Four-wheel alignment verification system and design method for four-wheel alignment parameters

Abstract

The present invention provides a four-wheel alignment verification system and a design method for four-wheel alignment parameters, belonging to the technical field of four-wheel alignment. The system includes: a body simulation framework provided with a plurality of candidate installation points corresponding to each chassis component of a vehicle; an assembly execution mechanism for controllably installing each chassis component at a target installation point among the plurality of candidate installation points and completing the assembly between the respective chassis components; a verification platform including a plurality of sub-platforms, each sub-platform configured to be movable in a vertical direction, a first direction, and a second direction and rotatable about the vertical direction; a sensing unit for sensing the pose information and four-wheel alignment parameters of each chassis component; and a control and management unit for controlling the dimensional change of the body simulation framework, the actions of the assembly execution mechanism and the verification platform, collecting the sensing data of the sensing unit, and displaying the sensing data. The four-wheel alignment verification system of the present invention can expand the applicable range of the four-wheel alignment verification system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of four-wheel alignment, and particularly relates to a four-wheel alignment verification system and a design method for four-wheel alignment parameters. Background Art

[0002] The four-wheel alignment parameters in the engineering design stage need to be repeatedly verified through physical objects to achieve the correctness and effectiveness of the design, or detected by four-wheel alignment detection equipment.

[0003] The four-wheel alignment test benches in the prior art can generally adjust the height of the vehicle and the wheel angles, but usually only apply to one type of vehicle model with a specific wheelbase and track width, so the applicable range is limited. Summary of the Invention

[0004] An object of the first aspect of the present invention is to provide a four-wheel alignment verification system that can expand the applicable range of the four-wheel alignment verification system.

[0005] A further object of the present invention is to improve the test efficiency.

[0006] An object of the second aspect of the present invention is to provide a design method for four-wheel alignment parameters, which can solve the cost and efficiency problems that need to be solved by real vehicle inspection when the four-wheel alignment parameters are unqualified.

[0007] In particular, the present invention provides a four-wheel alignment verification system, comprising:

[0008] A body simulation frame for simulating the bodies of different vehicle models, and the body simulation frame is provided with a plurality of candidate installation points corresponding to each chassis component of the vehicle;

[0009] An assembly execution mechanism for controllably installing each of the chassis components at a target installation point among the plurality of candidate installation points and completing the assembly between the respective chassis components;

[0010] A verification platform including sub-platforms corresponding to each wheel one by one, and each sub-platform is configured to be movable along a vertical direction, a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to each other on a horizontal plane and rotatable around the vertical direction, so as to adjust or adapt to the wheel positions and angles of different vehicle models;

[0011] An induction unit for inducing the pose information and four-wheel alignment parameters of each of the chassis components;

[0012] A control and management unit is connected to the body simulation frame, the assembly execution mechanism, the verification platform and the induction unit, and is used for controlling the size change of the body simulation frame, the actions of the assembly execution mechanism and the verification platform, collecting the induction data of the induction unit and displaying the induction data.

[0013] Optionally, the vehicle body simulation frame is configured to be adjustable in the length, width, and height directions so as to simulate the length, width, and height of the vehicle bodies of various vehicle models.

[0014] Optionally, the vehicle body simulation frame includes a mounting portion made of a perforated material for forming the plurality of alternative mounting points, and the assembly execution mechanism includes an assembly tooling.

[0015] Optionally, each of the sub-platforms includes:

[0016] A moving platform configured to be movable along the first direction and the second direction;

[0017] A turntable assembly including a turntable body parallel to the moving platform and a rotating disk, the rotating disk being rotatable relative to the turntable body in the vertical direction;

[0018] A lifting assembly disposed between the moving platform and the turntable assembly for controlling the height of the turntable assembly relative to the moving platform.

[0019] Optionally, the lifting assembly includes a linked lifting shaft and a plurality of column support shafts, the lifting shaft being located at the center, and the plurality of column support shafts being arranged around the lifting shaft.

[0020] Optionally, the turntable assembly further includes:

[0021] A handle disposed on the rotating disk and / or a turntable driving mechanism connected to the controller for manually or automatically controlling the rotation of the rotating disk;

[0022] A limiter for limiting the position of the rotating disk.

[0023] In particular, the present invention further provides a design method for four-wheel alignment parameters for controlling the four-wheel alignment parameters in the verification design stage, and the design method includes:

[0024] Determining the influencing parameters of the respective four-wheel alignment parameters of the target vehicle through simulation software;

[0025] Selecting a plurality of influencing parameters with greater influence among the influencing parameters according to a preset rule as key parameters;

[0026] Performing a bench test on the key parameters through the four-wheel alignment verification system according to any one of the above to verify the influence of the key parameters on the four-wheel alignment parameters;

[0027] Optimizing the design parameters of the target vehicle according to the results verified by the bench test to control the four-wheel alignment parameters to meet the design requirements.

[0028] Optionally, the influence parameter includes the position deviation of each chassis component of the target vehicle.

[0029] Optionally, before the step of optimizing the design parameters of the target vehicle according to the key parameters verified by the bench test, the following steps are further included:

[0030] Perform a four-wheel alignment test on the actual vehicle for the key parameters;

[0031] Optimize the design parameters of the target vehicle according to the results verified by the actual vehicle four-wheel alignment test and the bench test.

[0032] Optionally, after the step of optimizing the design parameters of the target vehicle according to the results verified by the actual vehicle four-wheel alignment test and the bench test, the following steps are further included:

[0033] Assemble the optimized design parameters to the chassis components and perform a bench test to verify whether the four-wheel alignment parameters meet the design requirements.

[0034] The present invention provides a body simulation framework that can simulate the body sizes of different vehicle models, and a plurality of sub-platforms with adjustable positions to adapt to the body sizes, wheelbases, and track widths of different vehicle models, so as to expand the applicable range of the verification system.

[0035] Furthermore, the present invention sets a plurality of candidate installation points corresponding to each chassis component of the vehicle on the body simulation framework, and an assembly execution mechanism for assembling each chassis component, so that the chassis components can change the installation position within a certain range, and can also realize the switching between independent suspension and non-independent suspension vehicle models. And the assembly execution mechanism is connected to the control and management unit, so the automation of position adjustment can be realized, and the installation positions of each chassis component can be automatically adjusted, thereby improving the test efficiency.

[0036] Furthermore, by designing the four-wheel alignment parameters through simulation and bench test in the verification design stage, the correctness of the four-wheel alignment parameters can be verified in advance, and the cost and efficiency problems that need to be solved by actual vehicle inspection due to unqualified four-wheel alignment parameters can be solved.

[0037] According to the following detailed description of the specific embodiments of the present invention in conjunction with the drawings, those skilled in the art will more clearly understand the above and other objects, advantages, and features of the present invention. Description of the Drawings

[0038] Some specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail hereinafter with reference to the drawings in an exemplary but non-limiting manner. The same reference numerals in the drawings denote the same or similar components or parts. Those skilled in the art should understand that these drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. In the drawings:

[0039] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a four-wheel alignment verification system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a sub-platform and a wheel of a four-wheel alignment verification system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 3 is a flowchart of a design method for four-wheel alignment parameters according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] Reference numerals:

[0043] 100 - four-wheel alignment verification system, 10 - body simulation frame, 20 - assembly execution mechanism, 30 - sub-platform, 31 - mobile platform, 32 - turntable assembly, 321 - turntable body, 322 - rotating disk, 323 - handle, 33 - lifting assembly, 331 - lifting shaft, 332 - column support shaft, 34 - limiter, 35 - first slide rail, 36 - second slide rail, 37 - digital display screen, 201 - brake disc, 202 - tire Detailed implementation manners

[0044] Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a four-wheel alignment verification system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As Figure 1 shown, in one embodiment, the four-wheel alignment verification system 100 includes a body simulation frame 10, an assembly execution mechanism 20, a verification platform, a sensing unit (not shown), and a control and management unit (not shown). The body simulation frame 10 is used to simulate the bodies of different vehicle models. Optionally, the body simulation frame 10 is configured such that its length, width, and height directions are adjustable, so as to simulate the length, width, and height of the bodies of each vehicle model. The body simulation frame 10 is provided with a plurality of candidate installation points corresponding to each chassis component of the vehicle. The setting of these candidate installation points can facilitate simulating the position deviation of each chassis component. Generally, the chassis components include parts such as axles, wheels, suspensions, and subframes. For example, for the shock absorber of the suspension, the body simulation frame 10 is provided with a plurality of candidate installation points corresponding to the shock absorber, and which candidate installation point to select is determined according to the position deviation of the shock absorber mounting bolts. Of course, the counterweight of the body simulation frame 10 itself also needs to be set according to the actual vehicle weight and center of gravity, for example, by means of counterweight blocks. The assembly execution mechanism 20 is used to controllably install each chassis component at a target installation point among the plurality of candidate installation points and complete the assembly between each chassis component, that is, complete the assembly of each chassis component. Specifically, the assembly parameters can be determined according to the position deviations of each chassis component transmitted by the control and management unit. Optionally, the assembly execution mechanism 20 is an assembly tooling, and of course, it can also be an automatic assembly tool such as a manipulator. The verification platform includes a sub-platform 30 corresponding to each wheel one by one, asFigure 1 As shown, for a general four-wheel vehicle, the verification platform includes four sub-platforms 30 for parking the vehicle. Each sub-platform 30 is configured to be movable along a vertical direction, a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to each other on a horizontal plane, and to be rotatable about the vertical direction, so as to adjust or adapt to the wheel positions and angles of different vehicle models. The sensing unit is used to sense the pose information and four-wheel alignment parameters of each chassis part. The sensing unit can be a laser measuring instrument or a camera device. The pose information of the chassis parts here includes its own position and attitude information, or the relative position relationship between the chassis parts. The control and management unit is connected to the assembly execution mechanism 20, the verification platform and the sensing unit, and is used to control the dimensional change of the body simulation frame 10, the actions of the assembly execution mechanism 20 and the verification platform, collect the sensing data of the sensing unit and display the sensing data. The control and management unit is equivalent to a server, such as a PLC system, and is used for information collection, processing and display.

[0045] In this embodiment, a body simulation frame 10 capable of simulating the body sizes of different vehicle models and a plurality of sub-platforms 30 with adjustable positions are provided to adapt to the body sizes, wheelbases and track widths of different vehicle models, so as to expand the applicable range of the verification system.

[0046] Further, in this embodiment, by providing a plurality of candidate installation points corresponding to each chassis part of the vehicle on the body simulation frame 10 and an assembly execution mechanism 20 for assembling each chassis part, the chassis parts can change their installation positions within a certain range, and the switching between independent suspension and non-independent suspension vehicle models can also be realized. And the assembly execution mechanism 20 is connected to the control and management unit, so the automation of position adjustment can be realized, and the installation positions of each chassis part can be automatically adjusted, thereby improving the test efficiency.

[0047] In one embodiment, the body simulation frame 10 includes an installation part made of a perforated material for forming a plurality of candidate installation points. This installation part can be formed by the body simulation frame 10 itself or an independent installation module assembled to the body simulation frame 10.

[0048] Further, the above verification platform can be used in cooperation with the body simulation frame 10 or in actual vehicle tests.

[0049] Figure 2 It is a schematic structural diagram of the sub-platform 30 and the wheel of the four-wheel alignment verification system 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In one embodiment, as Figure 2 shown, each sub-platform 30 includes a moving platform 31, a turntable assembly 32 and a lifting assembly 33. The moving platform 31 is configured to be movable along the first direction and the second direction. For example Figure 2In it, the mobile platform 31 includes a platform body, a first slide rail 35 and a second slide rail 36 that cooperate with the platform body, and the platform body can move along the first slide rail 35 and the second slide rail 36. The turntable assembly 32 includes a turntable body 321 and a rotating disk 322 parallel to the mobile platform 31, and the rotating disk 322 can rotate vertically relative to the turntable body 321. The upper surface of the rotating disk 322 is used for parking wheels. For example, Figure 2 as shown, the tire 202 and the brake disk 201 are vertically placed on the upper surface of the rotating disk 322. The lifting assembly 33 is arranged between the mobile platform 31 and the turntable assembly 32 and is used to control the height of the turntable assembly 32 relative to the mobile platform 31.

[0050] By rotating the rotating disk 322, the front wheel toe and the wheel camber angle of the wheel can be adjusted. By controlling the lifting of the lifting assembly 33, the load state of the vehicle can be simulated, such as no load, half load or full load.

[0051] For example, Figure 2 as shown, in one embodiment, the lifting assembly 33 includes a linked lifting shaft 331 and multiple column support shafts 332. The lifting shaft 331 is located at the center, and the multiple column support shafts 332 are arranged around the lifting shaft 331.

[0052] For example, Figure 2 as shown, in this embodiment, the turntable assembly 32 further includes a handle 323 provided on the rotating disk 322 and / or a turntable driving mechanism connected to the controller to manually or automatically control the rotation of the rotating disk 322.

[0053] In another embodiment, as Figure 2 shown, the turntable assembly 32 further includes a limiter 34 for limiting the position of the rotating disk 322, so that the angle can be maintained unchanged when a certain angle of the wheel needs to be maintained during the bench test.

[0054] The above four-wheel alignment system can be used to verify the target nominal values and tolerance values formulated in the engineering design stage, that is, the set four-wheel alignment parameters and the assembly tolerances of the chassis components. When the verification result does not meet the four-wheel alignment requirements, corresponding adjustments are made to reduce the analysis cost of the problem of unqualified four-wheel alignment parameters. And it can systematically analyze the main reasons for the deviation of the four-wheel alignment parameters.

[0055] For example, Figure 2 as shown, in one embodiment, the sub-platform 30 further includes a digital display screen 37 for displaying the height of the turntable assembly 32 and the weight of the body simulation frame 10 equipped with the body chassis components.

[0056] Figure 3It is a flowchart of a design method for four-wheel alignment parameters according to an embodiment of the present invention. The present invention also provides a design method for four-wheel alignment parameters, which is used to control four-wheel alignment parameters during the verification design stage, such as Figure 3 As shown in, in one embodiment, the design method includes:

[0057] Step S100, determine the influencing parameters of each four-wheel alignment parameter of the target vehicle through simulation software. The influencing parameters may include the position deviations of each chassis component of the target vehicle, and may also include the accuracy of the assembly tooling. Existing tolerance simulation software can be used for simulation, such as 3DCS, VSA, RD&T and other simulation software. By inputting the position tolerances of each defined chassis component into the software, the influence degree, or contribution degree, of each position tolerance on the four-wheel alignment parameters can be analyzed. The input position tolerances may include the accuracy deviations of each chassis tooling, the position deviations of shock absorber mounting bolts, the deviations of lower control arm mounting holes, the mounting deviations of the front subframe, the fitting deviations of the front suspension and lower control arm hole pins, the position degrees of the mounting and positioning holes of the body and shock absorber, the position deviations of the mounting holes of the body and the front suspension, etc. Through three-dimensional dimension chain analysis by the simulation software, the parameters that have an impact on each four-wheel alignment parameter, that is, the influencing parameters, are obtained. Of course, before performing the tolerance simulation, it is also necessary to establish models of the body and chassis components, which is prior art and will not be elaborated here.

[0058] Step S200, select multiple influencing parameters with greater influence among the influencing parameters as key parameters according to a preset rule. For example, select the top 5 influencing parameters with the highest contribution as key parameters, or select the influencing parameters with a contribution greater than a preset value as key parameters.

[0059] Step S300, perform a bench test on the key parameters through the above four-wheel alignment verification system 100 to verify the influence of the key parameters on the four-wheel alignment parameters. For example, the key parameters determined in step S200 include the fitting deviation of the front suspension and lower control arm hole pins and the position degree of the mounting and positioning holes of the body and shock absorber. In this step, a bench test is carried out by adjusting the magnitudes of these two deviation values, and it is obtained whether the four-wheel alignment parameters under each deviation value are consistent with the results of the simulation test.

[0060] Step S400, optimize the design parameters of the target vehicle according to the results verified by the bench test to control the four-wheel alignment parameters to meet the design requirements. That is to say, when the results of the bench test are consistent with the simulation, the key parameters can be adjusted to values that make the four-wheel alignment parameters meet the design requirements for subsequent reference in actual vehicle assembly to ensure the accuracy of four-wheel alignment.

[0061] In this embodiment, the design of four-wheel alignment parameters is carried out through simulation and bench tests during the verification design stage, which can verify the correctness of the four-wheel alignment parameters in advance and solve the cost and efficiency problems that need to be solved by on-vehicle inspection when the four-wheel alignment parameters are unqualified.

[0062] In one embodiment, step S400 after step S300 is replaced with: conducting an on-vehicle four-wheel alignment test on key parameters; optimizing the design parameters of the target vehicle according to the results verified by the on-vehicle four-wheel alignment test and bench tests.

[0063] This embodiment further improves the accuracy of the design parameters by adding on-vehicle tests, and can provide reliable data references for vehicle design.

[0064] In another embodiment, after the step of optimizing the design parameters of the target vehicle according to the results verified by the on-vehicle four-wheel alignment test and bench tests, it further includes: assembling the optimized design parameters to chassis components and conducting bench tests to verify whether the four-wheel alignment parameters meet the design requirements. That is to say, when the design data verified by both simulation and tests is used as the nominal dimension value in the final design stage, a bench test is separately conducted for the nominal dimension value to further verify its accuracy.

[0065] At this point, those skilled in the art should recognize that although multiple exemplary embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described in detail herein, many other variations or modifications that conform to the principles of the present invention can still be directly determined or derived from the content disclosed in the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should be understood and recognized as covering all these other variations or modifications.

Claims

1. A four-wheel alignment verification system, characterized in that, Comprising: A vehicle body simulation framework for simulating vehicle bodies of different vehicle models, wherein the vehicle body simulation framework is provided with a plurality of candidate mounting points corresponding to each chassis component of the vehicle, and wherein the chassis components at least include axles, wheels, suspensions, and subframes; An assembly execution mechanism for controllably mounting each of the chassis components at a target mounting point among the plurality of candidate mounting points and completing the assembly between the respective chassis components; A verification platform including sub-platforms corresponding one-to-one to each wheel, each sub-platform being configured to be movable along a vertical direction, a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to each other on a horizontal plane and rotatable about the vertical direction, so as to adjust or adapt to the wheel positions and angles of different vehicle models; An induction unit for inducing the pose information and four-wheel alignment parameters of each of the chassis components; A control and management unit connected to the vehicle body simulation framework, the assembly execution mechanism, the verification platform and the induction unit, for controlling the dimensional change of the vehicle body simulation framework, the actions of the assembly execution mechanism and the verification platform, collecting the induction data of the induction unit and displaying the induction data; The vehicle body simulation framework is configured such that its length, width and height directions are adjustable, so as to simulate the length, width and height of the vehicle bodies of various vehicle models; and the counterweight of the vehicle body simulation framework itself is set according to the actual vehicle weight and center of gravity; The vehicle body simulation framework includes a mounting portion made of a perforated material for forming the plurality of candidate mounting points, and the assembly execution mechanism includes an assembly tooling.

2. The four-wheel alignment verification system according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each of the sub-platforms includes: A moving platform configured to be movable along the first direction and the second direction; A turntable assembly including a turntable body parallel to the moving platform and a rotating disk, the rotating disk being rotatable relative to the turntable body along the vertical direction; A lifting assembly disposed between the moving platform and the turntable assembly for controlling the height of the turntable assembly relative to the moving platform.

3. The four-wheel alignment verification system according to claim 2, wherein The lifting assembly includes a linked lifting shaft and a plurality of column support shafts, the lifting shaft is located at the center, and the plurality of column support shafts are arranged around the lifting shaft.

4. The four-wheel alignment verification system according to claim 3, wherein The turntable assembly further includes: A handle provided on the rotating disk and / or a turntable driving mechanism connected to a controller, so as to manually or automatically control the rotation of the rotating disk; A stopper for restricting the position of the rotating disk.

5. A design method for four-wheel alignment parameters, which is used to control the four-wheel alignment parameters during the verification design stage, characterized in that, The design method includes: Determining the influencing parameters of the respective four-wheel alignment parameters of the target vehicle through simulation software; Selecting a plurality of influencing parameters with greater influence among the influencing parameters according to a preset rule as key parameters; Conducting a bench test on the key parameters through the four-wheel alignment verification system according to any one of claims 1-4 to verify the influence of the key parameters on the four-wheel alignment parameters; Optimizing the design parameters of the target vehicle according to the results verified by the bench test to control the four-wheel alignment parameters to meet the design requirements.

6. The design method according to claim 5, wherein The influencing parameters include the position deviations of the respective chassis components of the target vehicle.

7. The design method according to claim 5 or 6, characterized in that Before the step of optimizing the design parameters of the target vehicle according to the key parameters verified through the bench test, the following steps are also included: Conduct a real vehicle four-wheel alignment test on the key parameters; Optimize the design parameters of the target vehicle according to the results verified through the real vehicle four-wheel alignment test and the bench test.

8. The design method according to claim 7, characterized in that, After the step of optimizing the design parameters of the target vehicle according to the results verified through the real vehicle four-wheel alignment test and the bench test, the following steps are also included: Assemble the optimized design parameters to the chassis components and conduct a bench test to verify whether the four-wheel alignment parameters meet the design requirements.

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