Hub motor assembly and autonomous mobile device applying the same

Abstract

The utility model relates to a motor technical field especially relates to a kind of hub motor assembly and the autonomous mobile device of application this hub motor assembly.It is specific to include: hub;Hub motor, hub motor is located in hub, with the first end part being configured as towards autonomous mobile device fuselage;Connecting shaft, from the first end part to the extension of hub motor outside, to be connected to fuselage;Hub is connected with the first end part, to conduct the external force received by itself to connecting shaft through the first end part.The connection structure of the hub motor and hub is improved in the application, effectively optimizes the conduction path of the external force applied to hub motor assembly when vehicle moves, greatly prolongs the service life of hub motor assembly.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of motor technology, and more particularly to a hub motor assembly. Background Technology

[0002] In-wheel motor technology, also known as wheel motor technology, is a drive system that integrates the drive motor directly inside the vehicle's wheels. As the core of distributed drive technology for electric vehicles, it eliminates the complex mechanical components necessary in traditional centralized drive systems, such as clutches, transmissions, drive shafts, and differentials, achieving direct coupling between the engine and the drive wheels. This structure provides vehicles with a series of inherent advantages, such as simplified vehicle structure, improved transmission efficiency, freed up cabin and chassis space, and makes it possible to achieve more flexible and precise vehicle control (such as independently controlling the torque of each drive wheel).

[0003] In existing technology, hub motors are typically fixed to the wheel rim via their housing. This housing usually comprises two parts: a first part facing outwards and a second part facing the vehicle body. The first and second parts are fixedly connected to form a receiving cavity in which the hub motor is housed. The first part is fixed to the hub motor and the wheel rim via a connector. When the vehicle is moving, the weight of the hub motor itself and the external friction forces it experiences during movement are borne by the connector at the first part. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of this, embodiments of this application provide a hub motor assembly that can effectively extend service life and has low production costs.

[0005] To achieve one of the above objectives, this application provides a hub motor assembly for mounting on the body of a vehicle, comprising:

[0006] Wheel hub;

[0007] A hub motor, the hub motor being located in a hub and having a first end configured to face the fuselage;

[0008] A connecting shaft extends from the first end outwards towards the hub motor to connect to the body, characterized in that:

[0009] The hub is connected to the first end to transmit the external force it receives to the connecting shaft through the first end.

[0010] In one embodiment, the first end is provided with a bearing that supports the connecting shaft, and the external force is transmitted to the connecting shaft through the bearing.

[0011] In one embodiment, a connector is provided between the hub and the first end, and the external force is transmitted to the first end through the connector.

[0012] In one embodiment, the hub and the first end are interference-fitted, and the external force is transmitted to the first end through the hub.

[0013] In one embodiment, the connector is a screw or a snap fastener.

[0014] In one embodiment, the hub includes a first housing and a second housing, the second housing being located on one side of the first end, and the connector being located on the second housing.

[0015] In one embodiment, the second housing has a connection hole, the projection of the outer edge of the connection hole on the vertical plane is covered by the projection of the first end on the vertical plane, the second connector passes through the connection hole and is connected to the first end, and the first end has a groove that matches the connection hole.

[0016] In one embodiment, with the end of the connecting shaft extending axially as the center, the distance from the outer edge of the bearing to the center in the vertical plane is R1, and the minimum distance from the connecting member to the center is R2, where R2 is greater than R1.

[0017] In one embodiment, the projection of the connecting hole onto the horizontal plane at least partially overlaps with the projection of the bearing onto the horizontal plane.

[0018] In one embodiment, the bearing is sleeved on the connecting shaft, and the connecting member transmits the external force it receives through its first end to the bearing, which then transmits the external force to the connecting shaft.

[0019] This application also provides an autonomous mobile device, including a drive wheel and a hub motor assembly. The hub motor assembly is fixedly connected to the drive wheel, driving the drive wheel to rotate, thereby driving the autonomous mobile device to move. Attached Figure Description

[0020] Figure 1 This is an exploded view of the hub motor assembly.

[0021] Figure 2 This is an assembly diagram of the hub motor assembly.

[0022] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the hub motor assembly.

[0023] Figure 4 This is an internal assembly diagram of the hub motor assembly after the second housing has been removed.

[0024] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the lever arm of the hub motor assembly.

[0025] The reference numerals in the attached figures are explained as follows: 100, hub motor assembly; 10, hub; 20, hub motor; 30, connecting shaft; 201, first end; 301, second end; 202, bearing; 101, first housing; 102, second housing; 103, connector; 104, connecting hole; 105, motor connector; 106, positioning element. Detailed Implementation

[0026] To make the above-mentioned objectives, features, and advantages of this application more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of this application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of this application. However, this application can be implemented in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar modifications without departing from the spirit of this application. Therefore, this application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0027] It should be noted that, unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in the embodiments of this application should have the ordinary meaning understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application pertains. The terms "first," "second," and similar terms used in the embodiments of this application do not indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but are merely used to distinguish different components. Terms such as "comprising" or "including" mean that the element or object preceding the word encompasses the elements or objects listed after the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. Terms such as "connected" or "linked" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but can include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. Terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," and "right" are only used to indicate relative positional relationships; when the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0028] In this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installation," "connection," "linking," and "fixing," etc., should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; 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; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances. The preferred embodiment of the autonomous mobile robot structure of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0029] Please refer to Figure 5In existing technologies, the load-bearing point of the hub motor is the mounting point of the wheel rim. This assembly method results in a relatively long axial distance between the fixed point of the hub motor's shaft and the mounting point of the wheel rim, forming a "cantilever beam" structure with this distance as the lever arm. Figure 5 In the L1 section, the weight of the wheel and the complex external forces during movement act on the end of the lever arm, and are amplified through the leverage effect. This causes the connecting structure to bear huge bending moments, making it prone to damage and reducing the overall lifespan of the wheel hub electronic components. To cope with this harsh stress condition, high-strength materials are often required to manufacture the connectors and housing, which directly leads to increased costs. Therefore, vehicles currently using wheel hub motors urgently need a wheel hub motor assembly with a long service life and low cost.

[0030] Please refer to Figures 1 to 2 This illustration shows a hub motor assembly 100 provided in one embodiment of this application, including a hub 10, a hub motor 20, a connecting shaft 30, and a motor connector 105. The end of the hub motor 20 facing the vehicle is a first end 201, and the connecting shaft 30 extends from the first end 201 and connects to the vehicle body. The hub motor 20 is fixed relative to the hub 10. When the vehicle is moving, the wheel is subjected to external force, which is transmitted to the connecting shaft 30 through the first end 201. The connecting shaft 30 has high rigidity and strong ability to withstand external forces. Compared to the prior art where the connecting component bears the external force, this embodiment can effectively extend the service life of the assembly. In other words, please refer to... Figure 5 In the prior art, the hub 10 and the first end 201 are not connected, meaning there is no load-bearing point. The hub motor 20 is often relatively fixed by connecting to the hub 10 through the second end 301. This directly results in external forces acting on the connecting piece between the hub 10 and the second end 301, i.e., the load-bearing point is at the far end of the cantilever beam L1 (the end of L1 furthest from the vehicle). The connecting piece has low strength, bears a large load, and is easily damaged. This application increases the load-bearing point by relatively fixing the first end 201 to the hub 10, transferring the load-bearing point from the far end of the cantilever beam to the end of the simply supported beam L2 (the end of L2 closest to the vehicle). The force at the end of the simply supported beam L2 can be transmitted to the bearing 202 through the connection point between the hub 10 and the first end 201, where the higher-strength bearing bears most of the load, thereby improving the stress conditions. Among them, the connection point between the second end 301 and the hub 10 to the main bearing position forms a cantilever beam L1, and the motor shaft fixing point of the hub motor assembly and its main bearing position form a simply supported beam L2.

[0031] Please refer to Figure 1 In some embodiments, the hub 10 includes a first housing 101 and a second housing 102, with the second housing 102 disposed on one side of the first end 201. The first housing 101 and the second housing 102 are connected by a motor connector 105 and form a receiving cavity to accommodate the hub motor 20.

[0032] Specifically, the first housing 101 is an end cap, and the second housing 102 is a cup-shaped housing. Alternatively, the first housing 101 is a cup-shaped housing, and the second housing 102 is an end cap. Alternatively, both the first housing 101 and the second housing 102 are end caps. The hub 10 also includes a housing, which is a hollow cylinder with openings at both ends, and is fixedly connected to the first housing 101 and the second housing 102 respectively to form a receiving cavity.

[0033] In some embodiments, the first housing 101 is fixedly connected to the second end 301. Specifically, the first housing 101 can be fixedly connected to the second end via screws, clips, or other connecting components. The first housing 101 can also be relatively fixed to the second end 301 via an interference fit. Alternatively, the first housing 101 and the second end 301 are not connected; the first housing 101 is only fixedly connected to the second housing 102, forming a receiving cavity for accommodating the hub motor 20.

[0034] Please refer to Figure 3 In some embodiments, a bearing 202 is provided within the first end 201. Specifically, the bearing 202 is sleeved on the connecting shaft 30, and in the vertical direction, the bearing 202 is disposed between the first end 201 and the connecting shaft 30.

[0035] Furthermore, the first end 201 extends axially to form a hollow cylindrical boss. The connecting shaft 30 extends from inside the hub motor 20, passes through the cylindrical boss, and connects to the vehicle body. The bearing 202 is housed in the cylindrical boss, with its outer surface contacting the inner surface of the cylindrical boss, and its inner surface contacting the outer surface of the connecting shaft 30. This allows the wheel to rotate relative to the connecting shaft 30. When the vehicle is in motion, external forces are transmitted to the bearing 202 through the first end 201. The bearing 202 has high hardness and strong load-bearing capacity, effectively mitigating harsh stress conditions and extending the service life of the hub motor assembly. In addition, to reduce component wear, protective components such as bushings and gaskets can be provided between the bearing 103 and the cylindrical boss, and between the bearing 202 and the connecting shaft 30.

[0036] In some embodiments, the first end 201 is interference-fitted with the hub 10. Specifically, the first end 201 is interference-fitted with the second housing 102, so that the first end 201 and the second housing 102 are relatively fixed.

[0037] In some embodiments, the first end 201 is connected to the hub 10 via a connector 103, such that the first end 201 is fixed relative to the second housing 102.

[0038] By connecting the first end 201 to the second housing 102, the second housing 102 can directly share some of the external load, such as the vertical force transmitted by the tire. Furthermore, the first end 201 can also transmit a portion of the external force to the second housing 102, which in turn transmits it to the connecting shaft 30. Compared to the prior art design where there is no connection between the second housing 102 and the hub motor, the connection structure between the first end 201 and the second housing 102 in this embodiment effectively shares the force, thereby improving the overall stress-relief effect of the structure.

[0039] In some embodiments, the connector 103 may be a screw, a clip, or the like. The connector 103 and the second housing 102 may be separate or integrally formed; for example, the connector 103 may be a clip integrally formed with the second housing 102.

[0040] Please refer to Figure 3 In some embodiments, the connector 103 is disposed on the second housing 102. Specifically, the second housing 102 has a connection hole 104, and the projection of the outer edge of the connection hole on the vertical plane is covered by the projection of the first end on the vertical plane. The first end 201 has a connecting fitting corresponding to the connection hole 104, and the connector 103 passes through the connection hole 104 and extends into the connecting fitting.

[0041] Preferably, the connecting fitting is a groove formed on the surface of the first end 201, and the connecting member 103 passes through the connecting hole 104 and extends into the groove. When the connecting member 103 is a screw, the groove is a screw hole. When the connecting member 103 is a snap fastener, the groove is a snap fastener mounting hole.

[0042] Preferably, the connecting accessory is a nut, which is fixedly connected to the surface of the first end 201. When the connecting member 103 is a screw, the connecting member 103 passes through the connecting hole 104 and extends into the nut to lock it, thereby fixing the second housing 102 to the first end 201.

[0043] By adding the connector 103, the second housing 102 effectively transmits and distributes forces. The connector 103 and the connecting shaft 30 share the external force, and the connector 103 transmits most of the external force to the connecting shaft 30, which can effectively reduce its own stress damage. At the same time, by distributing part of the force, it helps to extend the service life of the hub motor assembly.

[0044] In some embodiments, with the axially extending end of the connecting shaft as the center, the distance from the outer edge of the bearing 202 to the center in the vertical plane is R1, and the minimum distance from the connecting member 103 to the center is R2, where R2 is greater than R1. Preferably, the smaller the value of R2, the smaller the radial distance between the connecting member 103 and the connecting shaft. This shortens the force transmission path, thereby improving the transmission efficiency and enabling the external force to be transmitted quickly and effectively to the stronger connecting shaft 30.

[0045] In some embodiments, the axially extending end of the connecting shaft is taken as the center. The second housing 102 is provided with at least two connecting holes 104, which are evenly distributed around the center and on the same circumference concentric with the central through hole. This allows the connecting member to transmit force evenly when the wheel rotates and drives the vehicle forward. In one embodiment, the projection of the connecting hole 104 on the horizontal plane at least partially overlaps with the projection of the bearing 202 on the horizontal plane. This arrangement ensures that the connecting hole 104 and the bearing 202 form a direct and efficient radial force transmission path, so that the force acting on the connecting hole 104 can be directly transmitted to the bearing 202 through the overlapping area, avoiding force loss and offset.

[0046] Please refer to Figure 4 In some embodiments, the hub motor assembly 100 further includes a positioning element 106. The positioning element includes, but is not limited to, one or more combinations of positioning pins, positioning bosses, positioning holes, positioning grooves, tapered pins, or magnetic elements.

[0047] Specifically, the positioning components include a positioning post and a positioning pin (not shown in the figure). The positioning post is disposed on the surface of the first end 201, and the positioning pin is disposed on the second housing 102. Alternatively, the positioning post is disposed on the second housing 102, and the positioning pin is disposed on the surface of the first end 201. The positioning post and the positioning pin cooperate with each other to achieve pre-positioning when the second housing 102 is connected to the first end 201. This effectively eliminates the cumulative error during the assembly process, ensures the uniqueness and correctness of the relative positions between multiple components, and thus guarantees the final assembly accuracy of the product and the consistency between batches.

[0048] This application also provides an autonomous mobile device, which refers to a robotic system capable of safe and efficient movement and completion of specific tasks in complex, dynamic, and non-preset fixed-path environments through intelligent perception, real-time analysis, and autonomous decision-making. Taking an automatic lawnmower as an example, it includes a body, a drive module, a navigation module, a cutting module, and an energy module. The drive module includes a drive wheel and a hub motor assembly as described above, with the hub motor assembly partially disposed within the wheel's wheel housing. One end of a connecting shaft 30 is fixedly connected to the hub motor, and the other end extends into the body and is fixedly connected to the automatic lawnmower, thereby achieving relative fixation between the hub motor assembly and the body.

[0049] When the automatic lawnmower enters working mode, the energy module provides kinetic energy to the hub motor to rotate, causing the drive wheels to rotate. The drive wheels propel the automatic lawnmower forward. During this movement, the hub motor assembly is subjected to external forces from the working surface combined with its own weight. The external forces act directly on the wheel skin and are transmitted to the hub 10. The second housing 102 of the hub 10 is fixedly connected to the hub motor 20 via a connector 103, which provides a force-bearing point to receive external forces. The projection of the connector 103 and the bearing on the horizontal plane at least partially overlaps, so the connector 103 can directly transmit the external forces received to the bearing 202. The bearing 202 is fitted onto the connecting shaft 30, so the external forces are ultimately unloaded onto the connecting shaft 30. Both the bearing 202 and the connecting shaft 30 have high rigidity and can withstand large loads. By distributing the force through them, the service life of the hub motor assembly can be effectively extended, thereby ensuring the service life of the autonomous mobile device.

[0050] Those skilled in the art should understand that the discussion of any of the above embodiments is merely exemplary and is not intended to imply that the scope of this application (including the claims) is limited to these examples; within the framework of this application, the technical features of the above embodiments or different embodiments can also be combined, the steps can be implemented in any order, and there are many other variations of different aspects of the embodiments of this application as described above, which are not provided in the details for the sake of brevity.

[0051] Although this application has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, many substitutions, modifications and variations of these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description.

[0052] The embodiments of this application are intended to cover all such substitutions, modifications, and variations that fall within the broad scope of the appended claims. Therefore, any omissions, modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the embodiments of this application should be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A hub motor assembly for mounting on the body of a vehicle, comprising: Wheel hub; A hub motor, the hub motor being located in a hub and having a first end configured to face the fuselage; A connecting shaft extends from the first end outwards towards the hub motor to connect to the body, characterized in that: The hub is connected to the first end to transmit the external force it receives to the connecting shaft through the first end.

2. The hub motor assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first end is provided with a bearing to support the connecting shaft, and the external force is transmitted to the connecting shaft through the bearing.

3. The hub motor assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that, A connector is provided between the hub and the first end, and the external force is transmitted to the first end through the connector.

4. The hub motor assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that, The hub and the first end are interference-fitted, and the external force is transmitted to the first end through the hub.

5. The hub motor assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that, The connector is a screw or a clip.

6. The hub motor assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that, The hub includes a first housing and a second housing, the second housing being located on one side of the first end, and the connector being located on the second housing.

7. The hub motor assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that, The second housing has a connection hole. The projection of the outer edge of the connection hole on the vertical plane is covered by the projection of the first end on the vertical plane. The connector passes through the connection hole and is connected to the first end. The first end has a groove that matches the connection hole.

8. The hub motor assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that, With the end of the connecting shaft extending axially as the center, on the vertical plane, the distance from the outer edge of the bearing to the center is R1, and the minimum distance from the connecting piece to the center is R2, where R2 is greater than R1.

9. The hub motor assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that, The projection of the connecting hole on the horizontal plane overlaps at least partially with the projection of the bearing on the horizontal plane.

10. An autonomous mobile device, characterized in that, It includes a drive wheel and a hub motor assembly as described in any one of claims 1-9, wherein the hub motor assembly is fixedly connected to the drive wheel, drives the drive wheel to rotate, and thereby drives the autonomous mobile device to move.

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