An autonomous vehicle

Abstract

The present invention discloses an autonomous vehicle, which includes a front suspension, a rear suspension and a vehicle frame. There is a gap between the front suspension and the rear suspension for the lifting of the vehicle frame. The vehicle frame includes a functional cabinet loading rack disposed between the front suspension and the rear suspension, and support frames disposed on both the front and rear sides of the functional cabinet loading rack. Lifting driving members and locking mechanisms are provided between the front suspension and the front support frame, and between the rear suspension and the rear support frame. Since there is a gap between the front suspension and the rear suspension in the present invention, no interference will be formed. The entire vehicle frame can be lifted by the lifting driving members on both the front and rear sides. The functional cabinet loading rack can smoothly pass through between the front suspension and the rear suspension. The lifting driving members and the locking mechanisms on both the front and rear sides act together to reliably connect the front suspension, the rear suspension and the vehicle frame into a whole, ensuring the mechanical strength and load-bearing capacity of the entire autonomous vehicle and preventing the functional cabinet loading rack from accidentally falling under the gravity of the functional cabinet.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of intelligent vehicles, and particularly to an autonomous vehicle. Background Art

[0002] Existing autonomous vehicles generally have a load-bearing body composed of a frame structure. Function cabinets (such as express cabinets, financial cabinets, retail cabinets, etc.) are fixed on the vehicle frame. The structure at the bottom of the vehicle frame will interfere with the function cabinets, resulting in the inability of the function cabinets to directly pass through the chassis and descend to the ground or be directly lifted above the chassis from the ground. If the structure at the bottom of the vehicle frame is directly removed, the stability of the vehicle frame after being stressed is very poor and it is prone to deformation. Most of the function cabinets carried by autonomous vehicles are installed above the vehicle frame by means of bolts, latches, etc., and the position is relatively high and cannot be adjusted. When loading and unloading the function cabinets, a large amount of manpower or auxiliary equipment such as forklifts and lifts is required to operate from the left and right sides or the rear of the autonomous vehicle, and it is not convenient to directly lift and lower on the vehicle frame. At the same time, due to the relatively high center of gravity of the vehicle body and the function cabinets, it is not conducive to maintaining the stability of the autonomous vehicle during driving. Existing low-floor public transportation vehicles, although reducing the height of the chassis to a certain extent and facilitating passengers to get on and off, still cannot achieve the direct lifting and lowering of the function cabinets between the ground and the vehicle floor, which is not convenient enough. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art and provide an autonomous vehicle that can realize the lifting of function cabinets, facilitate the loading and unloading of function cabinets, reduce the center of gravity of the function cabinets, and prevent the accidental falling of the function cabinets.

[0004] To solve the above technical problem, the present invention adopts the following technical solutions:

[0005] An autonomous vehicle, including a front suspension, a rear suspension and a vehicle frame. There is a gap between the front suspension and the rear suspension for the vehicle frame to lift. The vehicle frame includes a function cabinet loading rack disposed between the front suspension and the rear suspension, and support frames disposed on the front and rear sides of the function cabinet loading rack. Lifting driving members and locking mechanisms are respectively disposed between the front suspension and the front support frame, and between the rear suspension and the rear support frame.

[0006] As a further improvement of the above technical solution: both the front suspension and the rear suspension include a shock absorption component and a lifting swing rod cross beam. The upper end of the shock absorption component is hinged to the lifting swing rod cross beam. Connecting arms are further disposed at both ends of the lifting swing rod cross beam, and the connecting arms are hinged to the support frames. The lifting driving members and the locking mechanisms are both disposed between the lifting swing rod cross beam and the support frames.

[0007] As a further improvement of the above technical solution: the lifting drive member is a telescopic structure, one end of the lifting drive member is hinged to the support frame, and the other end is hinged to the lifting rocker beam.

[0008] As a further improvement of the above technical solution: the two connecting arms are symmetrically arranged about the lifting drive member, the vibration reduction assembly is provided with two groups and the two groups of vibration reduction assemblies are symmetrically arranged about the lifting drive member.

[0009] As a further improvement of the above technical solution: the lifting drive component is one of an electric push rod, a hydraulic cylinder and a pneumatic cylinder.

[0010] As a further improvement of the above technical solution: the locking mechanism includes a locking shaft arranged on the lifting rocker arm crossbeam and a locking seat arranged on the support frame, the locking seat is provided with a locking tongue, a locking piece, a locking drive assembly and a first elastic reset piece for resetting the locking tongue, the locking tongue and the locking piece are both hinged to the locking seat, one end of the locking piece is provided with a locking portion cooperating with the locking tongue, and the other end is connected to the locking drive assembly.

[0011] As a further improvement of the above technical solution: the locking drive assembly includes a connecting rod, a second elastic reset member and a locking drive member for enabling the connecting rod to telescopically move, the connecting rod is inserted into the locking member, one end of the connecting rod is connected to the locking drive member, and the other end is provided with a limiting portion for preventing it from escaping from the locking member, and the second elastic reset member is disposed between the locking member and the locking drive member.

[0012] As a further improvement of the above technical solution: the first elastic return member is a torsion spring and is arranged on the hinge shaft of the lock tongue, and the second elastic return member is a coil spring and is sleeved on the outer periphery of the connecting rod.

[0013] As a further improvement of the above technical solution: both ends of the lifting rocker arm crossbeam are provided with the locking shafts, and the support frame is provided with two locking seats which are arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the two locking shafts.

[0014] As a further improvement of the above technical solution: a suspension connecting rod is provided between the front suspension and the functional cabinet loading frame, and between the rear suspension and the functional cabinet loading frame, one end of the suspension connecting rod is hinged to the functional cabinet loading frame, and the other end is fixedly connected to the front suspension or the rear suspension.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are as follows: For the driverless vehicle disclosed in the present invention, there is an interval between the front suspension and the rear suspension, and the functional cabinet loading rack of the vehicle frame is installed at the interval between the front suspension and the rear suspension. Therefore, the front suspension and the rear suspension will not interfere with each other. The entire vehicle frame can be lifted and lowered through the lifting drive members on the front and rear sides. The functional cabinet loading rack can smoothly pass through between the front suspension and the rear suspension. The lifting drive members on the front and rear sides and the locking mechanism work together to reliably connect the front suspension, the rear suspension and the vehicle frame into a whole, ensuring the mechanical strength and load-bearing capacity of the entire driverless vehicle and preventing the functional cabinet loading rack from accidentally falling under the gravity of the functional cabinet. During use, the functional cabinet is placed on the functional cabinet loading rack. When loading and unloading the functional cabinet, the locking mechanism is unlocked, and the lifting drive member drives the functional cabinet loading rack and the functional cabinet to descend to the ground, which is convenient for subsequent operations and reduces manpower. Forklifts, lifts and other auxiliary equipment are not required. Before the vehicle travels, the lifting drive member drives the energy cabinet loading rack and the functional cabinet to rise to a certain height and separate from the ground, and the locking mechanism locks the vehicle frame with the front suspension and the rear suspension. At this time, the functional cabinet is located between the front suspension and the rear suspension. Compared with the form where the functional cabinet is arranged above the vehicle frame, the center of gravity is lower, which is beneficial to maintaining the stability of the driverless vehicle during driving. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] Figure 1 is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the driverless vehicle of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 2 is a front view structural schematic diagram of the driverless vehicle of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 3 is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the front suspension in the present invention.

[0019] Figure 4 is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the rear suspension in the present invention.

[0020] Figure 5 is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the vehicle frame in the present invention.

[0021] Figure 6 is a three-dimensional structural schematic diagram of the locking mechanism in the present invention.

[0022] Figure 7 is a structural schematic diagram inside the locking mechanism in the present invention.

[0023] The reference numerals in the figure denote: 1, front suspension; 2, rear suspension; 3, vehicle frame; 31, functional cabinet loading rack; 32, support frame; 4, lifting drive member; 5, locking mechanism; 51, locking shaft; 52, locking seat; 53, locking tongue; 54, first elastic reset member; 55, locking member; 551, locking portion; 56, locking drive assembly; 561, connecting rod; 562, second elastic reset member; 563, locking drive member; 564, limiting portion; 6, damping assembly; 7, lifting swing rod cross beam; 71, connecting arm; 8, suspension connecting rod; 100, functional cabinet. Detailed implementation manners

[0024] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings of the specification and specific embodiments.

[0025] Figures 1 to 7 An embodiment of the driverless vehicle of the present invention is shown. The driverless vehicle of this embodiment includes a front suspension 1, a rear suspension 2, and a vehicle frame 3. There is a gap between the front suspension 1 and the rear suspension 2 for the vehicle frame 3 to lift. The vehicle frame 3 includes a functional cabinet loading rack 31 provided between the front suspension 1 and the rear suspension 2, and support frames 32 provided on the front and rear sides of the functional cabinet loading rack 31. Lifting drive members 4 and locking mechanisms 5 are provided between the front suspension 1 and the front support frame 32, and between the rear suspension 2 and the rear support frame 32. It should be noted that the front suspension 1 and the rear suspension 2 are relative concepts. In this embodiment, the left side is the front suspension 1, then the right side is the rear suspension 2. In other embodiments, the right side can also be used as the front suspension 1, then the left side is the rear suspension 2.

[0026] For this driverless vehicle, the functional cabinet loading rack 31 of the vehicle frame 3 is arranged at the interval between the front suspension 1 and the rear suspension 2, so there will be no interference between the front suspension 1 and the rear suspension 2; the whole vehicle frame 3 can be lifted and lowered by the lifting driving parts 4 on both the front and rear sides. The functional cabinet loading rack 31 can smoothly pass through between the front suspension 1 and the rear suspension 2. The lifting driving parts 4 on both the front and rear sides and the locking mechanism 5 work together to reliably connect the front suspension 1, the rear suspension 2 and the vehicle frame 3 into a whole, ensuring the mechanical strength and load-bearing capacity of the whole driverless vehicle and preventing the functional cabinet loading rack 31 from accidentally falling under the gravity of the functional cabinet 100 (such as an express cabinet, a financial cabinet, a retail cabinet or a food delivery cabinet, etc.). When in use, the functional cabinet 100 is placed on the functional cabinet loading rack 31. When it is necessary to load and unload the functional cabinet 100, the locking mechanism 5 is unlocked, and the lifting driving part 4 drives the functional cabinet loading rack 31 and the functional cabinet 100 to descend to the ground, which is convenient for subsequent operations, reduces manpower, and does not require auxiliary equipment such as forklifts and lifts; before the vehicle travels, the lifting driving part 4 drives the functional cabinet loading rack 31 and the functional cabinet 100 to rise to a certain height and separate from the ground, and the locking mechanism 5 locks the vehicle frame 3 with the front suspension 1 and the rear suspension 2. At this time, the functional cabinet 100 is located between the front suspension 1 and the rear suspension 2. Compared with the common form where the functional cabinet 100 is arranged above the vehicle frame 3, the center of gravity is lower, which is beneficial to maintaining the stability of the driverless vehicle during driving.

[0027] Furthermore, in this embodiment, both the front suspension 1 and the rear suspension 2 include a damping component 6 (such as a common damping shock absorber combined with a damping spring and hinged on a suspension link) and a lifting swing rod cross beam 7. The upper end of the damping component 6 is hinged to the lifting swing rod cross beam 7. Connecting arms 71 are also provided at both ends of the lifting swing rod cross beam 7. The connecting arms 71 are hinged to the support frame 32. Both the lifting driving part 4 and the locking mechanism 5 are arranged between the lifting swing rod cross beam 7 and the support frame 32. The gravity of the vehicle frame 3 and the functional cabinet 100 is transmitted to the lifting swing rod cross beam 7 through the lifting driving part 4, the connecting arms 71 and the locking mechanism 5, and then transmitted to the wheels through the damping component 6, so that the vehicle frame 3 has a high load-bearing capacity and prevents the vibration of the wheels from being transmitted to the vehicle frame 3 and the functional cabinet 100; the lifting swing rod cross beam 7 is hinged to the damping component 6, and the connecting arms 71 at both ends are hinged to the support frame 32. On the one hand, after the locking mechanism 5 is unlocked, the vehicle frame 3 can move up and down relative to the front suspension 1 and the rear suspension 2. On the other hand, it improves the connection strength between the vehicle frame 3 and the front suspension 1 and the rear suspension 2, and only a very small change occurs in the front and rear wheelbases during the lifting process.

[0028] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the lifting driving part 4 is of a telescopic structure ( Figure 3 in the extended state, Figure 4In the retracted state), one end of the lifting drive member 4 is hinged to the support frame 32, and the other end is hinged to the lifting swing rod cross beam 7. After the locking mechanism 5 is unlocked, the lifting drive member 4 expands and contracts. Under the constraint of the connecting arm 71, the vehicle frame 3 moves up and down to achieve lifting, with a simple and reliable structure.

[0029] As a preferred embodiment, the two connecting arms 71 are symmetrically arranged with respect to the lifting drive member 4, and there are two sets of damping components 6, and the two damping components 6 are symmetrically arranged with respect to the lifting drive member 4. The adoption of a symmetrical structure enables the forces at both ends of the lifting swing rod cross beam 7 to be balanced, which is conducive to the front suspension 1 and the rear suspension 2 maintaining a balanced force, thereby improving the stability of the unmanned vehicle during driving.

[0030] Among them, the lifting drive member 4 can be, for example, one of an electric push rod, a hydraulic cylinder, and a cylinder, and all can achieve the lifting movement of the vehicle frame 3 through expansion and contraction. Preferably, the lifting drive member 4 adopts an electric push rod, which is convenient for the whole vehicle to adopt circuit control.

[0031] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the locking mechanism 5 includes a lock shaft 51 provided on the lifting swing rod cross beam 7 and a lock seat 52 provided on the support frame 32. The lock seat 52 is provided with a lock tongue 53, a locking member 55, a locking drive assembly 56, and a first elastic reset member 54 for resetting the lock tongue 53. Both the lock tongue 53 and the locking member 55 are hinged to the lock seat 52. One end of the locking member 55 is provided with a locking portion 551 that cooperates with the lock tongue 53, and the other end is connected to the locking drive assembly 56. When the vehicle frame 3 needs to rise, the lifting drive member 4 extends, driving the lifting swing rod cross beam 7 to move. The lock shaft 51 on the lifting swing rod cross beam 7 moves synchronously. Refer to Figure 7 After the vehicle frame 3 rises in place, the lock shaft 51 overcomes the elastic force of the first elastic reset member 54 and pushes the lock tongue 53 to rotate clockwise. At the same time, the first elastic reset member 54 is compressed. After the lock shaft 51 passes over the lock tongue 53, the first elastic reset member 54 is released, and the lock tongue 53 rotates counterclockwise under the action of the first elastic reset member 54 until it abuts against the locking portion 551. At this time, the lock shaft 51 cannot push the lock tongue 53 to rotate counterclockwise and cannot be separated from the lock tongue 53, that is, locking is achieved, with a simple and reliable structure, and flexible and smooth movement.

[0032] Even further, in this embodiment, the locking drive assembly 56 includes a connecting rod 561, a second elastic reset member 562, and a locking drive member 563 for making the connecting rod 561 expand and contract. The connecting rod 561 is disposed through the locking member 55. One end of the connecting rod 561 is connected to the locking drive member 563, and the other end is provided with a limiting portion 564 for preventing it from coming out of the locking member 55. The second elastic reset member 562 is abutted between the locking member 55 and the locking drive member 563. When the vehicle frame 3 needs to descend, refer to Figure 7, the locking driving member 563 drives the connecting rod 561 to rise. The connecting rod 561 overcomes the elastic force of the second elastic reset member 562, and drives the locking member 55 to rotate clockwise through the limiting portion 564. At the same time, the second elastic reset member 562 is compressed, and the locking portion 551 is separated from the lock tongue 53. At this time, the lifting driving member 4 retracts, and the lock shaft 51 can push the lock tongue 53 to rotate counterclockwise to separate from the lock tongue 53, that is, unlocking is achieved. Then, the second elastic reset member 562 is released to push the locking member 55 and the connecting rod 561 to reset. The structure is simple, reliable, has a high degree of automation, and the movement is flexible and smooth. Among them, the locking driving member 563 is preferably an electromagnetic type, which is convenient for the whole vehicle to adopt circuit control. During operation, the connecting rod 561 can be driven to move upward by controlling the on-off of the current. Of course, in other embodiments, components such as cylinders and hydraulic cylinders can also be used to drive the connecting rod 561 to move.

[0033] Preferably, the first elastic reset member 54 is a torsion spring and is arranged on the hinge shaft of the lock tongue 53, and the second elastic reset member 562 is a helical spring and is sleeved on the outer periphery of the connecting rod 561. The structure is simple, the cost is low, and the reliability is good.

[0034] As a preferred embodiment, lock shafts 51 are provided at both ends of the lifting swing rod cross beam 7, and two lock seats 52 are provided on the support frame 32 and are arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the two lock shafts 51, so that the locking forces at both ends of the lifting swing rod cross beam 7 can be kept balanced, which is beneficial to the front suspension 1 and the rear suspension 2 to maintain force balance and improve the stability of the unmanned vehicle during driving.

[0035] Furthermore, in this embodiment, suspension connecting rods 8 are provided between the front suspension 1 and the functional cabinet loading rack 31, and between the rear suspension 2 and the functional cabinet loading rack 31. One end of the suspension connecting rod 8 is hinged to the functional cabinet loading rack 31, and the other end is fixedly connected to the front suspension 1 or the rear suspension 2. The setting of the suspension connecting rod 8 improves the connection strength between the functional cabinet loading rack 31 and the front suspension 1 and the rear suspension 2, which is beneficial to improving the overall load-bearing capacity of the unmanned vehicle and the anti-deformation ability of the vehicle frame 3, and does not interfere with the overall lifting movement of the vehicle frame 3.

[0036] The usage method of the unmanned vehicle of the present invention is as follows:

[0037] 1) Unlock the locking mechanism 5: The locking driving member 563 drives the connecting rod 561 to rise. The connecting rod 561 overcomes the elastic force of the second elastic reset member 562, and drives the locking member 55 to rotate clockwise through the limiting portion 564. At the same time, the second elastic reset member 562 is compressed, and the locking portion 551 is separated from the lock tongue 53;

[0038] 2) The frame 3 descends: The lifting drive member 4 retracts. The lifting swing rod crossbeam 7 rotates around the hinge axis of the connecting arm 71 and the support frame 32 under the constraint of the connecting arm 71, causing the frame 3 to descend. The lock shaft 51 then drives the lock tongue 53 to rotate counterclockwise under the drive of the lifting swing rod crossbeam 7 and separates from the lock tongue 53, that is, unlocking is achieved. After unlocking, the second elastic reset member 562 is released, pushing the locking member 55 to rotate counterclockwise and the connecting rod 561 to descend to achieve reset. After the functional cabinet loading rack 31 descends to the ground, the lifting drive member 4 stops;

[0039] 3) Install the functional cabinet 100 onto the functional cabinet loading rack 31, or remove the functional cabinet 100 from the functional cabinet loading rack 31;

[0040] 4) The frame 3 ascends and the locking mechanism 5 locks: The lifting drive member 4 extends. The lifting swing rod crossbeam 7 rotates around the hinge axis of the connecting arm 71 and the support frame 32 under the constraint of the connecting arm 71, causing the frame 3 to ascend. At the same time, the lifting swing rod crossbeam 7 moves, and the lock shaft 51 on the lifting swing rod crossbeam 7 acts synchronously. The lock shaft 51 overcomes the elastic force of the first elastic reset member 54 and pushes the lock tongue 53 to rotate clockwise. At the same time, the first elastic reset member 54 is compressed. After the lock shaft 51 passes over the lock tongue 53, the first elastic reset member 54 is released, and the lock tongue 53 rotates counterclockwise and resets under the action of the first elastic reset member 54 and abuts against the locking portion 551. After the frame 3 ascends in place, the lifting drive member 4 stops. At this time, the lock shaft 51 cannot push the lock tongue 53 to rotate counterclockwise and cannot separate from the lock tongue 53, that is, locking is achieved.

[0041] Although the present invention has been disclosed above with preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art can make many possible changes and modifications to the technical solution of the present invention, or modify it into equivalent embodiments with equivalent changes, without departing from the scope of the technical solution of the present invention. Therefore, any simple modification, equivalent change, and modification made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the content of the technical solution of the present invention shall fall within the scope of protection of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. An autonomous vehicle, comprising a front suspension (1), a rear suspension (2) and a vehicle frame (3), characterized in that: There is a gap between the front suspension (1) and the rear suspension (2) for the lifting of the vehicle frame (3). The vehicle frame (3) includes a functional cabinet loading rack (31) disposed between the front suspension (1) and the rear suspension (2), and support frames (32) disposed on both the front and rear sides of the functional cabinet loading rack (31). Lifting drive members (4) and locking mechanisms (5) are provided between the front suspension (1) and the front support frame (32), and between the rear suspension (2) and the rear support frame (32); both the front suspension (1) and the rear suspension (2) include a shock absorption assembly (6) and a lifting swing rod cross beam (7). The upper end of the shock absorption assembly (6) is hinged to the lifting swing rod cross beam (7). Connecting arms (71) are further provided at both ends of the lifting swing rod cross beam (7). The connecting arms (71) are hinged to the support frames (32). The lifting drive members (4) and the locking mechanisms (5) are both disposed between the lifting swing rod cross beam (7) and the support frames (32); the locking mechanism (5) includes a lock shaft (51) disposed on the lifting swing rod cross beam (7) and a lock seat (52) disposed on the support frame (32). A lock tongue (53), a locking member (55), a locking drive assembly (56), and a first elastic reset member (54) for resetting the lock tongue (53) are provided on the lock seat (52). The lock tongue (53) and the locking member (55) are both hinged to the lock seat (52). One end of the locking member (55) is provided with a locking portion (551) that cooperates with the lock tongue (53), and the other end is connected to the locking drive assembly (56); the shock absorption assembly (6) includes a damping shock absorber and a shock absorption spring.

2. The driverless vehicle according to claim 1, wherein: The lifting drive member (4) is of a telescopic structure. One end of the lifting drive member (4) is hinged to the support frame (32), and the other end is hinged to the lifting swing rod cross beam (7).

3. The driverless vehicle according to claim 2, characterized in that: The two connecting arms (71) are symmetrically arranged with respect to the lifting drive member (4). There are two sets of the shock absorption assemblies (6), and the two sets of the shock absorption assemblies (6) are symmetrically arranged with respect to the lifting drive member (4).

4. The driverless vehicle according to claim 2, characterized in that: The lifting drive member (4) is one of an electric push rod, a hydraulic cylinder, and a cylinder.

5. The driverless vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The locking drive assembly (56) includes a connecting rod (561), a second elastic reset member (562), and a locking drive member (563) for causing the connecting rod (561) to perform telescopic movement. The connecting rod (561) is disposed through the locking member (55). One end of the connecting rod (561) is connected to the locking drive member (563), and the other end is provided with a limiting portion (564) for preventing it from disengaging from the locking member (55). The second elastic reset member (562) is abutted between the locking member (55) and the locking drive member (563).

6. The driverless vehicle according to claim 5, wherein: The first elastic reset member (54) is a torsion spring and is disposed on the hinge shaft of the lock tongue (53). The second elastic reset member (562) is a helical spring and is sleeved on the outer periphery of the connecting rod (561).

7. The driverless vehicle according to claim 5, characterized in that: The lifting swing rod crossbeam (7) is provided with the locking shafts (51) at both ends, and two locking seats (52) are provided on the support frame (32) and are arranged in one-to-one correspondence with the two locking shafts (51).

8. The driverless vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: Suspension link rods (8) are provided between the front suspension (1) and the functional cabinet loading rack (31), and between the rear suspension (2) and the functional cabinet loading rack (31). One end of the suspension link rod (8) is hinged to the functional cabinet loading rack (31), and the other end is fixedly connected to the front suspension (1) or the rear suspension (2).

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