# US 12,224,649 B1 · Modular electric motor assembly > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,224,649 B1 - Document ID: US12224649B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 18/739,195 - Filed: 2024-06-10 - Granted: 2025-02-11 - Earliest claimed: 2023-08-17 - Assignees: Flyer Next, LLC - Applicants: Flyer Next, LLC - Inventors: Bruce Churchill Falls; Scott Kochan; Oded Nechushtan - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12224649B1 ## CPC - H02K 7/116: with gears - H02K 16/00: Machines with more than one rotor or stator {(machines for transmitting mechanical power from a driving shaft to a driven shaft and comprising structurally interrelated motor and generator parts H02K51/00; permanent magnet machines with multiple rotors or stators relatively rotated for vectorially combining the excitation fields or the armature voltages H02K21/029)} - B60K 1/02: comprising more than one electric motor - B60K 17/02: characterised by arrangement, location, or kind of clutch - 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) - F16H 1/22: with a plurality of driving or driven shafts; with arrangements for dividing torque between two or more intermediate shafts - F16H 3/54: one of the central gears being internally toothed and the other externally toothed - F16H 37/065: {with a plurality of driving or driven shafts (F16H37/0806 takes precedence)} - F16H 57/021: Shaft support structures, e.g. partition walls, bearing eyes, casing walls or covers with bearings - H02K 7/108: with friction clutches - H02K 7/11: with dynamo-electric clutches - H02K 9/19: for machines with closed casing and closed-circuit cooling using a liquid cooling medium, e.g. oil - H02K 24/00: Machines adapted for the instantaneous transmission or reception of the angular displacement of rotating parts, e.g. synchro, selsyn - F16H 3/724: {using externally powered electric machines} - F16H 2057/02034: {Gearboxes combined or connected with electric machines} - F16H 2057/02052: {Axle units; Transfer casings for four wheel drive} - F16H 2200/0021: specially adapted for electric vehicles - F16H 2200/2005: with one sets of orbital gears - H02K 2213/09: Machines characterised by the presence of elements which are subject to variation, e.g. adjustable bearings, reconfigurable windings, variable pitch ventilators - H02K 2213/12: Machines characterised by the modularity of some components - H02K: DYNAMO-ELECTRIC MACHINES (dynamo-electric relays H01H53/00; conversion of DC or AC input power into surge output power {H03K3/53}) - 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 - 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 - F16H: GEARING ## Abstract An electric motor assembly is disclosed. The electric motor assembly can include a plurality of electric motors coupled to a common gear assembly. Individual motors within the electric motor assembly can be dynamically controlled to increase motor efficiency at a given torque and RPM output. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electric motor assembly comprising: a housing comprising a plurality of cavities; a gear assembly comprising: a sun gear, planetary gears rotatably fixed relative to the housing and coupled to the sun gear, a ring gear comprising gear teeth on both an inner and outer side, the planetary gears enmeshed with the gear teeth on the inner side of the ring gear, and outer adjacent gears enmeshed with the gear teeth on the outer side of the ring gear; a plurality of electric motors at least partially within the plurality of cavities, the plurality of electric motors comprising: a first electric motor coupled to the sun gear, and outer adjacent electric motors coupled to the outer adjacent gears; and a controller to activate and deactivate one or more motors of the plurality of electric motors. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The electric motor assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of cavities comprises peripheral cavities arranged around a central cavity, the first electric motor being at least partially within the central cavity. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The electric motor assembly of claim 1, wherein the outer adjacent electric motors are an even number of electric motors. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The electric motor assembly of claim 1, wherein the sun gear forms a first gear ratio with the ring gear and the outer adjacent gears form a second gear ratio with the ring gear, the first gear ratio being lower than the second gear ratio. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The electric motor assembly of claim 1, wherein the planetary gears are an even number of gears. ### Claim 6 A vehicle comprising: an electric drive system comprising: an electric motor assembly comprising: a gear assembly comprising a ring gear and a plurality of adjacent gears coupled to the ring gear, the ring gear being coupled to a drive plate to transmit a torque to an external component, the plurality of adjacent gears comprising inner adjacent gears coupled to the ring gear inside a perimeter of the ring gear and one or more outer adjacent gears coupled to the ring gear outside a perimeter of the ring gear, and a plurality of electric motors, each of the plurality of electric motors coupled to an adjacent gear of the plurality of adjacent gears; a control system to activate and deactivate one or more motors of the plurality of electric motors; an energy storage system coupled to the electric motor assembly; and a power demand system to communicate a torque need to the control system to activate or deactivate the one or more motors, wherein the control system is configured to activate and deactivate the one or more motors based on the torque need such that a number of simultaneously activated motors of the plurality of electric motors depends on the torque need. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The vehicle of claim 6, wherein the electric motor assembly further comprises a housing comprising a plurality of cavities. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The vehicle of claim 7, wherein the plurality of electric motors is at least partially within the plurality of cavities. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The vehicle of claim 8, wherein the plurality of electric motors comprises: a first electric motor coupled to an inner adjacent gear, and a plurality of outer adjacent electric motors coupled to outer adjacent gears of the one or more outer adjacent gears. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the plurality of cavities comprises peripheral cavities arranged around a central cavity, the first electric motor being at least partially within the central cavity. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The vehicle of claim 9, wherein the plurality of outer adjacent electric motors is an even number of electric motors. ### Claim 12 (depends on 6) The vehicle of claim 6, wherein the number of simultaneously activated motors of the plurality of electric motors is a maximally efficient number of motors, given the torque need. ### Claim 13 An electric motor assembly, comprising: a housing comprising a plurality of cavities; a gear assembly, comprising: an output gear coupled to a rotatable output shaft configured to transfer a torque to an external component, and a plurality of adjacent gears coupled to the output gear and to a plurality of rotatable adjacent shafts; a plurality of electric motors at least partially within the plurality of cavities, each of the plurality of electric motors coupled to an adjacent gear of the plurality of adjacent gears via a rotatable adjacent shaft of the plurality of rotatable adjacent shafts; a controller to activate and deactivate one or more motors of the plurality of electric motors; and a plurality of clutches to mechanically engage and disengage the plurality of electric motors from the plurality of adjacent gears, each of the plurality of clutches selectively securing an adjacent gear of the plurality of adjacent gears relative to a rotatable adjacent shaft of the plurality of rotatable adjacent shafts. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The electric motor assembly of claim 13, wherein each of the plurality of clutches comprises a hydraulically or pneumatically operated clutch pack. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The electric motor assembly of claim 13, wherein the plurality of clutches comprises electromagnetic clutches. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The electric motor assembly of claim 13, wherein the plurality of clutches comprises sprag clutches. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The electric motor assembly of claim 13, further comprising a single resolver per multiple motors of the plurality of electric motors. ### Claim 18 A vehicle comprising: an electric drive system comprising: an electric motor assembly comprising: a gear assembly comprising an output gear and one or more adjacent gears coupled to the output gear, the output gear being coupled to a rotatable output shaft and the one or more adjacent gears being coupled to one or more rotatable adjacent shafts, a plurality of electric motors comprising: one or more adjacent electric motors, each of the one or more adjacent electric motors coupled to an adjacent gear of the one or more adjacent gears via a rotatable adjacent shaft of the one or more rotatable adjacent shafts, and one or more clutches to mechanically engage and disengage the one or more adjacent electric motors from the one or more adjacent gears, each of the one or more clutches selectively securing an adjacent gear of the one or more adjacent gears relative to a rotatable adjacent shaft of the one or more rotatable adjacent shafts; a control system to activate and deactivate one or more motors of the plurality of electric motors and to operate the one or more clutches; an energy storage system coupled to the electric motor assembly; and a power demand system to communicate a torque need to the control system to activate or deactivate the one or more motors, the control system being configured to: activate and deactivate the one or more motors based on the torque need such that a number of simultaneously activated motors of the plurality of electric motors depends on the torque need, and mechanically disengage, by operating a clutch of the one or more clutches, a deactivated adjacent electric motor of the one or more adjacent electric motors from an adjacent gear of the one or more adjacent gears in conjunction with the deactivated adjacent electric motor being deactivated. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The vehicle of claim 18, wherein each of the one or more clutches comprises a hydraulically or pneumatically operated clutch pack. ### Claim 20 (depends on 18) The vehicle of claim 18, wherein the one or more clutches are electromagnetic clutches. ### Claim 21 (depends on 18) The vehicle of claim 18, wherein the one or more clutches are sprag clutches. ### Claim 22 (depends on 18) The vehicle of claim 18, wherein the electric motor assembly further comprises a single resolver per multiple motors of the plurality of electric motors.