Eccentric Hub Wheel Motor with Dynamic Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional wheel hub motors in vehicles, such as motor scooters, face challenges in transmitting high torque while maintaining a low overall weight, leading to an uncomfortable driving experience due to their design and weight distribution.
Innovation Solution
A wheel design featuring an inner ring as a stator and a rim ring as a rotor, with an acentric suspension and a bearing device, allowing for the elimination of a central hub and spokes, and incorporating a sealing device that releases during rotation to reduce friction and protect the bearing from environmental influences.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If a traditional hub motor design is used, then the motor can be mounted centrally on the wheel, but the wheel weight increases and torque transmission is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The wheel is divided into functionally independent components: the rim ring with tire for rolling function, the inner ring as stator for motor function, and the acentric hub for suspension mounting. This segmentation eliminates the need for a heavy central hub that combines both structural and motor functions, reducing overall wheel weight while maintaining torque transmission capability through the distributed motor design.
Solution Approach 2:
The hub is positioned acentrically (off-center) relative to the wheel's axis of rotation, creating an asymmetric configuration. This allows the wheel suspension to be mounted on the hub while the motor's center of gravity remains centered, optimizing both suspension geometry and motor performance without requiring a heavy central hub structure.
2Weight of moving object
If acentric suspension is implemented, then weight is reduced by eliminating spokes and central hub, but the wheel structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The motor components (stator as inner ring, rotor as rim ring) are merged with the wheel structure itself, eliminating the need for separate spokes and traditional hub assembly. The inner ring serves dual purposes as both the motor stator and the structural element connecting to the acentric hub, simplifying the overall structure despite the acentric configuration.
Solution Approach 2:
The inner ring performs multiple functions: it serves as the stator for the motor, provides structural support for the acentric hub mounting, and acts as the connection element between the rim ring and the suspension system. This multi-functionality reduces the number of separate components needed, offsetting the complexity introduced by the acentric design.
3Loss of energy
If bearing device is exposed, then friction is minimized during rotation, but the bearing is vulnerable to environmental influences
Solution Approach 1:
The sealing device is designed to be dynamic rather than static: it remains retracted during rotation to minimize friction, and extends only when the wheel is stationary to provide sealing protection. This dynamic behavior allows the system to optimize for both low friction during operation and environmental protection when stopped.
Solution Approach 2:
The sealing device operates periodically - extending to seal the bearing when the wheel is stationary and retracting to reduce friction when the wheel rotates. This periodic sealing action ensures environmental protection is provided only when necessary (when the bearing is vulnerable to contamination at rest), while minimizing friction losses during the majority of operation time.
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
This configuration enables the transmission of high torque with reduced weight, enhancing the driving experience by eliminating the need for a central hub and spokes, while the sealing device protects the bearing from environmental factors and reduces friction, thus improving efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
the sealing device is designed to release the bearing device when the rim ring is rotated, in particular as a function of centripetal forces acting on the rim ring
Implementation Method 2
an inner ring designed as a stator, which is connected to a wheel suspension of the wheel; a rim ring designed as a rotor with an axis of rotation
Data Source
Figure 1
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Figure 4~5
AI summary
The problem of driving vehicles electrically is not optimally solved. The invention relates to a wheel (10) with a drive unit for a vehicle, in particular for a motor scooter (1), a quad bike or a passenger car, wherein the wheel (10) has the following: - an inner ring (20) in the form of a stator, which is connected to a wheel suspension (15) of the wheel (10); - a rim ring (30) in the form of a rotor, which has a rotation axis (33), wherein the rim ring (30) rotates around the outside of the inner ring (20), and the rotation axis (33) and the holder axis (23) run at least substantially parallel to each other, wherein the wheel suspension (15) is arranged eccentrically at a distance from the rotation axis (33).