Dynamic analysis of a novel clutch system for in-wheel motor drive electric vehicles

In-wheel motor drive electric vehicles mainly adopt fastening connection between hub and motor, so the electromagnetic impact and the mechanical impact are inevitable. The electromagnetic impact endangers the battery and the control system and the mechanical impact brings bad driving experience. Newly designed bistable electromagnetic clutches are embedded into the hub motor to realise flexible connection and avoid the impact. The goal of this study is to analyse the dynamic movement process of the clutch in order to achieve reliable torque transmission. The dynamic differential equations of the clutch coupled with the pulse power supply are presented. By using the dynamic analysis, the critical situation of the engagement is discussed and the engagement speed requirement equation is provided. The displacement curves and the acceleration curves validate the dynamic analysis and the engagement experiment verifies the reliability of the whole clutch system.