Steerable Axle Housing With Internal Conduit Routing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Agricultural vehicles require an improved axle assembly that is both steerable and directly powered, with existing solutions either relying on complex power take-off shafts or hydraulic motors, which can be cumbersome and prone to damage from external routing of lines and debris.
Innovation Solution
The axle assembly features a rotatable wheel hub connected to a motor, with a passageway within the axle housing to protect and route lines or cables, allowing for either power take-off shaft or hydraulic motor power, and includes a planetary gear drive assembly for efficient power transmission, and a steerable design using pivot assemblies and actuators.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If lines and conduits are routed externally on the axle housing, then installation and maintenance become easier, but the lines are prone to damage from debris and environmental factors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements internal routing channels within the axle housing structure, nesting the conduit pathways inside the housing walls. This allows lines to be protected from external debris while maintaining integrated access points for installation and maintenance without requiring external exposure of the conduits.
Solution Approach 2:
The axle housing itself serves as an intermediary structure that provides protected pathways for conduit routing. By incorporating internal channels within the housing walls, the system mediates between the need for line protection and the need for accessible routing, eliminating direct exposure to harmful external environments.
2Adaptability or versatility
If power take-off shafts or hydraulic motors are used for direct power, then steerable and directly powered capability is achieved, but the system becomes complex and cumbersome
Solution Approach 1:
The axle housing is designed to accommodate multiple power transmission configurations (power take-off shafts or hydraulic motors) through standardized mounting interfaces and internal routing channels. This universal design allows the same basic structure to support different power source options without requiring complex custom modifications, reducing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent separates the power transmission components (motor or PTO shaft) from the steering mechanism, with each having dedicated mounting locations and independent routing paths within the housing. This segmentation allows each subsystem to be optimized independently while maintaining overall system simplicity through modular integration.
3Ease of manufacture
If external routing of lines is used, then routing is simpler to access, but debris accumulation and line damage increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements internal routing channels within the axle housing structure, nesting the conduit pathways inside the housing walls. This allows lines to be protected from external debris while maintaining integrated access points for installation and maintenance without requiring external exposure of the conduits.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the vulnerable external routing function and relocates it internally within the protected housing structure. By moving the conduit pathways from the external environment into the protected internal channels of the housing, the system eliminates direct exposure to debris while maintaining routing functionality through dedicated access points.
Data Source
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AI summary
An axle for a vehicle includes a transversely mounted axle housing (610) that is configured to support ground contacting wheels (601) of the vehicle. A wheel hub (652) is rotatably connected to the axle housing about a drive axis (625). The wheel hub is configured to be connected to one of the ground contacting wheels of the vehicle. A motor (603) is configured to rotate the wheel that is connected to the wheel hub. The axle housing includes a passageway (614) defined at least partially through the axle housing through which lines, conduits or cables (607) pass for connecting to the motor.