Drive device

Abstract

To provide a drive device which suppresses an inclination of a planetary carrier and a shaft misalignment with a simple configuration.SOLUTION: A drive device includes: a body 110; a main drive part 120 provided on the body 110; and an auxiliary drive part 130. The main drive part 120 includes a main shaft 121 and a bevel gear 122 that rotates integrally with the main shaft 121 at least in one direction. The auxiliary drive part 130 is connected to a drive source as a speed reduction mechanism of the drive force, and includes: a sun gear 141 in which an auxiliary drive force is input; a planetary gear 142; an internal gear 144 provided on the body 110; and a planetary carrier 143 rotationally supporting the planetary gear 142 by a pin 146. A bevel pinion boss 151 and a bevel pinion gear 152 connected to the bevel pinion boss 151 are provided as a transmission member of the drive force whose speed has been reduced by the speed reduction mechanism. The bevel gear 122 and the bevel pinion gear 152 are connected, and a shaft misalignment prevention member is provided for maintaining a coaxial rotation between the planetary carrier 143 and the bevel pinion boss 151.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a drive device having a main body, a drive unit provided in the main body, and a drive auxiliary unit. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART Conventionally, a drive device having a main body, a main drive unit provided in the main body, and an auxiliary drive unit is known, for example, from Patent Document 1 and the like. An electrically assisted vehicle 80 provided with the drive device described in Patent Document 1 has a main body (case main body 93), a main shaft (crankshaft 13) and a rotating member (output gear 98a) that rotates integrally with the main shaft (crankshaft 13) as a main drive unit provided in the main body (case main body 93), an auxiliary drive shaft (rotating shaft 82a) as a drive auxiliary unit, a speed reduction mechanism (planetary roller type speed reduction mechanism 91) connected to the auxiliary drive shaft (rotating shaft 82a), and a transmission member (output gear member 118) that transmits the output of the speed reduction mechanism (planetary roller type speed reduction mechanism 91) to the main shaft (crankshaft 13), and the speed reduction mechanism (planetary roller type speed reduction mechanism 91) is a planetary gear (planetary roller type speed reduction mechanism 91). The planetary gear (planetary roller 111) has a sun gear (rotating shaft 82a) to which a driving assist force is input from a driving source (electric motor 82), a planet carrier (carrier 117) that rotatably supports the planetary gear (planetary roller 111), and an internal gear (outer ring 110) provided on the main body, and the reduction mechanism (planetary roller reduction mechanism 91) and the transmission member (output gear member 118) are connected by a power transmission member (one-way clutch 120), and the transmission member (output gear member 118) is connected to the rotating member (output gear 98a) so that the driving assist force from the driving source (electric motor 82) is transmitted to the main shaft (crankshaft 13). This makes it possible to output a resultant force of the driving force input to the main shaft (crankshaft 13) and the driving assist force from the driving source (electric motor 82). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 10-016874 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the known driving device disclosed in Patent Document 1 and the like, the only support member for the carrier 117 connected to the planetary roller type reduction mechanism 91 is the one-way clutch 120. Therefore, for example, when the drive unit is mounted on an electric assisted bicycle 80 and held horizontally, the structure of the one-way clutch 120 creates small gaps between the components of the one-way clutch 120, which could cause the carrier 117 to tilt from its original mounting position or cause the axis of the rotating shaft to become misaligned. Furthermore, if the electric motor 82 rotates with the carrier 117 tilted or with its axis misaligned, the meshing state between the rotating shaft 82a, planetary roller 111, and outer ring 110 will become uneven, which could result in a decrease in the efficiency of power transmission from the electric motor 82, the generation of periodic abnormal noises as the electric motor 82 rotates, and abnormal wear on the tooth surfaces. Furthermore, there is a risk that the one-way clutch 120 may not mesh properly or may wear abnormally due to tilting or misalignment of the carrier 117. The present invention aims to solve these problems by providing a drive unit with a simple configuration that suppresses tilt and axial misalignment of the planetary carrier, has good power transmission efficiency, and is quiet and has excellent running stability. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The drive device of the present invention is a drive device having a main body, a main drive unit provided in the main body, and a drive auxiliary unit that assists in driving the main drive unit, wherein the main drive unit has a main shaft journaled in the main body and a rotating member that rotates integrally with the main shaft in at least one direction, the drive auxiliary unit has an auxiliary drive shaft, a reduction mechanism connected to the auxiliary drive shaft, and a transmission member that transmits the output of the reduction mechanism to the main shaft, the reduction mechanism having a planetary gear, a sun gear to which a drive auxiliary force is input from a drive source, a planet carrier that rotatably supports the planetary gear, and an internal gear provided in the main body, the reduction mechanism and the transmission member are connected by a power transmission member, and the transmission member is connected to the rotating member so that the drive auxiliary force from the drive source is transmitted to the main shaft, and an axis misalignment prevention member that ensures coaxial rotation of the reduction mechanism and the transmission member, thereby solving the above-mentioned problem. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the inventions of claims 1 and 7, there is provided a drive device having a main body, a main drive unit provided in the main body, and a drive auxiliary unit that assists the drive of the main drive unit, wherein the main drive unit has a main shaft journaled in the main body and a rotating member that rotates integrally with the main shaft in at least one direction, the drive auxiliary unit has an auxiliary drive shaft, a reduction mechanism connected to the auxiliary drive shaft, and a transmission member that transmits the output of the reduction mechanism to the main shaft, and the reduction mechanism has a planetary gear, a sun gear to which a drive auxiliary force is input from a drive source, and a transmission member that transmits the output of the reduction mechanism to the main shaft, The gear has a rotatably supported planetary carrier and an internal gear provided in the main body portion, the planetary carrier and the transmission member are connected by a power transmission member, the transmission member is connected to the rotating member so that the driving assist force from the driving source is transmitted to the main shaft, and has an axial misalignment prevention member that ensures coaxial rotation of the planetary carrier and the transmission member, so that when the driving assist force is input from the driving source and the planetary carrier and the transmission member rotate together, axial misalignment of both the rotating shafts of the planetary carrier and the transmission member can be suppressed. This makes the meshing state between the reduction mechanism and each part of the transmission member uniform, reducing power transmission loss, suppressing abnormal noise, and reducing wear on rotating parts.

[0007] According to the configuration of claim 2, the rotating member has a bevel gear, the transmission member has a bevel pinion gear, the bevel pinion gear is connected to the bevel gear, the planetary carrier and the transmission member are connected by the power transmission member, and the axial misalignment prevention member ensures coaxial rotation of the planetary carrier and the transmission member, thereby transmitting the power input from the drive source to the main shaft reliably and in a manner that minimizes loss, and by bringing the parts that ensure coaxial rotation closer together, axial misalignment can be prevented more effectively.

[0008] According to the configuration described in claim 3, the anti-axial misalignment member is held between the inner surface side of the main body and the outer surface side of the planetary carrier, thereby effectively suppressing axial misalignment in a direction parallel to the rotation axis of the planetary carrier. Furthermore, since the misalignment of the axis can be suppressed without increasing the size of the main body, the weight of the main body can be reduced and the storage space can be reduced.

[0009] According to the configuration of claim 4, the anti-axial misalignment member is configured as a bearing, so that it is possible to suppress axial misalignment of the planetary carrier without providing resistance to the rotational movement of the planetary carrier.

[0010] According to the configuration described in claim 5, the planetary carrier has a boss portion formed on its side, and the boss portion functions as a support portion for the power transmission member, so that the transmission member can be provided inside the main body portion, thereby shortening the overall length of the transmission member, and by bringing the outer diameter of the bearing as close as possible to the inner diameter of the drive auxiliary portion side of the main body portion, the transmission member can be securely held, thereby further minimizing axial misalignment of the transmission member.

[0011] According to the configuration of claim 6, the power transmission member is configured as a cam clutch, so that the drag resistance of the electric motor can be suppressed when the electric motor does not input a drive assist force.

[0012] According to the configuration of claim 8, the main shaft is a crankshaft to which a pedal depression force is input, so that the vehicle can be made to assist the pedal depression force of the driver. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a cross section of a driving device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, taken along a direction parallel to a main shaft. [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view of a cross section perpendicular to a main shaft of a driving device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a perspective view of a driving device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, seen from a sprocket side. [Figure 4] 1 is a perspective view of a drive device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, seen from the drive auxiliary unit side. [Figure 5] 3 is a partially enlarged view of a drive auxiliary part in a cross section parallel to the main shaft of the drive unit 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] A driving device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, a driving device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a main body 110, a main driving unit 120 provided in the main body 110, and an auxiliary driving unit . The drive source and gear teeth are not shown.

[0015] The main drive unit 120 has a main shaft 121 rotatably held by a bearing 126 press-fitted into the main body 110, and a bevel gear 122 which is a rotating member that rotates integrally with the main shaft 121 and is rotatably held by a bearing 125 press-fitted into the main body 110. The main shaft 121 has a through hole in the longitudinal direction, and internal threads are provided on the inner surfaces of both ends of the through hole. Both ends of the main shaft 121 are shaped like square pillars, and cranks can be attached to both ends.

[0016] The bevel gear 122 has a through hole provided in the direction of the central axis of rotation through which the main shaft 121 is inserted, and is connected by a one-way clutch 124 so that the bevel gear 122 can rotate integrally with the main shaft 121 in at least one direction, and when the main shaft 121 rotates in the direction opposite to the drive direction, the bevel gear 122 can rotate freely. A sprocket 123 is attached to one end of the bevel gear 122 so as to be rotatable integrally with the bevel gear 122. When the main shaft 121 rotates, the bevel gear 122 rotates via the one-way clutch 124, and the sprocket 123 also rotates.

[0017] On the other hand, when the main shaft 121 rotates in the direction opposite to the driving direction, the one-way clutch 124 causes the main shaft 121 to spin freely, and the bevel gear 122 does not rotate integrally with the main shaft 121. Therefore, the driving force is not transmitted to the sprocket 123, and the sprocket 123 does not rotate.

[0018] The drive auxiliary unit 130 has an auxiliary drive shaft (not shown) connected to a drive source, a reduction mechanism 140 connected to the auxiliary drive shaft, and a transmission member 150 that transmits the output of the reduction mechanism 140 to the main shaft. The reduction mechanism 140 has a sun gear 141 to which the drive auxiliary force of the auxiliary drive shaft is input, a planetary gear 142 to which the drive auxiliary force is transmitted from the sun gear 141, an internal gear 144 provided in the main body 110 and rotatably holding the planetary gear 142, and a planetary carrier 143 that rotatably supports the planetary gear 142 by a pin 146.

[0019] The sun gear 141 has a through hole to which a drive source can be connected, and when the drive source rotates and a drive assist force is input, the sun gear 141 can rotate integrally with the drive source at the same rotation speed.

[0020] The planetary gear 142 has a through hole at the position of the rotation center axis, through which a pin 146 is inserted, and is meshed with the sun gear 141. When the sun gear 141 rotates, the planetary gear 142 also rotates integrally, making it possible to transmit the driving assist force from the driving source.

[0021] The internal gear 144 is provided inside the main body 110, and has a gear portion 144b and a holding portion 144a for a bearing 145, which is an axial misalignment prevention member, in the cylindrical inner portion, and rotatably supports the planetary gear 142 and holds the bearing 145, which is an axial misalignment prevention member. Since the internal gear 144 is fixed inside the main body 110, it does not rotate by itself, and when the planetary gear 142 rotates, the planetary gear 142 performs planetary motion, rotating around the sun gear 141 while rotating around the pin 146.

[0022] A transmission member 150 that transmits the output of the reduction mechanism 140 to the main shaft 121 has a bevel pinion boss 151 and a bevel pinion gear 152 connected to the bevel pinion boss 151 . The planetary carrier 143 of the reduction mechanism 140 and the bevel pinion boss 151 of the transmission member 150 are connected by a cam clutch 153, which is a power transmission member.

[0023] The bearing 145, which serves as an anti-axial misalignment member, is held between the inner peripheral surface of the main body 110, i.e., the inner peripheral surface of the internal gear 144, and the outer peripheral surface of the planetary carrier 143, in order to ensure that the planetary carrier 143 and the bevel pinion boss 151 rotate coaxially. This prevents tilting or axial misalignment of the planetary carrier 143 when it is installed or during rotational movement, and also allows the planetary carrier 143 to rotate inside it. In this embodiment, a bearing 145 is provided as an axial misalignment prevention member for the rotating parts, planetary carrier 143 and bevel pinion boss 151, and planetary carrier 143 is held by two surfaces, the inner ring of cam clutch 153 and the inner ring of bearing 145, thereby preventing misalignment and tilting of the rotational center axis of planetary carrier 143 and the rotational center axis of bevel pinion boss 151, and ensuring coaxial rotational movement.

[0024] The bearing 145, which serves as an axial misalignment prevention member, has its outer ring held by a holding portion 144a of the bearing 145, which is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the main body 110, while the inner ring of the bearing 145 rotatably holds the planet carrier 143. Since the outer ring of bearing 145 is held by internal gear holding portion 144a provided on the inner surface of main body 110, there is no need to provide a separate rib on the inner surface of main body 110 or perform additional processing, and since the outer ring is held by holding portion 144a of bearing 145 provided on internal gear 144, bearing 145 can be easily installed.

[0025] This allows for a reduction in the amount of material used for the main body 110, which in turn makes the main body lighter and shortens the manufacturing process. Furthermore, since the outer diameter of the bearing 145 can be increased to the inner diameter of the main body 110, the outer diameter of the bearing 145 can be set large, the planetary carrier 143 can be held over a larger area, and misalignment of the planetary carrier 143 can be effectively prevented.In addition, misalignment of the planetary carrier 143 can be prevented regardless of the direction in which the drive unit 100 is positioned.

[0026] The planetary carrier 143 is held by the bearing 145, preventing misalignment of the axis during rotation of the planetary carrier 143, and the planetary carrier 143 and the bevel pinion boss 151 rotate on the same rotation axis, thereby reducing loss due to the power transmission of the drive auxiliary force input from the drive source. In addition, the rotation axis of the planetary carrier 143 is coaxial with the rotation axis of the bevel pinion boss 151, which suppresses vibrations caused by the planetary carrier 143 rotating at an angle. Also, the meshing state between the planetary gear 142, which is connected to the planetary carrier 143 by the pin 146, and the internal gear 144, and between the planetary gear 142 and the sun gear 141, is made uniform, which suppresses periodic sounds and abnormal noises caused by the meshing of gears, and also reduces wear on the tooth surfaces of each gear. Furthermore, with regard to the cam clutch 153, by preventing the axial misalignment and tilting of the planetary carrier 143 held by the inner ring of the cam clutch 153, the contact between the components when the cam clutch 153 is engaged becomes uniform, which reduces loss due to power transmission, suppresses periodic sounds and abnormal noises, and reduces wear on each part when driving and idling, leading to a longer life for the cam clutch 153.

[0027] The cam clutch 153 can reduce transmission loss of the drive assist force input from the drive source due to its responsiveness, and can also securely hold the boss portion of the planet carrier 143 with the cam. At this time, the planetary carrier 143 is held by the bearing 145, which serves as an axial misalignment prevention member, and the boss portion of the planetary carrier 143 is held by the cam clutch 153, which is a cam clutch, thereby preventing the planetary carrier 143 from tilting or being held with its axis misaligned. In this embodiment, the power transmission member is the cam clutch 153, but a one-way clutch of another structure may also be used.

[0028] The planetary carrier 143 has a cylindrical shape with a through hole in the center, and is rotatably held inside the main body 110 by a bearing 145 that acts as an anti-axial misalignment member. By supporting the planetary gear 142 via a pin 146, the planetary carrier 143 itself can also rotate when the planetary gear 142 performs planetary motion. Additionally, the planetary carrier 143 has a boss portion formed on its side surface, and a cam clutch 153 is inserted on the outer peripheral surface side of the boss portion.

[0029] The drive assisting portion 130 also has a bevel pinion boss 151 and a bevel pinion gear 152 connected to the bevel pinion boss 151 as a transmission member for transmitting the drive force reduced by the reduction mechanism.

[0030] The bevel pinion boss 151 has a through hole and a recess, and the recess holds the cam clutch 153 inserted into the boss portion provided on the planetary carrier 143 from the outer peripheral surface side. In addition, bevel pinion boss 151 is securely held without tilt or misalignment by two bearings 154 and 155 press-fitted inside main body 110, and can rotate coaxially with planet carrier 143 held by bearing 145.

[0031] The bevel pinion gear 152 has a through hole and is connected to the through hole provided in the bevel pinion boss 151, so that the bevel pinion gear 152 is held so as to be rotatable integrally with the bevel pinion boss 151. Furthermore, the bevel pinion gear 152 is connected to the bevel gear 122 so as to be able to transmit power.

[0032] Next, the operation of the driving device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention during driving will be described with reference to FIG. First, a case will be described in which power is input to the main shaft 121 of the main drive unit 120 in the drive direction, but power is not input to the auxiliary drive unit 130 from the drive source. The main shaft 121 and the bevel gear 122 are connected by the one-way clutch 124 so that they can rotate together in at least one direction. Therefore, when power is input in the drive direction, the bevel gear 122 rotates together with the main shaft 121, and the sprocket 123 connected to the bevel gear 122 also rotates together. Then, power is transmitted from the bevel gear 122 to the bevel pinion gear 152 connected to the bevel gear 122, so that the bevel pinion gear 152 also rotates.

[0033] Here, since the bevel pinion gear 152 and the bevel pinion boss 151 are connected, the bevel pinion boss 151 rotates integrally with the bevel pinion gear 152 as the bevel pinion gear 152 rotates. However, since the bevel pinion boss 151 and the planetary carrier 143 are connected by the cam clutch 153, even if the bevel pinion boss 151 rotates, the cam clutch 153 rotates freely and no power is transmitted to the planetary carrier 143. As a result, when no power is being input from the drive source, the cam clutch 153 rotates freely, and the planetary carrier 143, planetary gear 146, sun gear 141, and drive source do not rotate, so there is no loss of power input to the main shaft 121.

[0034] Next, a case where power is input to the main shaft 121 of the main drive unit 120 in the drive direction and power is input to the auxiliary drive unit 130 from the drive source will be described. When power is input to the main shaft 121 in the drive direction, the power is transmitted in the order of one-way clutch 124, bevel gear 122, and bevel pinion gear 152, and bevel pinion boss 151 connected to bevel pinion gear 152 also rotates integrally. Here, since power is input from the drive source to the sun gear 141, the planet gear 142, which is connected to the sun gear 141 and rotatably held by the internal gear 144, performs planetary motion. Then, the planet carrier 143 connected to the planet gear 142 by the pin 146 also rotates.

[0035] Here, when the rotational speed of the planetary carrier 143 is slower than the rotational speed of the bevel pinion boss 151, the bevel pinion boss 151 and the planetary carrier 143 are connected by the cam clutch 153, so the power transmitted from the drive source to the planetary carrier 143 is not transmitted to the bevel pinion boss 151, and the drive assist force input from the drive source is not transmitted to the main shaft 121. On the other hand, when the rotational speed of the planetary carrier 143 is faster than the rotational speed of the bevel pinion boss 151, the bevel pinion boss 151 and the planetary carrier 143 are connected by the cam clutch 153, so that the planetary carrier 143 increases the rotational speed of the bevel pinion boss 151, and the power transmitted from the drive source is transmitted to the bevel pinion boss 151, assisting the rotational motion of the main shaft 121.

[0036] That is, when the rotational speed of the planetary carrier 143 exceeds the rotational speed of the bevel pinion boss 151, the power input from the drive source is transmitted to the bevel pinion boss 151, thereby assisting the rotational motion of the main shaft 121.

[0037] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and various design modifications can be made without departing from the present invention as set forth in the claims.

[0038] In the above-described embodiment, the transmission member consists of a bevel pinion boss and a bevel pinion gear, the bevel pinion boss has a portion that forms the outer ring of the cam clutch, the planetary carrier has a portion that forms the inner ring of the cam clutch, and the outer periphery of the bevel pinion boss is rotatably supported by a bearing, but it may also be configured so that a shaft extending directly from the bevel pinion gear has a portion that forms the inner ring of the cam clutch, the planetary carrier has a portion that forms the outer ring of the cam clutch, and the directly extending shaft is rotatably supported by a bearing. Furthermore, the drive device according to the present invention can be used as a drive device for a variety of purposes, including vehicles using electric motors or the like as a drive source, devices for transporting luggage, and carts.

[0039] Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the rotation axis of bevel pinion gear 152 and main shaft 121 are positioned perpendicular to each other, but they may be connected so as to be able to transmit power. For example, the rotation axis direction of bevel pinion gear 152 and the rotation axis direction of main shaft 121 may be arranged parallel to each other, and bevel pinion gear 152 and main shaft 121 may be connected by a chain, a rod, or the like. 3 and 4, the drive assist unit 130 has three planetary gears 142, but there is no restriction on the number of planetary gears 142, and the number may be three or more. In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the main shaft 121 and the bevel gear 122, which is a rotating member, are configured to rotate integrally in at least one direction via the one-way clutch 124, but they may also be configured to rotate integrally in both directions without the one-way clutch 124. The one-way clutch 124 may be of any structure, such as a cam clutch. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 100 ··· Drive auxiliary device 110 Main body 120 Drive unit 121 ··· Spindle 122 ··· Bevel gear 123 sprocket 124 One-way clutch 125 ··· Bearing 126 Bearing 130 ··· Drive auxiliary unit 140... Reduction mechanism 141 ··· Sun Gear 142 Planetary gear 143 Planet carrier 144 Internal gear 144a Internal gear bearing holder 144b: Internal gear part 145 Bearing (axilateral misalignment prevention member) 146 Pins 150 Transmission member 151 Bevel pinion boss 152 Bevel pinion gear 153 Cam clutch 154 Bearing 155 Bearing

Claims

1. A drive device having a main body, a main drive unit provided on the main body, and a drive auxiliary unit that assists the drive of the main drive unit, the main drive unit has a main shaft journaled in the main body unit and a rotating member that rotates integrally with the main shaft in at least one direction, the drive auxiliary unit includes an auxiliary drive shaft, a reduction mechanism connected to the auxiliary drive shaft, and a transmission member that transmits an output of the reduction mechanism to the main shaft, the reduction mechanism includes a planetary gear, a sun gear to which a driving assist force is input from a driving source, a planetary carrier that rotatably supports the planetary gear, and an internal gear provided in the main body portion; the planetary carrier and the transmission member are connected by a power transmission member, the transmission member is connected to the rotating member so that a driving assist force from the driving source is transmitted to the main shaft; A drive device characterized by having an axis misalignment prevention member that ensures coaxial rotation of the planetary carrier and the transmission member.

2. the rotating member has a bevel gear, the transmission member has a bevel pinion gear, the bevel pinion gear is connected to the bevel gear, the planetary carrier and the transmission member are connected by the power transmission member, 2. The drive device according to claim 1, wherein the axis misalignment prevention member ensures coaxial rotation of the planetary carrier and the transmission member.

3. 2. The drive unit according to claim 1, wherein the axis misalignment prevention member is held between an inner peripheral surface of the main body and an outer peripheral surface of the planetary carrier.

4. 2. The drive device according to claim 1, wherein the shaft misalignment prevention member is formed of a bearing.

5. The planetary carrier has a boss portion formed on a side surface thereof, 2. The drive device according to claim 1, wherein the boss portion functions as a support portion for the power transmission member.

6. 2. The drive device according to claim 1, wherein the power transmission member is a cam clutch.

7. A vehicle comprising the drive device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. 8. The vehicle according to claim 7, wherein the main shaft is a crankshaft to which a pedal force is input.

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