Wheel-hub gears and casings therefor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11448308-B2
Application number	US-202117535727-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 26, 2021
Priority date	Nov 9, 2020
Publication date	Sep 20, 2022
Grant date	Sep 20, 2022

Abstract

A gear casing for a wheel-hub assembly comprises a gear housing comprising a drive-gear volume for accommodating therewithin a gearing assembly that is positioned to mediate between a drivetrain member and a wheel-hub member, the drive-gear volume being in fluid communication with opposing first and second openings formed in the gear housing for respective gearing-assembly connections therethrough with the drivetrain member and the wheel hub member; and a lubricant compartment radially displaced from the drive-gear volume and in fluid communication therewith exclusively via an array of one or more lubricant passages disposed circumferentially around a portion of the gear housing, the lubricant-passage array arranged for flow therethrough of a gearing-assembly lubricant between the lubricant compartment and the gear housing.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A gear casing for a wheel-hub assembly, the gear casing comprising:
a. a gear housing comprising a drive-gear volume for accommodating therewithin a gearing assembly that is positioned to mediate between a drivetrain member and a wheel-hub member, the drive-gear volume being in fluid communication with opposing first and second openings formed in the gear housing for respective gearing-assembly connections therethrough with the drivetrain member and the wheel hub member;
b. a lubricant compartment radially displaced from the drive-gear volume and in fluid communication therewith exclusively via an array of one or more lubricant passages disposed circumferentially around a portion of the gear housing, the lubricant-passage array arranged for flow therethrough of a gearing-assembly lubricant between the lubricant compartment and the gear housing; and
c. a plurality of casing portions, wherein at least one of the gear housing and the lubricant compartment is formed by a joining of at least two of the plurality of casing portions, each of the joined casing portions comprising at least a part of a respective interior surface of at least one of the gear housing and the lubricant compartment.

2. The gear casing of claim 1 , wherein both the gear housing and the lubricant compartment are formed by the joining.

3. The gear casing of claim 1 , wherein the lubricant-passage array is formed exclusively in one joined casing portion.

4. The gear casing of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of casing portions includes a gasket interposed between two other casing portions of the plurality of casing portions, and the lubricant-passage array is formed in the gasket.

5. The gear casing of claim 1 , wherein the lubricant-passage array comprises a plurality of discrete lubricant passages.

6. A gear casing for a wheel-hub assembly, the gear casing comprising:
a. a gear housing comprising a drive-gear volume for accommodating therewithin a gearing assembly that is positioned to mediate between a drivetrain member and a wheel-hub member, the drive-gear volume being in fluid communication with opposing first and second openings formed in the gear housing for respective gearing-assembly connections therethrough with the drivetrain member and the wheel hub member; and
b. a lubricant compartment radially displaced from the drive-gear volume and in fluid communication therewith exclusively via an array of one or more lubricant passages disposed circumferentially around a portion of the gear housing, the lubricant-passage array arranged for flow therethrough of a gearing-assembly lubricant between the lubricant compartment and the gear housing, wherein a bottommost one of the lubricant passages is disposed to be at least in part below a central axis of the gearing assembly, and a topmost one of the lubricant passages is disposed to be at least in part above the central axis of the gearing assembly.

7. The gear casing of claim 6 , wherein at least a part of the bottommost lubricant passage is lower than a lowest part of the drive-gear volume.

8. The gear casing of claim 1 , configured such that all lubricant flows between the lubricant compartment and the gear housing are due to at least one of: (i) forces generated by operation of the gearing assembly; and (ii) external forces acting upon the wheel-hub assembly.

9. A gear casing for a wheel-hub assembly, the gear casing comprising:
a. a gear housing comprising a drive-gear volume for accommodating therewithin a gearing assembly that is positioned to mediate between a drivetrain member and a wheel-hub member, the drive-gear volume being in fluid communication with opposing first and second openings formed in the gear housing for respective gearing-assembly connections therethrough with the drivetrain member and the wheel hub member;
b. a lubricant compartment radially displaced from the drive-gear volume and in fluid communication therewith exclusively via an array of one or more lubricant passages disposed circumferentially around a portion of the gear housing, the lubricant-passage array arranged for flow therethrough of a gearing-assembly lubricant between the lubricant compartment and the gear housing; and
c. a plurality of lubricant compartments radially displaced from the drive-gear volume, each lubricant compartment being in fluid communication therewith exclusively via a respective array of one or more lubricant passages disposed circumferentially around a portion of the gear housing, the respective lubricant-passage being arrays arranged for flow therethrough of a gearing-assembly lubricant between the lubricant compartment and the gear housing.

10. A wheel assembly comprising:
a. a gear casing comprising:
i. a gear housing comprising a drive-gear volume for accommodating therewithin a gearing assembly that is positioned to mediate between a drivetrain member and a wheel-hub member, the drive-gear volume being in fluid communication with opposing first and second openings formed in the gear housing for respective gearing-assembly connections therethrough with the drivetrain member and the wheel hub member;
ii. a lubricant compartment radially displaced from the drive-gear volume and in fluid communication therewith exclusively via an array of one or more lubricant passages disposed circumferentially around a portion of the gear housing, the lubricant-passage array arranged for flow therethrough of a gearing-assembly lubricant between the lubricant compartment and the gear housing;

b. the gearing assembly positioned to mediate between the drivetrain member and the wheel-hub member, the gearing assembly disposed within in the gear casing and comprising a compound planetary gear train comprising (i) a sun gear in bearinged connection with the drivetrain member of the vehicle so as to be rotated thereby, (ii) a carrier in bearinged connection with the wheel-hub member, and (iii) a plurality of composite planet gears each having multiple radii;
c. a sub-frame configured to be mounted to a reference frame of a vehicle;
d. a suspension arm linking the sub-frame to a first connection portion of the gear casing; and
e. a steering system member connected distally to a second connection portion of the gear casing and configured to rotate the wheel-hub member about a steering axis.

11. The wheel assembly of claim 10 , wherein the bearinged connection with the wheel-hub member is via a wheel-hub bearing assembly interiorly attached to the gear casing.

12. The wheel assembly of claim 10 , wherein the planet gears are meshed with a ring gear interiorly attached to the gear casing.

13. A wheel assembly comprising:
a. a drivetrain member and a wheel-hub member, and a gearing assembly coupled to the wheel-hub member and positioned to mediate between the drivetrain member and the wheel-hub member;
b. a gear casing comprising:
i. a gear housing comprising a drive-gear volume for accommodating therewithin the gearing assembly, the drive-gear volume being in fluid communication with opposing first and second openings formed in the gear housing for respective gearing-assembly connections therethrough with the drivetrain member and the wheel hub member;
ii. a lubricant compartment radially displaced from the drive-gear volume and in fluid communication therewith exclusively via an array of one or more lubricant passages disposed circumferentially around a portion of the gear housing, the lubricant-passage array arranged for flow therethrough of a gearing-assembly lubricant between the lubricant compartment and the gear housing;

c. the gearing assembly positioned to mediate between the drivetrain member and the wheel-

Assignees

• Ree Automotive Ltd

Inventors

• Starik Eran
• Avigur Eylon

Classifications

• F16H57/045

  Lubricant storage reservoirs, e.g. reservoirs in addition to a gear sump for collecting lubricant in the upper part of a gear case · CPC title

• F16H57/0424 Primary

  Lubricant guiding means in the wall of or integrated with the casing, e.g. grooves, channels, holes · CPC title

• F16H57/029

  characterised by means for sealing the gearboxes, e.g. to improve airtightness · CPC title

• B62D7/18

  Steering knuckles; King pins · CPC title

• B60K7/00

  Disposition of motor in, or adjacent to, traction wheel · CPC title