Vehicle Flap Spindle Drive with Oldham Coupling and Hysteresis Brake
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing spindle drive assemblies for vehicle lids face a conflict between cost-effective manufacturability and high reliability, with issues of drive stiffening and unwanted noises due to axial offset and manufacturing tolerances.
Innovation Solution
A spindle drive assembly with an axis offset-compensating clutch and hysteresis brake, utilizing an Oldham clutch and integrated hysteresis brake components to simplify manufacturing and assembly, ensuring reliability and compactness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If traditional spindle drive assemblies are manufactured with standard tolerances, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but drive stiffness deteriorates and unwanted noises occur due to axis misalignment
Solution Approach 1:
A coupling device is introduced as an intermediary component between the spindle drive motor and the gearbox. This coupling compensates for axis misalignment caused by tolerance variations, thereby maintaining drive stiffness and eliminating noises while allowing standard manufacturing tolerances to be used.
2Reliability
If a coupling to compensate for axis misalignment is added, then drive stiffness is maintained and noises are eliminated, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling device is integrated with the existing hysteresis brake components. The rotatable hysteresis brake component is attached to the drive motor-side coupling, and the stationary hysteresis brake component is attached to the gearbox housing. This merging reduces the number of separate components and simplifies the overall structure while maintaining the axis misalignment compensation function.
3Reliability
If hysteresis brake components are added to limit motor shaft speed, then reliability is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The hysteresis brake components are merged with the coupling structure. The rotatable hysteresis brake component is attached to the drive motor-side coupling, and the stationary hysteresis brake component is attached to the gearbox housing. This integration allows the hysteresis brake function to be achieved without adding significant complexity to the overall device.
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 solution enables the production of a reliable, compact, and cost-effective spindle drive assembly that eliminates drive stiffening and unwanted noises, meeting both manufacturability and reliability demands.
Implementation Method 1
A hysteresis brake is interposed between the spindle drive motor and the gearbox
Implementation Method 2
The hysteresis brake serves to limit the speed of the motor shaft and/or to lock the motor shaft in place
Implementation Method 3
A coupling to compensate for axis misalignment is interposed between the spindle drive motor and the gearbox
Data Source
Figure 1~2
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AI summary
A spindle drive assembly for opening and/or closing a vehicle flap is described, with a spindle extending along a spindle drive axis (16), and a spindle drive motor (36) which is coupled to the spindle in terms of drive via a gearing (40) and the motor shaft (38) of which is arranged substantially coaxially with respect to the spindle drive axis (16), wherein an axial-offset-compensating clutch (68) and a hysteresis brake (82) are connected in terms of drive between the spindle drive motor (36) and the gearing (40). In addition, a vehicle flap with such a spindle drive assembly is presented.