An electric machine, suspension system and vehicle

Abstract

This invention discloses an electric motor, a suspension system, and a vehicle, relating to the field of vehicle technology, and aims to solve the problem of poor self-lubrication of bearings within an electric motor. The motor includes a first component, a second component, and at least one bearing. The bearing is fixed to one of the first and second components, while the other of the first and second components is slidably fitted onto the bearing. The bearing includes a base portion and a lubrication portion. The base portion includes an inner wall surface surrounding a receiving hole, which is slidably fitted onto one of the first and second components. The lubrication portion at least partially protrudes from or is disposed on the inner wall surface.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of vehicle technology, and more particularly to an electric motor, a suspension system, and a vehicle. Background Technology

[0002] Electric motors are an important component of vehicles, providing power for driving and vibration damping. For example, the linear motor in an active suspension system can dynamically and adaptively adjust to road conditions, ensuring the active suspension system is always in optimal damping condition.

[0003] In related technologies, a sliding bearing is installed between the inner circumferential surface of the motor spindle and the guide rod to ensure the stability of the spindle's installation and operation. Since the sliding bearing gradually wears under the pressure of the spindle and guide rod, it needs to possess high wear resistance and self-lubricating properties to ensure the normal operation of the motor. Some solutions improve the wear resistance of the sliding bearing by adding a protective covering layer or a wear-resistant inner sleeve to the inner wall surface.

[0004] However, the protective covering or wear-resistant inner sleeve of the above solutions has poor self-lubricating properties. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this invention is to provide an electric motor, a suspension system, and a vehicle, which aims to solve the problem of poor self-lubrication of bearings inside the electric motor.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0007] This application provides an electric motor, which includes a first component, a second component, and at least one bearing. The bearing is fixed to one of the first and second components, and the other of the first and second components is slidably fitted to the bearing. The bearing includes a base portion and a lubrication portion. The base portion includes an inner wall surface that surrounds a receiving hole, which is slidably fitted to one of the first and second components. The lubrication portion at least partially protrudes from or is disposed on the inner wall surface.

[0008] The motor provided in this application embodiment can form a lubricating layer between the lubrication part and the sliding part during the bearing operation, reducing the friction coefficient of the bearing and maintaining good lubrication performance during the use of the bearing, thereby facilitating the stable and smooth operation of the motor.

[0009] In some embodiments of this application, the material of the lubricant includes at least one of polytetrafluoroethylene, polyetheretherketone, and diamond-like carbon.

[0010] In some embodiments of this application, the material of the lubricating part also includes at least one of molybdenum disulfide, nickel, graphite, graphene, copper, and tungsten disulfide.

[0011] In some embodiments of this application, the material of the lubricating part further includes at least one of glass fiber and nanoparticles.

[0012] In some embodiments of this application, the material of the lubrication portion 301 also includes hard chrome.

[0013] In some embodiments of this application, the material hardness of the lubrication part 301 is greater than or equal to 50HD; and / or the material hardness of the lubrication part 301 is less than or equal to 3000HV.

[0014] In some embodiments of this application, the lubricant is coated on the inner wall surface, and the thickness of the lubricant is less than or equal to 1 mm.

[0015] In some embodiments of this application, the material of the substrate includes at least one of steel, copper-based alloys, and aluminum-based alloys.

[0016] In some embodiments of this application, the coefficient of friction between the lubrication portion of the bearing and one of the first or second components is less than or equal to 0.2.

[0017] In some embodiments of this application, the coefficient of friction between the lubrication portion of the bearing and one of the first or second components is less than or equal to 0.1.

[0018] In some embodiments of this application, at least one bearing includes a first bearing fixed to a first component, and a second component includes a mandrel slidably disposed within the first bearing.

[0019] In some embodiments of this application, at least one bearing further includes a second bearing, a guide hole is provided in the spindle, the second bearing is fixed in the guide hole, and the second component includes a guide rod, which is received in the guide hole and slidably inserted in the second bearing.

[0020] This application also provides a suspension system that includes the aforementioned motor.

[0021] This application also provides a vehicle that includes the aforementioned motor or suspension system. Attached Figure Description

[0022] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0023] Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of the vehicle provided in this application;

[0024] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the motor provided in this application;

[0025] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure at location AA;

[0026] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the bearing structure provided in this application;

[0027] Figure 5 for Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure at location BB.

[0028] Figure label:

[0029] 1000, vehicles;

[0030] 100. Vehicle body; 200. Wheel;

[0031] 30. Electric motor;

[0032] 31. Spindle; 311. Coil winding; 32. Guide rod; 321. Guide rod base surface; 322. Rod body cylindrical surface; 33. First bearing; 34. Housing; 35. Second bearing; 36. Mover assembly; 361. Magnet plate; 37. Lower fork arm;

[0033] 300. Bearings;

[0034] 301. Lubrication section; 302. Base section; 3020. Inner wall surface. Detailed Implementation

[0035] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0036] Please see Figure 1 , Figure 1 This is a structural diagram of the vehicle provided in this application. The vehicle 1000 may include a body 100 and wheels 200. The body 100 is used for passengers and for carrying goods, and the wheels 200 are mounted under the body 100 to support the body 100 and to roll on the road surface so that the vehicle 1000 can move.

[0037] Continue reading Figure 1The vehicle 1000 may also include a suspension system. The suspension system is located between the body 100 and the wheels 200 and is used to transmit the forces and torques acting between the body 100 and the wheels 200, as well as to buffer the impact forces on the body 100 during the driving of the vehicle 1000, so as to ensure that the vehicle 1000 drives smoothly.

[0038] Figure 2 The schematic diagram of the motor provided in this application is shown in conjunction with the reference. Figure 1 and Figure 2 In some embodiments of this application, the suspension system can be a non-independent suspension structure, an independent suspension structure, or an active suspension structure. The suspension system typically includes motors 30 respectively located near the four corners of the chassis, which is connected to the vehicle body 100, and is used to provide support for the vehicle body 100 and the occupants within it. The four motors 30 are respectively positioned above the four wheels 200, so that when a wheel 200 is subjected to impact force, the corresponding motor 30 can mitigate the impact.

[0039] It should be noted that the aforementioned motor 30 can be a linear motor, and when it is used in the suspension system of vehicle 1000, it can also be called a suspension motor.

[0040] In some embodiments of this application, the suspension system is an active suspension structure. The active suspension structure can dynamically and adaptively adjust according to the road conditions and the motion state of the vehicle 1000, so that the suspension system is always in the best damping state.

[0041] Figure 3 for Figure 2 Please refer to the cross-sectional structural diagram at location AA. Figure 3 Taking a linear motor as an example, the motor 30 in this application includes a first component, a second component, and at least one bearing. The bearing is the aforementioned bearing, which is fixed to one of the first component and the second component. The other of the first component and the second component is slidably fitted to the bearing.

[0042] Continue reading Figure 3 In some embodiments of this application, the first component may include a housing 34, the second component includes a spindle 31, and at least one bearing includes a first bearing 33. The first bearing 33 is fixed to the housing 34, and the spindle 31 is slidably disposed within the first bearing 33. Thus, the upper end of the spindle 31 can be slidably connected to the housing 34 via the first bearing 33.

[0043] Continue reading Figure 3In some embodiments of this application, at least one bearing further includes a second bearing 35. A guide hole is provided within the spindle 31, and the second bearing 35 is fixed within the guide hole. The second component may also include a guide rod 32, which is accommodated in the guide hole and slidably passes through the second bearing 35. Thus, the lower end of the spindle 31 and the guide rod 32 can be slidably connected via the second bearing 35.

[0044] Continue reading Figure 3 In some embodiments of this application, the guide rod 32 may include a guide rod base surface 321 and a rod cylindrical surface 322 disposed on the guide rod base surface 321. The guide rod base surface 321 is used to connect with the lower fork arm 37 to bear the vibration transmitted from the tire side. The rod cylindrical surface 322 passes through the inner cavity of the spindle 31 and is used to provide guidance for the sliding of the spindle 31 in the housing 34.

[0045] Continue reading Figure 3 In some embodiments, the motor 30 further includes a mover assembly 36, which includes a plurality of magnetic steel sheets 361 stacked along the axial direction of the housing 34, and a coil winding 311 wound on the spindle 31. In this way, when the coil winding 311 is energized, it generates a magnetic field, and the magnetic steel sheets 361 are moved along the spindle 31 by magnetic force, thereby driving the housing 34 to move relative to the spindle 31.

[0046] In related technologies, to ensure the installation and operational stability of the spindle 31, a sliding bearing is provided between the inner circumferential surface below the spindle 31 and the guide rod 32. Because the sliding bearing gradually wears under the pressure of the sliding components such as the spindle 31 and the guide rod 32, and because the relative movement between the sliding bearing and the sliding components is linear, the contact and friction positions between the sliding bearing and the sliding components will change. This causes the lubricant to be easily carried away from the friction surface by the sliding components, and even when stationary without an oil seal, the lubricant will flow out of the friction surface on its own. Therefore, the sliding bearing needs to have high wear resistance and self-lubricating properties to ensure the normal operation of the motor 30.

[0047] In related technologies, some solutions improve the wear resistance of sliding bearings by setting a protective covering layer or a wear-resistant inner sleeve on the inner wall surface. However, the protective covering layer or wear-resistant inner sleeve of the above solutions has poor self-lubricating properties, which is detrimental to the normal operation of the motor.

[0048] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this application provides a bearing 300, which can be applied to the first bearing 33 or the second bearing 35 in the aforementioned motor 30, improving the self-lubricating properties of the bearing 300 and ensuring the operational stability of the motor 30. The structure of the bearing 300 will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0049] Figure 4This is a schematic diagram of the bearing provided in this application. Figure 5 for Figure 4 A cross-sectional structural diagram at location BB, in conjunction with reference to... Figure 4 and Figure 5 In some embodiments of this application, the bearing 300 includes a lubrication part 301 and a base part 302. The base part 302 includes an inner wall surface 3020, which surrounds a receiving hole for accommodating a sliding member. The lubrication part 301 at least partially protrudes from or is disposed on the inner wall surface 3020.

[0050] The bearing 300 provided in this application embodiment can form a lubricating layer between the lubrication part 301 and the sliding member during the operation of the bearing 300, thereby reducing the friction coefficient of the bearing 300 and enabling the bearing 300 to maintain good lubrication performance during use.

[0051] In some embodiments of this application, the material of the lubrication part 301 includes at least one of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyetheretherketone (PEEK), and diamond-like carbon (DLC).

[0052] Understandably, polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyetheretherketone (PEEK), and diamond-like carbon (DLC) all possess good self-lubricating properties. These three materials can be utilized as lubrication points 301 on both sides of the base portion 302 of the bearing 300, effectively reducing the coefficient of friction of the bearing 300. Material selection needs to consider the specific application and the required temperature resistance and wear resistance of the bearing 300.

[0053] Specifically, the motor 30 of this application requires the bearing to withstand temperatures greater than 150°C, and all three materials mentioned above as lubrication parts 301 meet this requirement. Due to the following temperature resistance ranking: diamond-like carbon (DLC) > polyetheretherketone (PEEK) > polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE); hardness and wear resistance ranking: DLC > PEEK > PTFE; and coefficient of friction ranking: PTFE < DLC < PEEK, DLC offers the best temperature and wear resistance, along with some self-lubricating properties. Even at 150°C, it does not deform, ensuring the continuous and stable operation of the motor 30. It is widely applicable to various types of motors, but its cost is higher. For motors operating at room temperature, where deformation is not a concern and the shaft hardness is lower (<700HV), PEEK can be chosen as the lubrication part 301 if wear resistance is a priority, while PTFE can be chosen if lubrication performance is a priority.

[0054] It should be noted that the lubrication part 301 in this application is not limited to the three materials mentioned above, as long as the coefficient of friction between the lubrication part 301 and the sliding member is less than or equal to 0.2. In this way, the sliding member can slide smoothly in the bearing hole of the bearing 300, reducing the wear of the sliding member on the bearing 300, thereby ensuring the operational stability of the motor.

[0055] It should also be noted that the connection between the lubrication part 301 and the substrate part 302 can be achieved by means of thermal coating, electrochemical method, physical vapor deposition, etc. The specific method selected depends on factors such as the performance requirements of the lubrication part 301, the material of the substrate part 302, and the production cost.

[0056] In some embodiments of this application, the coefficient of friction between the lubrication part 301 and the sliding member is less than 0.1, so as to further improve the self-lubrication of the bearing 300 and ensure the long-term stable operation of the motor.

[0057] In a specific implementation, the lubrication unit 301 may further include a first additive, which may include at least one of molybdenum disulfide, nickel, graphite, graphene, copper, and tungsten disulfide.

[0058] In this way, the first additive can be used to modify polytetrafluoroethylene, polyetheretherketone and diamond-like carbon, thereby further improving the self-lubricating properties of bearing 300 and reducing the coefficient of friction between bearing 300 and sliding parts.

[0059] In some embodiments of this application, the lubrication portion 301 may further include a second additive, which may include at least one of glass fiber and nanoparticles. Thus, the wear resistance of the lubrication portion 301 can be improved by the second additive, thereby extending the service life of the bearing 300.

[0060] It should be noted that the aforementioned nanoparticles can be metal nanoparticles, ceramic nanoparticles, and polymer nanoparticles, etc. Different types of nanoparticles can be selected according to the specific application requirements for the wear resistance of bearing 300.

[0061] In some embodiments of this application, the hardness of the lubrication part 301 is greater than or equal to 50HD. For example, the lubrication part 301 can be made of polytetrafluoroethylene or polyetheretherketone. Polytetrafluoroethylene and polyetheretherketone can have good self-lubricating properties while meeting the above-mentioned hardness range. Using them as the lubrication part 301 can ensure that the bearing 300 has good wear resistance and self-lubricating properties, thereby extending the service life of the motor.

[0062] In some embodiments of this application, the hardness of the lubricating portion 301 is greater than or equal to 700 HV. Exemplarily, the hardness of the lubricating portion 301 can be further increased by modifying polytetrafluoroethylene and polyetheretherketone with a second additive, so that the hardness of the lubricating portion 301 can be greater than or equal to 700 HV.

[0063] In other possible implementations, the lubrication part 301 can also be made of hard chrome, with a hardness range of 300HV-1500HV. If higher wear resistance is desired, its hardness should be controlled between 700HV-1500HV; if higher self-lubricating properties are desired, more of the first additive needs to be added to modify the hard chrome, and its hardness should be controlled between 300HV and 700HV.

[0064] In some embodiments of this application, the hardness of the lubricating portion 301 is less than or equal to 3000 HV. Exemplarily, the lubricating portion 301 may be made of diamond-like carbon, with a hardness parameter in the range of 1000 HV to 3000 HV.

[0065] Understandably, when the hardness of diamond-like carbon (DLC) exceeds this range, the difference between the hardness of the substrate 302 and the DLC material becomes too large, making the substrate 302 prone to yielding and causing the DLC to become brittle and flake off in layers. Therefore, the material selection requirements for the substrate 302 are high, and it is not easy to choose a suitable material. When the hardness of DLC is less than this range, the advantages of using DLC ​​are reduced due to the high cost of the DLC coating process. In this case, other solutions with higher hardness can be used as alternatives.

[0066] It should be noted that the above requirements for hardness are based on the hardness of the material of the lubrication part 301 itself, which is usually within the range that can be modified and adjusted. The specific hardness value of the lubrication part 301 needs to be comprehensively considered from the material of the sliding part, the material of the base part 302, the spraying or electroplating process of the lubrication part 301, and whether more emphasis is placed on the self-lubricating properties or wear resistance of the bearing 300.

[0067] In some embodiments of this application, the material of the base portion 302 may include any one of steel, copper-based alloy, and aluminum-based alloy. The specific selection of the base portion 302 depends on the material of the sliding component (mandrel 31 or guide rod 32) with which it is rubbed. It is necessary to comprehensively consider the material parameters such as the structure, hardness, tensile strength, and yield strength of both rubbing parts to select a suitable base material.

[0068] Specifically, when the hardness of the grinding media material is high, steel can be selected as the bearing matrix material. As the hardness of the grinding media material decreases, copper-based alloys and aluminum-based alloys can be selected as the bearing matrix materials in turn to ensure that the hardness difference between the two grinding media is small, thereby avoiding the problem of one side being prone to yielding failure.

[0069] It should be noted that steel refers to iron-carbon alloys with a carbon content between 0.02% and 2.11% by mass. When the base part 302 is a copper alloy base, specifically, the material of the base part 302 can be tin bronze.

[0070] It should also be noted that although steel has greater hardness and strength than copper-based alloys and has better compressive strength, steel has no self-lubricating properties, while copper-based alloys have a certain degree of self-lubrication. Considering that if the lubrication part 301 is completely worn away by the spindle 31 or guide rod 32, the spindle 31 or guide rod 32 will wear down to the base part 302. The lack of self-lubrication in steel will drastically increase the coefficient of friction, thus increasing the system resistance. Therefore, copper-based alloys have higher safety as the base part 302.

[0071] In some embodiments of this application, the lubricating portion 301 is coated on the inner wall surface 3020, and the thickness of the lubricating portion 301 is less than or equal to 1 mm. Understandably, when the thickness of the lubricating portion 301 is thinner, the bonding surface between it and the base portion 302 has good bonding strength and is not easily detached; when the thickness of the lubricating portion 301 is thicker, the bonding strength will decrease slightly, but it can provide appropriate allowance for processing such as polishing and machining, ensuring the dimensional tolerances and surface roughness requirements of the parts.

[0072] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "front," "rear," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or relative positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are used only for the convenience of describing the invention and for simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the invention. Unless otherwise specified, the above-described orientation can be flexibly set in practical applications, provided that the relative positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings is satisfied.

[0073] The terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this invention, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0074] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "communication" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection. They can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or a communication between the internal components of two elements. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention according to the specific circumstances.

[0075] In embodiments of the invention, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, article, or apparatus. Without further limitation, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, article, or apparatus that includes that element.

[0076] In embodiments of the present invention, the terms "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design described as "exemplary" or "for example" in embodiments of the present invention should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or designs. Rather, the use of the terms "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner.

[0077] In the description of this specification, specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0078] The above are merely specific embodiments of the present invention, but the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present invention should be included within the scope of protection of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An electric motor, characterized in that, include: First component and second component; as well as At least one bearing (300) is fixed to one of the first component and the second component, the other of the first component and the second component being slidably fitted to the bearing (300); the bearing (300) comprises: The base portion (302) includes an inner wall surface (3020) that surrounds a receiving hole, the receiving hole being slidably engaged with one of the first component and the second component; A lubrication part (301) is at least partially protruding from or disposed on the inner wall surface (3020).

2. The motor according to claim 1, characterized in that, The material of the lubricating part (301) includes at least one of polytetrafluoroethylene, polyetheretherketone, and diamond-like carbon.

3. The motor according to claim 2, characterized in that, The material of the lubricating part (301) also includes at least one of molybdenum disulfide, nickel, graphite, graphene, copper, and tungsten disulfide.

4. The motor according to claim 2, characterized in that, The material of the lubrication part (301) also includes at least one of glass fiber and nanoparticles.

5. The motor according to claim 1, characterized in that, The material of the lubrication part (301) also includes hard chrome.

6. The motor according to claim 1, characterized in that, The material hardness of the lubricating part (301) is greater than or equal to 50HD; and / or The material hardness of the lubrication part (301) is less than or equal to 3000HV.

7. The motor according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lubricating part (301) is coated on the inner wall surface (3020), and the thickness of the lubricating part (301) is less than or equal to 1 mm.

8. The motor according to claim 1, characterized in that, The material of the base portion (302) includes at least one of steel, copper-based alloy and aluminum-based alloy.

9. The motor according to claim 1, characterized in that, The coefficient of friction between the lubrication part (301) of the bearing (300) and one of the first or second components is less than or equal to 0.

2.

10. The motor according to claim 9, characterized in that, The coefficient of friction between the lubrication part (301) of the bearing (300) and one of the first or second components is less than or equal to 0.

1.

11. The motor according to any one of claims 1-10, characterized in that, The at least one bearing includes a first bearing (33) fixed to the first component, and the second component includes a mandrel (31) slidably inserted within the first bearing (33).

12. The motor according to any one of claims 1-10, characterized in that, The at least one bearing further includes a second bearing (35), the spindle (31) is provided with a guide hole, the second bearing (35) is fixed in the guide hole, and the second component includes a guide rod (32), the guide rod (32) is accommodated in the guide hole and slidably passes through the second bearing (35).

13. A suspension system, characterized in that, Includes the motor (30) as described in any one of claims 1-12.

14. A vehicle, characterized in that, Includes the motor (30) as described in any one of claims 1-12, or the suspension system as described in claim 13.

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