# US 12,222,030 B1 · Electric drive unit > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,222,030 B1 - Document ID: US12222030B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 18/605,118 - Filed: 2024-03-14 - Granted: 2025-02-11 - Earliest claimed: 2024-03-14 - Assignees: Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG - Applicants: Schaeffler Technologies AG & Co. KG - Inventors: Kyle Nelson - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12222030B1 ## CPC - F16H 57/0423: {Lubricant guiding means mounted or supported on the casing, e.g. shields or baffles for collecting lubricant, tubes or pipes} - F16H 57/0457: {Splash lubrication} - 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) - F16H 57/021: Shaft support structures, e.g. partition walls, bearing eyes, casing walls or covers with bearings - F16H 57/0415: {Air cooling or ventilation; Heat exchangers; Thermal insulations} - F16H 57/0424: {Lubricant guiding means in the wall of or integrated with the casing, e.g. grooves, channels, holes} - F16H 57/0476: {Electric machines and gearing, i.e. joint lubrication or cooling or heating thereof} - F16H 57/0483: {Axle or inter-axle differentials} - F16H 57/0486: {with fixed gear ratio (axle or inter-axle differentials F16H57/0483)} - 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} - F16H 57/0025: {with gearing elements rigidly connected to a shaft, e.g. securing gears or pulleys by specially adapted splines, keys or methods} - F16H 2057/02034: {Gearboxes combined or connected with electric machines} - F16H 2057/02052: {Axle units; Transfer casings for four wheel drive} - F16H: GEARING - 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 ## Abstract An electric drive unit includes: a motor that rotates a rotor shaft; a housing with a bearing shield extending between motor housing and gearbox regions, the bearing shield having a first side that faces toward the motor housing region and a second side that partially defines the gearbox region and along which a channel extends; a planetary gearset including a sun gear, planet gears, and a carrier; and a wiper coupled to the housing proximate to the channel and abutting the carrier, such that fluid is wiped off of the carrier by the wiper as the carrier rotates and flows to the channel therefrom. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electric drive unit, comprising: a motor that drives rotation of a rotor shaft; a housing that includes a bearing shield that extends between a motor housing region that houses the motor and a gearbox region, the bearing shield having a first side that faces toward the motor housing region and a second side opposite the first side that partially defines the gearbox region and along which a channel extends; a planetary gearset disposed within the gearbox region and including a sun gear operably coupled with the rotor shaft such that the sun gear and the rotor shaft are configured to rotate together at a common rate of rotation about an axis, a plurality of planet gears that interface with the sun gear and are configured to revolve around the axis, and a carrier that is operably coupled with the plurality of planet gears, such that revolution of the planet gears rotates the carrier about the axis; and a wiper coupled to the housing proximate to the channel and configured to abut the carrier, such that fluid is wiped off of the carrier by the wiper as the carrier rotates and flows to the channel therefrom. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The electric drive unit of claim 1, wherein the channel is formed wholly by the housing. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The electric drive unit of claim 1, wherein the second side of the bearing shield includes a cleft that at least partially forms the channel. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The electric drive unit of claim 3, wherein the cleft is wholly elevationally upward of the axis. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The electric drive unit of claim 1, further comprising: a stator carrier that cooperates with the first side of the bearing shield to define a fluid jacket, wherein the fluid jacket is radially and circumferentially aligned with at least a portion of the channel, such that heat is transferred from the fluid within the channel into the fluid jacket through the bearing shield. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The electric drive unit of claim 5, wherein the fluid within the channel is oil, and the fluid jacket contains water, and wherein heat is transferred from the oil to the water through the bearing shield. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The electric drive unit of claim 1, wherein the wiper is formed of a resilient material. ### Claim 8 An electric drive unit, comprising: a motor that drives rotation of a rotor shaft; a housing that includes a bearing shield that extends between a motor housing region that houses the motor and a gearbox region, the bearing shield having a first side that faces toward the motor housing region and a second side opposite the first side that partially defines the gearbox region and along which a channel extends; and a gearset disposed within the gearbox region and operably coupled with the rotor shaft, such that rotation of the rotor shaft causes the gearset to splash fluid that is within the gearbox region onto the second side of the bearing shield above the channel, wherein gravity draws the fluid downward along the second side of the bearing shield and into the channel. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The electric drive unit of claim 8, wherein the second side of the bearing shield includes a cleft that at least partially forms the channel. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The electric drive unit of claim 9, wherein the cleft is wholly elevationally upward of an axis about which the rotor shaft rotates. ### Claim 11 (depends on 8) The electric drive unit of claim 8, wherein the gearset is a planetary gearset that includes a carrier. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The electric drive unit of claim 11, further comprising: a wiper coupled to the housing and configured to wipe fluid off of the carrier as the carrier rotates. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The electric drive unit of claim 12, wherein the wiper is coupled to the second side of the bearing shield proximate the channel, such that the fluid that the wiper wipes off of the carrier flows into the channel. ### Claim 14 (depends on 12) The electric drive unit of claim 12, wherein the wiper is formed of a resilient material. ### Claim 15 (depends on 8) The electric drive unit of claim 8, further comprising: A stator carrier that cooperates with the first side of the bearing shield to define a fluid jacket, wherein the fluid jacket is radially and circumferentially aligned with at least a portion of the channel with respect to an axis about which the rotor shaft rotates, such that heat is transferred from the fluid within the channel into the fluid jacket through the bearing shield. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The electric drive unit of claim 15, wherein the fluid within the channel is oil, and the fluid jacket contains water, and wherein heat is transferred from the oil to the water through the bearing shield. ### Claim 17 An electric drive unit, comprising: a motor that drives rotation of a rotor shaft; a planetary gearset operably coupled with the rotor shaft and having a carrier; a housing that houses the motor and planetary gearset; and a wiper coupled to the housing and configured to wipe fluid off of the carrier as the carrier rotates. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The electric drive unit of claim 17, wherein the wiper is formed of a resilient material. ### Claim 19 (depends on 17) The electric drive unit of claim 17, wherein the housing includes a bearing shield that extends between the motor and the planetary gearset and includes a channel that is configured to receive fluid wiped off of the carrier by the wiper. ### Claim 20 (depends on 19) The electric drive unit of claim 19, wherein the channel is a cleft in the bearing shield that is positioned wholly elevationally upward of an axis about which the rotor shaft rotates.