# US 11,305,653 B2 · Electric vehicle drive device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,305,653 B2 - Document ID: US11305653B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/334,905 - Filed: 2017-09-15 - Published: 2019-09-19 - Granted: 2022-04-19 - Earliest claimed: 2016-09-21 - Assignees: Nsk Ltd. - Applicants: Nsk Ltd. - Inventors: Ryuho Morita; Yasuyuki Matsuda; Mitsuru Oike; Daisuke Gunji; Shin Yamamoto - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11305653B2 ## CPC - B60L 15/20: for control of the vehicle or its driving motor to achieve a desired performance, e.g. speed, torque, programmed variation of speed - B60L 50/60: using power supplied by batteries (in combination with fuel cells B60L50/75) - B60K 1/02: comprising more than one electric motor - B60K 7/00: Disposition of motor in, or adjacent to, traction wheel - B60K 7/0007: {the motor being electric} - B60K 17/02: characterised by arrangement, location, or kind of clutch - B60K 17/046: {with planetary gearing having orbital motion} - B60K 17/08: of mechanical type - B60L 9/18: fed from DC supply lines - B60L 15/2054: {by controlling transmissions or clutches} - F16H 3/66: composed of a number of gear trains without drive passing from one train to another - F16H 3/72: with a secondary drive, e.g. regulating motor, in order to vary speed continuously - F16H 3/725: {with means to change ratio in the mechanical gearing} - F16H 3/728: {with means to change ratio in the mechanical gearing} - B60K 2007/003: {with two or more motors driving a single wheel} - B60K 2007/0061: {the motor axle being parallel to the wheel axle} - B60K 2007/0092: {the motor axle being coaxial to the wheel axle} - B60L 2220/44: Wheel Hub motors, i.e. integrated in the wheel hub - B60L 2240/421: Speed - B60L 2240/423: Torque - B60L 2240/461: Speed - B60L 2240/486: Operating parameters - B60L 2240/507: Operating parameters - B60L 2250/26: by pedal actuation - B60L 2260/26: Transition between different drive modes - B60L 2270/145: Structure borne vibrations - B60Y 2400/73: Planetary gearings - F16H 2200/0021: specially adapted for electric vehicles - F16H 2200/201: with three sets of orbital gears - Y02T 10/64: Electric machine technologies in electromobility - Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries - Y02T 10/72: Electric energy management in electromobility - B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES - 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 - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract An electric vehicle drive device includes: a first motor; a second motor; a transmission mechanism coupled to the first motor and the second motor; and a control unit configured to control operation of the first motor and the second motor based on a drive signal. The transmission mechanism includes: a sun gear shaft coupled to the first motor; a first planetary gear mechanism; a second planetary gear mechanism; and a one-way clutch configured to restrict a rotation direction of a first carrier to a predetermined positive rotation direction. The drive signal includes gear change information indicating a first state in which the second motor is controlled based on torque or a second state in which the second motor is controlled based on rotation speed, and throttle information indicating an acceleration of rotation speed of a wheel. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electric vehicle drive device, comprising: a first motor; a second motor; a detection unit configured to detect rotation speed of the first motor; a filtering unit configured to converge an increase/decrease amount of the rotation speed of the first motor detected by the detection unit; a transmission mechanism coupled to the first motor and the second motor; and a control unit configured to control operation of the first motor and the second motor based on a drive signal, wherein the transmission mechanism comprises: a sun gear shaft coupled to the first motor; a first planetary gear mechanism including a first sun gear configured to rotate together with the sun gear shaft, a first pinion gear engaged with the first sun gear, a first ring gear engaged with the first pinion gear and coupled to the second motor, and a first carrier that is provided to be rotatable about the sun gear shaft and supports the first pinion gear, and a second planetary gear mechanism including a second sun gear configured to rotate together with the sun gear shaft, a second pinion gear engaged with the second sun gear, a third pinion gear engaged with the second pinion gear, a second ring gear engaged with the third pinion gear and coupled to an output shaft, and a second carrier that supports the second pinion gear and the third pinion gear and is coupled to the first ring gear to rotate about the sun gear shaft, the drive signal includes gear change information indicating a first state in which torque of the second motor is controlled or a second state in which rotation speed of the second motor is controlled and throttle information indicating an acceleration of rotation speed of a wheel, and based on determining that the drive signal includes the gear change information indicating the first state, the control unit determines a first command value based on the throttle information, the first command value being a torque command value of the first motor for the positive rotation direction, and controls the first motor in accordance with the first command value, and determines a second command value based on the throttle information, the second command value being a torque command value of the second motor for a rotation direction reverse to the positive rotation direction, and controls the second motor in accordance with the second command value, and wherein, in a case where the first motor is rotated in a rotation direction reverse to the positive rotation direction and the second motor is rotated in the positive rotation direction, when the rotation speed of the first motor is represented by NMA, the rotation speed of the second motor is represented by NMB, a reduction ratio in the first planetary gear mechanism is represented by i1, and a reduction ratio in the second planetary gear mechanism is represented by i2, the control unit determines NMB within a range indicated by Equation (1): - 1 i 1 × N MA ≤ N MB < ( 1 1 - i 2 ) × N MA . ( 1 ) ### Claim 2 An electric vehicle drive device, comprising: a first motor; a second motor; a transmission mechanism coupled to the first motor and the second motor; and a control unit configured to control operation of the first motor and the second motor based on a drive signal, wherein the transmission mechanism comprises: a sun gear shaft coupled to the first motor; a first planetary gear mechanism including a first sun gear configured to rotate together with the sun gear shaft, a first pinion gear engaged with the first sun gear, a first ring gear engaged with the first pinion gear and coupled to the second motor, and a first carrier provided to be rotatable about the sun gear shaft and supports the first pinion gear; a second planetary gear mechanism including a second sun gear configured to rotate together with the sun gear shaft, a second pinion gear engaged with the second sun gear, a third pinion gear engaged with the second pinion gear, a second ring gear engaged with the third pinion gear and coupled to an output shaft, and a second carrier that supports the second pinion gear and the third pinion gear and is coupled to the first ring gear to rotate about the sun gear shaft; and a detection unit configured to detect rotation speed of the first motor; and a filtering unit configured to converge an increase/decrease amount of the rotation speed of the first motor detected by the detection unit, the drive signal includes gear change information indicating a first state in which torque of the second motor is controlled or a second state in which rotation speed of the second motor is controlled and throttle information indicating an acceleration of rotation speed of a wheel, and based on determining that the drive signal includes the gear change information indicating the second state, the control unit determines a torque command value of the first motor for the positive rotation direction based on the throttle information and controls the first motor in accordance with the torque command value, and determines a rotation speed command value corresponding to the rotation speed of the first motor detected by the detection unit and controls the second motor in accordance with the rotation speed command value, and wherein, in a case where the first motor is rotated in a rotation direction reverse to the positive rotation direction and the second motor is rotated in the positive rotation direction, when the rotation speed of the first motor is represented by NMA, the rotation speed of the second motor is represented by NMB, a reduction ratio in the first planetary gear mechanism is represented by i1, and a reduction ratio in the second planetary gear mechanism is represented by i2, the control unit determines NMB within a range indicated by Equation (1): - 1 i 1 × N MA ≤ N MB < ( 1 1 - i 2 ) × N MA . ( 1 ) ### Claim 3 An electric vehicle drive device, comprising: a first motor; a second motor; a detection unit configured to detect rotation speed of the first motor; a filtering unit configured to converge an increase/decrease amount of the rotation speed of the first motor detected by the detection unit; a transmission mechanism coupled to the first motor and the second motor; and a control unit configured to control operation of the first motor and the second motor based on a drive signal, wherein the transmission mechanism comprises: a sun gear shaft coupled to the first motor; a first planetary gear mechanism including a first sun gear configured to rotate together with the sun gear shaft, a first pinion gear engaged with the first sun gear, a first ring gear engaged with the first pinion gear and coupled to the second motor, and a first carrier that is provided to be rotatable about the sun gear shaft and supports the first pinion gear; a second planetary gear mechanism including a second sun gear configured to rotate together with the sun gear shaft, a second pinion gear engaged with the second sun gear, a third pinion gear engaged with the second pinion gear, a second ring gear engaged with the third pinion gear and coupled to an output shaft, and a second carrier that supports the second pinion gear and the third pinion gear and is coupled to the first ring gear to rotate about the sun gear shaft; and a one-way clutch configured to restrict a rotation direction of the first carrier to a predetermined positive rotation direction, the drive signal includes gear change information indicating a first state in which torque of the second motor is controlled or a second state in which rotation speed of the second motor is controlled, and the control unit controls the torque or the rotation speed of the second motor based on determining that the drive signal includes the gear change information indicating the first state or the second state, and wherein, in a case where the first motor is rotated in a rotation direction reverse to the positive rotation direction and the second motor is rotated in the positive rotation direction, when the rotation speed of the first motor is represented by NMA, the rotation speed of the second motor is represented by NMB, a reduction ratio in the first planetary gear mechanism is represented by i1, and a reduction ratio in the second planetary gear mechanism is represented by i2, the control unit determines NMB within a range indicated by Equation (1): - 1 i 1 × N MA ≤ N MB < ( 1 1 - i 2 ) × N MA . ( 1 ) ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The electric vehicle drive device according to claim 3, wherein the drive signal includes throttle information indicating an acceleration of rotation speed of a wheel, and when the gear change information indicates the first state, the control unit determines a first command value based on the throttle information, the first command value being a torque command value of the first motor for the positive rotation direction, and controls the first motor in accordance with the first command value, and determines a second command value based on the throttle information, the second command value being a torque command value of the second motor for the reverse rotation direction, and controls the second motor in accordance with the second command value. ### Claim 5 (depends on 3) The electric vehicle drive device according to claim 3, comprising a detection unit configured to detect rotation speed of the first motor, wherein the drive signal includes throttle information indicating an acceleration of rotation speed of a wheel, and when the gear change information indicates the second state, the control unit determines a torque command value of the first motor for the positive rotation direction based on the throttle information and controls the first motor in accordance with the torque command value, and determines a rotation speed command value corresponding to the rotation speed of the first motor detected by the detection unit and controls the second motor in accordance with the rotation speed command value. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The electric vehicle drive device according to claim 5, wherein when the second state shifts to the first state, the one-way clutch shifts from a state in which the rotation of the first carrier is not restricted to a state in which the rotation is restricted, and until the one-way clutch shifts from the state in which the rotation of the first carrier is not restricted to the state in which the rotation is restricted, the control unit controls the first motor with a first shift value in which a torque command value for the positive rotation direction is smaller than a first command value that is a torque command value of the first motor for the positive rotation direction, and controls the second motor with a second shift value in which a torque command value for the reverse rotation direction is smaller than a second command value that is a torque command value of the second motor for the reverse rotation direction. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The electric vehicle drive device according to claim 6, wherein, after the one-way clutch shifts to the state in which the rotation of the first carrier is restricted, the control unit gradually increases the torque command value of the first motor for the positive rotation direction from the first shift value to the first command value, and gradually increases the torque command value of the second motor for the reverse rotation direction from the second shift value to the second command value. ### Claim 8 (depends on 5) The electric vehicle drive device according to claim 5, wherein, when the drive signal includes the gear change information indicating the first state and when a torque command value for a reverse rotation direction of the second motor determined based on the throttle information is smaller than a predetermined lower limit value, the control unit sets the second command value to the lower limit value. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The electric vehicle drive device according to claim 8, wherein, when the drive signal includes the gear change information indicating the first state and when the torque command value for the reverse rotation direction of the second motor determined based on the throttle information is equal to or larger than the lower limit value, the control unit sets an absolute value of the first command value and an absolute value of the second command value to the same value.