Rear independent suspension system and vehicle

Abstract

The present invention provides a rear independent suspension system and a vehicle, wherein the rear independent suspension system includes a wheel, a steering knuckle, a subframe, a rear wheel steering mechanism, a steering tie rod, a lower front control arm and a spring arm; in the present invention, a lower front control arm having only two hinge points is provided to reduce the space occupied in front of the subframe, and at the same time, the connection position of the spring arm on the steering knuckle is lowered, thereby saving a certain amount of space on the rear side of the steering knuckle for installing the steering tie rod, and the inner end portion of the steering tie rod is connected to the rear wheel steering mechanism installed at the corresponding position of the subframe, thereby realizing rear wheel steering.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of vehicles, and in particular to a rear independent suspension system and a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] The suspension system is the general term for all force-transmitting connections between a vehicle's frame and axles or wheels. Its function is to transfer forces and torques acting between the wheels and the frame, cushion the impact of uneven roads on the frame or body, and attenuate the resulting vibrations to ensure a smooth ride. The rear independent suspension system primarily includes the subframe, rear steering mechanism, steering knuckle, control arms, shock absorbers, springs, and other components.

[0003] As people's living standards improve, the number of cars owned is increasing, and energy consumption is increasing, resulting in increasingly serious air pollution. The rise of pure electric vehicles has made the safety and handling stability of car driving more and more important.

[0004] Current electric vehicle rear suspension systems are typically modified from gasoline vehicles. However, the compact layout of gasoline vehicle suspension components leaves no room for the rear-drive motor and rear drive shaft, making rear-wheel steering impossible. This limits the vehicle's driving force, and consequently, its stability and comfort.

[0005] How to overcome the above-mentioned defects is a technical problem that needs to be solved urgently by those skilled in the art. Summary of the Invention

[0006] One object of the present invention is to provide a rear independent suspension system applicable to an electric vehicle and capable of achieving rear wheel steering. Another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle comprising the above-mentioned rear independent suspension system.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, in a first aspect, the present invention provides a rear independent suspension system, comprising a wheel, a steering knuckle, and a subframe, wherein the steering knuckle is mounted on the wheel, and the steering knuckle has a first connection point, a second connection point, and a third connection point on the inner side of the wheel;

[0008] The rear independent suspension system further includes a rear wheel steering mechanism, a steering tie rod, a lower front control arm, and a spring arm; an outer end portion of the lower front control arm is hinged to the first connection point, an inner end portion of the lower front control arm is hinged to the subframe, and the lower front control arm and the subframe have only one hinge point; the lower front control arm has a shock absorber mounting seat for mounting a shock absorber;

[0009] The outer end of the spring arm is hingedly connected to the second connection point, and the inner end is hingedly connected to the subframe. The spring arm is provided with a spring mounting seat for mounting an air spring;

[0010] The rear wheel steering mechanism is fixed to the sub-frame, the outer end of the steering tie rod is hingedly connected to the third connection point, and the inner end is hingedly connected to the rear wheel steering mechanism;

[0011] The third connection point is located higher than the second connection point. The present invention provides a lower front control arm with only two hinges, reducing the space occupied in front of the subframe. The connection position of the spring arm on the steering knuckle is lowered, thereby freeing up space behind the steering knuckle for installing a steering tie rod. The inner end of the steering tie rod is connected to a rear wheel steering mechanism installed at a corresponding position on the subframe, thereby achieving rear wheel steering.

[0012] Optionally, the air spring is located between the steering rod and the lower front control arm.

[0013] Optionally, the steering knuckle further includes a fourth connection point, the fourth connection point being the highest among the connection points of the steering knuckle, and the rear independent suspension system further includes an upper control fork arm, the outer end of the upper control fork arm being hingedly connected to the fourth connection point, and the inner end being hingedly connected to the subframe.

[0014] Optionally, the air spring is located between the upper control fork arm and the steering rod.

[0015] Optionally, the subframe has a subframe front suspension fixing body and a subframe rear suspension fixing body on both sides along the vehicle width direction, and the two are arranged along the length direction of the vehicle body. The terminal ends of the subframe front suspension fixing body and the subframe rear suspension fixing body are both provided with connecting seats, and the connecting seats are used to connect to the vehicle body; the subframe front suspension fixing body and the subframe rear suspension fixing body extend along the width direction of the vehicle body, and the shock absorber and the air spring are located between the subframe front suspension fixing body and the subframe rear suspension fixing body.

[0016] Optionally, the subframe includes a first crossbeam, a second crossbeam and two longitudinal beams, the first crossbeam and the second crossbeam are connected between the two longitudinal beams, and both ends of the longitudinal beam extend toward the wheel side to form the subframe front suspension fixed body and the subframe rear suspension fixed body respectively.

[0017] Optionally, the steering mechanism is fixed to the outer side of the second cross beam, and the inner end of the spring arm is hinged to the bottom wall of the second cross beam.

[0018] Optionally, the lower front control arm is hingedly connected to the bottom of the longitudinal beam.

[0019] Optionally, the upper control fork arm is a triangular arm, and the inner end of the upper control fork arm has a first arm and a second arm, the first arm and the second arm are arranged along the length direction of the vehicle body, and the first arm and the second arm are both hingedly connected to the subframe.

[0020] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a vehicle comprising a vehicle body and a rear independent suspension system as described above.

[0021] The vehicle of the present invention has the above-mentioned rear independent suspension system, and therefore also has the above-mentioned technical effects of the rear independent suspension system. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a rear independent suspension system in a specific embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 for Figure 1 A top view of the rear independent suspension system is shown;

[0024] Figure 3 for Figure 1 Rear view of the rear independent suspension system shown;

[0025] Figure 4 for Figure 1 Bottom view of the rear independent suspension system shown.

[0026] Figures 1 to 4 The one-to-one correspondence between the reference numerals and component names is as follows:

[0027] 1 subframe; 1a connecting seat; 11 longitudinal beam; 12 first crossbeam; 13 second crossbeam; 111 subframe front suspension fixed body; 112 subframe rear suspension fixed body; 2 wheels; 3 steering knuckle; 4 rear wheel steering mechanism; 5 steering rod; 6 spring arm; 7 air spring; 8 shock absorber; 9 lower front control arm; 10 upper control fork arm; 101 first support arm; 102 second support arm; 1-1 stabilizer bar. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] This paper conducted an in-depth study on the existing suspension and found that the bottom of the shock absorber on the front side of the current vehicle suspension is installed on the triangular arm. The triangular arm has three connection points, one of which is connected to the steering knuckle, and the other two are connected to the subframe. The rear side of the suspension has an air spring rod, and both ends are hinged to the steering knuckle and the subframe. The space for the suspension is very tight, and the installation position of the air spring limits the installation of the rear wheel motor and rear drive shaft.

[0029] Based on the above research findings, this paper proposes a rear independent suspension system suitable for electric vehicles that can achieve rear-wheel steering.

[0030] The features and exemplary embodiments of various aspects of the present application will be described in detail below. In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the present application will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0031] Please refer to Figures 1 to 4 , Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of a rear independent suspension system in a specific embodiment of the present invention; Figure 2 for Figure 1 A top view of the rear independent suspension system is shown; Figure 3 for Figure 1 Rear view of the rear independent suspension system shown; Figure 4 for Figure 1 Bottom view of the rear independent suspension system shown.

[0032] The vehicle provided by the present invention includes a vehicle body and a rear independent suspension system, wherein the rear independent suspension system includes wheels 2, steering knuckles 3, shock absorbers 8, air springs 7, and a subframe 1. The wheels 2, steering knuckles 3, shock absorbers 8, and air springs 7 are symmetrically arranged on the left and right sides of the subframe 1. The upper ends of the shock absorbers and air springs 7 are connected to the vehicle body, and the lower ends are hingedly connected to the steering knuckles 3. The subframe 1 also has a connection point connected to the vehicle body. The figure shows that the subframe is provided with four connecting seats 1a for connecting to the vehicle body / integral frame. Specifically, the subframe 1 includes two longitudinal beams 11, and a first crossbeam 12 and a second crossbeam 13 are connected between the two longitudinal beams 11. The first crossbeam 12 and the second crossbeam 13 are arranged in parallel front and rear. The connecting seat 1a can be provided on the longitudinal beam 11.

[0033] The steering knuckle of the present invention is mounted on wheel 2, and the steering knuckle 3 has a first connection point, a second connection point, a third connection point, and a fourth connection point on the inner side of the wheel; the inner side of the wheel here refers to the side opposite the two wheels, facing the subframe 1. Although the connection points are not labeled in the figure, the positional relationship between the connection points can be fully understood by those skilled in the art through the positional relationship between the various components and the connection points described below. The connection points of the steering knuckles on the two wheels are also arranged symmetrically with respect to the left and right sides of the vehicle, that is, the first connection point of the steering knuckle on the left wheel and the first connection point of the steering knuckle on the right wheel are arranged symmetrically with respect to the central longitudinal plane of the vehicle. The same is true for the other connection points, which will not be described in detail herein.

[0034] The rear independent suspension system also includes a rear wheel steering mechanism 4, a steering tie rod 5, a lower front control arm 9, and a spring arm 6. The left and right sides of the rear wheel steering mechanism 4 are connected to the wheels 2 on both sides through the steering tie rods 5 on both sides. The outer end of the lower front control arm 9 is hinged to the first connection point, and the inner end of the lower front control arm 9 is hinged to the subframe. The lower front control arm 9 and the subframe 1 have only one hinge point. The lower front control arm 9 has a shock absorber mounting seat for mounting the shock absorber 8. Figure 4As can be seen in the figure, the left steering knuckle is hingedly connected to the left longitudinal beam of the subframe through the lower front control arm 9, and the right steering knuckle is hingedly connected to the right longitudinal beam of the subframe 1 through the right lower front control arm 9.

[0035] The rear-wheel steering mechanism 4 can be connected to an actuator such as a handle at the driving position. The movement of the actuator can be transmitted to the rear-wheel steering mechanism 4 through the operating mechanism. The rear-wheel steering mechanism 4 drives the left or right wheel through the steering rod 5. Although the specific structure of the rear-wheel steering mechanism 4 and the operating mechanism is not shown herein, those skilled in the art will be able to fully understand their specific structure based on the description of their functions herein, and there are no technical obstacles to understanding and implementing them.

[0036] In the present invention, the outer end of the spring arm 6 is hingedly connected to the second connection point, and the inner end is hingedly connected to the subframe 1 . A spring mounting seat is provided on the spring arm 6 for mounting the air spring 7 .

[0037] The rear wheel steering mechanism 4 is fixed to the subframe 1, specifically, the rear wheel steering mechanism 4 can be fixed to the outside of the crossbeam of the subframe 1. The outer end of the steering rod 5 is hingedly connected to the third connection point, and the inner end is hingedly connected to the rear wheel steering mechanism 4.

[0038] Among them, the position of the third connection point is higher than the position of the second connection point, and the second connection point is located between the first connection point and the third connection point. The between mentioned here does not refer to the middle position of the line connecting the first connection point and the third connection point, but mainly refers to the positional relationship of the three connection points along the length direction of the vehicle body.

[0039] Compared with the prior art of setting a triangular arm supporting shock absorber, the present invention sets a lower front control arm 9 with only two hinges, which reduces the space occupied in front of the subframe and lowers the connection position of the spring arm on the steering knuckle. In this way, a certain amount of space can be saved on the rear side of the steering knuckle to install the steering rod 5. The inner end of the steering rod 5 is connected to the rear wheel steering mechanism installed at the corresponding position of the subframe, so that rear wheel steering can be achieved.

[0040] The hinge points at both ends of the steering rod 5 are usually located in the same horizontal plane. Similarly, the hinge points at both ends of the lower front control arm 9 are usually located in the same horizontal plane, and the hinge points at both ends of the spring arm 6 can also be usually located in the same horizontal plane.

[0041] Specifically, the air spring 7 can be located between the steering rod 5 and the lower front control arm 9. This makes the mechanism more compact.

[0042] In each of the above embodiments, the steering knuckle 3 further includes a fourth connection point, which is the highest among the connection points of the steering knuckle 3. The rear independent suspension system also includes an upper control fork arm 10, the outer end of which is hingedly connected to the fourth connection point, and the inner end of which is hingedly connected to the subframe 1. This further improves the overall stability of the rear independent suspension system, facilitating stable vehicle driving.

[0043] In one embodiment of the present invention, the air spring 7 is located between the upper control fork arm 10 and the steering rod 5. In this embodiment, the rear suspension mechanism has a compact structure and high stability.

[0044] In the above embodiments, the subframe 1 has a subframe front suspension fixed body 111 and a subframe rear suspension fixed body 112 on both sides along the vehicle width direction. The two are arranged along the length direction of the vehicle body. The terminal ends of the subframe front suspension fixed body 111 and the subframe rear suspension fixed body 112 are provided with a connecting seat 1a, which is used to connect to the vehicle body; the subframe front suspension fixed body 111 and the subframe rear suspension fixed body 112 extend along the width direction of the vehicle body, and the shock absorber 8 and the air spring 7 are located between the subframe front suspension fixed body 111 and the subframe rear suspension fixed body 112.

[0045] As described above, the subframe 1 includes a first crossbeam 12, a second crossbeam 13, and two longitudinal beams 11. The first crossbeam 12 and the second crossbeam 13 are connected between the two longitudinal beams 11. The ends of the longitudinal beams 11 extend toward the wheel side to form the subframe front suspension fixed body 111 and the subframe rear suspension fixed body 112, respectively. In this embodiment, the subframe front suspension fixed body 111 and the subframe rear suspension fixed body 112 are part of the longitudinal beams, that is, the three are integrated into a single structure, which provides the subframe 1 with relatively high strength.

[0046] In one example, the rear wheel steering mechanism 4 of the rear independent suspension system is fixed to the outer side of the second cross beam 13, and the inner end of the spring arm 6 is hinged to the bottom wall of the second cross beam 13. This can minimize the space occupied by the subframe 1 in the length direction, especially the spring arm 6 is connected to the bottom wall of the second cross beam. This can save as much space as possible to set the steering rod 5 and reduce the width of the vehicle body.

[0047] Similarly, the lower front control arm 9 is hingedly connected to the bottom wall of the longitudinal beam 11 .

[0048] The upper control fork arm 10 of the rear independent suspension system of the present invention is a triangular arm, and the inner end of the upper control fork arm 10 has a first arm 101 and a second arm 102. The first arm 101 and the second arm 102 are arranged along the length direction of the vehicle body, and the first arm 101 and the second arm 102 are both hingedly connected to the subframe.

[0049] The provision of triangular arms on both sides of the subframe 1 further improves the working stability of the rear independent suspension system.

[0050] Each hinge point of the steering rod 5, the lower front control arm 9, the upper control fork arm 10 and the spring arm 6 can be a ball hinge, which can improve the flexibility of the mechanism movement.

[0051] The rear independent suspension system can also be equipped with a stabilizer bar 1-1 to further improve the stability of the mechanism.

[0052] The vehicle of the present invention has the above-mentioned rear independent suspension system, and therefore also has the above-mentioned technical effects of the rear independent suspension system.

[0053] The above describes in detail the rear independent suspension system and vehicle provided by the present invention. Specific examples are used herein to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present invention. The description of the above embodiments is intended only to facilitate understanding of the method and core concept of the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art may make various improvements and modifications to the present invention without departing from the principles of the present invention, and such improvements and modifications fall within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A rear independent suspension system, characterized in that: The vehicle comprises a wheel, a steering knuckle and a subframe, wherein the steering knuckle is used to fix the wheel, and the steering knuckle has a first connection point, a second connection point and a third connection point on the inner side of the wheel; The rear independent suspension system further includes a rear wheel steering mechanism, a steering tie rod, a lower front control arm, and a spring arm; an outer end portion of the lower front control arm is hinged to the first connection point, an inner end portion of the lower front control arm is hinged to the subframe, and the lower front control arm and the subframe have only one hinge point; the lower front control arm has a shock absorber mounting hole for mounting a shock absorber; The outer end of the spring arm is hingedly connected to the second connection point, and the inner end is hingedly connected to the subframe. The spring arm is provided with a spring mounting seat for mounting an air spring; The rear wheel steering mechanism is fixed to the subframe, the outer end of the steering tie rod is hingedly connected to the third connection point, and the inner end is hingedly connected to the rear wheel steering mechanism; the subframe includes a first crossbeam, a second crossbeam and two longitudinal beams, the first crossbeam and the second crossbeam are connected between the two longitudinal beams, and the rear wheel steering mechanism is fixed to the outer side of the second crossbeam; The steering knuckle further includes a fourth connection point, the fourth connection point being located highest among the connection points of the steering knuckle, and the rear independent suspension system further includes an upper control fork arm, the outer end of the upper control fork arm being hingedly connected to the fourth connection point, and the inner end of the upper control fork arm being hingedly connected to the subframe; Along the length direction of the vehicle body, the shock absorber is located on a side of the upper control fork arm away from the air spring; Also included is a stabilizer bar, the stabilizer bar being located on one side of the first crossbeam; The upper control fork arm is a triangular arm, and the inner end of the upper control fork arm has a first arm and a second arm, the first arm and the second arm are arranged along the length direction of the vehicle body, and the first arm and the second arm are both hingedly connected to the subframe; The third connection point is located higher than the second connection point.

2. The rear independent suspension system according to claim 1, wherein: The air spring is located between the steering tie rod and the lower front control arm.

3. The rear independent suspension system according to claim 1, wherein: The air spring is located between the upper control wishbone and the steering tie rod.

4. The rear independent suspension system according to claim 1, wherein: The subframe is provided with a front subframe suspension fixing body and a rear subframe suspension fixing body on both sides along the vehicle width direction, and the two are arranged along the length direction of the vehicle body. The terminal ends of the front subframe suspension fixing body and the rear subframe suspension fixing body are both provided with connecting seats, and the connecting seats are used to be connected to the vehicle body; the front subframe suspension fixing body and the rear subframe suspension fixing body extend along the width direction of the vehicle body, and the shock absorber and the air spring are located between the front subframe suspension fixing body and the rear subframe suspension fixing body.

5. The rear independent suspension system according to claim 1, wherein: Two ends of the longitudinal beam extend toward one side of the wheel to form a sub-frame front suspension fixing body and a sub-frame rear suspension fixing body respectively.

6. The rear independent suspension system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The inner end of the spring arm is hinged to the bottom of the second crossbeam.

7. The rear independent suspension system according to claim 5, characterized in that: The lower front control arm is hingedly connected to the bottom wall of the longitudinal beam.

8. A vehicle comprising a vehicle body, characterized in that: It also includes the rear independent suspension system according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

Images