Lightweight axle housing, electric drive axle assembly and vehicle

Abstract

The utility model relates to a light-weight axle housing, an electric drive axle assembly and a vehicle, and belongs to the technical field of automobile manufacturing, the light-weight axle housing comprises an axle housing body, the axle housing body comprises an axle package shell, a journal tube, an axle arm tube, a half shaft sleeve, a boss, an upper plate spring seat and a lower plate spring seat, the axle package shell, the journal tube, the axle arm tube and the half shaft sleeve are integrally arranged, the boss and the journal tube are integrally arranged, and the upper plate spring seat and the lower plate spring seat are integrally arranged. And a flange plate is integrally arranged with the axle shaft sleeve. Due to the fact that the boss used for limiting the suspension buffer block, the upper plate spring seat and the lower plate spring seat which are used for being matched with plate spring installation and the flange disc used for installing the brake assembly are integrated on the axle housing body, the boss, the upper plate spring seat, the lower plate spring seat, the flange disc and the axle housing body are integrally formed, redundant welding structures and installation structures are avoided, and the installation cost is reduced. The electric drive axle assembly has the advantages of being more compact in structure and higher in integration degree and light weight degree, light weight of the electric drive axle assembly is achieved, the weight of the whole vehicle can be reduced, energy consumption of the vehicle is reduced, and controllability and driving stability of the vehicle are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of automobile manufacturing technology, and in particular to a lightweight axle housing, an electric drive axle assembly and a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] With the development of new energy commercial vehicles and the demand for energy conservation and emission reduction, in addition to adopting energy-saving technologies to reduce vehicle energy consumption during vehicle design, reducing vehicle weight and implementing lightweight design for various components have become a necessary approach. As a key component of new energy commercial vehicles, the performance of the electric drive axle assembly has a significant impact on the performance of the entire vehicle.

[0003] Current electric drive axle assembly solutions suffer from excessive weight and low integration of axle housing accessories. This increases vehicle energy consumption and affects range and performance. Therefore, lightweight design of electric drive axle assemblies is crucial. Therefore, it is necessary to research and improve existing structures to provide a lightweight axle housing, electric drive axle assembly, and vehicle with greater practical value. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In response to the deficiencies or one of the deficiencies raised in the above-mentioned background technology, the embodiments of the present application provide a lightweight bridge housing, an electric drive axle assembly and a vehicle, which have the advantages of being more compact in structure, and having higher integration and lightweight.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a lightweight axle housing, comprising:

[0006] The bridge housing body includes an integral bridge package housing, a journal tube, a bridge arm tube, a half-axle sleeve, a boss integrally provided with the journal tube, an upper leaf spring seat and a lower leaf spring seat integrally provided with the bridge arm tube, and a flange plate integrally provided with the half-axle sleeve.

[0007] In the first aspect, in some embodiments, the bridge pack housing includes an outer frame integrally provided with the journal tube, and two annular mounting plates integrally provided at the front and rear ends of the outer frame respectively, and the thickness of the outer frame is smaller than the thickness of the annular mounting plates.

[0008] In a first aspect, in some embodiments, the thickness of the outer frame is less than the minimum thickness of the bridge arm tube, and the cross-section of the journal tube gradually decreases from the bridge pack housing to the bridge arm tube.

[0009] In the first aspect, in some embodiments, a circle of mounting holes extending front to back is provided on the annular mounting plate at intervals, and two notches with openings facing each other vertically and extending front to back are provided on the annular mounting plate.

[0010] In the first aspect, in some embodiments, two first protrusions close to the bosses on both sides and two second protrusions away from the bosses are integrally provided on opposite sides of the annular mounting plates;

[0011] The first protrusion and the second protrusion are both provided with the mounting holes, and the second protrusion is provided with the notch.

[0012] In a first aspect, in some embodiments, the cross section of the bridge arm tube is rectangular, and the thickness of the front and rear side walls of the bridge arm tube is smaller than the thickness of the upper and lower side walls thereof;

[0013] In the first aspect, in some embodiments, the boss is a hollow shell and is in communication with the journal tube, and the thickness of the boss is less than the minimum thickness of the journal tube.

[0014] On the first aspect, in some embodiments, the flange plate includes a connecting plate extending in the up and down directions, and a connecting block extending in the direction away from the connecting plate, and both ends of the connecting plate have thickened flanges, and the thickened flanges are provided with connecting holes.

[0015] In the first aspect, in some embodiments, a hardened layer is provided on the surface of the half-shaft sleeve, and the depth of the hardened layer accounts for 15% to 20% of the minimum wall thickness of the half-shaft sleeve.

[0016] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an electric drive axle assembly:

[0017] The electric drive axle assembly includes any of the above-mentioned lightweight axle housings, and an electric drive assembly and a brake assembly arranged on the lightweight axle housing.

[0018] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a vehicle:

[0019] The vehicle is provided with the above-mentioned electric drive axle assembly.

[0020] The beneficial effects of the technical solution provided by this application include:

[0021] The embodiments of the present application provide a lightweight bridge housing, an electric drive bridge assembly and a vehicle, including a bridge housing body, which includes an integral bridge package shell, a journal tube, a bridge arm tube, a half-axle sleeve, a boss integrally provided with the journal tube, an upper leaf spring seat and a lower leaf spring seat integrally provided with the bridge arm tube, and a flange plate integrally provided with the half-axle sleeve.

[0022] Because the axle housing incorporates a boss integrated with the journal tube, upper and lower leaf spring seats integrated with the axle arm tube, and a flange integrated with the axle sleeve, redundant welding and mounting structures are eliminated. Compared to existing solutions where components are assembled separately on the axle housing, this design achieves a more compact structure, greater integration, and a lighter weight. Furthermore, this design also reduces the weight of the electric drive axle assembly, reducing overall vehicle weight, energy consumption, and improving handling and driving stability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0024] Figure 1 A schematic structural diagram of a lightweight bridge housing provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 2 A front cross-sectional view of a lightweight axle housing provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 3 A top cross-sectional view of a lightweight axle housing provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 4 A schematic side view of a flange disc provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 5 This is a schematic structural diagram of the electric drive axle assembly provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0029] In the accompanying drawings, the components represented by the reference numerals are as follows:

[0030] 1. Bridge pack housing; 11. Outer frame; 12. Annular mounting plate; 111. Mounting hole; 112. Notch; 113. First protrusion; 114. Second protrusion; 2. Axle neck tube; 3. Bridge arm tube; 4. Axle sleeve; 5. Boss; 6. Upper leaf spring seat; 7. Lower leaf spring seat; 8. Flange plate; 81. Connecting plate; 811. Thickened flange; 812. Connecting hole; 82. Connecting block;

[0031] 100. Electric drive assembly; 200. Brake assembly. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] To make the purpose, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of this application more clear, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of this application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making creative efforts are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0033] In response to the deficiencies or one of the deficiencies raised in the above-mentioned background technology, the embodiments of the present application provide a lightweight bridge housing, an electric drive axle assembly and a vehicle, which have the advantages of being more compact in structure, and having higher integration and lightweight.

[0034] See also Figures 1 to 5 As shown, the first aspect of the embodiment of the present application provides a lightweight bridge housing, comprising:

[0035] The bridge housing body includes an integral bridge package housing 1, a journal tube 2, a bridge arm tube 3, a half-axle sleeve 4, a boss 5 integrally provided with the journal tube 2, an upper leaf spring seat 6 and a lower leaf spring seat 7 integrally provided with the bridge arm tube 3, and a flange plate 8 integrally provided with the half-axle sleeve 4.

[0036] The lightweight bridge housing of the embodiment of the present application is integrated with a boss 5 integrally provided with the journal tube 2, an upper leaf spring seat 6 and a lower leaf spring seat 7 integrally provided with the bridge arm tube 3, and a flange plate 8 integrally provided with the half-axle sleeve 4 on the bridge housing body, avoiding redundant welding structures and installation structures. Compared with the existing solution in which each component is separately assembled on the bridge housing, the structure is more compact, and the degree of integration and lightweight is higher.

[0037] For example, the lightweight axle housing of this application is a one-piece, high-strength, thin-walled cast axle housing, designed to maximize its lightweightness. Based on current trends in international automotive technology, the housing is constructed from high-strength cast material. Considering the material's manufacturability, the selected material grade is QT700-8, which boasts a yield strength of 420 MPa and an elongation of 8%, making it suitable for casting.

[0038] The bridge housing body is integrated with a boss 5 for limiting the suspension buffer block, an upper leaf spring seat 6 and a lower leaf spring seat 7 for cooperating with the leaf spring installation, and a flange plate 8 for installing the brake assembly 200. The boss 5, the upper leaf spring seat 6, the lower leaf spring seat 7, the flange plate 8 and the bridge housing body are cast as one piece, avoiding redundant welding structure and installation structure, and having the advantages of a more compact structure, higher integration and lightweight.

[0039] In some optional embodiments, see Figures 1 to 5As shown, an embodiment of the present application provides a lightweight bridge housing, the bridge package shell 1 of the lightweight bridge housing includes an outer frame 11 integrally provided with the journal tube 2, and two annular mounting plates 12 integrally provided at the front and rear ends of the outer frame 11 respectively, and the thickness of the outer frame 11 is less than the thickness of the annular mounting plates 12.

[0040] The bridge pack housing 1 of the lightweight axle housing of the present embodiment includes an outer frame 11 integrally formed with the journal tube 2, and two annular mounting plates 12 integrally formed at the front and rear ends of the outer frame 11. The annular mounting plates 12 at the front and rear ends are used to connect and mount the reducer housing on the electric drive assembly 100. The thickness of the outer frame 11 is smaller than that of the annular mounting plates 12, which ensures the connection strength between the reducer housing and the annular mounting plates 12 while reducing the weight of the bridge pack housing 1 and improving its lightweight performance.

[0041] In some optional embodiments, see Figures 1 to 5 As shown, an embodiment of the present application provides a lightweight bridge housing, the thickness of the outer frame 11 of the lightweight bridge housing is less than the minimum thickness of the bridge arm tube 3, and the cross-section of the journal tube 2 gradually decreases from the bridge package housing 1 to the bridge arm tube 3.

[0042] In the embodiment of the lightweight axle housing of the present application, the thickness of the outer frame 11 is less than the minimum thickness of the bridge arm tube 3. The cross-section of the journal tube 2 gradually decreases from the bridge pack housing 1 to the bridge arm tube 3. This reduces the weight of the axle housing while ensuring that stress meets requirements, thereby improving the degree of lightweighting. For example, the thickness of the journal tube 2 gradually increases from the bridge pack housing 1 to the bridge arm tube 3, with the minimum thickness of the journal tube 2 being equal to the thickness of the outer frame 11 and the maximum thickness of the journal tube 2 being equal to the maximum thickness of the bridge arm tube 3.

[0043] In some optional embodiments, see Figures 1 to 5 As shown, an embodiment of the present application provides a lightweight bridge housing, the annular mounting plate 12 of which is provided with a circle of mounting holes 111 extending front to back at intervals, and the annular mounting plate 12 is provided with two notches 112 with openings facing each other up and down and extending front to back.

[0044] The annular mounting plate 12 of the lightweight axle housing of the present embodiment is provided with a circle of mounting holes 111 extending forward and backward at intervals. These mounting holes 111 are used to engage fasteners to connect to the reducer housing of the electric drive assembly 100. Furthermore, the annular mounting plate 12 is provided with two notches 112, each opening facing each other vertically and extending forward and backward, for positioning the reducer housing on the electric drive assembly 100 to facilitate installation.

[0045] In some optional embodiments, see Figures 1 to 5As shown, an embodiment of the present application provides a lightweight bridge housing, in which two first protrusions 113 close to the two side bosses 5 and a second protrusion 114 away from the boss 5 are integrally provided on opposite sides of the annular mounting plates 12 on both sides of the lightweight bridge housing; the first protrusion 113 and the second protrusion 114 are both provided with mounting holes 111, and the second protrusion 114 is provided with a notch 112.

[0046] The lightweight axle housing of the embodiment of the present application has two first protrusions 113, one adjacent to the two side bosses 5, and a second protrusion 114, further away from the bosses 5, integrally disposed on opposite sides of the annular mounting plates 12 on both sides. Both the first protrusion 113 and the second protrusion 114 are provided with mounting holes 111. The first protrusion 113 and the second protrusion 114 cooperate to enhance mounting strength and ensure reliable installation of the reducer housing on the electric drive assembly 100. Furthermore, the second protrusion 114 is provided with a notch 112, which increases the strength of the notch 112 and facilitates pressure and positioning for mounting the reducer housing on the electric drive assembly 100.

[0047] Specifically, when installing the reducer housing on the electric drive assembly 100, fasteners are pre-installed in the mounting holes 111 at the locations of the first protrusions 113 and the second protrusions 114 to connect the reducer housing. The line between the two first protrusions 113 and the second protrusion 114 forms a triangle, thus achieving pre-fixing. Because the first protrusions 113 and the second protrusion 114 are thicker than the other areas of the annular mounting plate 12, the pre-fixing is ensured to be secure. After pre-fixing, the fasteners in other areas of the annular mounting plate 12 are tightened.

[0048] In some optional embodiments, see Figures 1 to 5 As shown, the embodiment of the present application provides a lightweight axle housing, the cross section of the bridge arm tube 3 of the lightweight axle housing is rectangular, and the thickness of the front and rear side walls of the bridge arm tube 3 is less than the thickness of the upper and lower side walls thereof;

[0049] The cross-section of the bridge arm tube 3 of the lightweight bridge housing in the embodiment of the present application is rectangular, and the thickness of the front and rear side walls of the bridge arm tube 3 is less than the thickness of its upper and lower side walls. By optimizing the structure and wall thickness of the bridge arm tube 3, the strength of the bridge arm tube 3 is ensured while reducing the weight of the bridge housing body and improving the degree of lightweighting.

[0050] In some optional embodiments, see Figures 1 to 5 As shown, an embodiment of the present application provides a lightweight axle housing, wherein the boss 5 of the lightweight axle housing is a hollow shell and is connected to the journal tube 2 , and the thickness of the boss 5 is less than the minimum thickness of the journal tube 2 .

[0051] The boss 5 of the lightweight bridge housing of the embodiment of the present application is a hollow shell and is connected to the journal tube 2. The thickness of the boss 5 is less than the minimum thickness of the journal tube 2. By optimizing the structure and wall thickness of the boss 5, the limiting function of the boss 5 is ensured while ensuring that the structural stress meets the requirements, which can reduce the deadweight of the bridge housing body and improve the degree of lightweighting.

[0052] In some optional embodiments, see Figures 1 to 5 As shown, an embodiment of the present application provides a lightweight bridge housing, the flange plate 8 of the lightweight bridge housing includes a connecting plate 81 extending in the up and down directions, and a connecting block 82 extending in the direction away from the connecting plate 81, and both ends of the connecting plate 81 are provided with a thickened flange 811, and the thickened flange 811 is provided with a connecting hole 812.

[0053] The flange 8 of the lightweight axle housing of this embodiment includes a connecting plate 81 extending in a vertical direction and a connecting block 82 extending away from the connecting plate 81. The connecting block 82 and the connecting plate 81 cooperate to mount the positioning brake assembly 200. The connecting plate 81 is used to securely mount the brake, while the connecting block 82 is used to mount the brake wiring harness. This embodiment of the flange 8 is an optimized structural design based on existing annular flanges, achieving both mounting functionality and structural strength while reducing weight and enhancing lightweighting.

[0054] Furthermore, both ends of the connecting plate 81 have thickened flanges 811, and the connecting holes 812 are provided on the thickened flanges 811 to ensure the connection strength. In addition, the connection between the connecting plate 81 and the half-axle sleeve 4 adopts a rounded transition and forms a support to further reduce the stress at the connection.

[0055] In some optional embodiments, see Figures 1 to 5 As shown, an embodiment of the present application provides a lightweight axle housing, the surface of the half-axle sleeve 4 of the lightweight axle housing is provided with a hardened layer, and the depth of the hardened layer accounts for 15% to 20% of the minimum wall thickness of the half-axle sleeve 4.

[0056] The surface of the half-axle sleeve 4 of the lightweight bridge housing in the embodiment of the present application is provided with a hardened layer, the depth of the hardened layer accounts for 15% to 20% of the minimum wall thickness of the half-axle sleeve 4, which can make the half-axle sleeve 4 have higher surface strength and wear resistance, and solve the problem of stress concentration at the half-axle sleeve 4.

[0057] During use, the half-axle sleeve 4 is subjected to high axial loads. While finite element analysis is performed during the design process to solve the weight problem of the bridge housing, stress concentration problems are likely to occur at the half-axle sleeve 4. However, in actual use, the bridge housing integrated with the half-axle sleeve 4 is required to have higher strength and wear resistance.

[0058] To address this issue, in this embodiment, an induction heat treatment process can be applied to the axle housing half-shaft sleeve 4 to improve surface strength and wear resistance. Induction heat treatment utilizes the principle of electromagnetic induction to generate eddy currents on the surface of the half-shaft sleeve 4, rapidly heating it and achieving surface hardening.

[0059] After the bridge housing body of the present application is partially subjected to induction quenching heat treatment, the wear resistance of the half-axle sleeve 4 is improved while the strength is also improved. Taking all the indicators into consideration, the shear strength is increased by more than 15% and the fatigue strength can be increased by more than 25%.

[0060] The one-piece, high-strength, thin-walled cast axle housing design, featuring induction heat treatment of the axle tube in this embodiment, demonstrates considerable innovation and meets vehicle performance requirements. The original axle housing assembly weighed 156.8 kg, while the new one-piece, high-strength, thin-walled cast axle housing using QT700-8 material reduced the weight to 127.2 kg, a total weight reduction of 29.6 kg, or 18%, demonstrating significant lightweighting. Furthermore, the cast axle housing not only meets performance requirements but also improves production efficiency, reduces costs, and achieves lightweighting.

[0061] See also Figures 1 to 5 As shown, the second aspect of the embodiment of the present application provides an electric drive axle assembly:

[0062] The electric drive axle assembly includes any of the above-mentioned lightweight axle housings, and an electric drive assembly 100 and a brake assembly 200 arranged on the lightweight axle housing.

[0063] The electric drive axle assembly of the embodiment of the present application uses any of the above-mentioned lightweight bridge housings. The lightweight bridge housing adopts an integrated cast thin-wall structure. By adopting high-strength lightweight materials and structural optimization, the integrated boss 5, upper leaf spring seat 6, lower leaf spring seat 7, and flange plate 8 are realized. While meeting the installation requirements of the electric drive assembly 100 and the brake assembly 200, the structural strength is ensured and the dead weight is reduced, thereby realizing the lightweighting of the electric drive axle assembly.

[0064] See also Figures 1 to 5 As shown, the third aspect of the embodiment of the present application provides a vehicle:

[0065] The vehicle is provided with the electric drive axle assembly of the above embodiment.

[0066] The vehicle of the embodiment of the present application uses the electric drive axle assembly of the above embodiment. Since the electric drive axle assembly has the advantage of being lightweight, it can reduce the weight of the entire vehicle, reduce the vehicle's energy consumption, and improve the vehicle's controllability and driving stability.

[0067] In the description of this application, it should be noted that the terms "upper" and "lower" and the like indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships 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, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on this application. Unless otherwise clearly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected", and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; it can be a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; it can be a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or it can be internal communication between two elements. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0068] It should be noted that, in this application, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "include", "comprise" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, an element defined by the sentence "comprising a ..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device comprising the element.

[0069] The foregoing is merely a list of specific embodiments of the present application, intended to enable those skilled in the art to understand or implement the present application. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present application. Therefore, the present application is not limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is intended to conform to the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features of the present application.

Claims

1. A lightweight bridge housing, characterized in that: include: The bridge housing body comprises an integrally arranged bridge housing (1), a journal tube (2), a bridge arm tube (3), a half-axle sleeve (4), a boss (5) integrally arranged with the journal tube (2), an upper leaf spring seat (6) and a lower leaf spring seat (7) integrally arranged with the bridge arm tube (3), and a flange plate (8) integrally arranged with the half-axle sleeve (4).

2. The lightweight axle housing according to claim 1, wherein: The bridge pack housing (1) comprises an outer frame (11) integrally provided with the journal tube (2), and two annular mounting plates (12) integrally provided at the front and rear ends of the outer frame (11), respectively. The thickness of the outer frame (11) is smaller than the thickness of the annular mounting plates (12).

3. The lightweight axle housing according to claim 2, characterized in that: The thickness of the outer frame (11) is less than the minimum thickness of the bridge arm tube (3), and the cross section of the journal tube (2) gradually decreases in the direction from the bridge pack housing (1) to the bridge arm tube (3).

4. The lightweight axle housing according to claim 2, wherein: The annular mounting plate (12) is provided with a circle of mounting holes (111) that penetrate the front and back at intervals, and the annular mounting plate (12) is provided with two notches (112) that are opposite to each other in the upper and lower parts and penetrate the front and back.

5. The lightweight axle housing according to claim 4, characterized in that: Two first protrusions (113) close to the bosses (5) on both sides and two second protrusions (114) away from the bosses (5) are integrally provided on opposite sides of the annular mounting plates (12); The first protrusion (113) and the second protrusion (114) are both provided with the mounting hole (111), and the second protrusion (114) is provided with the notch (112).

6. The lightweight axle housing according to claim 1, wherein: The cross section of the bridge arm tube (3) is rectangular, and the thickness of the front and rear side walls of the bridge arm tube (3) is smaller than the thickness of the upper and lower side walls thereof; The boss (5) is a hollow shell and is in communication with the shaft neck tube (2); the thickness of the boss (5) is less than the minimum thickness of the shaft neck tube (2).

7. The lightweight axle housing according to claim 1, wherein: The flange plate (8) comprises a connecting plate (81) extending in an up-down direction, and a connecting block (82) extending in a direction away from the connecting plate (81). Both ends of the connecting plate (81) are provided with thickened flanges (811), and the thickened flanges (811) are provided with connecting holes (812).

8. The lightweight axle housing according to claim 1, wherein: The surface of the half-shaft sleeve (4) is provided with a hardened layer, and the depth of the hardened layer accounts for 15% to 20% of the minimum wall thickness of the half-shaft sleeve (4).

9. An electric drive axle assembly, characterized by: The electric drive axle assembly comprises the lightweight axle housing according to any one of claims 1 to 8, and an electric drive assembly (100) and a brake assembly (200) arranged on the lightweight axle housing.

10. A vehicle, characterized in that: include: The vehicle is provided with the electric drive axle assembly according to claim 9.

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