Floating Engine Transaxle Mounting for Stable CVT Performance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional powertrain designs for lightweight utility vehicles, such as golf cars, often result in increased costs and undesirable vibrations due to the complexity of mounting engines and transaxles to the vehicle chassis, which complicates the performance of continuously variable transmission systems.
Innovation Solution
A powertrain design where the prime mover is hard-mounted to the transaxle and allowed to 'free float' without additional engine mounts, with suspension components providing support and vibration paths, and a transaxle mounting collar supporting the prime mover, eliminating the need for additional structural mounting to the vehicle.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the engine and transaxle are mounted to the vehicle chassis/frame structure independently using isolators, then the mounting stability is improved, but the device complexity and cost increase due to additional mounting structures and components
Solution Approach 1:
The engine and transaxle are merged into a single integrated powertrain assembly that mounts to the vehicle chassis as one unit. The transaxle housing serves as the mounting structure, eliminating the need for separate engine mounts and transaxle mounts. The engine is secured to the transaxle housing with the housing itself serving as the mounting structure, thereby reducing the number of mounting components while maintaining stability.
2Stability of the object's composition
If the engine and transaxle are mounted using multiple isolators and mounting structures, then the mounting stability is improved, but the manufacturing cost increases due to more parts and components
Solution Approach 1:
The engine and transaxle are merged into a single integrated powertrain assembly that mounts to the vehicle chassis as one unit. The transaxle housing serves as the mounting structure, eliminating the need for separate engine mounts and transaxle mounts. The engine is secured to the transaxle housing with the housing itself serving as the mounting structure, thereby reducing the number of mounting components while maintaining stability.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If the engine is mounted to the vehicle chassis with isolators, then the vibration isolation is improved, but the CVT system performance predictability worsens due to varying center distance
Solution Approach 1:
The engine and transaxle are merged into a single integrated powertrain assembly that mounts to the vehicle chassis as one unit. The transaxle housing serves as the mounting structure, eliminating the need for separate engine mounts and transaxle mounts. The engine is secured to the transaxle housing with the housing itself serving as the mounting structure, thereby reducing the number of mounting components while maintaining stability.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle transaxle comprising a plurality of mounting flanges fixedly mountable to an axle tube of the vehicle absent any additional structure for mounting the transaxle to the vehicle. The axle tube houses a wheel axle to which the transaxle is operably couplable. The transaxle additionally comprises a transaxle mounting collar that is fixedly mounted to or integrally formed with a housing of the transaxle. The mounting collar is structured and operable to have a prime mover of the vehicle mounted thereto and to support the weight/mass of the prime mover such that the prime mover is mountable to the vehicle via only the mounting collar absent any additional structure for mounting the prime mover to the vehicle such that the prime mover can be cantilevered from (e.g., suspended from) the transaxle, e.g., the prime mover is ‘free floating’.