Lubrication – Systems – Gearing
Reexamination Certificate
2000-02-18
2001-11-20
Bucci, David A. (Department: 3682)
Lubrication
Systems
Gearing
C074S467000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06318501
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a transmission lubrication arrangement and, more particularly, to an arrangement that promotes efficient lubrication of mechanical elements such as bearings and gears which are disposed on rotational shafts for power transmission.
2. Description of the Related Art
In the prior art, the lubrication of a transmission, especially for supplying lubrication oil to bearings, gears, etc., which are provided around rotational shafts for power transmission, is realized by providing axially extending passages in the respective rotational shafts and by providing radially extending passages to lead lubrication oil from these axially extending passages to the outer surfaces of the respective shafts. in this arrangement, lubrication oil discharged from a hydraulic pump is supplied to oil passages which are connected to the respective axially extending passages. in some cases, these passages are provided additionally with partition walls which include orifices to control the flow of lubrication oil (for example, refer to Japanese Patent Publication No. H7 (1995)-68894 (B). lubricate bearings, gears, etc., which are disposed on the shafts, by the force produced from the discharge pressure of the hydraulic pump and by the centrifugal force generated from the rotation of the shafts.
However, this type of arrangement or method is not very effective for supplying a sufficient amount of lubrication oil to the bearings, gears, etc., disposed on the input shaft and the output shaft which are arranged with one end of one of these shafts facing one end of the other shaft. The reason is hat, because of this structural arrangement, the flow of lubrication oil through the passage which is located between these two shafts tends to be disrupted. A front engine rear wheel drive transmission (FR drive transmission) is an example of a transmission which has such a structural arrangement.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a lubrication arrangement which makes it possible to supply a sufficient amount of lubrication oil to mechanical elements, such as bearings and gears, which are disposed on two rotational shafts of a transmission in which one end of one of these shafts faces one end of the other shaft.
The present invention provides a lubrication arrangement for a transmission which incorporates first and second rotational shafts (e.g., the input shaft
11
and the output shaft
13
of the embodiment described in the following section) disposed with one end of the first rotational shaft facing one end of the second rotational shaft. This lubrication arrangement comprises a first lubrication passage (e.g., the lubrication passage
111
of the following embodiment), a second lubrication passage (e.g., the lubrication passage
131
of the following embodiment), a conduit (e.g., the oil passages
203
and
204
of the following embodiment) an oil chamber. The first lubrication passage is provided extending axially inside the first rotational shaft with an opening at the end thereof which faces the aforementioned end of the second rotational shaft. the second lubrication passage is provided extending axially inside the second rotational shaft with an opening at the end thereof which faces the end of the first rotational shaft. The conduit leads lubrication oil that is supplied from a source of lubrication oil to a space between the two openings of the first and second rotational shafts. The oil chamber is provided between the two openings and functions as a point where the lubrication oil led therein through the conduit is portioned out to the first lubrication passage and to the second lubrication passage.
In this arrangement, for supplying lubrication oil into the lubrication passages of these two shafts, lubrication oil is first led into the oil chamber, which is provided between the opposing ends of the first and second rotational shafts, and then into the first and second lubrication passages, respectively. The lubrication oil supplied to the first lubrication passage is then discharged, by the centrifugal force generated from the rotation of the first rotational shaft, to the outside of the first rotational shaft through a release passage which extends from the first lubrication passage and opens at the outer surface of the first rotational shaft. In the same way, the lubrication oil supplied to the second lubrication passage is then discharged by the centrifugal force generated from the rotation of the second rotational shaft to the outside of the second rotational shaft through a release passage which extends from the second lubrication passage and opens at the outer surface of the second rotational shaft. This lubrication arrangement can be incorporated successfully in a transmission which comprises two rotational shafts which are disposed one end of one shaft facing one end of the other shaft, to lubricate effectively and sufficiently such rotational members as bearings and gears which are disposed on these two shafts.
In the above lubrication arrangement, it is preferable that the oil chamber be formed such that it can portion out the lubrication oil led therein through the conduit to the first lubrication passage and to the second lubrication passage at a predetermined ratio. With this arrangement, a transmission which has such members as bearings and gears disposed on the first rotational shaft and the second rotational shaft unevenly can be lubricated effectively by determining an appropriate ratio for the amounts of lubrication oil supplied into the first lubrication passage and into the second lubrication passage. Moreover, because a lubrication system according to the present invention can supply lubrication oil both to the first and second lubrication passages of the first and second rotational shafts by supplying lubrication oil only into the oil chamber, the present invention successfully provides a transmission which is more compact in construction than a prior-art transmission.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4222283 (1980-09-01), Nagy
patent: 4590820 (1986-05-01), Hambric
patent: 4644815 (1987-02-01), Kawano et al.
patent: 4899851 (1990-02-01), Falzoni et al.
patent: 4961669 (1990-10-01), Itoh et al.
patent: 4987974 (1991-01-01), Crouch
patent: 5158152 (1992-10-01), Nemoto et al.
patent: 5372213 (1994-12-01), Hasebe et al.
patent: 5456129 (1995-10-01), Tane et al.
patent: 5989143 (1999-11-01), Bell et al.
patent: 7-68894 (1995-07-01), None
Kitajima Kyoji
Kumagai Toshiharu
Ohkubo Kiyokazu
Udou Hideo
Armstrong Westerman Hattori McLeland & Naughton LLP
Bucci David A.
Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Kim Chong H.
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