Axle assembly having a gear reduction module with countershaft gear sets

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11220176-B1
Application number	US-202117178508-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Feb 18, 2021
Priority date	Feb 18, 2021
Publication date	Jan 11, 2022
Grant date	Jan 11, 2022

Abstract

An axle assembly having a gear reduction unit that is configured to operatively connect an electric motor to a drive pinion. The gear reduction unit includes at least one countershaft gear set. At least one clutch is engageable to provide a torque path between the electric motor and the drive pinion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An axle assembly comprising:
an electric motor having a rotor that is rotatable about an axis;
a drive pinion that extends through the rotor and is rotatable about the axis;
a gear reduction unit that includes:
a first countershaft gear set that includes first, second, and third countershaft gears that are fixedly mounted to a first countershaft such that the first, second, and third countershaft gears are rotatable about a first countershaft axis with the first countershaft;
a second countershaft gear set that includes first, second, and third countershaft gears that are fixedly mounted to a second countershaft such that the first, second, and third countershaft gears of the second countershaft gear set are rotatable about a second countershaft axis with the second countershaft; and
a set of drive pinion gears that include first, second, and third gears that are rotatable about the axis and that mesh with the first, second, and third countershaft gears of the first countershaft gear set, respectively, and that mesh with first, second, and third countershaft gears of the second countershaft gear set, respectively, wherein the first gear is continuously connected to the rotor and decoupled from and rotatable with respect to the drive pinion, and the second and third gears are operatively connectable to the drive pinion;

a first clutch that selectively connects the second gear and the drive pinion; and
a second clutch that selectively connects the third gear and the drive pinion.

2. The axle assembly of claim 1 wherein the first clutch selectively connects the second gear and the drive pinion via a connecting member that extends from the drive pinion and is rotatable about the axis with the drive pinion.

3. The axle assembly of claim 2 wherein the second clutch selectively connects the third gear and the drive pinion via the connecting member.

4. The axle assembly of claim 2 wherein the connecting member is received inside the first gear and is spaced apart from the first gear.

5. The axle assembly of claim 2 wherein the first gear is not directly clutchable to the drive pinion or to the connecting member.

6. The axle assembly of claim 1 , wherein the first clutch directly connects the second gear to the drive pinion.

7. The axle assembly of claim 1 wherein the drive pinion is not received inside the first gear, the second gear, or the third gear.

8. The axle assembly of claim 1 wherein the first clutch does not connect the second gear and the drive pinion when the second clutch connects the third gear to the drive pinion and the second clutch does not connect the third gear to the drive pinion when the first clutch connects the second gear to the drive pinion.

9. The axle assembly of claim 1 wherein torque is transmitted between the electric motor and the drive pinion at a first gear ratio when the first clutch connects the second gear and the drive pinion and the second clutch does not connect the third gear and the drive pinion.

10. The axle assembly of claim 1 wherein torque is transmitted between the electric motor and the drive pinion at a second gear ratio when the second clutch connects the third gear and the drive pinion and the first clutch does not connect the second gear and the drive pinion.

11. An axle assembly comprising:
an electric motor having a rotor that is rotatable about an axis;
a drive pinion that extends through the rotor and is rotatable about the axis;
a gear reduction unit that includes:
a first countershaft gear set that includes first, second, and third countershaft gears that are fixedly mounted to a first countershaft such that the first, second, and third countershaft gears are rotatable about a first countershaft axis with the first countershaft;
a second countershaft gear set that includes first, second, and third countershaft gears that are fixedly mounted to a second countershaft such that the first, second, and third countershaft gears of the second countershaft gear set are rotatable about a second countershaft axis with the second countershaft; and
a set of drive pinion gears that include first, second, and third gears are rotatable about the axis and that mesh with the first, second, and third countershaft gears of the first countershaft gear set, respectively, and that mesh with first, second, and third countershaft gears of the second countershaft gear set, respectively, wherein the first gear is operably connectable to the rotor, and the second and third gears are operatively connectable to the drive pinion;

a first clutch that selectively connects the rotor and the first gear;
a second clutch that selectively connects the second gear and the drive pinion;
a third clutch that selectively connects the third gear and the drive pinion; and
a fourth clutch that selectively connects the rotor to the second gear.

12. The axle assembly of claim 11 wherein the first clutch and the fourth clutch are not engageable at the same time and the second clutch and the third clutch are not engageable at the same time.

13. The axle assembly of claim 11 wherein torque is transmitted between the electric motor and the drive pinion at a first gear ratio when the first clutch connects the rotor and the first gear, and the second clutch connects the second gear and the drive pinion.

14. The axle assembly of claim 13 wherein the third clutch does not connect the third gear and the drive pinion, and the fourth clutch does not connect the rotor and the second gear.

15. The axle assembly of claim 11 wherein torque is transmitted between the electric motor and the drive pinion at a second gear ratio when the third clutch connects the third gear and the drive pinion, and the fourth clutch connects the rotor and the second gear.

16. The axle assembly of claim 15 wherein the first clutch does not connect the rotor and the first gear, and the second clutch does not connect the second gear and the drive pinion.

17. The axle assembly of claim 11 wherein torque is transmitted between the electric motor and the drive pinion at a third gear ratio when the first clutch connects the rotor and the first gear, and the third clutch connects the third gear and the drive pinion.

18. The axle assembly of claim 17 wherein the second clutch does not connect the second gear and the drive pinion, and the fourth clutch does not connect the rotor and the second gear.

19. An axle assembly comprising:
an electric motor having a rotor that is rotatable about an axis;
a drive pinion that extends through the rotor and is rotatable about the axis;
a gear reduction unit that includes:
a first countershaft gear set that includes first, second, and third countershaft gears that are fixedly mounted to a first countershaft such that the first, second, and third countershaft gears are rotatable about a first countershaft axis with the first countershaft;
a second countershaft gear set that includes first, second, and third countershaft gears that are fixedly mounted to a second countershaft such that the first, second, and third countershaft gears of the second countershaft gear set are rotatable about a second countershaft axis with the second countershaft; and
a set of drive pinion gears that include first, second, and third gears are rotatable about the axis and that mesh with the first, second, and third countershaft gears of the first countershaft gear set, respectively, and that mesh with first, second, and third countershaft gears of the second countershaft gear set, respectively, wherein the f

Assignees

• Arvinmeritor Technology Llc

Inventors

• Cradit Jeremy
• Bofferding Nick
• Zueski David
• Martin Robert
• Lamothe Eric
• Keeney Christopher
• Hayes Brian

Classifications

• B60K17/165

  provided between independent half axles (B60K17/18, B60K17/20 take precedence) · CPC title

• B60K17/04

  characterised by arrangement, location or kind of gearing · CPC title

• B60K17/02

  characterised by arrangement, location, or kind of clutch · CPC title

• B60K1/00 Primary

  Arrangement or mounting of electrical propulsion units (B60K7/00 takes precedence; arrangement or mounting of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion B60K6/00) · CPC title

• F16H3/097

  the input and output shafts being aligned on the same axis · CPC title