U.S. patent application number 16/396912 was filed with the patent office on 2020-10-29 for hybrid/electric vehicle transmission.
The applicant listed for this patent is Ford Global Technologies, LLC.. Invention is credited to Michael Coury, Cyrille Goldstein, William David Guarino, Siraj Siddiqui.
Application Number | 20200338977 16/396912 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000004139761 |
Filed Date | 2020-10-29 |
![](/patent/app/20200338977/US20200338977A1-20201029-D00000.png)
![](/patent/app/20200338977/US20200338977A1-20201029-D00001.png)
![](/patent/app/20200338977/US20200338977A1-20201029-D00002.png)
![](/patent/app/20200338977/US20200338977A1-20201029-D00003.png)
![](/patent/app/20200338977/US20200338977A1-20201029-D00004.png)
United States Patent
Application |
20200338977 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Siddiqui; Siraj ; et
al. |
October 29, 2020 |
HYBRID/ELECTRIC VEHICLE TRANSMISSION
Abstract
A vehicle transaxle includes a housing, an electric machine
stator, a plurality of mounting plates, and a first set of
fasteners. The housing has internal walls that define a cavity and
an access opening to the cavity. The electric machine stator is
disposed within the cavity between a first of the internal walls
and the opening. The plurality of mounting plates secures a first
longitudinal end of the stator to the housing proximate the
opening. Each fastener of the first set of fasteners extends
through one of the mounting plates, through the stator, and engages
the first of the internal walls to secure a second longitudinal end
of the stator to the first of the internal walls.
Inventors: |
Siddiqui; Siraj; (Lasalle,
CA) ; Goldstein; Cyrille; (Ferndale, MI) ;
Coury; Michael; (Farmington Hills, MI) ; Guarino;
William David; (Dearborn, MI) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Ford Global Technologies, LLC. |
Dearborn |
MI |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
1000004139761 |
Appl. No.: |
16/396912 |
Filed: |
April 29, 2019 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
B60K 1/04 20130101; H02K
1/18 20130101; B60K 6/405 20130101 |
International
Class: |
B60K 6/405 20060101
B60K006/405; H02K 1/18 20060101 H02K001/18; B60K 1/04 20060101
B60K001/04 |
Claims
1. A vehicle transaxle comprising: a housing having internal walls
that define a cavity and an access opening to the cavity; an
electric machine stator disposed within the cavity between a first
of the internal walls and the opening, the stator having a
plurality of protrusions that extend radially outward; a plurality
of mounting plates securing a first longitudinal end of the stator
to the housing proximate the opening; a first set of fasteners,
each extending through one of the mounting plates and the stator
and engaging the first of the internal walls to secure a second
longitudinal end of the stator to the first of the internal wall,
wherein each of the fasteners of the first set of fasteners extends
through one of the protrusions; and a second set of fasteners,
wherein pairs of the second set of fasteners extend through one of
the mounting plates and engage an outer wall of the housing to
secure the first longitudinal end of the stator to the housing
proximate the opening.
2-3. (canceled)
4. The vehicle transaxle of claim 3, wherein the outer wall of the
housing is disposed around the opening and is substantially
perpendicular to the first of the internal walls.
5. The vehicle transaxle of claim 3, wherein the fasteners of each
pair of the second set of fasteners straddle one fastener of the
first set of fasteners along each mounting plate.
6. The vehicle transaxle of claim 3, wherein each of the mounting
plates define a first through hole, each of the protrusions define
a second through hole, and the first of the internal walls defines
a first set of tapped holes, and wherein each of the fasteners of
the first set of fasteners extends through one of the first through
holes, through one of the second through holes, and engages one
tapped hole of the first set of tapped holes to secure the second
longitudinal end of the stator to the first of the internal
walls.
7. The vehicle transaxle of claim 6, wherein each of the mounting
plates define a pair of through holes and the outer wall defines a
second set of tapped holes, and wherein each of the fasteners of
the second set of fasteners extends through one hole of the pairs
of through holes and engages one tapped hole of the second set of
tapped holes to secure the first longitudinal end of the stator to
the housing.
8. A vehicle transmission comprising: a housing having internal
rear and side walls that define a cavity and an outer wall that
defines an opening to the cavity, a stator disposed within the
cavity and having a plurality of protrusions that extend radially
outward; mounting plates securing a first end of the stator to the
outer wall; a first set of fasteners, each extending through one of
the mounting plates and the stator and engaging the rear internal
wall to secure a second end of the stator to the rear internal
wall, wherein each of the fasteners of the first set of fasteners
extends through one of the protrusions; and a second set of
fasteners, wherein pairs of the second set of fasteners extend
through one of the mounting plates and engage the outer wall to
secure the first end of the stator to the outer wall.
9-10. (canceled)
11. The vehicle transmission of claim 10, wherein the outer wall of
the housing is disposed around the opening and is substantially
perpendicular to the internal rear wall.
12. The vehicle transmission of claim 10, wherein the fasteners of
each pair of the second set of fasteners straddle one fastener of
the first set of fasteners along each mounting plate.
13. The vehicle transmission of claim 10, wherein each of the
mounting plates define a first through hole, each of the
protrusions define a second through hole, and the rear internal
wall defines a first set of tapped holes, and wherein each of the
fasteners of the first set of fasteners extends through one of the
first through holes, through one of the second through holes, and
engages one tapped hole of the first set of tapped holes to secure
the second and of the stator to the rear internal wall.
14. The vehicle transmission of claim 13, wherein each of the
mounting plates define a pair of through holes and the outer wall
defines a second set of tapped holes, and wherein each of the
fasteners of the second set of fasteners extends through one hole
of the pairs of through holes and engages one tapped hole of the
second set of tapped holes to secure the first end of the stator to
the outer wall.
15. A vehicle transmission comprising: a stator disposed within a
transmission housing, wherein a first longitudinal end of the
stator is secured to an internal wall within the housing via a
first plurality of fasteners that extend through the stator from a
second longitudinal end to the first longitudinal end, and wherein
the second longitudinal end of the stator is secured to an outer
wall of the housing via a plurality of mounting plates, wherein the
stator has a plurality of protrusions that extend radially outward,
wherein each of the fasteners of the first plurality of fasteners
extends through one of the mounting plates and one of the
protrusions; and a second plurality of fasteners, wherein pair of
the second plurality of fasteners extend through one of the
mounting plates and engage the outer wall to secure the second
longitudinal end of the stator to the outer wall.
16-17. (canceled)
18. The vehicle transmission of claim 17, wherein the fasteners of
each pair of the second plurality of fasteners straddle one
fastener of the first plurality of fasteners along each mounting
plate.
19. The vehicle transaxle of claim 17, wherein each of the mounting
plates define a first through hole, each of the protrusions define
a second through hole, and the internal wall defines a first
plurality of tapped holes, and wherein each of the fasteners of the
first plurality of fasteners extends through one of the first
through holes, through one of the second through holes, and engages
one tapped hole of the first plurality of tapped holes to secure
the first longitudinal end of the stator to the internal wall.
20. The vehicle transmission of claim 19, wherein each of the
mounting plates define a pair of through holes and the outer wall
defines a second plurality of tapped holes, and wherein each of the
fasteners of the second plurality of fasteners extends through one
hole of the pairs of through holes and engages one tapped hole of
the second plurality of tapped holes to secure the first end of the
stator to outer wall.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates to transmissions for
hybrid/electric vehicles that include an electric machine such as a
motor, generator, or combination motor/generator.
BACKGROUND
[0002] Hybrid and/or electric vehicles may include electric
machines that are disposed within a housing, such as a transmission
or transaxle housing.
SUMMARY
[0003] A vehicle transaxle includes a housing, an electric machine
stator, a plurality of mounting plates, and a first set of
fasteners. The housing has internal walls that define a cavity and
an access opening to the cavity. The electric machine stator is
disposed within the cavity between a first of the internal walls
and the opening. The plurality of mounting plates secures a first
longitudinal end of the stator to the housing proximate the
opening. Each fastener of the first set of fasteners extends
through one of the mounting plates, through the stator, and engages
the first of the internal walls to secure a second longitudinal end
of the stator to the first of the internal walls.
[0004] A vehicle transmission includes a housing, a stator,
mounting plates, and a first set of fasteners. The housing has
internal rear and side walls that define a cavity. The housing has
an outer wall that defines an opening to the cavity. The stator is
disposed within the cavity. The mounting plates secure a first end
of the stator to the outer wall. Each fastener of the first set of
fasteners extends through one of the mounting plates, through the
stator, and engages the rear internal wall to secure a second end
of the stator to the rear internal wall.
[0005] A vehicle transmission includes a stator disposed within a
transmission housing. A first longitudinal end of the stator is
secured to an internal wall within the housing via a first
plurality of fasteners that extend through the stator from a second
longitudinal end to the first longitudinal end. The second
longitudinal end of the stator is secured to an outer wall of the
housing via a plurality of mounting plates.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] FIG. 1 is a front isometric view of an electric machine
stator that is disposed within a housing illustrating a first
mounting arrangement for the electric machine stator,
[0007] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken alone line 2-2 in
FIG. 1;
[0008] FIG. 3 is a front view of the electric machine stator that
is disposed within the housing illustrating a second mounting
arrangement for the electric machine stator, and
[0009] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken alone line 4-4 in
FIG. 3.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0010] Embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein.
It is to be understood, however, that the disclosed embodiments are
merely examples and other embodiments may take various and
alternative forms. The figures are not necessarily to scale; some
features could be exaggerated or minimized to show details of
particular components. Therefore, specific structural and
functional details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as
limiting, but merely as a representative basis for teaching one
skilled in the art to variously employ the embodiments. As those of
ordinary skill in the art will understand, various features
illustrated and described with reference to any one of the figures
may be combined with features illustrated in one or more other
figures to produce embodiments that are not explicitly illustrated
or described. The combinations of features illustrated provide
representative embodiments for typical applications. Various
combinations and modifications of the features consistent with the
teachings of this disclosure, however, could be desired for
particular applications or implementations.
[0011] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a front isometric view of an
electric machine stator 10 that is disposed within a housing 12 and
a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 in FIG. 1 are
illustrated, respectively. More specifically, FIGS. 1 and 2
illustrate a first and/or conventional mounting arrangement for the
electric machine stator 10.
[0012] The electric machine stator 10 and the housing 12 may be
subcomponents of a vehicle. More specifically, the electric machine
stator 10 and the housing 12 may be subcomponents of a vehicle
powertrain that is configured to deliver power to wheels to propel
the vehicle. The housing 12 may be a transmission or transaxle
housing that contains transmission and/or transaxle components such
as gear sets, clutches, brakes, differentials, driveshafts, half
shafts, etc. The gear sets may be selectively placed in different
gear ratios by selective engagement of friction elements, such as
the clutches and brakes, to establish desired multiple discrete or
step drive ratios.
[0013] The electric machine stator 10 may be the stator of an
electric machine that includes both a stator and a rotor. The
electric machine may draw power from a battery and operate as a
motor to provide a driving force for the powertrain of the vehicle.
Alternatively, the electric machine may operate as a generator and
convert kinetic energy from the powertrain of the vehicle into
electric energy to be stored in the battery or to power other
electrical components within the vehicle. If the vehicle is a
hybrid vehicle that includes an additional power source, such as an
internal combustion engine, the electric machine may operate as a
generator while the other power source is providing propulsion
power for the vehicle, for example. The electric machine may
additionally operate as a generator during times of regenerative
braking in which torque and rotational energy or power from
spinning drive wheels of the vehicle is transferred back through
the powertrain and to the electric machine, which then converts the
rotational energy into electrical energy, which may then be stored
within the battery or to power other electrical components within
the vehicle.
[0014] In the first and/or conventional mounting arrangement for
the electric machine stator 10, the housing 12 includes an internal
rear wall 14 and an internal side wall 16 that define a cavity 18.
The internal rear wall 14 and the internal side wall 16 may be
referred to as the first and second internal walls, respectively,
or vice versa. The internal side wall 16 and an outer wall 17 may
also define an access opening 19 to the cavity 18. More
specifically, the outer wall 17 may be disposed around the opening
19 while the internal side wall is disposed within the opening 19
and the cavity 18. The access opening 19 may be defined on an
opposing (i.e., opposite) side of the housing 12 relative to the
internal rear wall 14. The outer wall 17 may be an outer wall with
respect to the cavity 18. FIG. 1, however, depicts the housing 12
with an outer cover removed. Once the outer cover is placed onto
the housing 12, the outer wall may become internal relative to the
housing 12 and cover as a whole. The internal rear wall 14 and the
outer wall 17 may be disposed on opposing (i.e., opposite) sides of
the housing 12 and opposing (i.e., opposite) sides of the cavity
18. The internal rear wall 14 and the outer wall 17 may be
substantially parallel to each other. Substantially parallel may
include any incremental between exactly parallel and plus or minus
10.degree. from exactly parallel. The electric machine stator 10
may be disposed within the cavity 18 between the internal rear wall
14 and the access opening 19.
[0015] The internal rear wall 14 may be a flat and substantially
planar wall while the internal side wall 16 may be cylindrical in
shape. Substantially planar may include a flat surface that ranges
from a perfectly flat along a designated flat plane to a flat
surface that includes deviations of up to 3 mm from such a
designated flat plane. The internal rear wall 14 and the internal
side wall 16 may be substantially perpendicular to each other.
Substantially perpendicular may include any incremental value
between 80.degree. and 100.degree.. The cavity 18 may also include
lobes 20 that extend radially outward from a central portion 22 of
the cavity 18. The lobes 20 may be defined by the internal side
wall 16. The lobes 20 provide clearance for radially outward
extending protrusions 21 of the electric machine stator 10 that
define through holes that are configured to received fasteners (see
28 and 30 below).
[0016] The electric machine stator 10 may be comprised of a
plurality of laminate plates 24 that are sequentially stacked in an
axial direction along an axis of rotation 26 of the rotor (not
shown) of the electric machine. The laminate plates 24 are
individually fabricated from a material such iron or steel. The
laminate plates 24 are then aligned in an axial direction along the
axis of rotation 26 to form the core of the electric machine stator
10. The electric machine stator 10 also includes coil windings that
are not depicted in the Figures for simplicity purposes. The
laminate plates 24 may be stacked "loose", welded, or bonded
together depending the desired application. The laminate plates 24
may include a thin layer of insulating material (e.g., a thin layer
of epoxy that is approximately 0.001 mm thick). Although not
depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, there may be small spaces between
adjacent laminate plates 24 at locations where the adjacent
laminate plates 24 are not affixed to each other, if the
application requires the adjacent laminate plates 24 to be affixed
to each other (i.e., via welding or bonding).
[0017] The laminate plates 24 of the electric machine stator 10 may
define a plurality of through holes 28 that are each configured to
receive one of a first plurality (or first set) of fasteners 30.
More specifically, the through holes 28 may be defined by the
outwardly extending protrusions 21 of the electric machine stator
10. The internal rear wall 14 of the housing 12 may define a first
plurality (or first set) of tapped holes 32 that are each
configured to align with one of the plurality of through holes 28
and engage the one of the fasteners 30. More specifically, each of
the fasteners 30 may extend through one of the through holes 28 and
engage one of the tapped holes of the first plurality of tapped
holes 32 to secure the electric machine stator 10 to the housing 12
and within the cavity 18. The fasteners 30 may also function to
properly align the plurality of laminate plates 24 to form the core
of the electric machine stator 10 if the application requires the
adjacent laminate plates 24 to be stacked in a "loose"
configuration.
[0018] In the first and/or conventional mounting arrangement for
the electric machine stator 10 depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2, the
fasteners 30 secure the electric machine stator 10 to the housing
12 and within the cavity 18 in cantilevered fashion (i.e., a first
longitudinal end 34 of the electric machine stator 10 along the
axis of rotation 26 is secured to the housing 12 while a second
longitudinal end 36 of the electric machine stator 10 along the
axis of rotation 26 is not secured to any static component that is
grounded or anchored to the housing 12), which may lead to
undesirable noise, vibration, or harshness (NVH) issues. Therefore,
in order reduce or eliminate any undesirable NVH issues, it may be
desirable to support the electric machine stator 10 on both
longitudinal ends 34, 36 to increase the stiffness of the electric
machine stator 10, which in turn will reduce or eliminate any
undesirable NVH issues. It is also desirable to ensure that there
is no additional stress is induced within the core of the electric
machine stator 10 as a result of adding a mechanism that mounts
both ends of the electric machine stator 10 to the housing 12.
Insufficient stiffness will result in undesired noise and
vibrations, while additional stress on the core of the electric
machine stator 10 will result in core losses, which in turn reduces
the efficiency of the electric machine. Reduced efficiency
decreases the range that electric or hybrid vehicles may utilize
the electric machine for propulsion and decreases the fuel economy
in hybrid vehicles that utilize the electric machine for
propulsion.
[0019] Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, a front view of the electric
machine stator 10 that is disposed within the housing 12 and a
cross-sectional view taken along line 4-4 in FIG. 3 are
illustrated, respectively. More specifically, FIGS. 3 and 4
illustrate a second mounting arrangement for the electric machine
stator 10, where the electric machine stator 10 is supported on
both the longitudinal ends 34, 36 for the purpose of increasing
stiffness to reduce or eliminate potential NVH issues. The second
mounting arrangement depicted in FIGS. 3 and 4 also does not induce
addition stress on the core of the electric machine stator 10 since
the same number of fasteners 30 are utilized to secure the electric
machine stator 10 to the housing 12 with respect to the first
and/or conventional mounting arrangement, resulting in no
additional compressive stress on the core of the electric machine
stator 10. It should be understood that the components depicted in
FIGS. 3 and 4 that were also depicted in FIGS. 1 and 2 will have
the same properties, characteristics, functionality, etc. unless
otherwise specifically stated herein.
[0020] In the second mounting arrangement for the electric machine
stator 10, a plurality of mounting plates 38 secure the second
longitudinal end 36 of the stator 10 to the housing 12 proximate to
or adjacent to (e.g., next to) the access opening 19. The plurality
of mounting plates 38 may engage and may be secured more
specifically to the outer wall 17 of the housing 12. The electric
machine stator 10 is disposed between the between the plurality of
mounting plates 38 and the internal rear wall 14 of the housing 12.
The first longitudinal end 34 of the electric machine stator 10 may
engage and/or may be secured to the internal rear wall 14 of the
housing 12.
[0021] Each of the fasteners of the first plurality (or first set)
of fasteners 30 extends through one of the plurality of mounting
plates 38, through the electric machine stator 10, and engages the
second internal wall 14 of the housing 12 to secure the electric
machine stator 10 to the housing 12 and within the cavity 18, and
to secure the electric machine stator to one of the plurality of
mounting plates 38. Each of the plurality of mounting plates 38 may
define a first through hole 40. Each through hole 40 is configured
to align with one of the plurality of through holes 28 defined in
the laminate plates 24 of the electric machine stator 10, and to
align with one hole of the first plurality of tapped holes 32
defined in the rear wall 14 of the housing 12. Each of the
fasteners of the first plurality (or first set) of fasteners 30 may
extend through one of the through holes 40, one of the through
holes 28, and engage one of the tapped holes 32 to secure the
electric machine stator 10 to the housing 12 and within the cavity
18, and to secure the electric machine stator to one of the
plurality of mounting plates 38. More specifically, each fastener
of the first plurality (or first set) of fasteners 30 may secure
the electric machine stator 10 to both the rear wall 14 of the
housing 12 and to one of the plurality of mounting plates 38 such
that the electric machine stator 10 is "sandwiched" between the
rear wall 14 of the housing 12 and the plurality of mounting plates
38 and such that the electric machine stator 10 is supported at
both the first longitudinal end 34 and the second longitudinal end
36. The electric machine stator 10 is supported along the second
longitudinal end 36 since the plurality of mounting plates 38 are
secured to the housing 12. Supporting the second longitudinal end
36 of the stator 10 via the plurality of mounting plates 38, along
with supporting the first longitudinal end 34 of the stator 10,
prevents radial movement of the second longitudinal end 36 of the
electric machine stator 10 relative to the housing 12, which
reduces or eliminates any NVH issues that may be produced when the
electric machine stator 10 is only supported along the first
longitudinal end 34 in a cantilevered manner.
[0022] The plurality of mounting plates 38 may be secured to the
housing 12 by a second plurality (or second set) of fasteners 42.
More specifically, each mounting plate 38 may be secured to the
outer wall 17 of the housing 12 by a pair of fasteners of the
second plurality (or second set) of fasteners 42, where each of the
pairs of fasteners extend through one of the mounting plates 38 and
engage the outer wall 17 of the housing 12 to secure the second
longitudinal end 36 of the stator 10 to the housing 12 proximate or
adjacent (e.g., next) to the access opening 19. The fasteners of
each pair of second plurality (or second set) of fasteners 42 may
straddle one fastener of the first plurality (or first set) of
fasteners 30 along each mounting plate 38. Each of the mounting
plates 38 may define a pair of through holes 44 and the outer wall
17 may define a second plurality (or second set) of tapped holes
46. Each of the fasteners of the second plurality of fasteners 42
may extend through one hole of the pairs of through holes 44 and
may engage one tapped hole of the second set of tapped holes 46 to
secure each of the mounting plates 38 and the second longitudinal
end 36 of the stator 10 to the housing 12.
[0023] In the second mounting arrangement, the first longitudinal
end 34 of the electric machine stator 10 is anchored or grounded to
the housing 12 via the fasteners 30 while the second longitudinal
end 36 of the electric machine stator 10 is anchored or grounded to
the housing 12 via the fasteners 30 and the plurality of mounting
plates 38. Such a configuration, where both longitudinal ends 34,
36 of the electric machine stator 10 are anchored or grounded to
the housing 12 eliminates or reduces the NVH issues that may arise
when compared to anchoring or grounding the electric machine stator
10 to the housing 12 in a cantilevered fashion as depicted in FIGS.
1 and 2.
[0024] It should be understood that the designations of first,
second, third, fourth, etc. for longitudinal ends of the stator,
internal walls, through holes, tapped holes, or any other
component, state, or condition described herein may be rearranged
in the claims so that they are in chronological order with respect
to the claims.
[0025] The words used in the specification are words of description
rather than limitation, and it is understood that various changes
may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the
disclosure. As previously described, the features of various
embodiments may be combined to form further embodiments that may
not be explicitly described or illustrated. While various
embodiments could have been described as providing advantages or
being preferred over other embodiments or prior art implementations
with respect to one or more desired characteristics, those of
ordinary skill in the art recognize that one or more features or
characteristics may be compromised to achieve desired overall
system attributes, which depend on the specific application and
implementation. As such, embodiments described as less desirable
than other embodiments or prior art implementations with respect to
one or more characteristics are not outside the scope of the
disclosure and may be desirable for particular applications.
* * * * *