Wheel provided with driving means

• US 9,233,603 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2010
• Issued: 01/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: E-Traction Europe B.V. (Saietta Group Plc)
• Original Assignee: E-Traction Europe B.V. (Saietta Group Plc)
• Inventors: Heinen, Adrianus Johannes
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson, Paul N
• Assistant Examiner(s): AVERY, BRIDGET D
• Application Number:
  US12/859,116
• Publication Number:
  US 20110000724A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,973 Days
• Field of Search: 180/65.1, 180/65.21, 180/65.51, 180/233, 180/248
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 11/02 with liquid cooling
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 17/30 the ultimate propulsive elements, e.g. ground wheels, being steerable
• 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 15/20 for control of the vehicle or its driving motor to achieve a desired performance, e.g. speed, torque, programmed variation of speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/44 Wheel Hub motors, i.e. integrated in the wheel hub
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/46 Wheel motors, i.e. motor connected to only one wheel
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2220/50 Structural details of electrical machines
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/423 Torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/60 using power supplied by batteries in combination with fuel cells B60L50/75
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 8/003 Converting light into electric energy, e.g. by using photo-voltaic systems
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 5/0418 Electric motor acting on road wheel carriers
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

A wheel provided with electric driving means in the wheel, the electric driving means comprising a rotor and a stator coaxially within the rotor and connectable to a vehicle, with an air gap provided between said rotor and said stator, wherein said wheel is provided with an air gap controlling bearing.

Claims

1. Wheel provided with a rim for a tire and electric driving means in the wheel, the electric driving means comprising:

a rotor; and

a stator coaxially within the rotor and connectable to a vehicle, with an air gap provided between said rotor and said stator, wherein

said rim is attached to said rotor,

said rim coaxially at the inner side is provided with said rotor provided with permanent magnets and which rotor and rim are connected to a central shaft, such that said rim, said rotor with permanent magnets, and said central shaft are rotating parts of said wheel,

said stator is provided with windings,

said stator is situated radially between said central shaft and said rotor,

said stator is connectable to a vehicle to provide a non-rotating part of said wheel,

bearings are provided between said stator and said central shaft passing through said stator so as to ensure absorption of both axial and radial forces by said bearings, and

said wheel is provided with an air gap controlling bearing provided between said rotor and said stator that maintains the air gap in a working range during operation of the wheel, and wherein the electric driving means directly drives the wheel.

2. Wheel according to claim 1, wherein said air gap controlling bearing is provided next to said air gap.

3. Wheel according to claim 1, wherein said air gap controlling bearing is provided in proximity of the circumference of said stator.

4. Wheel according to claim 1, wherein said air gap controlling bearing directly connects said rotor and said stator.

5. Wheel according to claim 1, wherein said air gap controlling bearing is provided axially in line with said air gap.

6. Wheel according to claim 1, wherein said air gap controlling bearing circumferentially connects said rotor and said stator.

7. Wheel according to claim 1, wherein said stator is mounted on a cover plate for mounting said wheel to a vehicle, and said air gap controlling bearing is provided between said cover plate and said rotor.

8. Wheel according to claim 1, wherein said wheel further comprises a lid mounted to said rotor and central shaft for connecting said rotor and central shaft.

9. Wheel according to claim 1, wherein the working range has a maximum of about 2 mm.

10. Wheel according to claim 1, characterised in that the electric driving means comprising control, measuring and operating means in the wheel for operating the electric driving means and data communication means in the wheel.

11. Wheel according to claim 1, wherein the stator is divided into at least two groups of electrically and physically separated windings and each group comprising at least two windings each having its own control and measuring system, which control and measuring systems are operated by an operating system which is also situated in the wheel.

12. Wheel according to claim 1, provided with cooling means for cooling the wheel.

13. Wheel according to claim 1, further comprising an assembly that includes at least two wheels having data communication means, in which the wheels are connected to a common central data processing unit by means of the data communication means for exchanging data with each other.

14. Wheel according to claim 7, wherein said air gap controlling bearing is provided at the radial outside of said cover plate.

15. Wheel according to claim 7, wherein said air gap controlling bearing is provided within the circumferential edge of said cover plate.

16. Wheel according to claim 7, wherein said cover plate comprises a collar extending axially in the wheel, and said air gap controlling bearing is provided between said collar and said rotor.

17. Wheel according to claim 7, in which said windings of said stator are mounted on a central carrier member which is mounted on said cover plate.

18. Wheel according to claim 17, wherein said central carrier member is mounted to said cover plate by means of clamping members.

19. Wheel according to claim 18, wherein said central carrier member is connected to a mounting bush.

20. Wheel according to claim 10, comprising means for exchanging data with a control, measuring and operating system of other, similar wheels.

21. Wheel according to claim 10, in which the control means comprises means for controlling the amperage through each winding separately.

22. Wheel according to claim 10, in which the operating system is connected to a central processing unit outside the wheel by means of the data communication means.

23. Wheel according to claim 11, in which the control systems of the windings are connected to the operating system, in which the measuring systems comprise an encoder for measuring the number of revolutions and the angular position of the rotor with respect to the stator, and a current measuring device for measuring the current through each of the windings, and in which the encoder is connected to the operating system and the control systems are connected to the current measuring devices.

24. Wheel according to claim 12, wherein said cooling means for cooling the wheel are active cooling means.

25. Wheel according to claim 24, wherein said active cooling means are means for water cooling.