# US 11,906,024 B2 · Vehicle drive device

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- Number: US 11,906,024 B2
- Document ID: US11906024B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/012,169
- Filed: 2021-09-24
- Published: 2023-08-17
- Granted: 2024-02-20
- Earliest claimed: 2020-09-25
- Assignees: Aisin Corporation
- Applicants: Aisin Corporation
- Inventors: Ryohei Inoue
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11906024B2

## CPC

- F16H 37/0813: {with only one input shaft}
- H02K 9/19: for machines with closed casing and closed-circuit cooling using a liquid cooling medium, e.g. oil
- B60K 1/00: Arrangement or mounting of electrical propulsion units (B60K7/00 takes precedence; arrangement or mounting of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion B60K6/00)
- B60K 17/165: {provided between independent half axles (B60K17/18, B60K17/20 take precedence)}
- B60K 25/06: from the transmission power take-off
- F16H 57/021: Shaft support structures, e.g. partition walls, bearing eyes, casing walls or covers with bearings
- F16H 57/037: Gearboxes for accommodating differential gearings (rotating cases for differential gearings F16H48/40)
- F16H 57/0424: {Lubricant guiding means in the wall of or integrated with the casing, e.g. grooves, channels, holes}
- F16H 57/0436: {Pumps}
- F16H 57/0441: {Arrangements of pumps}
- F16H 57/0457: {Splash lubrication}
- F16H 57/0471: {Bearing}
- F16H 57/0476: {Electric machines and gearing, i.e. joint lubrication or cooling or heating thereof}
- F16H 57/0483: {Axle or inter-axle differentials}
- H02K 7/116: with gears
- B60K 2001/001: {one motor mounted on a propulsion axle for rotating right and left wheels of this axle}
- B60K 2025/005: {driven by electric motors forming part of the propulsion unit}
- B60Y 2200/91: Electric vehicles
- B60Y 2306/03: Lubrication
- B60Y 2400/78: Pumps, e.g. jet type
- B60Y 2400/87: Auxiliary drives
- B60Y 2410/10: Housings
- B60Y 2410/102: Shaft arrangements; Shaft supports, e.g. bearings
- F16H 57/0426: {Means for guiding lubricant into an axial channel of a shaft}
- F16H 57/043: {within rotary parts, e.g. axial channels or radial openings in shafts}
- F16H 2057/02034: {Gearboxes combined or connected with electric machines}
- F16H 2057/02052: {Axle units; Transfer casings for four wheel drive}
- Y02T 10/62: Hybrid vehicles
- F16H: GEARING
- H02K: DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINES (dynamo-electric relays H01H53/00; conversion of DC or AC input power into surge output power {H03K3/53})
- B60K: ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES
- B60Y: INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO ASPECTS CROSS-CUTTING VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION

## Abstract

A vehicle drive device includes: a rotating electrical machine that functions as a driving force source for wheels; an input member drivingly connected to rotating electrical machine; a pair of output members each drivingly connected to wheel; a differential gear mechanism that distributes rotation transmitted from rotating electrical machine to pair of output members; a transmission gear mechanism that drivingly connects input member and differential gear mechanism; a hydraulic pump that includes a pump rotor and chamber housing the pump rotor and that supplies oil to at least the rotating electrical machine; and a case. The case includes a partition portion that separates in an axial direction a first housing chamber housing rotating electrical machine and a second housing chamber housing transmission gear mechanism and differential gear mechanism). Pump chamber is formed in partition wall so as to be located between first and second housing chambers in the axial direction.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A vehicle drive device comprising:
a rotating electrical machine that functions as a driving force source for a wheel;
an input member drivingly connected to the rotating electrical machine;
a pair of output members each drivingly connected to the wheel;
a differential gear mechanism that distributes rotation transmitted from the rotating electrical machine to the pair of output members;
a transmission gear mechanism that drivingly connects the input member and the differential gear mechanism;
a hydraulic pump that includes a pump rotor and a pump chamber housing the pump rotor and that supplies oil to the rotating electrical machine, bearings, or gear meshing parts; and
a case that houses the rotating electrical machine, the input member, the differential gear mechanism, the transmission gear mechanism, and the hydraulic pump, wherein:
a direction along a rotation axis of the rotating electrical machine is an axial direction,
the case includes a partition wall that separates in the axial direction a first housing chamber housing the rotating electrical machine and a second housing chamber housing the transmission gear mechanism and the differential gear mechanism,
the pump chamber is formed in the partition wall so as to be located between the first housing chamber and the second housing chamber in the axial direction,
the hydraulic pump further includes a pump input shaft connected to the pump rotor such that the pump input shaft rotates with the pump rotor, and
the pump input shaft is disposed so as to extend through the partition wall in the axial direction, and is drivingly connected to a shaft of the transmission gear mechanism in the second housing chamber.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The vehicle drive device according to claim 1, wherein
the hydraulic pump further includes a pump cover joined to the partition wall, and
the pump chamber is formed between the partition wall and the pump cover in the axial direction.

### Claim 3

A vehicle drive device comprising:
a rotating electrical machine that functions as a driving force source for a wheel;
an input member drivingly connected to the rotating electrical machine;
a pair of output members each drivingly connected to the wheel;
a differential gear mechanism that distributes rotation transmitted from the rotating electrical machine to the pair of output members;
a transmission gear mechanism that drivingly connects the input member and the differential gear mechanism;
a hydraulic pump that includes a pump rotor and a pump chamber housing the pump rotor and that supplies oil to the rotating electrical machine, bearings, or gear meshing parts; and
a case that houses the rotating electrical machine, the input member, the differential gear mechanism, the transmission gear mechanism, and the hydraulic pump, wherein:
a direction along a rotation axis of the rotating electrical machine is an axial direction,
the case includes a partition wall that separates in the axial direction a first housing chamber housing the rotating electrical machine and a second housing chamber housing the transmission gear mechanism and the differential gear mechanism,
the pump chamber is formed in the partition wall so as to be located between the first housing chamber and the second housing chamber in the axial direction,
the transmission gear mechanism includes a first gear disposed on a first axis that is a rotation axis of the input member and connected to the input member such that the first gear rotates with the input member, and a counter gear mechanism disposed on a second axis different from the first axis,
the counter gear mechanism includes a second gear that meshes with the first gear, a third gear that rotates with the second gear, and a counter shaft that connects the second gear and the third gear,
the differential gear mechanism includes a fourth gear disposed on a third axis different from the first axis and the second axis and meshing with the third gear,
the hydraulic pump further includes a pump input shaft connected to the pump rotor such that the pump input shaft rotates with the pump rotor, and
the pump input shaft is disposed on the second axis and is connected to the counter shaft so as to rotate with the counter shaft.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The vehicle drive device according to claim 3, wherein
the fourth gear is disposed so as to scoop up oil stored inside the case,
a rotation direction of the pump rotor when the hydraulic pump supplies the oil to the rotating electrical machine is a forward rotation direction, and an opposite direction to the forward rotation direction is a reverse rotation direction, and
the vehicle drive device further includes a supply oil passage through which the oil scooped up by the fourth gear is supplied into the pump chamber at least when the pump rotor rotates in the reverse rotation direction.

### Claim 5 (depends on 2)

The vehicle drive device according to claim 2, wherein
the transmission gear mechanism includes a first gear disposed on a first axis that is a rotation axis of the input member and connected to the input member such that the first gear rotates with the input member, and a counter gear mechanism disposed on a second axis different from the first axis,
the counter gear mechanism includes a second gear that meshes with the first gear, a third gear that rotates with the second gear, and a counter shaft that connects the second gear and the third gear,
the differential gear mechanism includes a fourth gear disposed on a third axis different from the first axis and the second axis and meshing with the third gear, and
the pump input shaft is disposed on the second axis and is connected to the counter shaft so as to rotate with the counter shaft.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The vehicle drive device according to claim 1, wherein
the transmission gear mechanism includes a first gear disposed on a first axis that is a rotation axis of the input member and connected to the input member such that the first gear rotates with the input member, and a counter gear mechanism disposed on a second axis different from the first axis,
the counter gear mechanism includes a second gear that meshes with the first gear, a third gear that rotates with the second gear, and a counter shaft that connects the second gear and the third gear,
the differential gear mechanism includes a fourth gear disposed on a third axis different from the first axis and the second axis and meshing with the third gear, and
the pump input shaft is disposed on the second axis and is connected to the counter shaft so as to rotate with the counter shaft.

### Claim 7 (depends on 5)

The vehicle drive device according to claim 5, wherein
the fourth gear is disposed so as to scoop up oil stored inside the case,
a rotation direction of the pump rotor when the hydraulic pump supplies the oil to the rotating electrical machine is a forward rotation direction, and an opposite direction to the forward rotation direction is a reverse rotation direction, and
the vehicle drive device further includes a supply oil passage through which the oil scooped up by the fourth gear is supplied into the pump chamber at least when the pump rotor rotates in the reverse rotation direction.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The vehicle drive device according to claim 6, wherein
the fourth gear is disposed so as to scoop up oil stored inside the case,
a rotation direction of the pump rotor when the hydraulic pump supplies the oil to the rotating electrical machine is a forward rotation direction, and an opposite direction to the forward rotation direction is a reverse rotation direction, and
the vehicle drive device further includes a supply oil passage through which the oil scooped up by the fourth gear is supplied into the pump chamber at least when the pump rotor rotates in the reverse rotation direction.