Differential assembly and vehicle having the differential assembly

Abstract

The present invention discloses a differential assembly and a vehicle having the differential assembly. The differential assembly comprises a bracket, an input shaft and two half shafts rotatably mounted on the bracket. The input shaft is connected to the two half shafts through a differential gear mechanism. An auxiliary driving device driven by the input shaft is arranged between the input shaft and each half shaft. The auxiliary driving device drives the half shaft to rotate when the rotation speed of the half shaft is lower than a preset rotation speed E, and does not drive the half shaft to rotate when the rotation speed of the half shaft is not lower than the preset rotation speed E. The differential assembly and the vehicle having the differential assembly have the advantages of strong escape capability and the like.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of automobiles, and in particular to a differential assembly and a vehicle having the differential assembly. Background Art

[0002] The differential is mainly used to distribute the driving force input by the drive motor to the half-axles of the driving wheels. When the car is moving forward, the driving force distributed on the two half-axles is the same, and accordingly, the two wheels rotate at the same speed. When turning, the speed of the two wheels is adjusted based on the differential, that is, the wheels on the outside of the curve rotate faster, while the wheels on the inside of the curve rotate slower, thereby smoothly achieving the turn.

[0003] Ordinary differentials are composed of planetary gears, planetary wheel carriers (differential case), half-axle gears and other parts. The power of the engine enters the differential through the drive shaft, directly drives the planetary wheel carrier, and then the planetary gear drives the left and right half-axles to drive the left and right wheels respectively. The design requirements of the differential meet: (left half-axle speed) + (right half-axle speed) = 2 (planetary wheel carrier speed). When the car is moving straight, the speeds of the left and right wheels and the planetary wheel carrier are equal and in a balanced state. When the car turns, the balanced state of the three is destroyed, resulting in a decrease in the speed of the inner wheel and an increase in the speed of the outer wheel.

[0004] Ordinary differentials have a disadvantage. When the wheels are suspended in the air, they spin. Once such a situation occurs, the differential will continuously transmit power to the spinning wheels without resistance. Not only will the vehicle be unable to move forward, but a large amount of power will also be lost.

[0005] In order to improve the vehicle's ability to pass on bad roads, some off-road vehicles and luxury cars are equipped with limited slip differentials. The limited slip differential, also known as Limited Slip Differential in English, or LSD for short, has the main function of making the left and right wheels run together when working, and controlling the speed difference between the left and right wheels within a certain range to ensure the normal movement of the vehicle. The characteristic of the limited slip differential is that when one side of the driving wheel slips on a bad road, most or even all of the torque can be transmitted to the driving wheel on a good road surface, so as to make full use of the adhesion of this driving wheel to generate sufficient driving force, so that the car can start smoothly or continue to drive. The types of limited slip differentials currently available on the market and their shortcomings are as follows:

[0006] (1) Tosen differential assembly, disadvantages: high cost, difficult to maintain, cannot be 100% locked, power distribution is limited, and slippage may occur in special circumstances.

[0007] (2) Eaton self-locking differential, disadvantages: cannot be controlled manually, must wait until a speed difference occurs before it works, and has a slightly slow response speed.

[0008] (3) Multi-plate clutch differential assembly, disadvantages: poor steering characteristics, limited friction plate life, small application range and slightly slow response speed.

[0009] (4) Manual mechanical locking differential. Disadvantages: must be switched when the vehicle is parked, and steering is restricted after switching. Summary of the invention

[0010] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art and provide a differential assembly with strong escape capability and a vehicle having the differential assembly.

[0011] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0012] A differential assembly comprises a bracket, an input shaft and two half-shafts rotatably mounted on the bracket, wherein the input shaft is connected to the two half-shafts via a differential gear mechanism, an auxiliary drive device driven by the input shaft is arranged between the input shaft and each half-shaft, and the auxiliary drive device drives the half-shafts to rotate when the rotation speed of the half-shafts is lower than a preset rotation speed E, and does not drive the half-shafts to rotate when the rotation speed of the half-shafts is not lower than the preset rotation speed E.

[0013] In the above-mentioned differential assembly, preferably, the auxiliary drive device includes a first driving gear, a first driven gear, and a second driven gear, the first driving gear is mounted on the input shaft, the first driven gear is mounted on the half-shaft through a first one-way bearing in a manner that can only drive the half-shaft to rotate in a forward direction, the second driven gear is mounted on the half-shaft through a second one-way bearing in a manner that can only drive the half-shaft to rotate in a reverse direction, the first driving gear is installed in a manner that can adjust its position along the axial direction of the half-shaft and can selectively mesh with the first driven gear and the second driven gear by adjusting its position, and the auxiliary drive device also includes a control component for controlling the axial adjustment position of the first driving gear along the half-shaft.

[0014] In the above differential assembly, preferably, the first driving gear is fixedly mounted on the input shaft, and the control component includes a paddle arranged on the input shaft.

[0015] In the above-mentioned differential assembly, preferably, the differential gear mechanism includes an input gear arranged on the input shaft and an output gear arranged on one of the half shafts, the input gear is meshed with the output gear, and the width of the output gear is greater than twice the width of the input gear.

[0016] In the above differential assembly, preferably, the auxiliary drive device includes a second driving gear and a third driven gear, the second driving gear is mounted on the input shaft, and the third driven gear is mounted on the half shaft through a self-adjusting one-way bearing that can be switched forward and reverse.

[0017] In the above-mentioned differential assembly, preferably, the self-adjusting one-way bearing includes an inner ring, an outer ring and multiple groups of rolling components, the rolling components include forward balls, reverse balls, a first spring and a second spring, the outer ring is provided with a first bevel block for resisting the forward balls to clamp and fix the inner ring and the outer ring, the outer ring is provided with a second bevel block for resisting the reverse balls to clamp and fix the inner ring and the outer ring, the self-adjusting one-way bearing also includes a block capable of moving between a first position and a second position and an adaptive driving mechanism for driving the block to move between the first position and the second position, the block locks the reverse balls and releases the forward balls when in the first position, and locks the forward balls and releases the reverse balls when in the second position.

[0018] The above-mentioned differential assembly, preferably, the adaptive driving mechanism includes a rotating ring rotatably arranged on the outer ring, a shift plate arranged on the rotating ring and a fixed ring fixedly arranged on the bracket, the shift plate is provided with a first strip through hole and a second strip through hole, the outer ring is provided with a first connecting rod, the rotating ring is provided with a second connecting rod, the first connecting rod is slidably arranged in the first strip through hole, the second connecting rod is slidably arranged in the second strip through hole, the fixed ring is provided with a shift tooth, and the shift plate is provided with a third spring for forcing the shift plate to abut against the shift tooth.

[0019] In the above differential assembly, preferably, the stopper has a first arcuate surface that contacts and cooperates with the positive ball surface and a second arcuate surface that contacts and cooperates with the reverse ball surface.

[0020] In the above differential assembly, preferably, the rotational speeds of the two half-shafts are M and N respectively, and the preset rotational speed E satisfies: E<1 / 2(M+N).

[0021] As a general technical concept, the present invention also provides a vehicle including the above-mentioned differential assembly.

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are:

[0023] With the differential assembly of the present invention, when the vehicle slips, the power of the half-axle of the non-slipping wheel is reduced and the speed is lowered. Once the speed of the half-axle is lower than the preset speed E, the auxiliary drive device will drive the half-axle to rotate, thereby increasing the driving force of the half-axle and improving the vehicle's ability to escape from trouble.

[0024] The vehicle of the present invention adopts the differential assembly of the present invention and therefore also has the advantages of the differential assembly. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0025] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the differential assembly in the first embodiment.

[0026] Figure 2 It is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the differential assembly in the first embodiment from another perspective.

[0027] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the differential assembly in the second embodiment.

[0028] Figure 4 It is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the differential assembly in the second embodiment from another perspective.

[0029] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the self-adjusting one-way bearing of the differential assembly in the second embodiment.

[0030] Figure 6 It is a partial front view structural schematic diagram of the self-adjusting one-way bearing of the differential assembly in the second embodiment.

[0031] Legend:

[0032] 1. Bracket; 2. Input shaft; 3. Half shaft; 4. Differential gear mechanism; 41. Input gear; 42. Output gear; 51. First driving gear; 52. First driven gear; 53. Second driven gear; 61. Second driving gear; 62. Third driven gear; 71. Inner ring; 72. Outer ring; 721. First connecting rod; 73. Forward ball; 74. Reverse ball; 75. First spring; 76. Second spring; 77. First inclined block; 78. Second inclined block; 79. Stopper; 81. Rotating ring; 811. Second connecting rod; 82. Paddle; 821. First strip through hole; 822. Second strip through hole; 83. Fixed ring; 831. Paddle tooth; 84. Third spring; 9. Paddle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The present invention is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0034] Embodiment 1:

[0035] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the differential assembly of this embodiment includes a bracket 1, an input shaft 2 and two half shafts 3 rotatably mounted on the bracket 1. The input shaft 2 is connected to the two half shafts 3 through a differential gear mechanism 4. An auxiliary drive device driven by the input shaft 2 is provided between the input shaft 2 and each half shaft 3. The auxiliary drive device drives the half shaft 3 to rotate when the speed of the half shaft 3 is lower than the preset speed E, and does not drive the half shaft 3 to rotate when the speed of the half shaft 3 is not lower than the preset speed E. When the vehicle skids, the power of the half shaft 3 of the wheel that is not skidding is reduced and the speed is reduced. Once the speed of the half shaft 3 is lower than the preset speed E, the auxiliary drive device will drive the half shaft 3 to rotate, thereby increasing the driving force of the half shaft 3 and improving the vehicle's ability to escape from difficulties.

[0036] In this embodiment, the auxiliary drive device includes a first driving gear 51, a first driven gear 52, and a second driven gear 53. The first driving gear 51 is installed on the input shaft 2. The first driven gear 52 is installed on the half-shaft 3 through a first one-way bearing in a manner that can only drive the half-shaft 3 to rotate in the forward direction. The second driven gear 53 is installed on the half-shaft 3 through a second one-way bearing in a manner that can only drive the half-shaft 3 to rotate in the reverse direction. The first driving gear 51 is installed in a manner that can adjust its position along the axial direction of the half-shaft 3 and can selectively mesh with the first driven gear 52 and the second driven gear 53 by adjusting its position. The auxiliary drive device also includes a control component for controlling the axial adjustment position of the first driving gear 51 along the half-shaft 3. When the vehicle moves forward, the first driving gear 51 meshes with the first driven gear 52, and the first driven gear 52 is installed on the half shaft 3 through the first one-way bearing. If the speed of the half shaft 3 is not lower than the speed of the first driven gear 52, the first driven gear 52 can rotate relative to the half shaft 3, and the first driven gear 52 does not drive the half shaft 3 to rotate; if the speed of the half shaft 3 is lower than the speed of the first driven gear 52, the first driven gear 52 is fixed to the half shaft 3, and the first driven gear 52 transmits power to the half shaft 3, driving the half shaft 3 to rotate, thereby improving the vehicle's forward escape ability. When the vehicle moves backward, the first driving gear 51 and the second driven gear 53, and the second driven gear 53 is installed on the half shaft 3 through the second one-way bearing, can improve the vehicle's reverse escape ability.

[0037] In this embodiment, the first driving gear 51 is fixedly mounted on the input shaft 2, and the control assembly includes a paddle 9 disposed on the input shaft 2. By pushing and pulling the paddle 9, the axial position of the first driving gear 51 can be adjusted, so that the first driving gear 51 can selectively mesh with the first driven gear 52 or the second driven gear 53.

[0038] In this embodiment, the differential gear mechanism 4 includes an input gear 41 arranged on the input shaft 2 and an output gear 42 arranged on one of the half shafts 3, the input gear 41 meshes with the output gear 42, and the width of the output gear 42 is greater than twice the width of the input gear 41. It is ensured that when the vehicle is moving forward, the first driving gear 51 can fully mesh with the first driven gear 52, and when the vehicle is moving backward, the first driving gear 51 can fully mesh with the second driven gear 53, thereby improving stability. The diameter of the first driven gear 52 is consistent with the diameter of the second driven gear 53, and the diameter of the first driven gear 52 is greater than the diameter of the output gear 42, which can increase the torque of the half shaft 3 and further improve the vehicle's ability to escape from difficulties.

[0039] In this embodiment, the rotation speeds of the two half shafts 3 are M and N respectively, and the preset rotation speed E satisfies: E<1 / 2(M+N). By setting the gear ratio of the first driving gear 51 and the second driven gear 53, the preset rotation speed E can be set. When the rotation speed of the half shaft 3 is lower than the preset rotation speed E, the auxiliary driving mechanism drives the half shaft 3 to rotate, and the stability of the differential assembly is good.

[0040] Embodiment 2:

[0041] like Figures 3 to 6 As shown, this embodiment is basically the same as the first embodiment, the main difference is that, in this embodiment, the auxiliary drive device includes a second driving gear 61 and a third driven gear 62, the second driving gear 61 is installed on the input shaft 2, and the third driven gear 62 is installed on the half shaft 3 through a self-adjusting one-way bearing that can be switched forward and reverse. The auxiliary drive device has a compact structure and reliable operation.

[0042] In this embodiment, the self-adjusting one-way bearing includes an inner ring 71, an outer ring 72 and multiple groups of rolling assemblies, the rolling assemblies include forward balls 73, reverse balls 74, a first spring 75 and a second spring 76, the outer ring 72 is provided with a first inclined block 77 for resisting the forward balls 73 so as to clamp and fix the inner ring 71 and the outer ring 72, the outer ring 72 is provided with a second inclined block 78 for resisting the reverse balls 74 so as to clamp and fix the inner ring 71 and the outer ring 72, the self-adjusting one-way bearing also includes a block 79 capable of moving between a first position and a second position and an adaptive driving mechanism for driving the block 79 to move between the first position and the second position, the block 79 locks the reverse balls 74 and releases the forward balls 73 when in the first position, and locks the forward balls 73 and releases the reverse balls 74 when in the second position. The inner ring 71 is connected to the half shaft 3, the outer ring 72 is connected to the third driven gear 62, the rolling assembly is arranged between the inner ring 71 and the outer ring 72, one end of the first spring 75 is connected to the outer ring 72, the other end of the first spring 75 is connected to the forward ball 73, one end of the second spring 76 is connected to the outer ring 72, and the other end of the second spring 76 is connected to the reverse ball 74. When the vehicle moves forward, the block 79 is located at the first position, the self-adjusting one-way bearing is a forward one-way bearing, and only drives the half shaft 3 to rotate forward. When the vehicle moves backward, the block 79 is located at the second position, the self-adjusting one-way bearing is a reverse one-way bearing, and only drives the half shaft 3 to rotate reversely. Through the adaptive driving mechanism, the block 79 moves between the first position and the second position, so that the self-adjusting one-way bearing can be switched forward and reverse, without manual operation, and has a high degree of automation. In addition, the response is timely and the system operation efficiency is high.

[0043] In this embodiment, the adaptive driving mechanism includes a rotating ring 81 rotatably arranged on the outer ring 72, a shift plate 82 arranged on the rotating ring 81 and a fixed ring 83 fixedly arranged on the bracket 1, the shift plate 82 is provided with a first strip through hole 821 and a second strip through hole 822, the outer ring 72 is provided with a first connecting rod 721, the rotating ring 81 is provided with a second connecting rod 811, the first connecting rod 721 is slidably arranged in the first strip through hole 821, the second connecting rod 811 is slidably arranged in the second strip through hole 822, the fixed ring 83 is provided with a shift tooth 831, and the shift plate 82 is provided with a third spring 84 forcing the shift plate 82 to abut against the shift tooth 831. Since the paddle 82 abuts against the paddle teeth 831, when the outer ring 72 rotates clockwise, the paddle 82 will tilt counterclockwise, and at the same time drive the rotating ring 81 to deviate counterclockwise relative to the outer ring 72, driving the stopper 79 to move to the first position. When the paddle 82 tilts to the limit angle, the paddle 82 will maintain this angle and slide on the paddle teeth 831, abutting against the reverse ball 74, locking the reverse ball 74, and ensuring that the reverse ball 74 is away from the second inclined block 78. When the outer ring 72 rotates counterclockwise, the stopper 79 abuts against the forward ball 73, making the forward ball 73 away from the first inclined block 77. The adaptive drive mechanism has a simple structure and reliable operation.

[0044] In this embodiment, the stopper 79 has a first arcuate surface that is in surface contact with the forward ball 73 and a second arcuate surface that is in surface contact with the reverse ball 74. In this way, the stopper 79 can support the forward ball 73 and the reverse ball 74, and can prevent the reverse ball 74 from contacting the inner ring 71 when the stopper 79 is in the first position, and can prevent the forward ball 73 from contacting the inner ring 71 when the stopper 79 is in the second position, thereby improving the stability of the differential assembly.

[0045] Embodiment three:

[0046] The vehicle of this embodiment includes a vehicle body, on which the differential assembly of the first embodiment is arranged.

[0047] Embodiment 4:

[0048] The vehicle of this embodiment includes a vehicle body, on which the differential assembly of the second embodiment is arranged.

[0049] The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and the protection scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. For those skilled in the art, improvements and changes obtained without departing from the technical concept of the present invention should also be regarded as the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A differential assembly, comprising a bracket (1), an input shaft (2) and two half shafts (3) rotatably mounted on the bracket (1), wherein the input shaft (2) is connected to the two half shafts (3) via a differential gear mechanism (4), characterized in that: An auxiliary drive device driven by the input shaft (2) is provided between the input shaft (2) and each half shaft (3). The auxiliary drive device drives the half shaft (3) to rotate when the rotation speed of the half shaft (3) is lower than a preset rotation speed E, and does not drive the half shaft (3) to rotate when the rotation speed of the half shaft (3) is not lower than the preset rotation speed E. The auxiliary drive device comprises a second driving gear (61) and a third driven gear (62). The second driving gear (61) is mounted on the input shaft (2). The third driven gear (62) is mounted on the half shaft (3) via a self-adjusting one-way bearing that can be switched between forward and reverse directions. The self-adjusting one-way bearing comprises an inner ring (71), an outer ring (72) and a plurality of rolling assemblies. The rolling assemblies comprise forward balls (73), reverse balls (74), a first spring (75), and a plurality of rolling assemblies. and a second spring (76), the outer ring (72) is provided with a first inclined block (77) for resisting the positive ball (73) so as to clamp and fix the inner ring (71) and the outer ring (72), the outer ring (72) is provided with a second inclined block (78) for resisting the reverse ball (74) so ​​as to clamp and fix the inner ring (71) and the outer ring (72), the self-adjusting one-way bearing also includes a stopper (79) capable of moving between a first position and a second position and an adaptive driving mechanism for driving the stopper (79) to move between the first position and the second position, the stopper (79) locks the reverse ball (74) and releases the positive ball (73) when in the first position, and the stopper (79) locks the positive ball (73) and releases the reverse ball (74) when in the second position.

2. The differential assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The adaptive driving mechanism comprises a rotating ring (81) rotatably arranged on the outer ring (72), a shifting plate (82) arranged on the rotating ring (81), and a fixed ring (83) fixedly arranged on the bracket (1); the shifting plate (82) is provided with a first strip-shaped through hole (821) and a second strip-shaped through hole (822); the outer ring (72) is provided with a first connecting rod (721); the rotating ring (81) is provided with a second connecting rod (811); the first connecting rod (721) is slidably arranged in the first strip-shaped through hole (821); the second connecting rod (811) is slidably arranged in the second strip-shaped through hole (822); the fixed ring (83) is provided with a shifting tooth (831); and the shifting plate (82) is provided with a third spring (84) for forcing the shifting plate (82) to abut against the shifting tooth (831).

3. The differential assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The stopper (79) has a first arcuate surface that is in surface contact with the forward rolling ball (73) and a second arcuate surface that is in surface contact with the reverse rolling ball (74).

4. The differential assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The rotational speeds of the two half shafts (3) are respectively M and N, and the preset rotational speed E satisfies: E<1 / 2(M+N).

5. A vehicle, characterized in that: A differential assembly comprising any one of claims 1 to 4.

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