Patent attributes
A vehicular axle assembly includes an electrical generator for generating electricity to supply power to one or more electrical components therein during operation. The axle assembly includes a hollow housing that rotatably supports a differential mechanism therein. An input shaft is rotatably supported in the axle housing and terminates in a pinion gear. The pinion gear meshes with the differential mechanism that, in turn, rotatably drives a pair of output shafts that extend to respective driven wheels of the vehicle. A stator is supported within the axle housing about the input shaft, while a rotor is supported on the input shaft. When the input shaft is rotated, the rotor generates electrical power that may be used to operate the electrical component, such as a piezo-based device supported on a driveshaft assembly connected to the input shaft.
