US 12,240,305 B2
Left-right wheel driving device
Naoki Takahashi, Tokyo (JP); Kiminobu Terao, Tokyo (JP); and Motoharu Chiba, Tokyo (JP)
Assigned to MITSUBISHI JIDOSHA KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Tokyo (JP)
Appl. No. 17/433,931
Filed by MITSUBISHI JIDOSHA KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Tokyo (JP)
PCT Filed Dec. 24, 2019, PCT No. PCT/JP2019/050664
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Aug. 25, 2021,
PCT Pub. No. WO2020/179202, PCT Pub. Date Sep. 10, 2020.
Claims priority of application No. 2019-040350 (JP), filed on Mar. 6, 2019.
Prior Publication US 2022/0048375 A1, Feb. 17, 2022
Int. Cl. B60K 1/02 (2006.01); B60K 17/04 (2006.01); B60L 15/20 (2006.01); F16H 57/02 (2012.01)
CPC B60K 1/02 (2013.01) [B60K 17/04 (2013.01); B60L 15/2036 (2013.01); F16H 57/02 (2013.01); F16H 2057/02034 (2013.01); F16H 2057/02052 (2013.01); F16H 2702/02 (2013.01)] 7 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A left-right wheel driving device comprising:
a left motor on a vehicle left side and a right motor on a vehicle right side that each drive left and right wheels of a vehicle, and
a gear mechanism that amplifies a torque difference between the left motor and the right motor and transmits the amplified torques to the left and right wheels, wherein
a left rotating shaft portion which is a rotating shaft portion of the left motor and a right rotating shaft portion which is a rotating shaft portion of the right motor are coaxially disposed;
the left-right wheel driving device further comprises
a left motor shaft portion extending from the left rotating shaft portion to the vehicle right side, positioned coaxially with the left rotating shaft portion, and provided with a left motor gear,
a right motor shaft portion extending from the right rotating shaft portion to the vehicle left side, positioned coaxially with the right rotating shaft portion, and provided with a right motor gear,
a left counter shaft disposed in parallel to the left motor shaft portion, provided with a left intermediate gear meshing with the left motor gear, and provided with a left second intermediate gear having a diameter smaller than that of the left first intermediate gear,
a right counter shaft disposed in parallel to the right motor shaft portion, provided with a right first intermediate gear meshing with the right motor gear, and provided with a right second intermediate gear having a diameter smaller than that of the right first intermediate gear,
a left output shaft disposed in parallel to the left motor shaft portion and provided with a left output gear meshing with the left second intermediate gear, and
a right output shaft disposed in parallel to the right motor shaft portion and provided with a right output gear meshing with the right second intermediate gear:
the gear mechanism is disposed on a right end side of the left output shaft and a left end side of the right output shaft, between the left output gear and the right output gear;
the left and right wheels are disposed on a left end side of the left output shaft and a right end side of the right output shaft, respectively;
the left first intermediate gear is set such that sum of a diameter of the left first intermediate gear and a radius of the left motor gear is smaller than a length from a center of the left motor shaft portion to an outer circumference face of the left motor;
the right first intermediate gear is set such that sum of a diameter of the right first intermediate gear and a radius of the right motor gear is smaller than a length from a center of the right motor shaft portion to an outer circumference face of the right motor;
the left output gear partially overlaps the left motor in a side view and includes a left tooth portion in mesh with the left second intermediate gear and a left cylindrical portion axially extending from the left tooth portion to the vehicle left side;
the right output gear partially overlaps the right motor in a side view and includes a right tooth portion in mesh with the right second intermediate gear and a right cylindrical portion axially extending from the right tooth portion to the vehicle right side;
the left output shaft is rotatably supported by a casing by a structure that the left cylindrical portion outer-fitted to the left output shaft is pivotally supported by left bearings spaced apart from each other;
the right output shaft is rotatably supported by the casing by a structure that the right cylindrical portion outer-fitted to the right output shaft is pivotally supported by right bearings spaced apart from each other;
in a mounted state where the left-right wheel driving device is mounted on the vehicle, the left output shaft is at a lower height than a height of the left motor shaft portion, and the right output shaft is at a lower height than a height of the right motor shaft portion;
in a side view of the mounted state, the left counter shaft is at a lower height than an imaginary line connecting the left motor shaft portion with the left output shaft and the right counter shaft is at a lower height than an imaginary line connecting the right motor shaft portion with the right output shaft;
in the mounted state, a vertical position of a case upper face which is an upper face of the casing is lower than each position of respective upper ends of outer circumference faces of a left motor housing of the left motor and a right motor housing of the right motor; and
in the mounted state, a vertical length from the case upper face to the center of the left motor shaft portion is shorter than a vertical length from the case upper face to the upper end of the left motor housing, and a vertical length from the case upper face to the center of the right motor shaft portion is shorter than a vertical length from the case upper face to the upper end of the right motor housing.