Axial Stacked E-Machine Drive Device for Compact Utility Vehicle Axles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drive devices for commercial vehicles face challenges in achieving a compact arrangement that allows for advantageous axle suspension concepts, leading to high deflection angles and loads on side shafts, which can be detrimental to vehicle performance and space efficiency.
Innovation Solution
The drive device rearranges electric machines and wheels to achieve a compact design with long axial lengths of side shafts, allowing for reduced deflection angles and loads, while creating additional installation space for energy storage, and utilizes portal transmissions and identical e-machine transmissions rotated relative to each other to maintain low costs and space requirements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If electric machines are arranged in a conventional configuration, then the drive device achieves basic functionality, but the arrangement is not compact and prevents advantageous axle suspension concepts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent arranges the two electric machines in the axial direction of each other, creating a stacked configuration where one machine is positioned above the other along the axial axis. This dimensional arrangement reduces the transverse footprint of the drive device while maintaining all necessary functional connections, enabling compact integration with various axle suspension concepts.
2Force
If side shafts are used with conventional arrangements, then power transmission is achieved, but deflection angles and loads on side shafts become high
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces portal transmissions as intermediary components between the electric machines and the wheels. These portal transmissions serve as intermediate stages that redirect and transmit torque through optimized pathways, reducing the deflection angles and mechanical loads on the side shafts while maintaining effective power transmission to the wheels.
3Quantity of substance
If space is allocated for basic drive components, then drive functionality is achieved, but additional installation space for energy storage is not available
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a nested arrangement where energy storage devices are positioned in the installation space created by the axial stacking of electric machines. The compact drive device configuration generates unused spatial volume that is then utilized to accommodate energy storage components, effectively nesting additional functionality within the existing structural envelope without compromising drive performance.
Data Source
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AI summary
The invention relates to a drive device (10) for a motor vehicle, comprising a first electrical machine (14) associated with a vehicle axle (12), a second electrical machine (16) associated with the vehicle axle (12), at least one first wheel (18) associated with the vehicle axle (12), at least one second wheel (20) associated with the vehicle axle (12), a first axle shaft (26) associated with the first electrical machine (14) and by means of which the first wheel (18) can be driven by the first electrical machine (14), and a second axle shaft (28) associated with the second electrical machine (16) and by means of which the second wheel (20) can be driven by the second electrical machine (16). According to the invention, the second electrical machine (16) is arranged between the first electrical machine (14) and the first wheel (18) in the axial direction of the first electrical machine (14); and the first electrical machine (14) is arranged between the second electrical machine (16) and the second wheel (20), in the axial direction of the second electrical machine (16).