Drive system for a vehicle and vehicle

Abstract

Drive system (1) for a vehicle, wherein the drive system (1) comprises a drive motor (4) and an axle (21), wherein a drive torque generated by the drive motor (4) is transmitted to the axle (21) via a gear chain (2) and a planetary gear (3), wherein the drive system (1) is modularly assemblable, wherein the gear chain (2) is defined as a standardized component independent of the drive motor (4) and the planetary gear (3), such that a first gear ratio provided by the gear chain is the same for all drive motors (4) which differ in size and / or power, and wherein the planetary gear (3) is matched with the drive motor (4) to determine an overall gear ratio, in order to adapt the overall gear ratio of the gear chain (2) and the planetary gear (3) to the respective drive motor (4) by means of the planetary gear (3).

Description

The present invention relates to a drive system for a vehicle and a vehicle with a drive system. Drive systems that transmit torque from a drive motor to an axle, in particular a wheel axle, are well known. To adapt the drive system to vehicles with different motors, which differ, for example, in their drive motors, German patent application DE 42 06 086 A1 discloses a modularly configurable drive system. Such modularly configurable drive systems have the advantage of being economical to manufacture, since only a small number of standardized components are required to implement the various drive systems, thus reducing manufacturing costs. US 2013 / 0 190 124 A1 discloses a drive system comprising a drive motor, a chain drive, and a planetary gear. DE 10 2010 036 884 A1 discloses a drive system of a motor vehicle comprising a drive motor and a planetary gear. DE 10 2010 007 638 A1 discloses a drive train with at least one drive motor. DE 10 2012 220 971 A1 discloses a drive device for generating drive torque for a vehicle with a drive motor. DE 11 2010 005 738 T5 discloses an electric drive for a motor vehicle and a motor vehicle with such an electric drive. The challenge here is to provide a drive system that is modular in design and meets the desired quality requirements, for example regarding the efficiency of the transmission in a gearbox of the drive system. It is an object of the present invention to provide a modularly assembled drive system which has as many identical parts as possible and is simultaneously able to transmit the drive torque to the axle in the most optimal way possible. The object of the present invention is solved by a drive system for a vehicle according to claim 1. Compared to the prior art, the drive system according to the invention has the advantage that, with the exception of the planetary gear and the drive motor, the drive system can always be assembled from the same standardized, modular components. Fine-tuning of the overall gear ratio can be achieved by selecting the appropriate planetary gear and thus advantageously matched to the respective drive motor. This provides a drive system with as many identical parts as possible without reducing the quality of the assembled drive system. In particular, the drive system allows for a high degree of flexibility in the configuration of the overall system with a high proportion of identical parts. Preferably, the axle is a wheel axle, and the drive system is used, for example, for the front-wheel drive of the vehicle. In particular, the drive system is designed for a variety of different vehicles, especially for various vehicle models with different engines, each of which has or is to have different drive motors integrated. These individual drive motors differ in size and / or power output. Furthermore, it is designed that a high torque for the wheels is generated by the planetary gear set. Specifically, the planetary gear set generates this high torque only at the axle. For fine-tuning the planetary gear set to the drive motor, a variable set of planetary gear sets is preferably provided for the drive systems. The gear chain is designed to be independent of the drive motor and the planetary gear set. This means the gear chain remains the same for a wide variety of drive systems. The fixed gear chain establishes a first gear ratio for all drive systems, allowing the overall gear ratio to be advantageously and unambiguously set by the planetary gear set and thus adapted to specific drive motor specifications. Advantageous embodiments and further developments of the invention can be found in the dependent claims and the description with reference to the drawings. According to a further embodiment of the present invention, the drive torque is transmitted from the planetary gear set to the axle via a differential, i.e., a differential gear set. The differential is directly connected downstream of the planetary gear set. Preferably, the differential is a spur gear differential and advantageously distributes the torque to the wheels. According to a further embodiment of the present invention, a drive axis of the drive machine runs essentially parallel to the axle, in particular the wheel axle. In particular, the axle distance between the axle and the drive axis is chosen to be comparatively small and / or is essentially determined by the dimensions of the drive machine, wherein the drive machine is directly adjacent to the axle along a direction extending essentially perpendicular to the axle. This advantageously allows low torques from the drive machine to be transformed over comparatively small distances to the axle. According to a further embodiment of the present invention, the gear chain comprises an odd number of spur gears. This ensures that the direction of rotation of the drive machine is maintained. In particular, the gear chain comprises three spur gears connected in series. The axes of rotation about which the spur gears rotate are oriented essentially parallel to the axle or the drive axle and arranged in a common plane. Furthermore, the individual spur gears differ in their diameter. According to a further embodiment of the present invention, a final spur gear of the gear chain is coupled to a sun gear of the planetary gear set. This allows the drive torque transmitted by the gear chain to be transferred directly to the planetary gear set. Preferably, the sun gears of all potentially applicable planetary gear sets are adapted to the final spur gear. According to a further embodiment of the present invention, the drive system includes a decoupling device. In particular, the axle is decoupled from the rest of the drive system if the rotational speed of the wheels or the overall efficiency leaves a corresponding tolerance range. This ensures the continued functionality of the drive system. According to a further embodiment of the present invention, it is provided that a primary spur gear has a smaller diameter than the final spur gear. According to a further embodiment of the present invention, the drive machine is an electric motor. Preferably, the drive system is integrated into an electric or hybrid vehicle. For example, the vehicle is a battery electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid vehicle, and the planetary gear set is adapted accordingly to such an application. Another object of the present invention is a vehicle comprising a drive system according to the invention. Compared to the prior art, the manufacture of such a vehicle can utilize a drive system that features a high degree of commonality and simultaneously allows for a high degree of flexibility in the configuration of the overall system. Further details, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the drawings and from the following description of preferred embodiments with reference to the drawings. The drawings merely illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention, which do not limit the essential concept of the invention. Fig. 1 shows in block representation a drive system according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 shows a perspective sectional view through the drive system according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. In the various figures, identical parts are always marked with the same reference symbols and are therefore usually only named or mentioned once. Figure 1 shows a block diagram of a drive system 1 according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. It is provided that a drive torque emanating from a drive motor 4 is transmitted to an axle 21, in particular a wheel axle. Preferably, the drive motor 4 is an electric motor whose rotor is preferably aligned parallel to the axle, and the drive system 1 is integrated into an electric or hybrid vehicle. For example, the drive system 1 is a drive system 1 for a front-wheel drive of a vehicle. In particular, the drive system 1 can be constructed or assembled modularly and, in addition to the axle 21 and the drive motor 4, comprises as a module a chain drive 2, a planetary gear set 3, and a differential 5, in particular a spur gear differential.In the first embodiment, the gear chain 2 consists of three spur gears arranged side by side. It is conceivable that the axes of rotation around which the spur gears rotate are arranged essentially in one plane and aligned parallel to the axis 21. A primary spur gear 11 preferably receives the drive torque directly from the drive motor 4 by being directly and rotationally fixed to a drive shaft 22 of the drive motor, for example, to its rotor. The gear chain 2 is defined as a standardized component of the drive system 1 and remains the same for different drive motors 4. For example, it is conceivable that the drive system 1 is to be installed in various motorized vehicles, each with different drive motors 4.The chain drive 2 remains the same for a large number of different vehicles, especially different vehicle models, while the drive motors 4 change for each vehicle. The drive motors 4 differ particularly in their size and performance. Furthermore, it is provided that the drive axle 22 and the axle 21, in particular the wheel axle, run parallel to each other, with the distance between axle 21 and the parallel drive axle 22 being determined by the gear chain 2. Preferably, an axis of rotation about which the primary spur gear 11 rotates runs along the drive axle 22, and an axis of rotation about which a final spur gear 13 of the gear chain 2 rotates runs along axle 21, in particular the wheel axle. It is conceivable that the primary spur gear 11 has a smaller diameter than the final spur gear 13. During operation of the drive system 1, the drive torque is then transmitted from the primary spur gear 11 to the final spur gear 13, the final spur gear 13 being coupled to a sun gear 14 of the planetary gear set 3. The overall gear ratio depends on the gear ratio of the gear chain 2 and the planetary gear set 3.By specifying a particular gear chain 3, designed identically for a large number of drive systems 1 with different drive machines, the overall gear ratio of the drive system 1 is determined by the planetary gear 3. In particular, a high drive torque for the wheels is generated directly at the axle 21 by the planetary gear set. By selecting the appropriate planetary gear set, the overall gear ratio can then be advantageously determined and, in particular, adapted to the respective drive motor 4. The optimal setting for the respective drive system 1 can be determined by a suitable combination of drive motor 4 and planetary gear set 3 without changing other components of the drive system 1. Furthermore, it is provided that the planetary gear set 3 drives a differential 5, which in turn drives the axle 21. In particular, the differential 5 ensures that both wheels of the axle are driven. A decoupling device 6 is also provided, which ensures that the drive motor 1 is decoupled from the axle if, for example, the rotational speed of the wheels exceeds a critical value. Figure 2 shows a perspective sectional view through the drive system 1 according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The sectional view provides insight into the drive motor 4, the sprocket chain 2, the planetary gear 3, and the spur gear differential 5. In particular, the drive system 1, consisting of the modules, is shown in an assembled form. Preferably, different modules are enclosed by a common housing or housing part. For example, the sprocket chain 2 is enclosed on one side by a housing part that also houses the drive motor, while on the other side the sprocket chain 2 is enclosed by a housing part that houses the planetary gear 3 and the differential 5.Furthermore, it is conceivable that the distance between the axis 21 and the housing of the drive machine 4 is smaller than the extent of the housing along a direction perpendicular to the axis 21.

Claims

Drive system (1) for a vehicle, wherein the drive system (1) comprises a drive motor (4) and an axle (21), wherein a drive torque generated by the drive motor (4) is transmitted to the axle (21) via a gear chain (2) and a planetary gear (3), wherein the drive system (1) is modularly assemblable, wherein the gear chain (2) is defined as a standardized component independent of the drive motor (4) and the planetary gear (3), such that a first gear ratio provided by the gear chain is the same for all drive motors (4) which differ in size and / or power, and wherein the planetary gear (3) is matched with the drive motor (4) to determine an overall gear ratio, in order to adapt the overall gear ratio of the gear chain (2) and the planetary gear (3) to the respective drive motor (4) by means of the planetary gear (3). Drive system (1) according to claim 1, wherein the drive torque (4) is transmitted from the planetary gear (3) via a differential (5) to the axle (21). Drive system (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a drive axis (22) of the drive machine (4) runs parallel to the axis (21). Drive system (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the gear chain (2) comprises an odd number of spur gears. Drive system (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a final spur gear (13) of the gear chain (2) is coupled to a sun gear (14) of the planetary gear (3). Drive system (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the drive system (1) has a decoupling device (6). Drive system (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein a primary spur gear (11) of the gear chain (2) has a smaller diameter than the final spur gear (13). Drive system (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the drive machine (4) is an electric motor. Drive system (1) according to one of the preceding claims, wherein the differential (5) is a spur gear differential. Vehicle comprising a drive system (1) according to one of the preceding claims.

Images