Vehicle driving apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12545232-B2
Application number	US-202318530517-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 6, 2023
Priority date	Dec 19, 2022
Publication date	Feb 10, 2026
Grant date	Feb 10, 2026

Abstract

A vehicle driving apparatus includes: an electric motor including a rotor provided movably in an axial direction relative to a rotor shaft and a stator disposed on an outside of the rotor in a radial direction; a first gear provided movably in the axial direction relative to the rotor shaft and disposed so as to face an end face of the rotor; a power transmission path including a second gear engaged with the first gear and coupling the first gear and wheels to each other; and an actuator that moves the rotor to a first position and a second position. The rotor is moved to the second position by the actuator. The first gear is urged in the axial direction due to a magnetic force applied between the rotor and the first gear. A tooth surface of the first gear is pushed against a tooth surface of the second gear.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1 . A vehicle driving apparatus to be provided in a vehicle, the vehicle driving apparatus comprising:
an electric motor comprising a rotor and a stator, the rotor being provided movably in an axial direction relative to a rotor shaft, the stator being disposed on an outside of the rotor in a radial direction; a first gear provided movably in the axial direction relative to the rotor shaft, the first gear being disposed so as to face an end face of the rotor, and the first gear comprising a permanent magnet provided on a side surface of the first gear facing the end face of the rotor, a magnetic pole of the permanent magnet being set to repel the rotor, the magnetic pole generated at the side surface of the first gear by the permanent magnet and a magnetic pole generated at the end face of the rotor being set to be equal to each other; a power transmission path comprising a second gear engaged with the first gear, the power transmission path coupling the first gear and wheels of the vehicle to each other; and an actuator configured to move the rotor to a first position where the rotor is disposed on an inside of the stator in the radial direction and a second position where the rotor is closer to the first gear than the first position,
wherein upon the rotor being moved to the second position by the actuator, the first gear is urged in the axial direction due to an increase in a magnetic force applied between the rotor and the permanent magnet of the first gear that repels the first gear away from the rotor to push a tooth surface of the first gear against a tooth surface of the second gear to reduce backlash between the first gear and the second gear.

2 . The vehicle driving apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first gear and the second gear are helical gears.

3 . The vehicle driving apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an engine coupled to the power transmission path; and a control system comprising a processor and a memory, the processor and the memory being communicably coupled to each other, the control system being configured to control the engine and the actuator, wherein the control system is configured to start the engine in a state in which the rotor is moved to the second position by the actuator.

4 . The vehicle driving apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising
a control system comprising a processor and a memory, the processor and the memory being communicably coupled to each other, the control system being configured to control the electric motor and the actuator, wherein the control system is configured to switch the electric motor alternately between a power running state and a regenerative state in a state in which the rotor is moved to the second position by the actuator.

5 . The vehicle driving apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the actuator comprises an electric actuator including a push rod, a bearing attached to the rotor, and a lever member tiltably supported by a housing, wherein one end portion of the lever member is coupled to the bearing and another end portion of the lever member is coupled to the push rod.

6 . The vehicle driving apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein internal spline teeth are formed on a through hole passing through a center of rotation of the rotor, external spline teeth are formed on an outer peripheral surface of the rotor shaft, and the internal spline teeth and the external spline teeth are slidably engaged with each other.

7 . A vehicle driving apparatus to be provided in a vehicle, the vehicle driving apparatus comprising:
an electric motor comprising a rotor and a stator, the rotor being provided movably in an axial direction relative to a rotor shaft, the stator being disposed on an outside of the rotor in a radial direction, wherein internal spline teeth are formed on a through hole passing through a center of rotation of the rotor, external spline teeth are formed on an outer peripheral surface of the rotor shaft, and the internal spline teeth and the external spline teeth are slidably engaged with each other; a first gear provided movably in the axial direction relative to the rotor shaft, the first gear being disposed so as to face an end face of the rotor, and the first gear comprising a permanent magnet provided on a side surface of the first gear facing the end face of the rotor, a magnetic pole of the permanent magnet being set to repel the rotor; a power transmission path comprising a second gear engaged with the first gear, the power transmission path coupling the first gear and wheels of the vehicle to each other; and an actuator configured to move the rotor to a first position where the rotor is disposed on an inside of the stator in the radial direction and a second position where the rotor is closer to the first gear than the first position,
wherein upon the rotor being moved to the second position by the actuator, the first gear is urged in the axial direction due to an increase in a magnetic force applied between the rotor and the permanent magnet of the first gear that repels the first gear away from the rotor to push a tooth surface of the first gear against a tooth surface of the second gear to reduce backlash between the first gear and the second gear.

Assignees

• Subaru Corp

Inventors

• Yamada Shohei

Classifications

• Y02T10/62

  Hybrid vehicles · CPC title

• B60W10/06

  including control of combustion engines · CPC title

• B60W10/08

  including control of electric propulsion units, e.g. motors or generators · CPC title

• H02K21/024

  Radial air gap machines · CPC title

• B60K6/48

  Parallel type · CPC title