Differential and vehicle provided with same

Abstract

The application relates to the technical field of vehicle chassis, and provides a differential and a vehicle provided with the same. The differential comprises a shell, a planetary gear assembly arranged in the shell, a first half axle gear and a second half axle gear engaged with the planetary gear assembly, an execution assembly arranged in the shell, and a driving assembly arranged on the shell and corresponding to the execution assembly. The execution assembly comprises a spline sleeve located at one side of the first half axle gear, a differential gear sleeve and a locking gear sleeve. The spline sleeve and the differential gear sleeve rotate synchronously with the first half axle, the differential gear sleeve can slide axially along the spline sleeve, the locking gear sleeve rotates synchronously with the shell and can slide axially to a first stroke position and a second stroke position under the driving of the driving assembly. The application can avoid energy waste of the vehicle, improve the road passing capacity of the vehicle, reduce the maintenance cost of the vehicle, and improve the use quality of the vehicle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of vehicle chassis technology, and in particular to a differential, and also to a vehicle equipped with the differential. Background Technology

[0002] In a vehicle's transmission system, the differential's main function is to receive the torque input from the drive shaft and transmit it to the left and right wheels to enable vehicle movement, as well as to allow the left and right wheels to rotate at different speeds, ensuring the vehicle's stability when turning or driving on uneven roads.

[0003] However, existing traditional differentials not only receive torque input from the wheels and transmit it to the drive shaft when the vehicle is coasting in neutral or switching from four-wheel drive to two-wheel drive, causing a back-dragging phenomenon that wastes the vehicle's energy, but also tend to cause one wheel to remain stationary while the other wheel slips when driving on muddy or icy roads, making it impossible for the vehicle to drive normally, reducing its road passability, and thus hindering the improvement of the vehicle's quality of use. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, this application aims to provide a differential to improve the quality of use of vehicles equipped with such a differential.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution of this application is implemented as follows:

[0006] A differential includes a housing, a planetary gear assembly disposed within the housing, a first half-shaft gear and a second half-shaft gear meshing with the planetary gear assembly, an actuation assembly disposed within the housing, and a drive assembly disposed on the housing corresponding to the actuation assembly.

[0007] The actuation component includes a spline sleeve, a differential gear sleeve, and a locking gear sleeve located on one side of the first half-shaft gear. The spline sleeve and the differential gear sleeve rotate synchronously with the first half-shaft, and the differential gear sleeve can slide axially along the spline sleeve. The locking gear sleeve rotates synchronously with the housing and can slide axially to the first stroke position and the second stroke position under the drive of the drive component.

[0008] In the first stroke position, the differential gear sleeve engages with the first half-shaft gear under the activation of the locking gear sleeve. In the second stroke position, the locking gear sleeve, the differential gear sleeve, and the first half-shaft gear are engaged together.

[0009] Furthermore, a first elastic element is provided between the differential gear sleeve and the locking gear sleeve, and a second elastic element is provided between the first half-shaft gear and the locking gear sleeve;

[0010] The locking sleeve has a receiving groove on the side facing the first half-shaft gear, the differential sleeve and the first elastic element are located in the receiving groove, and a retaining spring is provided on the groove wall of the receiving groove to block one side of the differential sleeve.

[0011] Furthermore, at least one of the first elastic element and the second elastic element is a wave spring.

[0012] Furthermore, the drive assembly includes a drive portion disposed on the housing, and a thrust member driven by the drive portion to slide linearly;

[0013] The thrust member abuts against the locking tooth sleeve, and the driving part drives the locking tooth sleeve to slide axially through the thrust member.

[0014] Furthermore, the drive unit and the thrust member are located outside the housing, and the drive unit is an electromagnetic coil assembly disposed on the housing;

[0015] The locking tooth sleeve has an outwardly protruding part, which protrudes through a matching through hole on the housing, and the thrust member abuts against the protruding part.

[0016] Furthermore, the thrust member includes an annular thrust disc and a connector connected to one side of the thrust disc;

[0017] The end of the protrusion is provided with a snap-fit ​​hole, the inner wall of the snap-fit ​​hole is provided with a snap-fit ​​groove, the connector has a snap-fit ​​end, and the side wall of the snap-fit ​​end is provided with a snap-fit ​​head;

[0018] The snap-fit ​​end can enter the snap-fit ​​hole and cause the snap-fit ​​head to snap into the snap-fit ​​slot, so as to snap the connector head and the protrusion together.

[0019] Furthermore, the outer wall of the protrusion is provided with a groove, the slot communicates with the groove, and part of the card head enters the groove.

[0020] Furthermore, the planetary gear assembly includes a gear shaft disposed on the housing, and a planetary gear rotatably disposed on the gear shaft;

[0021] The gear shaft includes a first gear shaft that passes through the housing, and second gear shafts that are respectively disposed on two opposite sides of the first gear shaft;

[0022] One end of each of the second gear shafts passes through the housing, and the other end passes through the first gear shaft. The planetary gears are respectively provided on each of the second gear shafts and at both ends near the first gear shaft.

[0023] Furthermore, each of the gear shafts has an axially extending oil groove on its outer peripheral wall;

[0024] One end of the oil groove extends to the end of the gear shaft, and the other end of the oil groove extends at least beyond the inner hole of the planetary gear.

[0025] Compared with related technologies, this application has the following advantages:

[0026] (1) The differential described in this application is provided with an actuation component including a spline sleeve, a differential gear sleeve and a locking gear sleeve, and a drive component that can drive the locking gear sleeve to slide axially to the first stroke position and the second stroke position. In the first stroke position, the differential gear sleeve can be engaged with the first half-shaft gear, and in the second stroke position, the locking gear sleeve, the differential gear sleeve and the first half-shaft gear are engaged. This not only enables the differential to integrate multiple functions such as differential, disconnection and locking, but also allows the disconnection function to prevent the differential from receiving torque input from the wheels, avoiding energy waste in the vehicle, and the locking function to lock the wheels on both sides, improving the vehicle's road passability. At the same time, since the actuation component is only provided on the first half-shaft gear side, the actuation component has fewer parts and a simpler structure. Furthermore, only one drive component is used for the actuation component, which can also reduce vehicle maintenance costs after the differential is installed on the vehicle, thereby improving the quality of vehicle use.

[0027] (2) A first elastic element is provided between the differential sleeve and the locking sleeve, and a second elastic element is provided between the first half-shaft gear and the locking sleeve. At the same time, a receiving groove is provided on one side of the locking sleeve, so that the differential sleeve and the first elastic element are located in the receiving groove. A retaining ring is provided on the groove wall of the receiving groove. On the one hand, the elastic support of each elastic element can be used to prevent abnormal engagement between the locking sleeve, the differential sleeve and the first half-shaft gear. On the other hand, while ensuring the smooth return of the locking sleeve and improving the reliability of the differential, the drive component can be made to use only products that can output unidirectional driving force, which helps to simplify the structure of the drive component. On the other hand, the setting of the differential sleeve in the locking sleeve can reduce the space occupied by the actuator in the axial direction of the differential. When the locking sleeve returns, the retaining ring drives the differential sleeve to return synchronously, so as to achieve smooth separation between the differential sleeve and the first half-shaft gear.

[0028] (3) The first and second elastic components are made of wave springs. This not only makes it convenient to install the two elastic components in the differential by taking advantage of the compact size of the wave spring structure and the small installation space required, but also makes it convenient to take advantage of the advantages of the wave spring, such as high load-bearing capacity, good structural stability, strong buffering and vibration absorption capacity, good flexibility, strong impact resistance and high customizability, which is conducive to the design and manufacturing of each elastic component and helps to ensure the quality of each elastic component.

[0029] (4) The drive assembly includes a drive unit and a thrust member that is driven to slide linearly by the drive unit, and the thrust member abuts against the locking sleeve so that the locking sleeve can slide axially through the thrust member under the drive of the drive unit. This can be combined with the setting of the first elastic member and the second elastic member, which simplifies the structure of the drive assembly, facilitates the selection of the drive unit, and helps to realize the arrangement of the drive assembly on the differential.

[0030] (5) The drive unit and the thrust member are located on the outside of the housing, so that the drive unit adopts an electromagnetic coil assembly, and a protrusion is provided on the locking sleeve through the through hole on the housing to abut against the thrust member. This can not only effectively reduce the housing size of the differential, but also reduce the space occupied by the differential, which can facilitate the arrangement of the differential in the vehicle and facilitate the installation of the drive unit on the housing. At the same time, by adopting an electromagnetic coil assembly, the electronic control of the differential can be quickly locked, which can improve the response performance of the differential. By setting the protrusion, the locking sleeve can be constrained to slide axially only in the housing while realizing the transmission between the drive component and the actuator component. This helps to simplify the structure of the locking sleeve and the housing, and is conducive to reducing the design and manufacturing cost of the differential.

[0031] (6) The thrust member includes a thrust plate and a connector connected to the thrust plate. Utilizing the large contact area between the annular thrust plate and the drive unit, the stability of the drive unit's operation on the thrust member is improved while increasing the structural strength of the thrust member itself. By providing a snap-fit ​​hole with a groove at the end of the protrusion, the connector has a snap-fit ​​end with a snap-fit ​​head. After the snap-fit ​​end enters the snap-fit ​​hole, the snap-fit ​​head engages with the protrusion by snapping into the groove. This not only provides bidirectional limiting in both the axial and circumferential directions, improving the stability of the connection between the thrust member and the locking sleeve, but also facilitates rapid assembly between the thrust member and the locking sleeve, improving production efficiency and simplifying later maintenance and repair of the differential.

[0032] (7) By setting a groove that communicates with the slot on the outer wall of the protrusion and allowing part of the chuck to enter the groove, on the one hand, the chuck can be inserted more fully, which can increase the firmness of the connection between the thrust member and the locking tooth sleeve. On the other hand, by setting the groove, the stress concentration of the protrusion can be reduced, and the impact resistance and fatigue resistance of the protrusion can be improved. At the same time, it is also convenient to apply operating force to the chuck, which can improve the convenience of disassembling the thrust member later.

[0033] (8) Based on the planetary gear assembly including the gear shaft and planetary gears, the gear shaft includes a first gear shaft that passes through and a second gear shaft that is disposed on two opposite sides of the first gear shaft, and one end of the second gear shaft passes through the first gear shaft. On the one hand, the combined layout of the first gear shaft and the second gear shaft can be used to increase the structural rigidity of the planetary gear assembly and improve the load-bearing capacity of the planetary gear assembly. On the other hand, it can also make the gear shaft layout compact, which helps to reduce the volume of the differential and facilitates the lightweight design of the differential.

[0034] (9) An axially extending oil groove is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the gear shaft, and one end of the oil groove extends through to the end of the gear shaft, and the other end extends at least beyond the inner hole of the planetary gear. This eliminates the protrusions at both ends of the oil groove in the traditional gear shaft, reduces the flow resistance of the lubricating oil, and allows the lubricating oil to flow quickly through the oil groove. This increases the flow of lubricating oil at the planetary gear assembly, improves the lubrication effect between the gear shaft and the planetary gear, helps prevent wear between the planetary gear and the gear shaft, and can improve the service life of the planetary gear assembly.

[0035] Another object of this application is to provide a vehicle in which a differential as described above is provided.

[0036] The vehicle described in this application has the same advantages as the aforementioned differential structure compared to related technologies, and will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0037] The accompanying drawings, which form part of this application, are used to provide a further understanding of this application. The illustrative embodiments and descriptions of this application are used to explain this application and do not constitute an undue limitation of this application. In the drawings:

[0038] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the differential described in the embodiments of this application;

[0039] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the main body of the differential described in the embodiments of this application;

[0040] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the main body of the differential described in the embodiment of this application from another perspective;

[0041] Figure 4 for Figure 3 A cross-sectional view along the AA direction;

[0042] Figure 5 for Figure 4 A magnified view of part B in the middle section;

[0043] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the differential shell structure described in the embodiments of this application;

[0044] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the differential located inside the housing according to an embodiment of this application;

[0045] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the components of the execution component described in the embodiments of this application;

[0046] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the spline sleeve described in an embodiment of this application;

[0047] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the differential gear sleeve described in an embodiment of this application;

[0048] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the differential gear sleeve from another perspective, as described in an embodiment of this application.

[0049] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the locking tooth sleeve described in an embodiment of this application;

[0050] Figure 13 for Figure 12 A magnified view of part C in the middle;

[0051] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram of the locking tooth sleeve from another perspective in an embodiment of this application;

[0052] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first half-shaft gear described in the embodiments of this application;

[0053] Figure 16 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first elastic element and the second elastic element described in the embodiments of this application;

[0054] Figure 17 This is a schematic diagram of the thrust member described in the embodiments of this application;

[0055] Figure 18 for Figure 17 A magnified view of part D in the middle;

[0056] Figure 19 This is a schematic diagram showing the thrust member and locking tooth sleeve being engaged together according to an embodiment of this application;

[0057] Figure 20 This is a schematic diagram of the planetary gear assembly described in the embodiments of this application;

[0058] Figure 21 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the gear shaft with an oil groove as described in the embodiments of this application;

[0059] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0060] 100. Main body;

[0061] 1. Housing; 2. Planetary gear assembly; 3. First half-shaft gear; 4. Second half-shaft gear; 5. Actuation assembly; 6. Drive assembly; 7. First bearing; 8. Second bearing;

[0062] 11. Differential housing; 12. Housing cover; 21. Gear shaft; 22. Planetary gear; 23. Retaining pin; 31. Differential gear; 51. Spline sleeve; 52. Differential gear sleeve; 53. Locking gear sleeve; 54. First elastic element; 55. Second elastic element; 56. Snap ring; 61. Drive unit; 62. Thrust member;

[0063] 111, First shoulder; 112, Second shoulder; 11a, Through hole; 11b, Mounting hole; 121, Third shoulder; 211, First gear shaft; 212, Second gear shaft; 21s, Oil groove; 511, First internal spline; 512, External spline; 521, Second internal spline; 522, Differential meshing gear; 523, Locking meshing gear; 531, Protrusion; 532, Locking mating gear; 53a, Receiving groove; 621, Thrust plate; 622, Connector;

[0064] 2121, Fixing hole; 523a, Limiting surface; 531a, Snap-fit ​​hole; 531b, Snap-fit ​​groove; 531c, Groove; 531d, Insertion groove; 622a, Slot; 6221, Snap-fit ​​end; 6222, Snap-fit ​​head. Detailed Implementation

[0065] To make the technical solution and advantages of this application clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative and not intended to limit the scope of this application.

[0066] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this application can be combined with each other.

[0067] Furthermore, it should be noted that in the description of this application, if terms such as "upper," "lower," "inner," or "outer" appear, indicating orientation or positional relationship, these are based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings and are only for the convenience of describing this application and 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, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation on this application. In addition, if terms such as "first" or "second" appear, they are also used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0068] Furthermore, in the description of this application, unless otherwise expressly defined, the terms "installation," "connection," "joining," and "connector" 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 mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; and they can refer to the internal connection between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application in light of the specific circumstances.

[0069] In this application, the terms "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., refer to a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example, which is included in at least one embodiment or example of this application. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0070] The present application will now be described in detail through exemplary embodiments. However, it should be understood that, without further description, elements, structures, and features in one embodiment may be advantageously incorporated into other embodiments.

[0071] An embodiment of the first aspect of this application provides a differential that integrates multiple functions such as differential, locking, and disconnection. Through its innovative structural design, the differential of this embodiment, when installed on a vehicle, can avoid energy waste, improve the vehicle's road passability, reduce vehicle maintenance costs, and thus improve the quality of vehicle use.

[0072] In related technologies, the traditional differentials used in existing vehicles, while able to dynamically distribute the speed difference between the left and right wheels to ensure smooth driving during cornering or on complex road conditions, have several drawbacks. Firstly, when the vehicle is coasting in neutral or switching from four-wheel drive to two-wheel drive, it receives torque input from the wheels and transmits it to the driveshaft, causing a backdraft effect that wastes energy. Secondly, when driving on muddy or icy roads, one wheel may remain stationary while the other slips, preventing the vehicle from moving normally and thus limiting improvements in vehicle performance.

[0073] To address the limitations of traditional differential structures on vehicle performance, some current differential designs incorporate a differential clutch assembly located on the left half-shaft gear side and engaging with it, and a transmission clutch assembly located on the right half-shaft gear side and engaging with the planetary gear carrier. This allows the differential to not only perform differential functions but also to have disengagement and locking functions, thereby preventing power back-dragging and wheel slippage.

[0074] However, the above differential design requires modifications to the left and right half-shaft gear sides of the differential, and also requires electromagnetic actuators to be installed at both ends of the differential axis. This undoubtedly makes the differential structure very complex, which will not only increase the design and manufacturing costs of the differential, but also increase the maintenance costs of the vehicle after it is installed on it, thus still having certain shortcomings.

[0075] In view of this, in order to overcome the shortcomings of related technologies, the differential in this embodiment combines... Figures 1 to 20 As shown, the overall design includes a housing 1, a planetary gear assembly 2 disposed within the housing 1, a first half-shaft gear 3 and a second half-shaft gear 4 meshing with the planetary gear assembly 2, an actuation component 5 disposed within the housing 1, and a drive component 6 disposed on the housing 1 corresponding to the actuation component 5.

[0076] The actuator 5 includes a spline sleeve 51, a differential gear sleeve 52, and a locking gear sleeve 53 located on one side of the first half-shaft gear 3. The spline sleeve 51 and the differential gear sleeve 52 rotate synchronously with the first half-shaft, and the differential gear sleeve 52 can slide axially along the spline sleeve 51. The locking gear sleeve 53 rotates synchronously with the housing 1 and can slide axially to the first stroke position and the second stroke position under the drive of the drive assembly 6.

[0077] In the first stroke position, the differential sleeve 52 engages with the first half-shaft gear 3 under the activation of the locking sleeve 53. In the second stroke position, the locking sleeve 53, the differential sleeve 52, and the first half-shaft gear 3 are engaged together.

[0078] Therefore, as described above, by employing an actuator 5 comprising a spline sleeve 51, a differential sleeve 52, and a locking sleeve 53, and a drive assembly 6 capable of driving the locking sleeve 53 to slide axially to the first stroke position and the second stroke position, and by using an actuator 5 comprising a spline sleeve 51, a differential sleeve 52, and a locking sleeve 53, a differential sleeve 52, and a first half-shaft gear 3 in the first stroke position, and by using a drive assembly 6 capable of driving the locking sleeve 53, the differential sleeve 52, and the first half-shaft gear 3 in the second stroke position, this embodiment enables the differential to integrate multiple functions, including differential (corresponding to the first stroke position of the locking sleeve 53), disconnect (corresponding to the position of the locking sleeve 53 when it is not driven by the drive assembly 6), and locking (corresponding to the second stroke position of the locking sleeve 53). Thus, the disconnect function can be used to prevent the differential from receiving torque input from the wheels to avoid wasting vehicle energy, and the locking function can be used to lock both wheels, improving the vehicle's road passability.

[0079] Meanwhile, compared to the existing differential structure with clutch components on both the left and right half-shaft gear sides and electromagnetic actuators at both ends of the axial direction, this embodiment only has an actuation component 5 on the first half-shaft gear 3 side. The actuation component 5 only includes structures such as spline sleeve 51, differential gear sleeve 52, and locking gear sleeve 53. It has fewer parts and a simpler structure. Furthermore, only one drive component 6 is set for the actuation component 5. It can be understood that this embodiment can also reduce the design and manufacturing costs of the differential and reduce the maintenance costs of the vehicle after the differential is installed on the vehicle, thereby improving the quality of vehicle use.

[0080] Based on the above general introduction, specifically, it is worth noting that, for ease of description, the part of the differential other than the drive assembly 6, namely the housing 1 and the part disposed within the housing 1, can be referred to as the "main body 100". The main body 100 constitutes the main structure of the differential, and after the drive assembly 6 is assembled onto the main body 100, the main body 100, i.e. the differential, can be rotatably mounted onto the axle of the vehicle via the first bearing 7 and the second bearing 8.

[0081] Still Figures 2 to 6 As shown, in some exemplary embodiments, the housing 1 of this embodiment generally includes a housing 11 and a cover 12 connected together.

[0082] The differential housing 11 is the main structure of the housing 1. The cover 12 is usually connected to one end of the differential housing 11 by bolts. The cover 12 and the differential housing 11 together define the inner cavity of the housing 1. The planetary gear assembly 2, the first half-shaft gear 3, the second half-shaft gear 4, and the actuation assembly 5 are located in this inner cavity.

[0083] In terms of specific structure, the differential housing 11 has a central hole at the other end relative to the housing cover 12 for the first half-shaft to pass through, and the housing cover 12 also has a central hole for the second half-shaft to pass through. One end of the first half-shaft passes through the housing 1 and is connected to the spline sleeve 51 for transmission. The second half-shaft passes through the housing 1 and is connected to the second half-shaft gear sleeve 4 for transmission. Since the arrangement of the first half-shaft and the second half-shaft can be referred to the relevant structure in the existing differential, the first half-shaft and the second half-shaft are not shown in the various figures.

[0084] Furthermore, a first shoulder 111 and a second shoulder 112 are provided on the housing 11, and a third shoulder 121 is provided on the cover 12. The second shoulder 112 is located at the end of the first shoulder 111, and the outer diameter of the second shoulder 112 is smaller than that of the first shoulder 111. The first shoulder 111 is used to install the drive assembly 6, the second shoulder 112 is used to install the first bearing 7, and the third shoulder 121 is used to install the second bearing 8.

[0085] In this embodiment, continue as follows Figures 8 to 11 ,as well as Figure 14 and Figure 15 As shown, a first internal spline 511 is provided on the inner peripheral wall of the spline sleeve 51, and an external spline 512 is provided on the outer peripheral wall of the spline sleeve 52. A second internal spline 521 is provided on the inner peripheral wall of the differential gear sleeve 52, and differential meshing teeth 522 and locking meshing teeth 523 are respectively provided on two opposite sides of the differential gear sleeve 52 in the axial direction. At the same time, locking engagement teeth 532 are provided on the locking gear sleeve 53, and differential engagement teeth 31 are provided on the first half-shaft gear 3.

[0086] Similar to the transmission connection between the second half-shaft gear 4 and the second half-shaft, after the spline sleeve 51 is fitted onto the first half-shaft, the first inner spline 511 on its inner circumferential wall engages with the matching spline pair on the first half-shaft. At the same time, the outer spline 512 on the outer circumferential wall of the spline sleeve 51 engages with the second inner spline 521 on the inner circumferential wall of the differential gear sleeve 52, thereby achieving synchronous rotation of the spline sleeve 51 and the differential gear sleeve 52 with the first half-shaft.

[0087] Of course, while ensuring the synchronous rotation of the spline sleeve 51, differential gear sleeve 52, and first half-shaft, in specific implementation, a clearance fit can be used between the differential gear sleeve 52 and the spline sleeve 51 to allow the differential gear sleeve 52 to slide axially relative to the spline sleeve 51. An transition fit can be used between the spline sleeve 51 and the first half-shaft, ensuring that the spline sleeve 51 is fixed to the end of the first half-shaft to prevent loosening of the spline sleeve.

[0088] Furthermore, based on the differential meshing teeth 522 and locking meshing teeth 523 on both sides of the differential sleeve 52, the locking engagement teeth 532 on the locking sleeve 53, and the differential engagement teeth 31 on the first half-shaft gear 3, in this embodiment, at the first stroke position, specifically, the differential meshing teeth 522 and the differential engagement teeth 31 mesh with each other and are engaged together; at the second stroke position, specifically, the differential meshing teeth 522 and the differential engagement teeth 31 mesh with each other and are engaged together, and the locking meshing teeth 523 and the locking engagement teeth 532 also mesh with each other and are engaged together.

[0089] In this embodiment, we continue to combine Figure 4 , Figure 5 as well as Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, in some exemplary embodiments, a first elastic element 54 is provided between the differential sleeve 52 and the locking sleeve 53, while a second elastic element 55 is also provided between the first half-shaft gear 3 and the locking sleeve 53.

[0090] Furthermore, combined with Figure 14 As shown, in this embodiment, a receiving groove 53a is also provided on the side of the locking sleeve 53 facing the first half-shaft gear 3. The differential sleeve 52 and the first elastic member 54 are located in the receiving groove 53a. At the same time, a retaining spring 56 is also provided on the groove wall of the receiving groove 53a to block the differential sleeve 52.

[0091] When the locking sleeve 53 slides axially under the drive of the drive assembly 6, it can compress the second elastic element 55 to enter the first stroke position, and push it through the first elastic element 54, so that the differential sleeve 52 engages with the first half-shaft gear 3. Under the continued drive of the drive assembly 6, the locking sleeve 53 can compress the first elastic element 54 and the second elastic element 55 to enter the second stroke position, so that the locking sleeve 53 further engages with the differential sleeve 52.

[0092] When the driving component 6 removes the driving force on the locking sleeve 53 in the second stroke position, the first elastic element 54 resets, which drives the locking sleeve 53 back from the second stroke position to the first stroke position. When the driving component 6 continues to remove the driving force on the locking sleeve 53 in the first stroke position, the second elastic element 55 resets, which drives the locking sleeve 53 back from the first stroke position, and also simultaneously drives the differential sleeve 52 back to its original position via the retaining ring 56.

[0093] It is understandable that by providing a first elastic element 54 between the differential sleeve 52 and the locking sleeve 53, and a second elastic element 55 between the first half-shaft gear 3 and the locking sleeve 53, and by using the two elastic elements to drive the locking sleeve 53 back from its respective stroke positions when the drive assembly 6 removes its driving force on the locking sleeve 53, this embodiment can effectively prevent abnormal engagement between the locking sleeve 53, the differential sleeve 52, and the first half-shaft gear 3 by utilizing the elastic support of the first elastic element 54 between the differential sleeve 52 and the locking sleeve 53, and the elastic support of the second elastic element 55 between the first half-shaft gear 3 and the locking sleeve 53, thus helping to ensure the stability of the differential operation.

[0094] On the other hand, when the drive assembly 6 removes its drive on the locking sleeve 53, the locking sleeve 53 is driven back to its original position via the first elastic member 54 and the second elastic member 55. Obviously, this embodiment can also ensure that the locking sleeve 53 returns to its original position smoothly and improve the reliability of the differential. At the same time, the drive assembly 6 can be made of a product that can output unidirectional driving force (that is, only output driving force that causes the locking sleeve 53 to slide to the first stroke position and the second stroke position). In this way, it can undoubtedly simplify the structure of the drive assembly 6 and reduce the cost of the differential.

[0095] In specific implementation, it is worth noting that in some of the exemplary implementations, further combination with... Figure 16 As shown, preferably, the first elastic element 54 and the second elastic element 55 can both be wave springs, for example.

[0096] The wave springs constituting the first elastic element 54 and the second elastic element 55 can both be existing products with suitable materials and radial and axial dimensions. The first elastic element 54 is fitted outside the spline sleeve 51, and the second elastic element 55 is fitted outside the differential gear sleeve 52. At the same time, in order to ensure the stability of the wave spring installation, the differential gear sleeve 52, the locking gear sleeve 53, and the first half-shaft gear 3 can generally be formed with abutment planes, and the ends of the wave springs can abut against the corresponding abutment planes.

[0097] By employing wave springs for the first elastic element 54 and the second elastic element 55, it is understood that this embodiment not only utilizes the compact size and small installation space required by wave springs to facilitate the placement of the first elastic element 54 and the second elastic element 55 within the differential, but also obviously leverages the advantages of wave springs, such as high load-bearing capacity, good structural stability, strong damping and vibration absorption capacity, good flexibility, strong impact resistance, and high customizability, which facilitates the design and fabrication of each elastic element and helps ensure the quality of each elastic element in use.

[0098] In this embodiment, based on the provision of the first elastic element 54 and the second elastic element 55, a receiving groove 53a is provided on one side of the locking sleeve 53, and the differential sleeve 52 and the first elastic element 54 are located in the receiving groove 53a. At the same time, a retaining ring 56 is provided on the groove wall of the receiving groove 53a. It can be understood that, compared with the method of the differential sleeve 52 being arranged side by side on one side of the locking sleeve 53, it can not only reduce the space occupied by the actuator 5 in the axial direction of the differential by utilizing the setting of the differential sleeve 52 and the first elastic element 54 in the locking sleeve 53, which helps to reduce the overall size of the differential and is beneficial to the arrangement of the differential in the vehicle, but also can drive the differential sleeve 52 to return synchronously via the retaining ring 56 when the locking sleeve 53 returns, so as to achieve smooth separation between the differential sleeve 52 and the first half-shaft gear 3.

[0099] In specific implementation, it is worth noting that, given the arrangement of the receiving groove 53a on the locking tooth sleeve 53, preferably, the aforementioned locking mating tooth 532 is also located in the receiving groove 53a and formed on the bottom wall of the receiving groove 53a. Meanwhile, the aforementioned retaining spring 56 can be a product of a suitable existing specification, and the retaining spring 56 is embedded in the fitting groove 531d on the groove wall of the receiving groove 53a, with the fitting groove 531d formed on the locking tooth sleeve 53 near the opening of the receiving groove 53a.

[0100] In addition, combined Figure 11 As shown, based on the differential meshing teeth 522 provided on the differential gear sleeve 52, in order to facilitate the abutting fit between the retaining ring 56 and the differential gear sleeve 52, a limiting surface 523a can be formed on the differential gear sleeve 52, for example. This limiting surface 523a is provided on the radially outwardly protruding shoulder structure on the differential gear sleeve 52. When the first elastic member 54 and the differential gear sleeve 52 are placed in the receiving groove 53a, and the retaining ring 56 is assembled into the insert groove 531d, under the elastic support of the pre-compressed first elastic member 54, the limiting surface 523a abuts against the retaining ring 56, thereby restricting the differential gear sleeve 52 and the first elastic member 54 within the receiving groove 53a.

[0101] In this embodiment, in some exemplary implementations, the following are still combined Figure 1 As shown, the drive assembly 6 includes a drive unit 61 disposed on the housing 1, and a thrust member 62 that is driven by the drive unit 61 to slide linearly. The thrust member 62 abuts against the locking sleeve 53, and the drive unit 61 drives the locking sleeve 53 to slide axially through the thrust member 62.

[0102] At this point, it can be understood that the drive assembly 6 includes a drive unit 61 and a thrust member 62 that is driven by the drive unit 61 to slide linearly, and the thrust member 62 abuts against the locking sleeve 53 so that the locking sleeve 52 can slide axially via the thrust member 62 under the drive of the drive unit 61. This embodiment can be combined with the above two elastic members to simplify the structure of the drive assembly 6, facilitate the selection of the drive unit 61, and help to realize the arrangement of the drive assembly 6 on the differential.

[0103] In a specific implementation, as an exemplary embodiment, preferably, the drive unit 61 and the thrust member 62 in this embodiment can be located outside the housing 1, that is, the drive assembly 6 is mounted on the first shoulder 111 on the housing 11, and the drive unit 61 is specifically an electromagnetic coil assembly provided on the housing 1. At the same time, matching the location of the drive assembly 6 on the outside of the housing 1, a protruding protrusion 531 is also provided on the locking tooth sleeve 53, which protrudes through the adapted through hole 11a on the housing 1, and the thrust member 62 specifically abuts against the protrusion 531.

[0104] At this point, it is understood that by placing the drive assembly 6, which includes the drive unit 61 and the thrust member 62, on the outside of the housing 1, compared to placing the drive assembly 6 inside the housing 1, the size of the differential housing 1 can be effectively reduced, the space occupied by the differential can be reduced, the differential can be arranged in the vehicle, and the drive assembly 6 can be installed on the housing 1.

[0105] By employing an electromagnetic coil assembly in the drive unit 61 and providing a protrusion 531 on the locking sleeve 53 that protrudes through the through hole 11a on the housing 1, this embodiment not only utilizes the electromagnetic coil assembly to achieve electronically controlled rapid locking of the differential, thereby improving the differential's response performance, but also utilizes the protrusion 531 on the locking sleeve 53 to constrain the locking sleeve 53 to slide axially only within the housing 1, based on the transmission between the drive assembly 6 and the actuator assembly 5. This simplifies the structure of the locking sleeve 53 and the housing 1, and further reduces the design and manufacturing costs of the differential.

[0106] In specific implementation, it is worth noting that the aforementioned through hole 11a is also located on the differential housing 11. The drive unit 61 using the electromagnetic coil assembly can be fixed to the first shoulder 111 in the differential housing 11 through an transition fit or other conventional mounting methods. Furthermore, the electromagnetic coil assembly can also use common products used in existing locking differentials. Structurally, it generally consists of an electromagnetic solenoid and a drive piston. When the electromagnetic solenoid is energized, the generated electromagnetic driving force causes the drive piston to output driving force to drive the thrust member 62 to slide axially.

[0107] Furthermore, since the drive unit 61 uses an electromagnetic coil assembly, in specific use, for example, the electromagnetic coil assembly can be driven by a graded current drive so that the drive component 6 can drive the locking sleeve 53 into two stroke positions respectively.

[0108] In detail, at the first stroke position of the locking sleeve 53, a basic sustaining current can be supplied to the electromagnetic coil assembly. The electromagnetic coil assembly operates under this basic sustaining current, driving the locking sleeve 53 via the thrust member 62, causing the locking sleeve 53 to compress the second elastic member 55 and slide axially to the first stroke position.

[0109] When the locking sleeve 53 needs to slide further to the second stroke position, the current supplied to the electromagnetic coil assembly can be increased by increasing the PWM duty cycle, so that the electromagnetic coil assembly can provide a stronger electromagnetic force. This can then drive the locking sleeve 53 through the thrust member 62, causing the locking sleeve 53 to compress the first elastic member 54 (and at the same time continue to compress the second elastic member 55), and slide axially to the second stroke position.

[0110] It should be noted that adopting a graded current drive method helps to meet the differential's requirements for timely control response. Furthermore, in practical implementation, the current levels supplied to the electromagnetic coil assembly can be set according to the differential design requirements, the selection of the electromagnetic coil assembly, and the specifications of the two elastic components, etc., which will not be elaborated further here.

[0111] In this embodiment, based on the setting of the protrusions 531 on the locking tooth sleeve 53, it is also worth noting that the above protrusions 531 can generally be multiple ones arranged at intervals along the circumference of the locking tooth sleeve 53. The through holes 11a on the housing 11 are adapted to the design of the protrusions 531, and the thrust member 62 can abut against each protrusion 531 respectively.

[0112] Furthermore, the aforementioned protrusion 531 is adapted to the through hole 11a on the housing 11, and in combination Figure 2 and Figure 6 As shown, the cross-sectional shape of the protrusion 531 is basically the same as that of the through hole 11a (such as both being similar to trapezoids), and the cross-sectional size of the protrusion 531 is slightly smaller than that of the through hole 11a.

[0113] Therefore, the protrusion 531 can pass through the through hole 11a to engage with the thrust member 62 in the drive assembly 6. Simultaneously, the protrusion 531 can slide axially within the through hole 11a under the drive of the drive unit 61, allowing the locking sleeve 53 to enter either the first or second stroke position. Furthermore, by utilizing the abutment between the wall of the through hole 11a and the outer wall of the protrusion 531, the circumferential constraint of the through hole 11a on the protrusion 531 enables synchronous rotation between the locking sleeve 53 and the differential housing 1. This avoids the need for other structures between the locking sleeve 53 and the housing 1 to constrain the locking sleeve 53 to rotate synchronously with the housing 1, thus reducing the design and manufacturing costs of the differential.

[0114] In this embodiment, in some exemplary implementations, the following continues to be combined Figure 12 and Figure 13 as well as Figure 17 and Figure 18 As shown, the thrust member 62 includes an annular thrust plate 621 and a connector 622 connected to one side of the thrust plate 621.

[0115] The protrusion 531 has a snap-fit ​​hole 531a at its end, and a snap-fit ​​groove 531b is provided on the inner wall of the snap-fit ​​hole 531a. The connector 622 also has a snap-fit ​​end 6221, and a snap-fit ​​head 6222 is provided on the side wall of the snap-fit ​​end 6221. Furthermore, for example... Figure 19 As shown, the aforementioned snap-fit ​​end 622 can enter the snap-fit ​​hole 531a, and the snap-fit ​​head 6222 can be snapped into the snap-fit ​​groove 531b to snap the connector head 622 and the protrusion 531 together.

[0116] It is understandable that by including a thrust plate 621 and a connector 622 connected to one side of the thrust plate 621 in the thrust member 622, this embodiment can utilize the large contact area between the annular thrust plate 621 and the drive unit 61 to improve the stability of the drive unit 61 in driving the thrust member 62 while increasing the structural strength of the thrust member 62 itself.

[0117] On the other hand, by setting the connector 622 and connecting it to the protrusion 531, this embodiment can obviously simplify the overall structure of the thrust member 62 to facilitate the preparation of the thrust member 62, and also facilitate the connection between the thrust member 62 and the locking tooth sleeve 53.

[0118] In specific implementation, it is worth noting that for the thrust member 62 with the thrust plate 621 and the connector 622, it is preferably an injection-molded plastic part. In this way, by making the thrust member 62 into plastic, it is not only easier to mold and prepare the thrust member 62 and reduce the manufacturing cost of the thrust member 62, but also obviously helps to achieve the weight reduction of the differential by taking advantage of the light weight of the plastic part.

[0119] In addition, since the protrusions 531 can be multiple ones arranged at circumferential intervals along the locking tooth sleeve 53, the connectors 622 in the thrust member 62 can also be multiple ones that are connected to each protrusion 531 in a one-to-one correspondence.

[0120] At this point, based on the snap-fit ​​connection between the connector 622 and the protrusion 531, by setting multiple sets of protrusion 531 and connector 622 in one-to-one correspondence, this embodiment can not only facilitate the rapid assembly between the thrust member 62 and the locking sleeve 53, improve the differential production efficiency, but also facilitate the later maintenance and repair of the differential.

[0121] At the same time, by utilizing the arrangement of multiple sets of protrusions 531 and connectors 622, and in particular, the protrusions 531 and connectors 622 are usually evenly distributed in the circumferential direction of the differential, this embodiment can obviously also make the force between the thrust member 62 and the locking sleeve 53 balanced, which can effectively avoid damage caused by single-point overload and help improve the structural durability of the differential.

[0122] In this embodiment, it can also be understood that by providing a snap-fit ​​hole 531a with a snap-fit ​​groove 531b at the end of the protrusion 531, the connector 622 has a snap-fit ​​end 6221 with a snap-fit ​​head 6222. After the snap-fit ​​end 6221 enters the snap-fit ​​hole 531a, the snap-fit ​​head 6222 is engaged in the groove 531b to achieve the snap-fit ​​between the connector 622 and the protrusion 531. This not only enables limiting in both the axial and circumferential directions of the differential, but also improves the stability of the snap-fit ​​between the thrust member 62 and the locking sleeve 53.

[0123] At the same time, by taking advantage of the simple structure and easy design of the snap-fit ​​hole 531a, the snap-fit ​​groove 531b and the snap-fit ​​head 6222, this embodiment is obviously also conducive to reducing the manufacturing cost of the thrust member 62 and the locking tooth sleeve 53, and helps to better reduce the overall cost of the differential.

[0124] In practical implementation, given that the thrust member 62 can be made of injection-molded plastic, the snap-fit ​​end 6221 with the snap-fit ​​head 6222 can be integrally molded onto the connector 622 during the preparation of the thrust member 62. Furthermore, to increase the toughness of the connector 622, especially the snap-fit ​​end 6221, to prevent damage when snapping with the protrusion 531, for example... Figure 17As shown, preferably, for example, a groove 622a may also be formed on the connector 622.

[0125] The slot 622a is provided to penetrate the connector 622 along the axial direction of the thrust member 62. Furthermore, corresponding to the slot 622a, an opening can generally also be formed on the thrust plate 621. The opening can be, for example, a... Figure 18 The rectangular hole shown in the figure not only facilitates the injection molding of the thrust member 62, but also helps to avoid stress concentration at the connection point between the connector 622 and the thrust plate 621, thereby improving the overall durability of the thrust member 62.

[0126] Continue as Figure 12 and Figure 19 As shown, based on the above-mentioned snap-fit ​​method between the connector 622 and the protrusion 531, in some exemplary embodiments of this embodiment, a groove 531c may be further provided on the outer wall of the protrusion 531, and the slot 531b on the inner wall of the snap-fit ​​hole 531a communicates with the groove 531c. After the connector 622 and the protrusion 531 are snapped together, part of the snap-fit ​​head 6222 also enters the groove 531c.

[0127] In specific implementation, the groove 531c can be a groove that runs through the entire protrusion 531 along the circumference of the locking sleeve 53, which facilitates the forming of the groove 531c.

[0128] It is understandable that by providing a groove 531c that communicates with the slot 531b on the outer wall of the protrusion 531, and by allowing the snap-fit ​​head 6222 to partially enter the groove 531c, on the one hand, it allows the snap-fit ​​head 6222 to be snapped in more fully, which can increase the firmness of the snap-fit ​​between the thrust member 62 and the locking tooth sleeve 53. On the other hand, by using the groove 531c, it can obviously reduce the stress concentration of the protrusion 531, improve the impact resistance and fatigue resistance of the protrusion 531, and at the same time facilitate the application of operating force to the snap-fit ​​head 6222 during later disassembly, thereby improving the convenience of disassembly between the thrust member 62 and the locking tooth sleeve 53.

[0129] In this embodiment, by Figure 7 And continue to combine Figure 20 As shown, in some exemplary embodiments, the planetary gear assembly 2 includes a gear shaft 21 disposed on the housing 1 and a planetary gear 22 rotatably disposed on the gear shaft 21.

[0130] Specifically, the gear shaft 21 includes a first gear shaft 211 that passes through the housing 1, and second gear shafts 212 that are respectively provided on two opposite sides of the first gear shaft 211. One end of each second gear shaft 212 passes through the housing 1, and the other end passes through the first gear shaft 211. Planetary gears 22 are respectively provided on each second gear shaft 212 and at both ends near the first gear shaft 211.

[0131] At this point, it is understood that the gear shaft 21 includes a first gear shaft 211 that passes through it, and second gear shafts 212 that are disposed on opposite sides of the first gear shaft 211. One end of the second gear shaft 212 passes through the first gear shaft 211. Planetary gears 22 are respectively disposed on each of the second gear shafts 212 and at both ends near the first gear shaft 211. This embodiment can not only increase the structural rigidity of the planetary gear assembly 2 and improve the load-bearing capacity of the planetary gear assembly 2 by utilizing the combined layout of the first gear shaft 211 and the second gear shaft 212, but also obviously make the gear shaft 21 compact overall, which helps to reduce the size of the differential and facilitates the lightweighting of the differential.

[0132] In practice, the ends of each gear shaft 21 that connect to the differential housing 1 are inserted into the mounting holes 11b on the differential housing 11. Furthermore, for each second gear shaft 212, a fixing hole 2121 is generally provided at the end that connects to the differential housing 11. When the end of the second gear shaft 212 is inserted into the mounting hole 11b on the differential housing 11, the fixing hole 2121 will align with the corresponding hole structure inside the differential housing 11. Then, a fixing pin 23, which is press-fitted into the hole structure inside the differential housing 11 and the fixing hole 2121, can be used to fix the second gear shaft 212 to the differential housing 11 together, preventing the second gear shaft 212 from loosening and affecting the stability of the planetary gear assembly 2.

[0133] In this embodiment, based on the above-described configuration of the planetary gear assembly 2, it should be noted that, in addition to allowing each gear shaft 21 to adopt the aforementioned configuration... Figure 20 The conventional structure shown herein may be found in other exemplary embodiments, such as... Figure 21 As shown, for example, axially extending oil grooves 21s can also be provided on the outer peripheral wall of each gear shaft 21.

[0134] One end of the oil groove 21s on each gear shaft 21 extends to the end of the gear shaft 21, while the other end of the oil groove 21s extends beyond the inner hole of the planetary gear 22.

[0135] It is worth noting that the inner hole of the planetary gear 22, which is also the central hole through which the gear shaft 21 passes, allows the planetary gear 22 to be fitted onto the gear shaft 21 for rotatable mounting. The oil groove 21s is used to guide lubricating oil between the planetary gear 22 and the gear shaft 21 during differential operation, thereby lubricating the contact surfaces of both and reducing wear.

[0136] By providing an axially extending oil groove 21s on the outer peripheral wall of the gear shaft 21, with one end of the oil groove 21s extending through the end of the gear shaft 21 and the other end extending beyond the inner hole of the planetary gear 22, it can be understood that, compared to the gear shaft 21 in the conventional design of the planetary gear assembly 2, this embodiment eliminates the protrusions at both ends of the oil groove 21s on the gear shaft 22 (that is, the oil groove 21s is only located in the middle of the axial direction of the gear shaft 22). This reduces the flow resistance of the lubricating oil, allowing the lubricating oil to flow quickly through the oil groove 21s, increasing the lubricating oil flow rate, improving the lubrication effect between the gear shaft 21 and the planetary gear 22, helping to prevent wear between the planetary gear 22 and the gear shaft 21, and thus improving the service life of the planetary gear assembly 2.

[0137] In specific implementation, given that the gear shaft 21 of this embodiment includes a first gear shaft 211 and a second gear shaft 212, it is worth noting that the other end of the oil groove 21s extends beyond the inner hole of the planetary gear 22. That is, the design of the oil groove 21s is not based on the mating position with the planetary gear 22, nor on the thickness of the planetary gear 22.

[0138] Specifically, for the through-type first gear shaft 211, the other end of the oil groove 21s extends beyond the inner hole of the planetary gear 22. This means that the end of the oil groove 21s extending towards the middle (axially upward) of the first gear shaft 211 extends beyond the inner hole of the planetary gear 22 mounted on the first gear shaft 211 (that is, the end of the oil groove 21s extends to the outside of the inner hole of the planetary gear 22). In this way, by not providing the oil groove 21s at the middle position of the first gear shaft 211 in the axial direction, the structural strength of the first gear shaft 211 can be guaranteed while one end of the second gear shaft 212 passes into the first gear shaft 211.

[0139] For the second gear shafts 212 located on both sides of the first gear shaft 211, the other end of the oil groove 21s can also be the end that directly penetrates into the second gear shaft 212 (of course, this end does not include the portion of the second gear shaft 212 with a reduced diameter for insertion into the first gear shaft 211). In this way, the oil groove 21s penetrates the entire second gear shaft 212, which obviously also achieves a better lubrication effect.

[0140] It is worth noting that, regarding the differential in this embodiment, based on the above exemplary implementations, in specific implementation, as a preferred embodiment, it is still composed of... Figures 1 to 21 As shown, it may include, for example, a housing 1, a planetary gear assembly 2 disposed within the housing 1, a first half-shaft gear 3 and a second half-shaft gear 4 meshing with the planetary gear assembly 2, an actuation component 5 disposed within the housing 1, and a drive component 6 disposed on the housing 1 corresponding to the actuation component 5.

[0141] The actuation component 5 includes a spline sleeve 51, a differential gear sleeve 52, and a locking gear sleeve 53 located on one side of the first half-shaft gear 3. The spline sleeve 51 and the differential gear sleeve 52 rotate synchronously with the first half-shaft, and the differential gear sleeve 52 can slide axially along the spline sleeve 51. The locking gear sleeve 53 rotates synchronously with the housing 1 and can slide axially to the first stroke position and the second stroke position under the drive of the drive component 6. At the same time, a first elastic element 54 is provided between the differential gear sleeve 52 and the locking gear sleeve 53, and a second elastic element 55 is provided between the first half-shaft gear 3 and the locking gear sleeve 53.

[0142] Furthermore, the locking sleeve 53 has a receiving groove 53a on the side facing the first half-shaft gear 3. The differential sleeve 52 and the first elastic member 54 are located in the receiving groove 53a, and a retaining spring 56 is provided on the groove wall of the receiving groove 53a to block one side of the differential sleeve 52. The drive assembly 6 includes a drive part 61 provided on the housing 1, and a thrust member 62 driven by the drive part 61 to slide linearly. The locking sleeve 53 has an outwardly protruding protrusion 531, which protrudes through a matching through hole 11a on the housing 1, and the thrust member 62 abuts against the protrusion 531.

[0143] Additionally, the thrust member 62 includes an annular thrust disc 621 and a connector 622 connected to one side of the thrust disc 621. The connector 622 is snapped into the protrusion 531. The planetary gear assembly 2 includes a gear shaft 21 mounted on the housing 1 and planetary gears 22 rotatably mounted on the gear shaft 21. The gear shaft 21 includes a first gear shaft 211 extending through the housing 1 and second gear shafts 212 respectively mounted on two opposite sides of the first gear shaft 211. Each gear shaft 21 has an axially extending oil groove 21s on its outer peripheral wall.

[0144] In the preferred embodiment of the differential described above, the specific settings and arrangements of the actuator 5, drive assembly 6, planetary gear assembly 2, etc., can still be referred to the descriptions in the above exemplary embodiments. Furthermore, in this preferred embodiment, the beneficial effects brought about by the design of the planetary gear assembly 2, actuator 5, and drive assembly 6, etc., can also be referred to the descriptions in the above exemplary embodiments.

[0145] Meanwhile, in the specific manufacturing process, the housing 1, including the differential housing 11 and the cover 12, each half-shaft gear, and the spline sleeve 51, differential gear sleeve 52, and locking gear sleeve 53 in the actuation assembly 5, are usually made of metal, and generally steel. In terms of manufacturing method, casting is also a common approach. Of course, after casting, depending on specific process requirements, further machining can be performed to create the required hole structures or to ensure that each component meets the corresponding flatness and roughness requirements.

[0146] Taking the differential in the preferred embodiment above as an example, when it is installed in the vehicle and is working, when the drive part 61 (electromagnetic coil assembly) in the drive assembly 6 is not energized, the differential sleeve 52 and the first half-shaft gear 3, as well as the differential sleeve 52 and the locking sleeve 53 are in a disengaged state. At this time, the entire differential is in a disconnected state, which can prevent the differential from receiving the torque input from the wheels, resulting in power back-dragging and causing energy waste of the whole vehicle.

[0147] When the differential function of the differential is required, a preset basic sustaining current can be supplied to the drive unit 61 in the drive assembly 6 via the vehicle controller. This causes the drive unit 61 to actuate and drive the locking sleeve 53 axially to the first stroke position via the thrust member 62. During the sliding of the locking sleeve 53 to the first stroke position, it compresses the second elastic member 55, and the first elastic member 54 can be used to make the differential sleeve 52 slide towards the first half-shaft gear 3 to engage with it. When the driving force provided by the drive unit 61 is balanced with the force applied to the locking sleeve 53 by the second elastic member 55, the locking sleeve 53 enters the first stroke position, and the differential sleeve 52 and the first half-shaft gear 3 are engaged. However, the locking sleeve 53 and the differential sleeve 52 are not engaged under the elastic support of the first elastic member 54. In this way, the differential enters the differential state, so that under the transmission of the drive shaft connected to the differential housing 1, the differential can receive the driving force of the powertrain (such as the engine) in the vehicle, and drive the left and right wheels to rotate synchronously.

[0148] When the differential locking function is required, the vehicle controller continues to supply a larger current to the drive unit 61 in the drive assembly 6, causing the drive unit 61 to continue operating and driving the locking sleeve 53 to continue axially moving to the second stroke position via the thrust member 62. During the sliding of the locking sleeve 53 to the second stroke position, it continues to compress the first elastic member 54 (and also the second elastic member 55), allowing the locking sleeve 53 to engage with the differential sleeve 52. When the driving force provided by the drive unit 61 balances the combined force exerted by the first elastic member 54 and the second elastic member 55, the locking sleeve 53 enters the second stroke position, and the differential sleeve 52 and the locking sleeve 53 engage, thus locking the differential.

[0149] In the locked state, since the locking sleeve 53 rotates synchronously with the differential housing 1, the two half-shaft gears and the planetary gear assembly 2 can only revolve with the differential housing 1, thereby locking the wheels on the left and right sides of the vehicle together to solve the problem of wheel slippage when the vehicle is driving on bad roads, improve the vehicle's ability to get out of trouble, and enhance the vehicle's road passability.

[0150] When the differential is locked, the vehicle controller stops supplying a large current to the drive unit 61. Under the action of the first elastic element 54, the locking sleeve 53 returns from the second stroke position to the first stroke position, thereby releasing the differential's locking function. Furthermore, if the vehicle controller stops supplying the basic sustaining current to the drive unit 61, the driving force of the drive unit 61 on the locking sleeve 53 disappears. Under the action of the second elastic element 55, the locking sleeve 53 continues to return to its original position, and under the action of the retaining ring 56, the differential sleeve 52 disengages from the first half-shaft gear 3, thus restoring the differential to the disengaged state.

[0151] The differential in this embodiment adopts the above design, which not only utilizes the differential's disconnect function to avoid wasting vehicle energy and utilizes the differential's locking function to improve the vehicle's road passability, but also reduces vehicle maintenance costs based on the integrated disconnect and locking functions of the differential, thereby improving the quality of vehicle use.

[0152] An embodiment of the second aspect of this application provides a vehicle in which a differential as described in the first aspect embodiment above is provided.

[0153] In practice, the installation and configuration of the aforementioned differential in the vehicle can be found in the corresponding section of the existing vehicle transmission system, and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0154] Meanwhile, by adopting the differential in the first aspect embodiment, the vehicle in this embodiment can reduce energy waste, improve road passability, and reduce maintenance costs, thus improving the quality of vehicle use and having good practicality.

[0155] The above descriptions are merely some embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit this application. The technical features or structures in the foregoing different embodiments can be arbitrarily combined to form other specific technical solutions as needed. For those skilled in the art, this application can have various modifications and variations. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the scope of protection of the claims of this application.

Claims

1. A differential, comprising a housing (1), a planetary gear assembly (2) disposed within the housing (1), and a first half-shaft gear (3) and a second half-shaft gear (4) meshing with the planetary gear assembly (2), characterized in that: It also includes an execution component (5) disposed within the housing (1), and a drive component (6) disposed on the housing (1) corresponding to the execution component (5). The execution component (5) includes a spline sleeve (51), a differential sleeve (52), and a locking sleeve (53) located on one side of the first half-shaft gear (3). The spline sleeve (51) and the differential sleeve (52) rotate synchronously with the first half-shaft, and the differential sleeve (52) can slide axially along the spline sleeve (51). The locking sleeve (53) rotates synchronously with the housing (1) and can slide axially to the first stroke position and the second stroke position under the drive of the drive component (6). In the first stroke position, the differential sleeve (52) engages with the first half-shaft gear (3) under the enable of the locking sleeve (53). In the second stroke position, the locking sleeve (53), the differential sleeve (52), and the first half-shaft gear (3) are engaged together.

2. The differential according to claim 1, characterized in that: A first elastic element (54) is provided between the differential gear sleeve (52) and the locking gear sleeve (53), and a second elastic element (55) is provided between the first half-shaft gear (3) and the locking gear sleeve (53). The locking sleeve (53) has a receiving groove (53a) on the side facing the first half-shaft gear (3), the differential sleeve (52) and the first elastic element (54) are located in the receiving groove (53a), and the receiving groove (53a) has a retaining ring (56) on the groove wall that blocks the differential sleeve (52).

3. The differential according to claim 2, characterized in that: At least one of the first elastic element (54) and the second elastic element (55) is a wave spring.

4. The differential according to claim 2, characterized in that: The drive assembly (6) includes a drive part (61) disposed on the housing (1) and a thrust member (62) driven by the drive part (61) to slide linearly. The thrust member (62) abuts against the locking sleeve (53), and the drive unit (61) drives the locking sleeve (53) to slide axially through the thrust member (62).

5. The differential according to claim 4, characterized in that: The drive unit (61) and the thrust member (62) are located outside the housing (1), and the drive unit (61) is an electromagnetic coil assembly provided on the housing (1); The locking sleeve (53) has an outwardly protruding protrusion (531), which protrudes through the adapted through hole (11a) on the housing (1), and the thrust member (62) abuts against the protrusion (531).

6. The differential according to claim 5, characterized in that: The thrust member (62) includes an annular thrust disc (621) and a connector (622) connected to one side of the thrust disc (621). The end of the protrusion (531) is provided with a snap-fit ​​hole (531a), and the inner wall of the snap-fit ​​hole (531a) is provided with a snap-fit ​​groove (531b). The connector (622) has a snap-fit ​​end (6221), and the side wall of the snap-fit ​​end (6221) is provided with a snap-fit ​​head (6222). The snap-fit ​​end (6221) can enter the snap-fit ​​hole (531a) and make the snap-fit ​​head (6222) snap into the snap-fit ​​groove (531b) to snap the connector (622) and the protrusion (531) together.

7. The differential according to claim 6, characterized in that: The outer wall of the protrusion (531) is provided with a groove (531c), the slot (531b) is connected to the groove (531c), and part of the card head (6222) enters the groove (531c).

8. The differential according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The planetary gear assembly (2) includes a gear shaft (21) disposed on the housing (1) and a planetary gear (22) rotatably disposed on the gear shaft (21). The gear shaft (21) includes a first gear shaft (211) that passes through the housing (1) and a second gear shaft (212) that is respectively provided on two opposite sides of the first gear shaft (211). One end of each of the second gear shafts (212) passes through the housing (1), and the other end passes through the first gear shaft (211). The planetary gears (22) are respectively provided on each of the second gear shafts (212) and at both ends near the first gear shaft (211).

9. The differential according to claim 8, characterized in that: Each of the gear shafts (21) has an axially extending oil groove (21s) on its outer peripheral wall. One end of the oil groove (21s) extends through to the end of the gear shaft (21), and the other end of the oil groove (21s) extends at least beyond the inner hole of the planetary gear (22).

10. A vehicle, characterized in that: The vehicle is equipped with a differential as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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