Electric Drive Housing Segmentation for Load Isolation

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Solution Overview

Problem

Heavy motor vehicles with electric drive units face motor damage due to load transfer and assembly challenges, requiring a solution to prolong motor life and simplify assembly.

Innovation Solution

An electric drive device with a housing configuration that locks gear housings to absorb external loads, minimizing load transmission to the electric motor, allowing for axial and radial locking without fastening elements, and featuring a ring-shaped cross section for efficient load absorption and easy assembly/disassembly.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the electric motor is directly mounted in the housing to reduce assembly steps, then assembly is simplified, but external loads are transmitted to the electric motor causing damage and reducing its life

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveassembly simplicityVSAvoidelectric motor life
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The housing is divided into a drive unit housing and a motor housing that are separable. The drive unit housing contains the transmission and can be assembled/disassembled independently from the motor housing, allowing the electric motor to remain isolated from external loads while enabling separate assembly operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The drive unit housing acts as an intermediary structure between the electric motor and the external environment. It absorbs and isolates external loads through its structural design, preventing these loads from being transmitted to the electric motor while still allowing the motor to be mounted securely.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Use of energy by moving object

If the electric drive unit is made heavy to achieve high efficiency, then efficiency is improved, but assembly and disassembly become more difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedrive unit efficiencyVSAvoidassembly difficulty
Core Design Contradiction:
Use of energy by moving objectVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The heavy drive unit is segmented into separable components (drive unit housing, motor housing, transmission components) that can be assembled and disassembled independently. This allows the overall efficient but heavy system to be handled in manageable sections during assembly and maintenance operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Strength

If the housing configuration is made rigid to absorb external loads, then load absorption is improved, but assembly and disassembly of the electric motor becomes more difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveload absorption capacityVSAvoidassembly difficulty
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The rigid housing configuration is segmented into separable sections with standardized interfaces. The ring-shaped cross-section provides structural strength for load absorption, while the segmented design with defined mounting surfaces enables controlled assembly and disassembly operations despite the rigid construction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP2641319B1Electric drive device
Publication Date: 2020.06.17 BAE SYSTEMS HAGGLUNDS AKTIEBOLAG
  • EP2641319B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP2641319B1 patent drawingFigure 2a~3
  • EP2641319B1 patent drawingFigure 4a~4b

AI summary

The present invention relates to an electric drive device comprising an electric motor (20) with a stator and a rotor arranged to rotate a drive shaft, wherein said electric motor (20) is arranged to be accommodated in a housing, further comprising opposite gear housings surrounding the electric motor, each containing a transmission configuration, wherein the electric drive device comprises a housing configuration in which the electric motor (20) as well as said opposite gear housings (30a, 30b) are accommodated, wherein each gear housing (30a, 30b; 130a, 130b) is attached and hereby locked to said housing configuration. The invention also relates to a motor vehicle.