Dual Pump Unit With Internal Reservoir for Hybrid Drivetrain Cooling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing pump units for hybrid vehicle drivetrains are complex and require multiple components to manage different hydraulic and coolant flows, leading to increased installation and operational complexity.
Innovation Solution
A compact dual pump unit with a suction port and high/low-pressure outlets, featuring a control valve with a return line to an internal reservoir, and a high-pressure pump with dual outlets, simplifying the installation process by integrating multiple functions into a single component, allowing for efficient lubrication, cooling, and clutch actuation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple separate pumps are used to manage different hydraulic and coolant flows, then each pump can be optimized for its specific function, but the installation complexity and component count increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple pump functions into a single integrated pump unit that can deliver both high-pressure and low-pressure flows simultaneously. This merging of functions reduces the number of separate components and simplifies installation while maintaining the functional optimization of dedicated high-pressure and low-pressure circuits.
Solution Approach 2:
The pump unit is designed with multi-functionality, capable of serving multiple purposes: providing high-pressure flow for clutch actuation, low-pressure flow for lubrication and cooling, and maintaining reservoir fill levels. This universal design eliminates the need for separate specialized pumps for each function.
2Speed
If high-pressure flow is continuously supplied to maintain clutch actuation capability, then response time is improved, but energy losses increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control valve enables periodic or demand-based delivery of high-pressure flow rather than continuous supply. High pressure is generated only when clutch actuation is required, reducing energy losses from continuous high-pressure flow while maintaining fast response capability when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts the high-pressure flow delivery through the control valve, transitioning between high-pressure and low-pressure states based on actual clutch actuation needs. This dynamic operation optimizes energy efficiency while preserving rapid response capability.
3Device complexity
If the pump unit draws from an external reservoir only, then the system is simpler, but the internal reservoir may not remain sufficiently filled during operation
Solution Approach 1:
An internal reservoir acts as an intermediary between the external reservoir and the pump circuits. It receives flow from the external reservoir and supplies both high-pressure and low-pressure circuits, ensuring that the pump unit always has sufficient fluid available while maintaining proper fill levels through the integrated fluid management system.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The dual pump unit simplifies the installation process, reduces component count, and maintains fluid reservoir fill levels, enabling efficient lubrication, cooling, and clutch actuation with reduced energy losses and switching times.
Implementation Method 1
a dual pump (16) which draws in hydraulic fluid from an external reservoir (3) and delivers both a low-pressure flow and a high-pressure flow
Implementation Method 2
a high-pressure pump (38) which draws in from the internal fluid reservoir (14) and has two outlets (42) at high pressure
Implementation Method 3
there is arranged a control valve (32) which has a return line (36) which leads into the internal fluid reservoir (14)
Implementation Method 4
The dual pump may be a rotary vane pump having multiple rotary vanes which, together with a stator and a rotor, delimit multiple low-pressure chambers
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a pump unit (10) having a dual pump (16) which has a suction port (26) for drawing in from an external fluid reservoir (3) and has a high-pressure outlet (24) and a low-pressure outlet (22) which lead to a first control port (K0) and to at least one lubricant/coolant port (S1, S2), respectively, of the pump unit (10), and having a high-pressure pump (38) which draws in from an internal fluid reservoir (14) and which has two high-pressure outlets (42) which lead to a second and a third control port (K1, K2) of the pump unit (10), wherein, between the high-pressure outlet (24) of the dual pump (16) and the first control port (K0), there is arranged a control valve (32) which has a return line (36) which leads into the internal fluid reservoir (14). The invention also relates to a drive assembly having a transmission (4), having a separating clutch by means of which an electric motor can be coupled to and separated from the transmission (4), and having a pump unit (10) of the above-stated type, wherein the suction port (26) of the pump unit (10) is connected to an oil collecting volume (3) of the transmission (4), and one of the lubricant/coolant ports (S0, S1) is used for the cooling of the rotor (86) and of the stator (84).