Drive unit and method for operating the drive unit

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9859770-B2
Application number	US-201313772547-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 21, 2013
Priority date	Feb 21, 2013
Publication date	Jan 2, 2018
Grant date	Jan 2, 2018

Abstract

A drive unit for operating a device, in particular a device in a vehicle and a method for operating a drive unit are provided. An electrical drive assembly and a break assembly are combined and arranged together in a common housing. The breaking assembly could be a mechanical breaking assembly or an electrical break assembly. The break assembly automatically locks the shaft of the electrical drive assembly and thus provides self-locking capabilities.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A drive unit for actuating devices in a vehicle, comprising:
a drive unit housing including an electric drive assembly having a shaft and a brake assembly connected to the shaft of the electric drive assembly,
wherein the electric drive assembly included in the drive unit housing comprising a rotor and a stator assembly,
wherein the electric drive assembly and the brake assembly are both arranged inside the drive unit housing, wherein the brake assembly being a self-locking brake assembly, and the brake assembly locks the shaft when the electric drive is stopped and the shaft is no longer rotated,
wherein the self-locking brake assembly comprises an electrical brake assembly, and
wherein the drive unit further comprises a single electrical interface providing an interface for the electric drive unit and the self-locking brake assembly.

2. The drive unit according to claim 1 , wherein the electric drive assembly and the brake assembly being completely arranged in an opening of the drive unit housing, and the opening being sealed by a cover element.

3. The drive unit according to claim 1 , wherein the electrical brake assembly further comprises a coil magnet.

4. The drive unit according to claim 1 , wherein the electrical brake assembly further comprises a friction disk and a clutch plate, and wherein the friction disk is locked between the clutch plate and one portion of the drive unit housing.

5. The drive unit according to claim 1 , wherein the brake assembly is arranged in a brake housing.

6. The drive unit according to claim 1 , wherein the electric drive assembly comprises a DC motor.

7. The drive unit according to claim 1 , wherein the electric drive assembly comprises an AC motor.

8. The drive unit according to claim 2 , wherein the drive housing body is formed in one piece.

9. The drive unit according to claim 3 , wherein a bearing is nested in a same housing as the coil magnet.

10. The drive unit according to claim 4 , wherein a clutch plate is an integrally part of the drive unit housing.

11. The drive unit according to claim 4 , wherein the friction disk is engaged with a shaft region of the shaft, and wherein the shaft region is grooved or has a D shaped, a double D shaped or an octagonal shape.

12. The drive unit according to claim 5 , wherein the brake housing is pressed into the drive unit housing.

13. The drive unit according to claim 5 , wherein the brake housing is welded to the drive unit housing.

14. A method for operating a drive unit, comprising the steps of:
providing a drive unit having a drive unit housing including an electric drive assembly having a shaft and including a brake assembly connected to the shaft of the electric drive assembly, wherein the electric drive assembly including the drive unit housing comprises a rotor and a stator assembly, wherein the brake assembly being a self-locking brake assembly, and wherein the electric drive assembly and the brake assembly are both arranged inside the drive unit housing, wherein the self-locking brake assembly comprises an electrical brake assembly, and wherein the drive unit further comprises a single electrical interface providing an interface for the electric drive unit and the self-locking brake assembly;
rotating the shaft by said electric drive assembly;
stopping the rotation of the shaft; and
locking the shaft by said brake assembly when the electric drive assembly has stopped the rotation of the shaft.

Assignees

• Brose Fahrzeugteile Gmbh & Co Kg Wurzburg
• Brose Fahrzeugteile

Inventors

• Simofi-Ilyes Attila
• Stamenic Milenko
• Groppel Michael
• Illingworth Richard

Classifications

• H02K7/10

  Structural association with clutches, brakes, gears, pulleys or mechanical starters · CPC title

• H02K7/1021 Primary

  Magnetically influenced friction brakes · CPC title