Automotive driveline unit housing with lubricant feed passage and flow restrictor
US10738668B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jul 10, 2015 |
| Grant date | Aug 11, 2020 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 23, 2036 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC F)Mechanical Engineering; Lighting; Heating
- CPC primaryF16N7/26
- WIPO fieldMechanical elements
- WIPO sectorMechanical engineering
Abstract
An automotive driveline unit housing can be that of a power transfer unit (PTU), a final drive unit (FDU), or a rear drive unit (RDU). The automotive driveline unit housing has a lubricant feed passage spanning from an inlet to an outlet. The outlet can be situated near a seal of the automotive driveline unit, near a bearing of the unit, near both the seal and bearing, or near another component. The lubricant feed passage can have a flow restrictor located near its outlet. When the unit is in a connected state, lubricant is received in the lubricant feed passage via a spinning gear of the unit. The received lubricant trickles through the flow restrictor. And when the unit is in a disconnected state, lubricant continues to trickle through the flow restrictor, even though lubricant may no longer be received in the lubricant feed passage via the gear.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.