US 5,685,798 AGranted

Planetary transmission for a motor of a drive system of a wheel of a motor vehicle

AssigneeFichtel & Sachs AG

InventorsDieter Lutz, Asmund Hey

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Abstract

For the individual drive of a wheel of a motor vehicle, a planetary transmission can be combined into a single module with a motor. The planetary transmission has a sun wheel which on a motor shaft of the motor, a ring gear and a planet carrier with planet wheels which are rotationally mounted on journals. The planet carrier and the ring gear are non-rotationally connected to a support part which simultaneously forms the transmission housing, or to a driven shaft part which is rotationally mounted on the support part. The planet carrier is designed as a shaped sheet metal and comprises a sheet metal base wall which runs axially perpendicular to the axis of rotation of the planetary transmission, into which sheet metal base wall the journals are shaped in a cup shape. Projecting in the same direction as the journals from the outside circumference of the sheet metal base wall is a circumferential wall in which there is a toothed portion for the non-rotational coupling of the planet carrier with the support part or the driven shaft part. The planet wheels are held by a ring-shaped positioning disc on the shaped sheet metal part. Projecting axially from the outside circumference of the positioning disc are webs which are engaged between neighboring planet wheels, and which are welded to the sheet metal base wall. The planet carrier can be manufactured easily, and the forces which are exerted on it during operation are essentially equalized or compensated.

Claims17

Dependent claims

A planetary transmission for a drive train of a motor vehicle, the drive train having motor means for generating mechanical power, the motor means having an output shaft for outputting mechanical power and means for rotating said output shaft for outputting mechanical power, a housing disposed about at least a portion of said motor means, at least one wheel for receiving mechanical power from the motor to drive the motor vehicle, and a drive shaft connected to the at least one wheel for transferring mechanical power to the at least one wheel, the planetary transmission for connecting said output shaft of said motor means to the drive shaft of the drive train for rotating the drive shaft with said output shaft, said planetary transmission comprising:

a sun gear;
means for non-rotatably connecting said sun gear to the output shaft for rotation of said sun gear with the output shaft;
a ring gear being disposed substantially concentrically about said sun gear;
means for non-rotatably connecting said ring gear to one of:
the housing and the drive shaft;
a plurality of planet gears being disposed about said sun gear, between said sun gear and said ring gear, each of said plurality of planet gears being intermeshed with both said sun gear and said ring gear;
a planet gear carrier for rotatably mounting said plurality of planet gears between and intermeshed with said sun gear and said ring gear;
said planet gear carrier comprising means for holding said plurality of planet gears with said planet gear carrier for holding said plurality of planet gears and said planet gear carrier as an integral, unitary unit at least during assembly of said planetary transmission;
means for slidably engaging said integral unitary unit and the other of:
the housing and the drive shaft, for non-rotatably connecting said integral unitary unit with the other of:
the housing and the drive shaft;
said planet gear carrier comprising:
a first ring-shaped plate having a central opening therein for being disposed about the output shaft, said first ring-shaped plate defining a plane, and said first ring-shaped plate for being disposed about the output shaft with said plane transverse to the output shaft;
and
a plurality of axles extending from said ring-shaped plate, for rotatably mounting ones of said plurality of planet gears thereon, said plurality of axles extending substantially perpendicular to said ring-shaped plate;
said ring-shaped plate comprising a radially outer edge, said radially outer edge comprising toothing disposed circumferentially thereabout;
the other of the housing and the drive shaft comprising toothing for interlocking with said toothing of said radially outer edge;
and
said toothing of said radially outer edge comprising said means for slidably engaging said integral unitary unit and the other of the housing and the drive shaft.

16 more elements

A method of assembling a planetary transmission in a drive train for a motor vehicle, the drive train having motor means for generating mechanical power, the motor means having an output shaft for outputting mechanical power and means for rotating the output shaft for outputting mechanical power, a housing disposed about at least a portion of the motor means, at least one wheel for receiving mechanical power from the motor means to drive the motor vehicle, a drive shaft connected to the at least one wheel for transferring mechanical power to the at least one wheel, and the planetary transmission for connecting the output shaft of the motor means to the drive shaft of the drive train for rotating the drive shaft with the output shaft, the planetary transmission comprising:

a sun gear;
means for non-rotatably connecting the sun gear to the output shaft for rotation of the sun gear with the output shaft;
a ring gear disposed substantially concentrically about the sun gear;
means for non-rotatably connecting the ring gear to one of:
the housing and the drive shaft;
a plurality of planet gears disposed about the sun gear, between the sun gear and the ring gear, each of the plurality of planet gears being intermeshed with both the sun gear and the ring gear;
a planet gear carrier for rotatably mounting the plurality of planet gears between and intermeshed with the sun gear and the ring gear;
the planet gear carrier comprising means for holding the plurality of planet gears with the planet gear carrier for holding the plurality of planet gears and the planet gear carrier as an integral, unitary unit at least during assembly of the drive train;
said method comprising the steps of:
non-rotatably connecting the sun gear to the output shaft for rotation of the sun gear with the output shaft;
disposing the ring gear substantially concentrically about the sun gear;
non-rotatably connecting the ring gear to the one of:
the housing and the drive shaft;
rotatably mounting the plurality of planet gears on the planet gear carrier;
holding the plurality of planet gears on the planet gear carrier to provide the integral, unitary unit;
disposing the integral, unitary unit between the output shaft and the drive shaft;
intermeshing the plurality of planet gears with both the sun gear and the ring gear;
slidably engaging said integral unitary unit and the other of:
the housing and the drive shaft, for non-rotatably connecting said integral unitary unit with the other of:
the housing and the drive shaft;
forming said planet gear carrier as a first ring-shaped plate having a central opening therein for being disposed about the output shaft, said first ring-shaped plate defining a plane, and said first ring-shaped plate for being disposed about the output shaft with said plane transverse to the output shaft;
providing a plurality of axles extending from said ring-shaped plate, for rotatably mounting ones of said plurality of planet gears thereon, said plurality of axles extending substantially perpendicular to said ring-shaped plate;
providing toothing disposed circumferentially about a radially outer edge of said ring-shaped plate;
providing corresponding toothing on the other of the housing and the drive shaft for interlocking with said toothing of said radially outer edge;
and
slidably engaging said integral unitary unit and the other of the housing and the drive shaft by slidably intermeshing said teeth of said radially outer edge with the corresponding toothing of the other of the housing and the drive shaft.

23 more elements

A planetary transmission for a drive train of a motor vehicle, the drive train having a motor for generating mechanical power, the motor having an output shaft for outputting mechanical power, a housing disposed about at least a portion of the motor, at least one wheel to receive mechanical power from the motor to drive the motor vehicle, and a drive shaft connected to the at least one wheel to transfer mechanical power to the at least one wheel, the planetary transmission to connect said output shaft of the motor to the drive shaft of the drive train for rotating the drive shaft with the output shaft, said planetary transmission comprising:

a sun gear for being non-rotatably connected to the output shaft;
a driven shaft part;
said driven shaft part for being operatively connected to the drive shaft;
a ring gear being non-rotatably connected to one of the housing and the driven shaft part;
said ring gear being disposed substantially concentrically about said sun gear;
a plurality of planet gears being disposed about said sun gear;
said plurality of planet gears being disposed between said sun gear and said ring gear;
said plurality of planet gears each being intermeshed with both said sun gear and said ring gear;
a planet gear carrier;
said planet gear carrier comprising means for rotatably mounting said plurality of planet gears;
said rotatably mounting means comprising:
a ring-shaped plate having a central opening therein for being disposed about the output shaft;
said ring-shaped plate for being disposed transverse to the output shaft;
said ring-shaped plate comprising a radially outer edge;
a plurality of axles;
said plurality of axles extending from said ring-shaped plate in a substantially perpendicular direction to said ring-shaped plate;
and
said plurality of planet gears each being disposed about one of said plurality of axles;
means for non-rotatably connecting said planet gear carrier with the other of the housing and said driven shaft part;
said planet gear carrier connecting means comprising means for slidably engaging said planet gear carrier and the other of the housing and said driven shaft part;
and
said slidably engaging means comprising:
a first toothing being disposed circumferentially about said radially outer edge of said ring-shaped plate;
and
a second toothing being disposed on the other of the housing and the driven shaft part to interlock with said first toothing.

22 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 08/491,094Filed 16 Jun 1995
Priority: DE 44 21 428.618 Jun 1994
Granted: 11 Nov 1997
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

F16H 1/28
Toothed gearings for conveying rotary motion: with gears having orbital motion
B60K 1/02
Arrangement or mounting of electrical propulsion units: comprising more than one electric motor
B60K 17/046
Transmission unit disposed in on near the vehicle wheel, or between the differential gear unit and the wheel: with planetary gearing having…
B60K 17/145
The motor of fluid or electric gearing being disposed in, or adjacent to, traction wheel: the electric gearing being disposed in or adjacent to…