AU724568B2

AU724568B2 - Electromotive wheel hub drive

Info

Publication number: AU724568B2
Application number: AU57391/98A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Harald Neudorfer
Original assignee: ABB Daimler Benz Transportation Austria GmbH; ABB Daimler Benz Transportation Schweiz AG
Current assignee: Alstom Transportation Germany GmbH
Priority date: 1997-03-19
Filing date: 1998-03-05
Publication date: 2000-09-28
Anticipated expiration: 2018-03-05
Also published as: AU5739198A; EP0865978B1; PL325226A1; JPH10271754A; EP0865978A1; CZ284477B6; DE59800010D1; AT405390B; ATE181706T1; ES2135985T3; PL185739B1; ATA48497A; CZ69298A3

Abstract

The hub drive includes an outer rotor motor, in which the rotor casing is connected with the vehicle wheel and the stator sits on a stationary axis which is unilaterally mounted at the vehicle frame or similar. The one-sided suspension is achieved by a carrying shield (6) connected with the axis (14), which comprises a peg (7) projecting into a drill hole (15) of the axis in the interior of the hub drive.

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT 9 9 9 99 99 99 9 V 9 9 9.

9999 9 99 9 9 @9 9 9 9* 9 9 99 9 .9 9 9 9 4 9 @999 9* 9 9 999 9 9999 9 9909 Applicant(s): ABB DAIMLER BENZ TRANSPORTATION AUSTRIA GMBH Invention Title: ELECTROMOTIVE WHEEL HUB DRIVE The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: The invention concerns an electromotive wheel hub drive for a wheel of a vehicle, particularly for a wheel of a railbound vehicle according to the generic part of patent claim 1.

In the case of electromotive direct drives the electric motor is connected with a wheel or tyres which are to be driven without the intermediate coupling of a gearbox. In addition to the saving of construction parts, like gearbox and/or reversing devices for the torque flow, these constructions also have advantages with regard to space. The latter is of particular advantage for low-level vehicles, which have little room available for the drive units. Known systems, like, for example, an electromotive direct drive for railbound vehicles according to EP 0 413 337, whereby the electric motor is arranged next to the vehicle's wheel to be driven, are 99 99 relatively wide in the axial direction, resulting in a 9.oo relatively wide wheel guard. Due to their construction, other S: known drive motors of this type can be maintained and/or replaced only by incurring relatively great expenses. The outside-rotor wheel hub, without a gearbox, according to AT 401 761, has a shaft which is joined to the chassis, bogie frame, or the like via a rocker. To replace the wearing parts, like, for example, the wheel tyres or possible brake discs or the like, the connection between the shaft and the bogie frame has S..25 to be detached and either the wagon body needs to be lifted ooe upwards and the motor is removed or the motor needs to be removed downward. After this the parts to be replaced are removed and replaced by new ones.

From EP 0 579 084 Al a wheel hub drive constructed as an outside-rotor motor is known, which is mounted unilaterally on a bogie rocker via a bearing carrier. By virtue of this construction the entire motor can be removed outward in the axial direction. It is, however, a disadvantage of this construction that, when dismantling the drive, in addition to the motor components the bearing carrier also has to be removed, making handling more difficult. As a result of the suspension the construction also requires more room.

=i I The object of the invention is to produce a wheel hub drive, wherein the wearing parts, as well as the complete drive, can be replaced simply and fast, avoiding the above mentioned disadvantages.

This objective is achieved according to the invention by that the unilateral suspension is carried out via a carrier plate joined with the shaft, which carrier plate has a carrier plate spigot which protrudes into a bore in the shaft into the interior of the wheel hub drive. The internal bearing plate of the known construction is replaced by the carrier plate forming the suspension, thus integrating the suspension in the drive unit. The carrier plate is joined with the chassis, carrying the wagon body or the like. The unilateral suspension of the wheel hub drive has a shorter length and it is simpler to handle and maintain. Wearing parts are arranged preferably on that side of the wheel hub drive which is opposite the suspension and consequently they can be replaced simply and fast. Equally, the entire drive unit can be removed relatively easily after detaching the connection of the carrier plate with S the shaft of the wheel hub drive. By virtue of the construction with the carrier plate spigot a stable fastening of the wheel hub drive with the carrier plate and with the chassis of the vehicle is achieved without fastening means. The drive unit is 25 simply pushed onto the carrier plate spigot of the carrier plate and the carrier plate is secured with bolts or the like on the shaft of the wheel hub drive and thus secured against unintentional detachment.

In an advantageous manner the carrier plate is joined with the shaft on that side of the wheel hub drive which faces the centre of the vehicle. Wearing parts are arranged preferably on the outside of the wheel hub drive and thus they can be replaced simply and fast. This construction makes it also feasible to pull off the complete drive during dismantling in a simple and fast manner laterally outward, without the necessity of lifting the wagon body and/or removing the drive downward.

F i In an advantageous manner the carrier plate spigot protrudes into the interior of the wheel hub drive past the central contact point of the vehicle's wheel. This results in great stability and strength of the suspension.

The pushing of the wheel hub drive onto the carrier plate spigot of the carrier plate is achieved by that the bore in the shaft tapers in the direction of the interior of the wheel hub drive, and that the carrier plate spigot has a shape which preferably complements the bore. By means of this constructive step a press fit of the carrier plate spigot is achieved in the bore of the shaft, resulting in a secure fastening of the drive unit. The pulling of the drive unit off the carrier plate spigot is also easier in the case of a tapered construction than of a cylindrical one.

*e a For the purpose of a simple pulling off of the wheel hub drive the carrier plate spigot according to another feature the invention has at least one, preferably annular push-out groove, '2 which is connected to at least one feed line. After the loosening of the bolts or the like, which join the carrier plate with the shaft, oil, glycerine or the like, for example, is conveyed through the or each feed line under high pressure to the push-out grooves, making the preferably tapered bore in the shaft expand slightly and the wheel hub drive is automatically detached from the carrier plate spigot.

If the shaft has meandering cooling channels, whose connections open to the face of the bore in the shaft, the assembly and dismantling of the wheel hub drive can be facilitated further, inasmuch that the inlet and outlet of the cooling medium are arranged next to each other and are guided simply through the interior of the carrier plate spigot.

As an alternative to this the cooling channels may be provided on the surface of the shaft in the shape of a double helix,, whereby the connections open on the face of the bore into the shaft. The two helices running across each other are connected T V I with each other on that side of the shaft which is opposite the face of the bore, so that a closed cooling circuit is achieved.

This manner of supply of the cooling medium will be simplified if in the carrier plate spigot bores or the like are provided to accommodate the connecting feeding lines to convey the cooling medium. In this manner the supply and removal of the cooling medium is carried out through the carrier plate spigot, without the suspension of the drive being hindered by the connecting feed lines.

In an advantageous manner the electrical connections of the wheel hub drive are provided in a junction box, fastened on the carrier plate. This measure will contribute to the further facilitation of the replacement of the entire drive unit.

In an advantageous manner the wheel hub drive is constructed by a synchronous, asynchronous or transverse flux machine.

2*0 Details of the invention are explained based on the drawings, which show an embodiment of an electromotive wheel hub motor without gearbox with the suspension according to the invention.

S They show in: 25 Fig.l a longitudinal section of a wheel hub drive for the "wheel rims of a railbound vehicle, Fig.la detail A of Fig.l on an enlarged scale, Fig.lb detail B of Fig.l on an enlarged scale, Fig.2 a side view of the wheel hub drive according to Fig.l, Fig.3 a schematic illustration of the connection of the wheel hub drive according to the invention with the wagon body of a railbound vehicle, Fig.4 a version of the wheel hub drive for the wheel of a r non-railbound vehicle.

In the case of the wheel hub drive illustrated in Fig.l one deals with an outside-rotor AC wheel hub motor, in particular a three-phase asynchronous motor with a squirrel-cage rotor. The motor comprises a stationary part, the stator S, and a rotating part, the rotor R. The rotor R is surrounded by a rotor housing 8. The wheel rims 1 are fastened on the rotor housing 8 via elastic elements 2 and rim rings 3a, 3b. For this purpose the rim rings 3a, 3b, with the aid of bolts 25 or the like, are mounted on a fastening ring 30 integrated with or pushed on the rotor housing 8. In the case of the elastic elements 2 one can deal with block-shaped, package-shaped or annular components, made preferably of rubber or the like. The rotating rotor housing 8 is fastened to an outer bearing plate 34 by means of bolts 33 or the like and mounted on a stationary shaft 14 via S" an outer bearing 35. The purpose of a labyrinth seal 36 is to prevent the ingress of dirt to the interior of the motor and the egress of the lubricant. Instead of the usual inside :20 bearing plate, the invention provides a carrier plate 6, which on one side is connected with the shaft 14.

The rotor housing 8 is mounted on the carrier plate 6 via a movable bearing 13, wherein the inside race 13a of the movable .25 bearing is joined with the carrier plate 6 and the outer race 13b of the movable bearing with the rotor housing 8. A lubrication opening 20 for the movable bearing 13 may be integrated in the carrier plate 6. The carrier plate 6 has a carrier plate spigot 7 which tapers in the direction of the interior of the wheel hub drive, while protruding into a complementarily constructed bore 15 in the shaft 14 in the interior of the wheel hub drive. On this occasion the carrier plate spigot 7 protrudes into the interior of the wheel hub drive preferably past the central contact point 24 of the wheel 1. By virtue of the complementary shape a press fit of the carrier plate spigot 7 can be achieved in the bore 15 for a secure suspension of the wheel hub drive. This joint between the carrier plate 6 and the shaft 14 is secured by bolts 16 or h the like. In the embodiment illustrated the carrier plate spigot 7 is provided with three annular push-out grooves 17, which are connected to one or several feed lines 18. The feed lines 18 extend inside the carrier plate spigot 7 parallel to the shaft 14 end terminate in a connection for a fluid or gaseous pressure medium easily accessible from the outside. The carrier plate 6 is preferably joined to the shaft 14 on that side of the wheel hub drive which faces the centre of the vehicle, so that in the case of an exchange of the wheel hub drive this can be easily and fast pulled off laterally outwardly. For this purpose the bolts 16 or the like are undone and oil, glycerine or the like is introduced into the or each feed line 18 under high pressure, due to which the bore 15 in the shaft 14 is expanded by a minimum amount and the carrier plate spigot 7 is automatically detached from the shaft 14.

On the outside of the carrier plate 6 a junction box 12 is fastened by means of screws 12a or the like, which junction box contains the electric connections 11 for the wheel hub drive.

S For the cooling of the wheel hub drive cooling channels 9 are provided in the shaft 14, through which the cooling medium is conveyed to remove the heat energy. In an advantageous manner the cooling channels extend in a meandering manner and their S..25 connections 10 open next to each other on the face of the bore 15 of the shaft 14. The carrier plate spigot 7 has at least one bore 42 or the like to accommodate the connecting feed lines 41 which convey the cooling medium, which run parallel to the shaft 14. For an easier assembly and dismantling of the wheel hub drive sleeves 40 or the like are screwed in the connections in a sealing manner, which preferably contain flexible connecting feed lines 41. This detail can be seen in Fig.lb.

When being connected to the wheel hub drive, the connecting feed lines 41 are pushed into the bores 42 or the like of the carrier plate spigot 7 and they protrude from the carrier plate 6, where they can be connected in an easy manner to the device for the conveying of the cooling medium.

7 Wearing parts, like wheel rims 1, brake discs 22, earthing contact 27 or the like are fastened advantageously on that side of the wheel hub drive which is averted from the centre of the vehicle, so that they are easily accessible from the outside and can be replaced or checked without dismantling the wheel hub drive. For the replacement of the wheel rim 1 the bolts are loosened from the outside, the outer rim wheel 3b is pulled off and finally the wheel rim 1 is pulled off. To assemble a new wheel rim 1 the above mentioned steps are repeated in the reverse order.

A possible brake disc 22 is advantageously integrated in the bearing cover 37 and fastened in the outer bearing plate 34 with bolts 38 or the like. The brake disc 22 contains a labyrinth seal 36, which prevents the ingress of dirt and dust *from the outside into the interior of the wheel hub drive and simultaneously the escape of the bearing grease to the outside.

The brake disc 22 can be exchanged fast and simply by loosening the bolts 38 or the like.

In Fig.la a further wearing part of the wheel hub drive, the earthing contact 21, is illustrated in detail. The rotating part of the earthing contact 21 is fastened on the bearing cover 37 with the aid of bolts 39 or the like via a carrier 25 disc 43. A carbon 27, situated on the inside end of the earthing contact 21, is abraded during the rotation of the drive on the stationary contact metal 26, which is joined with the shaft 14. The earthing contact 21, the carbon 27 and the contact metal 26 can also be replaced easily from the outside without dismantling the wheel hub drive.

Fig.2 shows a side view of the wheel hub drive according to Fig.1 from the right, in this case from that side of the wheel hub drive which faces the centre of the vehicle. It can be seen that the wheel rim 1, the inner rim ring 3a and the carrier plate 6 according to the invention, are fastened on the shaft of the wheel hub drive by bolts 16 or the like arranged on a circle offset at an angle from each other. Other connections or other arrangements of the connecting units, of course, are also feasible. The bore 42 or the like to accommodate the connecting feed line 41 which carries the cooling medium in the carrier plate spigot opens to the outside of the carrier plate 6. in this case two bores 42 are provided parallel next to each other. Below the bore 42 or the like the opening of a feed line 18 for the supply of oil, glycerine or the like to the push-out grooves can be seen. Above the bores 42 a junction box 12 with the electric connections 11 of the wheel hub drive is provided.

The junction box 12 is fastened on the carrier plate 6 by means of screws 12a or the like.

Fig.3 shows schematically the connection of the wheel hub drive with the wagon body 23 of a railbound vehicle. Two wheel hub drives are arranged opposing each other transversely to the Se direction of the travel. The wheel rims 1, connected with the rotor housings 8 of the wheel hub drives, run on rails 28. The carrier plates 6 according to the invention of the opposite situated wheel hub drives are joined to each other by means of the vehicle frame 19, like, for example, an axle bracket, which carries the wagon body 23, preferably via springs 29, e.g.

primary springs.

Fig.4 shows a version of the wheel hub drive according to the 25 invention for the tyres 4 of a non-railbound vehicle. Such drives are used, for example, for trolley buses or so called people movers at airports. In this case the rotor housing 8 is firmly joined with the rim 5, which carries the tyre 4, by means of an intermediate ring 31 and bolts 32 or the like. To carry out a simple tyre change, the rim 5 can be removed after the removal of the bolts 32. To enable the steering of the vehicle the wheel hub drives can be suspended articulately in a manner known per se.

Claims

1. An electromotive wheel hub drive for a wheel of a vehicle, particularly for a wheel of a railbound vehicle, by using an outside-rotor motor, wherein the rotor housing is joined with the vehicle's wheel and the stator is situated on a stationary shaft, which shaft is suspended unilaterally on the chassis of the vehicle or the like, characterised in that the unilateral suspension is carried out via a carrier plate joined with the shaft, which carrier plate has a carrier plate spigot which protrudes into a bore in the shaft into the interior of the wheel hub drive.

2. A wheel hub drive according to claim 1, characterised in that the carrier plate is joined with the shaft on that side of the wheel hub drive which faces the centre of the vehicle. o 9* S. 20

3. A wheel hub drive according to claim 1 or 2, characterised in that the carrier plate spigot protrudes into the interior of the wheel hub drive past the central contact point of the vehicle's wheel. 25

4. A wheel hub drive according to any one of the Claims 1 to 3, characterised in that the bore in the shaft tapers in the direction of the interior of the wheel hub drive, and that the carrier plate spigot has a shape which preferably complements the bore.

A wheel hub drive according to any one of the claims 1 to 4, characterised in that the carrier plate spigot has at least one, preferably annular push-out groove, which is connected to at least one feed line.

6. A wheel hub drive according to any one of the Sclaims 1 to 5, characterised in that the shaft has Ht\Leanne\ee\57391-98.doc 25/07/00 10 meandering cooling channels, whose connections open to the face of the bore.

7. A wheel hub drive according to any one of the claims 1 to 5, characterised in that the shaft has cooling channels in the shape of a double helix, with connections opening on the face of the bore into the shaft.

8. A wheel hub drive according to claim 6 or 7, characterised in that in carrier plate spigot bores or the like are provided to accommodate the connecting feeding lines to convey the cooling medium.

9. A wheel hub drive according to any one of the claims 1 to 8, characterised in that electrical connections of the wheel hub drive are provided in a junction box, fastened on the carrier plate.

10. A wheel hub drive according to any one of the 20 claims 1 to 9, characterised in that the wheel hub drive is constructed by a synchronous, asynchronous or transverse flux machine.

11. An electromotive wheel hub drive, substantially 25 as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Dated this 25th day of July 2000 ABB DAIMLER BENZ TRANSPORTATION AUSTRIA GMBH 30 By their Patent Attorneys GRIFFITH HACK Fellows Institute of Patent and Trade Mark Attorneys of Australia H!\L .nne\Kep\57391 98doc 25/07/00