Gear assembly for use in electric drive transmissions

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11739815-B2
Application number	US-202217713349-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 5, 2022
Priority date	Apr 12, 2021
Publication date	Aug 29, 2023
Grant date	Aug 29, 2023

Abstract

A gear assembly including: a drive gear adapted to be connected to an output shaft of an electric motor and being rotatable around a transmission axis; a planetary gear assembly including at least one sun gear, two or more planetary gear members rotatably supported on a carrier about respective planetary gear axes and meshing with the at least one sun gear and optionally a ring gear, an input stage connected to the drive gear, and an output stage adapted to be connected to a drive member for rotation of the drive member about the transmission axis; a clutch member adapted for slippingly connecting the ring gear with the carrier or with the drive member; and a brake member adapted for fixedly engaging a part of the planetary gear assembly with a locking part of the gear assembly.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A gear assembly for use with an electric motor, the gear assembly comprising:
a drive gear adapted to be connected to an output shaft of an electric motor, the drive gear being rotatable around a transmission axis;
a planetary gear assembly comprising a sun gear, two or more planetary gear members rotatably supported on a carrier about respective planetary gear axes and meshing with one or more of the sun gear and a ring gear, an input stage connected to the drive gear, and an output stage adapted to be connected to a drive member for rotation of the drive gear about the transmission axis;
a clutch member adapted for slippingly connecting the ring gear with the carrier or with the drive member; and
a brake member adapted for fixedly engaging a part of the planetary gear assembly with a locking part of the gear assembly;
wherein, in a low speed range of the gear assembly, the clutch member and the brake member are operated such that torque is transmitted from the drive gear to the planetary gear assembly, and through the output stage of the planetary gear assembly to the drive member; and
wherein, in a high speed range of the gear assembly, the clutch member and the brake member are operated such that the carrier is fixedly connected to the drive member and is rotated about the transmission axis such that torque is transmitted from the drive gear to the drive member via the carrier.

2. The gear assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the drive gear comprises a cylindrical gear rotatable around the transmission axis.

3. The gear assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the transmission axis comprises a wheel axle and the drive member comprises a differential housing in an electric vehicle.

4. The gear assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the planetary gear assembly comprises an outer ring, the planetary gear members meshing with the outer ring and with the sun gear, the outer ring being connectable to the drive member via the clutch member, wherein the brake member engages the outer ring.

5. The gear assembly according to claim 1 , wherein:
the planetary gear members are supported on the carrier at spaced-apart positions along a carrier axis to be jointly rotatable about the carrier axis;
the drive gear engages the carrier for rotation of the carrier around the transmission axis;
wherein the sun gear comprises a first sun gear and the output stage comprises a second sun gear;
the first sun gear is rotatable about the transmission axis, meshing with the first planetary gear member;
the second sun gear is rotatable about the transmission axis, fixedly connected to the drive member and meshing with the second planetary gear member;
the brake member being is connected to the the first sun gear and to the locking part, which is non-rotating, for preventing rotation of the first sun gear about the transmission axis when the brake member is engaged; and
the clutch member is arranged for connecting the carrier with the drive member.

6. The gear assembly according to claim 5 , wherein:
the planetary gear members are supported on the carrier at spaced-apart positions along a carrier axis to be jointly rotatable about the carrier axis;
the drive gear engages the first sun gear for rotation of the first sun gear around the transmission axis, the first sun gear meshing with the first planetary gear member;
the second sun gear is rotatable about the transmission axis, fixedly connected to the drive member and meshing with the second planetary gear member;
the brake member is connected to the carrier and to the gearbox housing, which is non-rotating, for preventing rotation of the carrier about the transmission axis when the brake member is engaged; and
the clutch member is arranged for connecting the carrier with the drive member.

Assignees

• Volvo Car Corp

Inventors

• Sten Erik
• Petrov Peter

Classifications

• F16H3/56 Primary

  both central gears being sun gears · CPC title

• B60K17/02

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

• B60K17/12

  of electric gearing · CPC title

• F16H37/08 Primary

  with differential gearing · CPC title

• F16H3/54 Primary

  one of the central gears being internally toothed and the other externally toothed · CPC title