IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,535,127
Granted Patent B2
US 12,535,127 · App. 18/836,821 · Granted Jan 27, 2026

Drive device for a vehicle axle

Inventors: Alfred Rehr (Hepberg, DE); Tassilo Scholle (Gaimersheim, DE); Björn Kürten-Pachowsky (Eichstätt, DE); Kay-Uwe Henning (Dachau, DE)
Assignee: AUDI AG
F16H48/22F16H48/32B60K2001/001B60K2023/043B60T1/065F16H2048/366
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,535,127
App. No.
18/836,821
Granted
Jan 27, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A drive device for a vehicle axle of a two-track vehicle, which has an axle differential, the input side of which is drivingly connected to an electric machine and the output sides of which drive on flange shafts leading to the two vehicle wheels. The vehicle axle has a superposition gear with a multi-disk clutch on each side of the vehicle, by which the electric machine can be connected directly to the vehicle wheel flange shaft by bridging the axle differential. The multi-disk clutches can be controlled by a control unit. On each side of the vehicle the multi-disk clutch is assigned a multi-disk brake acting as a vehicle wheel brake, by which vehicle braking processes can be carried out alternatively or in addition to the multi-disk clutch.

Claims (13)

1 . A drive device for a vehicle axle of a two-track vehicle, which has an axle differential, the input side of which is drivingly connected to an electric machine and the output sides of which drive on flange shafts leading to two vehicle wheels, wherein the vehicle axle has a superposition gear with a multi-disk clutch on each side of the vehicle, by which the electric machine can be connected directly to each vehicle wheel flange shaft by bridging the axle differential, wherein the multi-disk clutches can be controlled by a control unit for a redistribution of braking torque between the vehicle sides in a recuperation mode of the electric machine,

wherein a multi-disk brake acting as a vehicle wheel brake is assigned on each side of the vehicle of the multi-disk clutch, by which vehicle braking can be carried out alternatively or in addition to the multi-disk clutch;

wherein, on each side of the vehicle, both the multi-disk clutch and the multi-disk brake can be actuated via a common hydraulic cylinder which is connected to the control unit via exactly one hydraulic line, and in that the hydraulic cylinder builds up a hydraulic pressure when controlled by the control unit, with which a pressure element presses both against a disk pack of the multi-disk clutch and against a disk pack of the multi-disk brake.

2 . The drive device according to claim 1 , wherein, on each side of the vehicle, the pressure element, starting from a non-actuated state, presses the disk pack of the multi-disk clutch against an axial stop via a clearance until the kiss point is reached, and in that in particular the clearance is unchangeable regardless of braking, that is to say in the event of uniform braking or uneven braking on each side of the vehicle.

3 . The drive device according to claim 2 , wherein, on each side of the vehicle, the pressure element, starting from the non-actuated state, presses the disk pack of the multi-disk brake against an axial stop via a clearance until the kiss point is reached, and in that the clearance varies depending on braking by axial adjustment of the axial stop.

4 . The drive device according to claim 3 , wherein, with the uniform braking on both sides of the vehicle, the multi-disk brake clearance is smaller than the multi-disk clutch clearance, so that, during a closing stroke of the pressure element, the multi-disk brake first comes into braking engagement and only later in the process does the multi-disk clutch come into braking engagement.

5 . The drive device according to claim 4 , wherein, with the uniform braking on both sides of the vehicle, the multi-disk brake clearance is smaller than the multi-disk clutch clearance, so that, during the closing stroke of the pressure element, the multi-disk clutch of the vehicle side which is controlled with a higher braking pressure by the control unit initially comes into braking engagement and only later in the process the multi-disk brake comes into braking engagement.

6 . The drive device according to claim 4 , wherein the axial stop of the multi-disk brake is a pressure rod, and in that the pressure rod acts on both sides of the vehicle as the axial stop which is axially adjustable between movement stops by a pressure rod axial path.

7 . The drive device according to claim 3 , wherein, with the uniform braking on both sides of the vehicle, the multi-disk brake clearance is smaller than the multi-disk clutch clearance, so that, during the closing stroke of the pressure element, the multi-disk clutch of the vehicle side which is controlled with a higher braking pressure by the control unit initially comes into braking engagement and only later in the process the multi-disk brake comes into braking engagement.

8 . The drive device according to claim 7 , wherein the axial stop of the multi-disk brake is a pressure rod, and in that the pressure rod acts on both sides of the vehicle as the axial stop which is axially adjustable between movement stops by a pressure rod axial path.

9 . The drive device according to claim 3 , wherein the axial stop of the multi-disk brake is a pressure rod, and in that the pressure rod acts on both sides of the vehicle as the axial stop which is axially adjustable between movement stops by a pressure rod axial path.

10 . The drive device according to claim 9 , wherein, with the uneven braking on a side of the vehicle subjected to a greater braking pressure, during a closing stroke of the pressure element, the disk pack of the multi-disk brake adjusts the pressure rod by a pressure rod axial travel in a direction of a counterpressure vehicle side, so that the available multi-disk brake clearance increases by the pressure rod axial travel in comparison to braking with uniform braking, and in that the multi-disk brake clearance is dimensioned to be an additional dimension larger than the multi-disk clutch clearance, so that, during the closing stroke of the pressure element, the multi-disk clutch first comes into braking engagement and only later in the process does the multi-disk brake come into braking engagement.

11 . The drive device according to claim 10 , wherein, with the uneven braking on the counterpressure side of the vehicle, the multi-disk brake clearance is reduced due to the pressure rod adjustment, and in that the multi-disk brake clearance is smaller than the multi-disk clutch clearance, so that actuation of the multi-disk clutch on the opposite side of the vehicle is excluded.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Sep 23, 2024
From: REHR, ALFRED; SCHOLLE, TASSILO; KÜRTEN-PACHOWSKY, BJÖRN; HENNING, KAY-UWE
To: AUDI AG
Reel/Frame 069020/0135 →
Priority Claims (1)
DE 10 2022 103 839.4 · Feb 17, 2022 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20250137518A1 · May 1, 2025
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