# US 10,500,940 B2 · Axle assembly having an electric motor module and a gear reduction module > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,500,940 B2 - Document ID: US10500940B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/680,468 - Filed: 2017-08-18 - Published: 2019-02-21 - Granted: 2019-12-10 - Earliest claimed: 2017-08-18 - Assignees: ArvinMeritor Technology, LLC - Applicants: ArvinMeritor Technology, LLC - Inventors: Pedro Garcia; Dhanapal Vittala Raya; Christopher Keeney; Wagner Yukio Hirao; David G. Gonska - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10500940B2 ## CPC - B60K 7/0007: {the motor being electric} - 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) - B60K 6/40: characterised by the assembly or relative disposition of components - B60K 6/405: Housings - B60K 11/02: with liquid cooling - B60K 17/08: of mechanical type - B60K 17/16: of differential gearing - F16H 37/082: {and additional planetary reduction gears} - F16H 57/037: Gearboxes for accommodating differential gearings (rotating cases for differential gearings F16H48/40) - F16H 57/0483: {Axle or inter-axle differentials} - F16H 57/0484: {with variable gear ratio or for reversing rotary motion} - B60K 2001/001: {one motor mounted on a propulsion axle for rotating right and left wheels of this axle} - B60K 2001/006: {the electric motors} - B60K 2007/0038: {the motor moving together with the wheel axle} - B60Y 2400/73: Planetary gearings - B60Y 2410/10: Housings - F16H 3/083: with radially acting and axially controlled clutching members, e.g. sliding keys - F16H 3/54: one of the central gears being internally toothed and the other externally toothed - F16H 2057/02034: {Gearboxes combined or connected with electric machines} - F16H 2057/02052: {Axle units; Transfer casings for four wheel drive} - F16H 2200/0021: specially adapted for electric vehicles - F16H 2200/0034: the gear ratios comprising two forward speeds - 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 ## Abstract An axle assembly having an axle housing, a differential carrier, an electric motor module, and a gear reduction module. The differential carrier may be mounted to the axle housing and may rotatably support a differential. The electric motor module may be disposed in the differential carrier. The gear reduction module may be disposed adjacent to a differential carrier cover and may transmit torque from the electric motor module to the differential via a drive pinion. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An axle assembly comprising: an axle housing; a differential carrier that is disposed on the axle housing and rotatably supports a differential; a differential carrier cover that mounted to an end of the differential carrier that is disposed opposite the axle housing; an electric motor module disposed in the differential carrier between the axle housing and the differential carrier cover, wherein the electric motor module includes a rotor that is rotatable about an axis; and a gear reduction module that is disposed adjacent to the differential carrier cover, wherein the gear reduction module transmits torque from the electric motor module to the differential via a drive pinion, wherein the gear reduction module includes a sun Rear that is rotatable about the axis and an adapter that couples the rotor to the sun gear, the adapter including a tubular body that defines an adapter hole and a flange portion that extends from the tubular body away from the axis, wherein the sun gear is received in the adapter hole and the flange portion is fixedly coupled to the rotor. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The axle assembly of claim 1 wherein the differential carrier cover includes a gear cavity that is disposed outside of the differential carrier, wherein the gear reduction module is at least partially received in the gear cavity. ### Claim 3 (depends on 2) The axle assembly of claim 2 further comprising a shift mechanism housing that is disposed on the differential carrier cover opposite the differential carrier, wherein the gear reduction module is at least partially received in the shift mechanism housing. ### Claim 4 (depends on 2) The axle assembly of claim 2 wherein the gear reduction module includes a countershaft gear arrangement. ### Claim 5 (depends on 2) The axle assembly of claim 2 wherein the gear reduction module includes a planetary gear set. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The axle assembly of claim 5 wherein the gear reduction module includes a planetary ring gear that is received in the gear cavity and is fixedly positioned with respect to the differential carrier cover, a planet gear that meshes with the sun gear and the planetary ring gear, and a planet gear carrier that rotatably supports the planet gear. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The axle assembly of claim 6 wherein the drive pinion extends through and is spaced apart from the sun gear. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The axle assembly of claim 6 wherein the sun gear is partially disposed in the gear cavity and partially disposed in the differential carrier. ### Claim 9 An axle assembly comprising: an axle housing; a differential carrier that is disposed on the axle housing and rotatably supports a differential; a differential carrier cover that is mounted to an end of the differential carrier that is disposed opposite the axle housing; an electric motor module disposed in the differential carrier between the axle housing and the differential carrier cover; and a gear reduction module that is disposed adjacent to the differential carrier cover, wherein the gear reduction module transmits torque from the electric motor module to the differential via a drive pinion, wherein the gear reduction module includes a compound planetary gear set. ### Claim 10 (depends on 6) The axle assembly of claim 6 wherein an adapter couples a rotor of the electric motor module to a sun gear of a planetary gear set of the gear reduction module. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The axle assembly of claim 10 wherein the sun gear is received an adapter hole of the adapter. ### Claim 12 An axle assembly comprising: an axle housing; a differential carrier that is disposed on the axle housing and rotatably supports differential; a differential carrier cover that is mounted to an end of the differential carrier that is disposed opposite the axle housing; an electric motor module disposed in the differential carrier between the axle housing and the differential carrier cover; and a gear reduction module that is disposed adjacent to the differential carrier cover, wherein the gear reduction module transmits torque from the electric motor module to the differential via a drive pinion; and a shill mechanism housing that is disposed on the differential carrier cover opposite the differential carrier, wherein a planet gear carrier of the gear reduction module is rotatably supported on the shift mechanism housing by a roller bearing assembly. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The axle assembly of claim 12 further comprising an adapter that couples a sun gear to the electric motor module, wherein the adapter is disposed in the differential carrier between the axle housing and the differential carrier cover. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The axle assembly of claim 13 wherein the adapter includes a tubular body that defines an adapter hole wherein the sun gear is received in the adapter hole. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The axle assembly of claim 14 wherein the adapter includes a flange portion that extends from the tubular body and extends away from an axis, wherein the flange portion is fixedly coupled to a rotor of the electric motor module. ### Claim 16 (depends on 14) The axle assembly of claim 14 wherein the drive pinion extends through and is spaced apart from the adapter hole. ### Claim 17 An axle assembly comprising: an axle housing; a differential carrier that is mounted to the axle housing and rotatably supports a differential; a differential carrier cover that is mounted to an end of the differential carrier that is disposed opposite the axle housing, the differential carrier cover having a gear cavity that is disposed outside of the differential carrier and opposite the differential carrier; an electric motor module that is completely disposed in the differential carrier; and a gear reduction module that is at least partially received in the gear cavity, wherein the gear reduction module transmits torque from the electric motor module to the differential via a drive pinion, wherein lubricant flows between the axle housing and the gear cavity by flowing through the differential carrier. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The axle assembly of claim 17 wherein the electric motor module includes a rotor that is rotatable about an axis, the gear reduction module includes a sun gear that is rotatable about the axis and that is disposed in the differential carrier and extends through the differential carrier cover, and an adapter that couples the rotor to the sun gear, wherein the adapter is disposed in the differential carrier between the axle housing and the differential carrier cover. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The axle assembly of claim 18 wherein lubricant flows between the axle housing and the gear cavity by flowing through the differential carrier housing, the adapter, and the sun gear. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The axle assembly of claim 18 wherein the adapter includes a tubular body that defines an adapter hole and a flange portion that extends from the tubular body away from the axis, wherein the sun gear is received in the adapter hole and the flange portion is fixedly coupled to the rotor. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The axle assembly of claim 20 further comprising an adapter seal that extends from the adapter to the differential carrier and a sun gear seal that extends from the sun gear to the differential carrier cover, wherein the adapter seal and the sun gear seal inhibit the lubricant from flowing to the electric motor module. ### Claim 22 (depends on 21) The axle assembly of claim 21 wherein the adapter seal extends around the tubular body of the adapter and extends from the tubular body to a bearing support wall of the differential carrier that is radially disposed between the drive pinion and the electric motor module, and the sun gear seal that extends around the sun gear and extends from the sun gear to the differential carrier cover. ### Claim 23 An axle assembly comprising: an axle housing; a differential carrier that is disposed on the axle housing and rotatably supports a differential; a differential carrier cover that is mounted to an end of the differential carrier that is disposed opposite the axle housing, the differential carrier cover including a gear cavity that is disposed outside of the differential carrier; an electric motor module disposed in the differential carrier between the axle housing and the differential carrier cover, the electric motor module including a rotor that is rotatable about an axis; a gear reduction module that is disposed adjacent to the differential carrier cover and is at least partially disposed in the gear cavity, wherein the gear reduction module transmits torque from the electric motor module to the differential via a drive pinion, wherein the gear reduction module includes a sun gear that is operatively connected to the electric motor module and rotatable about the axis, a planetary ring gear that is received in the gear cavity and is fixedly positioned with respect to the differential carrier cover, a planet gear that meshes with the sun gear and the planetary ring gear, and a planet gear carrier that rotatably supports the planet gear; and an adapter that couples the sun gear to the electric motor module, wherein the adapter is disposed in the differential carrier between the axle housing and the differential carrier cover, the adapter including a tubular body that defines an adapter hole and a flange portion that extends from the tubular body and extends away from the axis, wherein the sun gear is received in the adapter hole and the flange portion is fixedly coupled to the rotor. ### Claim 24 (depends on 23) The axle assembly of claim 23 wherein a shift mechanism housing extends from a side of the differential carrier cover that is disposed opposite the differential carrier, and a roller bearing assembly rotatably supports the planet gear carrier on the shift mechanism housing.