JP7645756B2 - Multi-purpose vehicles - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a multi-purpose vehicle equipped with a transmission case that houses a belt-type continuously variable transmission mechanism.

The multi-purpose vehicle shown in Patent Document 1 has a driving unit under the loading platform, and is configured to transmit the output from the engine in the driving unit to the transmission via a belt-type continuously variable transmission mechanism.

JP 2014-133489 A

In the multi-purpose vehicle described in Patent Document 1, a belt transmission mechanism including an endless rotating belt wound around a driving pulley and a driven pulley is housed within a transmission case.
The transmission case is configured so that it can be separated into an inner case located inside the aircraft and an outer case located outside the aircraft along a plane that intersects with the rotational axes of the drive pulley and driven pulley. When changing the belt, the outer case is removed to perform the belt changing work.
At this time, since various components are present on the outside of the transmission case, removing the outer case requires a great deal of effort, leaving room for improvement.

The present invention aims to make it easier to remove the outer case of a transmission case that houses a belt-type continuously variable transmission mechanism.

The multi-purpose vehicle according to the present invention comprises:
A drive pulley to which power from the prime mover is transmitted;
A driven pulley that transmits power to a driven part that is a drive target;
a belt-type continuously variable transmission mechanism including an endless rotating belt wound around the drive pulley and the driven pulley;
a transmission case that houses the belt-type continuously variable transmission mechanism,
the transmission case is configured to be split into halves along a plane intersecting a rotation axis of the drive pulley and the driven pulley into an inner case located inside the aircraft body and an outer case located outside the aircraft body,
The inner case is fixed to a mounting location on an aircraft body,
The outer case is configured to be detachable from the inner case and to be divisible into a plurality of parts in a direction intersecting the plane that is divisible into halves,
The cooling system has an inlet for introducing outside air and an outlet,
When viewed from the side, the introduction port overlaps with the drive pulley,
The discharge port is characterized in that , in a side view, it overlaps with the driven pulley.

According to this configuration, the transmission case can be divided into an outer case and an inner case in half, and the outer case, which can be attached and detached to the inner case, is configured to be further divided into several parts in a direction intersecting the plane along which the case can be divided in half.
This allows the outer case located on the outer side of the aircraft body to be attached and detached not in a size equal to that of the inner case, but in a smaller divided state.
Therefore, even if the transmission case is located relatively far back and difficult to attach or remove due to interference with other objects on the outside of the aircraft, the outer case itself can be divided and made compact, making it easy to attach and remove. As a result, there is an advantage in that it is easy to remove the outer case for maintenance such as replacing the belt.
Furthermore, because the outer case is constructed from a combination of separate bodies, there is no need to construct the outer case from a high-strength material to prevent deformation of the entire large area, as opposed to when the entire outer case is constructed as a single unit. It is sufficient to ensure that the small separate bodies are strong enough to prevent individual deformation, and the outer case can be constructed from a relatively thin-walled material, which is also advantageous in that it can be made lighter.

In the present invention, the driving pulley and the driven pulley are arranged separately from each other in the front and rear,
It is preferable that the outer case is divided at an intermediate position between the drive pulley and the driven pulley into a front split case portion located at the front side in the direction of travel of the aircraft, and a rear split case portion located at the rear side in the direction of travel of the aircraft.

With this configuration, the outer case can be separated into front and rear halves at the midpoint between the drive pulley and the driven pulley. This makes it easy to perform a variety of attachment and detachment operations, such as attaching and detaching the outer case by shifting its position in the front-to-rear direction when the outer case cannot be removed straight to the side.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the outer case is attached to the inner case in a state in which the rear end of the front separate case portion and the front end of the rear separate case portion overlap in the front-to-rear direction and the rear end of the front separate case portion is positioned outboard of the front end of the rear separate case portion.

With this configuration, when the outer case is not removed, the rear end of the front separate case portion is positioned outboard of the front end of the rear separate case portion, reducing the possibility of muddy water on the road surface entering the transmission case while driving forward.

In the present invention, the transmission case is disposed within the vertical space between an upper frame and a lower frame provided on the traveling machine body,
It is preferable that a reinforcing frame that connects the upper frame and the lower frame is provided on the outer side of the aircraft body relative to the transmission case.

According to this configuration, by providing a reinforcing frame connecting the upper frame and the lower frame on the outer side of the aircraft than the transmission case which is positioned within the vertical space between the upper frame and the lower frame, the strength of the vehicle frame near the upper frame and the lower frame can be improved.
In other words, if the outer case of the transmission case is as large as the inner case, it is necessary to secure a large opening on the outer side of the transmission case so that the outer case can be removed without interfering with the installation and removal of the large outer case. For this reason, it is necessary to make the distance between the upper frame and the lower frame on the outer side of the transmission case relatively large not only in the vertical direction but also in the front-to-rear direction so that the outer case can be removed.
In contrast, in the present configuration, the outer case is configured to be separable, so the large opening described above is not required. Therefore, by using a reinforcing frame that connects the upper frame and the lower frame, it is possible to improve the strength of the body frame in the vicinity of the upper frame and the lower frame.

In the present invention, the outer case is divided into a front separate case portion located at the front side in the traveling direction of the aircraft body and a rear separate case portion located at the rear side in the traveling direction of the aircraft body,
It is preferable that the reinforcing frame be provided at a position overlapping a division portion of the outer case in a side view.

With this configuration, the reinforcing frame is positioned to overlap the division point of the outer case in a side view, which further reduces the possibility of rainwater or muddy water from the outside side entering the transmission case through the division point of the outer case.

FIG. 1 is a side view showing a utility vehicle. FIG. FIG. 2 is a side view showing a belt-type continuously variable transmission. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IV-IV in FIG. FIG. 4 is a side view showing the outer case in a divided state.

Below, an example of an embodiment of the multi-purpose vehicle of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the direction of arrow F shown in FIG. 1 will be referred to as the "front of the vehicle body", the direction of arrow B as the "rear of the vehicle body", the direction of arrow U as the "upper of the vehicle body", the direction of arrow D as the "lower of the vehicle body", the direction of arrow R shown in FIG. 2 as the "right side of the vehicle body", and the direction of arrow L as the "left side of the vehicle body".

[Overall configuration of multi-purpose vehicle]
The multi-purpose vehicle shown in FIG. 1 is used for multiple purposes such as transporting loads and for recreation.
The multi-purpose vehicle includes a vehicle body frame 1 which serves as the skeleton of a vehicle body that is long in the longitudinal direction.
A pair of steerable and drivable left and right front wheels 1F and a pair of drivable left and right rear wheels 1R are provided below the body frame 1.
The multipurpose vehicle is provided with a driver's section 2 in the center in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle body. A cargo bed 13 is provided behind the driver's section 2 on the vehicle body. A motor section 3 is provided below the cargo bed 13 on the vehicle body.

The body frame 1 comprises a pair of left and right main frames 10 (corresponding to lower frames) that are long in the fore-and-aft direction extending from the front wheels 1F to the rear wheels 1R, and a pair of left and right cargo bed frames 11 (corresponding to upper frames) that support the cargo bed 13 from below.
The front and rear of the bed frame 11 are connected to support frames 12, 12 that rise up from the main frame 10. In this manner, the main frame 10 and the bed frame 11 are integrally connected, so that the vehicle body frame 1 forms a three-dimensional frame structure.

The driver's section 2 has a driver's section space 20 that is surrounded and protected by a protective frame 21. Inside the driver's section space 20, there is a driver's seat 22 where the operator can sit, a steering wheel 23 for steering operations, a gear shift lever (not shown) for gear shift operations, and an accelerator pedal (not shown) for changing the vehicle speed of the vehicle.

[Motor unit]
The prime mover 3 is located between the lower main frame 10 and the upper loading platform 13. The prime mover 3 is provided with a water-cooled gasoline engine 30 (hereinafter simply referred to as the "engine 30") as a power source, a transmission case 31 incorporating a gear shift mechanism, a belt-type continuously variable transmission 32 incorporating a belt-type continuously variable transmission mechanism 4 (CVT) in a transmission case 5, and the like. The transmission case 31 is provided behind the engine 30.
The engine 30 is installed in a horizontal position with the axis of the crankshaft 30a extending in the left-right direction.

2, the belt-type continuously variable transmission 32 is disposed within the vertical space between the main frame 10 and the bed frame 11 in the vertical direction. In addition, the belt-type continuously variable transmission 32 is disposed between the front support frame 12 and the rear support frame 12 in the longitudinal direction.
In the present invention, a reinforcing frame 33 is provided between the lower main frame 10 and the upper bed frame 11 at a midpoint between the front support frame 12 and the rear support frame 12 .
The reinforcing frame 33 is located laterally outward of the belt-type continuously variable transmission 32 in the left-right direction and is provided so as to overlap with the belt-type continuously variable transmission 32 in a side view.

As shown in FIG. 4, an inlet 5a for introducing outside air for cooling into the transmission case 5 and an outlet 5b are formed on the outer lateral side of the transmission case 5 of the belt-type continuously variable transmission 32. An outside air inlet duct 34 for introducing outside air is connected to the inlet 5a, and an inlet outside air exhaust duct 35 for exhausting the introduced outside air to the outside of the transmission case 5 is connected to the exhaust 5b. The outside air inlet duct 34 and the inlet outside air exhaust duct 35 are configured to be detachable from the inlet 5a and the exhaust 5b, respectively.

[Belt-type continuously variable transmission]
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the belt-type continuously variable transmission 32 is provided across the lateral side of the engine 30 and the lateral side of the transmission case 31 .
The belt type continuously variable transmission 32 includes a belt type continuously variable transmission mechanism 4 having an endless rotating belt 40, a driving pulley 41, and a driven pulley 42, and a transmission case 5 in which the belt type continuously variable transmission mechanism 4 is housed.
The drive pulley 41 is attached to the crankshaft 30a, and the driven pulley 42 is attached to the input shaft 31a of the transmission case 31. The endless rotating belt 40 is wound around the drive pulley 41 and the driven pulley 42. The drive pulley 41 and the driven pulley 42 are configured as split pulleys so that the winding diameter of the endless rotating belt 40 can be changed.
As a result, power input from the engine 30 is changed in speed through the belt-type continuously variable transmission mechanism 4 and transmitted to the gear transmission mechanism in the transmission case 31. The output from the transmission case 31 is branched and transmitted to the rear wheels 1R and the front wheels 1F.

[Transmission case]
The transmission case 5 is manufactured from a molded product made of synthetic resin, and is configured so as to be separable into an inner case 50 located on the inside side of the aircraft body and an outer case 51 located on the outside side of the aircraft body.
4, the transmission case 5 is divided into halves along a plane intersecting both the rotation axis P1 of the drive pulley 41 and the rotation axis P2 of the driven pulley 42. The plane intersecting both the rotation axes P1 and P2 of the drive pulley 41 and the driven pulley 42 is used as a dividing plane, and the divided bodies divided into halves are assembled so that their dividing surfaces face each other, thereby forming an accommodation space for the belt-type continuously variable transmission mechanism 4 inside the transmission case 5.
Of the halved divided bodies, the side inside the aircraft from the dividing point, i.e., the side closer to the attachment object such as the engine 30 or the transmission case 31, is the inner case 50, and the side farther from the attachment object from the dividing point is the outer case 51. The inner case 50 and the outer case 51 are configured to be connectable and disconnectable by connecting bolts 52 that serve as connectors.

Furthermore, the transmission case 5 is divided in half into an inner case 50 and an outer case 51, and the outer case 51 of the transmission case 5 is configured to be capable of being divided into multiple parts in a direction intersecting the surface (division surface) along which the case can be divided in half.
In other words, as shown in Figures 3 to 5, the outer case 51 is also divided in the fore-and-aft direction into a front separate case part 53 located at the front of the aircraft in the direction of travel, and a rear separate case part 54 located at the rear of the aircraft in the direction of travel.

The division point between the front separate case part 53 and the rear separate case part 54 is a position corresponding to the middle between the drive pulley 41 and the driven pulley 42. In this embodiment, the division point is a position slightly closer to the driven pulley 42 side.
1 and 2, at least the lower half of the front and rear division points overlap with the reinforcing frame 33 in a side view. In other words, the position in the front-to-rear direction where the reinforcing frame 33 is provided and the position where the division points of the front separate case part 53 and the rear separate case part 54 exist are set so as to have a positional relationship in which they substantially overlap in a side view.

At the division point between the front separate case part 53 and the rear separate case part 54, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, the outer case 51 is assembled to the inner case 50. In other words, the outer case 51 is assembled to the inner case 50 so that the rear end part 53a of the front separate case part 53 and the front end part 54a of the rear separate case part 54 overlap in the front-to-rear direction, and the rear end part 53a of the front separate case part 53 is positioned outboard of the front end part 54a of the rear separate case part 54.

[Another embodiment]
Other embodiments are described below. The following embodiments may be used in combination unless a contradiction occurs. The scope of the present invention is not limited to the contents of these embodiments.

(1) In the above embodiment, the outer case 51 is divided into one portion in the front-rear direction, but the present invention is not limited to this structure. For example, the outer case 51 may be divided into two or more portions, not limited to one portion in the front-rear direction. Furthermore, the number of portions and the direction of division may be set arbitrarily, such as dividing the outer case 51 in the up-down direction or dividing the outer case 51 in a diagonal direction, which is a composite direction of the above and the below, instead of dividing the outer case 51 in the front-rear direction.
The other configurations may be the same as those of the above-described embodiment.

(2) In the above embodiment, at the division portion of the outer case 51, the rear end portion 53a of the front separate case portion 53 and the front end portion 54a of the rear separate case portion 54 are simply overlapped in the front-to-rear direction, and no particular connecting structure is provided for directly connecting the rear end portion 53a and the front end portion 54a. In other words, the front separate case portion 53 and the rear separate case portion 54 of the outer case 51 are connected to the inner case 50 by the connecting bolts 52, and during this connection, the overlapping state of the rear end portion 53a of the front separate case portion 53 and the front end portion 54a of the rear separate case portion 54 is maintained.
In this way, the attachment state of the front separate case part 53 and the rear separate case part 54 to the inner case 50 can be devised to be not limited to a structure in which they are indirectly connected, but the rear end part 53a of the front separate case part 53 and the front end part 54a of the rear separate case part 54 may be directly connected. In this case, the structure of the connection part between the front separate case part 53 and the rear separate case part 54 and the connector may be selected arbitrarily.
The other configurations may be the same as those of the above-described embodiment.

(3) In the above-described embodiment, a structure in which a single reinforcing frame 33 spanning the main frame 10 and the bed frame 11 is provided at a lateral outward position of one of the dividing points of the outer case 51 is exemplified, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to this structure.
For example, a plurality of reinforcing frames 33 may be provided in accordance with the number of divisions provided in the outer case 51, or any number of reinforcing frames 33 may be provided regardless of the number of divisions. Also, no reinforcing frame 33 may be used.
The other configurations may be the same as those of the above-described embodiment.

(4) In the above-described embodiment, in the transmission case 5 that is configured in half inside and outside, only the outer case 51 is configured to be divisible into multiple pieces, and the inner case 50 is not divided. However, the inner case 50 may also be configured to be divisible into multiple pieces.
The other configurations may be the same as those of the above-described embodiment.

The multi-purpose vehicle of the present invention is not limited to a structure with a protective frame for the driver's section, but can also be applied to a type with a driver's cabin or one that does not have either a driver's cabin or a protective frame.

Reference Signs List 3: driving part 4: belt-type continuously variable transmission mechanism 5: transmission case 5a: inlet 5b: outlet 10: lower frame 11: upper frame 40: endless rotating belt 41: driving pulley 42: driven pulley P1, P2: rotation axis 33: reinforcing frame 50: inner case 51: outer case 53: front split case part 53a: rear end 54: rear split case part 54a: front end

Claims (5)

A drive pulley to which power from a power source is transmitted;
A driven pulley that transmits power to a driven part that is a drive target;
a belt-type continuously variable transmission mechanism including an endless rotating belt wound around the drive pulley and the driven pulley;
a transmission case that houses the belt-type continuously variable transmission mechanism,
the transmission case is configured to be split into halves into an inner case located inside the aircraft body and an outer case located outside the aircraft body along a plane in a direction intersecting the rotation axes of the drive pulley and the driven pulley,
The inner case is fixed to a mounting location on an aircraft body,
The outer case is configured to be detachable from the inner case and to be divisible into a plurality of parts in a direction intersecting the plane that is divisible into halves,
The cooling system has an inlet for introducing outside air and an outlet,
When viewed from the side, the introduction port overlaps with the drive pulley,
A multi-purpose vehicle, wherein the exhaust outlet overlaps with the driven pulley in a side view. The driving pulley and the driven pulley are arranged at a distance from each other in the front and rear directions,
2. A multi-purpose vehicle as described in claim 1, wherein the outer case is divided into a front split case portion located at the front side in the vehicle travel direction and a rear split case portion located at the rear side in the vehicle travel direction at an intermediate position between the drive pulley and the driven pulley. The multi-purpose vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the outer case is attached to the inner case in a state in which the rear end of the front separate case portion and the front end of the rear separate case portion overlap in the front-to-rear direction, and the rear end of the front separate case portion is positioned outboard of the front end of the rear separate case portion. The transmission case is disposed within the vertical space between an upper frame and a lower frame provided on the traveling machine body,
4. A multi-purpose vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a reinforcing frame that connects the upper frame and the lower frame to each other on an outer side of the vehicle body than the transmission case. The outer case is divided into a front separate case portion located at the front side in the traveling direction of the aircraft body and a rear separate case portion located at the rear side in the traveling direction of the aircraft body,
5. The multi-purpose vehicle according to claim 4, wherein the reinforcing frame is provided at a position overlapping a dividing portion of the outer case in a side view.

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