In-wheel motor drive unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10011164-B2
Application number	US-201415021331-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 2, 2014
Priority date	Sep 19, 2013
Publication date	Jul 3, 2018
Grant date	Jul 3, 2018

Abstract

An in-wheel motor drive unit ( 11 ) includes: a motor portion ( 11 A) that is placed on one side in the direction of the axis of the in-wheel motor drive unit; a wheel hub portion ( 11 C) that is placed on the other side in the direction of the axis of the in-wheel motor drive unit; a speed reduction portion ( 11 B) that is placed between the motor portion and the wheel hub portion and that reduces the speed of output rotation of the motor portion to transmit the resultant output rotation to the wheel hub portion; and a first arm portion ( 34 ) that is formed integrally with a speed reduction portion casing ( 33 ) forming the outer shape of the speed reduction portion, that projects in a direction perpendicular to the axis from the speed reduction portion casing, and that has its tip end pivotally coupled to a vehicle body-side member.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An in-wheel motor drive unit, comprising:
a motor portion that is placed on one side in a direction of an axis of said in-wheel motor drive unit;
a wheel hub portion that is placed on the other side in said direction of said axis of said in-wheel motor drive unit;
a speed reduction portion that is placed between said motor portion and said wheel hub portion and that reduces a speed of output rotation of said motor portion to transmit the resultant output rotation to said wheel hub portion; and
a first arm portion that is formed integrally with the speed reduction portion casing forming an outer shape of said speed reduction portion, wherein
said first arm portion projects in a upward direction perpendicular to said axis from said speed reduction portion casing so that said first arm portion is extended to a position outside a road wheel being coupled to said wheel hub portion, and that has an upper end thereof pivotally coupled to a vehicle body-side member, wherein
said first arm portion extends in an arc from an inner space region of said road wheel so as to avoid a peripheral edge of said road wheel.

2. The in-wheel motor drive unit according to claim 1 , wherein
said wheel hub portion has a hub ring that is coupled to a wheel and an outer ring member that rotatably supports said hub ring, and said outer ring member has a smaller radius dimension than that of said speed reduction portion casing,
said speed reduction portion casing includes a tubular portion that surrounds an outer periphery of said speed reduction portion, and a speed reduction portion casing end face portion that covers an end of said speed reduction portion which is located on the other side in said direction of said axis, and
an inner periphery of said speed reduction portion casing end face portion is coupled to said outer ring member, and an outer periphery of said speed reduction portion casing end face portion is integral with said first arm portion.

3. The in-wheel motor drive unit according to claim 1 , wherein
said speed reduction portion casing includes a tubular portion that surrounds an outer periphery of said speed reduction portion, and a speed reduction portion casing end face portion that covers an end of said speed reduction portion which is located on the other side in said direction of said axis, and
an outer peripheral surface of said tubular portion is integral with said first arm portion.

4. The in-wheel motor drive unit according to claim 1 , wherein
said upper end of said first arm portion is pivotally coupled to a free end of an upper arm of a double wishbone suspension device.

5. The in-wheel motor drive unit according to claim 4 , further comprising:
a joint portion that is formed integrally with said speed reduction portion casing and that is coupled to a free end of a lower arm of said double wishbone suspension device.

6. The in-wheel motor drive unit according to claim 4 , further comprising:
a second arm portion that is formed integrally with said speed reduction portion casing and that projects in said direction perpendicular to said axis from said speed reduction portion casing, wherein
a tip end of said second arm portion is coupled to a power source for a steering device.

7. The in-wheel motor drive unit according to claim 1 , wherein
said first arm portion and said speed reduction portion casing are made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy.

Assignees

• Ntn Toyo Bearing Co Ltd
• Tamura Shiro
• Ishikawa Aiko
• Shibuya Yusuke

Inventors

• Tamura Shiro
• Ishikawa Aiko
• Shibuya Yusuke

Classifications

• B60G2204/182

  Electric motor on wheel support · CPC title

• B60K2007/0092

  the motor axle being coaxial to the wheel axle · CPC title

• B60G2200/144

  with two lateral arms forming a parallelogram · CPC title

• B60G3/22

  a rigid arm forming the axle housing · CPC title

• B60G2206/014

  with reinforcing nerves or branches · CPC title