Electric vehicle

• US 4,913,258 A
• Filed: 10/25/1988
• Issued: 04/03/1990
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Tokyo R & D Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nippon Steel Corporation, Tokyo R & D Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Ono, Masao, Mamiya, Atsushi, Sakurai, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Rice, Kenneth R.
• Application Number:
  US07/262,026
• Time in Patent Office: 525 Days
• Field of Search: 180/242, 180/65.5, 180/65.6, 310/67 R, 310/67 A, 310/60 R, 310/63
• US Class Current: 180/242
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 17/30 the ultimate propulsive elements, e.g. ground wheels, being steerable
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2001/003 with means for cooling the electrical propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2007/0038 the motor moving together with the wheel axle
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2007/0092 the motor axle being coaxial to the wheel axle
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 7/0007 the motor being electric
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/44 Wheel Hub motors, i.e. integrated in the wheel hub
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/66 Arrangements of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02K 7/14 Structural association with mechanical loads, e.g. with hand-held machine tools or fans with fan or impeller for cooling the machine H02K9/06
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/64 Electric machine technologies in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

An electric vehicle which has motor wheels of the direct-drive outer-rotor type which permit simplification and compaction of the motor wheels. Current regulating covers introduce ambient air for cooling the motors and reduce air resistance, and batteries and control devices are disposed symmetrically relative to the axial line of the vehicle body and to axial lines of the axles so as to reduce and uniformly distribute the weight of the vehicle. All these devices contribute jointly to increasing the range of the electric vehicle.

Claims

1. An outer-rotor type motor wheel, comprising:

a knuckle, a hub coaxially interlocked with said knuckle, a wheel disc rotatably attached to the periphery of said hub, a wheel secured to the periphery of said wheel disc, a rotor fastened to an outer side of said wheel disc from the direction of said outer side, and a stator coaxial to and spaced from said rotor by a small gap and fastened to said hub from said direction of said outer side.

2. A wheel as in claim 1, further comprising motor cooling means including a communication path defined by empty spaces within said knuckle and said hub and having an outer opening, and a current regulating cover attached to said outer opening and including an air inlet in communication with said communicating path.

3. A wheel as in claim 2, wherein said motor cooling means further includes a motor cooling fan disposed inside said communicating path.

4. A wheel as in claim 1, wherein at least one battery for supply of electricity and control means for control of said motor wheel are disposed in proximity to said motor wheel, and said at least one battery, said control means and said motor wheel are interconnected with power lines.

5. An electric vehicle in combination with a plurality of wheels as in claim 4, wherein said at least one battery and said control means are severally disposed symmetrically relative to the central axial line in the longitudinal direction of said electric vehicle.