# US 12,759,412 B2 · Axle module of an electrically driven vehicle

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- Number: US 12,759,412 B2
- Document ID: US12759412B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 18/580,876
- Filed: 2022-06-27
- Published: 2025-03-20
- Granted: 2026-10-13
- Earliest claimed: 2021-08-03
- Assignees: Robert Bosch GmbH
- Applicants: Robert Bosch GmbH
- Inventors: Florian Draeger; Michele Hirsch
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12759412B2

## CPC

- 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
- B60Q 5/008: {for signaling silent vehicles, e.g. for warning that a hybrid or electric vehicle is approaching}
- B60L 2250/10: by alarm
- B60L 2270/142: acoustic
- 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
- B60Q: ARRANGEMENT OF SIGNALLING OR LIGHTING DEVICES, THE MOUNTING OR SUPPORTING THEREOF OR CIRCUITS THEREFOR, FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL

## Abstract

The invention relates to an axle module (1) of a vehicle (10), comprising: —a drive unit (2), which has a vehicle axle (21), an electric motor (22), a transmission (23) and power electronics (24), wherein the vehicle axle (21) is designed for connecting to vehicle wheels (11); —a module carrier (3), which is designed for connecting to a vehicle body (12) of the vehicle (10); —an assembly bearing (4), which connects the drive unit (2) and the module carrier (3) to each other; and —a control device (5); wherein the drive unit (2), the module carrier (3) and the assembly bearing (4) jointly form a vibration transmission path (50), and wherein the control device (5) is designed to actuate the drive unit (2) in a controlled manner in accordance with acoustic and/or mechanical vibration transmission via the vibration transmission path (50), such that noise emission of the axle module (1) during operation of the axle module (1) is adjusted in a predefined way.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An axle module of a vehicle (10), comprising:
a drive unit (2), which has a vehicle axle (21), an electric motor (22), a transmission (23), and power electronics (24),
wherein the vehicle axle (21) is configured to connect to vehicle wheels (11),
a module carrier (3) which is configured to connect to a vehicle body (12) of the vehicle (10),
an assembly bearing (4), which connects the drive unit (2) and the module carrier (3) to each other, and
a control device (5),
wherein the drive unit (2), the module carrier (3) and the assembly bearing (4) jointly form a vibration transmission path (50), and
wherein the control device (5) is configured to actuate the drive unit (2) in a controlled manner to reduce a noise emission of the axle module (1) in accordance with acoustic and/or mechanical vibration transmission via the vibration transmission path (50), such that noise emission of the axle module (1) during operation of the axle module (1) is adjusted in a predefined way.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The axel module according to claim 1, wherein the control device (5) is configured to actuate the drive unit (2) in a controlled manner such that the axle module (1) generates a predefined warning noise.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The axel module according to claim 1, wherein the control device (5) is configured to adjust an operating signal, by means of which the motor (22) is actuated as a function of the acoustic and/or mechanical vibration transmission via the vibration transmission path (50).

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The axle module according to claim 3, wherein the operating signal by means of which the motor (22) is actuated has a sinusoidal basic vibration, and wherein the control device (5) is configured to modulate harmonics onto the sinusoidal basic vibration of the operating signal to adjust the noise emissions of the axle module (1).

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The axle module according to claim 1, wherein the module carrier (3) comprises at least one connecting element (31) configured to connect to the vehicle body (12) of the vehicle (10), and wherein the connecting element (31) is part of the vibration transmission path (50).

### Claim 6

A vehicle, comprising:
a vehicle body (12), and
an axle module (1) having
a drive unit (2), which has a vehicle axle (21), an electric motor (22), a transmission (23), and power electronics (24),
wherein the vehicle axle (21) is configured to connect to vehicle wheels (11), a module carrier (3) which is configured to connect to a vehicle body (12) of the vehicle (10),
an assembly bearing (4), which connects the drive unit (2) and the module carrier (3) to each other, and
a control device (5),
wherein the drive unit (2), the module carrier (3) and the assembly bearing (4) jointly form a vibration transmission path (50), and wherein the control device (5) is configured to actuate the drive unit (2) in a controlled manner to reduce a noise emission of the axle module (1) in accordance with acoustic and/or mechanical vibration transmission via the vibration transmission path (50), such that noise emission of the axle module (1) during operation of the axle module (1) is adjusted in a predefined way,
wherein the vehicle body (12) and the axle module (1) are connected to each other.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The vehicle according to claim 6,
wherein the axle module (1) is arranged on a front axle (15) or on a rear axle (16) of the vehicle (10), or
wherein the vehicle (10) comprises two axle modules (1), wherein one axle module (1) is arranged on the front axle (15) and one on the rear axle (16) of the vehicle (10).

### Claim 8

A method for manufacturing an axle module (1) of a vehicle (10), comprising the steps:
providing a drive unit (2) comprising a vehicle axle (21), a motor (22), a transmission (23), and power electronics (24),
wherein the vehicle axle (21) is configured to connect to vehicle wheels (11),
providing a module carrier (3) which is configured to be connected to a vehicle body (12) of the vehicle (10),
providing an assembly bearing (4),
connecting the drive unit (2) and the module carrier (3) to each other by means of the assembly bearing (4), so that the drive unit (2) and the module carrier (3) and the assembly bearing (4) form a common vibration transmission path (50), and
providing a control device (5) which is configured to actuate the drive unit (2) in a controlled manner to reduce a noise emission of the axle module (1) as a function of an acoustic and/or mechanical vibration transmission via the vibration transmission path (50) in such a way that a noise emission of the axle module (1) is adjusted in a predefined way during operation of the axle module (1).

### Claim 9 (depends on 8)

The method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of:
calibrating the vibration transmission path (50) in the assembled state of the axle module (1).

### Claim 10 (depends on 9)

The method according to claim 9, wherein the calibrating is performed prior to an installation of the axle module (1) into a vehicle (10).

### Claim 11 (depends on 8)

The method of operating an axle module (1) according to claim 8, comprising the step of:
actuating the drive unit (2) by means of the control device (5) as a function of an acoustic and/or mechanical vibration transmission via the vibration transmission path (50) in such a way as to adjust in a predefined way a noise emission of the axle module (1) during an operation of the axle module (1).

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The method according to claim 11, wherein the drive unit (2) is actuated by means of the control device (5) in such a way that the axle module (1) generates a predefined warning noise.