US 12,146,563 B2
Drive unit
Hideaki Komada, Gotemba (JP)
Assigned to TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Toyota (JP)
Filed by TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA, Toyota (JP)
Filed on Dec. 7, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/531,825.
Claims priority of application No. 2022-208807 (JP), filed on Dec. 26, 2022.
Prior Publication US 2024/0102546 A1, Mar. 28, 2024
Int. Cl. B60K 1/00 (2006.01); B60K 17/16 (2006.01); B60L 15/00 (2006.01); F16H 37/08 (2006.01); F16H 57/037 (2012.01); F16H 57/02 (2012.01)
CPC F16H 57/037 (2013.01) [B60K 1/00 (2013.01); B60K 17/165 (2013.01); B60L 15/007 (2013.01); F16H 37/082 (2013.01); B60K 2001/001 (2013.01); F16H 2057/02034 (2013.01); F16H 2057/02052 (2013.01)] 3 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A drive unit configured to drive a pair of left and right wheels of a vehicle, the drive unit comprising:
a motor;
a planetary gear mechanism including a sun gear, wherein the sun gear is connected to the motor and power is input to the planetary gear mechanism from the motor;
a parallel gear coaxially fixed to a carrier of the planetary gear mechanism, wherein the power is input to the parallel gear from the carrier;
a first bearing and a second bearing rotatably supporting the carrier and the parallel gear;
a differential mechanism meshing with the parallel gear and configured to distribute power from the parallel gear to the pair of left and right wheels,
wherein the first bearing is disposed on one side relative to the carrier and the parallel gear and the second bearing is disposed on other side of the carrier and the parallel gear;
an inverter disposed adjacent to the motor, the planetary gear mechanism being located on one side relative to a stator of the motor in a longitudinal direction of a rotation shaft, and the inverter being located on other side relative to the stator in the longitudinal direction of the rotation shaft;
an inboard joint; and
a shaft connecting the inboard joint and the differential mechanism to each other, the shaft being parallel to the rotation shaft of the motor and facing the rotation shaft, wherein
the differential mechanism is located on one side relative to a stator of the motor in a longitudinal direction of the shaft,
the inboard joint is located on other side relative to the stator in the longitudinal direction of the shaft, and
as viewed in a direction perpendicular to the shaft and the rotation shaft and in which the shaft and the rotation shaft overlap, the differential mechanism does not overlap the stator, the inboard joint does not overlap the stator, and the inverter does overlap the inboard joint.