External Parking Lock Assembly for Retrofittable EV Direct Drives
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Electric vehicles with direct drive systems lack a robust, externally accessible and retrofittable parking lock mechanism to prevent unwanted movement, as existing solutions are integrated into the drive motor housing and not compatible with conventional direct drive systems.
Innovation Solution
A parking lock assembly comprising a parking gear linked between the drive motor shaft and drive shaft, an actuator housing with a locking lever, and a mounting bracket for external installation, allowing the locking lever to engage and disengage the parking gear to arrest the drive shaft rotation, featuring a return spring for easy disengagement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a parking lock mechanism is integrated into the drive motor housing, then the parking lock can prevent the drive motor from turning the drive shaft, but the mechanism cannot be incorporated into existing electric vehicles with conventional direct drive systems
Solution Approach 1:
The parking lock mechanism is extracted from the drive motor housing and repositioned as an external assembly mounted on the vehicle chassis. This allows the parking lock to function independently without requiring integration into the drive motor, thereby enabling compatibility with existing direct drive electric vehicles while maintaining the parking locking function.
Solution Approach 2:
A new transmission shaft is introduced as an intermediary component between the drive motor shaft and the drive shaft. The parking gear is mounted on this intermediate transmission shaft, which allows the parking lock mechanism to engage the drive shaft without being integrated into the drive motor housing, thus resolving the contradiction between external accessibility and functional integration.
2Ease of repair
If a parking lock mechanism is directly integrated into the drive motor, then the mechanism is not accessible for maintenance, but external mounting requires additional components
Solution Approach 1:
The parking lock mechanism is extracted from the drive motor assembly and mounted externally on the vehicle chassis. This extraction makes the parking lock independently accessible for maintenance and repair operations, while the additional mounting components (mounting bracket, transmission shaft) are necessary to establish the external connection between the parking lock and the drive system.
3Reliability
If a parking gear is mounted on the drive shaft, then the parking lock can effectively arrest drive shaft rotation, but the mechanism interferes with the direct connection between drive motor and drive shaft
Solution Approach 1:
A transmission shaft is introduced as an intermediary component between the drive motor shaft and the drive shaft. The parking gear is mounted on this intermediate transmission shaft rather than directly on the drive shaft, which allows the parking lock to effectively arrest drive shaft rotation through the transmission shaft while maintaining a clear functional separation between the drive motor and drive shaft connections.
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
Provides a reliable external parking lock solution for electric vehicles, ensuring the vehicle remains stationary by preventing drive shaft rotation, while being easily accessible for maintenance and compatible with existing direct drive systems.
Implementation Method 1
The actuator housing further contains a return spring which exerts return force against the locking lever, thus allowing the locking lever to pivot away from and disengage with the parking gear when the actuator is deactivated.
Data Source
AI summary
A parking lock assembly for a vehicle with an electric drive system, the parking lock assembly comprises a parking gear, an actuator housing containing an actuator and locking lever, and a mounting bracket. The electric drive system has a drive motor, a drive shaft, and a plurality of wheels. The parking gear is fastened between the drive shaft and the drive motor to form a linkage, and the actuator housing is held in a position in close proximity to the parking gear, allowing the locking gear to engage the parking gear to arrest the rotation of the drive shaft and prevent the vehicle from moving. A return spring allows the locking lever to disengage from the parking gear. The mounting bracket allows the actuator housing to be externally mounted to a mounting point located on the vehicle or to a housing surface external to the drive motor.