Drive device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11433756-B2
Application number	US-202117397545-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 9, 2021
Priority date	Sep 8, 2020
Publication date	Sep 6, 2022
Grant date	Sep 6, 2022

Abstract

A drive device includes a fluid coupling, a rotary electrical machine, and a damper device. The fluid coupling includes an input unit and an output unit. The input unit includes an impeller. The output unit includes a turbine. The rotary electrical machine includes a first stator and a rotor. The first stator is disposed in a non-rotatable manner. The rotor is attached to the output unit. The damper device is disposed axially adjacent to the fluid coupling. The damper device is connected to the input unit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A drive device comprising:
a fluid coupling including an input unit and an output unit, the input unit including an impeller, the output unit including a turbine;
a rotary electrical machine including a first stator and a rotor, the first stator disposed in a non-rotatable manner, the rotor attached to the output unit; and
a damper device disposed axially adjacent to the fluid coupling, the damper device connected to the input unit.

2. The drive device according to claim 1 , wherein
the output unit includes a cover coupled to the turbine,
the cover and the turbine form at least part of an outer shell of the fluid coupling, and
the impeller is opposed to the turbine inside the outer shell.

3. The drive device according to claim 2 , wherein the rotor is attached to the outer shell.

4. The drive device according to claim 2 , further comprising:
a transmission shaft extending to penetrate the outer shell, the transmission shaft connecting the damper device and the impeller to each other.

5. The drive device according to claim 4 , further comprising:
a first bearing member fixed to a crankshaft of an engine, the first bearing member supporting the transmission shaft such that the transmission shaft is rotatable.

6. The drive device according to claim 4 , further comprising:
a seal member; and
a second bearing member, wherein
the outer shell of the fluid coupling includes an inner tubular portion axially extending at an inner peripheral end thereof,
the transmission shaft axially extends inside the inner tubular portion,
the seal member is disposed between the inner tubular portion and the transmission shaft,
the second bearing member is fixed to either a crankshaft of an engine or a member attached to the crankshaft, and
the second bearing member supports the outer shell of the fluid coupling from radially outside such that the outer shell is rotatable.

7. The drive device according to claim 6 , wherein the second bearing member supports the inner tubular portion such that the inner tubular portion is rotatable.

8. The drive device according to claim 1 , wherein the fluid coupling further includes a lock-up clutch device configured to allow and block transmission of a torque between the input unit and the output unit.

9. The drive device according to claim 8 , wherein
the impeller includes
an impeller shell,
an impeller blade attached to the impeller shell,
an impeller hub to which the torque is inputted, and
a first one-way clutch disposed between the impeller shell and the impeller hub, and
the lock-up clutch device is configured to be unitarily rotated with the impeller hub.

10. The drive device according to claim 1 , wherein the impeller includes
an impeller shell,
an impeller blade attached to the impeller shell,
an impeller hub to which a torque is inputted, and
a first one-way clutch disposed between the impeller shell and the impeller hub.

11. The drive device according to claim 1 , wherein the damper device includes
an input plate attached to a crankshaft of an engine,
an output member configured to output a torque to a transmission shaft, and
an elastic member configured to elastically couple the input plate and the output member.

12. The drive device according to claim 11 , wherein
the elastic member is a coil spring, and
a center of the elastic member does not overlap the rotor of the rotary electrical machine in an axial view.

13. The drive device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a starter ring gear configured to transmit a power to a crankshaft of an engine, wherein
the starter ring gear is disposed radially outside a coil end of the rotary electrical machine, the starter ring gear overlapping the coil end in a radial view.

14. The drive device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an angle sensor disposed radially inside a center of a torus of the fluid coupling, the angle sensor disposed to overlap the torus in a radial view.

Assignees

• Exedy Corp

Inventors

• Kitada Kenji
• Kawahara Yuki
• Wada Tomohiro
• Shimada Takuma
• Takada Yukiyoshi

Classifications

• B60L50/16

  with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion · CPC title

• B60K6/26

  characterised by the motors or the generators · CPC title

• F16H41/04 Primary

  Combined pump-turbine units · CPC title

• B60L2240/48

  related to transmissions · CPC title

• B60K6/40 Primary

  characterised by the assembly or relative disposition of components · CPC title