ELECTRIC MOTOR AND CLUTCH

Abstract

An electric motor-clutch assembly is described, wherein the electric motor comprises a rotor comprising a free surface which forms part of the external surface of the motor, the clutch comprises a friction disc and the friction disc is mounted axially movable to selectively contact said free surface.

Claims

1. Electric motor-clutch assembly, wherein the electric motor comprises a rotor comprising a free surface which forms part of the external surface of the motor, the clutch; comprises a friction disc, and the friction disc is mounted axially movable to selectively contact said free surface.

2. Assembly according to claim 1, wherein the rotor is a disc.

3. Assembly according to claim 2, wherein the rotor comprises a side on which there are mounted permanent magnets and an opposite side which constitutes said free surface.

4. Assembly according to claim 1, comprising a first and second rotors as defined in any one of the preceding claims, and respectively a first and second clutch disc as defined in any one of the preceding claims, the two rotors being positioned axially on opposite sides of the motor, so that the free surfaces of the two rotors face opposite directions.

5. Vehicle comprising an electric motor-clutch assembly as defined in claim 1.

6. Vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the clutch is connected to a combustion engine or to a mechanical transmission shaft adapted to transfer torque to a wheel.

7. Vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the electric motor comprises said two rotors, and the first clutch is connected to an internal combustion engine and the second clutch is connected to a mechanical transmission shaft adapted to transfer torque to a wheel.

8. Method for constructing an electric motor-clutch assembly, with the step of mounting a clutch disc axially movable so that it can selectively contact a portion of the external surface of the motor, wherein said portion belongs to a rotor of the motor.

Description

[0025] Further advantages will become clear from the following description, which refers to a preferred example of embodiment in which:

[0026] FIG. 1 shows a three-dimensional view of an electric motor-clutch assembly.

[0027] An electric motor-clutch assembly is formed by an electric motor 10 and two clutches 40a,b.

[0028] The motor 10 has a stator housing or stator 12 in which a first rotor 20a and a second rotor 20b, integral with each other, are mounted rotatably.

[0029] In the example, the rotors 20a, 20b are in the form of two discs and are e.g. equal. The rotors 20a, 20b are provided with a respective free surface 24 which forms part of the external surface of the housing 12, are rotatable about the same X axis and are located on opposite sides of the housing 12, in such a way that the free surfaces 24 of the two rotors 20a, 20b face opposite directions.

[0030] Each clutch 40a,b comprises a clutch disc 42 which is mounted axially movable, with known means, along the X axis to selectively contact the free surface 24 respectively of the rotor 20a, 20b facing it.

[0031] Each clutch 40a,b also comprises a protective cover 90 fixable to the housing 12.

[0032] According to a preferred variant, each rotor 20a, 20b comprises, on the side opposite to the surface 24, (e.g. permanent) magnets 22 adapted to magnetically interact with components of the stator 12.

[0033] The clutches 40a, b can be controlled independently of one another.

[0034] The electric motor-clutch assembly 10 can be advantageously integrated into a vehicle. In particular, in the vehicle the clutch 40a is connected to a combustion engine (not shown) and the clutch 40b is connected to a mechanical transmission shaft 60 capable of transferring driving torque e.g. to a wheel or to a shift gearbox (gears of the shift).

[0035] When the clutch 40a connects the disc 20a to the combustion engine, the latter can rotate the electric motor 10, otherwise the combustion engine remains isolated from the shaft 60 and from the motor 10.

[0036] In this configuration, if the clutch 40b is not engaging, the combustion engine can e.g. rotate the rotors 20a, 20b to generate electrical energy to recharge a battery onboard the vehicle (not shown). Or the motor 10 can be controlled to operate as an active flywheel for the combustion engine, with the advantage e.g. to filter torque variations.

[0037] When the clutch 40b connects the disc 20b to the shaft 60, the motor 10 can drive the shaft 60 into rotation, otherwise the motor 10 remains isolated from the shaft 60. In this configuration, the motor 10 can transfer torque to the shaft 40.

[0038] When each clutch 40a, b is connected to the respective disc 20a, b the motor 10 and the combustion engine can both transfer torque to the shaft 60.

[0039] The motor 10 may also comprise a single rotor and relative clutch.