Electronics having one or more output-stage units for the operation of two or more motor units

Abstract

An apparatus controls a system of a plurality of motor units, which are operated by way of output-stage units. Fewer output-stage units than motor units are provided. The apparatus has a switching unit, which is configured to switch the one or more output-stage units between the motor units.

Claims

1. A shift path and gear selecting system, comprising: a first motor unit with a first drive shaft configured to drive a shift path selection; a second motor unit with a second drive shaft configured to drive a gear selection; an output stage unit, by which the first and second motor units are operated; a switching unit configured so as to switch the output stage unit between the first and second motor units, wherein the system has more motor units than output stage units, the motors are arranged such that the first and second drive shafts cross at a 90° angle, and the system is configured such that the first and second motor units are not operable to drive simultaneous shift path selection and gear selection.

2. The shift and gear path selecting system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising: a control unit configured to control the output stage unit.

3. The shift and gear path selecting system as claimed in claim 2, wherein the switching unit is configured to identify which of the first and second motor units is to be brought into operation and to supply the identified motor unit with the output stage unit.

4. The shift and gear path selecting system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to control multiple output stage units that are allocated to multiple motor units.

5. The shift and gear path selecting system according to claim 3, wherein the output stage units in the control unit comprise different performance classes.

6. The shift and gear path selecting system according to claim 1, further comprising one or both of an electric transmission actuator and a clutch actuator.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) FIG. 1 illustrates an apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the invention for two electric motors that are arranged in parallel.

(2) FIG. 2 illustrates an apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the invention for two electric motors in a shift path selecting apparatus and gear selecting apparatus.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(3) FIG. 1 illustrates a system having two electric motors 3, 4, wherein the two electric motors 3 and 4 are arranged in parallel and the system is designed in such a manner that during normal operation, the two electric motors do not operate simultaneously. The apparatus comprises a control unit 1 having a single output stage unit 1a, and also a switching unit 2, wherein the control unit 1 is embodied so as to control the output stage unit 1a and to make the output stage unit available to the electric motors 3, 4. In this case, the switching unit 2 is embodied in such a manner that the output stage unit 1a is either allocated to the electric motor 3 or the electric motor 4 depending upon which of these electric motors is currently in operation.

(4) FIG. 2 illustrates an apparatus in accordance with another embodiment having two electric motors 3, 4, wherein the two electric motors 3 and 4 are located in a shift path selecting apparatus and gear selecting apparatus. In this case, the motors are arranged in such a manner that the drive shafts intersect at a 90° angle since one drive shaft is responsible for the shift path selection, while the other drive shaft is responsible for the gear selection. In this case, the system is likewise designed in such a manner that in normal operation, the electric motors do not operate simultaneously. The apparatus likewise comprises a control unit 1 having a single output stage unit 1a and also a switching unit 2, wherein the control unit 1 is designed so as to control the output stage unit 1a and to make the output stage unit available to the electric motors 3, 4. In this case, the switching unit 2 is embodied in such a manner that the output stage unit 1a is either allocated to the electric motor 3 or to the electric motor 4 depending upon which of these electric motors is currently in operation.

(5) Such an apparatus in accordance with the invention may be scaled arbitrarily according to requirement depending upon the principle as is illustrated in the above exemplary embodiments so long as the number of output stage units is less than the number of motor units, in other words the apparatus may also control multiple output stage units in order to make the suitable output stage units available to the motor units that are currently to be brought into operation in a system having more than two motor units. An example of such an arrangement is shown in FIG. 1, in which a second output stage unit 1b supplies its output to an another switching unit 2a to control motors 5, 6.

LIST OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

(6) 1 Control unit 1a, 1b Output stage unit 2, 2a Switching unit 3, 4, 5, 6 Electric motor