Patent ID: 7445088

Claim:
A differential for a wheeled motor vehicle, comprising: a differential gear unit including pinion gears rotatably held by respective pinion shafts; a differential case for housing therein the differential gear unit, the differential case having at an inner wall thereof grooves for respectively receiving therein the pinion shafts, the differential case being rotatable about a rotation axis thereof in normal and reverse directions at a position above an oil level of a lubricating oil, the differential case having an oil inlet opening formed therethrough, the oil inlet opening communicating the interior of the differential case with the outside of the same; and an oil scooping up structure adapted to scoop up the lubricating oil to force the oil to enter the interior of the differential case through the oil inlet opening when the differential case rotates about the rotation axis in the normal direction, wherein the oil scooping up structure comprises: first projected portions formed on an outer surface of the differential case at portions that support the pinion shafts through the grooves, the first projected portions having an inclined surface at a leading side thereof with respect to the normal rotation direction, the inclined surface defining an acute angle relative to a tangential line of the outer surface of the differential case at a center point of the respective projection portion, wherein cavities are present in the first projected portions forming the grooves, the cavities extending in a radial direction away from the rotation axis.