Electric drive axle with multi-speed gearbox
An electric axle and electric axle product line. The electric axle includes, in one example, a multi-speed gearbox assembly rotationally coupled to a first electric machine and including a first shaft with a first clutch positioned coaxial thereto and a second shaft with a second clutch positioned coaxial thereto. In the multi-speed gearbox assembly, the first clutch and the second clutch are parallel to one another and configured to alter the unit's operating gear ratio.
1 . An electric axle comprising:
a multi-speed gearbox assembly rotationally coupled to a first electric machine and including;
a first shaft with a first clutch positioned coaxial thereto; and
a second shaft with a second clutch positioned coaxial thereto;
wherein the first clutch and the second clutch are configured to adjust a gear ratio of the multi-speed gearbox assembly; and
wherein the first shaft and the second shaft are parallel to one another.
2 . The electric axle of claim 1 , further comprising an input unit that is removably coupled to:
the multi-speed gearbox assembly and includes a gear reduction rotationally coupled to the first electric machine and a gear in the multi-speed gearbox assembly.
3 . The electric axle of claim 2 , further comprising a power take-off (PTO) rotationally coupled to the input unit.
4 . The electric axle of claim 3 , wherein the PTO and the first electric machine are coaxially positioned.
5 . The electric axle of claim 2 , further comprising a second electric machine rotationally coupled to the input unit.
6 . The electric axle of claim 1 , wherein the first clutch is designed to selectively rotationally couple a first gear to the first shaft and wherein the second clutch is designed to selectively rotationally coupled a second gear to the second shaft.
7 . The electric axle of claim 1 , wherein the first clutch and the second clutch are friction clutches.
8 . The electric axle of claim 1 , wherein the electric axle is an electric beam axle.
9 . The electric axle of claim 1 , wherein the first clutch is positioned axially between two gears that are coaxial to the first shaft and the second clutch is positioned axially between two gears that are coaxial to the second shaft.
10 . The electric axle of claim 1 , wherein the multi-speed gearbox assembly includes a differential that is configured to rotationally couple to drive wheels.
11 . An electric axle comprising:
a multi-speed gearbox assembly configured to directly rotationally couple to a first electric machine in a first configuration and rotationally coupled to an input unit in a second configuration;
wherein the multi-speed gearbox assembly comprises:
a first shaft with a first clutch positioned coaxial thereto; and
a second shaft with a second clutch positioned coaxial thereto;
wherein the first clutch and the second clutch are configured to shift the multi-speed gearbox assembly between a first gear ratio and a second gear ratio; and
wherein the first shaft and the second shaft are parallel to one another.
12 . The electric axle of claim 11 , wherein the electric axle is an electric beam axle configured to couple to a dependent suspension system.
13 . The electric axle of claim 11 , wherein the multi-speed gearbox assembly is directly mounted to an axle shaft housing.
14 . The electric axle of claim 11 , wherein the input unit is configured to rotationally couple to a second electric machine.
15 . The electric axle of claim 11 , wherein the input unit is configured to rotationally couple to a power-take off (PTO) pump.