Electric drive axle system with removable planetary gear assembly
AssigneeDana Automotive Systems Group, LLC
InventorsEric M. Engerman, Mitchell R. Lawson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Methods and systems for an electric drive axle of a vehicle are provided. An electric drive axle system includes, in one example, a gear train configured to rotationally attach to an electric motor-generator. The gear train includes an output shaft rotationally coupled to a first planetary gear assembly axially offset from an input shaft rotationally coupled to the electric motor-generator, the first planetary gear assembly configured to removably couple to a differential arranged co-axial with an axle.
Claims17
An electric drive axle system, comprising:
- a multi-speed gear train configured to rotationally attach to an electric motor-generator, the multi-speed gear train comprising:
- a first shaft rotationally coupled to a first planetary gear set axially offset from a second shaft rotationally coupled to the electric motor-generator;
- wherein the first planetary gear set includes a gear that is configured to removably and directly attach to a differential arranged co-axial with an axle shaft via an attachment interface that includes a plurality of attachment recesses in a case of the differential;
- and
- further comprising a snap ring, a spring, and a thrust bearing coupled to a sun gear and a carrier in the first planetary gear set.
A method for swapping gear sets in an electric drive axle system, comprising:
- while the electric drive axle system is attached to a vehicle, removing a section of a housing from sections of the housing enclosing an electric motor-generator and a multi-speed gear train;
- decoupling a first planetary gear set from a differential and an output shaft rotationally coupled to the multi-speed gear train;
- and
- coupling a second planetary gear set to the differential and the output shaft, the second planetary gear set having a different gear ratio than the first planetary gear set,
- wherein decoupling the first planetary gear set from the differential includes removing attachment devices extending through attachment interfaces in each of the first planetary gear set and a differential case.
An electric beam axle, comprising:
- a multi-speed gear train configured to rotationally attach to an electric motor-generator, the multi-speed gear train comprising:
- a first shaft rotationally coupled to the electric motor-generator;
- and
- a second shaft configured to rotationally and removably couple to a first gear in a first planetary gear set and a second gear in a second planetary gear set;
- and
- a differential configured to directly and removably attach to a third gear in the first planetary gear set and a fourth gear in the second planetary gear set;
- wherein the second shaft is coaxial with axle shafts that are coupled to the differential and drive wheels;
- wherein the first shaft is axially offset from the second shaft;
- and
- wherein the gear ratios of the first and second planetary gear sets are different from one another and fixed;
- and
- a clutch assembly configured to rotationally couple and decouple a gear set from an output shaft, wherein a sun gear in the first planetary gear set is configured to counteract at least a portion of an axial force acting on the clutch assembly when the clutch assembly is engaged.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.