Power unit of utility vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11465496-B2
Application number	US-201916554915-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 29, 2019
Priority date	Aug 29, 2019
Publication date	Oct 11, 2022
Grant date	Oct 11, 2022

Abstract

A power unit of a utility vehicle includes: a power source for travel of the utility vehicle; a continuously variable transmission; a reduced-speed shaft disposed parallel to a drive shaft of the power source and coaxially with a CVT input shaft of the continuously variable transmission; speed-reduction gears that transmit rotational power of the drive shaft to the reduced-speed shaft; and an electricity generator mounted on a shaft assembly including the CVT input shaft and the reduced-speed shaft. The drive shaft, the shaft assembly, the CVT input shaft, and the CVT output shaft extend in a first direction. The electricity generator is aligned with the power source in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and the location of the electricity generator in the first direction overlaps with the location of the power source in the first direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A power unit of a utility vehicle, comprising:
a power source for travel of the utility vehicle, the power source comprising a drive shaft that outputs rotational power;
a continuously variable transmission comprising a CVT input shaft that receives the rotational power input from the drive shaft of the power source, a CVT output shaft that outputs the rotational power, a drive pulley mounted on the CVT input shaft, a driven pulley mounted on the CVT output shaft, and a belt wound around the drive pulley and the driven pulley;
a reduced-speed shaft disposed parallel to the drive shaft of the power source and coaxially with the CVT input shaft;
speed-reduction gears that transmit the rotational power of the drive shaft to the reduced-speed shaft; and
an electricity generator mounted on a shaft assembly including the CVT input shaft and the reduced-speed shaft, wherein
the drive shaft, the shaft assembly, the CVT input shaft, and the CVT output shaft extend in a first direction,
the electricity generator is aligned with the power source in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and
the location of the electricity generator in the first direction overlaps with the location of the power source in the first direction.

2. The power unit according to claim 1 , further comprising a pump driven by the shaft assembly, wherein
the electricity generator is mounted on an end of the shaft assembly, the end being remote from the CVT input shaft, and
the pump is disposed between the drive pulley and the electricity generator.

3. The power unit according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a gear transmission that receives rotational power output by the power source or the continuously variable transmission; and
an output mechanism that receives rotational power output by the gear transmission and that outputs the rotational power to a drive wheel, wherein
the gear transmission is aligned with the continuously variable transmission in the first direction and aligned with the power source in the second direction, and
the electricity generator is disposed between the drive shaft and the gear transmission in the second direction.

4. The power unit according to claim 3 , wherein
the gear transmission comprises:
a GT input shaft that receives the rotational power input from the CVT output shaft;
a GT output shaft that outputs the rotational power to the output mechanism;
a first GT intermediate shaft that transmits the rotational power from the GT input shaft to the GT output shaft;
a second GT intermediate shaft that transmits the rotational power from the GT input shaft to the GT output shaft;
first speed-change gears mounted on the GT input shaft and the first GT intermediate shaft;
second speed-change gears mounted on the GT input shaft and the second GT intermediate shaft;
a first transmission gear mounted on the first GT intermediate shaft to provide power transmission to the GT output shaft; and
a second transmission gear mounted on the second GT intermediate shaft to provide power transmission to the GT output shaft,

the drive shaft, the CVT input shaft, the CVT output shaft, the GT input shaft, the first GT intermediate shaft, the second GT intermediate shaft, and the GT output shaft extend in the first direction,
the first GT intermediate shaft is disposed on one side with respect to the GT input shaft in the second direction,
the second GT intermediate shaft is disposed on the other side with respect to the GT input shaft in the second direction, and
the electricity generator is mounted on the reduced-speed shaft.

5. The power unit according to claim 4 , wherein
the gear transmission comprises a common output gear mounted on the GT output shaft, and
the first transmission gear and the second transmission gear are aligned with each other in the second direction and are in mesh with the common output gear.

6. The power unit according to claim 5 , wherein the location of the speed-reduction gears in the first direction overlaps with the location of the first transmission gear and the second transmission gear in the first direction.

7. The power unit according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a first clutch interposed between the power source and the gear transmission; and
a second clutch interposed between the continuously variable transmission and the gear transmission, wherein
the gear transmission comprises:
a first GT input shaft that receives the rotational power input from the reduced-speed shaft, the first GT input shaft being disposed coaxially with the CVT input shaft and the reduced-speed shaft;
a second GT input shaft that receives the rotational power input from the CVT output shaft;
a GT output shaft that outputs the rotational power to the output mechanism;
a first GT intermediate shaft that transmits the rotational power from the first GT input shaft to the GT output shaft;
a second GT intermediate shaft that transmits the rotational power from the second GT input shaft to the GT output shaft;
first speed-change gears mounted on the first GT input shaft and the first GT intermediate shaft;
second speed-change gears mounted on the second GT input shaft and the second GT intermediate shaft;
a first transmission gear mounted on the first GT intermediate shaft to provide power transmission to the GT output shaft; and
a second transmission gear mounted on the second GT intermediate shaft to provide power transmission to the GT output shaft,

the first clutch is configured to disable power transmission from the power source to the first GT input shaft,
the second clutch is configured to disable power transmission from the CVT output shaft to the second GT input shaft,
the shaft assembly further includes the first GT input shaft in addition to the CVT input shaft and the reduced-speed shaft, and
the electricity generator is mounted on the first GT input shaft.

8. The power unit according to claim 7 , wherein
the gear transmission comprises a common output gear mounted on the GT output shaft, and
the first transmission gear and the second transmission gear are aligned with each other in the second direction and are in mesh with the common output gear.

9. The power unit according to claim 7 , wherein
the first clutch is mounted around an axis of the first GT input shaft, and
the location of the first clutch in the first direction overlaps with the first transmission gear in the first direction.

10. The power unit according to claim 7 , wherein
the second clutch is mounted around an axis of the second GT input shaft, and
the location of the second clutch in the first direction overlaps with the location of the second transmission gear in the first direction.

Assignees

• Kawasaki Motors Ltd

Inventors

• Ozawa Shouji
• Matsuda Yoshimoto

Classifications

• B60K25/06 Primary

  from the transmission power take-off · CPC title

• B60Y2200/124

  Buggies, Quads · CPC title

• F16H37/021

  toothed gearing combined with continuously variable friction gearing · CPC title

• F16H3/093 Primary

  with two or more countershafts · CPC title

• F16D21/00

  Systems comprising a plurality of actuated clutches (for synchronisation F16D23/04) · CPC title