Disconnecting electric drive unit
AssigneeAmerican Axle & Manufacturing, Inc.
InventorsPaul J. Valente, Joseph S. Balenda, II
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electric drive unit having a disconnecting differential a multi-phase electric motor and an inverter that controls power to the electric motor. The inverter has an inverter mount, a plurality of power semiconductors that are mounted to the inverter mount, and a plurality of busbars. Each of the busbars has first and second busbar portions, each having a body and a plurality of fingers. The fingers on the first and second busbar portions are mechanically and electrically coupled to opposite sides of terminals on corresponding ones of the power semiconductors.
Claims13
An electric drive unit comprising:
- a housing;
- an electric motor received in the housing, the electric motor having a motor output shaft;
- a transmission received in the housing, the transmission including a transmission input gear, which is coupled to the motor output shaft for rotation therewith, and a transmission output gear that is rotatable about an output axis;
- a differential assembly received in the housing, the differential assembly including a differential case, a differential gearset, and first and second differential output members, the differential case being coupled to the transmission output gear for rotation therewith about the output axis, the differential case defining an annular shoulder through which a plurality of circumferentially spaced-apart apertures are formed, the differential gearset having a plurality of differential pinions, which are coupled to the differential case for rotation therewith, and first and second side gears that are drivingly engaged with the differential pinions and being rotatable about the output axis relative to the differential case, the first differential output member being coupled to the first side gear for rotation therewith, the second differential output member being rotatable relative to the second side gear about the output axis, the second differential output member being movable along the output axis between a first position, in which the second differential output member is rotationally decoupled from the second side gear, and a second position in which the second differential output member is rotationally coupled to the second side gear;
- a plurality of pins, each of the pins being received in an associated one of the pin apertures such that a first axial end of each of the pins abuts the second differential output member and a second, opposite axial end of each of the pins extends outwardly of the differential case from the annular shoulder;
- a first axle shaft coupled for rotation with the first differential output member;
- a second axle shaft coupled for rotation with the second differential output member;
- an actuation flange received onto the differential case, the actuation flange having a first annular flange member that abuts the second axial ends of the pins;
- and
- an actuator that is configured to move the actuation flange along the output axis, the actuator having an actuator fork that engages the actuation flange.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.