# US 12,109,881 B2 · Modular electric vehicle drive module

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- Number: US 12,109,881 B2
- Document ID: US12109881B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/980,736
- Filed: 2022-11-04
- Published: 2024-05-09
- Granted: 2024-10-08
- Earliest claimed: 2022-11-04
- Assignees: BorgWarner Inc.
- Applicants: BorgWarner Inc.
- Inventors: Keith Van Maanen; Chengyun Guo
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12109881B2

## CPC

- 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 17/12: of electric gearing
- B60K 7/0007: {the motor being electric}
- B60K 17/043: {Transmission unit disposed in on near the vehicle wheel, or between the differential gear unit and the wheel}
- B60K 17/046: {with planetary gearing having orbital motion}
- B60K 17/16: of differential gearing
- B60K 17/22: characterised by arrangement, location, or type of main drive shafting, e.g. cardan shaft
- F16H 37/082: {and additional planetary reduction gears}
- H02K 7/116: with gears
- B60K 1/02: comprising more than one electric motor
- B60K 2001/001: {one motor mounted on a propulsion axle for rotating right and left wheels of this axle}
- B60K 2007/0046: {the motor moving together with the vehicle body, i.e. moving independently from the wheel axle}
- B60K 2007/0061: {the motor axle being parallel to the wheel axle}
- F16H 7/02: with belts; with V-belts
- H02K 7/003: {Couplings; Details of shafts (means for mounting rotors on shafts H02K1/28)}
- Y02T 10/62: Hybrid 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
- H02K: DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINES (dynamo-electric relays H01H53/00; conversion of DC or AC input power into surge output power {H03K3/53})
- Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION

## Abstract

A vehicular drive unit for a battery electric vehicle (BEV) includes an electric motor, for propelling the BEV, having an output shaft; a planetary gearbox, having an input and an output; a sprocket coupled to an output of the electric motor or an input of the planetary gearbox; and an endless loop rotatably coupled with the sprocket and the input of the planetary gearbox thereby configured to transmit rotational movement of the output shaft of the electric motor to a drive shaft of the BEV, wherein an axis of rotation of the drive shaft of the BEV is offset from an axis of rotation of the output shaft of the electric motor.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A vehicular drive unit for a battery electric vehicle (BEV), comprising:
an electric motor, for propelling the BEV, having an output shaft;
a first planetary gearset, having an input and an output, coaxial with the output shaft of the electric motor;
a sprocket coupled to the output of the first planetary gearset;
a second planetary gearset, having an input and an output, coaxial with a driveshaft of the BEV; and
an endless loop rotatably coupled with the sprocket, and the input of the second planetary gearset, such that the output of the second planetary gearbox is coupled to the driveshaft of the BEV thereby configured to transmit rotational movement of the output shaft of the electric motor to the drive shaft of the BEV, wherein an axis of rotation of the drive shaft of the BEV is offset from an axis of rotation of the output shaft of the electric motor and wherein the vehicular drive unit consists of a single electric motor driving one or more wheels of the vehicle.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The electrically-powered vehicular drive unit recited in claim 1, further comprising a differential coupled to an output of the planetary gearset.

### Claim 3

A vehicular drive unit for a battery electric vehicle (BEV), comprising:
an electric motor, for propelling the BEV, having an output shaft;
a first planetary gearset, having an input axially coupled with the output shaft of the electric motor, and an output;
a second planetary gearset, having an input, and an output coupled to a differential of the BEV; and
an endless loop rotatably coupled with the output of the first planetary gearset and the input of the second planetary gearset, wherein the differential of the BEV is offset from the shaft of the electric motor and wherein the vehicular drive unit consists of a single electric motor driving two or more wheels of the vehicle.

### Claim 4

A vehicular drive unit for a battery electric vehicle (BEV), comprising:
a first electric motor, for propelling the BEV, having an output shaft;
a first planetary gearbox coupled to the output shaft of the first electric motor via an endless loop and configured to couple with a first driveshaft that drives a first wheel of the BEV, wherein the first electric motor solely drives the first wheel of the BEV;
a second electric motor, for propelling the BEV, having an output shaft; and
a second planetary gearbox, coupled to the output shaft of the second electric motor via another endless loop, configured to couple with a second driveshaft that drives a second wheel of the BEV, wherein the second electric motor solely drives the second wheel of the BEV, the output shaft of the first electric motor is offset from the first driveshaft, and the output shaft of the second electric motor is offset from the second driveshaft.