JPH08338510A - Differential device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] While sufficiently supporting the end face of the pinion gear,
(EN) Provided is a differential device capable of effectively introducing lubricating oil into a differential case. [Structure] A differential case 21, a pair of side gears 53,
55, at least a pair of pinion gears 77 and 79,
A differential shaft type differential device having a parallel shaft type differential device having at least a pair of storage holes 73, 75 for slidably and rotatably accommodating each pinion gear 77, 79.
Is provided with a window portion 112 that exposes at least one end outer circumference of the pinion gears 77 and 79 to the outside, and a pinion gear washer 124 is inserted between the end surface of the pinion gear 77 and the side wall portion 47 of the differential case 21. The washer 124 is provided with an oil guide plate 126 that extends to the outside from the window portion 112 and guides the oil outside the differential case 21 from the window portion 112 to the inside of the differential case 21 according to the rotation of the differential case 21.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a differential device applicable to front differentials, center differentials and rear differentials for vehicles, and more particularly to a differential device including parallel shaft differential gears.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A parallel shaft type differential device is known as a differential device of a type that obtains a differential limiting force by frictional resistance caused by rotation of a pinion gear and a side gear.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a conventional parallel shaft type differential device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 3-37455.

In this differential device 401,
The differential case 402 includes a casing main body 403 and two end covers 405, 40 fixed to both axial ends thereof.
7 and the end covers 405 and 407.
Are integrated with the casing body 403 by through bolts 409.

Inside the differential case 402, a pair of side gears 412 and 414 are arranged rotatably around a common axis with the differential case 402, and pinion gears 416 and 418 are arranged around an axis parallel to the axis of rotation. Two pinion gears 416 and 418 (one pair)
A plurality of sets are arranged in the circumferential direction, and the outer end of one pinion gear 416 of each set meshes with the side gear 414 on the right side in the figure, and the outer end of the other pinion gear 418 meshes with the side gear 412 on the left side of the figure, and both side gears 412. Four
The inner ends of the pair of pinion gears 416 and 418 mesh with each other.

Casing body 403 of the differential case 402
Storage holes 422 and 424 for storing these pinion gears 416 and 418 are formed in the pinion gears 41 and 41, respectively.
The reference numerals 6 and 418 are adapted to slide and rotate in the accommodation holes 422 and 424. Further, the peripheral wall portion of the casing main body 403 and the side wall portions of the end covers 405 and 407 are provided so that oil can be supplied from the outside to the pinion gears 416 and 418 that slide and rotate in this manner and the side gears 412 and 414 that mesh with them. The oil introduction hole 43
1, 432 are open.

In this differential device, the driving force of the engine that rotates the differential case 402 is distributed from the respective pinion gears 416 and 418 to the wheel side through the side gears 412 and 414, and the pinion gear 416 is generated according to the difference in driving resistance between the wheels. , 418, the wheels are differentially distributed among the wheels.

The pinion gears 416 and 418 are housed in the housing holes 422 and 424 provided in the differential case 402 and are slidably rotatably supported. When a differential occurs, the pinion gears 416 and 418 and the side gears 412 and 414 and A differential limiting force is obtained by the frictional resistance between the members contacting these.

[0009]

In the above-described conventional example, the oil introducing holes 431 and 432 are provided in the peripheral wall portion and the side wall portion of the differential case 402, but the differential case 40 is simply used.
The effect of introducing oil into the differential case 402 was low only by providing the oil introducing holes 431 and 432 in the peripheral wall portion and the side wall portion of No. 2.

When the pinion gears 416 and 418 are formed of helical gears, the side wall portion of the differential case 402 is a portion that receives the thrust force from the pinion gears 416 and 418, and a large oil introduction hole 432 is formed in that portion.
If the pinion gear 41 is provided, the pressure receiving area is reduced.
There is a problem that the surface pressure of the end faces of 6, 418 rises.

In view of the above circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to provide a differential device capable of effectively introducing lubricating oil into the differential case while sufficiently supporting the end face of the pinion gear.

[0012]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a differential case which is rotationally driven, a pair of side gears which are accommodated in the differential case and are rotatably supported around the common axis with the differential case. Part and a second gear part, the first gear part meshes with each side gear, the second gear part meshes with each other, and at least a pair of pinion gears are formed on the differential case. Each pinion gear is parallel to the axis. In a differential device including at least a pair of storage holes that are slidably rotatable about an axis,
The differential case is provided with a window portion for exposing at least one end outer circumference of the pinion gear to the outside, and a washer is inserted between the end surface of the pinion gear where the end outer circumference is exposed and the side wall portion of the differential case. An oil guide plate is provided which extends from the window portion to the outside and guides the oil outside the differential case to the inside of the differential case from the window portion in accordance with the rotation of the differential case.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the differential device according to the first aspect, the oil guide plate is arranged to face the outer periphery of the end portion of the pinion gear at a distance, and the oil guide plate is provided on the front side in the rotation direction of the differential case. It is characterized in that it is arranged so as to be inclined such that the interval is wider than the interval on the rear side.

A third aspect of the present invention is the differential device according to the first or second aspect, wherein the pinion gear is a helical gear, and the washer supports the entire end surface of the pinion gear with the outer periphery of the end portion exposed. Is characterized by.

The invention of claim 4 is the differential device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a plurality of pairs of the pinion gears are arranged, the washers are arranged for each pair of pinion gears, and all the washers are arranged. It is characterized by being integrated by a ring plate.

The invention of claim 5 is the differential device according to claim 4, characterized in that the ring plate is used as a thrust washer of the side gear.

[0017]

According to the first aspect of the invention, the oil guide plate scrapes the oil in the diff carrier along with the rotation of the diff case and introduces the oil into the diff case from the window. Therefore, it is possible to supply a sufficient amount of oil especially to the tooth portion of the pinion gear.
Also, since the washer supports the end surface of the pinion gear,
Even when the window portion is formed up to the side wall portion side of the differential case, sufficient thrust supporting force can be obtained.

According to the second aspect of the invention, since the oil guide plate is inclined with respect to the rotation direction of the differential case, the oil is guided by the oil guide plate according to the inclination and enters the inside of the differential case through the window. Then, it is introduced to the outer periphery of the pinion gear to lubricate the tooth tips.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, the thrust force acts on the pinion gear consisting of a helical gear, but since the washer supports the entire end face of the pinion gear, the thrust of the pinion gear is extended even when the window portion extends to the side wall portion in the radial direction. The force can be reliably received, and the increase in the surface pressure of the end surface of the pinion gear can be suppressed.

According to the invention of claim 4, since the washers are connected by the ring plate, the assembling can be facilitated.

According to the fifth aspect of the invention, since the ring plate also serves as the thrust washer of the side gear, the assembling can be facilitated and the number of parts can be reduced.

[0022]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a differential device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

This differential device has a differential case 21 which is rotationally driven around the axis L by the engine. The differential case 21 has a casing body 31.
And an end cover 33 fixed to one side of the casing body 31 in the axial direction.

Casing body 31 and end cover 33
Are integrated by connecting the respective flange portions 37 and 39 with screws 41. Further, these are fastened and fixed together with the ring gear by a plurality of bolts for fixing the ring gear (not shown). The casing main body 31 and the end cover 33 have cylindrical boss portions 43 and 45 protruding outward along the axis L, and side wall portions 47 and 49 facing each other.

Inside the differential case 21, a pair of helical side gears 53 and 55 are arranged opposite to each other. Each side gear 53, 55 has a cylindrical boss portion 57, 59, and the boss portion 57 of one side gear 53 is supported by a bearing portion 61 formed on the boss portion 45 of the end cover 33, and the other. The boss portion 59 of the side gear 55 is supported by a bearing portion 63 formed on the boss portion 43 of the casing body 31.

The inner ends of the bosses 57 and 59 of the side gears 53 and 55 are fitted to the outer circumference of the cylindrical thrust block 65 from one side and the other, and are centered on each other. Each of the side gears 53 and 55 is independently rotatably supported in a coaxial relationship with the rotation axis L of the differential case 21.

Each side gear 53, 55 has a boss 57,
Each of them is spline-connected to the axle via 59. A washer 69 is arranged between the boss portion 57 of the side gear 53 and the boss portion 45 of the end cover 33 on the left side in the figure, and a washer 71 is arranged between the inner end surfaces of the boss portions 57 and 59 of both side gears 53 and 55. Has been done. In addition, the boss portion 59 of the side gear 55 on the right side in the drawing and the casing body 3
A washer ring 1 to be described later is provided between the first boss portion 43 and the boss portion 43.
20 side gear washers (thrust washers) 122
Is arranged. This side gear washer 122
The washer ring 120 is provided as a ring-shaped plate (ring plate). These washers 69, 71,
The side gear washers 122 are provided to ensure smooth rotation while receiving thrust forces.

Further, the casing body 31 is provided with a plurality of pairs of long and short storage holes 73 and 75, which are paired at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. Pair of long and short storage holes 7
3 and 75 are adjacent to each other, and a long storage hole 7 is provided on the upper side in the figure.
3, a short storage hole 75 is shown on the lower side. The pair of long and short storage holes 73 and 75 are formed together from the left side of the casing body 31 in the figure, that is, the side to which the end plate 33 is fixed. The side wall 47 of the casing 31 closes the opposite sides (right side in the figure) of the left and right openings of the long and short storage holes 73, 75. However, long storage hole 7
The end of 3 is communicated with the outside by a window 112 formed from the peripheral wall 93 of the casing body 31 to the side wall 47.

Long and short helical pinion gears 77 and 79 are slidably and rotatably accommodated in the accommodating holes 73 and 75, respectively. The pinion gears 77 and 79 are parallel to the rotational axis L of the differential case 21 and the side gears 53 and 55. It can be rotated around.

The long pinion gear 77 is composed of first and second gear portions 81 and 83 and a small diameter shaft portion 85 connecting them, and the first gear portion 81 is a side gear 55 on the right side in the figure.
Is meshing with. The short pinion gear 79 is composed of first and second gear portions 87 and 89 integrally formed with each other. The first gear portion 87 meshes with the side gear 53 on the left side in the drawing, and the second gear portion 89 is It meshes with the second gear portion 83 of the counterpart pinion gear 77 forming a pair. Second
The gear portions 83 and 89 are located closer to the left end in the axial direction than the left side gear 53. First and second gear parts 8
1, 87, 83 and 89 are supported by the wall surfaces of the storage holes 73 and 75 over substantially the entire circumference except for the gear meshing portion. In addition, the outer periphery of the end of the long pinion gear 77 has a window portion 112 provided in the casing body 31 of the differential case 21.
Is exposed to the outside.

The end plate 33 has a side wall portion 49.
Then, the storage holes 73 and 7 in which the pinion gears 77 and 79 are stored.
It blocks the opening of 5. However, the side wall portion 49 has an opening 9 for introducing oil into the end surface portion of the long pinion gear 77.
7 is open. In addition, the peripheral wall portion 9 of the casing body 31
3 also has an opening 95 for introducing oil into the shaft portion 85 of the long pinion gear 77.

The pinion gear washer 1 is provided between the inner surface of the side wall portion 47 of the casing body 31 on the opposite side of the end plate 33 and the end surface of the long pinion gear 77.
24 is sandwiched. Each pinion gear washer 124
Is a disc-shaped member having a size capable of supporting the entire end face of the pinion gear 77, and is arranged for each pinion gear 77. Moreover, all of them are integrated with the ring-plate-shaped side gear washer 122 described above. A washer ring 120 as shown in FIG. 2 is configured. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the details of the pinion gear washer 124. As shown in FIG. 3, there is a step 123 at the boundary between the side gear washer 122 and the pinion gear washer 124.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, at the tip of the pinion gear washer 124 of the washer ring 120,
An oil guide plate 126 is provided extending outward from the window 112 of the casing body 31. This oil guide plate 126 is
The extension piece at the tip of the pinion gear washer 124 is formed by bending the extension piece into an L-shape.
As shown in FIG. 5, the gap H1 is provided with respect to the outer periphery of the end of the pinion gear 77 exposed through the window 112 so that the oil outside the differential case 21 can be guided into the inside of the diff case 21 according to the rotation of the differential case 21. , H2
(See FIG. 5). In these figures,
The arrow B indicates the rotation direction of the differential case 21, and the arrow C indicates the oil guide plate 1.
26 shows the direction of oil flow introduced by 26. The oil guide plate 126 is arranged so as to be inclined so that the distance H1 on the front side in the rotation direction of the differential case 21 (direction of arrow B) is wider than the distance H2 on the rear side.

Next, the operation will be described.

In this differential device, the driving force of the engine that rotates the differential case 21 is distributed from the pinion gears 77 and 79 to the left and right wheels via the side gears 53 and 55, and the respective pinion gears are generated according to the difference in driving resistance between the wheels. The wheels 77 and 79 are rotated to be differentially distributed between the wheels.

During the transmission of torque, the pinion gears 77, 79
Is pressed against the wall surfaces of the storage holes 73 and 75 by the reaction force of meshing with the side gears 53 and 55, so that frictional resistance is generated. Also, due to the meshing thrust force of the helical gear,
A frictional force is generated between the pinion gear 77 and the pinion gear washer 122, which is an end surface member. These frictional resistances provide a torque sensitive differential limiting force.

In this case, since the pinion gear washer 124 of the washer ring 120 receives the entire end surface of the pinion gear 77, the thrust force of the pinion gear 77 can be reliably received even if the window 112 extends to the side wall 47 in the radial direction. Therefore, it is possible to suppress an increase in the surface pressure of the end surface of the pinion gear 77.

As the differential case 21 rotates, the oil guide plate 126 provided on the washer ring 120 scrapes the oil in the differential carrier and introduces the oil into the differential case 21 through the window 112. In this case, the oil guide plate 126
Is inclined with respect to the rotation direction of the differential case 21, and accordingly, as shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, oil is guided to the oil guide plate 126 according to the inclination, and the oil is positively introduced into the differential case 21 through the window 112. Will be introduced to. In particular, the oil is sucked by the rotation of the helical pinion gear 77 and supplied to the outer circumference of the pinion gear 77 to lubricate the tooth tips. Therefore, sufficient oil is supplied to the sliding portions of the tooth tips of the pinion gear 77, and the lubrication performance is improved.

Further, in this embodiment, since all the pinion gear washers 124 provided for each pinion gear 77 are integrated by the side gear washers 122, they are formed as one component, that is, the washer ring 120.
Even when a plurality of pairs of pinion gears are arranged, they can be easily assembled and the number of parts can be reduced.

Although the pinion gear washers 124 are all integrated in the above embodiment, they may be individually provided at each disposing location.

In the above embodiment, the pinion gear 7
Set the meshing position of 7, 79 to the side gears 5
Although it is outside of 3, 55, both side gears 53, 55
The present invention can be applied to a structure in which the pinion gears 77 and 79 are meshed with each other.

In the above embodiment, the pinion gear 7
Although the case where 7 and 79 and the side gears 53 and 55 are composed of helical gears is shown, the same oil introduction effect can be obtained also when they are composed of spur gears.

[0044]

As described above, according to the invention of claim 1, since the washer for supporting the end face of the pinion gear is provided and the washer is provided with the oil guide plate, the surface pressure of the end face of the pinion gear is increased. While suppressing, a sufficient amount of oil can be introduced into the differential case, and the lubrication performance can be improved.

According to the second aspect of the invention, the oil can be efficiently introduced into the differential case through the window due to the inclination of the oil guide plate.

According to the third aspect of the invention, the thrust force of the pinion gear can be reliably received even when the window portion extends to the side wall portion in the radial direction. Therefore, it is possible to suppress an increase in the surface pressure of the end surface of the pinion gear.

According to the invention of claim 4, since all the washers are integrated, the assembling can be facilitated and
It is possible to prevent an increase in the number of parts.

According to the invention of claim 5, the washer of the side gear and the washer of the pinion gear are all integrated, so that the assembling can be facilitated and the number of parts can be reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a washer ring in the same embodiment.

3A and 3B are detailed views of a main part of the washer ring, in which FIG. 3A is a perspective view of a pinion gear washer, and FIG.
It is a III-b arrow arrow sectional view.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a relationship between a pinion gear washer and a pinion gear of the washer ring.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing a flow of oil introduced by an oil guide plate of the pinion gear washer.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the same.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

21 differential case 47 side wall portion 53, 55 side gear 73, 75 storage hole 77, 79 pinion gear 81, 87 first gear portion 83, 89 second gear portion 112 window portion 122 side gear washer (thrust washer, ring plate) 124 pinion gear washer 126 guide Oil plate L axis LP axis

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A differential case that is driven to rotate, a pair of side gears that are housed in the differential case and rotatably supported around the common axis with the differential case, a first gear portion and a second gear portion, and At least a pair of pinion gears in which one gear portion meshes with each other side gear, and a second gear portion meshes with each other, and at least a pair of pinion gears formed on the differential case and slidably accommodated around each axis parallel to the axis. A differential device having a pair of storage holes, wherein the differential case is provided with a window portion for exposing at least one end outer circumference of the pinion gear to the outside, and the end face of the pinion gear having the outer circumference exposed, and the differential case. The washer is inserted between the side wall portion and the washer, and the washer extends outward from the window portion and rotates the differential case. Accordingly, an oil guide plate for guiding oil outside the differential case to the inside of the differential case from the window portion is provided. 2. The differential device according to claim 1, wherein the oil guide plate is arranged to face the outer periphery of the end of the pinion gear with a gap, and the gap on the front side in the rotation direction of the differential case is rear. The differential device is arranged so as to be inclined so as to be wider than the space on the side. 3. The differential device according to claim 1, wherein the pinion gear is a helical gear, and the washer supports the entire end surface of the pinion gear with the outer periphery of the end portion exposed. apparatus. 4. The differential device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of pairs of the pinion gears are arranged, the washers are arranged for each pair of pinion gears, and all the washers are integrated by a ring plate. Differential device characterized by being. 5. The differential device according to claim 4, wherein the ring plate is used as a thrust washer of a side gear.