A drive device includes a rotor, a stator, a housing including an accommodation portion to store oil and accommodate the rotor and the stator, a pump driven through a motor shaft, and a valve in the housing. The pump includes a pump room in the housing, a suction port through which the oil is to be sucked into the pump room, and a discharge port through which the oil is to be discharged from the pump room. The housing includes a first oil passage connected to the discharge port and a branch oil passage that is connected to the first oil passage and is open to an inside of the accommodation portion on an upper side in a vertical direction of the stator. The motor shaft includes a second oil passage located in the motor shaft and connected to the first oil passage and a first through-hole connecting the second oil passage and an outer circumferential surface of the motor shaft. The valve is provided in the branch oil passage, and switched between a closed state in which a flow of the oil in the branch oil passage is blocked and an open state in which the flow of the oil in the branch oil passage is permitted.

A battery cooling system includes: a circulation circuit configured to circulate common oil to a transaxle, a battery, and an oil cooler; a first electric oil pump that is disposed in a first oil passage; a second electric oil pump that is disposed in a second oil passage; and a controller configured to control the first electric oil pump and the second electric oil pump. The controller is configured to operate the first electric oil pump and stop the second electric oil pump when a temperature of the battery is equal to or lower than a first predetermined value, and stop the first electric oil pump and operate the second electric oil pump when the temperature of the battery is higher than the first predetermined value.

Provided is a life evaluating device that evaluates the life of a lubricant in a machine including a motor and a transmission mechanism that is lubricated by the lubricant and transmits power of the motor to a movable unit. The life evaluating device includes a motor-heat-value calculating unit that calculates a motor heat value on the basis of a current value of the motor, a frictional-heat-value calculating unit that calculates a frictional heat value in the transmission mechanism on the basis of rotating speed of the motor and a coefficient of friction of the transmission mechanism, a lubricant-temperature estimating unit that estimates temperature of the lubricant on the basis of the calculated frictional heat value and the calculated motor heat value, and a life estimating unit that estimates the life of the lubricant on the basis of the estimated temperature of the lubricant and information concerning impurities in the lubricant.

An oil supply device that includes a first pump configured to discharge oil by being driven by power transferred along the power transfer path; a second pump configured to discharge the oil by being driven by a power source independent of the power transfer path; a first supply oil passage through which the oil discharged from the first pump is supplied to the transmission; and a second supply oil passage through which the oil discharged from the second pump is supplied to the friction engagement device.

A method of detecting degradation of a lubricant in a bearing of an electrical machine, including: a) obtaining a first outer bearing ring temperature, b) changing the speed of the electrical machine, c) obtaining a second outer bearing ring temperature when the speed has changed, d) determining a thermal response value of the outer bearing ring based on the first outer bearing ring temperature and the second outer bearing ring temperature, e) comparing the thermal response value with a reference thermal response value for the same speed change as in step b), and f) in case the thermal response value differs from the reference thermal response value, concluding that the performance of the lubricant has degraded.

An oil injection apparatus includes: a storage unit extruding lubricating oil through an ejection hole formed at a lower end thereof; a discharge unit communicating with the storage through the ejection hole and discharging the lubricating oil outside according to a pumping operation; a plurality of discharge pumps arranged at regular intervals in a circumferential direction of the discharge unit and having respective first ends disposed in the discharge unit; and a driving unit rotating in a direction to sequentially press the first ends of the discharge pumps, which are disposed in the discharge unit, thereby causing the discharge pumps to perform the pumping operation in turn.

A lubricating device of a power transmitting system having a structural member. The lubricating device includes an oil piping assembly fixed to the structural member at a plurality of positions and having an oil passage through which a lubricant oil flows. The oil piping assembly is a resin piping assembly including a plurality of divisional components which cooperate to define a circumference of the oil passage along a length of the oil passage and which are formed of a resin material. The divisional components have respective interfacial surfaces and are bonded together with interfacial surfaces thereof being held in contact with each other. The divisional components of the resin piping assembly include a base divisional component provided with a plurality of fixing portions, and the resin piping assembly is fixed to the structural member at the plurality of positions through only the fixing portions.

An oil supply system of a vehicle includes: a first pump generating a first quantity of oil to cool a driving motor of a hybrid vehicle; a second pump generating a second quantity of oil to lubricate a friction lubrication element of the hybrid vehicle; a flow channel switching valve selectively switching a flow channel of the first quantity of oil and a flow channel of the second quantity of oil to connect the flow channel of the first quantity of oil to the friction lubrication element or connect the flow channel of the second quantity of oil to the driving motor; and a controller controlling an operation of the flow channel switching valve to supply a portion of the first quantity of oil to the friction lubrication element or a portion of the second quantity of oil to the driving motor.

A vehicle drive device is provided with a lubricating path including a first oil pump to pump up an oil stored in the casing by the first oil pump and to supply the oil to the power transmission mechanism for lubricating the power transmission mechanism, and a cooling path that is separated from the lubricating circuit and provided for the rotating electric machine, the cooling path including a second oil pump to pump up the oil stored in the casing by the second oil pump to supply the oil exclusively to the rotating electric machine for cooling the rotating electric machine, the second oil pump is an electric oil pump, and the cooling path is provided with an oil cooler cooling the oil to be supplied to the rotating electric machine.

In a drive apparatus, a pump includes an external gear fixed to an end portion of a motor shaft on a first axial side, an internal gear surrounding the external gear on a radially outer side thereof to mesh with the external gear, a pump chamber to house the internal gear and the external gear, a suction inlet to suck an oil into the pump chamber, and a discharge outlet to discharge the oil from inside the pump chamber. The housing includes an outer cover to cover the motor shaft on the first axial side and having the pump chamber defined therein, and a first oil passage defined in the outer cover and connected to the discharge outlet. The motor shaft includes a second oil passage in an interior of the motor shaft and connected to the first oil passage, and a first through hole to connect the second oil passage to an outer circumferential surface of the motor shaft. The first oil passage is located on the first axial side of the pump chamber. The second oil passage opens into the first oil passage at the end portion of the motor shaft on the first axial side.