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EP-4477922-B1 - VEHICLE DRIVE DEVICE

EP4477922B1EP 4477922 B1EP4477922 B1EP 4477922B1EP-4477922-B1

Inventors

  • USAMI Naoya
  • YUKITOKI DAICHI
  • OSAFUNE Tsukasa
  • HIRANO MASATO

Dates

Publication Date
20260506
Application Date
20230602

Claims (6)

  1. A vehicle drive device (100) comprising: an input member (11) drivingly coupled to an internal combustion engine and disposed on a first axis (A1); an output member (5) drivingly coupled to a wheel (W); a rotary electric machine (2) disposed on a second axis (A2) and including a rotor (2r), the second axis (A2) being an axis different from the first axis (A1) and being parallel to the first axis (A1); and a power transmission mechanism (20) configured to transmit power among the input member (11), the output member (5), and the rotary electric machine (2), characterized in that the vehicle drive device (100) further comprises: an oil receiving portion (7) disposed on a downward side (V2) of the rotary electric machine (2) to receive oil for cooling supplied to the rotary electric machine (2) and falling from the rotary electric machine (2); an oil supply passage (70) configured to supply oil accumulated in the oil receiving portion (7), from a flow port (79) to a lubrication target part, the flow port (79) being formed to face the oil receiving portion (7); and a discharge port (4) formed to face the oil receiving portion (7), the discharge port (4) being configured to discharge oil in the oil receiving portion (7), wherein the discharge port (4) is provided on an upper side (V1) relative to a reference oil level (P0) and is provided to include a portion positioned on a lower side relative to a limitation-target oil level (Q), the reference oil level (P0) being set on a lower side (V2) relative to the rotor (2r) and on an upper side (V1) relative to the flow port (79), in the oil receiving portion (7), the limitation-target oil level (Q) being an oil level (P) brought into a state of contacting with the rotor (2r) by being tilted due to an attitude change and acceleration or deceleration of a vehicle.
  2. The vehicle drive device (100) according to claim 1, wherein the flow port (79) is provided to be positioned on a lower side relative to an oil level (P9) that is parallel to the limitation-target oil level (Q) and that passes through a lower end of the discharge port (4).
  3. The vehicle drive device (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the limitation-target oil level (Q) includes a first target oil level (Q1) that is an oil level (P) brought into the state of contacting with the rotor (2r) by the vehicle being tilted in a front-rear direction, and a second target oil level (Q2) that is an oil level (P) brought into the state of contacting with the rotor (2r) by the vehicle being tilted in a left-right direction, and the discharge port (4) is provided to include a portion positioned on a lower side relative to both the first target oil level (Q1) and the second target oil level (Q2).
  4. The vehicle drive device (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the limitation-target oil level (Q) includes a first target oil level (Q1) that is an oil level (P) brought into the state of contacting with the rotor (2r) by the vehicle being tilted in a front-rear direction, and a second target oil level (Q2) that is an oil level (P) brought into the state of contacting with the rotor (2r) by the vehicle being tilted in a left-right direction, the discharge port (4) includes a first discharge port (41) and a second discharge port (42), the first discharge port (41) is provided to include a portion positioned on a lower side relative to the first target oil level (Q1), and the second discharge port (42) is provided to include a portion positioned on a lower side relative to the second target oil level (Q2).
  5. The vehicle drive device (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the second axis (A2) is arranged on an upward side (V1) relative to the first axis (A1), and the oil supply passage (70) is configured to supply oil accumulated in the oil receiving portion (7), from the flow port (79) to at least one of a first bearing (B1) supporting the input member (11) or an input gear (G10) configured to rotate together with the input member (11).
  6. The vehicle drive device (100) according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising: a case (9) including a first chamber (91) housing the rotary electric machine (2), a second chamber (92) housing the power transmission mechanism (20), and a partition wall (95) separating the first chamber (91) and the second chamber (92), wherein the oil supply passage (70) penetrates through the partition wall (95) to allow communication between the first chamber (91) and the second chamber (92), and is configured to supply oil from the oil receiving portion (7) disposed in the first chamber (91) to the second chamber (92).

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a vehicle drive device including an input member disposed on a first axis and drivingly coupled to an internal combustion engine, an output member drivingly coupled to a wheel, a rotary electric machine disposed on a second axis and including a rotor, and a power transmission mechanism configured to transmit power thereamong, the second axis being arranged on an upward side relative to the first axis. BACKGROUND ART JP 2017-114477 A discloses a technique for lubrication of a vehicle drive device in a hybrid vehicle including an internal combustion engine and rotary electric machines as drive power sources for wheels. In the vehicle, an oil pump (electric oil pump) driven by a drive power source different from the drive power sources for the wheels is mounted. Some of the mechanisms of the vehicle drive device are lubricated by oil supplied from this oil pump. Note that the lubrication also includes cooling. In addition, another lubrication target part can be lubricated by oil scooped up through a rotating gear, and thus the lubrication with the oil supplied from the oil pump includes the lubrication of the other lubrication target part, such as another gear, by the oil having lubricated a certain gear. Further vehicle drive devices are known from US 2021/197656 A1, US 10 557 543 B2, DE 10 2020 214931 A1 and US 2013/283972 A1. SUMMARY OF INVENTION TECHNICAL PROBLEMS Incidentally, in a hybrid vehicle like the hybrid vehicle described above, there is a case where electric power is generated by causing a rotary electric machine to be rotated by an internal combustion engine while wheels are stopped. In this case, a power transmission mechanism is controlled such that a gear that drives the wheels does not rotate. For this reason, oil is not supplied to a lubrication target part to which the oil for lubrication is supplied by being scooped up, and there is a possibility that the lubrication is insufficient. Thus, it is also conceivable to accumulate oil flowing down after cooling the rotary electric machine and guide the oil to the lubrication target part. In order to effectively receive the oil, it is preferable to provide an oil receiving portion that accumulates the oil, on a downward side of the rotary electric machine. However, when an oil level of the oil receiving portion is tilted due to an attitude change, acceleration, or the like of the vehicle, there is a possibility that a rotor of the rotary electric machine and the oil stored in the oil receiving portion interfere with each other. Due to this interference, when the oil is agitated, various influences may occur, such as a reduction in efficiency of the rotary electric machine due to an occurrence of rotation resistance of the rotor, a reduction in an amount of heat exchange due to foaming of the oil, or a reduction in a discharge pressure or a flow rate of an oil pump due to an occurrence of air bubbles in the oil. In view of the above background, a vehicle drive device is desired in which interference with a rotor can be reduced when an oil level of stored oil is tilted due to an attitude change, acceleration, or the like of a vehicle, and in which oil having cooled a rotary electric machine can be stored and the oil can be appropriately supplied to a lubrication target part different from the rotary electric machine. SOLUTIONS TO PROBLEMS A vehicle drive device in view of the above is a vehicle drive device including: an input member drivingly coupled to an internal combustion engine and disposed on a first axis; an output member drivingly coupled to a wheel; a rotary electric machine disposed on a second axis and including a rotor, the second axis being an axis different from the first axis and being parallel to the first axis; and a power transmission mechanism configured to transmit power among the input member, the output member, and the rotary electric machine, the vehicle drive device further including: an oil receiving portion disposed on a downward side of the rotary electric machine to receive oil for cooling supplied to the rotary electric machine and falling from the rotary electric machine; an oil supply passage configured to supply oil accumulated in the oil receiving portion, from a flow port to a lubrication target part, the flow port being formed to face the oil receiving portion; and a discharge port formed to face the oil receiving portion, the discharge port being configured to discharge oil in the oil receiving portion, in which the discharge port is provided on an upper side relative to a reference oil level and is provided to include a portion positioned on a lower side relative to a limitation-target oil level, the reference oil level being set on a lower side relative to the rotor and on an upper side relative to the flow port, in the oil receiving portion, the limitation-target oil level being an oil level brought into a state of contacting with the rotor by being tilted du