Patent ID: 8049384

Claim:
An electronic drive unit (EDU) comprising: a case housing defining a hollow interior extending along a primary axis; a sleeve shaft disposed within said hollow interior of said case housing and extending along said primary axis; an electric motor disposed in said hollow interior of said case housing and radially surrounding a portion of said sleeve shaft; wherein said electric motor is operatively connected to said sleeve shaft such that said sleeve shaft rotates about said primary axis in response to operation of said electric motor; at least one planetary gear set disposed in spaced relationship to said electric motor, along said primary axis, said at least one planetary gear set including: a ring gear disposed in said hollow interior of said case housing and surrounding said primary axis; a sun gear radially surrounding, and rotatably engaged with, said sleeve shaft such that said sun gear rotates about said primary axis in response to rotation of said sleeve shaft about said primary axis; and a planetary carrier having: at least one pinion shaft extending along a secondary axis, in spaced and parallel relationship to said primary axis; a pinion carrier radially surrounding, and configured for rotation about, said primary axis; and at least one pinion rotatably surrounding said at least one pinion shaft; wherein said at least one pinion is in meshing engagement with each of said sun gear and said ring gear; wherein said at least one pinion rotates about said respective secondary axis in response to rotation of said sun gear about said primary axis such that said planetary carrier assembly rotates about said primary axis by virtue of said meshing engagement between said at least one of said pinion and said ring gear; wherein said at least one planetary gear set is in operative engagement with said sleeve shaft and configured for rotation about said primary axis; at least one output shaft at least partially disposed within said hollow interior of said case housing and extending along said primary axis; wherein said at least one output shaft is rotatably connected to said at least one planetary gear set and configured for rotation about said primary axis; wherein said pinion carrier operatively interconnects each of said at least one pinion shaft and said at least one output shaft; wherein said at least one planetary gear set is configured to rotate said at least one output shaft about said primary axis at a rotational velocity that is less than the rotational velocity of said sleeve shaft.