Sunken Wheel-Side Drive Axle Layout for Wider Bus Aisles
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Solution Overview
Problem
The narrow aisle width in new energy commercial buses due to large drive motors required for high torque in conventional wheel-side motor drive axles compromises passenger comfort.
Innovation Solution
A sunken wheel-side motor drive axle design where the drive motor assembly is positioned at the bottom of the axle beam, utilizing multi-stage reducers to reduce motor size and space, with brake air chambers determining the aisle width, allowing for increased aisle width and improved passenger comfort.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If the size of the drive motor is increased to ensure large driving torque, then the driving torque is improved, but the distance between the two drive motor end faces is reduced, resulting in smaller bus aisle width and low passenger comfort
Solution Approach 1:
The drive motor assembly is repositioned from a horizontal arrangement to a vertical arrangement at the bottom of the axle beam. This dimensional change allows the motor to generate large torque vertically while freeing up horizontal space, thereby increasing the distance between drive motor end faces and expanding the bus aisle width for improved passenger comfort.
Solution Approach 2:
The drive system is segmented into multiple independent components: the drive motor assembly, multi-stage reducer assembly, and brake assembly. This segmentation allows each component to be optimized independently and arranged in a space-efficient vertical configuration, resolving the contradiction between torque generation and aisle width.
2Force
If the size of the drive motor is increased to ensure large driving torque, then the driving torque is improved, but the space occupied by the drive motor assembly is increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a nested configuration where the multi-stage reducer assembly is integrated with the brake assembly, and both are vertically arranged around the drive motor assembly. This nesting approach allows multiple functional components to occupy overlapping or adjacent spatial volumes, reducing the overall space occupied by the drive motor assembly while maintaining large torque output capability.
Solution Approach 2:
By transitioning from a horizontal to vertical arrangement, the system utilizes the vertical dimension for torque generation and component stacking, thereby reducing the horizontal footprint and total volume occupied by the drive motor assembly.
3Power
If conventional wheel-side motor drive axle design is used with large drive motors, then large driving torque is achieved, but the bus aisle width is reduced and passenger comfort is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The drive motor assembly is repositioned from a horizontal arrangement to a vertical arrangement at the bottom of the axle beam. This dimensional change allows the motor to generate large torque vertically while freeing up horizontal space, thereby increasing the distance between drive motor end faces and expanding the bus aisle width for improved passenger comfort.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adopts an asymmetric vertical arrangement where the drive motor assembly is positioned at the bottom rather than symmetrically at the ends. This asymmetric configuration optimizes space utilization and maximizes the aisle width while maintaining the required power output.
Data Source
Figure 1~2
AI summary
A sunken wheel-side motor drive axle is disclosed. The sunken wheel-side motor drive axle comprises an axle beam assembly (8), and further comprises two drive motor assemblies, two reducer assemblies and two hub assemblies, and the two drive motor assemblies, two reducer assemblies and two hub assemblies are respectively disposed at left and right ends of the axle beam assembly (8); the drive motor assemblies are symmetrically disposed at a bottom of the left and right ends of the axle beam assembly (8) respectively; and the drive motor assemblies transmit power to the reducer assemblies, and the reducer assemblies drive the hub assemblies to rotate. In the wheel-side electric drive axle, the drive motors are disposed at the bottom of the axle beam assembly (8), thereby reducing the occupied space, increasing the aisle width of new energy commercial bus, and improving the comfort of passengers; moreover, the transmission speed ratio is increased through the three-stage speed reducing transmission, thereby reducing the requirement for the output torque of the drive motor while ensuring the same wheel end drive torque, and also effectively reducing the size of the drive motor.