Electric drive unit with a secondary oil reservoir

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12523289-B2
Application number	US-202418411853-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 12, 2024
Priority date	Jan 12, 2024
Publication date	Jan 13, 2026
Grant date	Jan 13, 2026

Abstract

An electric drive unit includes a motor that rotates a rotor shaft, a transmission assembly coupled with the rotor shaft, a differential assembly with a ring gear that interfaces with a gear of the transmission assembly, such that rotation of the rotor shaft drives rotation of the ring gear, and a housing. The housing includes a body, a cover that with the body forms an enclosure about an interior region of the housing in which the transmission and differential assemblies are disposed, wherein the interior region includes a primary oil reservoir, and a gasket coupled with the cover. The cover and the gasket define a secondary oil reservoir. The gasket defines an opening and at least one passage. Rotation of the ring gear delivers oil into the secondary oil reservoir from the primary oil reservoir via the opening, and the passage conveys oil to a portion of the differential assembly.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . An electric drive unit, comprising:
a motor that drives rotation of a rotor shaft; a transmission assembly operably coupled with the rotor shaft; a differential assembly that includes a ring gear that interfaces with a gear of the transmission assembly, such that rotation of the rotor shaft drives rotation of the ring gear; and a housing, comprising:
a housing body;
a housing cover that cooperates with the housing body to define an interior region of the housing in which the transmission assembly and differential assembly are disposed, wherein the interior region includes a primary oil reservoir; and
a gasket coupled with the housing cover such that the housing cover and the gasket cooperate to define a secondary oil reservoir, the gasket defining an opening that is axially offset from the ring gear and at least one passage, wherein a portion of the ring gear is positioned radially outboard of a portion of the secondary oil reservoir with respect to the axis about which the ring gear rotates, rotation of the ring gear is configured to deliver oil into the secondary oil reservoir from the primary oil reservoir via the opening defined by the gasket, and the at least one passage is configured to convey oil to a portion of the differential assembly, and wherein the housing cover includes a plurality of ribs that guide oil delivered onto the housing cover from the ring gear axially toward the opening, wherein the gasket includes at least one elongated tubular conduit that defines the at least one passage, the at least one elongated tubular conduit extending outward from a surface of the gasket that is opposite the secondary oil reservoir.

2 . The electric drive unit of claim 1 , wherein gravity propels the oil to the portion of the differential assembly from the secondary oil reservoir via the at least one passage.

3 . The electric drive unit of claim 1 , wherein the at least one passage is configured to convey oil to a bearing of the differential assembly.

4 . The electric drive unit of claim 3 , wherein the bearing is a side bearing.

5 . The electric drive unit of claim 1 , wherein the at least one passage comprises:
a first passage that is configured to convey oil to a first side bearing of the differential assembly; and a second passage that is configured to convey oil to a second side bearing of the differential assembly opposite the first side bearing.

6 . The electric drive unit of claim 1 , wherein the opening is oriented to generally face teeth of the ring gear.

7 . An electric drive unit, comprising:
a motor that drives rotation of a rotor shaft; a transmission assembly; a differential assembly that is operably coupled with the transmission assembly via a ring gear; a housing cover that includes a plurality of ribs and that defines a primary oil reservoir in which the transmission assembly and the differential assembly are disposed, a secondary oil reservoir, an opening via which the primary oil reservoir and the secondary oil reservoir are in fluid communication, the opening being axially offset from the ring gear, and at least one passage, wherein the at least one passage is defined by at least one elongated tubular conduit, wherein rotation of the ring gear is configured to deliver oil onto a portion of the housing cover that includes the plurality of ribs, and the plurality of ribs are configured to guide the oil into the secondary oil reservoir from the primary oil reservoir via the opening; and a gasket including the at least one elongated tubular conduit, coupled with the housing cover such that the housing cover and the gasket cooperate to define a secondary oil reserve.

8 . The electric drive unit of claim 7 , wherein the at least one passage comprises:
a first passage that is defined by a first elongated tubular conduit; and a second passage that is defined by a second elongated tubular conduit.

9 . The electric drive unit of claim 8 , wherein the first passage conveys oil to a first side bearing of the differential assembly, and the second passage conveys oil to a second side bearing of the differential assembly.

10 . The electric drive unit of claim 7 , wherein the at least one elongated tubular conduit angles vertically downward to an outlet, such that the oil is conveyed within the at least one passage by gravity.

11 . The electric drive unit of claim 7 , wherein the opening is oriented to generally face teeth of the ring gear.

12 . The electric drive unit of claim 7 , wherein a portion of the ring gear is positioned radially outboard of a portion of the secondary oil reservoir with respect to the axis about which the ring gear rotates.

13 . An assembly, comprising:
a gearset; and a housing that defines a primary oil reservoir in which the gearset is disposed, a secondary oil reservoir, an opening via which the primary oil reservoir and the secondary oil reservoir are in fluid communication, and at least one passage defined by an elongated tubular conduit that is configured to convey oil from the secondary oil reservoir into the primary oil reservoir during operation of the gearset, wherein the housing includes a housing body that defines the primary reservoir, a housing cover, and a gasket that is disposed between the housing cover and the housing body and that forms the elongated tubular conduit.

14 . The assembly of claim 13 , wherein the gearset is a portion of a differential assembly.

15 . The assembly of claim 13 , further comprising:
a bearing, wherein the elongated tubular conduit defines an outlet of the at least one passage that is proximate to the bearing, such that oil is conveyed to the bearing via the at least one passage.

Assignees

• Schaeffler Technologies Ag

Inventors

• Salgado Andres
• Brevick John
• Abreu Diego Alberto
• Mogro Zambrano Antonio Eduardo

Classifications

• B60K7/0007

  the motor being electric · CPC title

• B60K17/16

  of differential gearing · CPC title

• B60K1/00

  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

• B60K2001/001

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

• F16H57/0423

  Lubricant guiding means mounted or supported on the casing, e.g. shields or baffles for collecting lubricant, tubes or pipes · CPC title