Drive device for a vehicle axle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12535127-B2
Application number	US-202318836821-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 9, 2023
Priority date	Feb 17, 2022
Publication date	Jan 27, 2026
Grant date	Jan 27, 2026

Abstract

A drive device for a vehicle axle of a two-track vehicle, which has an axle differential, the input side of which is drivingly connected to an electric machine and the output sides of which drive on flange shafts leading to the two vehicle wheels. The vehicle axle has a superposition gear with a multi-disk clutch on each side of the vehicle, by which the electric machine can be connected directly to the vehicle wheel flange shaft by bridging the axle differential. The multi-disk clutches can be controlled by a control unit. On each side of the vehicle the multi-disk clutch is assigned a multi-disk brake acting as a vehicle wheel brake, by which vehicle braking processes can be carried out alternatively or in addition to the multi-disk clutch.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A drive device for a vehicle axle of a two-track vehicle, which has an axle differential, the input side of which is drivingly connected to an electric machine and the output sides of which drive on flange shafts leading to two vehicle wheels, wherein the vehicle axle has a superposition gear with a multi-disk clutch on each side of the vehicle, by which the electric machine can be connected directly to each vehicle wheel flange shaft by bridging the axle differential, wherein the multi-disk clutches can be controlled by a control unit for a redistribution of braking torque between the vehicle sides in a recuperation mode of the electric machine,
wherein a multi-disk brake acting as a vehicle wheel brake is assigned on each side of the vehicle of the multi-disk clutch, by which vehicle braking can be carried out alternatively or in addition to the multi-disk clutch; wherein, on each side of the vehicle, both the multi-disk clutch and the multi-disk brake can be actuated via a common hydraulic cylinder which is connected to the control unit via exactly one hydraulic line, and in that the hydraulic cylinder builds up a hydraulic pressure when controlled by the control unit, with which a pressure element presses both against a disk pack of the multi-disk clutch and against a disk pack of the multi-disk brake.

2 . The drive device according to claim 1 , wherein, on each side of the vehicle, the pressure element, starting from a non-actuated state, presses the disk pack of the multi-disk clutch against an axial stop via a clearance until the kiss point is reached, and in that in particular the clearance is unchangeable regardless of braking, that is to say in the event of uniform braking or uneven braking on each side of the vehicle.

3 . The drive device according to claim 2 , wherein, on each side of the vehicle, the pressure element, starting from the non-actuated state, presses the disk pack of the multi-disk brake against an axial stop via a clearance until the kiss point is reached, and in that the clearance varies depending on braking by axial adjustment of the axial stop.

4 . The drive device according to claim 3 , wherein, with the uniform braking on both sides of the vehicle, the multi-disk brake clearance is smaller than the multi-disk clutch clearance, so that, during a closing stroke of the pressure element, the multi-disk brake first comes into braking engagement and only later in the process does the multi-disk clutch come into braking engagement.

5 . The drive device according to claim 4 , wherein, with the uniform braking on both sides of the vehicle, the multi-disk brake clearance is smaller than the multi-disk clutch clearance, so that, during the closing stroke of the pressure element, the multi-disk clutch of the vehicle side which is controlled with a higher braking pressure by the control unit initially comes into braking engagement and only later in the process the multi-disk brake comes into braking engagement.

6 . The drive device according to claim 4 , wherein the axial stop of the multi-disk brake is a pressure rod, and in that the pressure rod acts on both sides of the vehicle as the axial stop which is axially adjustable between movement stops by a pressure rod axial path.

7 . The drive device according to claim 3 , wherein, with the uniform braking on both sides of the vehicle, the multi-disk brake clearance is smaller than the multi-disk clutch clearance, so that, during the closing stroke of the pressure element, the multi-disk clutch of the vehicle side which is controlled with a higher braking pressure by the control unit initially comes into braking engagement and only later in the process the multi-disk brake comes into braking engagement.

8 . The drive device according to claim 7 , wherein the axial stop of the multi-disk brake is a pressure rod, and in that the pressure rod acts on both sides of the vehicle as the axial stop which is axially adjustable between movement stops by a pressure rod axial path.

9 . The drive device according to claim 3 , wherein the axial stop of the multi-disk brake is a pressure rod, and in that the pressure rod acts on both sides of the vehicle as the axial stop which is axially adjustable between movement stops by a pressure rod axial path.

10 . The drive device according to claim 9 , wherein, with the uneven braking on a side of the vehicle subjected to a greater braking pressure, during a closing stroke of the pressure element, the disk pack of the multi-disk brake adjusts the pressure rod by a pressure rod axial travel in a direction of a counterpressure vehicle side, so that the available multi-disk brake clearance increases by the pressure rod axial travel in comparison to braking with uniform braking, and in that the multi-disk brake clearance is dimensioned to be an additional dimension larger than the multi-disk clutch clearance, so that, during the closing stroke of the pressure element, the multi-disk clutch first comes into braking engagement and only later in the process does the multi-disk brake come into braking engagement.

11 . The drive device according to claim 10 , wherein, with the uneven braking on the counterpressure side of the vehicle, the multi-disk brake clearance is reduced due to the pressure rod adjustment, and in that the multi-disk brake clearance is smaller than the multi-disk clutch clearance, so that actuation of the multi-disk clutch on the opposite side of the vehicle is excluded.

Assignees

• Audi Ag

Inventors

• Rehr Alfred
• Scholle Tassilo
• Kürten-Pachowsky Björn
• Henning Kay-Uwe

Classifications

• F16H2048/366

  using additional non-orbital gears in combination with clutches or brakes · CPC title

• B60T1/065

  employing disc (B60T1/062 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60K2023/043

  Control means for varying left-right torque distribution, e.g. torque vectoring · CPC title

• B60K2001/001

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

• F16H48/32

  using fluid pressure actuators · CPC title