US 12,296,830 B1
Drive axle system and method for determining pinion gear torque
Claudio Maffei, Arco (IT); Efrem Rusconi, Arco (IT); and Andrea Bolza, Arco (IT)
Assigned to DANA ITALIA S.R.L., Arco (IT)
Filed by DANA ITALIA S.R.L., Trentino (IT)
Filed on Jan. 29, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/425,802.
Int. Cl. B60W 30/188 (2012.01); B60W 10/12 (2012.01); B60W 10/20 (2006.01); F16H 48/05 (2012.01)
CPC B60W 30/188 (2013.01) [B60W 10/12 (2013.01); B60W 10/20 (2013.01); B60W 2510/12 (2013.01); F16H 48/05 (2013.01)] 19 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A drive axle system, comprising:
a displacement sensor directly coupled to a pinion input flange and configured to generate axial displacement data that corresponds to the pinion input flange, wherein the pinion input flange is coupled to an angled pinion gear via a shaft;
an angular speed sensor coupled to the displacement sensor and configured to generate angular speed data associated with the pinion input flange; and
a controller including instructions stored in memory that when executed cause the controller to:
determine a torque at the pinion input flange based on the axial displacement data;
wherein the pinion input flange is positioned external to a differential housing that at least partially surrounds the shaft; and
wherein the angled pinion gear meshes with a ring gear in a differential.