Electrified axle assembly
AssigneeAllison Transmission, Inc.
InventorsShaun Mepham, Christopher G. Baillie, James A. Raszkowski
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An electrified axle assembly includes a first and second motor, a first and second idler shaft, and one or more output shafts mechanically engaged with the first and/or second idler shafts and one or more axles. In some embodiments, the electrified axle assembly may include two output shafts, with each output shaft meshed with a corresponding one of the idler shafts and a corresponding one of the axles. In other embodiments, the electrified axle assembly may include a single output shaft meshed with each of the idler shaft and each axle. Additional single motor and single and dual speed embodiments are also disclosed.
Claims18
An electrified axle assembly comprising:
- a motor including a pinion;
- an idler shaft including a drive wheel meshed with the pinion of the motor and a first idler gear, wherein the first idler gear is configurable between an unengaged state in which the first idler gear is configured to rotate freely on the idler shaft and an engaged state in which the idler gear rotates with the idler shaft;
- an output shaft having a first output gear meshed with the first idler gear in each of the unengaged state and the engaged state, wherein the first idler gear cooperates with the first output gear to define a first gear ratio of the electrified axle assembly;
- a planetary gear set mechanically coupled between the output shaft and an axle, wherein the output shaft forms a portion of the planetary gear set;
- and
- a differential mechanically coupled to the planetary gear set.
An electrified axle assembly comprising:
- an axle;
- a motor including a pinion;
- an idler shaft including a drive wheel meshed with the pinion of the motor, a first idler gear, and a second idler gear, wherein (i) the first idler gear is configurable between an unengaged state in which the first idler gear is configured to rotate freely on the idler shaft and an engaged state in which the idler gear rotates with the idler shaft and (ii) the second idler gear is configurable between an unengaged state in which the second idler gear is configured to rotate freely on the idler shaft and an engaged state in which the second idler gear rotates with the idler shaft, wherein the first idler gear is in the unengaged state when the second idler gear is in the engaged state and wherein the second idler gear is in the ungagged state when the first idler gear is in the engaged state;
- an output shaft having a first output gear meshed with the first idler gear in each of the unengaged state and the engaged state of the first idler gear and a second output gear meshed with the second idler gear in each of the unengaged state and the engaged state of the second idler gear, wherein the first idler gear cooperates with the first output gear to define a first gear ratio and the second idler gear cooperates with the second output gear to define a second gear ratio different from the first gear ratio;
- a shift mechanism operable to individually configure the first and second idler gears into the unengaged and engaged states, wherein the shift mechanism includes a shift ring positioned on and movable along the idler shaft between the first idler gear and the second idler gear, the shift ring being coupled to the idler shaft such that shift ring rotates with the idler shaft;
- a planetary gear set mechanically coupled between the output shaft and the axle, wherein the output includes a sun gear of the planetary gear set, and wherein the planetary gear set further includes a plurality of planet gears meshed with the sun gear of the output shaft and a ring gear of the planetary gear set;
- and a differential mechanically coupled to the planetary gear set.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.