as the end face is provided on the front end cover 1. The first stepped hole 12 is arranged along the periphery of the mounting hole 11 and is connected to the mounting hole 11. In the embodiment of the present application, the first stepped hole 12 is used to assemble the oil seal 4. In the radial direction of the front end cover 1, the inner diameter of the first stepped hole 12 is larger than the inner diameter of the mounting hole 11. During actual assembly, after a shaft cover 2 is assembled to the front end cover 1 with the aid of fasteners, the end face of the shaft cover 2 facing the front end cover 1 can cooperate with the inner wall of the first stepped hole 12 to encapsulate the oil seal 4 in the first stepped hole 12, so as to limit the oil seal 4 in the axial direction of the front end cover 1, so as to block the mounting hole 11 and reduce oil leakage of the transmission.

[0039] At the same time, since the shaft cover 2 and the front end cover 1 in the embodiment of the present application are detachably connected by means of fasteners, this assembly method facilitates the installation and disassembly of the oil seal 4 and can also reduce the difficulty of assembly and maintenance of the oil seal 4 to a certain extent.

[0040] In addition, the present application cleverly divides the axle cover 2 and the front end cover 1 of the front end cover assembly into two independent parts. On the one hand, it can greatly reduce the overall weight of the front end cover assembly. On the other hand, it can also reduce the difficulty of machining the front end cover 1, thereby improving the qualified rate of the front end cover assembly parts and reducing the manufacturing cost of the front end cover assembly.

[0041] In conjunction with Figure 2, Figure 2 shows a left sectional view of a front end cover assembly in an embodiment of the present application. In some embodiments, in order to further reduce the weight of the entire front end cover assembly, at least one weight reduction groove 17 is further provided on the front end cover 1 to reduce the weight of the front end cover 1, thereby reducing the weight of the entire front end cover assembly, so as to achieve a lightweight design of the entire front end cover assembly.

[0042] As shown in FIG. 2 , for example, four weight-reducing grooves 17 are provided on the front end cover 1, and the weight-reducing grooves 17 are constructed as waist-shaped grooves arranged along the circumference of the mounting hole 11. Four threaded holes are also provided on the front end cover 1 along the circumference of the mounting hole 11, and the threaded holes are used for fastener installation. Specifically, the four weight-reducing grooves 17 are evenly distributed on the front end cover 1 along the circumference of the mounting hole 11, and the weight-reducing grooves 17 are alternately arranged with the threaded holes for fastener installation along the circumference of the mounting hole 11, so as to cover as much area as possible on the vertical end surface AA and reduce the weight of the front end cover 1 as much as possible.

[0043] In combination with Figures 1 to 3, Figure 3 shows an isometric view of a shaft cover 2 in an embodiment of the present application. Further, in some embodiments, the shaft cover 2 is configured to be made by a sheet metal stamping process, and the shaft cover 2 can be detachably connected to the front end cover 1 by means of fasteners, such as bolts, to support the clutch release bearing to achieve reciprocating motion.

[0044] In the embodiment of the present application, an axle cover 2 is made by a sheet metal stamping process, that is, an axle cover 2 is constructed as a sheet metal stamping part and is an integrated structure. There are few redundant structures during the manufacturing of the axle cover 2, and the material weight is not easily increased after processing, which can further reduce the overall weight of the front end cover assembly.

[0045] In some other embodiments, the end surface of the shaft cover 2 is provided with a connection hole connected to the front end cover 1. A plurality of reinforcing ribs are arranged on the surface of the shaft cover 2, and all the reinforcing ribs are integrally formed on the shaft cover 2, and specifically can be directly stamped on the surface of the shaft cover 2 by a sheet metal stamping process to ensure the strength of the connection between the reinforcing ribs and the shaft cover 2.

[0046] Specifically, a portion of the reinforcing ribs are arranged along the periphery of the shaft cover 2 and protrude from the end face of the shaft cover 2 to improve the rigidity and structural strength of the shaft cover 2. Another portion of the reinforcing ribs are arranged at the connecting hole to further improve the rigidity and stamping processability of the shaft cover 2. Similarly, reinforcing ribs protruding toward the inner hole are arranged at the circumference of the long cylindrical end of the shaft cover 2, which is also used to improve the rigidity and stamping processability of the shaft cover 2.

[0047] Referring to FIG. 1 , in some embodiments, the front end cover 1 further includes an oil chamber 14, a lubricating oil passage, and a first intermediate shaft hole 13 for accommodating a lubricating oil pump 3, wherein the oil chamber 14 is used to store lubricating oil, the lubricating oil pump 3 can be transmission-connected to the transmission intermediate shaft, the first intermediate shaft hole 13 and the first stepped hole 12 can be connected to the oil chamber 14 via the lubricating oil passage to realize pumping circulation of the lubricating oil, thereby ensuring the lubrication effect of the front end cover assembly.

[0048] Specifically, the lubricating oil passage includes a lubricating passage 151, an oil inlet passage 152 and an oil outlet passage 153 connected to the oil chamber 14. The lubricating passage 151 connects the first stepped hole 12 to the oil chamber 14 to achieve lubrication of the oil seal 4. The oil inlet passage 152 and the oil outlet passage 153 are both connected between the oil chamber 14 and the first intermediate shaft hole 13 to achieve pumping circulation of the lubricating oil between the first intermediate shaft hole 13, the first stepped hole 12 and the oil chamber 14.

[0049] The front cover 1 is provided with a second stepped hole 16 on the side thereof that is used to cooperate with the transmission. The second stepped hole 16 penetrates the end surface of the front cover 1 that faces the transmission. The lubricating oil pump 3 includes an oil pump cover 31 disposed in the second stepped hole 16. The oil pump cover 31 is detachably connected to the front cover 1 and blocks the opening of the oil chamber 14. Specifically, the oil pump cover 31 can be connected to the front cover 1 by means of fasteners such as bolts. In the embodiment of the present application, the end surface of the oil pump cover 31 that is away from the second stepped hole 16 is flush with the end surface of the front cover 1 that is used to cooperate with the transmission.

[0050] In the embodiment of the present application, the oil pump cover 31 of the lubricating oil pump 3 is arranged on the side where the front cover 1 cooperates with the transmission. By assembling the oil pump cover 31 of the lubricating oil pump 3 in the transmission cavity, compared with the technical solution in which the oil pump cover 31 is arranged on the outside of the transmission in the related technology, a sealing ring must be provided to ensure that the lubricating oil does not leak out. The lubricating oil pump 3 shown in the present application does not require an additional sealing ring, which makes the overall structure of the lubricating oil pump 3 more streamlined, is less prone to oil leakage risks, and improves the overall sealing of the automobile transmission.

[0051] Continuing to refer to FIG. 1 , specifically, the lubricating oil pump 3 further includes a driving shaft 32, an inner rotor 33 and an outer rotor 34 arranged in the first intermediate shaft hole 13, wherein the driving shaft 32 is arranged along the axial extension of the first intermediate shaft hole 13, the inner rotor 33 is fixed to the periphery of the driving shaft 32, and the outer rotor 34 is sleeved on the outer side of the inner rotor 33, and cooperates with the inner rotor 33 and the oil chamber 14 to form a lubricating oil pump 3 structure. In the embodiment of the present application, along the axial direction of the first intermediate shaft hole 13, the end of the driving shaft 32 away from the oil pump cover 31 is defined as the right connecting end, and the right connecting end can extend out of the first intermediate shaft hole 13 along the axial direction of the first intermediate shaft hole 13 and penetrate the oil pump cover 31, and the right connecting end can be connected to the intermediate shaft of the transmission by means of a spline transmission to achieve connection power taking and provide lubrication power for the transmission.

[0052] In the embodiment of the present application, not only can a lubricating oil pump 3 be formed through the cooperation between the front end cover 1 and the oil pump cover 31, the inner rotor 33, and the outer rotor 34, but also during the operation of the transmission, the lubricating oil pump 3 shown in the present application can drive the inner rotor 33 to rotate through the corresponding transmission intermediate shaft, driving the outer rotor 34 outside the oil pump inner rotor 33 to perform forced lubrication, so as to ensure that the lubricating oil pump 3 can have a good lubrication effect.

[0053] In some other embodiments, along the radial direction of the front end cover 1, the front end cover 1 also includes a second intermediate shaft hole 18 arranged corresponding to the first intermediate shaft hole 13, and a cavity is formed in the second intermediate shaft hole 18 to avoid the intermediate shaft of the transmission on the other side and reduce the possibility of mutual interference between structures.

[0054] In some embodiments, the present application also provides a vehicle (not shown), which includes a front cover assembly as shown in any of the above embodiments. Compared with the front cover assembly structure of the transmission assembly in the related art, in the embodiment of the present application, a shaft cover 2 is made into a sheet metal part and fixed to the front cover 1 by bolts, and the lubricating oil pump 3 cover is arranged in the transmission cavity, that is, the integrated front cover assembly structure provided by the present application can achieve product lightweight, improve the sealing of the automobile transmission, and solve the problem of difficulty in disassembling a shaft oil seal 4. In addition, since the oil pump cover 31 of the lubricating oil pump 3 is placed in the transmission cavity for assembly in the present application, no sealing ring is required, and there is no risk of oil leakage.

[0055] The technical features of the above-described embodiments may be arbitrarily combined. To make the description concise, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-described embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, they should be considered to be within the scope of this specification.

[0056] The above-described embodiments only express several implementation methods of the present application, and the descriptions thereof are relatively specific and detailed, but they cannot be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. It should be pointed out that, for a person of ordinary skill in the art, several variations and improvements can be made without departing from the concept of the present application, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the patent application shall be subject to the attached claims.

Claims

1. A front end cover assembly, characterized in that: The front end cover assembly comprises: A front end cover, comprising a mounting hole for mounting a transmission input shaft, and a first stepped hole opened along the periphery of the mounting hole, wherein the first stepped hole is used for assembling an oil seal; a shaft cover, detachably mounted on the front end cover, for sealing the oil seal in the first stepped hole; and A lubricating oil pump, wherein the front end cover further comprises a first intermediate shaft hole, the lubricating oil pump is assembled in the first intermediate shaft hole and can be transmission-connected to the transmission intermediate shaft; Among them, an oil chamber and a lubricating oil passage are provided in the front end cover, and the first intermediate shaft hole and the first stepped hole can be connected to the oil chamber via the lubricating oil passage.

2. The front end cover assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lubricating oil passage comprises a lubricating passage, an oil inlet passage and an oil outlet passage. The lubricating passage connects the first stepped hole to the oil chamber. Both the oil inlet passage and the oil outlet passage are connected between the oil chamber and the first intermediate shaft hole.

3. The front end cover assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: A second stepped hole is provided on one side of the front end cover for cooperating with the transmission, and the lubricating oil pump comprises an oil pump cover arranged in the second stepped hole, and the oil pump cover is detachably connected to the front end cover.

4. The front end cover assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that: The lubricating oil pump includes a drive shaft arranged in the first intermediate shaft hole, an inner rotor coaxially fixed to the drive shaft, and an outer rotor sleeved on the outer periphery of the inner rotor. The drive shaft includes a right connecting end, which passes through the oil pump cover and can be transmission-connected to the transmission intermediate shaft.

5. The front end cover assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front end cover also includes a weight-reducing groove, which is arranged along the circumference of the mounting hole.

6. The front end cover assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shaft cover is configured to be manufactured by a sheet metal stamping process.

7. The front end cover assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shaft cover is constructed as an integrated structure.

8. The front end cover assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front end cover assembly also includes a plurality of reinforcing ribs arranged on the surface of the shaft cover, and the reinforcing ribs are integrally formed with the shaft cover.

9. The front end cover assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front end cover also includes a second intermediate shaft hole, and the second intermediate shaft hole is formed with a cavity for avoiding the intermediate shaft of the transmission on the other side.

10. A vehicle, characterized in that: It comprises a front end cover assembly as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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