Electric Driving Unit for a Vehicle

1 . An electric drive unit for a motor vehicle, comprising:

(a) a stub axle;

(b) an electric motor having a stator that is fixed with respect to the stub axle and having a rotor that is rotatably supported with respect to the stub axle;

(c) a gear system having its input connected to the rotor for torque transmission;

(d) a wheel carrier connected to the output of the gear system for torque transmission;

(e) a first bearing of the wheel carrier provided on a first axial side of the electric motor facing away from the gear system;

(f) a second bearing of the wheel carrier provided

either on the first axial side of the electric motor as well

or in the gear system, realized in the form of a bearing of a rotatable gear system part connected to the wheel carrier.

2 . The A drive unit according to claim 1 ,

wherein the gear system is a planetary gear system having a sun wheel, planet wheels, a planet carrier and a ring gear.

3 . A drive unit of according to claim 2 ,

wherein said bearing of a rotatable gear system part is a bearing of the planet carrier.

4 . The drive unit of claim 2 ,

wherein the planetary gear system is a planetary gear system with stepped planet wheels.

5 . The drive unit of claim 1 ,

wherein a common lubricant is provided for the gear system and said bearing of a rotatable gear system part.

6 . The drive unit of claim 1 ,

wherein the rotor of the electric motor and the input of the gear system are connected to each other without intermediate compensating member.

7 . The drive unit of claim 1 ,

wherein the wheel carrier is of axially split design.

8 . The drive unit according to any of claim 1 ,

wherein the gear system is adapted to be unmounted from the drive unit in the form of a module.

9 . The drive unit of claim 7 ,

wherein the gear system module is adapted to be unmounted together with a wheel carrier part.

10 . The drive unit of claim 1 ,

wherein the main part of the rotor of the electric motor, upon release thereof from its supporting portion, is adapted to be unmounted from the drive unit in axial direction.

11 . The drive unit of claim 1 ,

wherein the stator of the electric motor is adapted to be unmounted from the drive unit in axial direction.

12 . The drive unit of claim 1 ,

wherein the first bearing of the wheel carrier is positioned with at least part of its axial length within the axial length of the electric motor.

13 . The drive unit of claim 1 ,

wherein an end portion of the wheel carrier is positioned in an annular space surrounding the gear system.

14 . The drive unit of claim 1

wherein a face end of the wheel carrier is located within the axial dimension of the gear system.

15 . The drive unit of claims 1 ,

wherein the wheel carrier has a tire rim attached thereto.

16 . The drive unit of claim 15 ,

wherein the tire rim is of bipartite design.

17 . The drive unit of claim 16 ,

wherein the lateral ring of the splittable rim is located closer to the vehicle center.

18 . The drive unit of claim 1 ,

wherein the wheel carrier has a chain wheel attached thereto.

19 . The drive unit of claim 1 ,

wherein the gear system is adapted to be positioned on the vehicle outer side of the drive unit.

20 . The drive unit of claim 1 ,

wherein a brake disc or a brake drum is provided on the side of the wheel carrier facing away from the gear system.

21 . The drive unit of claim 1 ,

wherein between the output of the gear system and the wheel carrier there is provided a coupling compensating relative movements.

22 . The drive unit of claim 21 ,

wherein the coupling is a curved teeth coupling.

23 . The drive unit according to claim 21 ,

wherein the coupling is an elastic mechanical coupling.

24 . The drive unit of claim 21 ,

wherein the coupling is a torque-transmitting tube.

25 . The drive unit of claim 1 ,

wherein a releasable connection is provided in the torque-transmitting path between the electric motor and the gear system.

26 . The drive unit of claim 25 ,

wherein the releasable connection is integrated in the gear system.

27 . The drive unit claim 25 ,

wherein the releasable connection is adapted to be released from the outside.

28 . The drive unit of claim 1 ,

wherein there is provided a plug system for connecting the electric motor electrically and in terms of cooling.

29 . The drive unit according to claim 28 ,

wherein the plug system contains at least one additional connection, preferably to at least one of a tire pressure regulating system and a rotational speed sensor on the wheel side and for a gear system cooling means.

30 . The drive unit of claim 1 ,

further comprising all lines between the drive unit and the remainder of the vehicle, wherein all of said lines extend in a common, flexible enclosure.

31 . The drive unit of claim 1 ,

further comprising several line strands provided between drive unit and the remainder of the vehicle, each line strand containing one or more lines.

32 . The drive unit of claim 31 ,

wherein there are provided separated line strand routings for the drive unit, on different parts of the wheel suspension of the vehicle wheel concerned.

33 . The drive unit of claim 1 ,

wherein the electric motor is adapted to be operated as a brake.

34 . The drive unit of claim 1 ,

further comprising a brake associated therewith that is designed as a parking brake.

35 . The drive unit of claim 1 ,

wherein the electric motor is designed with permanent-magnetic excitation on the rotor.

36 . The drive unit of claim 1 ,

wherein the electric motor is designed with an external rotor.

37 . A wheel drive unit for a motor vehicle, comprising:

(a) an electric drive unit of claim 1;

(b) and a motor vehicle wheel attached to the wheel carrier of the drive unit.

38 . The wheel drive unit of claim 37 ,

wherein the drive unit, if desired except for a partial region of the stub axle component on the vehicle side, is accommodated substantially within the axial dimension of the motor vehicle wheel.

39 . The wheel drive unit of claim 37 ,

further comprising at least one mounting portion where said wheel drive unit is adapted to be attached to a wheel suspension of the motor vehicle.

40 . A motor vehicle comprising at least one electric drive unit of claim 1.