Office Action 1: Non-Final Rejection (2025-04-30)
Rejection types: 103 - Obviousness, 112 - Written Description/Enablement

CLAIMS:
CLAIMS

\[Claim 1\] A power transmission device for a vehicle, comprising:a housing that accommodates a power transmission mechanism; and
a control valve that controls the pressure of oil supplied to the power transmission mechanism,
further comprising an input shaft of the power transmission mechanism,
an intermediate shaft of the power transmission mechanism,
an output shaft of the power transmission mechanism, and
an insertion hole for a charging pipe,
wherein the output shaft is located farther toward the rear of the vehicle than the input shaft,
the intermediate shaft is located above the output shaft,
the control valve is arranged upright on the vehicle front side of the input shaft,
the housing is provided with a recessed portion that is recessed inwardly in a region of the housing below the intermediate shaft and further toward the rear of the vehicle than the output shaft, and
the insertion hole is provided in a bottom section of the recessed portion when viewed from above.

\[Claim 2\] The power transmission device as claimed in claim 1, comprising a rotating body provided coaxially with the output shaft and involved in transmission of rotation between the output shaft in the intermediate shaft, anda cover covering one side of the rotating body in the axial direction of the output shaft,
wherein when viewed from the radial direction of the output shaft, the insertion hole is provided in a positional relationship overlapping with the cover.

\[Claim 3\] The power transmission device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the intermediate shaft is located farther toward the rear of the vehicle than the output shaft, andthe insertion hole is provided in a location where a straight line along the opening direction of the insertion hole intersects a straight line connecting the intermediate shaft in the output shaft below the output shaft.

\[Claim 4\] The power transmission device as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein the rotating bodies are a differential case, anda final gear fixed to the outer circumference of the differential case,
the intermediate shaft has a transmission gear which meshes with the final gear, and an idler gear involved in transmission of rotation with another intermediate gear,
in the axial direction of the intermediate shaft, the idler gear is located to one side of where the cover is located seen from the transmission gear,
and as viewed from the rear of the vehicle, the insertion hole is provided in a positional relationship overlapping the idler gear.

\[Claim 5\] The power transmission device as claimed in claim 4, wherein as viewed from the axial direction of the output shaft, the recessed portion is provided with a first wall section on the idler gear side, andas viewed from the rear of the vehicle, a bottom edge of the first wall section is located below the bottom edge of the idler gear.

\[Claim 6\] The power transmission device as claimed in claim 4 or 5, wherein as viewed from the rear of the vehicle, the recessed portion is provided with a second wall section on the final gear side.

\[Claim 7\] The power transmission device as claimed in any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein as viewed from the rear of the vehicle, the cover has a first cover section covering the side of the final gear facing the differential case, anda second cover section covering the lower outer circumference of the differential case.

\[Claim 8\] The power transmission device as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the housing has a case accommodating the power transmission mechanism, anda torque converter cover covering an opening of the case facing the torque converter cover, and
the recessed portion is provided to a torque converter.

\[Claim 9\] The power transmission device as claimed in claim 8, wherein

as viewed from the axial direction of the output shaft, the recessed portion is provided in a positional relationship overlapping with the case.

OFFICE ACTION:
DETAILED CORRESPONDENCE
Notice of Pre-AIA  or AIA  Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Status of Claims
This is the first Office Action on the merits for application no. 18/847,007 filed on September 13th, 2024. Claims 1-9 are pending.
Priority
Examiner acknowledges the Applicant’s claim to priority of application JP 2022-047616 filed on March 23rd, 2022. A certified copy was received on April 15th, 2025.
Information Disclosure Statement
The information disclosure statement (IDS) submitted on September 13th, 2024 is in compliance with the provisions of 37 CFR 1.97. Accordingly, the information disclosure statement was considered by the Examiner.
Examiner Note
Examiner would welcome an interview to clarify any of the various objections/rejections seen below in order to expediate prosecution of the instant application.
Claim Objections
Regarding Claim 1 (line 10), please change the recitation of “a rear of a vehicle” to - - a rear of [[a]] the vehicle - - as antecedent basis has already been established in claim 1 (line 1).
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112(b):
(b)  CONCLUSION.—The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor regards as the invention.
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph:
The specification shall conclude with one or more claims particularly pointing out and distinctly claiming the subject matter which the applicant regards as his invention.
Claims 2-7 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), second paragraph, as being indefinite for failing to particularly point out and distinctly claim the subject matter which the inventor or a joint inventor, or for pre-AIA  the applicant regards as the invention.
Regarding Claim 2 (lines 3-4), in the recitation of “a rotating body provided coaxially with the output shaft and involved in transmission of rotation between the output shaft in the intermediate shaft” (emphasis added) it is generally unclear what Applicant intended to recite. The lack of clarity renders the claim indefinite. Applicant could recite “a rotating body provided coaxially with the output shaft and involved in transmission of rotation between the output shaft [[in]] and the intermediate shaft” to clarify the recitation and Examiner will interpret the recitation as such during examination.
Regarding Claim 3 (lines 5-7), in the recitation of “the insertion hole is provided in a location where a straight line along an opening direction of the insertion hole intersects a straight line connecting the intermediate shaft in the output shaft” (emphasis added) it is generally unclear what Applicant intended to recite. The lack of clarity renders the claim indefinite. Applicant could recite “the insertion hole is provided in a location where a straight line along an opening direction of the insertion hole intersects a straight line connecting the intermediate shaft [[in]] and the output shaft” to clarify the recitation and Examiner will interpret the recitation as such during examination.
Regarding Claim 6 (lines 3-4), in the recitation of “a second wall section on the final gear side” the difference between the “one side of the rotating body” recited in claim 2 (line 5) and the “final gear side” recited in claim 6 (line 4) is unclear. The lack of clarity renders the claim indefinite.
Regarding Claim 7 (lines 3-4), in the recitation of “as viewed from the rear of the vehicle, the cover has a first cover section covering a side of the final gear facing the differential case” the difference between the “one side of the rotating body” recited in claim 2 (line 5) and the “side of the final gear” recited in claim 7 (line 4) is unclear. The lack of clarity renders the claim indefinite.
Claims 3-7 are rejected based upon their dependency to a rejected base claim.
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
The following is a quotation of 35 U.S.C. 103 which forms the basis for all obviousness rejections set forth in this Office Action:
A patent for a claimed invention may not be obtained, notwithstanding that the claimed invention is not identically disclosed as set forth in section 102, if the differences between the claimed invention and the prior art are such that the claimed invention as a whole would have been obvious before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the claimed invention pertains. Patentability shall not be negated by the manner in which the invention was made.
Claims 1-2 are rejected under 35 U.S.C. 103 as being unpatentable over Miyazaki (DE 10 2019 218 976), in view of Chen (CN 214 775 204). See translations provided to Applicant with this Office Action.
Regarding Claim 1, Miyazaki teaches a power transmission device (Figs. 3-4, “drive unit” 4) for a vehicle, comprising:
a housing (“transmission housing” 5) that accommodates a power transmission mechanism (4); and
a control valve (“switching unit” 41) configured to control a pressure of oil supplied to the power transmission mechanism (4; [0106] – “the switching unit 41 is provided with the base plate 41A to which the valve unit 41B is attached, which functions to supply hydraulic pressure to the transmission 61”), wherein
the power transmission mechanism (4) includes an input shaft (“drive shaft” 11), an intermediate shaft (“first intermediate shaft” 35), and an output shaft (“left…drive shafts” 24L),
the output shaft (24L) is located farther toward a rear of a vehicle than the input shaft (11; see Fig. 4),
the intermediate shaft (35) is located above the output shaft (24L),
the control valve (41) is arranged upright on a vehicle front side of the input shaft (11; see Fig. 4),
the housing (5) is provided with a recessed portion (Examiner Fig. 1, RP) that is recessed inwardly (between reinforcing ribs seen in Examiner Fig. 1) in a region of the housing (5) below the intermediate shaft (35) and further toward the rear of the vehicle than the output shaft (24L; see Examiner Fig. 1).
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Examiner Fig. 1 – Fig. 4 of Miyazaki
Miyazaki does not teach “the housing defines an insertion hole for a charging pipe…the insertion hole is provided in a bottom section of the recessed portion when viewed from above”.
Chen teaches a housing cover (Fig. 4, “differential protection cover” 4) defines an insertion hole (“oil dipstick hole” 15) for a charging pipe (“oil dipstick” 17),
the insertion hole (15) is provided in a bottom section of a recessed portion (between “reinforcing ribs” 19) when viewed from above (see Fig. 4).
It would have been obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art before the effective filing date of the claimed invention to provide the power transmission device taught by Miyazaki with the oil dipstick taught by Chen, such that “the housing defines an insertion hole for a charging pipe…the insertion hole is provided in a bottom section of the recessed portion when viewed from above”, as one of ordinary skill in the art would have recognized there was a reasonable expectation of success in combining known elements, and have the obvious advantage of providing a means for checking oil level inside the power transmission device taught by Miyazaki.
Regarding Claim 2, Miyazaki and Chen teach the power transmission device as claimed in claim 1,
Miyazaki teaches further comprising a rotating body (Figs. 2-4, “differential gear” 15) provided coaxially with the output shaft (24L) and involved in transmission of rotation between the output shaft (24L) in the intermediate shaft (35), and
a cover (“left case” 7) covering one side of the rotating body (15) in an axial direction of the output shaft (24L),
wherein when viewed from a radial direction of the output shaft (24L), the insertion hole (taught in combination with Chen; see location of the recessed portion “RP” taught by Miyazaki) is provided in a positional relationship overlapping with the cover (7; see Examiner Fig. 1).
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 3-5 would be allowable if rewritten or amended to overcome the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) or 35 U.S.C. 112 (pre-AIA ), 2nd paragraph, set forth in this Office Action and rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Regarding Claims 6-7, a determination of allowability will be considered after Applicant’s response to the rejection(s) under 35 U.S.C. 112(b) presented above.
Claims 8-9 are objected to as being dependent upon a rejected base claim, but would be allowable if rewritten in independent form including all of the limitations of the base claim and any intervening claims.
Reasons for allowance, if applicable, will be the subject of a separate communication to the Applicant or patent owner, pursuant to 37 CFR § 1.104 and MPEP § 1302.14.
As allowable subject matter has been indicated, Applicant's reply must either comply with all formal requirements or specifically traverse each requirement not complied with. See 37 CFR 1.111(b) and MPEP § 707.07(a).
Conclusion
The prior art made of record and not relied upon is considered pertinent to Applicant's disclosure. The prior art of Yamazaki (US 2007/0117665), Okada (US 5,440,951), Hidaka (US 12,049,950), Yukawa (US 11,859,714), Garcia (US 9,644,722) and Oomura (US 7,699,738) listed in the attached Notice of References Cited disclose similar power transmission devices comprising housings related to various aspects of the claimed invention.


NEXT OFFICE ACTION: DETAILED CORRESPONDENCE
Notice of Pre-AIA  or AIA  Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Status of Claims
This Notice of Allowance is in response to the amendment filed on July 23rd, 2025 for application no. 18/847,007 filed on September 13th, 2024. Claims 1-9 are pending. In the present amendment, claims 1-3 and 6-8 are amended.
Response to Arguments
The Applicant's arguments filed July 23rd, 2025 are in response to the Office Action mailed April 30th, 2025. The Applicant's arguments have been fully considered.
Response to Claim Objections
Regarding Claim 1, Applicant’s amendment addresses a minor informality previously indicated in the latest Office Action. As such, the claim objection is withdrawn.
Response to Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 112
Regarding Claims 2-3 and 6-7, Applicant’s amendment has clarified the invention. As such, the relevant 112(b) rejections previously indicated in the latest Office Action are withdrawn.
Response to Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 102 and/or 103
Regarding Claim 1, Applicant has recited features that distinguish from those taught by the prior art of record. See allowable subject matter set forth below.
Regarding Claim 8, Examiner acknowledges the allowable subject matter of claim 8 has now been drafted as an independent claim including the base limitations of claim 1. As such, Applicant has recited features that distinguish from those taught by the prior art of record. See allowable subject matter set forth below.
Allowable Subject Matter
Claims 1-9 are allowed.
The following is an Examiner’s statement of reasons for allowance:
Regarding Claim 1, none of the prior art discloses or renders obvious a power transmission device having the combination of features recited in claim 1. The closest prior art of Miyazaki (DE 10 2019 218 976) discloses a power transmission device (Figs. 3-4, 4) comprising a housing (5), a control valve (41), an input shaft (11), an intermediate shaft (35), and an output shaft (24L); the output shaft (24L) is located farther toward a rear of a vehicle than the input shaft (11; see Fig. 4); the intermediate shaft (35) is located above the output shaft (24L); the control valve (41) is arranged upright on a vehicle front side of the input shaft (11; see Fig. 4); the housing (5) is provided with a recessed portion (Examiner Fig. 1, RP) that is recessed inwardly (between reinforcing ribs seen in Examiner Fig. 1) in a region of the housing (5) below the intermediate shaft (35) and further toward the rear of the vehicle than the output shaft (24L; see Examiner Fig. 1), but fails to disclose “the insertion hole is provided in a bottom section of the recessed portion when viewed from above, the intermediate shaft is located farther toward the rear of the vehicle than the output shaft, and the insertion hole is provided in a location where a straight line along an opening direction of the insertion hole intersects a straight line connecting the intermediate shaft and the output shaft below the output shaft”, and there is no motivation to continue modifying the housing taught by Miyazaki absent impermissible hindsight.
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Examiner Fig. 1 – Fig. 4 of Miyazaki
Regarding Claim 8, none of the prior art discloses or renders obvious a power transmission device having the combination of features recited in claim 8. The closest prior art of Miyazaki (DE 10 2019 218 976) discloses a power transmission device (Figs. 3-4, 4) comprising a housing (5), a control valve (41), an input shaft (11), an intermediate shaft (35), and an output shaft (24L); the output shaft (24L) is located farther toward a rear of a vehicle than the input shaft (11; see Fig. 4); the intermediate shaft (35) is located above the output shaft (24L); the control valve (41) is arranged upright on a vehicle front side of the input shaft (11; see Fig. 4); the housing (5) is provided with a recessed portion (Examiner Fig. 1, RP) that is recessed inwardly (between reinforcing ribs seen in Examiner Fig. 1) in a region of the housing (5) below the intermediate shaft (35) and further toward the rear of the vehicle than the output shaft (24L; see Examiner Fig. 1), but fails to disclose “the insertion hole is provided in a bottom section of the recessed portion when viewed from above, the housing has a case accommodating the power transmission mechanism and a torque converter cover covering an opening of the case facing a torque converter, and the recessed portion is provided to the torque converter cover”, and there is no motivation to continue modifying the housing taught by Miyazaki absent impermissible hindsight.
Any comments considered necessary by applicant must be submitted no later than the payment of the issue fee and, to avoid processing delays, should preferably accompany the issue fee. Such submissions should be clearly labeled “Comments on Statement of Reasons for Allowance”.
Conclusion

CITED REFERENCE SUMMARIES: Ref US20070117665A1: Claims:
An automatic transmission coupled with a power source in a vehicle, the automatic transmission comprising: a transmission case; a torque converter disposed within the transmission case, the torque converter being adapted to be connected with the power source, a power transmission mechanism disposed within the transmission case, the power transmission mechanism including an input shaft connected with the torque converter, an output shaft connected with the input shaft, a counter shaft connected with the output shaft and a differential shaft connected with the counter shaft, an oil pump disposed within the transmission case, the oil pump being adapted to be driven by the power source and supply a working oil to the power transmission mechanism; a hydraulic control valve which controls a hydraulic pressure corresponding to a gear ratio at which the power transmission mechanism is operated; and an oil pan which accommodates the hydraulic control valve and stores the working oil, wherein the input shaft, the output shaft, the countershaft and the differential shaft of the power transmission mechanism are disposed parallel to a width direction of the vehicle and perpendicular to in a fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, and the input shaft is disposed forward of the output shaft, the countershaft and the differential shaft in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle; the oil pan and the hydraulic control valve accommodated in the oil pan are disposed below the input shaft in a height direction of the vehicle; and the oil pump is disposed immediately above the hydraulic control valve and lower than an axis of the input shaft in the height direction of the vehicle and arranged in a space between the torque converter and the power transmission mechanism within the transmission case.
a transmission case;
a torque converter disposed within the transmission case, the torque converter being adapted to be connected with the power source,
a power transmission mechanism disposed within the transmission case, the power transmission mechanism including an input shaft connected with the torque converter, an output shaft connected with the input shaft, a counter shaft connected with the output shaft and a differential shaft connected with the counter shaft,
an oil pump disposed within the transmission case, the oil pump being adapted to be driven by the power source and supply a working oil to the power transmission mechanism;
a hydraulic control valve which controls a hydraulic pressure corresponding to a gear ratio at which the power transmission mechanism is operated; and
an oil pan which accommodates the hydraulic control valve and stores the working oil,
wherein the input shaft, the output shaft, the countershaft and the differential shaft of the power transmission mechanism are disposed parallel to a width direction of the vehicle and perpendicular to in a fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, and the input shaft is disposed forward of the output shaft, the countershaft and the differential shaft in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle;
the oil pan and the hydraulic control valve accommodated in the oil pan are disposed below the input shaft in a height direction of the vehicle; and
the oil pump is disposed immediately above the hydraulic control valve and lower than an axis of the input shaft in the height direction of the vehicle and arranged in a space between the torque converter and the power transmission mechanism within the transmission case.
The automatic transmission as claimed in claim 1 , wherein axes of the output shaft, the counter shaft and the differential shaft of the power transmission mechanism are located on substantially same line extending in the height direction of the vehicle.
The automatic transmission as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the oil pump is arranged forward of the input shaft of the power transmission mechanism in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle.
The automatic transmission as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the transmission case comprises an oil pump enclosing portion which accommodates the oil pump, the oil pan comprises a front end portion in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle, and an outer-most periphery of the oil pump enclosing portion of the transmission case and the front end portion of the oil pan are located in substantially alignment with each other in the fore-and-aft direction of the vehicle.
The automatic transmission as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the oil pan comprises a bottom, the transmission case comprises a lower-most end portion, and the oil pan is arranged such that the bottom is disposed in either of a position substantially aligned with the lower-most end portion of the transmission case in the height direction of the vehicle and a position higher than the lower-most end portion of the transmission case in the height direction thereof.
The automatic transmission as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the automatic transmission is a belt drive continuously variable transmission.
Ref US5440951A: Claims:
An axle driving system comprising: a housing; a first chamber formed in said housing; a second chamber formed in said housing; means disposed in said housing for partitioning said first and second chambers from each other; a hydraulic non-stage transmission disposed in said first chamber; an axle disposed in said housing; means disposed in said second chamber for transmitting power from said transmission to said axle; and a fluid storage means in fluid communication with said first chamber and said second chamber disposed in said housing for freely flowing fluid into said first chamber and said second chamber.
a first chamber formed in said housing;
a second chamber formed in said housing;
means disposed in said housing for partitioning said first and second chambers from each other;
a hydraulic non-stage transmission disposed in said first chamber;
an axle disposed in said housing;
means disposed in said second chamber for transmitting power from said transmission to said axle; and
a fluid storage means in fluid communication with said first chamber and said second chamber disposed in said housing for freely flowing fluid into said first chamber and said second chamber.
An axle driving system as set forth in claim 1, further comprising: fluid disposed in said first chamber, wherein said first chamber is disposed substantially below said fluid storage means whereby the level of fluid disposed within said first chamber substantially fills said first chamber.
fluid disposed in said first chamber, wherein said first chamber is disposed substantially below said fluid storage means whereby the level of fluid disposed within said first chamber substantially fills said first chamber.
An axle driving system as set forth in claim 2, further comprising: means disposed in said fluid storage means for charging fluid to said first and second chambers.
means disposed in said fluid storage means for charging fluid to said first and second chambers.
An axle driving system as set forth in claim 2, further comprising: means disposed in said fluid storage means for observing fluid quantity disposed within said first and second chambers.
means disposed in said fluid storage means for observing fluid quantity disposed within said first and second chambers.
An axle driving system as set forth in claim 2, further comprising: breather means disposed in said fluid storage means to allow said fluid storage means to be ventilated with air outside said system.
breather means disposed in said fluid storage means to allow said fluid storage means to be ventilated with air outside said system.
An axle driving system, comprising: a housing; an axle disposed in said housing; a first chamber and a second chamber formed within said housing, wherein said first chamber and said second chamber are separated from each other; a hydraulic non-stage transmission disposed within said first chamber; means disposed in said second chamber for transmitting power from said hydraulic non-stage transmission to said axle; and fluid storage means disposed in said housing, wherein said fluid storage means is in fluid communication with said first chamber whereby fluid may freely flow between said fluid storage means and said first chamber.
a first chamber and a second chamber formed within said housing, wherein said first chamber and said second chamber are separated from each other;
a hydraulic non-stage transmission disposed within said first chamber;
means disposed in said second chamber for transmitting power from said hydraulic non-stage transmission to said axle; and
fluid storage means disposed in said housing, wherein said fluid storage means is in fluid communication with said first chamber whereby fluid may freely flow between said fluid storage means and said first chamber.
An axle driving system as set forth in claim 6, wherein said first chamber is disposed substantially below said fluid storage means, whereby a fluid disposed within said fluid storage means flows into said first chamber and substantially fills said first chamber.
An axle driving system as set forth in claim 6, further comprising: means disposed on said fluid storage means for observing the fluid quantity disposed within said fluid storage means.
means disposed on said fluid storage means for observing the fluid quantity disposed within said fluid storage means.
An axle driving system as it forth in claim 6, further comprising: breather means disposed on said fluid storage means to allow said fluid storage means to be ventilated with air outside the driving system.
An axle driving system as set forth in claim 6, wherein said fluid storage means is in fluid communication with said second chamber whereby fluid may freely flow between said fluid storage means and said second chamber.
An axle driving system as set forth in claim 10, wherein said first chamber is disposed substantially below said fluid storage means, whereby a fluid disposed within said fluid storage means flows into said first chamber and substantially fills said first chamber, and wherein a portion of said second chamber is disposed substantially below said fluid storage means, whereby a fluid disposed within said fluid storage means flows into said second chamber and substantially fills said portion of said second chamber.
wherein a portion of said second chamber is disposed substantially below said fluid storage means, whereby a fluid disposed within said fluid storage means flows into said second chamber and substantially fills said portion of said second chamber.
An axle driving system, comprising: a housing; an axle disposed in said housing; a first chamber and a second chamber formed within said housing, wherein said first chamber and said second chamber are separated from each other; a hydraulic non-stage transmission disposed within said first chamber; means disposed in said second chamber for transmitting power from said hydraulic, non-stage transmission to said axle; and fluid storage means disposed in said housing, wherein said fluid storage means is in fluid communication with said second chamber whereby fluid may freely flow between said fluid storage means and said second chamber.
means disposed in said second chamber for transmitting power from said hydraulic, non-stage transmission to said axle; and
fluid storage means disposed in said housing, wherein said fluid storage means is in fluid communication with said second chamber whereby fluid may freely flow between said fluid storage means and said second chamber.
An axle driving system as set forth in claim 12, wherein a portion of said second chamber is disposed substantially below said fluid storage means, whereby a fluid disposed within said fluid storage means flows into said second chamber and substantially fills said portion of said second chamber.
An axle driving system as set forth in claim 12, further comprising: means disposed on said fluid storage means for observing the fluid quantity disposed within said fluid storage means.
An axle driving system as set forth in claim 12, further comprising: breather means disposed on said fluid storage means to allow said fluid storage means to be ventilated with air outside the axle driving system.
breather means disposed on said fluid storage means to allow said fluid storage means to be ventilated with air outside the axle driving system.
An axle driving system as set forth in claim 12, wherein said fluid storage means is in fluid communication with said first chamber whereby fluid may freely flow between said fluid storage means and said first chamber.
An axle driving system as set forth in claim 16, wherein said first chamber is disposed substantially below said fluid storage means, whereby a fluid disposed within said fluid storage means flows into said first chamber and substantially fills said first chamber, and wherein a portion of said second chamber is disposed substantially below said fluid storage means, whereby a fluid disposed within said fluid storage means flows into said second chamber and substantially fills said portion of said second chamber.
Ref US12049950B2: Claims:
A lid component arranged to face an electric oil pump, the lid component comprising: a plate portion, and a peripheral wall portion surrounding an outer peripheral edge of the plate portion, wherein an accommodation groove that accommodates at least a part of the electric oil pump is formed on a surface of the plate portion from which a lid-side connector protrudes.
a plate portion, and
a peripheral wall portion surrounding an outer peripheral edge of the plate portion, wherein
an accommodation groove that accommodates at least a part of the electric oil pump is formed on a surface of the plate portion from which a lid-side connector protrudes.
The lid component according to claim 1 , wherein a controller connected to the lid-side connector is arranged on a side opposite to the surface from which the lid-side connector protrudes.
a controller connected to the lid-side connector is arranged on a side opposite to the surface from which the lid-side connector protrudes.
The lid component according to claim 2 , wherein a clearance is interposed between the controller and the plate portion.
a clearance is interposed between the controller and the plate portion.
The lid component according to claim 1 , further comprising: a seal groove sandwiched between an outer peripheral wall and an inner peripheral wall; a seal accommodated in the seal groove; and a notch portion into which a tab provided on the seal is fitted in at least one of the outer peripheral wall and the inner peripheral wall.
a seal groove sandwiched between an outer peripheral wall and an inner peripheral wall;
a seal accommodated in the seal groove; and
a notch portion into which a tab provided on the seal is fitted in at least one of the outer peripheral wall and the inner peripheral wall.
The lid component according to claim 4 , wherein the notch portion is provided in the inner peripheral wall, and the notch portion is arranged to avoid an accommodation groove arrangement region where the accommodation groove is arranged.
the notch portion is provided in the inner peripheral wall, and the notch portion is arranged to avoid an accommodation groove arrangement region where the accommodation groove is arranged.
The lid component according to claim 5 , further comprising: a connector arrangement region where the lid-side connector is arranged, wherein the notch portion is arranged to avoid the accommodation groove arrangement region and the connector arrangement region.
a connector arrangement region where the lid-side connector is arranged, wherein
the notch portion is arranged to avoid the accommodation groove arrangement region and the connector arrangement region.
The lid component according to claim 4 , further comprising: another notch portion that is wider than the notch portion; and another tab that is fitted into the another notch portion and is wider than the tab.
another notch portion that is wider than the notch portion; and
another tab that is fitted into the another notch portion and is wider than the tab.
An apparatus comprising: the lid component according to claim 1 ; and the electric oil pump, wherein the electric oil pump and the lid component overlap each other in a first direction, and the electric oil pump and the lid-side connector overlap each other in a second direction intersecting the first direction.
the electric oil pump and the lid component overlap each other in a first direction, and
the electric oil pump and the lid-side connector overlap each other in a second direction intersecting the first direction.
The apparatus according to claim 8 , further comprising: an apparatus-side connector connected to the lid-side connector, wherein the electric oil pump includes an inverter and a rotary electric machine connected to the inverter, and the inverter is arranged between the rotary electric machine and the apparatus-side connector in the second direction.
an apparatus-side connector connected to the lid-side connector, wherein
the electric oil pump includes an inverter and a rotary electric machine connected to the inverter, and
the inverter is arranged between the rotary electric machine and the apparatus-side connector in the second direction.
Ref US11859714B2: Claims:
A power transmission device comprising: a power transmission mechanism arranged in a first chamber; an oil pump arranged in a second chamber; a first electric wire; a controller; and a control unit connected with the controller via the first electric wire, wherein the first electric wire is provided inside the second chamber, and is arranged at a position that does not overlap with the oil pump when viewed along a first direction that is a direction facing from the oil pump to the controller, the first chamber, the oil pump, and the controller overlap when viewed along the first direction, and the first electric wire is arranged at a position that overlaps with the oil pump when viewed along a second direction that intersects the first direction.
a power transmission mechanism arranged in a first chamber;
an oil pump arranged in a second chamber;
a first electric wire;
a controller; and
a control unit connected with the controller via the first electric wire, wherein
the first electric wire is provided inside the second chamber, and is arranged at a position that does not overlap with the oil pump when viewed along a first direction that is a direction facing from the oil pump to the controller,
the first chamber, the oil pump, and the controller overlap when viewed along the first direction, and
the first electric wire is arranged at a position that overlaps with the oil pump when viewed along a second direction that intersects the first direction.
A power transmission device comprising: a power transmission mechanism arranged in a first chamber; an oil pump arranged in a second chamber; a first electric wire; a second electric wire; a controller; a control unit connected with the controller via the first electric wire; and an external connection connector that is connected with the controller via the second electric wire, wherein the first electric wire is provided inside the second chamber, and is arranged at a position that does not overlap with the oil pump when viewed along a first direction that is a direction facing from the oil pump to the controller, the second chamber is partitioned into a first space in which the oil pump is arranged, and a second space adjacent to the first space in a second direction that intersects the first direction and in which the first electric wire is arranged, and the external connection connector is attached to a wall part defining the second space.
a second electric wire;
a control unit connected with the controller via the first electric wire; and
[Truncated to input limit]