US 12,179,861 B1Granted

Electric portal wheel hub system

OwnerRobert P Thomas, Jordan Thomasinventors

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Abstract

An electrical portal wheel hub system is coupled with a wheel of a vehicle and utilizes an electric motor/generator configured to drive the wheel or generate power through application of braking torque to the wheel, and may be coupled with two or more wheels of the vehicle, wherein generated power is provided to a portal hub battery. The portal hub battery may provide power to the electric motors, or to other electrical devices or batteries of the vehicle. The vehicle may include a trailer or non-driven wheels having a connecting axle and an electrical portal hub may be coupled to these otherwise, non-driven wheels. The vehicle may be an electric vehicle and the electrical portal wheel hub system may provide power to a vehicle battery that provides power to drive the wheels of the vehicle. A controller may control power from the portal hub battery to the electric motor/generators and or other battery and devices to provide energy efficiency.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A vehicle comprising:

a) two wheels;
b) a hub battery that is a rechargeable battery;
c) an electronic control unit;
d) an electrical portal wheel hub system comprising:
i) an electrical portal hub coupled to each of said two wheels and each electrical portal hub comprising:
a hub casing;
an electric motor having a rotational axis;
an input gear coupled with the electric motor and driven by said electric motor;
wherein the input gear is coupled with the electric motor and a wheel of said two wheels and provides torque to drive said wheel;
an output gear that is coupled with the input gear and wherein the output gear drives said wheel;
a drive axle coupled with said electric motor;
wherein the rotational axis of the electric motor is vertically offset a vertical offset distance from a rotational axis of said wheel;
wherein the drive axle has a rotational axis that is vertically offset a vertical offset distance above the rotational axis of said wheel;
wherein the electric motor is powered by said battery;
wherein the input gear is driven by the electric motor;
and
wherein the electric motors provide electrical power to the hub battery to charge said hub battery, whereby the electric motors act as a generator.

14 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 18/219,882Filed 10 Jul 2023 · continuation in part
Priority: 30 Nov 2018
Granted: 31 Dec 2024
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification34 codes

B62D 59/04
Trailers with driven ground wheels or the like: driven from propulsion unit on trailer
B60G 3/20
With two or more pivoted arms, e.g. parallelogram: all arms being rigid
B60G 9/003
Resilient suspensions of a rigid axle or axle housing for two or more wheels: the axle being rigidly connected to a trailing guiding device
B60K 1/02
Arrangement or mounting of electrical propulsion units: comprising more than one electric motor

Family

Application62/774,073Us provisional application · filed 30 Nov 2018
Application16/701,123Parent of this continuation-in-part · filed 2 Dec 2019
Application63/451,950Us provisional application · filed 14 Mar 2023
Application63/464,630Us provisional application · filed 8 May 2023
US 11,697,340 B1Parent of this continuation-in-part
US 12,179,861 B1This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.

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