Dual clutch device for vehicle

A dual clutch device for a vehicle may include a drive motor provided in a motor housing, a clutch housing connected to the motor housing wherein a clutch may be provided in the clutch housing, and a cooling oil flowing unit forming a hydraulic line fluid-connecting the motor housing and the clutch housing and supplying a cooling oil to the drive motor and the clutch through the hydraulic line.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2012-0066915 filed on Jun. 21, 2012, the entire contents of which is incorporated herein for all purposes by this reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a dual clutch device for a vehicle. More particularly, the present invention relates to a dual clutch device for a vehicle which cools a clutch of the vehicle using a cooling mechanism of a drive motor.

2. Description of Related Art

Generally, a continuously variable transmission (CVT) is used as a transmission of a hybrid electric vehicle. A metal belt that can change an engine speed within a gear range irrespective of a vehicle speed is applied to the continuously variable transmission.

The continuously variable transmission (CVT) using the metal belt, however, uses relatively high hydraulic pressure compared with other automatic transmission. Therefore, the continuously variable transmission (CVT) has many drawbacks in efficiency regardless of excellent functionality.

Recently, use of a dual clutch transmission (DCT) is increasing. The dual clutch transmission has merits of excellent efficiency of a manual transmission and convenience of an automatic transmission. According to the dual clutch transmission, a plurality of input gears is disposed on two input shafts and any one of a plurality of output gears engaged with the plurality of input gears is selectively connected to any one of two output shafts by means of a synchronizer device. Thereby, a shift is performed.

According to a conventional dual clutch transmission, however, a cooling circuit may be very complicated and lubrication performance may be insufficient. Therefore, shift feel may be deteriorated.

BRIEF SUMMARY

Various aspects of the present invention are directed to providing a dual clutch device for a vehicle having advantages of improving shift feel due to improvement of lubrication performance by cooling the dual clutch device using a cooling mechanism of a drive motor without using additional components.

In an aspect of the present invention, a dual clutch device for a vehicle may include a drive motor provided in a motor housing, a clutch housing connected to the motor housing wherein a clutch is provided in the clutch housing, and a cooling oil flowing unit forming a hydraulic line fluid-connecting the motor housing and the clutch housing and supplying a cooling oil to the drive motor and the clutch through the hydraulic line.

The cooling oil flowing unit may include an inlet formed at an upper portion of the motor housing, an outlet formed at a lower portion of the motor housing, a cooling channel formed between the motor housing and the drive motor and fluid-connected to the inlet and the outlet, and a connecting line fluid-connecting the cooling channel with an inside of the clutch housing, wherein the cooling oil is supplied in the cooling channel through the inlet, and wherein the cooling oil is discharged from the cooling channel and the clutch housing through the outlet.

The connecting line is formed slanted inwardly from the motor housing toward the clutch.

The dual clutch device may include a cap member mounted at the inlet or the outlet.

The cap member is threaded to a screw thread formed at an interior circumference of the inlet or the outlet.

The connecting line may include an upper connecting line fluid-connected to the inlet, the cooling channel and the inside of the clutch housing.

The connecting line may include a lower connecting line fluid-connected to the outlet, the cooling channel and the inside of the clutch housing.

In another aspect of the present invention, a dual clutch device for a vehicle may include a motor housing provided with an inlet receiving a cooling oil therethrough and an outlet discharging the cooling oil therefrom, a drive motor mounted in the motor housing, wherein the motor housing is provided with a cooling channel fluid-connected to the inlet and the outlet, a clutch housing connected to the motor housing, a clutch mounted in the clutch housing, and a connecting line formed at a wall formed between the motor housing and the clutch housing and dividing the drive motor from the clutch, and fluid-connecting the cooling channel to an inside of the clutch housing.

The dual clutch device may include a cap member threaded to the inlet or the outlet of the motor housing.

The connecting line is formed slanted inwardly from the drive motor to the clutch.

The inlet is formed at an upper portion of the motor housing and the outlet is formed at a lower portion of the motor housing.

The connecting line may include an upper connecting line fluid-connected to the inlet, the cooling channel and the inside of the clutch housing.

The connecting line may include a lower connecting line fluid-connected to the outlet, the cooling channel and the inside of the clutch housing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Description of components that are not necessary for explaining the present exemplary embodiment will be omitted, and the same constituent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals in this specification.

Since size and thickness of each component illustrated in the drawings are arbitrarily represented for ease of explanation, the present invention is not limited to the drawings. Thicknesses of many parts and regions are enlarged.

FIG. 1is a cross-sectional view of a dual clutch device for a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention,FIG. 2is an enlarged view of “A” region inFIG. 1, andFIG. 3is a cross-sectional view illustrating thread-coupling of a cap member shown inFIG. 2.

Referring toFIG. 1andFIG. 2, a dual clutch device100for a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is adapted to cool a clutch120of a vehicle using cooling mechanism of a drive motor110without using additional components. Therefore, a length and a size of the clutch120may be reduced without changing a layout of a conventional transmission, and shift feel may be improved by improving lubrication performance of the clutch120.

For these purposes, the dual clutch device100for a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes the drive motor110, the clutch120, and a cooling oil flowing unit130, and each component will be described in detail.

The drive motor110is mounted in a motor housing111.

The clutch120includes a clutch housing121connected to the motor housing111and is mounted in the clutch housing121.

In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the cooling oil flowing unit130forms a hydraulic line connecting the drive motor110with the clutch120through the motor housing111, and supplies a cooling oil to the drive motor110and the clutch120through the hydraulic line.

The cooling oil flowing unit130includes an inlet131, an outlet132, a cooling channel133, and connecting lines135and136.

The inlet131is formed at an upper portion of the motor housing111so as to flow the cooling oil in the motor housing111, and the outlet132is formed at a lower portion of the motor housing111so as to discharge the cooling oil from the motor housing111.

Cap members150are mounted respectively at the inlet131and the outlet132formed at the motor housing111.

The cap members150, as shown inFIG. 3, may be threaded to screw threads151formed at interior circumferences of the inlet131and the outlet132of the motor housing111.

In addition, the cooling channel133is connected to the inlet131and the outlet132and is formed between the motor housing111and the drive motor110.

The cooling channel133is a space in which the cooling oil flows and which is adapted to cool the drive motor110.

The connecting lines135and136are formed at a wall140formed between the motor housing111and the clutch housing121and dividing the drive motor110from the clutch120. The connecting lines135and136connect the cooling channel133with an inside of the clutch housing121.

In addition, the connecting lines135and136are formed slanted inwardly toward the clutch120with respect to the drive motor110in a radial direction. Therefore, the cooling oil flowing into the cooling channel133through the inlet131is flowed into the clutch120easily and the cooling oil cooling the clutch120is exhausted from the clutch120through the outlet132.

That is, if the cooling oil flows into the cooling channel133through the inlet131formed at the upper portion of motor housing111, the cooling oil flows into the clutch housing121through the upper connecting line135and cools the clutch120. After that, the cooling oil flows out to cooling channel133through the lower connecting line136, and then is exhausted to the exterior of the motor housing111through the outlet132formed at the lower portion of the motor housing111.

Therefore, the dual clutch device100for a vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention can cool the clutch120of the vehicle simultaneously with the drive motor110using the cooling mechanism of the drive motor110without using additional components. Therefore, a length and a size of the clutch120may be reduced without changing a layout of a conventional transmission, and shift feel may be improved by improving lubrication performance of the clutch120.