Multi-speed axle assembly having a one-way freewheel clutch

1. An axle assembly comprising:

an electric motor module having a rotor that is rotatable about an axis;

a drive pinion that is rotatable about the axis;

a planetary gear set that operatively connects the rotor to the drive pinion, the planetary gear set including:

a planet gear carrier that is rotatable about the axis and that is operatively connected to the rotor;

a sun gear that is rotatable about the axis and that is operatively connected to the drive pinion;

a planetary ring gear that encircles the sun gear and is rotatable about the axis; and

a set of planet gears that is rotatably supported upon the planet gear carrier, wherein each member of the set of planet gears meshes with the sun gear and the planetary ring gear; and

a one-way freewheel clutch that is rotatably disposed on the planet gear carrier and is engageable with at least one member of the set of planet gears.

2. The axle assembly of claim 1 wherein each member of the set of planet gears is rotatable about a planet gear axis with respect to the planet gear carrier, the one-way freewheel clutch is rotatable about a clutch axis with respect to the planet gear carrier, and the clutch axis is disposed closer to the axis than the planet gear axes are disposed to the axis.

3. The axle assembly of claim 1 wherein the one-way freewheel clutch is engageable with one member of the set of planet gears.

4. The axle assembly of claim 3 wherein the one-way freewheel clutch inhibits rotation of a first member of the set of planet gears with respect to the planet gear carrier when the one-way freewheel clutch is received between teeth of the first member of the set of planet gears.

5. The axle assembly of claim 1 wherein the one-way freewheel clutch is engageable with two members of the set of planet gears.

6. The axle assembly of claim 5 wherein the one-way freewheel clutch inhibits rotation of the set of planet gears with respect to the planet gear carrier when the one-way freewheel clutch is received between teeth of a first member of the set of planet gears and is received between teeth of a second member of the set of planet gears and the planetary ring gear is rotatable about the axis.

7. The axle assembly of claim 5 wherein the one-way freewheel clutch inhibits rotation of the set of planet gears with respect to the planet gear carrier when a first tip of the one-way freewheel clutch contacts a first member of the of the set of planet gears and is received between adjacent teeth of the first member of the set of planet gears and a second tip of the one-way freewheel clutch contacts a second member of the set of planet gears and is received between teeth of the second member of the set of planet gears.

8. The axle assembly of claim 5 wherein the planetary ring gear, the planet gear carrier, and the sun gear are rotatable together about the axis when the one-way freewheel clutch inhibits rotation of the set of planet gears with respect to the planet gear carrier.

9. The axle assembly of claim 5 wherein the one-way freewheel clutch permits rotation of the set of planet gears with respect to the planet gear carrier when the planetary ring gear is inhibited from rotating about the axis.

10. The axle assembly of claim 9 wherein the one-way freewheel clutch permits rotation of the set of planet gears with respect to the sun gear and the planetary ring gear when the planetary ring gear is inhibited from rotating about the axis.

11. The axle assembly of claim 1 wherein a planetary ring gear clutch controls rotation of the planetary ring gear about the axis.

12. The axle assembly of claim 11 wherein the planetary ring gear clutch is a band clutch that partially encircles the planetary ring gear.

13. The axle assembly of claim 11 wherein the planetary ring gear clutch is a multi-plate clutch that encircles the planetary ring gear and that is actuatable in a direction that extends along the axis.

14. An axle assembly comprising:

an electric motor module having a rotor that is rotatable about an axis;

a drive pinion that is rotatable about the axis;

a planetary gear set that operatively connects the rotor to the drive pinion, the planetary gear set including:

a planet gear carrier that is rotatable about the axis and that is operatively connected to the rotor;

a sun gear that is rotatable about the axis and that is operatively connected to the drive pinion;

a planetary ring gear that encircles the sun gear and is rotatable about the axis; and

a set of planet gears that is rotatably supported upon the planet gear carrier, wherein each member of the set of planet gears meshes with the sun gear and the planetary ring gear; and

a one-way freewheel clutch that extends between the sun gear and the planet gear carrier.

15. The axle assembly of claim 14 wherein the one-way freewheel clutch encircles the axis and the planet gear carrier encircles the one-way freewheel clutch.

16. The axle assembly of claim 15 wherein the one-way freewheel clutch encircles the sun gear and extends from the sun gear to the planet gear carrier.

17. The axle assembly of claim 14 wherein the one-way freewheel clutch is positioned along the axis between the sun gear and the planet gear carrier.

18. The axle assembly of claim 17 wherein the one-way freewheel clutch extends axially from the sun gear to the planet gear carrier.

19. The axle assembly of claim 14 wherein torque is transmitted from the planet gear carrier to the sun gear via the one-way freewheel clutch in a low-speed mode in which the planetary ring gear is free to rotate about the axis.

20. The axle assembly of claim 14 wherein torque is transmitted from the planet gear carrier to the sun gear via the set of planet gears and the one-way freewheel clutch permits the sun gear to rotate faster than the planet gear carrier in a high-speed mode when the planetary ring gear is inhibited from rotating about the axis.