Motor Unit

Abstract

To provide a motor unit that can be miniaturized as a whole.SOLUTION: A motor unit includes: a motor having a motor shaft rotating about a motor shaft J2 extending along an axial direction; a gear unit 3 connected to the motor shaft on one side in the axial direction of the motor shaft; and a housing 6 for housing the motor and the gear unit. The housing includes: a motor housing unit that houses the motor; and a gear housing unit that houses the gear unit. The gear housing unit includes a protruding portion that protrudes in a radial direction with respect to the motor housing unit when viewed in the shaft direction. The housing is provided with an oil passage. A pump is provided in the oil passage. A direction orthogonal to the shaft direction is defined as a first direction. The pump is fixed to an outer side surface of the housing, and at least a part thereof overlaps with the protruding portion when viewed in the shaft direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a motor unit. [Background technology]

[0002] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2016-73163 discloses a structure in which a refrigerant is cooled by a cooling device (cooler) provided outside the motor (rotating electric machine), and the refrigerant is supplied to the motor by a pump provided outside the motor. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication: JP 2016-73163 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In recent years, there has been progress in the development of motor units for vehicles, in which a motor is fitted with a transmission, etc. However, such motor units have a problem in that they tend to be large in size due to their complex external shapes.

[0005] In view of the above problems, one aspect of the present invention aims to provide a motor unit that can be made smaller overall. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The motor comprises a motor having a motor shaft that rotates around a motor axis extending along the axial direction, a gear section connected to the motor shaft on one axial side of the motor shaft, and a housing that accommodates the motor and the gear section, wherein the housing has a motor accommodating section that accommodates the motor and a gear accommodating section that accommodates the gear section, and the gear accommodating section has a protrusion that protrudes radially from the motor accommodating section when viewed in the axial direction, an oil passage is provided in the housing, and a pump is provided in the oil passage, the direction perpendicular to the axial direction is a first direction, and the pump is fixed to the outer surface of the housing, and at least a portion of the pump overlaps the protrusion when viewed in the axial direction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, a motor unit that can be made smaller overall is provided. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a motor unit according to one embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the motor unit according to one embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the motor unit according to one embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the housing of one embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a side view of the motor unit according to one embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the motor unit according to the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Hereinafter, a motor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment, and can be modified as desired within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention.

[0010] In the following description, the direction of gravity is defined based on the positional relationship when the motor unit 1 is mounted on a vehicle positioned on a horizontal road surface. The drawings also appropriately illustrate an XYZ coordinate system as a three-dimensional Cartesian coordinate system. In the XYZ coordinate system, the Z axis direction indicates the vertical direction (i.e., the up-down direction), the +Z direction is the upper side (opposite the direction of gravity), and the -Z direction is the lower side (the direction of gravity). The X axis direction is perpendicular to the Z axis direction and indicates the front-to-rear direction of the vehicle on which the motor unit 1 is mounted, with the +X direction being the front of the vehicle and the -X direction being the rear of the vehicle. However, the +X direction may also be the rear of the vehicle and the -X direction may also be the front of the vehicle. The Y axis direction is perpendicular to both the X axis direction and the Z axis direction and indicates the width direction (left-right direction) of the vehicle, with the +Y direction being the left side of the vehicle and the -Y direction being the right side of the vehicle. However, when the +X direction is the rear of the vehicle, the +Y direction may also be the right side of the vehicle and the -Y direction may also be the left side of the vehicle. That is, regardless of the direction of the X axis, the +Y direction simply becomes one side in the left-right direction of the vehicle, and the -Y direction becomes the other side in the left-right direction of the vehicle.

[0011] In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the direction parallel to the motor shaft J2 of the motor 2 (Y-axis direction) will be simply referred to as the "axial direction," the radial direction centered on the motor shaft J2 will be simply referred to as the "radial direction," and the circumferential direction centered on the motor shaft J2, i.e., around the axis of the motor shaft J2, will be simply referred to as the "circumferential direction." However, the above "parallel direction" also includes a direction that is approximately parallel.

[0012] A motor unit (electric drive device) 1 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a conceptual diagram of a motor unit 1 according to one embodiment. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the motor unit 1. Note that Fig. 1 is merely a conceptual diagram, and the arrangement and dimensions of each part may not necessarily be the same as in reality.

[0013] The motor unit 1 is mounted on a vehicle that uses a motor as a power source, such as a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHV), or an electric vehicle (EV), and is used as the power source thereof.

[0014] As shown in FIG. 1, the motor unit 1 includes a motor (main motor) 2, a gear unit 3, a housing 6, oil O contained in the housing 6, an inverter unit 8, and a parking mechanism .

[0015] 1, the motor 2 includes a rotor 20 that rotates around a motor axis J2 that extends horizontally, and a stator 30 that is located radially outward of the rotor 20. The interior of the housing 6 is provided with an accommodation space 80 that accommodates the motor 2 and the gear unit 3. The accommodation space 80 is partitioned into a motor chamber 81 that accommodates the motor 2 and a gear chamber 82 that accommodates the gear unit 3.

[0016] <Motor> The motor 2 is accommodated in a motor chamber 81 of the housing 6. The motor 2 includes a rotor 20 and a stator 30 located radially outside the rotor 20. The motor 2 is an inner rotor type motor that includes the stator 30 and the rotor 20 rotatably arranged inside the stator 30.

[0017] The rotor 20 rotates when power is supplied to the stator 30 from a battery (not shown). The rotor 20 has a shaft (motor shaft) 21, a rotor core 24, and a rotor magnet (not shown). The rotor 20 (i.e., the shaft 21, the rotor core 24, and the rotor magnet) rotates around a motor axis J2 extending in the horizontal direction. Torque of the rotor 20 is transmitted to the gear unit 3.

[0018] The shaft 21 extends around a motor axis J2 that extends horizontally and in the width direction of the vehicle. The shaft 21 rotates around the motor axis J2. The shaft 21 is a hollow shaft that includes a hollow portion 22 having an inner circumferential surface that extends along the motor axis J2.

[0019] The shaft 21 extends across the motor chamber 81 and the gear chamber 82 of the housing 6. One end of the shaft 21 protrudes toward the gear chamber 82. The first gear 41 is fixed to the end of the shaft 21 that protrudes into the gear chamber 82.

[0020] The rotor core 24 is made of laminated silicon steel plates. The rotor core 24 is a cylindrical body extending along the axial direction. A plurality of rotor magnets (not shown) are fixed to the rotor core 24. The plurality of rotor magnets are arranged along the circumferential direction with their magnetic poles alternating.

[0021] The stator 30 surrounds the rotor 20 from the radially outer side. The stator 30 includes a stator core 32, a coil 31, and an insulator (not shown) interposed between the stator core 32 and the coil 31. The stator 30 is held in the housing 6. The stator core 32 includes a plurality of magnetic pole teeth (not shown) extending radially inward from the inner circumferential surface of the annular yoke. A coil wire is wound between the magnetic pole teeth. The coil wire wound around the magnetic pole teeth forms the coil 31. The coil wire is connected to the inverter unit 8 via a bus bar (not shown). The coil 31 has coil ends 31a protruding from the axial end face of the stator core 32. The coil ends 31a protrude axially beyond the ends of the rotor core 24 of the rotor 20. The coil ends 31a protrude on both axial sides of the rotor core 24.

[0022] <Gear section> The gear unit 3 is housed in a gear chamber 82 of the housing 6. The gear unit 3 is connected to a shaft 21 on one axial side of the motor shaft J2. The gear unit 3 has a reduction gear 4 and a differential gear 5. Torque output from the motor 2 is transmitted to the differential gear 5 via the reduction gear 4.

[0023] <Deceleration device> The reduction gear 4 is connected to the rotor 20 of the motor 2. The reduction gear 4 has the function of reducing the rotational speed of the motor 2 and increasing the torque output from the motor 2 in accordance with the reduction ratio. The reduction gear 4 transmits the torque output from the motor 2 to the differential gear 5.

[0024] The reduction gear 4 has a first gear (intermediate drive gear) 41, a second gear (intermediate gear) 42, a third gear (primary drive gear) 43, and an intermediate shaft 45. Torque output from the motor 2 is transmitted to a ring gear (gear) 51 of the differential device 5 via the shaft 21 of the motor 2, the first gear 41, the second gear 42, the intermediate shaft 45, and the third gear 43. The gear ratio of each gear, the number of gears, and the like can be changed in various ways depending on the required reduction ratio. The reduction gear 4 is a parallel-shaft gear type reducer in which the axes of the gears are arranged in parallel.

[0025] The first gear 41 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 21 of the motor 2. The first gear 41 rotates together with the shaft 21 around the motor shaft J2. The intermediate shaft 45 extends along an intermediate shaft J4 that is parallel to the motor shaft J2. The intermediate shaft 45 rotates around the intermediate shaft J4. The second gear 42 and the third gear 43 are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate shaft 45. The second gear 42 and the third gear 43 are connected via the intermediate shaft 45. The second gear 42 and the third gear 43 rotate around the intermediate shaft J4. The second gear 42 meshes with the first gear 41. The third gear 43 meshes with the ring gear 51 of the differential device 5. The third gear 43 is located on the partition wall 61c side relative to the second gear 42.

[0026] <Differential device> The differential 5 is connected to the motor 2 via the reduction gear 4. The differential 5 is a device for transmitting torque output from the motor 2 to the wheels of the vehicle. When the vehicle turns, the differential 5 has the function of transmitting the same torque to the axles 55 of both the left and right wheels while absorbing the speed difference between the left and right wheels. The differential 5 has a ring gear 51, a gear housing (not shown), a pair of pinion gears (not shown), a pinion shaft (not shown), and a pair of side gears (not shown).

[0027] The ring gear 51 rotates about a differential shaft J5 that is parallel to the motor shaft J2. The torque output from the motor 2 is transmitted to the ring gear 51 via the reduction gear 4. In other words, the ring gear 51 is connected to the motor 2 via another gear.

[0028] (Arrangement of each axis) FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of the motor unit 1. As shown in FIG. The motor shaft J2, the intermediate shaft J4, and the differential shaft J5 extend parallel to one another along the horizontal direction. The intermediate shaft J4 and the differential shaft J5 are located below the motor shaft J2. Therefore, the reduction gear 4 and the differential gear 5 are located below the motor 2.

[0029] When viewed from the axial direction of the motor shaft J2, a line segment that virtually connects the motor shaft J2 and the intermediate shaft J4 is defined as a first line segment L1, a line segment that virtually connects the intermediate shaft J4 and the differential shaft J5 is defined as a second line segment L2, and a line segment that virtually connects the motor shaft J2 and the differential shaft J5 is defined as a third line segment L3.

[0030] The second line segment L2 extends substantially horizontally. That is, the intermediate shaft J4 and the differential shaft J5 are aligned substantially horizontally. In this embodiment, the substantially horizontal direction of the second line segment L2 refers to a direction within ±10° of the horizontal direction. The angle α formed by the second line segment L2 and the third line segment L3 is 30°±5°. The first line segment L1 extends substantially vertically. That is, the motor shaft J2 and the intermediate shaft J4 are aligned substantially vertically. In this embodiment, the substantially vertical direction of the first line segment L1 refers to a direction within ±10° of the vertical direction.

[0031] The length L1 of the first line segment, the length L2 of the second line segment, and the length L3 of the third line segment satisfy the following relationship: L1:L2:L3=1:1.4~1.7:1.8~2.0 In addition, the reduction ratio of the reduction mechanism from the motor 2 to the differential device 5 is equal to or greater than 8 and equal to or less than 11. According to this embodiment, a desired gear ratio (equal to or greater than 8 and equal to or less than 11) can be achieved while maintaining the positional relationship between the motor shaft J2, the intermediate shaft J4, and the differential shaft J5 as described above.

[0032] <Housing> As shown in FIG. 1, the motor 2 and the gear unit 3 are accommodated in an accommodation space 80 provided inside the housing 6. The housing 6 holds the motor 2 and the gear unit 3 in the accommodation space 80. The housing 6 has a partition wall 61c. The accommodation space 80 of the housing 6 is divided by the partition wall 61c into a motor chamber 81 and a gear chamber 82. The motor 2 is accommodated in the motor chamber 81. The gear chamber 82 accommodates the gear unit 3 (i.e., the reduction gear 4 and the differential gear 5).

[0033] An oil reservoir P in which oil O accumulates is provided in a lower region within the accommodation space 80. In this embodiment, the bottom 81a of the motor chamber 81 is located above the bottom 82a of the gear chamber 82. A partition wall opening 68 is provided in the partition wall 61c that separates the motor chamber 81 and the gear chamber 82. The partition wall opening 68 connects the motor chamber 81 and the gear chamber 82. The partition wall opening 68 allows the oil O that has accumulated in the lower region within the motor chamber 81 to move to the gear chamber 82.

[0034] A portion of the differential gear 5 is immersed in the oil sump P. The oil O that accumulates in the oil sump P is scooped up by the operation of the differential gear 5, with a portion being supplied to the first oil passage 91 and a portion being diffused into the gear chamber 82. The oil O that has diffused into the gear chamber 82 is supplied to each gear of the reduction gear 4 and the differential gear 5 in the gear chamber 82, causing the oil O to spread over the gear tooth surfaces. The oil O that has been used in the reduction gear 4 and the differential gear 5 drips and is collected in the oil sump P located below the gear chamber 82. The capacity of the oil sump P in the accommodation space 80 is such that a portion of the bearings of the differential gear 5 is immersed in the oil O when the motor unit 1 is stopped.

[0035] 2, the housing 6 has a first housing member 61, a second housing member 62, and a closing portion 63. The second housing member 62 is located on one axial side of the first housing member 61. The closing portion 63 is located on the other axial side of the first housing member 61. The housing may be composed of three or more members.

[0036] FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the housing 6. As shown in FIG. The first housing member 61 has a cylindrical peripheral wall portion 61a that radially surrounds the motor 2 from the outside, and a side plate portion 61b located on one axial side of the peripheral wall portion 61a. The space inside the peripheral wall portion 61a forms the motor chamber 81. The side plate portion 61b has a partition wall 61c and a protruding plate portion 61d. The partition wall 61c covers the opening on one axial side of the peripheral wall portion 61a. In addition to the partition wall opening 68, the partition wall 61c is provided with an insertion hole 61f through which the shaft 21 of the motor 2 is inserted. The side plate portion 61b has the partition wall 61c and a protruding plate portion 61d that protrudes radially outward from the peripheral wall portion 61a. The protruding plate portion 61d is provided with a first axle passage hole 61e through which a drive shaft (not shown) that supports a wheel passes.

[0037] The closing portion 63 is fixed to the peripheral wall portion 61a of the first housing member 61. The closing portion 63 closes the opening of the cylindrical first housing member 61. The closing portion 63 has a closing portion main body 63a and a lid member 63b. The closing portion main body 63a is provided with a window portion 63c that penetrates in the axial direction. The lid member 63b closes the window portion 63c from outside the storage space 80.

[0038] The second housing member 62 is fixed to the side plate portion 61b of the first housing member 61. The second housing member 62 has a concave shape that opens toward the side plate portion 61b. The opening of the second housing member 62 is covered by the side plate portion 61b. The space between the second housing member 62 and the side plate portion 61b forms a gear chamber 82 that accommodates the gear portion 3. A second axle passage hole 62e is provided in the second housing member 62. The second axle passage hole 62e overlaps with the first axle passage hole 61e when viewed in the axial direction.

[0039] The peripheral wall portion 61a and the closing portion 63 of the first housing member 61 form a motor chamber 81, which surrounds and houses the motor 2. In other words, the peripheral wall portion 61a and the closing portion 63 form the motor housing portion 6a shown in FIG. Similarly, the side plate portion 61b of the first housing member 61 and the second housing member 62 form a gear chamber 82, which surrounds and houses the gear portion 3. That is, the side plate portion 61b and the second housing member 62 form the gear accommodating portion 6b shown in FIG. Thus, the housing 6 has a motor accommodating portion 6a in which the motor chamber 81 for accommodating the motor 2 is provided, and a gear accommodating portion 6b in which the gear chamber 82 for accommodating the gear portion 3 is provided.

[0040] Fig. 5 is a side view of the motor unit 1. Fig. 6 is a bottom view of the motor unit 1. Note that the inverter unit 8 is omitted from Figs.

[0041] 5 and 6, the gear housing portion 6b has a protruding portion 6d that protrudes radially from the motor housing portion 6a when viewed in the axial direction. In this embodiment, the protruding portion 6d protrudes toward the rear and downward of the vehicle from the motor housing portion 6a. The protruding portion 6d houses a portion of the gear portion 3. More specifically, a portion of the second gear 42 and a portion of the ring gear 51 are housed inside the protruding portion 6d.

[0042] <Oil> 1, oil O circulates in an oil passage 90 provided in the housing 6. The oil passage 90 is a path for supplying the oil O from an oil reservoir P to the motor 2. The oil passage 90 circulates the oil O and cools the motor 2. The oil O is used to lubricate the reduction gear 4 and the differential gear 5. The oil O is also used to cool the motor 2. The oil O accumulates in a lower region (i.e., oil reservoir P) within the gear chamber 82. Since the oil O functions as both a lubricating oil and a cooling oil, it is preferable to use oil equivalent to low-viscosity automatic transmission lubricating oil (ATF: Automatic Transmission Fluid).

[0043] <Oil road> As shown in Figure 1, oil passage 90 is provided in housing 6. Oil passage 90 is located in accommodation space 80 within housing 6. Oil passage 90 is configured to straddle motor chamber 81 and gear chamber 82 of accommodation space 80. Oil passage 90 is a path for oil O that leads oil O from oil sump P below motor 2 (i.e., the lower region within accommodation space 80) through motor 2 and back to oil sump P below motor 2.

[0044] In this specification, the term "oil passage" refers to a path through which the oil O circulates in the accommodation space 80. Therefore, the term "oil passage" is a concept that includes not only a "flow path" that forms a steady flow of oil in one direction, but also a path that temporarily retains oil (for example, a reservoir) and a path through which oil drips.

[0045] The oil passage 90 has a first oil passage 91 that passes through the inside of the motor 2 and a second oil passage (oil passage) 92 that passes through the outside of the motor 2. The oil O cools the motor 2 from the inside and outside in the first oil passage 91 and the second oil passage 92.

[0046] The first oil passage 91 and the second oil passage 92 are both paths that supply oil O from the oil sump P to the motor 2 and collect the oil O back into the oil sump P. In the first oil passage 91 and the second oil passage 92, the oil O drips from the motor 2 and accumulates in a lower region within the motor chamber 81. The oil O that has accumulated in the lower region within the motor chamber 81 moves to the lower region within the gear chamber 82 (i.e., the oil sump P) via the partition wall opening 68. In other words, the first oil passage 91 and the second oil passage 92 include paths that move the oil O from the lower region within the motor chamber 81 to the lower region within the gear chamber 82.

[0047] (First oil passage) 1, in the first oil passage 91, the oil O is scooped up from the oil reservoir P by the differential device 5 and guided into the rotor 20. Inside the rotor 20, centrifugal force is applied to the oil O as the rotor 20 rotates. As a result, the oil O is evenly diffused toward the stator 30 that surrounds the rotor 20 from the radially outer side, and cools the stator 30.

[0048] The first oil passage 91 has a scoop-up passage 91a, a shaft supply passage 91b, an in-shaft passage 91c, and an in-rotor passage 91d. A first reservoir 93 is provided in the first oil passage 91. The first reservoir 93 is provided in the gear chamber 82.

[0049] The scoop-up path 91a is a path through which oil O is scooped up from the oil sump P by the rotation of the ring gear 51 of the differential device 5 and received in the first reservoir 93. As shown in FIG. 3, the first reservoir 93 is disposed between the intermediate shaft J4 and the differential shaft J5. The first reservoir 93 opens upward. The first reservoir 93 receives the oil O scooped up by the ring gear 51. Furthermore, when the oil level in the oil sump P is high, such as immediately after the motor 2 is started, the first reservoir 93 also receives the oil O scooped up by the second gear 42 and the third gear 43 in addition to the ring gear 51.

[0050] The shaft supply path 91b guides the oil O from the first reservoir 93 to the motor 2. The shaft supply path 91b is formed by a hole 94 provided in the second housing member 62. The shaft internal path 91c is a path through which the oil O passes inside the hollow portion 22 of the shaft 21. The rotor internal path 91d is a path through which the oil O passes from the communication hole 23 of the shaft 21 through the inside of the rotor core 24 and splashes onto the stator 30.

[0051] In the in-shaft passage 91c, centrifugal force is applied to the oil O inside the rotor 20 as the rotor 20 rotates. As a result, the oil O is continuously scattered radially outward from the rotor 20. Furthermore, as the oil O is scattered, negative pressure is created in the passage inside the rotor 20, and the oil O accumulated in the first reservoir 93 is sucked into the rotor 20, filling the passage inside the rotor 20 with the oil O.

[0052] The oil O that reaches the stator 30 removes heat from the stator 30. After cooling the stator 30, the oil O drips downward and accumulates in the lower region of the motor chamber 81. The oil O that has accumulated in the lower region of the motor chamber 81 moves to the gear chamber 82 through the partition wall opening 68 provided in the partition wall 61c.

[0053] (Second oil passage) As shown in FIG. 1 , in the second oil passage 92, the oil O is drawn up from the oil sump P to the upper side of the motor 2 and supplied to the motor 2. The oil O supplied to the motor 2 flows along the outer peripheral surface of the stator 30, removing heat from the stator 30 and cooling the motor 2. The oil O that flows along the outer peripheral surface of the stator 30 drips downward and accumulates in a lower region within the motor chamber 81. The oil O in the second oil passage 92 merges with the oil O in the first oil passage 91 in the lower region within the motor chamber 81. The oil O that has accumulated in the lower region within the motor chamber 81 moves to the lower region within the gear chamber 82 (i.e., the oil sump P) via the partition wall opening 68.

[0054] The second oil passage 92 has a first flow path 92a, a second flow path 92b, and a third flow path 92c. A pump 96, a cooler 97, and a second reservoir 98 are provided in the second oil passage 92. The pump 96 supplies oil O to the motor 2. The cooler 97 cools the oil O passing through the second oil passage 92. In the second oil passage 92, the oil O passes through the first flow path 92a, the pump 96, the second flow path 92b, the cooler 97, the third flow path 92c, and the second reservoir 98 in this order before being supplied to the motor 2.

[0055] The first flow path 92a, the second flow path 92b, and the third flow path 92c pass through a wall portion of the housing 6 that surrounds the accommodation space 80. The first flow path 92a connects the oil reservoir P and the pump 96. The second flow path 92b connects the pump 96 and the cooler 97. The third flow path 92c connects the cooler 97 and the accommodation space 80.

[0056] In this embodiment, the first flow path 92a, the second flow path 92b, and the third flow path 92c pass through the inside of the wall portion of the housing 6 that surrounds the accommodation space 80. Therefore, there is no need to prepare a separate pipe material, which contributes to reducing the number of parts.

[0057] The pump 96 is an electrically driven pump that draws up oil O from an oil reservoir P via a first flow path 92a and supplies the oil O to the motor 2 via a second flow path 92b, a cooler 97, a third flow path 92c, and a second reservoir 98.

[0058] As shown in Figure 6, the pump 96 has a pump mechanism 96p, a pump motor 96m, an intake port 96a, and an outlet port 96b. In this embodiment, the pump mechanism 96p is a trochoidal pump in which an external gear and an internal gear (not shown) mesh and rotate. The internal gear of the pump mechanism 96p is rotated by the pump motor 96m. A gap between the internal gear and the external gear of the pump mechanism 96p communicates with the intake port 96a and the outlet port 96b.

[0059] An intake port 96a of the pump 96 is connected to the first flow path 92a. An outlet port 96b of the pump 96 is connected to the second flow path 92b. The pump 96 draws oil O from the oil reservoir P via the first flow path 92a and supplies the oil O to the motor 2 via the second flow path 92b, the cooler 97, the third flow path 92c, and the second reservoir 98.

[0060] The pump motor 96m rotates the internal gear of the pump mechanism 96p. The rotation axis J6 of the pump motor 96m is parallel to the motor axis J2. A pump 96 having a pump motor 96m tends to be long in the direction of the rotation axis J6. According to this embodiment, by making the rotation axis J6 of the pump motor 96m parallel to the motor axis J2, the radial dimension of the motor unit 1 can be reduced. Furthermore, by reducing the radial dimension of the motor unit 1, it is easy to arrange the pump 96 overlapping the protrusion 6d of the housing 6 when viewed from the axial direction. As a result, a structure that makes it easy to reduce the size of the motor unit 1 by preventing the axial projected area of ​​the motor unit 1 from increasing can be realized.

[0061] The pump 96 is located below the motor chamber 81. The pump 96 is fixed to the surface of the overhanging portion 6d facing the motor accommodating portion 6a. An intake port 96a of the pump 96 is disposed opposite the overhanging portion 6d. A first flow path 92a connected to the intake port 96a of the pump 96 linearly penetrates the wall surface of the overhanging portion 6d in the axial direction and opens to a lower region within the gear chamber 82. That is, the overhanging portion 6d is provided with the first flow path 92a that extends along the axial direction and connects the lower region within the gear chamber 82 (i.e., the oil reservoir P) to the pump 96.

[0062] According to this embodiment, the pump 96 is disposed below the motor chamber 81, which makes it easy to arrange the intake port 96a near the oil sump P. As a result, the first flow path 92a connecting the oil sump P and the intake port 96a can be shortened. Furthermore, because the distance between the oil sump P and the intake port 96a is short, the first flow path 92a can be made a straight flow path. By making the first flow path 92a a short, straight flow path, pressure loss in the path from the oil sump P to the pump 96 can be reduced, and efficient circulation of the oil O can be achieved.

[0063] As shown in FIG. 1, a first flow path 92a and a second flow path 92b are connected to the cooler 97. The first flow path 92a and the second flow path 92b are connected via an internal flow path of the cooler 97. A cooling water pipe 97j, through which cooling water cooled by a radiator (not shown) passes, is connected to the cooler 97. The oil O passing through the inside of the cooler 97 is cooled by heat exchange with the cooling water passing through the cooling water pipe 97j. The inverter unit 8 is provided in the path of the cooling water pipe 97j. The cooling water passing through the cooling water pipe 97j cools the inverter unit 8.

[0064] As shown in Fig. 5, the cooler 97 is fixed to the outer peripheral surface facing radially outward of the motor housing portion 6a, below the motor chamber 81. As shown in Fig. 1, oil O supplied to the motor 2 temporarily accumulates in a lower region within the motor chamber 81 and then moves to a lower region within the gear chamber 82 through the partition wall opening 68. According to this embodiment, the cooler 97 is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the motor housing portion 6a, below the motor chamber 81, and therefore the oil O accumulated in the lower region within the motor chamber 81 can be cooled from the installation surface of the cooler 97 through the wall surface of the motor housing portion 6a.

[0065] As shown in FIG. 5 , at least a portion of the cooler 97 and the pump 96 overlaps the protruding portion 6d of the gear accommodating portion 6b when viewed in the axial direction. The gear unit 3 is accommodated inside the protruding portion 6d. The axial projected area of ​​the protruding portion 6d is determined depending on the size of each gear of the gear unit 3. The size of each gear constituting the gear unit 3 is set to achieve a desired gear ratio. For this reason, it is difficult to reduce the axial projected area of ​​the protruding portion 6d. According to this embodiment, by arranging the cooler 97 and the pump 96 so that they overlap the protruding portion 6d in the axial direction, it is possible to prevent the axial projected area of ​​the motor unit 1 from being increased by the cooler 97 and the pump 96. This prevents the axial projected area of ​​the motor unit 1 from being increased, allowing the motor unit 1 to be made smaller.

[0066] According to this embodiment, at least a portion of the cooler 97 and the pump 96 overlaps with the second gear 42 of the gear unit 3 when viewed in the axial direction. Therefore, even if the projected area of ​​the protruding portion 6d when viewed in the axial direction is made as small as possible in accordance with the outer shapes of the gears of the gear unit 3, a configuration can be realized in which the cooler 97 and the pump 96 overlap with the protruding portion 6d when viewed in the axial direction. As a result, the projected area of ​​the motor unit 1 in the axial direction is prevented from increasing, and the motor unit 1 can be made more compact.

[0067] According to this embodiment, the cooler 97 and the pump 96 are located above the lower end of the protruding portion 6d. That is, the cooler 97 and the pump 96 do not protrude further downward from the lower end of the protruding portion 6d. This allows the motor unit 1 to be made smaller in size in the vertical direction.

[0068] The cooler 97 and the pump 96 are located vertically below the motor chamber 81. The motor unit 1 is disposed, for example, inside the hood of the vehicle. In the motor unit 1, the cooler 97 and the pump 96 are protrusions that protrude from the housing 6. According to this embodiment, by arranging the cooler 97 and the pump 96 vertically below the motor chamber 81, it is possible to prevent the cooler 97 and the pump 96, which are protrusions, from piercing the object even if the vehicle collides with the object due to an accident or the like.

[0069] According to the present embodiment, the pump 96 and the cooler 97 are fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the housing 6. This contributes to a more compact motor unit 1 than when the pump 96 and the cooler 97 are fixed to a structure external to the housing 6. In addition, by fixing the pump 96 and the cooler 97 to the outer peripheral surface of the housing 6, the first flow path 92a, the second flow path 92b, and the third flow path 92c that pass through the wall portion of the housing 6 can form flow paths that connect the accommodation space 80 with the pump 96 and the cooler 97.

[0070] As shown in FIG. 6 , according to this embodiment, the pump 96 and the cooler 97 are positioned so as to overlap with each other in the axial direction. The cooler 97 and the pump 96 are connected via the second flow path 92b. That is, the second oil passage 92 is provided with the second flow path 92b connecting the pump 96 and the cooler 97. According to this embodiment, the axial positions of the pump 96 and the cooler 97 overlap with each other, thereby realizing a structure in which the second flow path 92b extends linearly in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction. That is, the second flow path 92b can be made a short, linear flow path, which reduces pressure loss in the path from the pump 96 to the cooler 97 and realizes efficient circulation of the oil O.

[0071] As shown in FIG. 1, the second reservoir 98 is located in the motor chamber 81 of the accommodation space 80. The second reservoir 98 is located above the motor. The second reservoir 98 stores the oil O supplied to the motor chamber 81 via the third flow path 92c. The second reservoir 98 has multiple outlets 98a. The oil O stored in the second reservoir 98 is supplied to the motor 2 from each outlet 98a. The oil O flowing out of the outlets 98a of the second reservoir 98 flows from the top to the bottom along the outer circumferential surface of the motor 2, removing heat from the motor 2. This allows the entire motor 2 to be cooled.

[0072] The second reservoir 98 extends along the axial direction. Outlet ports 98a of the second reservoir 98 are provided at both axial ends of the second reservoir 98. The outlet ports 98a are located above the coil ends 31a. This allows oil O to be poured onto the coil ends 31a located at both axial ends of the stator 30, thereby directly cooling the coils 31.

[0073] After cooling the coil 31, the oil O drips downward and accumulates in the lower region of the motor chamber 81. The oil O that has accumulated in the lower region of the motor chamber 81 moves to the gear chamber 82 through the partition wall opening 68 provided in the partition wall 61c.

[0074] According to the present embodiment, a cooler 97 that cools the oil O is provided in the second oil passage 92. The oil O that passes through the second oil passage 92 and is cooled by the cooler 97 joins with the oil O that has passed through the first oil passage 91 in the oil sump P. In the oil sump P, the oil O that has passed through the first oil passage 91 and the second oil passage 92 mix with each other and heat exchange occurs. Therefore, the cooling effect of the cooler 97 that is provided in the second oil passage 92 can be applied to the oil O that passes through the first oil passage 91.

[0075] <Inverter unit> The inverter unit 8 is electrically connected to the motor 2. The inverter unit 8 controls the current supplied to the motor 2. As shown in FIG. 5, the inverter unit 8 is fixed to the housing 6. More specifically, the inverter unit 8 is fixed to an outer peripheral surface facing radially outward of the motor accommodating portion 6a.

[0076] When viewed from the axial direction, at least a portion of the inverter unit 8 overlaps with the protruding portion 6d of the gear accommodating portion 6b. According to this embodiment, by arranging the inverter unit 8 so that it overlaps with the protruding portion 6d when viewed from the axial direction, it is possible to prevent the axial projected area of ​​the motor unit 1 from being increased by the inverter unit 8. This prevents the axial projected area of ​​the motor unit 1 from being increased, and allows the motor unit 1 to be made smaller.

[0077] According to this embodiment, at least a portion of the inverter unit 8 overlaps with the ring gear 51 of the gear section 3 when viewed in the axial direction. Therefore, even if the projected area of ​​the protruding portion 6d when viewed in the axial direction is made as small as possible in accordance with the outer shape of each gear of the gear section 3, a configuration can be realized in which the inverter unit 8 overlaps with the protruding portion 6d when viewed in the axial direction. As a result, the projected area of ​​the motor unit 1 in the axial direction is prevented from increasing, and the motor unit 1 can be made more compact.

[0078] According to this embodiment, the inverter unit 8 is located on the opposite side of the motor shaft J2 from the cooler 97 when viewed vertically. This makes it possible to effectively utilize the area that overlaps with the protruding portion 6d when viewed axially, thereby reducing the horizontal dimension of the motor unit 1 and making the motor unit 1 more compact.

[0079] 1, a cooling water pipe 97j extending from a radiator (not shown) is connected to the inverter unit 8. This allows efficient cooling of the inverter unit 8. The cooling water flowing through the cooling water pipe 97j also cools the motor accommodating portion 6a, which comes into contact with the housing of the inverter unit 8, via the housing.

[0080] <Parking mechanism> In an electric vehicle, since there is no braking mechanism for braking the vehicle other than the parking brake, the motor unit 1 needs a parking mechanism 7.

[0081] 1, the parking mechanism 7 includes a parking gear 71 fixed to the intermediate shaft 45 and rotating about the intermediate axis J4 together with the intermediate shaft 45, a rotation prevention unit 72 that moves between the teeth of the parking gear 71 to prevent rotation of the parking gear 71, and a parking motor 73 that drives the rotation prevention unit 72. When the motor 2 is operating, the rotation prevention unit 72 retracts from the parking gear 71. On the other hand, when the shift lever is in the parking position, the parking motor 73 moves the rotation prevention unit 72 between the teeth of the parking gear 71 to prevent rotation of the parking gear 71.

[0082] Although the embodiments and modifications of the present invention have been described above, the configurations and their combinations in the embodiments are merely examples, and additions, omissions, substitutions, and other modifications of the configurations are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0083] 1...motor unit, 2...motor, 3...gear portion, 6...housing, 6a...motor accommodating portion, 6b...gear accommodating portion, 6d...extension portion, 8...inverter unit, 21...shaft (motor shaft), 81...motor chamber, 82...gear chamber, 90...oil passage, 92...second oil passage (oil passage), 96...pump, 96m...pump motor, 97...cooler, J2...motor shaft, J6...rotating shaft, O...oil

Claims

1. a motor having a motor shaft that rotates around a motor axis extending along the axial direction; a gear portion connected to the motor shaft on one axial side of the motor shaft; a housing that accommodates the motor and the gear portion, The housing includes: a motor housing portion that houses the motor; a gear accommodating portion that accommodates the gear portion, the gear accommodating portion has a protruding portion that protrudes radially relative to the motor accommodating portion when viewed in the axial direction, The housing is provided with an oil passage, A pump is provided in the oil passage, a direction perpendicular to the axial direction is defined as a first direction; The pump fixed to the outer surface of the housing; When viewed from the axial direction, at least a portion of the protruding portion overlaps the protruding portion, the gear unit has a differential device that rotates around a differential shaft that is parallel to the motor shaft, a direction in which an imaginary line connecting the motor shaft and the differential shaft extends as viewed from the axial direction is defined as a third direction; In the third direction, the pump is located between the motor shaft and the differential shaft. Motor unit.

2. a motor having a motor shaft that rotates around a motor axis extending along the axial direction; a gear portion connected to the motor shaft on one axial side of the motor shaft; a housing that accommodates the motor and the gear portion; an inverter unit electrically connected to the motor, The housing includes: a motor housing portion that houses the motor; a gear accommodating portion that accommodates the gear portion, the gear accommodating portion has a protruding portion that protrudes radially relative to the motor accommodating portion when viewed in the axial direction, The housing is provided with an oil passage, At least one of a pump and a cooler is provided in the oil passage, a direction perpendicular to the axial direction is defined as a first direction; the gear portion has a gear that rotates around a first axis that is parallel to the motor shaft, At least one of the pump and the cooler is fixed to the outer surface of the housing; When viewed from the axial direction, at least a portion of the protruding portion overlaps the protruding portion, When viewed from the axial direction, the motor shaft is disposed on the opposite side of the inverter unit across an imaginary line connecting the motor shaft and the first shaft. Motor unit.

3. a motor having a motor shaft that rotates around a motor axis extending along the axial direction; a gear portion connected to the motor shaft on one axial side of the motor shaft; a housing that accommodates the motor and the gear portion, The housing includes: a motor housing portion that houses the motor; a gear accommodating portion that accommodates the gear portion, the gear accommodating portion has a protruding portion that protrudes radially relative to the motor accommodating portion when viewed in the axial direction, The housing is provided with an oil passage, A pump is provided in the oil passage, a direction perpendicular to the axial direction is defined as a first direction; The pump fixed to the outer surface of the housing; When viewed from the axial direction, at least a portion of the protruding portion overlaps the protruding portion, the gear portion has a differential device that is disposed inside the protruding portion and rotates around a differential axis; the pump overlaps with the differential device in the axial direction; The pump is provided at a position different from the differential axis. Motor unit.

4. a motor having a motor shaft that rotates around a motor axis extending along the axial direction; a gear portion connected to the motor shaft on one axial side of the motor shaft; a housing that accommodates the motor and the gear portion, The housing includes: a motor housing portion that houses the motor; a gear accommodating portion that accommodates the gear portion, the gear accommodating portion has a protruding portion that protrudes radially relative to the motor accommodating portion when viewed in the axial direction, The housing is provided with an oil passage that connects an internal space of the gear accommodating portion and an internal space of the motor accommodating portion, A pump and a cooler are provided in the oil passage, a direction perpendicular to the axial direction is defined as a first direction; The pump fixed to the outer surface of the housing; When viewed from the axial direction, at least a portion of the protruding portion overlaps the protruding portion, The position of the pump, the position of the cooler, and the position of the motor accommodating portion in the axial direction are the same. Motor unit.

5. The pump overlaps the motor housing portion in the radial direction. The motor unit according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. The pump is fixed to the surface on the other axial side of the protruding portion. The motor unit according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. the pump is located on the other side in the first direction relative to the end of the protruding portion on the one side in the first direction; The motor unit according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. The gear portion has a plurality of gears, The pump overlaps with at least one of the plurality of gears in the axial direction. The motor unit according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. the oil passage includes a path connecting the interior of the motor housing portion and the interior of the gear housing portion, The protruding portion is provided with a flow path that extends along the axial direction and connects a lower region inside the gear accommodating portion to the pump. The motor unit according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. The pump is located on one side of the motor housing in a first direction. The motor unit according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. A cooler is provided in the oil passage, The position of the pump and the position of the cooler in the axial direction are the same. A motor unit according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. A cooler is provided in the oil passage, The cooler is located on one side of the motor housing in a first direction. A motor unit according to any one of claims 1 to 11.

13. A cooler is provided in the oil passage, The pump and the cooler are aligned in an axial direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. A motor unit according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. further comprising an inverter unit electrically connected to the motor; A cooler is provided in the oil passage, When viewed from a second direction perpendicular to the axial direction and the first direction, the cooler is aligned with the inverter unit in the first direction. A motor unit according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

15. further comprising an inverter unit electrically connected to the motor; an end portion of the inverter unit on one side in the first direction is located on the other side in the first direction relative to an end portion of the motor accommodating portion on one side in the first direction; A motor unit according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

16. further comprising an inverter unit electrically connected to the motor; an end portion of the inverter unit on the other side in the first direction is located on the one side in the first direction relative to an end portion of the motor accommodating portion on the other side in the first direction; A motor unit according to any one of claims 1 to 15.

17. further comprising an inverter unit electrically connected to the motor; When viewed from a second direction perpendicular to the axial direction and the first direction, the pump is aligned with the inverter unit in the first direction.

17. A motor unit according to any one of claims 1 to 16.

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