# US 10,320,277 B2 · Electric drive assembly > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,320,277 B2 - Document ID: US10320277B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/545,335 - Filed: 2016-01-29 - Published: 2018-01-11 - Granted: 2019-06-11 - Earliest claimed: 2015-01-30 - Assignees: GKN Automotive AG - Applicants: GKN Automotive Ltd. - Inventors: Theodor Gassmann - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10320277B2 ## CPC - H02K 49/00: Dynamo-electric clutches; Dynamo-electric brakes - B60K 1/00: Arrangement or mounting of electrical propulsion units (B60K7/00 takes precedence; arrangement or mounting of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion B60K6/00) - F16H 3/727: {with at least two dynamo electric machines for creating an electric power path inside the gearing, e.g. using generator and motor for a variable power torque path} - H02K 7/025: {for power storage} - H02K 7/116: with gears - H02K 19/06: Motors having windings on the stator and a variable-reluctance soft-iron rotor without windings, e.g. inductor motors - B60K 2001/001: {one motor mounted on a propulsion axle for rotating right and left wheels of this axle} - B60Y 2400/162: Flywheels - B60Y 2410/10: Housings - H02K 16/00: Machines with more than one rotor or stator {(machines for transmitting mechanical power from a driving shaft to a driven shaft and comprising structurally interrelated motor and generator parts H02K51/00; permanent magnet machines with multiple rotors or stators relatively rotated for vectorially combining the excitation fields or the armature voltages H02K21/029)} - H02K 2213/09: Machines characterised by the presence of elements which are subject to variation, e.g. adjustable bearings, reconfigurable windings, variable pitch ventilators - Y02E 60/16: Mechanical energy storage, e.g. flywheels or pressurised fluids - Y02T 10/62: Hybrid vehicles - H02K: DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINES (dynamo-electric relays H01H53/00; conversion of DC or AC input power into surge output power {H03K3/53}) - B60K: ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES - F16H: GEARING - B60Y: INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO ASPECTS CROSS-CUTTING VEHICLE TECHNOLOGY - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract An electric drive assembly for a motor vehicle comprises a high-speed electric machine with a nominal rotational speed of at least 20,000 revolutions per minute and with a high-speed rotor that can be used as a flywheel mass for storing kinetic energy; a superimposed transmission having a drive element, a regulating element and a driven element, wherein the drive element is drivable by an electric machine around a drive axis, wherein the regulating element is rotatable around a regulating axis and wherein the driven element is drivingly connected to the regulating element and the drive element; an electromagnetic regulating device having a stator and a rotor that is connected to the regulating element in a rotationally fixed way, wherein by means of magnetic forces acting in the circumferential direction between the stator and the rotor, a regulating moment can be transmitted to the rotor, wherein the magnetic forces are variably adjustable. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electric drive assembly for driving a motor vehicle, comprising: an electric machine which is configured as a high-speed electric machine with a nominal speed of at least 20,000 revolutions per minute and is provided with a high-speed rotor which is usable as a flywheel mass to store kinetic energy; a superimposed transmission with exactly three connecting elements, consisting of a drive element, a regulating element, and a driven element, wherein the superimposed transmission is configured in the form of a planetary transmission with a sun gear that forms the drive element and that is rotatingly driveable by the electric machine around a driving axis at more than 20,000 revolutions per minute, and with a hollow gear that is produced as one piece with, or connected to, the regulating element and is rotatable around a regulating axis, and with a planetary carrier that forms the driven element and carries a plurality of planetary gears via which the hollow gear and the sun gear are drivingly connected; an electro-magnetic regulating device that is coaxially arranged relative to the superimposed transmission and provided for variably regulating a rotational speed of the regulating element, wherein the electromagnetic regulating device comprises a stator that is connected to a stationary component and a rotor that is connected to the regulating element of the superimposed transmission in a rotationally fixed way, wherein the rotor and the stator are contactlessly arranged relative to each other, wherein the electromagnetic regulating device is configured to transmit a regulating torque to the rotor by magnetic forces acting in circumferential direction between the stator and the rotor, wherein the magnetic forces are variably adjustable, wherein the high-speed electric machine is arranged in a sealed dry first receiving chamber, wherein an internal pressure in the first receiving chamber is lower than an environmental pressure, and wherein the electromagnetic regulating device and the superimposed transmission are arranged in a sealed second receiving chamber filled with lubricant, wherein the superimposed transmission is arranged radially inside the electromagnetic regulating device. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The electric drive assembly of claim 1, further comprising a housing, wherein the regulating element comprises two flange portions by which, via bearings, the regulating element is rotatably supported in the housing. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The electric drive assembly of claim 1, wherein an additional mass is provided that is at least indirectly firmly connected to the high-speed rotor, wherein the additional mass is arranged in the first receiving chamber. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The electric drive assembly of claim 1, wherein the high-speed electric machine is configured such that the high-speed rotor can store a kinetic energy of at least 50 kilo-joule. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The electric drive assembly of claim 1, wherein the stator of the regulating device comprises a greatest outer diameter that is greater than an outer diameter of the hollow gear of the superimposed transmission that is arranged coaxially relative to the axis of rotation. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The electric drive assembly of claim 1, wherein the stator of the regulating device comprises a plurality of circumferentially distributed stator poles and the rotor comprises a plurality of circumferentially distributed rotor poles, wherein the number of stator poles is identical to the number of rotor poles. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The electric drive assembly of claim 6, wherein the stator poles are formed by the teeth of an inner tooth structure at the stator and the rotor poles are formed by the teeth of an outer tooth structure at the rotor, wherein a radial gap is formed between the tooth heads of the stator poles and the tooth heads of the rotor poles. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The electric drive assembly of claim 1, wherein the rotational speed of the rotor is variably adjustable by pulsing of the current of the electromagnetic regulating device such that the rotor rotates in a same direction, or in an opposed direction, of rotation as the drive element. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The electric drive assembly of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic regulating device operates according to a principle of reluctance, wherein the rotor consists of a magnetic material and the stator comprises at least one magnetic coil which, upon being energized, generates a magnetic field. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The electric drive assembly of claim 9, wherein the stator comprises at least one first ring part and at least one second ring part made of a magnetic material, between which the at least one magnetic coil is axially received. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The electric drive assembly of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic regulating device comprises a secondary electric machine, wherein the secondary electric machine is operable in a generator mode to transform an excess of mechanical energy of the high-speed electric machine into electric current, wherein the electric current is storable in a battery or is feedable into the high-speed electric machine, and wherein the secondary electric machine is operable in a motor mode, wherein the rotor is driven by electric energy in the direction of rotation of the drive element to introduce torque into the regulating element of the superimposed transmission, wherein the electric energy is taken from the battery or is provided by the high-speed electric machine. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The electric drive assembly of claim 1, wherein the high-speed electric machine and the regulating element of the superimposed transmission are arranged coaxially relative to the rotational driving axis. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) The electric drive assembly of claim 1, wherein the high-speed electric machine is configured as a three-phase electric machine and comprises a stator in which the high-speed rotor is rotatably arranged, wherein the high-speed rotor is drivingly connected to the drive element of the superimposed transmission. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The electric drive assembly of claim 13, wherein the stator of the electromagnetic regulating device and the stator of the electric machine at least partially overlap each other radially. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The electric drive assembly of claim 1, wherein the hollow gear and the regulating element are formed in one piece, wherein the rotor of the electromagnetic regulating device is attached to an outer face of the regulating element in a rotationally fixed manner. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The electric drive assembly of claim 1, wherein the first receiving chamber and the second receiving chamber are axially adjacent to one another. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The electric drive assembly of claim 1, wherein the internal pressure in the first receiving chamber is permanently lower than the environmental pressure. ### Claim 18 A method of controlling an electric drive assembly that comprises an electric machine which is configured as a high-speed electric machine with a nominal speed of at least 20,000 revolutions per minute and is provided with a high-speed rotor which is usable as a flywheel mass to store kinetic energy; a superimposed transmission with exactly three connecting elements, consisting of a drive element, a regulating element, and a driven element, wherein the superimposed transmission is configured in the form of a planetary transmission with a sun gear that forms the drive element and that is rotatingly driveable by the electric machine around a driving axis at more than 20,000 revolutions per minute, and with a hollow gear that is connected to the regulating element and is rotatable around a regulating axis, and with a planetary carrier that forms the driven element and carries a plurality of planetary gears via which the hollow gear and the sun are drivingly connected; an electro-magnetic regulating device that is coaxially arranged relative to the superimposed transmission and provided for variably regulating a rotational speed of the regulating element, wherein the electromagnetic regulating device comprises a stator that is connected to a stationary component and a rotor that is connected to the regulating element of the superimposed transmission in a rotationally fixed way, wherein the rotor and the stator are contactlessly arranged relative to each other, wherein the electromagnetic regulating device is configured to transmit a regulating torque to the rotor by magnetic forces acting in circumferential direction between the stator and the rotor, wherein the magnetic forces are variably adjustable, wherein the high-speed electric machine is arranged in a sealed dry first receiving chamber, wherein an internal pressure in the first receiving chamber is lower than an environmental pressure, and wherein the electromagnetic regulating device and the superimposed transmission are arranged in a sealed second receiving chamber filled with lubricant, wherein the superimposed transmission is arranged radially inside the electromagnetic regulating device; the method comprising: controlling the high-speed electric machine such that the high-speed rotor rotates at a speed of at least 20,000 revolutions per minute; controlling the electromagnetic regulating device in a motor mode for generating a variable rotational speed of the regulating element, wherein the rotational speed of the high-speed electric machine and the variable rotational speed of the regulating element superimpose one another for driving the driven element; wherein the variable speed of the regulating element is set by the electromagnetic regulating device such that the drive element rotates at a nominal speed. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The method of claim 18, further comprising: controlling the electromagnetic regulating device in a generator mode such that an excess of kinetic energy of the high-speed rotor is at least partially converted into electric energy; and storing the electric energy in a battery.