Motor and gearing system for aircraft wheel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9511853-B2
Application number	US-201213479269-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 24, 2012
Priority date	May 24, 2011
Publication date	Dec 6, 2016
Grant date	Dec 6, 2016

Abstract

A compact in-wheel vehicle motor and gearing system designed to meet high power and torque requirements for driving a vehicle on the ground independently of other power sources is provided. The motor and gearing system includes a motor assembly with an outside rotor element mounted for rotation about an inside stator element and a gear assembly with a plurality of gear stages mounted inside the stator and drivingly connected to the motor assembly. The motor assembly and gear assembly are mounted interiorly of the wheel and completely within a space defined by the internal dimensions of the wheel. This motor and gearing system can be effectively installed in an existing aircraft wheel without changes to other components to produce a drive wheel with the torque and power required to move the aircraft independently on the ground.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A compact in-wheel vehicle drive system designed to meet high power and torque requirements for driving a vehicle on a ground surface independently of other power sources, comprising:
a. a vehicle with a vehicle wheel assembly comprising a plurality of wheel sections supported on an axle of said vehicle between a defined inboard axial extent and a defined outboard axial extent and connected to define an internal volume within said plurality of wheel sections, wherein said plurality of connected wheel sections comprises an inboard portion, an axle-contacting portion, an outboard portion, and an upper axial portion, and an axial distance of said defined internal volume is not greater than a width of a tire mounted on said upper axial portion;
b. a rotor element support frame mounted interiorly within said plurality of wheel sections within said defined internal volume comprising at least an axial rotor support section interiorly adjacent and parallel to said upper axial portion, an inboard rotor support section interiorly adjacent to said inboard portion, and an outboard rotor support section interiorly adjacent to said outboard portion and perpendicular to said axial rotor frame section, wherein said rotor element support frame defines a space within said defined internal volume smaller than said defined internal volume;
c. an electric motor assembly mounted completely within said defined space comprising a stator element and a rotor element positioned outwardly of said stator element to maintain a gap having a selected optimum width between said rotor element and said stator element, said rotor element being attached to said rotor element support frame and rotationally supported by said rotor element support frame within said defined space; and
d. a gear assembly comprising a plurality of gear stages mounted for rotation on a gear shaft operationally mounted with said electric motor assembly within the defined space between said stator element and said axle-contacting portion of said wheel assembly.

2. The system described in claim 1 , further comprising a gear assembly support member securing said gear assembly to said stator element and a flange member attaching said gear assembly said inboard portion of said wheel.

3. The system described in claim 1 , wherein said plurality of gear stages comprises at least three gear stages drivingly mounted for rotation on said gear shaft and drivingly connected to said motor assembly, and each of said gear stages comprises at least a ring gear and a plurality of planet gears selected to produce desired output power, torque, and speed for driving said vehicle positioned in driving relationship with said gear shaft and said ring gear.

4. The system described in claim 1 , further comprising a clutch assembly in engaging and disengaging contact with said gear assembly operatively positioned interiorly of the rotor element support frame completely within the defined space.

5. The system described in claim 1 , wherein said vehicle comprises an aircraft, said vehicle wheel comprises an aircraft landing gear wheel, and said vehicle wheel assembly comprises at least said axial, inboard, outboard, and axle-contacting wheel sections connected to form an aircraft wheel assembly with said defined internal volume.

6. The system described in claim 5 , wherein said aircraft wheel assembly wheel sections are positioned to fit completely within the axial distance between a landing gear piston and a landing gear wheel well opening on said aircraft, said defined internal volume has an axial distance not greater than the width of said aircraft tire, and said defined space has an axial distance smaller than the axial distance of said defined internal volume.

7. The system described in claim 1 , wherein said gear assembly comprises a plurality of cams corresponding to said plurality of gear stages and said plurality of gear stages are positioned to interact with said cams to drive said rotor element at a desired torque.

8. The system described in claim 7 , wherein said plurality of gear stages comprises at least three gear stages and each of said gear stages includes at least a sun gear, a planet gear, and a ring gear.

9. The system described in claim 8 , wherein each of said at least three gear stages is positioned to interact with a corresponding cam.

10. The system described in claim 1 , wherein said vehicle is selected from the group comprising construction vehicles, military vehicles, automobiles, trucks, and rail cars.

11. The system described in claim 6 , wherein said electric motor assembly with said rotor element positioned outwardly of said stator element is selected from the group comprising induction type motors, high phase order motors, permanent magnet motors, switched reluctance motors, and toroidally wound motors.

Assignees

• Sweet Robert M
• Edelson Jonathan S
• Borealis Tech Ltd

Inventors

• Sweet Robert M
• Edelson Jonathan S

Classifications

• B60K7/0007

  the motor being electric · CPC title

• Y02T10/7283

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• F16H1/46

  Systems consisting of a plurality of gear trains each with orbital gears, {i.e. systems having three or more central gears} · CPC title

• B60L2220/44

  Wheel Hub motors, i.e. integrated in the wheel hub · CPC title

• B60L2200/10

  Air crafts · CPC title