Vehicle Powertrain Compactness via Integrated Differential Gear
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Solution Overview
Problem
Vehicles with three or more pairs of wheels face challenges in compactness due to increased numbers of shafts and universal joints, leading to larger dimensions and weight imbalances when applying existing four-wheeled vehicle structures to six or eight-wheeled vehicles.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a configuration where a prime mover is fixed to the front differential gear, and rotation is transmitted through three differential gears, reducing the number of parts and making the differential gears and prime mover compact in the front-rear direction by eliminating universal joints and allowing lubricant flow between the prime mover and differential gears for simplified maintenance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If the conventional four-wheeled vehicle structure is applied to six-wheeled or eight-wheeled vehicles with multiple differential gears, then each differential gear can be independently positioned, but the number of shafts and universal joints increases, making the vehicle larger in the front-rear direction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple differential gears and shafts into a single integrated differential gear unit. Instead of using separate shafts and universal joints to connect multiple differential gears to the engine, the invention integrates them into one compact structure that reduces the front-rear dimension while maintaining the ability to serve multiple wheel pairs.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated differential gear unit is designed to serve multiple functions by providing power transmission to multiple pairs of wheels simultaneously. This multi-functional design eliminates the need for separate transmission paths for each differential gear, thereby reducing the overall vehicle length in the front-rear direction.
2Ease of operation
If multiple shafts and universal joints are used to connect differential gears to the engine in vehicles with three or more pairs of wheels, then each wheel pair can be independently driven, but the vehicle becomes large in the front-rear direction
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple independent drive paths into a single integrated differential gear unit that can distribute power to multiple wheel pairs. This consolidation maintains the independent drive capability while significantly reducing the number of shafts and universal joints, thereby compacting the vehicle in the front-rear direction.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention reconfigures the power transmission system by changing the spatial arrangement from a linear front-rear configuration with multiple shafts to a more compact integrated structure. This dimensional reorganization allows the system to maintain functional independence while reducing the front-rear footprint.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the number of shafts and universal joints is increased to accommodate three or more pairs of wheels, then each differential gear can be properly positioned, but the vehicle weight increases and maintenance complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate shafts and universal joints into a single integrated differential gear unit. This merging reduces the total number of components, thereby decreasing vehicle weight while maintaining the capability to drive multiple pairs of wheels independently.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention extracts and eliminates unnecessary intermediate components such as multiple shafts and universal joints from the power transmission system. By removing these redundant elements, the vehicle weight is reduced while the core functionality of driving multiple wheel pairs is preserved through the integrated differential unit.
Data Source
AI summary
A vehicle includes three pairs of wheels, each pair being spaced apart in a right-left direction, three differential gears, respectively corresponding to the three pairs of wheels, and an engine that generates a rotation to be transmitted to the three pairs of wheels through the three differential gears. The engine is located rearward of a front differential gear that is any one of the three differential gears and is fixed to the front differential gear.