INTEGRATED UPRIGHT AND DRIVE ELEMENTS

Integration of drive elements with an unsprung structure is disclosed. In one aspect of the disclosure, a motor includes a stator configured to mount to an unsprung structure of a wheeled vehicle through at least a damper or a spring. The motor further includes a rotor configured to drive a wheel of the vehicle.

BACKGROUND

Field

The present disclosure relates generally to vehicles and other transport structures, and more particularly, to upright and wheel motors.

Background

Electric vehicles allow for using additional motors or drive systems that were not feasible with traditional vehicles utilizing internal combustion engines. One such motor or drive system is a wheel motor or an in-wheel motor. Wheel motors may generally be located closer to wheels of a vehicle. The proximity to the wheels may allow for power to be transmitted faster or with less lag than a single motor coupled to multiple wheels of the vehicle via a long drive shaft.

However, the proximity of the wheel motors to the wheels result in the wheel motors being subjected to high vibrations from wheel accelerations. Generally, the wheel motors may be subjected to high vibrations throughout the entire travel time of the vehicle. The high vibrations may cause detrimental results in various components (e.g., precision components) of the wheel motors, e.g., frequent breakdowns, sub-optimal performance, etc.

To offset the impact of such high vibrations, conventional designs of the wheel motors have attempted to increase the structural rigidity of various components of the wheel motor. However, increasing the structural rigidity has also caused the weight of the wheel motor to increase. The increased weight of the wheel motor, however, negatively impacts ride and handling aspects of the vehicle. Thus, the various disadvantages of the conventional designs of the wheel motors pose challenges to the widespread adoption of wheel motors.

SUMMARY

In various aspects, a motor is disclosed. The motor may be a wheel motor. The motor may include a stator. The stator may be configured to mount to an unsprung structure of a wheeled vehicle through at least a damper or a spring. The motor may further include a rotor. The rotor may be configured to drive a wheel of the vehicle.

In various aspects, a system is disclosed. The system may include a motor, an unsprung structure of a vehicle, a wheel of the vehicle, and a damper or a spring. The motor may include a stator and a rotor. The stator being configured to mount to the unsprung structure of the vehicle through at least one of the damper or the spring, and the rotor being configured to drive the wheel of the vehicle.

Other aspects will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein is shown and described only several embodiments by way of illustration. As will be realized by those skilled in the art, concepts herein are capable of other and different embodiments, and several details are capable of modification in various other respects, all without departing from the present disclosure. Accordingly, the drawings and detailed description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The detailed description set forth below in connection with the appended drawings is intended to provide a description of various exemplary embodiments of the concepts disclosed herein and is not intended to represent the only embodiments in which the disclosure may be practiced. The term “exemplary” used in this disclosure means “serving as an example, instance, or illustration,” and should not necessarily be construed as preferred or advantageous over other embodiments presented in this disclosure. The detailed description includes specific details for the purpose of providing a thorough and complete disclosure that fully conveys the scope of the concepts to those skilled in the art. However, the disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and components may be shown in block diagram form, or omitted entirely, in order to avoid obscuring the various concepts presented throughout this disclosure.

As described above, proximity of wheel motors to the wheels results in the wheel motors being subjected to high vibrations (e.g., 20 g) from wheel accelerations, which result in the components (e.g., electrical connections, inverters, batteries, circuit boards, and the like) of the wheel motors breaking down more frequently than desired or acceptable. Conventional techniques used to address the durability issues of such motors have caused the mass of these motors to increase, which negatively affects the ride and handling of the vehicle. This increased mass of the motors, when not properly accounted for in designs of other components of the vehicle, can cause such components to breakdown more frequently leading to higher maintenance costs and/or requiring redesigning or custom designing such components. For example, the increased mass of the motors may cause wheel bearings of the vehicle to breakdown more frequently.

Furthermore, it is generally desired for wheels of a vehicle to not rotate faster than 3000 revolutions per minute (rpm), and more often than not, to rotate slower than 2500 rpm. However, generally motors that rotate close to such desired wheel rpms have large diameters and are also heavy, thereby negatively affecting the ride and handling of the vehicle. Furthermore, such motors may be too large to even be successfully integrated into an unsprung structure (e.g., upright) of the vehicle. Additionally, such motors are generally inefficient and have low performance than motors with smaller diameters. For example, a motor with a small diameter (e.g., 400 millimeter diameter) may have a higher maximum rpm (e.g., 30,000 rpms) for the same amount of power applied to motors with larger diameters without exceeding mechanical stress limits of the motor's components.

While motors with smaller diameters may be more efficient and have higher performance than motors with larger diameters, greater speed reduction may be needed to drive the wheels of the vehicles at the desired rpms. However, speed reducers are generally heavy and, when located in-line along the axis of rotation of the motor, do not share walls with any other structure of the vehicle, which may result in a structurally inefficient design of the vehicle and may cause the mass of the vehicle to increase. Additionally, speed reducers that are located in-line along with axis of rotation of the motor may be limited to handle speed reductions of around 3:1. Therefore, the options for the motors that can be utilized will be limited to the slower, larger, inefficient and heavier motors, which as discussed above can cause various ride and handling issues for the vehicle.

Accordingly, the present disclosure is generally directed to techniques for integrating a lightweight motor into and/or with an unsprung structure of a vehicle and for isolating of the motor to reduce the impacts from high vibrations from the wheel of the vehicle. As described herein, an unsprung structure is a structure whose weight is not borne by a suspension system of a vehicle. Examples of an unsprung structure include, but are not limited to, an upright, a hub, a brake caliper, a wheel, and the like of the vehicle. As described herein, a sprung structure may be a structure of the vehicle whose weight is borne by the springs of the vehicle's suspension systems. A sprung structure may be on the vehicle side of suspension springs. Examples of the sprung structure may include, but are not limited to, chassis, engine, passenger compartment, and other similar structures of the vehicle. Generally, most structures of the vehicle may be sprung structures.

In one aspect of the disclosure, a lightweight motor may be mounted to an unsprung structure of the vehicle. A speed reducer may be located off the axis of rotation of the motor. A portion of the speed reducer may be coupled to the axle and/or hub of the vehicle via a flexible linkage, and another portion of the speed reducer may be coupled to the motor. In some implementations, the speed reducer may include multiple gear reducers or one or more gear sets. For example, the speed reducer may include a first gear reducer and a second gear reducer different from the first gear reducer. The first gear reducer may be coupled to the motor and a second gear reducer may be coupled to the axle and/or hub of the vehicle.

The lightweight motor may be coupled to a set of swing arms at a first set of connection points and the set of swing arms may be coupled to the unsprung structure at a second set of connection points on the unsprung structure. The lightweight motor being coupled to the set of swing arms allows for the motor to be suspended, which allows for the motor to be isolated from the vibrations from vehicle's wheel accelerations. The isolation from the accelerations improves the durability of the various components of the motor.

Vibrations from the wheel and/or other structures of the vehicle may cause the swing arm to swing. The swing arm may swing in an arc and may cause the motor to swing in the arc of the swing arm. The motor may be meshed with a portion of the speed reducer and remain meshed with that portion speed reducer while the motor swings in the arc of the swing arm.

The motor may be mounted to the unsprung structure via a spring and/or a damper. In some implementations, the motor may be mounted to an outside of the unsprung structure. In some implementations, the spring and/or the damper may connect to motor at one set of connection of points and they may be connected to a sprung structure (e.g., chassis of the vehicle) at another set of connection points. In some implementations, the motor may be located within a hollow portion of the unsprung structure, and the spring and/or damper may be connected to the unsprung structure at another set of connection points. In some implementations, the motor may be mounted to an outside of the unsprung structure and the spring and/or damper may be connected at a first set of connection points to the motor, and, at a second set of connection points, the spring and/or damper may be connected to the unsprung structure.

Additional details of the integration of the motor with and/or into an unsprung structure are describe herein with respect toFIGS. 1-3.

Turning now toFIG. 1, there is shown a cutaway view of an integration100of the motor with an unsprung structure. InFIG. 1, a motor160may include a motor housing102. The motor160may include a stator, shown in two portions stator138aand138b, and a rotor140. The rotor140of the motor160may rotate along an axis of rotation128, as shown inFIG. 1, when power is delivered to the motor160. The motor160may be a lightweight, high performance, efficient motor. For example, the motor160may be configured to spin up to a maximum of 30,000 rpms without exceeding mechanical stress limits of the various components of the motor160. In some implementations, the motor160may be a small motor. In some implementations, the diameter of the motor160may be less than 500 millimeters (mm). For example, the diameter of the motor160may be 400 mm. The stators138a,138bmay be connected to a portion motor housing102. For example, as shown inFIG. 1, the stators138aand/or138bmay be connected at a first set of connection points on the motor housing102.

As described above, in some implementations, a motor may be mounted to an outside of the unsprung structure. An example of such an implementation is shown inFIG. 1. InFIG. 1, the motor160through the motor housing102is mounted to an outside of the unsprung structure104. For the purpose of illustrating a clear example, the unsprung structure104is depicted as an upright inFIG. 1. However, as described above, examples of the unsprung structure may include, but are not limited to, an upright, a hub, a brake caliper, and the like of the vehicle. Accordingly, persons skilled in the art should appreciate that in some implementations, unsprung structures other than an upright may also be utilized.

The motor housing102may be mounted to the unsprung structure104via a structure that allows independent movement of the motor and the unsprung structure, such as through a set of swing arms116at connection points114as shown inFIG. 1. In some implementations, as shown inFIG. 1, the connection points114may be along the axis of rotation of the rotor140. Another portion of the set of swing arms116may be connected to the unsprung structure104, for example at connection points120, as shown inFIG. 1. Connection points120may be along the axis of rotation130of a gear of a speed reducer118, described in more detail below. In some implementations, having the swing arms connected at the axis of rotations128and130of the rotor140and the gear of the speed reducer118, respectively, allows for the swing arms116to efficiently move and/or swing motor160. In response to any vibrations from the wheel of the vehicle, the swing arms116may move or swing, for example, in an arc pattern, which causes the motor160through motor housing102to move or swing in the pattern.

The motor160remains engaged with the speed reducer118even while the motor160is moving or swinging in the pattern of the swing arms' motion and/or pattern (e.g., an arc pattern. In some implementations, the length of the swing arms116may be based on the sizes of one or more gears coupled to the motor160. For example, the length of the swing arms116may be approximately equal to the sum of the radius of the rotor gear112and the radius of the gear142of the speed reducer118.

Accordingly, the connection of the motor160via the swing arms116, as shown inFIG. 1and described above, can allow the motor to move independently of the upright and can help reduce the impact from any vibrations from the wheel of the vehicle on any components of the motor160, which also improves the durability of the motor and/or its various components. For example, the connection of the motor160as shown inFIG. 1and described herein with respect toFIG. 1may reduce the force of vibrations experience by the motor160from 20 g to less than 6 g.

In some implementations, as shown inFIG. 1, the motor160may be coupled to and drive the wheel (not shown) of the vehicle via rotor gear112, speed reducer118, an axle136, and/or a hub122. The rotor140of the motor106may be connected to the rotor gear112via a linkage. Examples of linkage may include a shaft, a drive shaft, and the like. In some implementations, linkage may be a flexible linkage, such as a chain, belt, and the like. The rotor gear112may be engaged with the speed reducer118. The motor160may be coupled to the speed reducer118via the rotor gear112.

The speed reducer118may be configured to reduce the speed applied at the wheel by the motor from the rate at which the motor is revolving to a desired rpm of the wheel of the vehicle. The speed reducer118may include one or more sets of the gears, such as the gears142and144, as shown inFIG. 1. Gears142and144may be connected via linkage150. Examples of linkage150may include a shaft, a drive shaft, and the like. In some implementations, linkage150may be a flexible linkage, such as a chain, belt, and the like.

As shown inFIG. 1, the speed reducer118may be located off the axis of rotation128of the motor160. Accordingly, the speed reducer118is not limited to the constraints of an on-axis speed reducer. For example, speed reducer118is not limited to be a planetary speed reducer. The speed reducer118may engaged with the motor160via the rotor gear112. The speed reducer118may be engaged with the rotor gear112via gear142. The gear142and the rotor gear112may be engaged with each other. For example, the teeth of the gear142and the teeth of the rotor gear112may engaged such that the rotor gear112successfully and efficiently drives the gear142. Accordingly, the speed at which the motor160is revolving may be reduced by the gear ratio of the gear142. The (larger) gear142drives the (smaller) gear144via the linkage150. Thus, the speed transferred to the wheel may be further reduced by the gear ratio of the gears144and142.

In some implementations, one or more of the gears142,144may have a single gear ratio of 7.5:1. In some implementations, the speed reducer118, via the gears142and144, may have a two stage gear ratio of 25:1. Accordingly, via the gears142and144, the speed reducer118may significantly reduce the high speeds at which the motor160may be revolving and help drive the wheel of the vehicle at a desired rpm for the wheel.

The speed reducer118may be coupled with axle136via an axle gear134. As shown inFIG. 1, the axle gear134may be engaged with the gear144of the speed reducer118via a linkage146. In some implementations, the linkage146may be a flexible linkage, such as a chain, an involute chain, and the like. In some implementations, the linkage146may be a shaft, a drive shaft, and the like. The axle136may be coupled to the wheel of the vehicle via the drive pin124and the hub122. The axle136may be connected to the drive pin124, as shown inFIG. 1. In some implementations, the drive pin124may protrude from the axle136and integrated with the axle136. The drive pin124may be connected to the hub122as shown inFIG. 1, and the hub122may be connected to a wheel (not shown) of the vehicle. The gear144of the speed reducer118may drive the axle gear134and cause the wheel of the vehicle to revolve around an axis of rotation (e.g., axis of the rotation of the axle) at a desired rpm (e.g. between 1000 and 2500 rpms).

The motor housing102may be connected to at least a spring108and/or damper110. The spring108and/or the damper110may be connected to the motor at a first set of connection points and at a second set of connection points, the spring108and/or the damper110may be connected to a sprung structure of the vehicle. For example, as shown inFIG. 1, the motor housing102is connected to the sprung structure106(e.g., chassis) through the spring108and/or the damper110. Again, for the purpose of illustrating a clear example, the sprung structure106is depicted as a chassis of the vehicle inFIG. 1. However, as described above, a sprung structure may be any structure of the vehicle whose weight is borne by the springs of the vehicle's suspension systems, and examples of a sprung structure include, but are not limited to, chassis, engine, passenger compartment, and other similar structures of the vehicle. Accordingly, persons skilled in the art should appreciate that in some implementations, sprung structures other than the chassis may also be utilized.

Turning now toFIG. 2, there is shown a cutaway view of an integration200of the motor260with an unsprung structure204, e.g., an upright. Motor260may be similarly configured as motor160inFIG. 1. As described above, in some implementations, a motor may be located within a hollow portion of the unsprung structure204. The motor260may be mounted to the inside of the unsprung structure204. An example of such an implementation is shown inFIG. 2. In this way, for example, motor260may be better protected from environmental elements. InFIG. 2, the motor260through the motor housing202is mounted to an inside of the unsprung structure204. Similar toFIG. 1, for the purpose of illustrating a clear example, the unsprung structure204is depicted as an upright inFIG. 2. However, persons skilled in the art would appreciate that in some implementations, unsprung structures other than an upright may also be utilized.

The motor housing202may be mounted to the unsprung structure204through at least a spring208and/or a damper210. The spring208and/or the damper210may be connected to the motor260at a first set of connection points, and at a second set of connection points the spring208and/or the damper210may be connected to the unsprung structure204of the vehicle. For example, as shown inFIG. 2, the motor housing202is connected to the spring208and/or the damper210at one end of the spring208and/or the damper210, and another end of the spring208and/or the damper210is connected to the unsprung structure204.

The motor260may include a stator, shown as stator238a,238b, and a rotor240. The rotor240of the motor260may rotate along an axis of rotation228, as shown inFIG. 2. The motor260may be a lightweight, high performance, efficient motor. The diameter of the motor260may be less than 500 millimeters (mm). For example, the diameter of the motor260may be 400 mm. The stators238a,238bmay be connected to a portion motor housing202as shown inFIG. 2and similarly as stators238a,238b.

The motor260may be coupled to and drive the wheel (not shown) of the vehicle via a rotor gear212, a speed reducer218, an axle236, and/or a hub222. The rotor240of the motor260may be connected to the rotor gear212via a linkage. Examples of linkage may include a shaft, a drive shaft, and the like. In some implementations, linkage may be a flexible linkage, such as a chain, belt, and the like. The rotor gear212may be engaged with the speed reducer218. The motor260may be coupled to the speed reducer218via the rotor gear212.

The speed reducer218may be similarly configured as speed reducer118. Accordingly, speed reducer218may reduce the speed applied at the wheel by the motor from the rate at which the motor is revolving to a desired rpm of the wheel of the vehicle. The speed reducer218may include one or more sets of the gears, such as the gears242and244. Gears242and244may be connected via linkage250. Examples of linkage250may include a shaft, a drive shaft, and the like. In some implementations, linkage250may be a flexible linkage, such as a chain, belt, and the like.

As shown inFIG. 2, the speed reducer218, similar to speed reducer118, may be located off the axis of rotation228of the motor260. Accordingly, the speed reducer218is not limited to the constraints of an on-axis speed reducer. The speed reducer218may engaged with the motor260via the rotor gear212. The speed reducer218may be engaged with the rotor gear212via gear242. The gear242and the rotor gear212may be configured to be engaged with each other such that the rotor gear212successfully and efficiently drives the gear242. The gear242drives the gear244via the linkage250. Thus, the speed transferred to the wheel may be further reduced by the gear ratio of the gear244and242. Gears242and244may be similarly configured as gears142and144.

The speed reducer218may be coupled with axle236via the axle gear234. As shown inFIG. 2, the axle gear234may be engaged with the gear244of the speed reducer118via the linkage246. In some implementations, the linkage246may be a flexible linkage, such as a chain, an involute chain, and the like. In some implementations, the linkage246may be a shaft, a drive shaft, and the like. The axle236may be coupled to the wheel of the vehicle via the drive pin224and the hub222. Therefore, the gear244of the speed reducer218may drive the axle gear234and cause the wheel of the vehicle to revolve around an axis of rotation (e.g., axis of the rotation of the axle) at a desired rpm (e.g. between 1000 and 2500 rpms).

Similar to motor160inFIG. 1, in the integration depicted inFIG. 2, the motor260remains engaged with the speed reducer218even while the motor260is moving or swinging in the pattern of the swing arms'216motion and/or pattern (e.g., an arc pattern). In some implementations, similar to the length of the swing arms116, the length of the swing arms216may be based on the sizes of one or more gears coupled to the motor260, such as the rotor gear212and the gear242. For example, the length of the swing arms216may be approximately equal to the sum of the radius of the rotor gear212and the radius of the gear242of the speed reducer218.

Accordingly, the benefits and/or advantages of suspending the motor260via the swing arms216are similar to the suspension of the motor160via the swing arms116, as shown inFIG. 1and described above. Motor260, similar to motor160, can be allowed to move independently of the upright, which can help reduce the impact from any vibrations from the wheel of the vehicle on any components of the motor260, which also improves the durability of the motor260and/or its various components.

Turning now toFIG. 3, there is shown a cutaway view of an integration300of the motor360with an unsprung structure304. Motor360is similarly configured as motors160and260as described inFIGS. 1 and 2. The integration300is similar to the integration100described inFIG. 2. However, inFIG. 3, the motor is mounted not completely inside of the unsprung structure. As illustrated inFIG. 3, a motor housing302can be located outside of an unsprung structure304, e.g., an upright. In this way, for example, motor360may be more easily accessed, e.g., for repair or replacement. The remaining elements ofFIG. 3are similarly configured as the elements ofFIG. 2, and have similar advantages as the integration depicted inFIG. 2. Similar toFIG. 2, for the purpose of illustrating a clear example, the unsprung structure304is depicted as an upright inFIG. 3. However, persons skilled in the art would appreciate that in some implementations, unsprung structures other than an upright may also be utilized.

The motor housing302may be mounted to the unsprung structure304through at least a spring308and/or a damper310. The spring308and/or the damper310may be connected to the motor360at a first set of connection points, and at a second set of connection points the spring308and/or the damper310may be connected to the unsprung structure304of the vehicle. For example, as shown inFIG. 3, the motor housing302is connected to the spring308and/or the damper310at one end of the spring308and/or the damper310, and another end of the spring308and/or the damper310is connected to the unsprung structure304.

The motor360may include a stator, shown as stator338a,338b, and a rotor340. The rotor340of the motor360may rotate along an axis of rotation328, as shown inFIG. 3. The motor360may be a lightweight, high performance, efficient motor. The diameter of the motor360may be less than 500 millimeters (mm). For example, the diameter of the motor360may be 400 mm. The stators338a,338bmay be connected to a portion motor housing302as shown inFIG. 3and similarly as stators338a,338b.

The motor360may be coupled to and drive the wheel (not shown) of the vehicle via a rotor gear312, a speed reducer318, an axle336, and/or a hub322. The rotor340of the motor360may be connected to the rotor gear312via a linkage. Examples of linkage may include a shaft, a drive shaft, and the like. In some implementations, linkage may be a flexible linkage, such as a chain, belt, and the like. The rotor gear312may be engaged with the speed reducer318. The motor360may be coupled to the speed reducer318via the rotor gear312.

The speed reducer318may be similarly configured as speed reducer118. Accordingly, speed reducer318may reduce the speed applied at the wheel by the motor from the rate at which the motor is revolving to a desired rpm of the wheel of the vehicle. The speed reducer318may include one or more sets of the gears, such as the gears342and344. Gears342and344may be connected via linkage350. Examples of linkage350may include a shaft, a drive shaft, and the like. In some implementations, linkage350may be a flexible linkage, such as a chain, belt, and the like.

As shown inFIG. 3, the speed reducer318, similar to speed reducer118, may be located off the axis of rotation328of the motor360. Accordingly, the speed reducer318is not limited to the constraints of an on-axis speed reducer. The speed reducer318may engaged with the motor360via the rotor gear312. The speed reducer318may be engaged with the rotor gear312via gear342. The gear342and the rotor gear312may be configured to be engaged with each other such that the rotor gear312successfully and efficiently drives the gear342. The gear342drives the gear344via the linkage350. Thus, the speed transferred to the wheel may be further reduced by the gear ratio of the gear344and342. Gears342and344may be similarly configured as gears142and144.

The speed reducer318may be coupled with axle336via the axle gear334. As shown inFIG. 3, the axle gear334may be engaged with the gear344of the speed reducer118via the linkage346. In some implementations, the linkage346may be a flexible linkage, such as a chain, an involute chain, and the like. In some implementations, the linkage346may be a shaft, a drive shaft, and the like. The axle336may be coupled to the wheel of the vehicle via the drive pin324and the hub322. Therefore, the gear344of the speed reducer318may drive the axle gear334and cause the wheel of the vehicle to revolve around an axis of rotation (e.g., axis of the rotation of the axle) at a desired rpm (e.g. between 1000 and 2500 rpms).

Similar to motor160inFIG. 1, in the integration depicted inFIG. 3, the motor360remains engaged with the speed reducer318even while the motor360is moving or swinging in the pattern of the swing arms'316motion and/or pattern (e.g., an arc pattern). In some implementations, similar to the length of the swing arms116, the length of the swing arms316may be based on the sizes of one or more gears coupled to the motor360, such as the rotor gear312and the gear342. For example, the length of the swing arms316may be approximately equal to the sum of the radius of the rotor gear312and the radius of the gear342of the speed reducer318.

Accordingly, the benefits and/or advantages of suspending the motor360via the swing arms316are similar to the suspension of the motor160via the swing arms116, as shown inFIG. 1and described above. Motor360, similar to motor160, can be allowed to move independently of the upright, which can help reduce the impact from any vibrations from the wheel of the vehicle on any components of the motor360, which also improves the durability of the motor360and/or its various components.

The previous description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to practice the various aspects described herein. Various modifications to these exemplary embodiments presented throughout this disclosure will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Thus, the claims are not intended to be limited to the exemplary embodiments presented throughout the disclosure, but are to be accorded the full scope consistent with the language claims. All structural and functional equivalents to the elements of the exemplary embodiments described throughout this disclosure that are known or later come to be known to those of ordinary skill in the art are intended to be encompassed by the claims. Moreover, nothing disclosed herein is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether such disclosure is explicitly recited in the claims. No claim element is to be construed under the provisions of 35 U.S.C. § 112(f), or analogous law in applicable jurisdictions, unless the element is expressly recited using the phrase “means for” or, in the case of a method claim, the element is recited using the phrase “step for.”