Electric drive unit
AssigneeTangent Motor Company
InventorDavid Dubose
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A lightweight, compact electric drive unit provides high reduction ratios for a bicycle, light electric vehicle or autonomous device. A cycloid gear reducer includes one or more cycloid gears within a housing. The cycloid gears interact with gear teeth on the inside surface of the housing, and ride on a cam shaft having eccentric lobes. Output pins extend through apertures in the cycloid gears, from an input carrier to an output carrier. An electric motor powers the cam shaft, while the output carrier powers a drive train.
Claims24
An electric drive unit for a light electric vehicle powered by an electric motor, the drive unit comprising:
- an input carrier and an output carrier, each having an inward-oriented face with a plurality of receptacles formed therein;
- a plurality of output pins, each extending from an input carrier receptacle to an output carrier receptacle;
- one or more cycloid gears, each having a plurality of apertures through which the plurality of output pins pass;
- the one or more cycloid gears each having gear teeth around their peripheries;
- the one or more cycloid gears, each further having a central aperture through which a cam shaft passes, the cam shaft having a lobe driving each of the one or more cycloid gears;
- a housing surrounding the one or more cycloid gears, having a plurality of gear teeth on an inside surface, the housing further having an inner diameter that exceeds an outer diameter of the one or more cycloid gears such that a proper subset of the cycloid gear teeth engage the housing gear teeth at any given time;
- and
- an electric motor driving the cam shaft;
- whereby the output carrier can be coupled to a light electric vehicle drivetrain in order to power the light electric vehicle.
An electrically-powered bicycle comprising:
- a frame;
- a drive unit mounted to the frame, the drive unit comprising:
- an input carrier and an output carrier, each having an inward-oriented face with a plurality of receptacles formed therein;
- a plurality of output pins, each extending from an input carrier receptacle to an output carrier receptacle;
- one or more cycloid gears, each having gear teeth around their peripheries and a plurality of apertures through which the plurality of output pins pass;
- the one or more cycloid gears each further having a central aperture through which a camshaft passes, the cam shaft having a lobe driving each cycloid gear;
- a housing surrounding the one or more cycloid gears, having a plurality of gear teeth on an inside surface, the housing further having an inner diameter that exceeds an outer diameter of the one or more cycloid gears;
- an electric motor driving the cam shaft;
- the bicycle further comprising a drivetrain, and a coupler interconnecting the output carrier with the drivetrain.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.