JPH0533853A - Oil regulator - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] To obtain a device for preventing an increase in friction caused by a change in an oil level due to an oil temperature in an oil pan and an oil pump air suction phenomenon. [Constitution] Oil pan and oil cooler 3 of automatic transmission
In the circulation system having, the oil flow distribution unit 4 including a distribution valve that distributes oil is provided in a part of the cooler circuit. The distribution valve is controlled by the controller 30 based on the output of the oil temperature sensor 31.
When the level rises due to the temperature rise, the distribution valve operates,
At that time, the oil is raised to the reservoir 5. A return valve 7 is provided in the return oil passage from the reservoir. The return valve 7 operates at a low temperature to return the oil. The return valve 7 can be, for example, a bimetal valve body or a valve that can be controlled by the controller 30.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an oil adjusting device, and more particularly to an oil adjusting device for a circulation system for circulating and supplying oil in an oil pan under a transmission.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A device having an oil pan as an oil sump at the bottom of a transmission case and supplying oil in the oil pan to various parts for circulation is, for example, issued by Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. in March 1987. RE 4R01 A type automatic transmission maintenance manual '' (A261 CO7), as with the transmission whose configuration is described, install an oil pan that matches the required capacity and put the required amount of oil in it.
It can be sucked up by an oil pump and used for circulating oil. Here, the oil pump, the control valve, the power train (P / T), the strainer, and the like are housed in a case (including the oil pan itself) surrounding them. Further, an oil cooler is provided for cooling the oil, which can be provided in the radiator of the vehicle.

[0003]

However, as described above, the oil pan is filled with a predetermined amount of oil, and the oil level can also be inspected and adjusted by the operator if necessary. However, the device itself does not have a function of adjusting and controlling the oil level as a system or a function of preventing an increase in friction due to a temperature change. Considering the condition where the oil is left alone, even if the required amount of oil is added, the level changes due to the oil temperature, and when the temperature is high, it causes friction increase due to the rise of the oil level. The more oil you put in, the more likely it is that it will take more time.On the other hand, when the temperature is low, the oil level will drop, causing the oil pump to suck air due to lack of oil. There is a high probability that such a situation will occur. Although more precise adjustment of the oil amount by the operator can alleviate the above situation, it becomes complicated and it is difficult to deal with it even when the level changes greatly.

An object of the present invention is to provide an oil adjusting device capable of adjusting and controlling the oil level and thereby avoiding a situation such as an increase in friction caused by a level change. Another object is to obtain a device capable of realizing the same function as the above with an improved circulating oil supply system configuration.

[0005]

According to the present invention, the following oil adjusting device is provided. In a circulation system having an oil pan for receiving transmission oil and an oil cooler, a distribution valve which is provided in a part of a cooler circuit and operates so as to distribute oil by branching from the circuit, and a distribution valve connected to the distribution valve It is an oil reservoir to which oil is sent when the distribution valve is activated, a return valve that operates to return the oil in the reservoir at a low temperature, and a means for detecting the oil temperature or the oil level and controlling the oil level in the oil pan. An oil adjusting device, a control device for controlling the distribution valve so that the oil is discharged to the oil reservoir in response to an increase in oil temperature or liquid level by the distribution valve, an oil pan for receiving transmission oil, and an oil An oil adjusting device having a circulation system including a first oil pump as a main oil pump for feeding and pumping oil, wherein an oil reservoir is provided on an upper part of a transmission, and an oil reservoir is provided. A second oil pump for sucking oil from the pump and sending almost all of the oil to the reservoir is provided, and both are connected to directly feed the oil from the reservoir to the first oil pump. It is an oil adjusting device.

[0006]

In the device according to the first aspect of the present invention, the branch valve for branching the oil from the circulating cooler circuit having the oil pan and the oil cooler to distribute the oil responds to an increase in the oil temperature or the liquid level under the control of the controller. When activated, it pumps oil to an oil reservoir, while the return valve operates to return the oil in the reservoir when it gets cold. Therefore, the oil level of the oil pan is controlled by the system, which makes it possible to control the level fluctuation regardless of the temperature change, thus reducing the increase in friction etc., and at the same time contributing to the simplification of the level management. .

In the apparatus of claim 2, the circulation system including the oil pan and the first oil pump as the main oil pump is
A second oil pump for sucking oil and an oil reservoir are provided in the system, and the second oil pump sends most of the oil from the oil pan to the oil reservoir at the upper part of the transmission, and from that reservoir. Direct oil to a first oil pump directly connected to the reservoir.
As a result, in this device, the oil pan can be made almost oilless, so that the increase in friction due to the level change in the oil pan itself can be avoided, and the level adjustment in the oil pan can also be avoided. It is possible to simplify the process by eliminating the trouble of Further, in this case, the oil is directly sent from the reservoir to the main oil pump by its own weight, so that the suction resistance can be almost eliminated.

[0008]

Embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a system diagram of an oil level control of an automatic transmission (A / T) according to an embodiment of the device of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is an automatic transmission that transmits engine power to the drive wheels,
2 indicates a radiator. The automatic transmission 1 includes a torque converter, a speed change mechanism (gear train), various friction elements such as a clutch, a control valve, an oil pump, and the like. Power train (P / T), control valve,
Oil pan (A
The oil (ATF) in the / T oil pan) is pressurized by a pump and supplied to necessary parts to be used for lubrication. It is circulated to the A / T oil cooler 3 in the radiator 2 and cooled. Put it back in the oil pan.

In this embodiment, a valve for distributing oil is provided in a part of such a cooler circuit, and a reservoir having a return valve for returning the oil to the oil pan at low temperature is provided. The system shown therefore comprises an oil flow distributor 4 and a reservoir tank 5 (oil reservoir), which is connected via an oil passage 6 to the reservoir tank 5, which reservoir tank 5 is located below it. The return valve 7 can be connected to the oil pan through the oil passage 8.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the configuration of the distribution unit 4.
As shown in the figure, the distributor has a distribution valve 11 and a distribution solenoid 12, and the distribution valve 11 is provided at the end of the circuit branched from the middle of the circuit from the cooler out to the P / T lubrication. The distribution valve 11 is provided with a spool 13, and the spool 14 is elastically supported by a spring 14 at a position shown in the left half part, and a pressure is supplied to the chamber 15 to make a stroke to a position shown in the right half part. Distribution valve 11
Is the oil path 16 connected to the cooler circuit at the former spool position.
Is cut off from the oil passage 6 and the oil passage 16 is
To the oil passage 6 leading to the reservoir tank.
Further, a signal pressure circuit 17 is connected to the chamber 15 and an orifice and a drain port are provided in the middle thereof to supply a constant pilot pressure used in the automatic transmission control valve section. Then, the distribution solenoid 12 as a solenoid for opening and closing the drain port 12
When the solenoid is turned on, the solenoid is advanced through the plunger to close the drain port and supply pilot pressure to the chamber 15. The spring may be made of a shape memory alloy so that the valve does not operate below a certain temperature.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the construction of the return valve 7 in the reservoir tank 5. In this example, a bimetal type valve body 21 for opening and closing the opening 5a formed in the lower portion of the tank is provided. . The bimetal type valve body 21 is deformed to a broken line position at a low temperature, and its characteristic is set so as to return the oil through the return oil passage 8 to the oil pan. Furthermore, the reservoir tank 5
In this example, as shown in FIG. 4 as an example of the configuration, a float type air bleed check valve is provided on the upper part of the tank.
22 is provided.

The operation of the distribution valve 11 of the distributor 4 is controlled by the controller 30, and information for controlling the operation of the distribution valve is input to the controller 30. The distribution valve 11 can be controlled by the oil temperature and the oil level, but here,
Since the ATF temperature is used, a signal from the oil temperature sensor 31 that detects the oil temperature is input to the controller 30.
The controller 30 includes an input detection circuit, an arithmetic processing circuit,
A storage circuit for storing an oil level control program executed by the arithmetic processing circuit, an arithmetic result and the like, and an output circuit for transmitting an ON / OFF control signal to the distribution solenoid 12 of the distribution unit 4, and the like, Based on the output of the oil temperature sensor, the distribution valve 11 controls the level so that the oil is discharged to the reservoir tank 5. In the control, the controller 30 preferably limits or outputs the amount of oil to be discharged at one time in order to prevent the oil from being excessively discharged when the oil is raised to the reservoir tank 5 when the temperature rises and the level rises. Set the interval control value (min value) and execute level control.

A more detailed description will be given below with reference to FIG. 5, FIG. 6 showing an example of the operation, and FIG. 7 showing the correlation between A / T oil level and temperature. In FIG. 5 showing an example of the control program executed by the controller 30,
First, in step 101, the oil temperature T is read by a signal from the oil temperature sensor 31. Here, the relationship between the A / T oil level and the oil temperature shows that as the temperature rises, the level tends to rise due to expansion of the ATF itself, gas melting, etc., as shown in FIG. The oil level will be seen from the temperature T value (hence, as mentioned above and as will be described later, the control information is information obtained by electrically detecting the liquid level itself of the ATF in the oil pan. May be used). The read value T in step 101 is applied to the determination in steps 104 and 107 described later.

In step 102, the number of times N of operation of the distribution solenoid 12 after the ignition is turned on, that is, the engine is turned on (FIG. 6) is read. Regarding the N value, the reading process is executed by reading the value stored in the storage circuit after the addition process in step 109 following step 108 described later (however, the initial value is when the ignition SW is turned on). The value is 0 by the initialization.

Next, in this program example, step 103
At, the interval after turning on the distribution solenoid 12, that is, the interval time P as the elapsed time from the previous turning on is read. As mentioned above, this is to prevent the oil from being excessively discharged when the oil is discharged to the reservoir tank by the operation of the distribution valve 11, and the read value P is applied to the determination in step 105 described later.

After the reading process at each step,
In step 104, the oil temperature value T is a predetermined value A ° C. (see FIG. 6)
Check if the above. The predetermined value A is set in step 10 described later.
It functions as a control value in oil level management together with a predetermined value B ° C (see FIG. 6) as a discriminant value in step 7. If the answer in step 104 is NO, then this program is terminated and distributed. Do not turn on the solenoid 12. Therefore, in this case, the distribution valve 11 is inactive and the ATF is normally lubricated from the oil pan through the oil cooler.

On the other hand, when T ≧ A is satisfied, the step
At 105, it is checked whether the P value is a predetermined value K or more. The K value can be set as a min value of an interval for setting a prohibition period when the ON operation is performed next time from when the distribution solenoid is turned ON last time. Therefore, the distribution solenoid 12 has been ON-controlled up to the previous time. In this case, when the answer of NO is obtained in this step, the interval time has not exceeded the value K yet, so this program is terminated as it is, and the distribution solenoid is not turned on. As a result, it is possible to prevent the container from being overloaded to the reservoir tank.

Next, step 106 is a step of checking whether or not the number of operations N is 0. Here, when N = O holds, the ignition is turned on when the solenoid is operated this time.
It means that it is the first one afterwards, while it means that it is after the second time otherwise. First time (1
In the case of the first time), the process directly proceeds to step 108, where the distribution solenoid 12 is turned on for a certain short time. As a result, for example, as shown in FIG.
When 12 is turned on (between t ₁ and t ₂ ), the distribution valve 11 is activated and oil is discharged to the reservoir tank, so that the oil level is lowered. In this case, the ON time is set to limit the amount of oil to be discharged at one time in order to prevent the oil from being overdrained. Then, after the execution of step 108, the value 1 is added to the operation number N value in step 109, and this program is terminated. On the other hand,
If the answer in step 106 is NO, it is checked in step 107 whether the oil temperature value T is the predetermined value B or more, and if the answer is NO, the program is terminated as it is, while T ≧ B When it is satisfied, the steps 108 and 109 are executed and the program is terminated. As a result, as illustrated in FIG. 6, when the oil temperature exceeds the predetermined oil temperature B, the distribution solenoid 12 is turned on (between t ₁₁ and t ₁₂ ), and similarly, the distribution valve 11 operates, The oil level drops there.

Thus, the change of the oil level in the A / T oil pan in the ascending direction due to the increase in the oil temperature is suppressed,
Even if there is thermal expansion due to the oil itself, and even expansion due to air and sink at high temperature, a large rise in the liquid level is avoided,
Therefore, it is possible to prevent and reduce the increase of the friction due to the increase of the oil surface due to the expansion of the oil and the increase of the portion where the P / T system is exposed to the oil. The reduction in friction improves efficiency and improves fuel efficiency.

The present system operates as having a function of raising the ATF to the reservoir tank 5 when the temperature rises and the level rises by the control logic as described above, and operates as a system for returning the ATF when the temperature becomes low. That is, the bimetal type valve body 21 of the reservoir tank 5 is
When the temperature becomes low, it functions to open and return the oil to the oil pan. For example, if the temperature is set to a predetermined value C (C <A, B) also shown in the operation explanatory diagram of FIG. 6, At timing t ₃₁ , the oil can be returned, which can raise the oil level in the orle pan as shown. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the air blow of the oil pump due to the lack of oil at low temperature, and further to reduce the hydraulic pressure (line pressure decrease) in that case,
With the above-mentioned distribution solenoid, and therefore the control logic for the distribution valve, it is possible to suppress the level change caused by the change in the oil temperature, and it is possible to suppress it to a certain range and to stabilize it with a small width. .

As described above, when the oil level rises, the oil is discharged to the reservoir tank 5 by the distribution valve control, while at the low temperature, the oil is returned from the reservoir tank 5, so that the oil level can be adjusted appropriately and the above-mentioned friction can be achieved. The increase can be prevented. Furthermore, in addition to the structure in which oil is simply put in the oil pan, in that case, if the oil pan capacity is large, it is easy to cause space and weight increase, and if the oil level control width is narrowed, it is that much. While the management man-hours increase and it is required to adapt to it, such a situation can be avoided with this system, and the oil pan capacity can be easily reduced, which is a great advantage in terms of weight, space, etc. Moreover, the level management can be simplified. Further, when viewed at high temperature, there are situations where other parts of the breather such as increased friction are blown out, and the deterioration of each part (clutch, seals) is accelerated, but with this system, the durability of each part can be improved.

In the above example, the distribution valve of the distributor is controlled according to the oil temperature, but it may be carried out by detecting and controlling the oil level. is there.
Further, as a return valve, a bimetal type valve body 21 as shown in FIG.
Although the shift valve shown in FIG. 8 is used as the return valve 23 in the distributor 4, the shift valve may be provided. In such cases,
The control of the return valve 23 can also be performed by the controller, and a control system using a combination of control programs corresponding to solenoids therefor can be provided.

Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. According to the above-mentioned embodiment, the distribution valve 11 added to a part of the cooler circuit, the reservoir tank 5, and the return valves 7 and 23.
In contrast to the system for controlling the oil temperature and the oil level by using the above, in the present embodiment, basically, an oil pump for sucking oil and an oil reservoir tank are added to the automatic transmission, Almost all the oil from the oil sump is sent to the reservoir tank by the pump, and the oil is sent directly from the reservoir tank to the main oil pump.
The engine head cooling water is introduced to the oil reservoir tank so that the oil can be immediately warmed.

FIG. 9 shows the basic construction of this embodiment. An oil pan 41 as a small oil reservoir is formed in the lower portion of the case of the automatic transmission 1, and an engine cooling water passage 42 is provided in the upper portion. The oil reservoir 43 is installed, and an oil pump 44 for sucking up the oil that feeds oil to the oil reservoir 43 is inserted between them. Furthermore, the oil reservoir 43 arranged at the upper part and the main oil pump (main oil pump) 45 are connected by a conduit 46 (suction path) to directly feed the oil from the oil reservoir 43 to the main oil pump 45. Then, the return from the reservoir shall be directly connected to the main oil pump. In this way, the oil level stabilizing device for an automatic transmission according to the above-described structure can also reduce friction, reduce the size and weight of the oil pan, simplify the oil level adjustment, etc., as in the case of the above-described embodiment. Furthermore, stabilization of the main pump discharge pressure,
Also aims to warm oil immediately at low temperatures.

These points will be described below with reference to a concrete example shown in FIG. In FIG. 10, an oil pump 44 for sucking oil is attached to an output shaft 47 of an automatic transmission, and is operated by rotation of the A / T output shaft. The oil in the oil pan 41 at the lower part of the case is sucked up by the oil pump 44 through the filter 48 by the oil passage passing through the case, but in this case, the oil is almost sent to the oil reservoir 43 at the upper part. A small size is sufficient for 41, and it is possible to avoid an increase in friction due to an increase in the oil level and a large amount of the P / T coming into contact with the oil even at high temperatures. Therefore, the oil pan can be made small and can function almost as an oilless oil pan, so that it is possible to reduce the weight and size and prevent the increase of friction due to the change of the oil temperature.

The oil in the oil pan 41 is sucked up by the oil pump 44 for sucking up the oil attached to the above-mentioned output shaft 47 by the oil passage passing through the inside of the case and sent out to the oil reservoir 43. It rotates and functions as a laminated type oil cooler and oil reservoir, and also has the function of immediately warming the oil. That is, the oil reservoir 43 is connected to the engine head cooling water passage from the engine 49 via the engine head cooling system connecting pipe 50.
When the A / T oil temperature is <engine cooling water temperature, the former is immediately warmed, and when the A / T oil temperature> engine cooling water temperature, A / T oil can be cooled. Therefore, while the oil can be cooled, the engine cooling water temperature can be effectively used at low temperatures, and warm-up can be facilitated more easily than that which can be warmed up only by self-heating at low temperatures. Immediate warming of the oil temperature can avoid an increase in friction at low temperatures, and also in this respect, further reduction in friction can be realized. Further, in the above, the oil pipe can be provided in the case, and the oil leakage can be prevented and the reliability of the oil leakage can be easily improved.

Further, as described above, the oil reservoir 43
The oil sent to the
It is sent to the main pump 45 through 46. In this way, the oil reservoir 43 is directly connected to the suction of the main oil pump 45, and since the oil reservoir 43 is at the upper part, the oil comes into the suction of the main oil pump 45 by its own weight, and therefore, The suction resistance can be almost eliminated as compared with the case where the oil is pumped directly from the oil reservoir at the bottom of the case by the oil pump (main oil pump). As I touched, when the temperature is low, the liquid level changes causing air suction, which causes a drop in line pressure.
The reference numeral 45 does not suck the oil in the mode of sucking up the oil of the oil pan 41. Therefore, the air suction does not occur in the above-mentioned sense, and the discharge pressure of the main oil pump 45 can be stabilized.

[0028]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the temperature is high, the distribution valve discharges the oil to the reservoir, and when the temperature is low, the return valve can be used to return the oil from the reservoir. It is possible to well suppress the level change due to the oil temperature of the oil contained in the oil, thus reducing or preventing the increase in flicking due to the rise in the liquid level, and also the situation such as oil pump air suction due to insufficient oil. Can be prevented. Further, the capacity of the oil pan can be reduced, and the level management can be simplified.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the oil is sent from the oil pan by the second pump to almost the upper reservoir, and the oil is sent directly from the reservoir to the first oil pump as the main oil pump. Therefore, the oil pan can be made almost oilless, and in this case too, an increase in friction can be avoided. In addition, not only is it possible to reduce the capacity of the oil pan and simplify level adjustment, but since oil is sent directly from the upper reservoir to the main oil pump, air suction is prevented and suction resistance is increased. You can almost eliminate it.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of a device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration of an oil flow distributor.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a return valve.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration of a float type air bleed check valve provided in a reservoir tank.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of a control program of a controller.

FIG. 6 is an example of a timing chart for explaining the operation.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a relationship between A / T oil level and oil temperature.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a return valve combination.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a basic configuration according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a specific configuration thereof.

[Explanation of symbols] 1 automatic transmission 2 radiator 3 A / T oil cooler 4 Oil flow distribution unit 5 reservoir tanks 7 Return valve 11 Distribution valve 12 distribution solenoids 21 Bimetal valve body 22 Float type air bleed check valve 23 Return valve 30 controller 31 Oil temperature sensor 41 oil pan 42 Engine head cooling water channel 43 Oil reservoir 44 Oil pump for oil suction 45 Main oil pump 46 conduit 47 Automatic transmission output shaft 48 filters 49 engine 50 connection pipeline

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A circulation system having an oil pan for receiving transmission oil, and an oil cooler, a distribution valve provided in a part of a cooler circuit and operating to distribute oil by branching from the circuit, and the distribution valve. Oil reservoir connected to the valve to send oil when the distribution valve operates, a return valve that operates to return the oil in the reservoir at a low temperature, and an oil level control in the oil pan by detecting the oil temperature or oil level And a control device that controls the distribution valve so that the oil is discharged to the oil reservoir in response to an increase in oil temperature or liquid level caused by the distribution valve. 2. An oil adjusting device having a circulation system including an oil pan for receiving transmission oil and a first oil pump as a main oil pump for feeding oil under pressure, wherein an oil reservoir is provided at an upper portion of the transmission. At the same time, a second oil pump for sucking oil from the oil pan and sending almost all of the oil to the reservoir is provided, and both are connected to directly feed the oil from the reservoir to the first oil pump. An oil adjusting device characterized by: 3. The oil adjusting device according to claim 2, wherein an engine head cooling water passage is guided to the oil reservoir.