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US 7,458,433 B2Granted
Electric motor and gear drive assembly for driving a vehicle wheel
AssigneeArvinMeritor Technology, LLC
InventorsClive Harrup, Dale K. Bell, Dennis A. Kramer, Mehmet S. Ciray, Silvio M. Yamada, Dean M. House, David K. Platner, Dale J. Eschenburg
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A drive unit assembly for a vehicle wheel includes a rigidly mounted electric motor coupled to the vehicle wheel via a gear drive. The gear drive includes a cycloid or epicycloid gear arrangement that provides significant speed reduction at the wheel.
Claims8
A drive unit assembly for a vehicle wheel comprising:
- a gear drive comprising an epicycloid gear reduction that defines a gear drive axis, said gear drive having at least a first gear component and a second gear component, said second gear component being driven by said first gear component and being attachable to a wheel to drive the wheel about an axis of rotation;
- an electric motor including a motor output shaft that is non-concentric with said gear drive axis and is coaxial with the axis of rotation wherein said motor output shaft is operably coupled to said gear drive to provide a driving input to the wheel, and wherein said motor output shaft rotates at a first rotational speed and the wheel rotates at a second rotational speed less than said first rotational speed;
- said first gear component comprising a non-rotating ring gear and said second gear component comprising a drive gear that defines said gear drive axis and is in driving engagement with said ring gear, said drive gear operably coupled to said motor output shaft to receive driving input and operably coupled to the wheel to provide driving output;
- and
- a chain and sprocket drive interconnecting said motor output shaft and said drive gear.
2 more elements
A drive unit assembly for driving at least two laterally spaced wheels on opposing sides of a vehicle comprising:
- a first gear drive defining a first gear drive axis and having at least a first gear component and a second gear component, said second gear component in driving engagement with said first gear component and operably engageable with a first wheel to drive the first wheel about a lateral axis of rotation;
- a second gear drive defining a second gear drive axis and having at least a third gear component and a fourth gear component, said fourth gear component in driving engagement with said third gear component and operably engageable with a second wheel to drive the second wheel about the lateral axis of rotation;
- and
- at least one electric motor output having a motor output that is non-concentric with said first and second gear drive axes and that is coaxial with the lateral axis of rotation wherein said motor output is operably coupled to said first and second gear drives to provide a driving input to the first and second wheels.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.