US 12,330,458 B2
Trucks and trailers with power conversion elements and suspension systems accommodating power conversion elements inboard of a wheel
Santo A. Padula, Owings Mills, MD (US)
Filed by Santo A. Padula, Owings Mills, MD (US)
Filed on Feb. 27, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/114,620.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/313,896, filed on Feb. 25, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2023/0271468 A1, Aug. 31, 2023
Int. Cl. B60G 11/27 (2006.01); B60K 7/00 (2006.01)
CPC B60G 11/27 (2013.01) [B60K 7/0007 (2013.01); B60G 2202/152 (2013.01); B60G 2204/148 (2013.01); B60G 2300/02 (2013.01); B60G 2300/04 (2013.01); B60K 2007/003 (2013.01)] 15 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A truck or trailer comprising:
a wheel end installation including:
a wheel,
a stub axle spindle extending through the wheel and having a through bore,
a step-up drive ratio unit inboard of said stub-axle spindle,
an axle shaft extending through the through bore of the stub-axle spindle and operatively connected to the step-up drive ratio unit, the axle shaft rotating with the wheel,
a power conversion unit operatively connected to the step-up drive ratio unit, such that mechanical energy from rotation of the axle shaft is converted, through the step-up drive ratio unit and the power conversion unit, into electrical energy, wherein the wheel of the wheel end installation is either a right wheel or a left wheel of a wheel pair of the truck or trailer, wherein the right wheel and left wheel are not joined by a tubular axle or drive axle, and wherein the step-up drive ratio unit and power conversion unit occupy a space that would be occupied by a tubular axle or drive axle, if the tubular axle joined the wheel pair.