Direct-Drive Wheel Assembly With Supported Rotor for Easy Maintenance
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for robust, alternative propulsion systems for vehicles, particularly in industries like transportation and agriculture, to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and address operational demands such as heavy loads and off-road operations, while minimizing financial burden through improved life cycles.
Innovation Solution
A direct drive wheel assembly for vehicles featuring a motor with a rotor anchored to a rim ring and a stator supported by a hollow support cylinder, allowing independent operation and easy maintenance, powered by a multiphase direct drive motor with a brake assembly and controlled by a controller, eliminating the need for a conventional engine.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-generated harmful factors
If a conventional internal combustion engine is used for vehicle propulsion, then the vehicle can operate with existing infrastructure, but the vehicle generates pollutant byproducts and incurs rising fossil fuel costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the internal combustion engine with an electric motor system that uses electrical energy instead of fossil fuels. The electric motor is integrated directly into the wheel hub, eliminating the need for a conventional engine and its associated pollutant emissions while reducing dependency on fossil fuels.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the energy source parameter from chemical energy (fossil fuels) to electrical energy. This parameter change eliminates pollutant byproducts and reduces operational costs associated with fossil fuel price fluctuations.
2Ease of repair
If a direct drive motor is integrated into the wheel hub, then maintenance accessibility is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the motor, wheel hub, and brake assembly into a single integrated unit. This consolidation improves maintenance accessibility by allowing the entire assembly to be removed and serviced as one module, while the merging of functions reduces the number of separate components that would otherwise increase complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the wheel assembly into modular components (motor, brake assembly, wheel hub) that can be independently serviced. The brake assembly can be accessed through the wheel hub, and the motor can be removed as a unit, allowing for targeted maintenance without disassembling the entire vehicle.
3Ease of repair
If the stator and hollow support cylinder are made removable, then ease of repair is improved, but the reliability of connections may worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent incorporates pre-designed removable connections between the stator and hollow support cylinder that are engineered to maintain reliability. These connections are prepared in advance with proper sealing and fastening mechanisms that ensure stable reconnection after maintenance, preventing reliability issues from arising.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The wheel assembly provides sufficient horsepower for vehicle operation, enabling independent wheel control and maintenance accessibility, reducing reliance on fossil fuels and enhancing vehicle durability and efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
a motor disposed within the internal volume, the motor having a rotor anchored to the rim ring, and a stator disposed radially within the rotor
Data Source
AI summary
A wheel assembly for a vehicle includes a wheel drive having a housing defining an internal volume, an annular rim ring circumferentially disposed about, extending radially through, and rotatable with respect to the housing, a hollow support cylinder extending along a rotational axis of the wheel assembly, and a motor disposed within the internal volume, the motor having a rotor anchored to the rim ring, and a stator disposed radially within the rotor and anchored to the hollow support cylinder, the stator directly abutting and radially supporting the rotor. The wheel assembly further includes a wheel having a rim and a disc, and a tire mounted on the rim. The disc of the wheel is secured to the rim ring such that the rotor, the rim ring, the wheel, and the tire are rotatable about the axis.