Gearbox comprising gear pump
A gearbox for a motor vehicle is provided that includes, but is not limited to an input shaft, an output shaft and a plurality of wheel sets for coupling input and output shaft with different transmission ratios and a gear pump, which is arranged to for delivering from a reservoir of the gearbox. The gear pump is an outer gear pump and one of two gears of the gear pump meshing with one another belongs to one of the wheel sets.
1. A gear pump for a gearbox of a motor vehicle, said gear pump comprising:
a first gear arranged on a gearbox shaft to rotate with said gearbox shaft while maintaining axial play along said gearbox shaft;
a second gear meshing with said first gear in a meshing region; and
a gear pump housing enclosing said second gear and a part of said first gear, wherein
said gear pump housing is movable in the axial direction of said gearbox shaft such that said gear pump housing can follow movement of said first gear within the gearbox due to the axial play of said first gear along said gearbox shaft.
2. A gear pump as set forth in claim 1 wherein said gear pump housing defines a cylindrical recess extending parallel to said gearbox shaft.
3. A gear pump as set forth in claim 2 further comprising a shaft disposed through said cylindrical recess to support said gear pump housing while allowing the movement of said gear pump housing in the axial direction of said gearbox shaft.
4. A gear pump as set forth in claim 1 wherein said second gear is supported by said gear pump housing so as to be afloat.
5. A gear pump as set forth in claim 1 wherein said gear pump housing and said second gear are each formed of a plastic material.
6. A gear pump as set forth in claim 1 wherein said gear pump housing defines a cavity below said meshing region.
7. A gear pump as set forth in claim 6 wherein said gear pump housing defines an outlet extending from said cavity.
8. A gear pump as set forth in claim 7 further comprising an oil line connected to said outlet for draining oil accumulating in said cavity and distributing the oil to other components of the gearbox.
9. A gear pump as set forth in claim 1 enclosed by a gearbox housing.
10. A gear pump as set forth in claim 9 wherein said gear pump housing abuts with the gearbox housing.
11. A gear pump as set forth in claim 1 wherein said gear pump housing defines an inner contour wall tightly enclosing said second gear on about half of a periphery of said second gear.
12. A gear pump as set forth in claim 1 wherein said part of said first gear enclosed by said gear pump housing is less than half of a periphery of said first gear.
13. A gear pump as set forth in claim 12 wherein a lowest location of said periphery of said first gear is not enclosed by said gear pump housing.
14. A gear pump as set forth in claim 2 wherein said cylindrical recess is non-linear with an axis of rotation of said second gear.