Vehicle driveline component having a lubrication de-aerator
AssigneeAmerican Axle & Manufacturing, Inc.
InventorJeffrey J. Ronning
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A vehicle driveline component with a housing, a rotary power transmission system, a lubricant and a lubrication de-aerator. The housing defines a cavity and a sump. The rotary power transmission system is received in the cavity and includes a plurality of gears that are in meshing engagement. The lubricant is received in the sump and is employed to lubricate the rotary power transmission system. The lubrication de-aerator is received in the housing and has at least one matrix of de-aeration cells that extend between an upper surface and a lower surface. Each of the de-aeration cells has a cell inlet, which is formed through the upper surface, and a cell outlet that is formed through the lower surface. Each of the de-aeration cells tapers between its cell inlet and its cell outlet.
Claims18
A vehicle driveline component comprising:
- a housing that defines a cavity and a sump, the housing having a plurality of internal surfaces;
- a rotary power transmission system received in the cavity, the rotary power transmission system including a plurality of gears that are in meshing engagement;
- a lubricant received in the sump, the lubricant being employed to lubricate the rotary power transmission system;
- and
- a lubrication de-aerator received in the housing at a location that receives lubricant slung from the rotary power transmission system, the lubrication de-aerator having at least one matrix of de-aeration cells that extend between an upper surface and a lower surface, each of the de-aeration cells having a cell inlet, which is formed through the upper surface, and a cell outlet that is formed through the lower surface, each of the de-aeration cells tapering between its cell inlet and its cell outlet.
A vehicle driveline component comprising:
- a housing defining a cavity and a sump;
- a rotary power transmission system received in the cavity, the rotary power transmission system including a plurality of gears that are in meshing engagement;
- a lubricant received in the sump, the lubricant being employed to lubricate the rotary power transmission system;
- and
- a lubrication de-aerator received in the cavity, the lubrication de-aerator having a plurality of matrices of de-aeration cells that are spaced vertically apart from one another, each matrix of de-aeration cells having a plurality of de-aeration cells that extend between an upper surface and a lower surface, each of the de-aeration cells having a cell inlet, which is formed through the upper surface, and a cell outlet that is formed through the lower surface, each of the de-aeration cells tapering between its cell inlet and its cell outlet;
- wherein vertically adjacent matrices of de-aeration cells are offset from one another such the cell outlets of each pair of vertically adjacent matrices are not vertically in-line with one another;
- wherein each of the de-aeration cells has a longitudinal axis, and wherein each of the matrices are offset from one another such the cell inlets of each pair of vertically adjacent matrices are not vertically in-line with one another;
- and
- wherein each of the de-aeration cells has a non-circular cross-sectional shape in a cross-section taken perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.