Patent ID: 11951826
Assignee: AUDI AG
Field: Transport (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B  F | IPC B  F

Claim 15:
16. A method for operating a drive apparatus for a vehicle axle of a two-track vehicle, comprising:
driving vehicle wheels by an electric machine, operating as a motor, via an axle differential and output shafts, one of the output shafts being divided into first and second shaft sections;
coupling and decoupling the first and second shaft sections by a positively locking clutch in a driving mode to bring the electric machine into driving connection with one of the vehicle wheels by the coupling and to reduce drag losses by the decoupling when the electric machine is deactivated, the positively locking clutch having a sliding sleeve arranged on spline teeth of the first shaft section nonrotatably, but displaceable axially by an actuating force between an open coupling state, in which the sliding sleeve is not in positively locking connection with the second shaft section, and a closed clutch state, in which the sliding sleeve is brought into positively locking connection with the second shaft section;
generating the actuating force by an actuator in electric signal connection with a coordinator;
activating the actuator by the coordinator when a clutch engagement requirement exists by sending a closing signal to close the positively locking clutch;
activating the actuator by the coordinator when the clutch engagement requirement does not exist by sending an opening signal to open the positively locking clutch;
activating the electrical machine before either of the coupling and decoupling by the coordinator activating the electric machine, whereby during each of the coupling and the decoupling a substantially load-free actuation of the clutch is possible.