Center Adapter Assembly for Electric Drive Motor Coupling
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing drive train systems for hybrid or electric vehicles require complex and costly hardware to couple multiple electric drive motors, which is difficult to manufacture and service effectively.
Innovation Solution
A center adapter assembly with a body having a first and second periphery and a central region to encase a coupling, allowing two electric drive motors to be coupled via apertures in separate housings for combined torque output to a shaft, with optional gear sets and seals for fluid management and motor torque adjustment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate housings with separate drive shafts are used for each electric drive motor, then each motor can be independently housed and maintained, but the coupling hardware becomes complex, costly and difficult to manufacture and service
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the first housing and second housing into a single integrated housing structure that contains both electric drive motors. The housing includes a first aperture for the first motor and a second aperture for the second motor, eliminating the need for separate housings and complex coupling hardware between them. The adapter assembly integrates the coupling mechanism within the unified housing, simplifying the overall structure while maintaining independent motor functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The adapter assembly serves multiple functions: it couples the first and second electric drive motors, provides structural support for both motors, enables torque transmission between motors, and facilitates serviceability. The universal design allows the same adapter structure to handle both motor coupling and maintenance operations, reducing the need for specialized components.
2Force
If complex coupling hardware is used to transmit torque between drive shafts, then torque transmission is achieved, but manufacturing and servicing costs increase and serviceability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling mechanism is merged with the housing structure to form an integrated adapter assembly. The adapter includes a body with a central region that houses the coupling mechanism, eliminating the need for separate coupling components. This integration simplifies manufacturing by reducing the number of parts and assembly steps while lowering servicing costs through reduced complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The adapter assembly acts as an intermediary structure that facilitates torque transmission between the first and second electric drive motors. The adapter body with its central region provides a mediating structure that couples the drive shafts while simplifying the torque transmission path, making the system easier to manufacture and service compared to direct complex coupling hardware.
3Device complexity
If a unified housing structure with apertures is used to house both motors and encase the coupling, then the coupling structure is simplified and costs are reduced, but the integration of separate motors into one housing must be achieved
Solution Approach 1:
The unified housing is segmented into distinct regions: a first aperture region for the first motor, a second aperture region for the second motor, and a central region for the coupling mechanism. This segmentation allows each motor to be independently housed while maintaining the simplified unified structure, facilitating manufacturing by enabling modular assembly of motor units into the housing framework.
Solution Approach 2:
The housing structure is designed with universal characteristics that allow it to accommodate both motors and the coupling mechanism within a single integrated framework. The housing includes standardized aperture designs and mounting features that can accommodate different motor configurations, reducing integration complexity while maintaining structural simplification benefits.
Data Source
AI summary
An adapter assembly is provided and includes a body having a first periphery, a second periphery opposite the first periphery and a central region interposed between the first and second peripheries. The first periphery is attachable to a first housing at a first aperture thereof, the first housing defining an interior in which a first motor is disposable. The second periphery is attachable to a second housing at a second aperture thereof, the second housing defining an interior in which a second motor is disposable. The central region is configured to encase a coupling for operably coupling the first and second motors via the first and second apertures, respectively, for output to a shaft.