IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,404,915
Granted Patent B2
US 12,404,915 · App. 18/743,718 · Granted Sep 2, 2025

Drive unit for a vehicle

Inventors: Johannes Kaltenbach (Friedrichshafen, DE); Thomas Martin (Weissenberg, DE); Fabian Kutter (Kressbronn, DE); Johannes Glückler (Friedrichshafen, DE); Kai Bornträger (Langenargen, DE); Stefan Renner (Bodman-Ludwigshafen, DE)
Assignee: ZF Friedrichshafen AG
F16H3/66F16H63/32F16H2063/324F16H2200/0021F16H2200/2007F16H2200/2038F16H2200/2094
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,404,915
App. No.
18/743,718
Granted
Sep 2, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A vehicle drive unit has an electric machine and a manual gearbox with first and second shift elements and two planetary gear sets coupled to one another. Each gear set has a sun shaft, a ring gear shaft, and a web shaft. The second sun shaft is drivable by the electric machine and is configured as an output of the shift gear. The second ring gear shaft is connected rotationally fixed to the first web shaft, and the first sun shaft is connected rotationally fixed to a stationary component. When actuated, the first shift element connects the first ring gear shaft to an element of the first planetary gear set and/or of the second planetary gear set. When actuated, the second shift element connects the first ring gear shaft rotationally fixed to the second sun shaft or the second web shaft in order to shift a second gear.

Claims (54)

1. A drive unit for a vehicle, comprising:

an electric machine; and

a shift gearbox with at least a first shift element, a second shift element, and two planetary gear sets coupled to one another;

wherein:

the first planetary gear set has a first sun shaft, a first ring gear shaft, and a first web shaft;

the second planetary gear set has a second sun shaft, a second ring gear shaft, and a second web shaft;

the second sun shaft can be driven by the electric machine, the second web shaft is set up as an output shaft, and the second ring gear shaft is non-rotatably connected to the first web shaft;

the first sun shaft is non-rotatably connected to a stationary component, the first shift element, in an actuated state, connects the first ring gear shaft to at least one element of the first planetary gear set and at least one element of the second planetary gear set; and

the second shift element, in an actuated state, connects the first ring gear shaft to the second sun shaft or the second web shaft in a rotationally fixed manner in order to shift a second gear.

2. The drive unit for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one element of the first planetary gear set is the web shaft of the first planetary gear set and the at least one element of the second planetary gear set is the web shaft or the ring gear shaft of the second planetary gear set.

3. The drive unit for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein

in an actuated state, the first shift element connects the first ring gear shaft to the first web shaft and the second ring gear shaft in a rotationally fixed manner in order to shift a first gear, and

the second shift element, in an actuated state, connects the first ring gear shaft to the second sun shaft in a rotationally fixed manner in order to shift a second gear.

4. The drive unit for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein

in an actuated state, the first shift element connects the first ring gear shaft to a stationary component in a rotationally fixed manner in order to shift a first gear, and

the second shift element, in an actuated state, connects the first ring gear shaft to the second sun shaft in a rotationally fixed manner in order to shift a second gear.

5. The drive unit for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein

in an actuated state, the first shift element connects the first ring gear shaft to the second web shaft in a rotationally fixed manner in order to shift a first gear, and

the second shift element, in an actuated state, connects the first ring gear shaft to the second sun shaft in a rotationally fixed manner in order to shift a second gear.

6. The drive unit for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein

in an actuated state, the first shift element connects the first ring gear shaft to the second web shaft in a rotationally fixed manner in order to shift a first gear, and

the second shift element, in an actuated state, connects the second web shaft to the second sun shaft in a rotationally fixed manner in order to shift a second gear.

7. The drive unit for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein

in an actuated state, the first shift element connects the first ring gear shaft to the second web shaft in a rotationally fixed manner in order to shift a first gear, and

the second shift element, in an actuated state, connects the first web shaft and the second ring gear shaft to the second web shaft in a rotationally fixed manner in order to shift a second gear.

8. The drive unit for a vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the manual gearbox has a third shift element.

9. The drive unit for a vehicle according to claim 8 , wherein:

in an actuated state, the first shift element connects the first ring gear shaft to the first web shaft and the second ring gear shaft in a rotationally fixed manner in order to shift a first gear,

the second shift element, in an actuated state, connects the first ring gear shaft to the second web shaft in a rotationally fixed manner in order to shift a second gear, and

the third shift element, in an actuated state, connects the first web shaft and the second ring gear shaft to the second web shaft in a rotationally fixed manner in order to shift a third gear.

10. The drive unit for a vehicle according to claim 8 , wherein:

in an actuated state, the first shift element connects the first ring gear shaft to a stationary component in a rotationally fixed manner in order to shift a first gear,

the second shift element , in an actuated state, connects the first ring gear shaft to the second web shaft in a rotationally fixed manner in order to shift a second gear, and

the third shift element, in an actuated state, connects the first web shaft and the second ring gear shaft to the second web shaft in a rotationally fixed manner in order to shift a third gear.

11. The drive unit for a vehicle according to claim 8 , wherein:

in an actuated state, the first shift element connects the first ring gear shaft to the first web shaft and the second ring gear shaft in a rotationally fixed manner in order to shift a first gear,

the second shift element, in an actuated state, connects the first ring gear shaft to the second sun shaft in a rotationally fixed manner in order to shift a second gear, and

the third shift element, in an actuated state, connects the first web shaft and the second ring gear shaft to the second sun shaft in a rotationally fixed manner in order to shift a third gear.

12. The drive unit for a vehicle according to claim 8 , wherein:

in an actuated state, the first shift element connects the first ring gear shaft to a stationary component in a rotationally fixed manner in order to shift a first gear,

the second shift element, in an actuated state, connects the first ring gear shaft to the second sun shaft in a rotationally fixed manner in order to shift a second gear, and

the third shift element, in an actuated state, connects the first web shaft and the second ring gear shaft to the second sun shaft in a rotationally fixed manner in order to shift a third gear.

13. The drive unit for a vehicle according to claim 8 , wherein:

in an actuated state, the first shift element connects the first ring gear shaft to a stationary component in a rotationally fixed manner in order to shift a first gear,

the second shift element, in an actuated state, connects the first ring gear shaft to the second sun shaft in a rotationally fixed manner in order to shift a second gear, and

the third shift element, in an actuated state, connects the second web shaft to the second sun shaft in a rotationally fixed manner in order to shift a third gear.

14. The drive unit for a vehicle according to claim 8 , wherein:

in an actuated state, the first shift element connects the first ring gear shaft to the second web shaft in a rotationally fixed manner in order to shift a first gear,

the second shift element, in an actuated state, connects the first ring gear shaft to the second sun shaft in a rotationally fixed manner in order to shift a second gear, and

the third shift element, in an actuated state, connects the second web shaft to the second sun shaft in a rotationally fixed manner in order to shift a third gear.

15. The drive unit according to claim 1 , wherein the first shift element and the second shift element are combined to form a shifting unit with three shift positions, and wherein the shifting unit has a single axially displaceable sliding sleeve.

16. The drive unit according to claim 8 , wherein the first shift element, the second shift element, and the third shift element form a shifting unit with five shift positions, and wherein the shifting unit has a single axially displaceable sliding sleeve.

17. The drive unit according to claim 15 , wherein the shift unit has a neutral position between two gear positions.

18. The drive unit according to claim 1 , wherein all shift elements are configured as positive-locking shift elements.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 13, 2024
From: KALTENBACH, JOHANNES; MARTIN, THOMAS; KUTTER, FABIAN; GLÜCKLER, JOHANNES; BORNTRÄGER, KAI; RENNER, STEFAN
To: ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG
Reel/Frame 068268/0597 →
Priority Claims (1)
DE 10 2023 205 680.1 · Jun 16, 2023 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240418244A1 · Dec 19, 2024
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