Electric vehicle chassis and driverless electric vehicle

Abstract

An electric vehicle chassis and a driverless electric vehicle, comprising a frame assembly, a front suspension assembly, a rear suspension assembly, a vehicle controller, and a steering motor controller. Since the frame assembly is divided into a front part and a rear part, the steering knuckle, the steering motor assembly, and the vehicle DC converter in the front suspension assembly are fixedly installed on the front axle of the front suspension assembly, and the steering motor controller and the front suspension assembly are installed on the front part of the frame assembly; the drive motor of the rear suspension assembly is fixed on the rear axle of the rear suspension assembly, and the vehicle controller and the rear suspension assembly are installed on the rear part of the frame assembly, so that the components in the internal space of the electric vehicle chassis are compactly arranged, saving space, and there is no interference between the components, improving the driving performance of the electric vehicle chassis and the driverless electric vehicle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of driverless vehicles, and particularly to an electric vehicle chassis and a driverless electric vehicle. Background Art

[0002] Driverless electric vehicles are not only environmentally friendly but also capable of saving manpower. Therefore, more and more communities, tourist attractions, governments, and enterprises choose to use driverless electric vehicles to achieve security monitoring of an area. For example, when using a camera for monitoring, there are blind spots that cannot be photographed, and moreover, the camera has no alarm function in case of an emergency and cannot give an alarm in time. By designing the driverless electric vehicle in the function state of a patrol vehicle, not only can inspections be carried out on each blind spot, but also the designated area can be continuously inspected.

[0003] However, in the design of existing driverless electric vehicles, the components in the space of the electric vehicle chassis are not reasonably arranged, resulting in the chassis occupying too much space or the components of the electric vehicle chassis affecting each other, reducing the flexibility of the electric vehicle and affecting its performance. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To solve the above problems, the present invention provides an electric vehicle chassis and a driverless electric vehicle, making the component arrangement in the space of the electric vehicle chassis more reasonable and the components in the space of the electric vehicle chassis more compact, and improving the performance of the electric vehicle.

[0005] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides an electric vehicle chassis and a driverless electric vehicle, including a frame assembly, a front suspension assembly, a rear suspension assembly, a vehicle controller, and a steering motor controller. Among them, the frame assembly has a front part and a rear part, and the frame assembly is used to bear various loads from inside and outside the vehicle; the front suspension assembly is installed at the front part of the frame assembly, and the front suspension assembly includes a front axle, a steering knuckle, a steering motor assembly, and a vehicle DC converter, and the steering knuckle, the steering motor assembly, and the vehicle DC converter are fixedly installed on the front axle; the rear suspension assembly is installed at the rear part of the frame assembly, and the rear suspension assembly includes a rear axle and a drive motor, and the drive motor is fixedly installed on the rear axle; the vehicle controller is installed at the rear part of the frame assembly, and it is used to receive instructions and control the operation of the drive motor; the steering motor controller is installed at the front part of the frame assembly, and it is used to receive steering signals and control the operation of the steering motor assembly.

[0006] Preferably, a shock absorption system is further included, and the shock absorption system includes a plurality of shock absorption springs, and the shock absorption springs are located between the frame assembly and the front axle and the rear axle.

[0007] Preferably, the front axle has a front shaft for connecting the wheel hubs and a first arm structure perpendicular to the front shaft, and the first arm structure is used to support the steering knuckle, the steering motor assembly and the vehicle DC converter.

[0008] Preferably, the first arm structure includes at least two parallel support rods, and a connecting rod is horizontally arranged between the parallel support rods.

[0009] Preferably, a limiting rod is also provided on the parallel support rods, and the limiting rod spans the support rods.

[0010] Preferably, the first arm structure is integrally formed with the front shaft.

[0011] Preferably, the rear axle has a rear shaft for connecting the wheel hubs and a second arm structure, and the second arm structure and the rear shaft jointly carry the drive motor.

[0012] Preferably, the drive motor is fixedly installed along the axial direction of the rear shaft, an electromagnetic brake is provided between the drive motor and one wheel hub, the distance between the vehicle controller and the electromagnetic brake is 20 mm - 30 mm, and the distance between the vehicle controller and the drive motor is 45 mm - 55 mm.

[0013] Preferably, the highest points of the front suspension assembly and the rear suspension assembly are lower than the top surface of the frame assembly.

[0014] There is also provided a driverless electric vehicle, including any one of the above-mentioned electric vehicle chassis.

[0015] According to the electric vehicle chassis of the above embodiment, including a frame assembly, a front suspension assembly, a rear suspension assembly, a vehicle controller and a steering motor controller, since the frame assembly is divided into a front part and a rear part, the steering knuckle, the steering motor assembly and the vehicle DC converter in the front suspension assembly are fixedly installed on the front axle of the front suspension assembly, and the steering motor controller and the front suspension assembly are installed on the front part of the frame assembly; the drive motor of the rear suspension assembly is fixed on the rear axle of the rear suspension assembly, and the vehicle controller and the rear suspension assembly are installed on the rear part of the frame assembly, so that the components in the internal space of the electric vehicle chassis are compactly arranged, saving space, and there is no interference between the components, improving the driving performance of the electric vehicle chassis and the driverless electric vehicle. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 A three-dimensional schematic diagram of the electric vehicle chassis provided for an embodiment;

[0017] Figure 2 An exploded view of the electric vehicle chassis provided for an embodiment;

[0018] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the front axle provided for an embodiment;

[0019] Figure 4 Exploded view of the front axle provided for an embodiment;

[0020] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the rear axle provided for an embodiment. Specific embodiments

[0021] The present invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings through specific embodiments. Similar elements in different embodiments are labeled with related similar element numbers. In the following embodiments, many detailed descriptions are provided to enable a better understanding of the present application. However, those skilled in the art can easily recognize that some of the features can be omitted in different situations, or can be replaced by other elements, materials, or methods. In some cases, some operations related to the present application are not shown or described in the specification, which is to avoid the core part of the present application being overwhelmed by excessive descriptions. For those skilled in the art, it is not necessary to describe these related operations in detail, and they can fully understand the related operations based on the descriptions in the specification and general technical knowledge in the art.

[0022] In addition, the features, operations, or characteristics described in the specification can be combined in any appropriate manner to form various embodiments. At the same time, the steps or actions in the method description can also be reordered or adjusted in an obvious manner by those skilled in the art. Therefore, the various sequences in the specification and drawings are only for clearly describing a certain embodiment and do not mean that they are the necessary sequences, unless it is stated that a certain sequence must be followed.

[0023] The serial numbers assigned to the components herein, such as "first", "second", etc., are only used to distinguish the described objects and do not have any sequential or technical meaning. And the "connection" and "coupling" mentioned in the present application, unless otherwise specified, both include direct and indirect connection (coupling).

[0024] In an embodiment of the present invention, an electric vehicle chassis is provided. The knuckle, steering motor assembly, and vehicle DC converter in the front suspension assembly are fixedly installed on the front axle of the front suspension assembly, and the steering motor controller and the front suspension assembly are installed at the front of the frame assembly; the drive motor of the rear suspension assembly is fixedly installed on the rear axle of the rear suspension assembly, and the vehicle controller and the rear suspension assembly are installed at the rear of the frame assembly, making the components in the internal space of the electric vehicle chassis arranged compactly, and there is no interference between the components, which not only saves the space of the electric vehicle chassis but also improves the performance of the electric vehicle using the electric vehicle chassis.

[0025] Please refer to Figure 1 andFigure 2 , this embodiment provides an electric vehicle chassis 100, which includes a frame assembly 101, a front suspension assembly 102, a rear suspension assembly 103, a vehicle controller 111, and a steering motor controller 112.

[0026] The frame assembly 101 can be understood as a frame structure straddling the front and rear axles of an electric vehicle or an electric vehicle chassis, and can also be called a girder, which is the base of the electric vehicle or the electric vehicle chassis. Generally, it includes two longitudinal beams and several cross beams. The frame assembly 101 needs to have sufficient strength and stiffness to bear the overall load of the electric vehicle and the impact transmitted from the wheels. The function of the frame assembly is to support and connect various assemblies on the electric vehicle or the electric vehicle, so that the relative positions of various assemblies on the electric vehicle or the electric vehicle are kept correct. At the same time, the frame assembly 101 is used to bear various loads inside and outside the vehicle. Here, in order to easily describe the positional relationship between the front suspension assembly 102 and the rear suspension assembly 103, the frame assembly 101 can be divided into regions, and can include a front part and a rear part. For example, the front suspension assembly 102 can be assembled at the front part of the frame assembly 101, and the rear suspension assembly 103 can be assembled at the rear part of the frame assembly 101.

[0027] The frame assembly 101 may further include a middle part, which is located in the area between the front part and the rear part of the frame assembly. Generally, the position of the middle part of the frame assembly 101 is used to place the drive battery of the electric vehicle to provide power supply for the whole electric vehicle.

[0028] Please refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 , the front suspension assembly 102 includes a front axle 201, a steering knuckle 202, a steering motor assembly 203, and a vehicle DC converter 204. The steering knuckle 202, the steering motor assembly 203, and the vehicle DC converter 204 are fixedly installed on the front axle 201, and the front suspension assembly 102 is assembled at the front part of the frame assembly 101.

[0029] It should be noted that the front axle 201 is located at the front end of the electric vehicle 100, and it is connected to the steering motor assembly 203 by using the steering knuckle 202. It can transmit the steering force output by the steering motor assembly 203 (steering gear) to the wheels to realize the steering of the electric vehicle. It not only supports the sprung mass at the front of the electric vehicle and bears the vertical load, but also bears various longitudinal forces, lateral forces, and related torques.

[0030] In this embodiment, the front axle 201 includes a front axle 211 for connecting to the wheel hub, and a first supporting arm structure 212 perpendicular to the front axle 211. The first supporting arm structure 212 is used to support the steering knuckle 202, the steering motor assembly 203, and the vehicle DC converter 204. Because the space within the frame assembly 102 for arranging the front suspension assembly 102 is limited, in some embodiments, the space within the frame assembly 102 for arranging the front suspension assembly 102 also involves the fixed installation of body sheet metal, the reserved space for front fenders, the reserved space for body lights and riot lights, and the routing of electrical cables. Therefore, the space within the front suspension assembly 102 is very limited. Using the first supporting arm structure 212 to support the steering knuckle 202, the steering motor assembly 203, and the vehicle DC converter 204 and secure them to the front axle 201 can save a considerable amount of space.

[0031] In this embodiment, the first supporting arm structure 212 includes at least two mutually parallel supporting rods 213, with a connecting rod 214 disposed transversely between the mutually parallel supporting rods 213. The supporting rods 213 are vertically disposed on the side walls of the front axle 211, and the connecting rod 214 is located at the ends of the supporting rods 213 and can be parallel to the front axle 211. The supporting rods 213 and the connecting rod 214 work together to provide a supporting function while also saving space. In addition, there is sufficient clearance between the supporting rods 213 and the connecting rod 214 to facilitate the connection between some components.

[0032] In this embodiment, the mutually parallel support rods 213 are further provided with a limiting rod 215, which spans the two mutually parallel support rods 213. The limiting rod 215 is shaped like a right-angled arch bridge. In this embodiment, the vehicle DC converter 204 is located above the supporting surface formed by the mutually parallel support rods 213 and the connecting rod 214, and within the limiting rod 215. The limiting rod 215 serves to limit and secure the vehicle DC converter 204. A fixing plate may also be provided on top of the limiting portion 215 to facilitate the stable and orderly fixing of other components to the front axle 201.

[0033] It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the first supporting arm structure 212 and the front axle 211 are integrally formed, so that the overall connection between the first supporting arm structure 212 and the front axle 211 is more stable and the overall structure is more compact.

[0034] In other embodiments, the first support arm structure 212 may be fixed to the front axle 211 via a fixing member. For example, the first support arm structure 212 may be fixed to the front axle 211 via a screw connection.

[0035] The steering knuckle 202 is an important component for vehicle steering, enabling the vehicle to drive stably and transmit the driving direction sensitively. The function of the steering knuckle 202 is to transmit and bear the support of the front load of the vehicle, and drive the front wheels to rotate around the kingpin to steer the vehicle. Under the driving state of the vehicle, it bears variable impact loads. Therefore, the steering knuckle 202 has high strength. The steering knuckle 202 is the hinge of the wheel, generally in a forked shape. There are two coaxial holes for installing the kingpin on the upper and lower forks. The steering knuckle journal is used to install the wheel. The two ears of the pin hole on the steering knuckle are connected to the knuckle parts at both ends of the front axle through the kingpin, enabling the front wheels to deflect a certain angle around the kingpin to steer the vehicle.

[0036] The steering motor assembly 203 can be called a steering gear, including a steering motor 231, a steering gear 232, etc. The first function is to increase the torque on the steering wheel (or on the steering control device), making the torque large enough to overcome the steering resistance moment between the steering wheel and the road surface. The second function is to reduce the rotational speed of the steering drive shaft, and make the steering rocker arm shaft rotate, driving the rocker arm to swing so that its end obtains the required displacement, or to convert the rotation of the driving gear connected to the steering drive shaft into the linear motion of the rack and pinion to obtain the required displacement. The third function is to achieve the purpose of coordinating the rotation direction of the steering wheel with the rotation direction of the steering wheel by selecting the spiral direction of the threads on different screws (worms).

[0037] The vehicle DC converter 204 is an electric energy conversion circuit or electromechanical device that can convert a DC (direct current) power supply into a DC (or approximate DC) power supply with different voltages. Its power range can range from very small (small batteries) to very large (high-voltage power conversion).

[0038] Please refer to Figure 5 , the rear suspension assembly 103 includes a rear axle 301 and a drive motor 302, and the drive motor 302 is fixedly installed on the rear axle 301.

[0039] The rear axle 301 refers to a component of the rear drive shaft for vehicle power transmission. The rear axle 301 is used to support the wheels and connect the rear wheels. It should be noted that if the front axle is used to drive the vehicle, the front axle is the drive axle, then the rear axle is only a trailing axle, only playing a load-bearing role; if the front axle is not used to drive the vehicle, the front axle is not the drive axle, then the rear axle is the drive axle. In this case, in addition to playing a load-bearing role, the rear axle also plays the roles of driving, decelerating, and differential. In this embodiment, the drive motor 302 is arranged on the rear axle structure, making the rear axle the drive axle, which can meet the reasonable utilization of the space on the front and rear axles, making the layout of each component more compact and reasonable.

[0040] In this embodiment, the rear axle 301 has a rear shaft for connecting the wheel hubs and a second trailing arm structure (not shown), and the second trailing arm structure and the rear shaft jointly carry the drive motor 302. The second trailing arm structure may be a fixing bracket jointly formed with the rear shaft, which can more firmly fix the drive motor 302 on the rear axle 301 and limit the drive motor 302 at a suitable position.

[0041] The vehicle controller 111 is installed at the rear of the vehicle frame assembly 101 and is used to receive commands and control the operation of the drive motor 302. The steering motor controller 112 is installed at the front of the vehicle frame assembly 101 and is used to receive steering signals and control the operation of the steering motor assembly 203. Here, the control process in which the vehicle controller 111 realizes the start and stop of the electric vehicle chassis 100 and the steering motor controller 112 realizes the steering of the electric vehicle chassis 100 may be the prior art. For example, when a safety monitoring of an area is realized by a GPS navigation system for a driverless electric vehicle, the vehicle controller 111 can receive the commands transmitted by the GPS navigation system, and the commands may be start commands and stop commands; when the vehicle controller 111 receives the corresponding commands, it controls the drive motor 302 to realize the corresponding control. The steering motor controller 112 can receive the commands transmitted by the GPS navigation system, and the commands may be left turn commands and right turn commands; when the steering motor controller 112 receives the corresponding commands, it controls the steering knuckle 202, the steering motor 231, the steering gear 232, etc. to drive the tires of the electric vehicle to rotate by a corresponding angle.

[0042] In some embodiments, the drive battery of the electric vehicle is a lithium battery, and the lithium battery provides a power supply for the vehicle controller 111. The vehicle controller 111 can collect driving information and vehicle status, manage, schedule, analyze and calculate the network through the CAN bus, and can perform different configurations for different vehicle models to realize functions such as the overall drive control and network management of the electric vehicle.

[0043] In some embodiments, the vehicle DC converter 204 supplies a 12V DC power supply to the steering motor controller 112. When the steering motor controller 112 receives a command through CAN communication, the command includes a left turn command or a right turn command and a corresponding steering angle command. The steering motor controller 112 controls the operation of the steering motor assembly 203, and drives the tires of the electric vehicle to rotate by a corresponding angle through a speed reducer, a steering knuckle 202, a steering motor 231, a steering gear 232, etc. Moreover, when the steering motor 231 rotates, the steering angle sensor transmits the collected data to the steering motor controller 112 for closed-loop control to obtain the required steering angle.

[0044] In this embodiment, the drive motor 302 is fixedly installed along the axial direction of the rear axle. An electromagnetic brake is provided between the drive motor 302 and a wheel hub. Among them, the distance between the vehicle controller 111 and the electromagnetic brake is 20 mm - 30 mm, and the distance between the vehicle controller 111 and the drive motor 302 is 45 mm - 55 mm. It should be noted that the drive motor 302 and the electromagnetic brake are integrated, that is, both the drive motor 302 and the electromagnetic brake are fixedly installed along the axial direction of the rear axle. In a limited space, and the heat generation at the heat dissipation part of the drive motor 302 is relatively large. The vehicle controller 111 needs to be far away from the heat dissipation part of the drive motor 302 to avoid being affected by the high-temperature radiation of the drive motor 302; when the drive motor 302 and the electromagnetic brake are too close, interference will also occur. Therefore, when arranging the vehicle controller 111, it not only needs to be far away from the drive motor 302, but also needs to ensure that there is no interference with the electromagnetic brake. Setting the distance between the vehicle controller 111 and the electromagnetic brake to 20 mm - 30 mm and the distance between the vehicle controller 111 and the drive motor 302 to 45 mm - 55 mm can ensure that the vehicle controller 111 is not affected by the high-temperature radiation of the drive motor 302 and can also avoid interference between the vehicle controller 111 and the electromagnetic brake.

[0045] In this embodiment, a shock absorption system is further included. The shock absorption system includes a plurality of shock absorption springs 105. The shock absorption springs 105 are located between the vehicle frame assembly 101 and the front axle 201 and the rear axle 301, that is, there are shock absorption springs 105 between the two ends of the front axle 201 and the two ends of the rear axle 301 and the vehicle frame assembly 101. Using the shock absorption springs 105 can reduce the overall space occupied by the electric vehicle chassis 100, and more space can be reserved for placing the front suspension assembly 102 and the rear suspension assembly 103 and their internal components. Further, due to the small hardness of the shock absorption springs 105, the bouncing amplitude of the electric vehicle during driving is reduced, meeting the overall stability of the electric vehicle.

[0046] In this embodiment, the highest points of the front suspension assembly 102 and the rear suspension assembly 103 are lower than the top surface of the vehicle frame assembly 101, that is, when placing the internal components of the front suspension assembly 103 and the rear suspension assembly 103, it is ensured that the vertex of any component does not exceed the top surface of the vehicle frame assembly 101, which can ensure that components such as the central control box, the chassis control box or the battery compartment can be better arranged on the upper surface of the electric vehicle chassis 100, so that the overall structure of the electric vehicle chassis 100 is compact and well-organized.

[0047] Also provided is a driverless electric vehicle, which includes the electric vehicle chassis 100 of any of the above embodiments. Since the spatial layout of the electric vehicle chassis 100 is reasonable and the various components do not interfere with each other, after being assembled into a driverless electric vehicle, while realizing the driverless function, the flexibility of the driverless electric vehicle during driving can also be improved, and the overall performance is further enhanced.

[0048] The above uses specific examples to elaborate on the present invention, which is only used to help understand the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the technical field to which the present invention pertains, based on the idea of the present invention, several simple deductions, deformations or substitutions can also be made.

Claims

1. An electric vehicle chassis, characterized in that, Comprising: A frame assembly, a front suspension assembly, a rear suspension assembly, a vehicle controller, and a steering motor controller. Among them, the frame assembly has a front part and a rear part, and the frame assembly is used to bear various loads from inside and outside the vehicle; The front suspension assembly is installed at the front part of the frame assembly. The front suspension assembly includes a front axle, a steering knuckle, a steering motor assembly, and a vehicle DC converter. The steering knuckle, the steering motor assembly, and the vehicle DC converter are fixedly installed on the front axle; The front axle has a front shaft for connecting the wheel hub and a first support arm structure perpendicular to the front shaft. The first support arm structure includes at least two parallel support rods. A connecting rod is horizontally arranged between the parallel support rods. And the first support arm structure is used to support the steering knuckle, the steering motor assembly, and the vehicle DC converter; A limiting rod is also provided on the parallel support rods. The limiting rod is arranged in the shape of a right-angled arch bridge and spans the support rods; The vehicle DC converter is located above the supporting surface formed by the support rods and the connecting rod and inside the limiting rod. The limiting rod is used to limit and fix the vehicle DC converter; The rear suspension assembly is installed at the rear part of the frame assembly. The rear suspension assembly includes a rear axle and a drive motor. The rear axle has a rear shaft for connecting the wheel hub and a second support arm structure. The second support arm structure and the rear shaft jointly bear the drive motor; The drive motor is fixedly installed on the rear axle along the axial direction of the rear shaft and forms a drive axle structure with the rear axle; The vehicle controller is installed at the rear part of the frame assembly. It is used to receive instructions and control the operation of the drive motor. The distance between the vehicle controller and the drive motor is 45 mm - 55 mm; The steering motor controller is installed at the front part of the frame assembly. It is used to receive steering signals and control the operation of the steering motor assembly.

2. The electric vehicle chassis according to claim 1, wherein It further includes a shock absorption system. The shock absorption system includes a number of shock absorption springs. The shock absorption springs are located between the frame assembly and the front axle and the rear axle.

3. The electric vehicle chassis according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first support arm structure is integrally formed with the front shaft.

4. The electric vehicle chassis according to claim 1, wherein, An electromagnetic brake is provided between the drive motor and one wheel hub. The distance between the vehicle controller and the electromagnetic brake is 20 mm - 30 mm.

5. The electric vehicle chassis according to claim 1, wherein, The highest points of the front suspension assembly and the rear suspension assembly are lower than the top surface of the frame assembly.

6. An autonomous electric vehicle, characterized in that, Including any one of the electric vehicle chassis according to claims 1 - 5.

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