Spline mechanism and bridge driving system

Abstract

The invention provides a spline mechanism and a bridge driving system. The spline mechanism comprises a first multi-tooth piece, a second multi-tooth piece and a plurality of vibration reduction sleeves which are assembled together. The first key teeth of the first multi-tooth piece are meshed with the second key teeth of the second multi-tooth piece. The vibration reduction sleeve is provided with vibration reduction parts made of elastic materials and frameworks made of rigid materials, and the frameworks are embedded in the corresponding vibration reduction parts. Each vibration reduction sleeve is installed on the corresponding first key tooth, so that the two vibration reduction parts are located on the two sides of the first key tooth in the circumferential direction correspondingly, and therefore the second key tooth can abut against the vibration reduction parts. Therefore, when the bridge driving system comprising the spline mechanism is in a working state, vibration energy and impact energy generated between the second spline teeth and the first spline teeth are at least partially absorbed by the vibration reduction part comprising the framework, so that vibration and noise of the spline mechanism are reduced, and the NVH performance of the whole bridge driving system is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of vehicle structures, and more particularly to a spline mechanism and an electric bridge drive system including the spline mechanism. Background Art

[0002] The electric bridge drive system is an existing power system for vehicles. The electric bridge drive system may include a motor as a power source and a transmission for transmitting the torque of the motor to the outside, and the transmission may include a planetary gear to change the transmission ratio. In a typical scheme, the ring gear of the planetary gear is assembled with the housing of the electric bridge drive system through a spline mechanism so that they cannot rotate relative to each other. Usually, there is a certain gap between the key teeth of the inner spline and the outer spline of the spline mechanism. In this way, during the operation of the electric bridge drive system, the spline mechanism causes large vibration and noise due to the hard contact (metal to metal contact) between the key teeth. As a result, the NVH performance of the entire electric bridge drive system is degraded. Although the degree of degradation of NVH performance can be reduced by tooth surface modification in the prior art, the optimization effect is insufficient. Summary of the invention

[0003] This application is made in view of the defects of the above-mentioned prior art. One purpose of this application is to provide a spline mechanism, which can reduce the vibration and noise generated by, for example, an electric bridge drive system including the spline mechanism during operation, thereby improving the NVH performance of the above-mentioned electric bridge drive system. Another purpose of this application is to provide an electric bridge drive system including the above-mentioned spline mechanism.

[0004] In order to achieve the above objectives, this application adopts the following technical solutions.

[0005] The present application provides a spline mechanism, comprising:

[0006] A first multi-tooth member having a plurality of first key teeth;

[0007] A second multi-tooth member having a plurality of second key teeth; and

[0008] A plurality of vibration-damping sleeves, each of which comprises a vibration-damping part and a frame, wherein the vibration-damping part is made of an elastic material, and the frame is made of a rigid material and is buried in the vibration-damping part, and each of the vibration-damping sleeves is installed on the corresponding first key tooth, so that the two vibration-damping parts are respectively located on both sides of the circumference of the first key tooth, thereby the second key tooth can abut against the vibration-damping part.

[0009] In an optional solution, for at least a portion of the first key teeth, the second key teeth are separated from the first key teeth by the vibration-damping portion, so that the second key teeth can only abut against the vibration-damping portion.

[0010] In another optional scheme, the skeleton includes a base portion and an inclined portion, the vibration-damping portion has a circumferential side surface abutting against the second key tooth, the base portion extends parallel to the circumferential side surface of the corresponding vibration-damping portion, and the inclined portion extends obliquely relative to the circumferential side surface, so that when the vibration-damping portion is subjected to pressure, the inclined portion can produce elastic deformation.

[0011] In another optional scheme, the inclined portion gets closer to the circumferential side of the corresponding vibration-damping portion as it extends radially outward from the base portion; or the inclined portion gets closer to the circumferential side of the corresponding vibration-damping portion as it extends axially from the base portion.

[0012] In another optional solution, the vibration damping sleeve further includes a first connecting portion and a second connecting portion.

[0013] For each of the vibration damping sleeves, one end of each of the vibration damping parts is connected to the first connecting part, and the other end of each of the vibration damping parts is connected to the second connecting part. When the vibration damping sleeve is installed on the first key tooth, the first connecting part is located on one axial side of the first key tooth and the second connecting part is located on the other axial side of the first key tooth.

[0014] In another optional solution, the plurality of first key teeth constitute an external spline, the plurality of second key teeth constitute an internal spline, and the internal spline and the external spline are spline-matched.

[0015] In another optional solution, the vibration damping part is made of rubber material, and the frame is made of metal material.

[0016] The present application also provides the following electric bridge drive system, comprising the spline mechanism described in any one of the above technical solutions.

[0017] In an optional scheme, it also includes a planetary gear and a housing, the planetary gear includes a sun gear, planetary gears and a ring gear serving as the first multi-tooth component, the housing serves as the second multi-tooth component, the planetary gears are located between the sun gear and the ring gear and mesh with the sun gear and the ring gear.

[0018] In another optional solution, the ring gear and the housing are fixed relative to each other in the circumferential direction of the ring gear.

[0019] By adopting the above technical solution, the present application provides a spline mechanism and an electric bridge drive system including the spline mechanism. In the spline mechanism, a first multi-tooth member, a second multi-tooth member and a plurality of vibration-damping sleeves are assembled together. The first key tooth of the first multi-tooth member is meshed with the second key tooth of the second multi-tooth member. The vibration-damping sleeve has a vibration-damping part made of an elastic material and a skeleton made of a rigid material, and the skeleton is buried in the corresponding vibration-damping part. Each vibration-damping sleeve is installed on the corresponding first key tooth, so that the two vibration-damping parts are respectively located on both sides of the circumference of the first key tooth, so that the second key tooth can abut against the vibration-damping part.

[0020] In this way, the second key tooth can abut against the vibration damping part, and when the electric bridge drive system including the above-mentioned spline mechanism is in a working state, the vibration energy and impact energy generated between the second key tooth and the first key tooth are at least partially absorbed by the vibration damping part, thereby reducing the vibration and noise of the spline mechanism, and further improving the NVH performance of the entire electric bridge drive system. Furthermore, since a skeleton is embedded in the vibration damping part, the vibration damping part is prevented from being deformed too much due to the squeezing of the first key tooth and the second key tooth, and the effect of reducing vibration and noise can also be improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1A It is a three-dimensional schematic diagram showing an assembly of a first multi-tooth member (gear ring), a second multi-tooth member (housing) and a plurality of vibration-damping sleeves in an electric bridge drive system according to a first embodiment of the present application, wherein the first multi-tooth member, the second multi-tooth member and the plurality of vibration-damping sleeves are in an assembled state.

[0022] Figure 1B It shows Figure 1A A schematic diagram of the split structure of the first multi-tooth member, the second multi-tooth member and multiple vibration-damping sleeves.

[0023] Figure 1C It shows Figure 1A A perspective schematic diagram of the vibration damping sleeve of the assembly in FIG.

[0024] Figure 1D It shows Figure 1A A schematic cross-sectional view of the local structure of the assembly.

[0025] Figure 1E It shows Figure 1A A three-dimensional schematic diagram of an assembly of a first multi-tooth member and multiple vibration-damping sleeves.

[0026] Figure 1F It shows Figure 1A A three-dimensional schematic diagram of an assembly of a second multi-tooth member and multiple vibration-damping sleeves.

[0027] Figure 2 It shows Figure 1A A three-dimensional schematic diagram of the partial structure of the first multi-tooth member.

[0028] Figure 3 It shows Figure 1A A three-dimensional schematic diagram of the vibration damping sleeve.

[0029] Figure 4A is a perspective schematic diagram showing a vibration damping sleeve in an electric bridge drive system according to a second embodiment of the present application.

[0030] Figure 4B It shows Figure 4A Schematic cross-sectional view of the vibration damping sleeve.

[0031] Description of Reference Numerals

[0032] 1 first multi-tooth member; 11 first main body; 12 first key tooth;

[0033] 2 second multi-tooth member; 21 second main body; 22 second key tooth;

[0034] 3 vibration-damping sleeve; 31 vibration-damping portion; 32 first connecting portion; 33 second connecting portion; 34 frame; 341 base portion; 342 inclined portion. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] The exemplary embodiments of the present application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that these specific descriptions are only used to teach those skilled in the art how to implement the present application, and are not intended to exhaust all feasible methods of the present application, nor to limit the scope of the present application.

[0036] In the embodiments of the present application, "axial", "radial" and "circumferential" refer to the axial, radial and circumferential directions of the ring gear of the planetary gear respectively. "Transmission connection" refers to the connection of two components in a manner capable of transmitting torque, including direct connection of the two components or indirect connection of the two components via a gear mechanism or the like.

[0037] The electric bridge drive system and the spline mechanism included therein according to the first embodiment of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0038] (Electric bridge drive system according to the first embodiment of the present application and the spline mechanism included therein)

[0039] The electric bridge drive system according to the first embodiment of the present application may include a motor and a transmission, and the motor and the transmission are transmission-connected, so that the torque of the motor can be transmitted to the outside through the transmission. The transmission can be installed in the housing of the electric bridge drive system and include a planetary gear. Typically, the planetary gear may include a sun gear, a planetary gear, a planetary gear carrier and a ring gear assembled together. The sun gear can be transmission-connected with the motor all the time. A plurality of planetary gears can be located radially outside the sun gear and evenly distributed along the circumference, and each planetary gear is always meshed with the sun gear, so that as the sun gear rotates, each planetary gear can rotate around its own central axis and revolve around the sun gear. The planetary gear carrier is located radially outside the sun gear, and a plurality of planetary gears are installed on the planetary gear carrier, and the planetary gear carrier can transmit torque to the outside and receive torque from the outside. The rotation of the planetary gear carrier can drive the plurality of planetary gears to revolve, and the revolution of the plurality of planetary gears can also drive the planetary gear carrier to rotate. The ring gear is located radially outside the plurality of planetary gears, and a track for the plurality of planetary gears to revolve is formed between the ring gear and the sun gear, and the ring gear is always meshed with the plurality of planetary gears.

[0040] Furthermore, if Figure 1A and Figure 1B As shown, in the electric bridge drive system according to the first embodiment of the present application, the ring gear of the planetary gear set is used as the first multi-toothed member 1, the housing is used as the second multi-toothed member 2, and the first multi-toothed member 1 and the second multi-toothed member 2 are assembled together through splines so that they cannot rotate relative to each other. In this way, when the motor inputs torque through the sun gear of the planetary gear set, the torque can be output to the outside through the planetary gear carrier of the planetary gear set.

[0041] In this embodiment, the first multi-tooth member 1 can be made of metal materials such as aluminum or aluminum alloy. Figures 1A to 1E and Figure 2 As shown, the first multi-toothed member 1 includes a first body 11 and a plurality of first key teeth 12 formed as one body, and the plurality of first key teeth 12 are evenly distributed at intervals in the circumferential direction. Each first key tooth 12 protrudes from the first body 11 toward the radial outside and extends a predetermined dimension in a straight line along the axial direction, thereby the plurality of first key teeth 12 constitute an external spline, and the external spline is spline-matched with the internal spline constituted by the second key teeth 22 of the second multi-toothed member 2. In addition, the first multi-toothed member 1 also includes a plurality of teeth protruding from the first body 11 toward the radial inside, and these teeth are used to achieve tooth meshing with the planetary gears of the planetary gear.

[0042] In this embodiment, the second multi-tooth member 2 can be made of metal materials such as aluminum or aluminum alloy. Figure 1A , Figure 1B , Figure 1D and Figure 1FAs shown, the second multi-toothed member 2 includes a second body 21 and a plurality of second key teeth 22 formed as one body, and the plurality of second key teeth 22 are evenly distributed at intervals in the circumferential direction. Each second key tooth 22 protrudes from the second body 21 toward the radial inner side and extends a predetermined dimension in a straight line along the axial direction, thereby the plurality of second key teeth 22 constitute an internal spline that realizes spline matching with the above-mentioned external spline.

[0043] In this embodiment, if Figures 1A to 1F and Figure 3 As shown, the vibration-damping sleeve 3 includes two vibration-damping parts 31, a first connecting part 32, a second connecting part 33 and two skeletons 34 formed as one body. For each vibration-damping sleeve 3, each vibration-damping part 31 extends linearly along the axial direction, and the two vibration-damping parts 31 are arranged in parallel and spaced apart from each other. One end of the two vibration-damping parts 31 is connected to the first connecting part 32, and the other end of the two vibration-damping parts is connected to the second connecting part 33, so that the vibration-damping sleeve 3 is formed into a ring shape. Figure 1D and Figure 1E As shown, each vibration damping sleeve 3 is arranged in pairs with the first key teeth 12 and is sleeved on the first key teeth 12, so that the vibration damping sleeve 3 is relatively fixed with the corresponding first key teeth 12. When the vibration damping sleeve 3 is installed on the first key teeth 12, the two vibration damping parts 31 are respectively located on the circumferential sides of the first key teeth 12, the first connecting part 32 is located on the axial side of the first key teeth 12, and the second connecting part 33 is located on the other axial side of the first key teeth 12. When the first key teeth 12 and the second key teeth 22 are meshed, for each pair of first key teeth 12 and vibration damping sleeve 3, one circumferential side surface of the vibration damping sleeve 3 (the vibration damping part 31 located on one circumferential side) can abut against the other circumferential side surface of one second key tooth 22, and the other circumferential side surface of the vibration damping sleeve 3 (the vibration damping part 31 located on the other circumferential side) can abut against one circumferential side surface of another second key tooth 22.

[0044] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the vibration-damping sleeve 3 surrounds the entire corresponding first key tooth 12, so the second key tooth 22 and the first key tooth 12 are separated by the vibration-damping portion, so that the second key tooth 22 can only directly abut against the vibration-damping portion 31 of the vibration-damping sleeve 3, and there is no direct contact with the first key tooth 12. In order to prevent the vibration-damping sleeve 3 from being excessively deformed during the extrusion process of the first key tooth 12 and the second key tooth 22 and to further improve the ability to absorb vibration and reduce the noise generated by the collision between teeth, a skeleton 34 made of a rigid material such as metal is buried in each vibration-damping portion 31. In fact, the rigid material of the skeleton 34 is a material relative to the elastic material of the vibration-damping portion 31. In theory, any material with an elastic modulus greater than the elastic modulus of the elastic material of the vibration-damping portion 31 can be considered to belong to the above-mentioned rigid material. Figure 1DAs shown, each skeleton 34 includes a base portion 341 and an inclined portion 342 formed as one body. The base portion 341 is located radially inside the inclined portion 342. The vibration damping portion 31 has a circumferential side surface abutting against the second key tooth 22, and the base portion 341 extends parallel to the circumferential side surface of the corresponding vibration damping portion 31. The inclined portion 342 is bent relative to the base portion 341, so that the inclined portion 342 extends obliquely relative to the circumferential side surface. Specifically, the inclined portion 342 extends closer to the circumferential side surface of the corresponding vibration damping portion 31 as it extends radially outward from the base portion 341. In this way, when the vibration damping portion 31 is squeezed by the first key tooth 12 and the second key tooth 22, the inclined portion 342 can produce elastic deformation, thereby providing elastic force to prevent the vibration damping portion 31 from deforming too much when squeezed, and the skeleton 34 can also improve the effect of reducing vibration and noise.

[0045] By adopting the above solution, since the second key teeth 22 are in direct contact with the vibration-damping sleeve 3, once the electric bridge drive system is working and generates vibration, the vibration-damping sleeve 3 can absorb the vibration and reduce the noise generated by the collision between the teeth.

[0046] The following describes an electric bridge drive system and a spline mechanism included therein according to a second embodiment of the present application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0047] (Electric bridge drive system according to the second embodiment of the present application and the spline mechanism included therein)

[0048] The structure of the electric bridge drive system according to the second embodiment of the present application is substantially the same as the structure of the electric bridge drive system according to the first embodiment of the present application, and the difference between the two mainly lies in the structure of the vibration damping sleeve 3 .

[0049] In this embodiment, if Figure 4A and Figure 4B As shown, the skeleton 34 of the vibration damping sleeve 3 includes a base portion 341 and an inclined portion 342 formed as one body. The inclined portion 342 is located on one axial side of the base portion 341. The vibration damping portion 341 has a circumferential side against the second key tooth 22, and the base portion 341 extends parallel to the circumferential side of the corresponding vibration damping portion 31. The inclined portion 342 is bent relative to the base portion 341, so that the inclined portion 342 extends obliquely relative to the circumferential side. Specifically, the inclined portion 342 extends closer to the circumferential side of the corresponding vibration damping portion 31 as it extends from the base portion 341 toward one axial side. In this way, when the vibration damping portion 31 is squeezed by the first key tooth 12 and the second key tooth 22, the inclined portion 342 can produce elastic deformation, thereby providing elastic force to prevent the vibration damping portion 31 from deforming too much when squeezed, and the skeleton 34 can also improve the effect of reducing vibration and noise. That is to say, in the embodiment, the same effect as that described in the first embodiment can be achieved.

[0050] The present application is not limited to the embodiments listed in the above specific implementation manner, and the technical solution of the present application is supplemented as follows.

[0051] i. The spline mechanism of the present application is not limited to application in electric bridge drive systems, but can also be applied to other vehicle power systems, and even to various application scenarios that generate vibrations.

[0052] ii. In a variation of the present application, it is not necessary to install a vibration-damping sleeve 3 on each first key tooth 12, and the vibration-damping sleeve 3 may be installed only on some of the first key teeth 12. For example, a vibration-damping sleeve 3 may be installed on every other first key tooth 12.

[0053] iii. It can be understood that when the inner spline and the outer spline of the spline mechanism are engaged with each other, elastic contact (metal-elastic material contact) is achieved between the second key teeth 22 and the vibration damping sleeve 3, thereby greatly reducing the vibration and noise generated.

[0054] iv. Figure 1D and Figure 1E As shown, when the vibration-damping sleeve 3 is installed on the first key tooth 12, the vibration-damping sleeve 3 can be tightly fitted on the first key tooth 12, so as to facilitate the assembly of the first multi-tooth member 1 and the second multi-tooth member 2 together when the vibration-damping sleeve 3 is installed on the first key tooth 12. If necessary, an adhesive or other bonding material can be added between the vibration-damping sleeve 3 and the first key tooth 12 to make the fixation between the vibration-damping sleeve 3 and the first key tooth 12 more secure. In addition, when the electric bridge drive system is not working, the circumferential side surface (outer side surface) of the vibration-damping sleeve 3 can be in direct contact with the second key tooth 22.

[0055] In one example, compared with an electric bridge drive system that does not use the spline mechanism of the present application, the NVH performance of the electric bridge drive system of the present application is significantly improved (can be reduced by 10dB). In addition, compared with the first embodiment described above, if a vibration-damping sleeve made of a metal material is used, even if the vibration-damping sleeve has a vibration-damping portion that uses a bending shape to achieve an elastic function, since the contact between the second key tooth and the vibration-damping portion of the vibration-damping sleeve is still a hard contact (metal to metal contact), even if the vibration-damping portion can use the bending shape to form a spring-like elastic deformation effect and perform a certain degree of vibration reduction, compared with the vibration-damping sleeve made of elastic materials such as rubber in the present application, the effect of improving NVH performance is greatly weakened, especially the noise cannot be significantly reduced. In addition, if the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion are made of metal material, it is difficult to reduce the vibration and noise that may be generated in the axial direction.

Claims

1. A spline mechanism, characterized in that: include: A first multi-tooth member (1) having a plurality of first key teeth (12); A second multi-tooth member (2) having a plurality of second key teeth (22); as well as A plurality of vibration-damping sleeves (3), each of the vibration-damping sleeves (3) comprising a vibration-damping portion (31) and a frame (34), the vibration-damping portion (31) being made of an elastic material, the frame (34) being made of a rigid material and embedded in the vibration-damping portion (31), each of the vibration-damping sleeves (3) being mounted on the corresponding first key tooth (12), so that the two vibration-damping portions (31) are respectively located on both circumferential sides of the first key tooth (12), thereby enabling the second key tooth (22) to abut against the vibration-damping portion (31).

2. The spline mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: For at least part of the first key teeth (12), the second key teeth (22) and the first key teeth (12) are separated by the vibration-damping portion (31), so that the second key teeth (22) can only abut against the vibration-damping portion (31).

3. The spline mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The skeleton (34) includes a base portion (341) and an inclined portion (342); the vibration-damping portion (31) has a circumferential side surface abutting against the second key tooth (22); the base portion (341) extends parallel to the circumferential side surface of the corresponding vibration-damping portion (31); and the inclined portion (342) extends obliquely relative to the circumferential side surface, so that when the vibration-damping portion (31) is subjected to pressure, the inclined portion (342) can generate elastic deformation.

4. The spline mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that: The inclined portion (342) extends radially outward from the base portion (341) and approaches the circumferential side surface of the corresponding vibration damping portion (31); or The inclined portion (342) extends from the base portion (341) toward one side in the axial direction and approaches the circumferential side surface of the corresponding vibration damping portion (31).

5. The spline mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The vibration-damping sleeve (3) further comprises a first connecting portion (32) and a second connecting portion (33). For each of the vibration-damping sleeves (3), one end of each of the vibration-damping parts (31) is connected to the first connecting part (32), and the other end of each of the vibration-damping parts (31) is connected to the second connecting part (33); when the vibration-damping sleeve (3) is mounted on the first key tooth (12), the first connecting part (32) is located on one axial side of the first key tooth (12), and the second connecting part (33) is located on the other axial side of the first key tooth (12).

6. The spline mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The plurality of first key teeth (12) constitute an external spline, the plurality of second key teeth (22) constitute an internal spline, and the internal spline and the external spline are spline-matched.

7. The spline mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The vibration reduction part (31) is made of rubber material, and the frame (34) is made of metal material.

8. A bridge drive system, characterized in that: Comprising the spline mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The electric bridge drive system according to claim 8, characterized in that: It also includes a planetary gear and a housing, wherein the planetary gear includes a sun gear, planetary gears and a ring gear as the first multi-toothed component (1), and the housing serves as the second multi-toothed component (2). The planetary gear is located between the sun gear and the ring gear and meshes with the sun gear and the ring gear.

10. The electric bridge drive system according to claim 9, characterized in that: The gear ring and the housing are fixed relative to each other in a circumferential direction of the gear ring.

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