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US 5,289,905 AGranted
Hydrodynamic retarder for large off-road electric wheel driven vehicles
AssigneeParmac, Inc.
InventorSteve A. Braschler
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A wheel assembly for large off-road mining vehicles wherein an electric motor and drive system for each wheel is combined with a hydrodynamic retarder. The hydrodynamic retarder is mounted such that a rotor is directly connected to an electric motor shaft where typically a disc-type parking brake is mounted. This arrangement eliminates any possible mechanical failure of a gear train or other power reduction or increasing device which would otherwise result in the loss of braking.
Claims3
A wheel assembly for large, off-road vehicles comprising:
- a driving wheel rim and tire assembly rotatably attached to a vehicle chassis;
- a non-rotatable housing section attached to said chassis and co-axially positioned contiguously to said assembly;
- an electric motor mounted in said non-rotatable housing having a rotor driven output shaft connected to a transmission means to drivingly drivenly rotate said wheel rim and tire assembly;
- a hydrodynamic stator/rotor type retarder, said retarder comprising:
- a hydrodynamic housing co-axially connected to said non-rotatable housing, a hydrodynamic stator affixed within said hydrodynamic housing, a hydrodynamic rotor rotatably supported contiguously to said stator, and means to controllably supply fluid to said retarder;
- means to directly connect said electric motor rotor driven shaft to said hydrodynamic rotor;
- and
- means to controllably retard rotational speed of said wheel rim and tire assembly by said electric motor and/or said retarder.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.