ELECTRIC OIL PUMP DEVICE
A filter module includes an attachment attached to an attachment catch. The attachment of the filter module on the attachment catch of the electric oil pump main body to the attachment catch is fixed in a posture where an outlet port of the filter module is caused to communicate with the suction port of the electric oil pump main body.
The present invention claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to Japanese Application No. 2019-000745 filed on Jan. 7, 2019, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present disclosure relates to an electric oil pump device.
BACKGROUNDIn the related art, an electric oil pump that includes a pump portion, a motor portion that drives the pump portion, a suctioning port that suctions oil, and an ejection port that ejects the oil is known.
An electric oil pump disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2017-002841, for example, includes a pump portion, a motor portion, and a suctioning port and an ejection port provided at the pump portion. The electric oil pump is mounted in an oil pan of a vehicle in the form in which the electric oil pump is dipped in the oil in the oil pan and suctions the oil directly with the suctioning port at on the pump portion into the pump portion. The oil in the pump portion is ejected from the ejection port and is then fed to a transmission or the like of the vehicle.
Meanwhile, a strainer is known as a filter module for removing impurities from the oil before being suctioned into an oil pump in the related art.
A strainer disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2017-160955, for example, includes a case portion that accommodates a filtration material and a long and thin tubular portion that communicates with the case portion aid and is mounted in an oil pan in the a form in which the case portion is dipped in the oil in the oil pan. An end of the tubular portion is connected to an oil pump outside the oil pan. The oil suctioned from a suctioning hole at in the case portion into the case portion passes through the filtration material in the case portion and the tubular portion, then flows out of a flowing-out hole at in the tubular portion, and is suctioned into the oil pump.
According to the strainer disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2017-160955, since it is necessary to align the strainer attached to the oil pan and with the suctioning port of the oil pump disposed outside the oil pan, and mountability of the oil pump and the strainer to the vehicle may be degraded. In a case in which the strainer is attached to the oil pan earlier than the strainer, for example, mountability of the oil pump may be degraded. In a case in which the alignment is not successfully performed when the oil pump is attached, a situation in which it is necessary to attach the strainer again is also conceivable. In a case in which the oil pump is attached to the outside of the oil pan earlier than the strainer, mountability of the strainer may be degraded. In a case in which the alignment is not successfully performed when the strainer is attached, a situation in which it is necessary to attach the oil pump again is also conceivable.
Also, the strainer disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2017-160955 requires a space for disposing the long and thin tubular portion (pipe) to be provided inside the oil pan, and it is thus difficult to save a space for the oil pan and to reduce the weight of the oil pan. Further, the long and thin tubular portion applies a resistance to the oil flowing in the tubular portion in the strainer disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2017-160955, and pump efficiency may thus be degraded.
As described above, the strainer disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2017-160955 has problems that mountability of the oil pump and the strainer may be degraded, it may be difficult to save space and to reduce the weight of oil reservoir equipment, such as an oil pan, and pump efficiency may be degraded. Note that similar problems may occur even in a case in which the strainer disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2017-160955 is connected to an electric oil pump that is not disposed outside the oil pan but is attached to the inside of the oil pan as in the case of the electric oil pump disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2017-002841.
SUMMARYExample embodiments of the present disclosure each provide an electric oil pump device capable of improving mountability of a filter module and an electric oil pump main body, saving a space and reducing the weight of oil reservoir equipment, and improving pump efficiency of the electric oil pump main body.
According to a first example embodiment of the present disclosure, an electric oil pump device includes an electric oil pump main body including a pump, a motor that drives the pump, a suction port that suctions oil, and an ejection port that ejects the oil. The electric oil pump device includes a filter module that includes an inlet port that receives the oil, an outlet port that discharges the oil passing through the inlet port, and an attachment that is attached to the electric oil pump main body, an attachment catch, which is provided at on the electric oil pump main body, to which the attachment of the filter module is attached, and a fastener that secures, to the attachment catch, the attachment of the filter module on the attachment catch of the electric oil pump main body in a posture in which the outlet port is caused to communicate with the suction port of the electric oil pump main body.
According to the exemplary first disclosure of the present disclosure, excellent effects of improving mountability of the filter module and the electric oil pump main body, to save space and reduce the weight of the oil reservoir equipment, and to improve pump efficiency of the electric oil pump main body are achieved.
The above and other elements, features, steps, characteristics and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description of the example embodiments with reference to the attached drawings.
Hereinafter, electric oil pump devices according to example embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to drawings. In the example embodiments, an electric oil pump device that supplies oil to a transmission mounted in a vehicle, such as a car, will be described. Also, sizes, numbers, and the like of the respective structures in the following drawings may be different from those of actual structures for ease of understanding of the respective constituents.
Also, an XYZ coordinate system will appropriately be illustrated as a three-dimensional orthogonal coordinate system in the drawings. In the XYZ coordinate system, the X-axis direction is defined as a direction that is parallel to an axial direction of a central axis J illustrated in
Also, the positive side (+X side) in the X-axis direction will be referred to as a “rear side” while the negative side (−X side) in the X-axis direction will be referred to as a “front side” in the following description. Note that the rear side and the front side are names used only for explanation and do not limit actual positional relationships and directions. Also, the direction (X-axis direction) that is parallel to the central axis J will simply be referred to as an “axial direction, the radial direction around the central axis J will simply be referred to as a “radial direction”, and the circumferential direction around the central axis J, that is, the circumferential direction (θ direction) around the central axis J will simply be referred to as a “circumferential direction”.
Note that in the specification, extending in the axial direction also includes a case of extending in a direction inclined within a range of less than 45° with respect to the axial direction in addition to a case of extending strictly in the axial direction (X-axis direction). Also, extending in the radial direction in the specification also includes a case of extending in a direction inclined within a range of less than 45° with respect to the radial direction in addition to a case of extending strictly in the radial direction, that is, in the direction that is perpendicular to the axial direction (X-axis direction).
EXAMPLE EMBODIMENTS <Overall Configuration>The pump portion 40 is located on one side (front side) of the motor portion 10 in the axial direction and is driven by the motor portion 10 via a shaft 13 to eject oil. The inverter 100 is disposed on the rear side of the motor portion 10 and controls driving of the motor portion 10.
The heatsink 120 is secured to an end surface of a case 101 of the inverter 100 on the rear side in the axial direction and cools the inverter 100 by discharging heat generated by an operation thereof and delivered from the inverter 100. The heatsink 120 includes a plurality of fins 121 extending in the Z-axis direction in order to efficiently perform the aforementioned heat discharge.
The housing 14 serves both as a housing of the motor portion 10 and a housing of the pump portion 40 and includes a partition wall that partitions the motor portion 10 from the pump portion 40. The housing 14 is made of a cast article made of metal (aluminum, for example).
In the electric oil pump device 1 according to the example embodiment, the housing of the motor portion 10 and the housing of the pump portion 40 that are formed by the housing 14 are parts of a single member. With such a configuration, a boundary between the housing of the motor portion 10 and the housing of the pump portion 40 in the axial direction is defined as follows. That is, the center of the partition wall that partitions the motor portion 10 and the pump portion 40 in the axial direction is a boundary between the motor portion 10 and the pump portion 40 in the axial direction.
<Motor Portion 10>Inside the stator 22 in the radial direction, a rotor which is not illustrated in
The shaft 13 penetrates through a through-hole provided in the partition wall of the housing (14 in
The pump portion 40 includes a pump rotor 47 and a pump cover 52.
(Pump Rotor 47)The pump rotor 47 is attached to an end portion of the shaft 13 on the front side. The pump rotor 47 includes an inner rotor 47a and an outer rotor 47b. The inner rotor 47a is secured to the shaft 13. The outer rotor 47b surrounds the outside of the inner rotor 47a in the radial direction.
The inner rotor 47a has an annular shape. The inner rotor 47a is a gear that has teeth on an outer surface thereof in the radial direction. The inner rotor 47a rotates about the axis (the θ direction in
The gear on the outer surface of the inner rotor 47a in the radial direction and the gear of the inner surface of the outer rotor 47b in the radial direction engage with each other, and the outer rotor 47b rotates by the inner rotor 47a rotating with rotation of the shaft 13. That is, the pump rotor 47 rotates due to rotation of the shaft 13.
Due to the inner rotor 47a and the outer rotor 47b rotating, a volume in the engagement portion between the inner rotor 47a and the outer rotor 47b changes. A region in which the volume decreases is a pressurization region, and a region in which the volume increases is a negative pressure region.
(Pump Cover 52)The housing 14 illustrated in
The pump cover 52 accommodates the pump rotor 47 that includes the inner rotor 47a secured to the shaft 13 and the outer rotor 47b that is engaged with the inner rotor 47a.
The rotor accommodation portion that accommodates the pump rotor 47 of the pump portion 40 and the motor accommodation portion of the motor portion 10 may be parts of a single member or may be separate elements. Also, the housing of the motor portion 10 and the housing of the pump portion 40 may be separate elements.
<Inverter 100>The inverter 100 illustrated in
In
Note that
The respective components of the electric oil pump device 1 are designed on the assumption that the electric oil pump device 1 is placed in an oil pan of a transmission or the like in a posture in which the suctioning port 41 is directed downward in the direction of gravity. In the electric oil pump device 1 in the aforementioned posture, the filter module 150 is located lower down in the gravity direction.
The ejection-side flange 44 is provided on an end portion of the pump cover 52 on the −Z side in the Z-axis direction. The ejection port 42 that ejects the oil in the pump portion 40 is provided in the ejection-side flange 44. The external flange 201 is connected to the ejection-side flange 44, and the external pipe 202 is connected to the external flange 201. The oil discharged from the ejection port 42 of the pump portion 40 is fed to the transmission and the like of the vehicle via the external flange 201 and the external pipe 202. The suctioning port 41 is provided so as to be closer to the side of the motor portion 10 than the ejection port 42 is in the axial direction.
The base 14a projecting from the circumferential surface of the housing 14 on the −Z side is provided on an end portion of the housing 14 on the rear side in the axial direction that is an end on the −Z side in the Z-axial direction. The base 14a is a part of the motor portion 10.
The filter module 150 is attached to the suctioning-side flange 43 and the base 14a. That is, the suctioning-side flange 43 and the base 14a function as an attachment catching portion.
An end surface (43a) of the suctioning-side flange 43 on the −Z side in the Z-axis direction and an end surface (14a1) of the base 14a on the −Z axis side in the Z-axis direction are attachment catching surfaces to which the filter module 150 is attached. Hereinafter, the former end surface and the latter end surface will be referred to as an attachment catching surface 43a and an attachment catching surface 14a1, respectively.
The filter module 150 includes an accommodation case 151 that has a plane extending in the axial direction and the Y-axis direction as an outer surface and has a flattened shape with a dimension thinned in the Z-axis direction. An inlet port opening 151a is provided in an end surface of the accommodation case 151 on the −Z side in the Z-axis direction. The inlet port opening 151a functions as an inlet port of the filter module 150.
The electric oil pump device 1 is placed in the oil pan of the transmission in a posture in which the suctioning port 41 is directed downward in the gravity direction, and then in the oil pan, the filter module 150 of the electric oil pump device 1 is dipped in the oil stored in the oil pan. The inlet port opening 151a of the filter module 150 is directed outward in the radial direction and faces a bottom surface of the oil pan in the oil pan. Therefore, impurities that have sunk to the bottom of the oil pan are efficiently suctioned into the filter module 150 through the inlet port opening 151a.
A flange portion 151b projecting on the +Z side from an end surface of the filter module 150 on the +Z side in the Z-axis direction is provided on the end surface. A surface of the flange portion 151b on the +Z side is an attachment surface 151b1 that is attached to the attachment catching surface 43a of the suctioning-side flange 43 on the pump portion 40 illustrated in
A base insertion portion 151f is provided on an end portion of the accommodation case 151 on the +X side in the axial direction. The base insertion portion 151f functions as an attachment portion that is attached to the base (14a in
In
A bolt 15 projecting toward the −Z side is provided in the attachment catching surface 14a1 of the base 14a. The bolt 15 is caused to pass through the through-hole 151f1 of the base insertion portion 151f at the filter module 150.
The bolts 45 caused to pass through the two through-holes 151d in the accommodation case of the filter module 150 and the bolt 15 caused to pass through the through-hole 151f1 of the base insertion portion 151f are fastened with nuts 160. The filter module 150 is secured to the motor portion 10 and the pump portion 40 through the fastening. The thus secured filter module 150 causes the outlet port 151c provided in the attachment surface 151b to communicate with the suctioning port 41 provided at the suctioning-side flange 43 illustrated in
The securing fasteners are not limited to the bolts and the nuts. For example, a combination of female screw holes and male screws may also be employed. Alternatively, rivets, caulking members, welded members, or the like may also be employed.
The filter module 150 secured to the electric oil pump main body causes an internal space of the accommodation case 151 and the suctioning port 41 provided at the suctioning-side flange 43 illustrated in
The filter module 150 secured to the motor portion 10 and the pump portion 40 of the electric oil pump main body covers the suctioning port 41 provided at the pump portion 40. If a suctioning force is generated at the suctioning port 41, then the pressure in the internal space of the accommodation case 151 that communicates with the suctioning port 41 via the outlet port (151c in
As illustrated in
Unlike the electric oil pump device 1 according to the example embodiment, it is necessary to use a member made of metal with high rigidity, such as a metal mesh, as a filter material in the configuration in which the suctioning port 41 is covered with the filter material attached directly to the suctioning-side flange 43 illustrated in
The oil that has flow into the internal space of the accommodation case 151 moves from the −Z side to the +Z side in the Z-axis direction due to the suctioning force generated by the suctioning port 41 of the pump portion 40 illustrated in
A surface of the accommodation case 151, in which the inlet port opening 151a is provided, extends in the X-Y plane direction. In the plane, an opening area of the inlet port opening 151a is larger than an area of a portion except for the inlet port opening 151a. With such a configuration, the oil moves to the +Z side along the Z-axis direction while satisfactorily spreading in the X-Y plane direction in the oil filter 153. Therefore, it is possible to curb a decrease in lifetime of the oil filter 153 due to acceleration of clogging of a specific region as compared with clogging of the other regions caused because of the passing oil concentrating on the specific region in the X-Y plane direction of the oil filter 153.
<Effects and Advantages of Electric Oil Pump Device 1>(1) The electric oil pump device 1 includes the filter module 150 including the inlet port opening 151a that serves as an inlet port for receiving oil, an outlet port 151c that discharges the oil passing through the inlet port opening 151a, and a flange portion 151b and the base insertion portion 151f that serve as an attachment portion. Also, the electric oil pump device 1 includes the suctioning-side flange 43 and the base 14a that serve as an attachment catching portion, which is provided at the electric oil pump main body (including the motor portion 10, the pump portion 40, and the like), to which the flange portion 151b and the base insertion portion 151f of the filter module 150 are attached. Further, the electric oil pump device 1 includes the bolt 15, the bolts 45, and the nuts 160 as securing fasteners. The securing fasteners secure the flange portion 151b and the base insertion portion 151f of the filter module 150 placed on the electric oil pump main body to the suctioning-side flange 43 and the base 14a in a posture in which the outlet port 151c is caused to communicate with the suctioning port 41.
In the electric oil pump device 1 with such a configuration, it is not necessary to secure a long and thin tubular installation space inside the oil pan since the filter module 150 is attached directly to the electric oil pump main body without the long and thin tubular portion (pipe) being interposed therebetween. Accordingly, it is possible to save space and to reduce the weight of the oil pan. Further, it is also possible to reduce the number of components and to reduce costs corresponding to the unnecessary long and thin tubular portion.
Also, since it is possible to attach the electric oil pump device 1 in a state in which the filter module 150 is attached to the electric oil pump main body to the oil pan according to the electric oil pump device 1, it is not necessary to align the suctioning port 41 of the electric oil pump main body and the outlet port 151c of the filter module 150 in the oil pan. Therefore, it is possible to improve mountability of the filter module 150 and the electric oil pump main body to the oil pan according to the electric oil pump device 1.
Also, the oil, from which the impurities have been removed with the filter module 150, is caused to flow into the suctioning port 41 of the electric oil pump main body without passing through the long and thin tubular portion according to the electric oil pump device 1. Therefore, it is possible to improve pump efficiency of the electric oil pump main body according to the electric oil pump device 1.
(2) In the electric oil pump device 1, the filter module 150 includes the oil filter 153 that filters the oil and the accommodation case 151 that accommodates the oil filter 153. The inlet port opening 151a as the inlet, the outlet port 151c, and the flange portion 151b and the base insertion portion 151f that serve as attachment portions are provided at the accommodation case 151.
In the electric oil pump device 1 with such a configuration, it is possible to use a material that has a finer mesh than a filter material made of metal such as a metal mesh and is made of a filter paper, a non-woven cloth, a synthetic fiber, or the like with rigidity that is lower than that of metal can be used as the oil filter 153. Therefore, it is possible to satisfactorily remove fine impurities such as metal powder with the filter module 150 according to the electric oil pump device 1.
(3) In the electric oil pump device 1, the suctioning port 41 is directed in the radial direction (Z-axis direction) around the central axial line of the motor shaft (shaft 13) of the motor portion 10. The flange portion 151b and the base insertion portion 151f that serve as attachment portions include an attachment surface 151b that is attached to the side of the pump portion 40 and the attachment surface 151f2 that is attached to the side of the motor portion 10. The filter module 150 is secured to the electric oil pump main body in a form in which the filter module 150 faces both the pump portion 40 and the motor portion 10 in the axial direction as illustrated in
In the electric oil pump device 1 with such a configuration, the filter module 150 faces both the pump portion 40 and the motor portion 10 and has an enlarged size due to a shape extending in the axial direction. According to the electric oil pump device 1, it is possible to extend the lifetime of the oil filter 153 by enlarging the size of the oil filter 153 as described above.
Next, the respective example embodiments achieved by adding further configurations to the electric oil pump device 1 according to the example embodiment will be described. Note that the configuration of the electric oil pump device 1 in the respective example embodiments is similar to that in the aforementioned example embodiment unless particularly indicated otherwise.
[First Example Embodiment]Two bolts 161 are provided in an end surface of the ejection-side flange 44 on the −Z side in the Z-axis direction. The two bolts 161 project toward the −Z side from the aforementioned end surface.
In
By the external pipe 202 extending on the +X side so as not to overlap with the Z-axis lines L1 near the portion of connection to the external flange 201, it is possible to easily fit a tool into nuts 160 without allowing the external pipe 202 to buffer in the Z-axis direction, as illustrated in
Also, the external pipe 202 extending on the +X side, being bent on the −Y side, and being further bent on the +X side near the portion of connection to the external flange 201 enables the following matter. That is, it is possible to connect the external pipe 202 to a pipe on the vehicle side even in a layout in which a connection position of the pipe on the vehicle side for the external pipe 202 is present so as to be closer to the motor portion 10 (+X side) than the suctioning port (41 in
(4) In the electric oil pump device 1, the suctioning port 41 is provided so as to be closer to the motor portion 10 than the ejection port 42 is in the axial direction along the X axis as illustrated in
In the electric oil pump device 1 with such a configuration, it is possible to employ a layout in which the ejection port 42 of the pump portion 40 is not interposed between the accommodation case 151 of the filter module 150 and the suctioning port 41 of the pump portion 40 in the axial direction as illustrated in
Also, in the electric oil pump device 1, the filter module 150 attached to the suctioning-side flange 43 provided with the suctioning port 41 is present so as to be closer to the motor portion 10 than the ejection port 42, since the suctioning port 41 being present so as to be closer to the motor portion 10 than the ejection port 42 is in the axial direction. Therefore, the filter module 150 does not project in the axial direction beyond the electric oil pump main body including the motor portion 10, the pump portion 40, and the like as illustrated in
Also, in the electric oil pump device 1, the suctioning port 41 and the ejection port 42 are aligned on the axial line extending in the axial direction as illustrated in
Typically, the diameter of the electric oil pump main body including the pump portion 40 and the motor portion 10 is smaller than the length of the inverter 100 in the longitudinal direction as illustrated in
In the electric oil pump device 1, the inverter 100 is secured to the end surface on the side opposite to the side of the pump portion 40 in the axial direction. The posture of the inverter 100 secured to the end surface is a posture as follows. That is, the posture of the inverter 100 is a posture in which the longitudinal direction of the inverter 100 follows the radial direction, and the end portion of the inverter 100 in the longitudinal direction is caused to project beyond the end of the electric oil pump main body in the direction along the longitudinal direction of the inverter 100 secured to the pump portion 40. The filter module 100 is disposed in a region (step difference S) between the end of the electric oil pump main body and the end of the end portion of the inverter 100 in the longitudinal direction.
According to the electric oil pump device 1 with such a configuration, it is possible to effectively utilize a dead space and to save space since the filter module 150 is disposed in the step difference S.
[Third Example Embodiment]In the electric oil pump device 1 with such a configuration, rough solids in the oil are captured with the screen 152 with a mesh that is rougher than that of the oil filter 153 before capturing fine impurities from the oil with the oil filter 153 of the filter module 150. Therefore, according to the electric oil pump device 1, it is possible to prevent a decrease in lifetime of the oil filter 153 due to clogging of rough solids.
Although example embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, the disclosure is not limited to these example embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the gist. These example embodiments and modifications thereof are included in the scope and the gist of the disclosure and are also included in the disclosure described in the claims and a range equivalent thereto.
While example embodiments of the present disclosure have been described above, it is to be understood that variations and modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure, therefore, is to be determined solely by the following claims.
Claims
1. An electric oil pump device, comprising:
- an electric oil pump main body including a pump, a motor that drives the pump, a suction port that suctions oil, and an ejection port that ejects the oil;
- a filter module that includes an inlet port that receives the oil, an outlet port that discharges the oil passing through the inlet port, and an attachment that is attached to the electric oil pump main body;
- an attachment catch, which is provided on the electric oil pump main body, to which the attachment of the filter module is attached; and
- a fastener that secures, to the attachment catch, the attachment of the filter module placed on the attachment catch of the electric oil pump main body in a posture in which the outlet port is caused to communicate with the suction port of the electric oil pump main body.
2. The electric oil pump device according to claim 1, wherein
- the filter module includes a filter that filters the oil and an accommodation case that accommodates the filter; and
- the inlet port, the outlet port, and the attachment are provided on the accommodation case.
3. The electric oil pump device according to claim 2, wherein
- the suction port is directed in a direction around a central axial line of a motor shaft of the motor;
- the attachment includes a first attachment surface that is attached to a side of the pump and a second attachment surface that is attached to a side of the motor; and
- the filter module is secured to the electric oil pump main body such that the filter module opposes both the pump and the motor in an axial direction.
4. The electric oil pump device according to claim 3, wherein
- the suction port is closer to the motor than the ejection port in the axial direction; and
- the suction port and the ejection port are aligned along an axial line extending in the axial direction.
5. The electric oil pump device according to claim 3, wherein
- an inverter that controls driving of the motor is secured to an end surface of the motor on a side opposite to a side of the pump in the axial direction;
- a posture of the inverter secured to the end surface is a posture in which a longitudinal direction of the inverter follows the radial direction and an end portion of the inverter in the longitudinal direction projects beyond an end of the electric oil pump main body in a direction along the longitudinal direction of the inverter secured to the pump; and
- the filter module is in a region between the end of the electric oil pump main body and an end of the end portion of the inverter in the longitudinal direction.
6. The electric oil pump device according to claim 4, wherein
- an inverter that controls driving of the motor is secured to an end surface of the motor on a side opposite to a side of the pump in the axial direction;
- a posture of the inverter secured to the end surface is a posture in which a longitudinal direction of the inverter follows the radial direction and an end portion of the inverter in the longitudinal direction projects beyond an end of the electric oil pump main body in a direction along the longitudinal direction of the inverter secured to the pump; and
- the filter module is in a region between the end of the electric oil pump main body and an end of the end portion of the inverter in the longitudinal direction.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 12, 2019
Publication Date: Jul 9, 2020
Inventors: Shigehiro KATAOKA (Zama-shi), Yoshiyuki KOBAYASHI (Zama-shi)
Application Number: 16/711,475