A redundant electric steering double wishbone independent suspension assembly

Abstract

The present invention relates to a redundant electric steering double wishbone independent suspension assembly, comprising two sets of double wishbone independent suspensions, each set of upper wishbone independent suspensions including an electric steering gear, the body of which is fixedly mounted on an upper pin seat. The redundant electric steering double wishbone independent suspension assembly of the present invention utilizes dual electric steering gears to achieve redundancy in the system's steering drive function, reducing the assembly's demand for the output torque of a single electric steering gear, thereby enabling the single electric steering gear to have a smaller overall size. By integrating the electric steering gear with the independent suspension structure and connecting the steering knuckle via a spline, the electric steering gear directly drives the steering knuckle to swing, thereby reducing the space occupied by the dual electric steering gear system and reducing the overall weight of the dual electric steering gear system.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to an automobile suspension assembly, in particular to a redundant electric steering double wishbone independent suspension assembly. Background Art

[0002] Pure electric steering gears, with their energy-saving and environmentally friendly advantages, have become a trend in commercial vehicle steering gears. However, limited by the strength and lifespan of their mechanical recirculating ball structure and reduction mechanism, these types of steering gears are currently only used in light trucks. Heavy-duty pure electric steering technology suitable for electric buses, heavy trucks, and specialized vehicles remains largely undeveloped, presenting an urgent market demand and promising prospects.

[0003] To meet the high safety and reliability requirements of autonomous driving, redundant electric steering systems are currently being adopted. Chinese application / patent number: CN202110845677.5 discloses a dual-power-assistance recirculating ball steering gear. This dual-motor power steering gear is installed in the same position as a traditional steering gear.

[0004] Due to the high axle load on commercial vehicle steering axles, the output torque of their electric steering gears is approximately 10 times that of passenger car electric steering gears. The load-bearing capacity of the lead screw and bearings is proportional to their size, resulting in large component sizes for commercial vehicle electric steering gears. When a steering gear with dual motors is installed in the same space as a traditional steering gear, its large size makes installation difficult. Furthermore, to minimize the overall size of dual-motor steering gears, the lead screws and bearings used often have insufficient load-bearing capacity, resulting in short lifespans and poor reliability for commercial vehicle electric steering gears, hindering their application in the commercial vehicle sector. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In order to solve the defects of the steering gear on the above-mentioned commercial vehicles that is difficult to install and arrange, has a short service life and poor reliability, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a redundant electric steering double wishbone independent suspension assembly that is easy to install and arrange, has a long service life and high reliability.

[0006] The redundant electric steering double wishbone independent suspension assembly of the present invention includes two groups of double wishbone independent suspensions, each group of double wishbone independent suspensions includes a steering knuckle, a wheel rim assembly arranged on the outside of the steering knuckle, an upper pin seat arranged at the top of the steering knuckle, an upper wishbone hinged to the upper pin seat at one end, a lower pin seat arranged at the bottom end of the steering knuckle, a lower wishbone hinged to the lower pin seat at one end, and a shock absorber arranged on the lower wishbone at the bottom end, the bottom end of the steering knuckle is rotatably arranged on the lower pin seat, each group of upper wishbone independent suspensions also includes an electric steering gear, the body of the electric steering gear is fixedly arranged on the upper pin seat, and the output shaft of the electric steering gear passes through the upper pin seat and is connected to the steering knuckle key.

[0007] The redundant electric steering double wishbone independent suspension assembly of the present invention adopts dual electric steering gears to achieve redundancy of the system steering drive function, reducing the assembly's demand for the output torque of a single electric steering gear, so that a single electric steering gear can have a smaller external size, which provides spatial guarantees for the service life and reliability of the electric steering gear.

[0008] At the same time, the redundant electric steering double wishbone independent suspension assembly integrates the electric steering gear with the independent suspension structure and connects the steering knuckle through a spline, so that it directly drives the steering knuckle to swing, thereby reducing the space occupied by the dual electric steering gear system and reducing the total weight of the dual electric steering gear system.

[0009] Furthermore, the redundant electric steering double wishbone independent suspension assembly of the present invention, wherein the input end of the electric steering gear of one group of double wishbone independent suspension is connected to the steering transmission mechanism, the steering transmission mechanism includes a first steering transmission shaft, an angle steering gear and a second steering transmission shaft, one end of the first steering rotating shaft is connected to the angle steering gear, the angle steering gear is also connected to the second steering transmission shaft, and the other end of the second steering transmission shaft is connected to the input shaft of the electric steering gear.

[0010] The setting of the steering rotation mechanism realizes the connection between the electric steering gear and the steering wheel in the cab.

[0011] Specifically, one end of the first steering transmission shaft is connected to the output end of the steering wheel, so that the output of the steering wheel is transmitted to the electric steering gear through the first steering transmission shaft, the angle steering gear, and the second steering transmission shaft.

[0012] The angle steering gear is used to connect two shafts that are perpendicular to each other.

[0013] Furthermore, in the redundant electric steering double wishbone independent suspension assembly of the present invention, the top end of the steering knuckle is provided with an upper kingpin hole, the upper kingpin hole is a spline hole, and the output shaft of the electric steering gear is adapted to the spline hole through a spline shaft.

[0014] The arrangement of the spline hole and the spline shaft realizes the connection between the electric steering gear and the steering knuckle.

[0015] Furthermore, in the redundant electric steering double wishbone independent suspension assembly of the present invention, a kingpin shaft is provided on the lower pin seat, and the steering knuckle is rotatably provided on the kingpin shaft.

[0016] The setting of the kingpin shaft realizes the installation of the steering knuckle.

[0017] Furthermore, in the redundant electric steering double wishbone independent suspension assembly of the present invention, a lower kingpin hole is provided at the bottom end of the steering knuckle, a bearing is provided in the lower kingpin hole, and the top end of the kingpin shaft passes through the bearing and is connected to a locking nut.

[0018] Furthermore, in the redundant electric steering double wishbone independent suspension assembly of the present invention, an airbag is provided on the lower wishbone.

[0019] Furthermore, the redundant electric steering double wishbone independent suspension assembly of the present invention is provided with a steering trapezoidal mechanism between the two groups of double wishbone independent suspensions. The steering trapezoidal mechanism includes an intermediate connecting rod, two transmission rods located on both sides of the intermediate connecting rod, and a driving rod located on one side of the transmission rod. One end of the transmission rod is hinged to the end of the lower wishbone, and the other end is hinged to the end of the driving rod. The other end of the driving rod is hinged to the steering knuckle arm, and the two ends of the intermediate connecting rod are respectively hinged to the middle of the adjacent transmission rods.

[0020] The setting of the steering trapezoidal mechanism realizes the linkage between the two sets of double wishbone independent suspension.

[0021] Furthermore, in the redundant electric steering double wishbone independent suspension assembly of the present invention, a bearing hole is provided on the surface of the upper pin seat, a thrust bearing is provided in the bearing hole, and the output shaft of the electric steering gear passes through the thrust bearing and is connected to the steering knuckle.

[0022] Furthermore, in the redundant electric steering double wishbone independent suspension assembly of the present invention, both the upper pin seat and the lower pin seat are provided with pin shaft holes.

[0023] The above description is only an overview of the technical solution of the present invention. In order to more clearly understand the technical means of the present invention and implement them in accordance with the contents of the specification, the embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 It is a perspective view of the redundant electric steering double wishbone independent suspension assembly;

[0025] Figure 2 is a perspective view of a single double wishbone independent suspension with a steering transmission mechanism, with some components not shown;

[0026] Figure 3 It is an assembly diagram including the steering knuckle, upper pin holder, lower pin holder and electric steering gear;

[0027] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 Middle AA section view.

[0028] Among them, the steering knuckle 1, the wheel assembly 2, the upper pin seat 3, the upper cross arm 4, the lower pin seat 5, the lower cross arm 6, the electric steering gear 7, the thrust bearing 8, the first steering transmission shaft 9, the angle steering gear 10, the second steering transmission shaft 11, the upper kingpin hole 12, the kingpin shaft center axis 13, the lower kingpin hole 14, the bearing 15, the steering knuckle arm 16, the bearing hole 17, the pin shaft hole 18, the kingpin shaft 19, the locking nut 20, the airbag 21, the shock absorber 22, the intermediate connecting rod 23, the transmission rod 24, and the drive rod 25. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The following embodiments of the present invention are described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. The following examples are used to illustrate the present invention but are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0030] See also Figures 1 to 4 The redundant electric steering double wishbone independent suspension assembly of this embodiment includes two groups of double wishbone independent suspensions, each group of double wishbone independent suspensions includes a steering knuckle 1, a wheel rim assembly 2 arranged on the outside of the steering knuckle, an upper pin seat 3 arranged at the top of the steering knuckle, an upper wishbone 4 hinged to the upper pin seat at one end, a lower pin seat 5 arranged at the bottom end of the steering knuckle, a lower wishbone 6 hinged to the lower pin seat at one end, and a shock absorber arranged on the lower wishbone. The bottom end of the steering knuckle is rotatably arranged on the lower pin seat. Each group of upper wishbone independent suspensions also includes an electric steering gear 7. The body of the electric steering gear is fixed on the upper pin seat. The output shaft of the electric steering gear passes through the upper pin seat and is connected to the steering knuckle key.

[0031] The redundant electric steering double wishbone independent suspension assembly of the present invention adopts dual electric steering gears to achieve redundancy of the system steering drive function, reducing the assembly's demand for the output torque of a single electric steering gear, so that a single electric steering gear can have a smaller external size, which provides spatial guarantees for the service life and reliability of the electric steering gear.

[0032] At the same time, the redundant electric steering double wishbone independent suspension assembly integrates the electric steering gear with the independent suspension structure and connects the steering knuckle through a spline, so that it directly drives the steering knuckle to swing, thereby reducing the space occupied by the dual electric steering gear system and reducing the total weight of the dual electric steering gear system.

[0033] Among them, the electric steering gear is a steering actuator, which consists of a steering motor, a reducer, a steering input shaft, a gear output shaft, a torsion bar, an angle torque sensor, a control unit and other components.

[0034] In manned mode, when the driver turns the steering wheel, the steering wheel inputs steering action through the steering transmission mechanism. At this point, the steering motor, under the control of the control unit, outputs a certain torque to the steering knuckle, achieving power steering. This torque causes the steering knuckle to rotate about the kingpin on the lower pin holder, driving the connected wheel assembly to rotate, thereby achieving steering.

[0035] In unmanned driving mode, the control unit receives control instructions from the on-board computer and controls the electric steering gear to perform power steering, thereby realizing autonomous steering of the car.

[0036] The output shaft of the electric steering gear is supported by the bearing that can bear larger thrust, and this bearing can be inside the electric steering gear, also can place the electric steering gear outside. In the present embodiment, the electric steering gear output shaft has a section of shaft section that is used for thrust bearing 8 installation.

[0037] An input end of an electric steering gear of one set of double wishbone independent suspensions is connected to a steering input shaft, and the steering input shaft of the electric steering gear is connected to a steering wheel in the cab through a steering transmission mechanism.

[0038] The steering transmission mechanism consists of a first steering drive shaft 9, an angle steering gear 10, and a second steering drive shaft 11. The angle steering gear is connected to the first steering drive shaft at one end and to the second steering drive shaft at the other. The first steering drive shaft is connected to the cab steering drive shaft. The second steering drive shaft is connected to the angle steering gear at one end and to the steering input shaft of the electric steering gear at the other end. The steering input is transmitted through the first steering drive shaft, the angle steering gear, and the second steering drive shaft to the input of the electric steering gear. The second steering drive shaft is retractable to accommodate the positional movement of the electric steering gear in response to suspension fluctuations.

[0039] The upper kingpin hole 12 at the top of the steering knuckle is a splined hole, oriented along the centerline 13 of the kingpin shaft. The lower kingpin hole 14 at the bottom of the knuckle is a bearing hole, housing a bearing 15. A knuckle arm 16 is bolted to the lower portion of the knuckle. The wheel hub assembly is mounted on the side of the knuckle closest to the wheel.

[0040] There is a bearing hole 17 for movable sleeve connection inside the upper pin seat along the main pin axis direction; there is a pin shaft hole 18 for hinged upper cross arm inside the upper pin seat along the front and rear direction of the vehicle; the upper surface of the upper pin seat is provided with an electric steering gear installation interface for installing the electric steering gear.

[0041] A kingpin shaft 19 extends from the lower pin seat along the kingpin axis direction, and the kingpin shaft passes through the bearing in the kingpin hole under the steering knuckle, and its external threaded section for connection is tightened with the lock nut 20; the interior of the lower pin seat is provided with a pin shaft hole for hingedly connecting the lower cross arm along the front and rear direction of the vehicle, and the pin shaft hole can also be a bearing hole; an airbag mounting interface for installing an airbag 21 is provided on the upper surface of the lower pin seat.

[0042] The upper cross arm is used to connect to the vehicle frame, one end of which is connected to the vehicle frame, and the other end is installed in the pin shaft hole of the upper pin seat.

[0043] Similarly, the lower cross arm is used to connect the vehicle frame, one end of which is connected to the vehicle frame, and the other end is installed in the lower pin seat pin hole. The lower cross arm upper surface is also provided with a shock absorber mounting interface for installing the shock absorber 22.

[0044] The electric steering gear is mounted on the upper pin seat surface of the independent suspension assembly. Specifically, the electric steering gear output shaft extends along the centerline of the steering knuckle kingpin. The shaft section for mounting the thrust bearing passes through the bearing seat of the upper pin seat. The splined section for connection mates with the splined hole of the steering knuckle, and the externally threaded section for connection is tightened with a nut. The electric steering gear base is connected and secured to the upper pin seat via the steering gear mounting interface. When the electric steering gear output shaft swings, the splined section drives the wheel assembly to swing around the centerline of the steering knuckle kingpin, thereby achieving steering.

[0045] The output torque of a single electric steering gear is half of the steering torque requirement of the entire vehicle; the double wishbone independent suspensions on the left and right sides can be connected by a steering trapezoidal mechanism; in addition, there can be no steering trapezoidal mechanism between the two sets of double wishbone independent suspensions, but they can be connected to the frame separately, and the two steering gears each drive the wheel assembly on their own side.

[0046] The steering trapezoidal mechanism comprises an intermediate link 23, two transmission rods 24 on either side of the intermediate link, and a drive rod 25 on either side of the transmission rod. One end of the transmission rod is hinged to the end of the lower cross arm, and the other end is hinged to the end of the drive rod. The other end of the drive rod is hinged to the steering knuckle arm. The ends of the intermediate link are hinged to the middle of the adjacent transmission rods. During operation, the steering knuckle arm on one side drives the end of the transmission rod to rotate about its axis via the drive arm to which it is hinged. As the transmission rod rotates, the intermediate link, whose one end is hinged to the transmission rod, drives the transmission rod, drive rod, and steering knuckle arm on the other side in the opposite direction, thus achieving the linkage function of the steering knuckles on both sides.

[0047] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, which are used to assist those skilled in the art to implement the corresponding technical solutions, and are not used to limit the scope of protection of the present invention, which is defined by the appended claims. It should be pointed out that for those skilled in the art, a number of equivalent improvements and variations can be made based on the technical solutions of the present invention, and these improvements and variations should also be regarded as the scope of protection of the present invention. At the same time, it should be understood that although this specification is described in accordance with the above-mentioned embodiments, not every embodiment contains only one independent technical solution. This narrative method of the specification is only for the sake of clarity. Those skilled in the art should regard the specification as a whole, and the technical solutions of each embodiment can also be appropriately combined to form other embodiments that can be understood by those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A redundant electric steering double wishbone independent suspension assembly, comprising two sets of double wishbone independent suspensions, each set of double wishbone independent suspensions comprising a steering knuckle (1), a wheel assembly (2) arranged on the outer side of the steering knuckle, an upper pin seat (3) arranged at the top of the steering knuckle, an upper wishbone (4) hinged to the upper pin seat at one end, a lower pin seat (5) arranged at the bottom of the steering knuckle, a lower wishbone (6) hinged to the lower pin seat at one end, and a shock absorber (22) arranged at the bottom end on the lower wishbone, wherein the bottom end of the steering knuckle is rotatably arranged on the lower pin seat, and is characterized in that: Each set of upper cross arm independent suspensions also includes an electric steering gear (7), the body of the electric steering gear being fixedly mounted on the upper pin seat, and the output shaft of the electric steering gear passing through the upper pin seat and being connected to the steering knuckle key; An input end of an electric steering gear of a double wishbone independent suspension is connected to a steering transmission mechanism, the steering transmission mechanism comprising a first steering transmission shaft (9), an angle steering gear (10) and a second steering transmission shaft (11), one end of the first steering shaft being connected to the angle steering gear, the angle steering gear being further connected to the second steering shaft, and the other end of the second steering shaft being connected to an input shaft of the electric steering gear; A steering trapezoidal mechanism is provided between the two sets of double wishbone independent suspensions. The steering trapezoidal mechanism comprises an intermediate connecting rod (23), two transmission rods (24) located on both sides of the intermediate connecting rod, and a driving rod (25) located on one side of the transmission rod. One end of the transmission rod is hinged to the end of the lower wishbone, and the other end is hinged to the end of the driving rod. The other end of the driving rod is hinged to the steering knuckle arm. The two ends of the intermediate connecting rod are respectively hinged to the middle of the adjacent transmission rods.

2. The redundant electric steering double wishbone independent suspension assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: An upper kingpin hole (12) is provided at the top end of the steering knuckle, and the upper kingpin hole is a spline hole, and the output shaft of the electric steering gear is adapted to the spline hole via a spline shaft.

3. The redundant electric steering double wishbone independent suspension assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lower pin seat is provided with a kingpin shaft, and the steering knuckle is rotatably arranged on the kingpin shaft.

4. The redundant electric steering double wishbone independent suspension assembly according to claim 3, characterized in that: A lower kingpin hole (14) is provided at the bottom end of the steering knuckle, a bearing (15) is provided in the lower kingpin hole, and the top end of the kingpin shaft passes through the bearing and is connected to a locking nut (20).

5. The redundant electric steering double wishbone independent suspension assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: An air bag is provided on the lower cross arm.

6. The redundant electric steering double wishbone independent suspension assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: A bearing hole (17) is provided on the surface of the upper pin seat, a thrust bearing (8) is provided in the bearing hole, and the output shaft of the electric steering gear passes through the thrust bearing and is connected to the steering knuckle.

7. The redundant electric steering double wishbone independent suspension assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The upper pin seat and the lower pin seat are both provided with a pin shaft hole (18).

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