CN218805002U - Axle assembly for electric vehicle and electric vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model relates to an axle assembly for electric vehicle, wherein, the axle assembly includes at least: a drive motor; the input shaft of the gearbox is connected with the output shaft of the driving motor, wherein the gearbox comprises a gear train, a transmission shaft, a balance shaft and a differential mechanism which are coupled in sequence; a first half-bridge and a second half-bridge arranged on both sides of the differential and respectively coupled with the differential; and an axle housing in which the first half-bridge and the second half-bridge are arranged, wherein the drive motor and the gearbox are arranged in an integrated manner in the axle housing. The utility model discloses still relate to a corresponding electric vehicle. It is possible to reduce the weight and achieve a compact configuration.

Description

Axle assembly for electric vehicle and electric vehicle

Technical Field

The utility model belongs to the technical field of the axle and specifically relates to an axle assembly for electric vehicle. The utility model discloses still relate to a corresponding electric vehicle.

Background

In recent years, with the enhancement of environmental awareness and the highlighting of energy problems, the market has drawn more and more attention to electric vehicles, and the trend of vehicle electrification is more and more obvious. Especially for heavy electric vehicles, such as electric trucks, due to limited chassis space, how to mount the drive motor and gearbox to the axle is a major problem.

At present, different solutions to the above-mentioned problems exist, one being to integrate a central drive motor, which is connected to the axle via a gearbox and a cardan shaft, on the basis of a conventional axle, but such solutions have a heavy component weight and take up a large resulting space, are inefficient in power transmission and have poor vehicle performance; another is to mount the separate gearbox and drive motor on a rigid axle, but in this solution the centre of mass of the gearbox and drive motor is far from the geometric centre of the axle, resulting in poor vehicle performance in terms of noise, vibration and harshness, and this type of axle assembly is heavy, thereby increasing the overall weight and energy consumption of the vehicle.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved axle assembly for an electric vehicle that reduces overall weight and achieves a compact structure. Furthermore, the axle assembly can improve the performance of the vehicle in terms of noise, vibration and harshness and reduce the energy consumption of the vehicle.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an axle assembly for an electric vehicle, wherein the axle assembly comprises at least:

-a drive motor;

-a gearbox having an input shaft connected to an output shaft of the drive motor, wherein the gearbox comprises a gear train, a propeller shaft, a balance shaft and a differential coupled in sequence;

-a first half-bridge and a second half-bridge arranged on both sides of the differential and respectively coupled with the differential; and

an axle housing in which the first and second half-bridges are arranged,

wherein the drive motor and the transmission case are integrally disposed in the axle housing.

Compared with the prior art, according to the utility model discloses an in the axle assembly for electric vehicle, driving motor and the direct integration of gearbox are arranged in the axle housing, this one side has promoted the integrated level of axle assembly, the casing that is used for driving motor and gearbox specially has been cancelled, thereby the total weight of axle assembly and the structural space who occupies have obviously been reduced, thereby realize compact structural arrangement and reduced the energy resource consumption of whole car, the space that is used for arranging other subassembly of vehicle has still correspondingly been increased simultaneously, on the other hand makes the barycenter of axle assembly be close to the geometric centre of axle, thereby the performance of vehicle in Noise, vibration and Harshness (NVH) aspect has been improved.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the axle housing has a first axle housing and a second axle housing, wherein one of the first axle housing and the second axle housing forms a receiving cavity, the drive motor and the gearbox are at least substantially arranged in the receiving cavity, while the other acts as a cover for closing the receiving cavity.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the first axle housing and the second axle housing are constructed in sections and have a plurality of sub-housing portions, adjacent sub-housing portions being fixedly connected to each other.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the receiving cavity has a motor chamber exclusively for receiving the driving motor, and the sub-axle housing portion for forming the motor chamber includes a motor chamber wall and a motor chamber cover constructed separately from each other, the motor chamber cover being arranged away from an output shaft of the driving motor; and/or the drive motor and the gearbox are arranged in the same sub-bridge shell part.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the gear train comprises an input shaft gear, an idler shaft gear, a countershaft gear, a gear shift set and a synchro-shifter.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the output shaft of the drive motor is connected with the input shaft of the gearbox by a spline, the input shaft being provided with the input shaft gear; and/or the shifting gear set is configured as a four-gear set.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the rotational axes of the output shaft of the drive motor, the individual gears of the gear train, the first half-bridge and the second half-bridge are oriented parallel to each other; and/or the gears of the input shaft gear, the idler shaft gear, the countershaft gear and the gear change set are configured as cylindrical helical gears.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the balance shaft has a first sub balance shaft and a second sub balance shaft, the first sub balance shaft and the second sub balance shaft are coupled with the transmission shaft at one end and with the differential at the other end, respectively.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the first and second sub balance shafts are arranged with 180 ° axial symmetry about the central axis of the differential. According to the utility model discloses a second aspect provides an electric vehicle, electric vehicle includes according to the utility model discloses an axle assembly.

Drawings

The principles, features and advantages of the present invention may be better understood by describing the invention in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings include:

fig. 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of an axle assembly for an electric vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 shows a schematic view of a balance shaft and differential of an axle assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

In order to make the technical problems, technical solutions and advantageous effects to be solved by the present invention more apparent, the present invention will be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and a plurality of exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

In the drawings, the size of each component, the thickness of a layer, or a region may be exaggerated for clarity. Accordingly, the shapes and sizes of each of the elements in the drawings are not to be considered as true scale.

In the description of the present invention, it is to be understood that the terms "first", "second" and "first" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implying any number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one such feature.

In the description of the present embodiment, the orientations or positional relationships such as "upper", "lower", "left", "right", and the like are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the drawings, and are only for convenience of description and simplification of operation, but do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be configured and operated in a specific orientation, and thus, should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of an axle assembly 100 for an electric vehicle according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Here, the electric vehicle may be a pure electric vehicle or a hybrid vehicle. In particular, the electric vehicle is a heavy vehicle, such as an electric truck or an electric work vehicle.

As shown in fig. 1, the axle assembly 100 includes a drive motor 110 that outputs rotational motion through an output shaft upon receiving electrical energy from a battery pack of the vehicle. Here, the driving motor 110 is a driving power source of the axle assembly 100.

As shown in FIG. 1, the axle assembly 100 includes a transmission 120 having an input shaft coupled to an output shaft of the drive motor 110. The rotational motion of the output shaft of the driving motor 110 having a relatively high rotational speed and relatively low torque is converted into a rotational motion having a relatively low rotational speed and relatively high torque through the transmission case 120, thereby providing a function of reducing the speed and increasing the torque and satisfying the torque output demand of the vehicle. Here, the transmission case 120 includes a gear train 10, a propeller shaft 20, a balance shaft 30, and a differential 40, which are coupled in sequence in the power transmission direction and together form a multi-stage reduction mechanism, in which the gear train 10 is directly connected with the drive motor 110 and assumes a main speed-reducing and torque-increasing function, and the propeller shaft 20 and the balance shaft 30 are disposed between the gear train 10 and the differential 40 and further transmit the rotational motion output by the gear train 10 to the differential 40.

As shown in fig. 1, the axle assembly 100 includes a first half-bridge 131 and a second half-bridge 132 that are disposed on both sides of the differential 40 of the transmission case 120 and are respectively coupled with the differential 40. In this case, the differential 40 transmits the rotational movement, which is converted by the gearbox 120 and has a relatively low rotational speed and a relatively high torque, to the first half-bridge 131 and the second half-bridge 132, so that the wheels, which are fixedly connected to the two half-bridges, are rotated and the vehicle is driven normally, wherein the differential 40 allows the first half-bridge 131 and the second half-bridge 132 to rotate at different rotational speeds when the vehicle is turning or driving on uneven ground.

As shown in fig. 1, the axle assembly 100 further includes an axle housing 140, the first half-bridge 131 and the second half-bridge 132 are disposed in the axle housing 140, and the drive motor 110 and the transmission case 120 are also disposed in the axle housing 140 in an integrated manner. In this case, only one common axle housing 140 can be used for the individual components of the entire axle assembly 100, eliminating the motor housing dedicated to the drive motor 110 and the transmission housing for the transmission 120 and significantly increasing the integration of the axle assembly 100, thereby reducing the overall weight of the axle assembly 100 and achieving a compact design, which both saves energy consumption during driving of the vehicle and provides more installation space for the other components of the vehicle. Furthermore, compared to conventional axles, the center of mass of the axle assembly 100 according to the present invention is closer to the geometric centers of the first half-bridge 131 and the second half-bridge 132, thereby improving the performance of the vehicle in terms of noise, vibration, and harshness.

Illustratively, as shown in fig. 1, the axle housing 140 has a first axle housing 141 in which the first half-bridge 131 is at least substantially arranged and a second axle housing 142 in which the second half-bridge 132 is at least substantially arranged, wherein the first axle housing 141 forms a receiving cavity 150, the drive motor 110 and the gearbox 120 being at least substantially, in particular completely, arranged in said receiving cavity 150, and the second axle housing 142 acting as a cover for closing said receiving cavity 150. In this context, "the first component is arranged at least substantially in the second component" is to be understood in particular to mean that more than 50%, in particular more than 75%, particularly preferably more than 90%, of the first component is arranged in the second component. It is also contemplated that the second axle housing 142 forms a receiving cavity 150 for the drive motor 110 and the transmission case 120, while the first axle housing 141 acts as a cover portion for the receiving cavity 150.

Illustratively, as shown in fig. 1, the first axle housing 141 and the second axle housing 142 are constructed in sections and have a plurality of axle housing portions 143, respectively, wherein adjacent axle housing portions 143 are fixedly connected to each other, for example, by bolting or welding. The corresponding axle housing portion 143 can thus be flexibly designed for each component of the axle assembly 100, thereby reducing the design difficulty and manufacturing cost of the axle housing 140. In particular, the portion of the axle housing 140 for receiving the half bridge and the portion for receiving the drive motor 110 and the transmission case 120 are configured separately from each other and divided into respective axle housing portions 143. Other segmented forms of the axle housing 140 are contemplated as would be appreciated by those skilled in the art.

Exemplarily, as shown in fig. 1, the receiving cavity 150 for the drive motor 110 and the gearbox 120 has a motor chamber 151, which is also formed by the axle housing part 143, specifically for receiving the drive motor 110, wherein the axle housing part 143 for forming the motor chamber 151 comprises a motor chamber wall 1431 and a motor chamber cover 1432, which is arranged facing away from the output shaft of the drive motor 110, wherein the motor chamber wall 1431 is exemplarily configured with an opening for passing through the output shaft of the drive motor 110. This simplifies the assembly of the drive element 110 in the motor chamber 151. It is contemplated herein that the motor chamber wall 1431 and the axle housing portion for receiving the transmission case 120 are integrally constructed such that the drive motor 110 and the transmission case 120 are disposed in the same axle housing portion 143, whereby it is possible to reduce the number of parts of the axle housing 140 and simplify the assembly process of the axle housing 140 as a whole.

Illustratively, the axle housing 140, and in particular each sub-axle shell portion 143, of the axle assembly 100 is manufactured separately from one another in a casting process.

Exemplarily, as shown in fig. 1, the gear train 10 of the transmission case 120 includes an input shaft gear 11, an idler shaft gear 12, a counter gear 13, and a shift gear set 14, wherein the input shaft gear 11 and the idler shaft gear 12 are engaged with each other, and the idler shaft gear 12 and the counter gear 13 are engaged with each other, wherein the shift gear set 14 is configured as a four-gear set, and gear shifting of the transmission case 120 is realized by engagement of the counter gear 13 and gears of different gears of the shift gear set 14. Of course, it is also conceivable for the gear change gear set 14 to comprise a further number of gears, for example in the form of a two-gear set. Furthermore, the gear train 10 comprises a synchronizer 15, by means of which a smooth change of gear can be achieved and inter-tooth impacts during shifting are avoided.

Illustratively, as shown in fig. 1, an output shaft of the driving motor 110 is connected to an input shaft gear 11 provided on an input shaft of the transmission case 120 by splines, thereby transmitting the power of the driving motor 110 to the gear train 10 of the transmission case 120.

Exemplarily, as shown in fig. 1, the output shaft of the driving motor 110, the respective gears in the gear train 10, and the rotational axes of the first half-bridge 131 and the second half-bridge 132 are oriented parallel to each other, thereby enabling the shafts carrying the respective gears of the gear train 10 to be configured as parallel gear shafts, thereby reducing the distance between the respective shafts and enabling the axle assembly 100 to be more compactly configured. In this case, the input shaft gear 11, the idler shaft gear 12, the counter shaft gear 13 and the gears of the shift gear set 14 are all configured as cylindrical helical gears.

As shown in fig. 1, the rotational motion output by gear train 10 is transmitted to balance shaft 30 through propeller shaft 20, which is fitted over first half-bridge 131 and is free to rotate relative to first half-bridge 131, and which further transmits the rotational motion to differential 40 through gear engagement with differential 40. Here, the balance shaft 30 is likewise arranged in the axle housing 140 and is designed to compensate for axial forces induced by the drive train.

Fig. 2 shows a schematic view of the balance shaft 30 and the differential 40 of the axle assembly 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in fig. 2, the balancing shaft 30 is configured in the form of a double balancing shaft and has a first sub balancing shaft 31 and a second sub balancing shaft 32, which are each coupled at one end with the propeller shaft 20 via a gear mesh and at the other end with the differential 40 via a further gear mesh. In this case, the first sub-balancing shaft 31 and the second sub-balancing shaft 32 can jointly assume the load power, the gears on the two sub-balancing shafts can be designed relatively small and the strength requirements of the material for the two sub-balancing shafts are relatively low, as a result of which the balancing shaft 30 can be produced cost-effectively.

Exemplarily, as shown in fig. 2, the first sub balance shaft 31 and the second sub balance shaft 32 are axisymmetrically arranged at 180 ° with respect to the central axis of the differential 40. Whereby the first sub balance shaft 31 and the second sub balance shaft 32 are arranged in a symmetrical manner at both sides of the propeller shaft 20, and the power transmitted by the propeller shaft 20 is transmitted to the differential 40 through the balance shafts 30 axisymmetrically with respect to the central axis of the differential 40 to avoid damage to the differential 40 due to the generation of a biasing force perpendicular to the central axis during power transmission.

The explanations of the embodiments are described below only in the framework of the examples. Of course, the individual features of the embodiments can be freely combined with one another as far as technically meaningful, without departing from the framework of the invention.

Other advantages and alternative embodiments of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broader aspects is not limited to the specific details, representative structures, and illustrative examples shown and described. On the contrary, various modifications and substitutions may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the basic spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims (10)

1. Axle assembly (100) for an electric vehicle, characterized in that said axle assembly (100) comprises at least:

-a drive motor (110);

-a gearbox (120) having an input shaft connected to an output shaft of the drive motor (110), wherein the gearbox (120) comprises a gear train (10), a propeller shaft (20), a balance shaft (30) and a differential (40) coupled in sequence;

-a first half-bridge (131) and a second half-bridge (132) arranged on both sides of the differential (40) and respectively coupled with the differential (40); and

an axle housing (140), the first half bridge (131) and the second half bridge (132) being arranged in the axle housing (140),

wherein the drive motor (110) and the gearbox (120) are arranged in an integrated manner in the axle housing (140).

2. The axle assembly (100) of claim 1,

the axle housing (140) has a first axle housing (141) and a second axle housing (142), wherein one of the first axle housing (141) and the second axle housing (142) forms a receiving cavity (150), the drive motor (110) and the gearbox (120) being arranged at least substantially in the receiving cavity (150), while the other acts as a cover for closing the receiving cavity (150).

3. The axle assembly (100) of claim 2,

the first axle housing (141) and the second axle housing (142) are constructed in sections and have a plurality of axle housing portions (143), adjacent axle housing portions (143) being fixedly connected to each other.

4. The axle assembly (100) of claim 3,

the receiving cavity (150) has a motor chamber (151) exclusively for receiving the drive motor (110), an axle housing portion for forming the motor chamber comprising a motor chamber wall (1431) and a motor chamber cover (1432) constructed separately from each other, the motor chamber cover being arranged facing away from an output shaft of the drive motor (110); and/or

The drive motor (110) and the transmission (120) are disposed in the same axle housing portion (143).

5. The axle assembly (100) of any of claims 1-4,

the gear train (10) comprises an input shaft gear (11), an idler shaft gear (12), a countershaft gear (13), a gear shift gear set (14) and a synchro shifter (15).

6. The axle assembly (100) of claim 5,

an output shaft of the driving motor (110) is connected with an input shaft of the gearbox (120) through a spline, and the input shaft is provided with the input shaft gear (11); and/or

The gear shift gear set (14) is designed as a four-gear set.

7. The axle assembly (100) of claim 5,

the output shaft of the drive motor (110), the individual gears of the gear train (10), the rotational axes of the first half-bridge (131) and the second half-bridge (132) are oriented parallel to one another; and/or

The gears of the input shaft gear (11), the idler shaft gear (12), the counter shaft gear (13) and the gear change gear set (14) are designed as cylindrical helical gears.

8. The axle assembly (100) of any of claims 1-4,

the balancing shaft (30) has a first sub-balancing shaft (31) and a second sub-balancing shaft (32) which are coupled at one end to the propeller shaft (20) and at the other end to the differential (40), respectively.

9. The axle assembly (100) of claim 8,

the first sub balance shaft (31) and the second sub balance shaft (32) are arranged axisymmetrically at 180 ° with respect to a center axis of the differential (40).

10. An electric vehicle comprising an axle assembly (100) according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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