Hybrid electric motor vehicle and a final drive unit therefor

• Main Authors: LODGE LAWRENCE, JANSON DAVID ALLEN
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 13.04.2010
• Subjects: ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS INVEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OFTRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GASEXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS, IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TOTRANSPORTATION; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINSTCLIMATE CHANGE; TRANSPORTING; VEHICLES IN GENERAL

In a motor vehicle having an internal combustion engine driving a front final drive unit connected to a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels 21 driven through the rear final drive unit 18 by a longitudinal propshaft 19, the rear final drive unit 18 houses a transversely arranged electric motor/generator 35. The motor/generator 35 has a hollow rotor 36 which is connected to a spur input gear 64 of a layshaft reduction gear train 65 through a hollow shaft 37. This input gear 64 meshes with a large diameter spur gear 66 fixed on a layshaft 67 which also has a small diameter spur gear 68 fixed on it. The small diameter spur gear 68 meshes with a large diameter driving gear 69 fast with a differential 28 which drives the rear wheels by means of the drive shafts 22, one of which extends concentrically through the rotor 36 and the hollow shaft 37. A control clutch 33 controllably couples the propshaft 19 to an input shaft 32 which drives a final drive bevel pinion 31 which meshes with a crownwheel 27 fast with the large diameter spur gear 66. The layshaft 67 provides a reduction ratio between the motor/generator 35 and the final drive pinion 31 and the differential 28 as well as providing a reduction ratio between the input shaft 32 and the differential 28.