Electric drive module with independent drive units having friction brakes that are selectively engageable to one another

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11149833-B2
Application number	US-202017015767-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 9, 2020
Priority date	Sep 13, 2019
Publication date	Oct 19, 2021
Grant date	Oct 19, 2021

Abstract

An electric drive module that includes a housing, a pair of drive units and a coupling unit. The drive units are disposed in the housing and each drive unit includes a motor unit and a friction brake. The motor unit has a stator, which is non-rotatably coupled to the housing, and a rotor that is rotatable about a motor axis and configured to drive a wheel of a vehicle. The friction brake has a first portion, which is non-rotatably coupled to the housing, and a second portion that is drivingly coupled to the rotor. The friction brake can be operated to create a rotational drag force that resists rotation of the second portion relative to the first portion. The coupling unit is configured to selectively rotatably couple the second portions of the friction brakes to one another.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electric drive module ( 10 ) comprising:
a housing ( 20 );
a pair of drive units ( 22 ) disposed in the housing ( 20 ), each of the drive units ( 22 ) including a motor unit ( 40 ) and a friction brake ( 42 ), the motor unit ( 40 ) comprising a stator ( 46 ), which is non-rotatably coupled to the housing ( 20 ), and a rotor ( 48 ) that is rotatable about a motor axis and adapted to drive a wheel ( 12 ) of a vehicle, the friction brake ( 42 ) having a first portion ( 66 , 72 ), which is non-rotatably coupled to the housing ( 20 ), and a second portion ( 68 , 74 ) that is drivingly coupled to the rotor ( 48 ), each of the friction brakes ( 42 ) being selectively and independently operable to create a rotational drag force that resists rotation of the second portion ( 68 , 74 ) relative to the first portion ( 66 , 72 ); and
a coupling ( 24 ) that is configured to selectively rotatably couple the second portions ( 68 , 74 ) of the friction brakes ( 42 ) to one another.

2. An electric drive module ( 10 ) comprising:
a housing ( 20 );
a pair of drive units ( 22 ) disposed in the housing ( 20 ), each of the drive units ( 22 ) including a motor unit ( 40 ) and a friction brake ( 42 ), the motor unit ( 40 ) comprising a stator ( 46 ), which is non-rotatably coupled to the housing ( 20 ), and a rotor ( 48 ) that is rotatable about a motor axis and adapted to drive a wheel ( 12 ) of a vehicle, the friction brake ( 42 ) having a first portion ( 66 , 72 ), which is non-rotatably coupled to the housing ( 20 ), and a second portion ( 68 , 74 ) that is drivingly coupled to the rotor ( 48 ), each of the friction brake ( 42 ) being selectively operable to create a rotational drag force that resists rotation of the second portion ( 68 , 74 ) relative to the first portion ( 66 , 72 ); and
a coupling ( 24 ) that is configured to selectively rotatably couple the second portions ( 68 , 74 ) of the friction brakes ( 42 ) to one another;
wherein the coupling ( 24 ) comprises ( 100 ) a first coupling member ( 110 ), which is non-rotatably but axially slidably coupled to the second portion ( 68 , 74 ) of the friction brake ( 42 ) of a first one of the drive units ( 22 ), and a second coupling member ( 112 ) that is rotatably coupled to the second portion ( 68 , 74 ) of the friction brake ( 42 ) of the other one of the drive units ( 22 ).

3. The electric drive module ( 10 ) of claim 2 , wherein the coupling ( 100 ) comprises a dog clutch.

4. The electric drive module ( 10 ) of claim 2 , wherein the coupling ( 24 ) comprises a coupling actuator ( 102 ) that is operable for moving the first coupling member ( 110 ).

5. The electric drive module ( 10 ) of claim 4 , wherein the coupling actuator ( 102 ) comprises a fork ( 116 ) that is axially but non-rotatably coupled to the second coupling member ( 112 ).

6. The electric drive module ( 10 ) of claim 1 , wherein each of the drive units ( 22 ) further comprises a half shaft assembly ( 52 ) that is drivingly coupled to the rotor ( 48 ) of an associated motor unit ( 40 ), and wherein the motor unit ( 40 ) of each drive unit ( 22 ) is disposed between the half shaft assembly ( 52 ) and the friction brake ( 42 ) of the drive unit ( 22 ).

7. The electric drive module ( 10 ) of claim 1 , wherein each friction brake ( 42 ) comprises a friction clutch ( 60 ), the friction clutch ( 60 ) having a first clutch member ( 66 ), a second clutch member ( 68 ), a set of first clutch plates ( 72 ) and a set of second clutch plates ( 74 ), the first clutch member ( 66 ) being non-rotatably coupled to the housing ( 20 ), the second clutch member ( 68 ) being coupled to the rotor ( 48 ) for rotation therewith, the first clutch plates ( 72 ) being axially slidably but non-rotatably coupled to the first clutch member ( 66 ), the second clutch plates ( 74 ) being axially slidably but non-rotatably coupled to the second clutch member ( 68 ), the second clutch plates ( 74 ) being interleaved with the first clutch plates ( 72 ), wherein the first portion ( 66 , 72 ) of the friction brake ( 42 ) includes the first clutch member ( 66 ) and the first clutch plates ( 72 ), and wherein the second portion ( 68 , 74 ) of the friction brake ( 42 ) includes the second clutch member ( 68 ) and the second clutch plates ( 74 ).

8. The electric drive module ( 10 ) of claim 7 , wherein the friction clutch ( 60 ) of each friction brake ( 42 ) is a wet friction clutch having an oil that lubricates the first and second clutch plates ( 74 ) of the friction clutch ( 60 ).

9. The electric drive module ( 10 ) of claim 7 , wherein the friction clutch ( 60 ) of each friction brake ( 42 ) comprises a friction clutch actuator ( 62 ) having an annular piston ( 90 ).

10. The electric drive module ( 10 ) of claim 1 , further comprising a battery ( 26 ), a pair of inverters ( 120 ), and a controller ( 124 ), the battery ( 26 ) providing a source of electrical energy, each of the inverters ( 120 ) being coupled to the battery ( 26 ) and to the motor unit ( 40 ) of an associated one of the drive units ( 22 ), the controller ( 124 ) controlling operation of the inverters ( 124 ) to drive the motor units ( 40 ).

11. The electric drive module ( 10 ) of claim 1 , wherein the housing ( 20 ) defines a laterally extending slot ( 34 ) that is configured to receive a portion of a vehicle chassis therein.

12. The electric drive module ( 10 ) of claim 1 , further comprising a pair of drive wheels ( 12 ), each of the drive wheels ( 12 ) being driven by the motor unit ( 40 ) of a corresponding one of the drive units ( 22 ).

13. The electric drive module ( 10 ) of claim 12 , wherein the pair of drive wheels ( 12 ) are steerable wheels.

14. A method comprising:
providing a vehicle with an electric drive module ( 10 ) and a pair of vehicle wheels ( 12 ), the electric drive module ( 10 ) having a housing ( 20 ), a pair of drive units ( 22 ) and a coupling unit ( 24 ), each of the drive units ( 22 ) being disposed in the housing ( 20 ) and including a motor unit ( 40 ) and a friction brake ( 42 ), the motor unit ( 40 ) comprising a stator ( 46 ), which is non-rotatably coupled to the housing ( 20 ), and a rotor ( 48 ), the friction brake ( 42 ) having a first portion ( 66 , 72 ), which is non-rotatably coupled to the housing ( 20 ), and a second portion ( 68 , 74 ) that is drivingly coupled to the rotor ( 48 ), the coupling ( 24 ) being configured to selectively rotatably couple the second portions ( 68 , 74 ) of the friction brakes ( 42 ) to one another, each of the pair of vehicle wheels ( 12 ) being drivingly coupled to the rotor ( 48 ) of the motor unit ( 40 ) of an associated one of the drive units ( 22 );
operating the electric drive module ( 10 ) in a propulsion mode in which the motor units ( 40 ) drive the pair of vehicle wheels ( 12 ) and the coupling ( 24 ) does not rotatably couple the second portions ( 68 , 74 ) of the friction brakes ( 42 ) to one another;
operating the electric drive module ( 10 ) in a regenerative braking mode in which the motor units ( 40 ) of the electric drive units ( 22 ) generate electric power and the coupling ( 24 ) does not rotatably couple the second portions ( 68 , 74 ) of the friction brakes ( 42 ) to one another;
operating the electric drive module ( 10 ) in a friction braking mode in which each of the friction brakes ( 42 ) is operated to create a rotational drag force that resists relative rotation between the first and second portions ( 66 , 72 ; 68 , 74 ) of each of the friction brakes ( 42 ) and the coupling ( 24 ) does not rotatably couple the second portions ( 68 , 74 ) of the friction brakes ( 42 ) to o

Assignees

• Borgwarner Inc

Inventors

• Maguire Joel
• Diemer Paul
• Yilmaz Hakan

Classifications

• H02K7/102

  with friction brakes · CPC title

• B60K7/0007 Primary

  the motor being electric · CPC title

• B60K2001/0438

  Arrangement under the floor · CPC title

• B60K2001/001

  one motor mounted on a propulsion axle for rotating right and left wheels of this axle · CPC title

• B60Y2400/421

  Dog type clutches or brakes · CPC title