Vehicle corner module and vehicle

Abstract

An embodiment of the present specification provides a vehicle corner module comprising: a wheel; the suspension system comprises a swing arm; the steering system comprises a steering driving part and a steering arm, the steering driving part is installed on the steering arm, the two ends of a swing arm are connected with the wheels and the steering arm through rotating pairs respectively, and the steering driving part drives the wheels to steer through the steering arm and the swing arm; the driving system comprises a driving motor, a speed reducing mechanism and a connecting mechanism, the driving motor is installed on the steering arm, the output shaft is connected with the speed reducing mechanism, the speed reducing mechanism is arranged in the steering arm, and the output shaft of the speed reducing mechanism is connected with the wheels through the connecting mechanism. The driving motor is installed on the steering arm, the unsprung mass and the wheel dynamic load can be reduced, the output shaft of the driving motor is connected with the input shaft of the speed reducing mechanism in the direction away from the wheel, the speed reducing mechanism is arranged in the steering arm, and more axial space can be reserved for the connecting mechanism; therefore, the wheels can run up and down greatly.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present specification relates to the field of vehicle technology, and in particular to a vehicle corner module and a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] Corner modules are electrical and mechanical systems that integrate the wheel's shock absorption, drive, steering, braking and other functions at the wheel end. Corner modules are usually composed of wheels, drive motors and controllers, steering gears and controllers, shock absorbers, swing arms, etc. Due to the high degree of modularization and integration, corner modules are more flexible in movement and can achieve functions such as lateral movement, 360-degree rotation, and rapid separation and assembly from the vehicle body. When a fault occurs, it is also easier to locate the fault.

[0003] Existing corner module solutions can be divided into two categories according to the location of the drive motor. The first category uses a wheel hub motor drive, and the drive motor is placed under the spring. The common defect of this type of solution is that the unsprung mass is too large, resulting in a large dynamic load on the vehicle, severe vehicle vibration, and the motor under the spring will experience more bumps, which greatly limits the life of the motor.

[0004] The second type of solution places the drive motor on the spring, where part of the motor is installed on the body and driven by a half-shaft. However, since the half-shaft connects the body and the corner module, this type of corner module cannot achieve 360-degree rotation. The drive system of this type of solution is not completely located in the corner module, and it is not a corner module in the pure sense. The corner module solution of patent number CN118003818A places the motor on the spring and in the corner module. The drive motor drives the wheel to rotate through two constant velocity joints. However, due to the limitation of the lateral size of the vehicle, the drive shaft where the two constant velocity joints are located is too short to support the wheels to achieve large wheel bounce, and the off-road performance of the vehicle is limited. Summary of the invention

[0005] In view of this, an embodiment of the present specification provides a vehicle corner module and a vehicle, in which a drive motor is installed on a steering arm, which can reduce the unsprung mass and the dynamic load of the wheel. The output shaft of the drive motor is connected to the input shaft of the reduction mechanism in a direction away from the wheel. The reduction mechanism is arranged inside the steering arm, which can leave more axial space for the connecting mechanism, thereby ensuring that the wheel can complete a large range of up and down jumps.

[0006] The embodiments of this specification provide the following technical solutions: a vehicle corner module, comprising:

[0007] wheel;

[0008] suspension system, including swing arm;

[0009] A steering system, comprising a steering drive unit and a steering arm, wherein the steering drive unit is mounted on the steering arm, and both ends of the swing arm are respectively connected to the wheel and the steering arm through a revolute pair, and the steering drive unit drives the wheel to steer through the steering arm and the swing arm;

[0010] The driving system includes a driving motor, a reduction mechanism and a connecting mechanism. The driving motor is mounted on the steering arm, and its output shaft is connected to the input shaft of the reduction mechanism in a direction away from the wheel. The reduction mechanism is arranged inside the steering arm, and the output shaft of the reduction mechanism is connected to the wheel through the connecting mechanism in a direction close to the wheel.

[0011] Preferably, the connecting mechanism comprises a half shaft, a first end of the half shaft is connected to the wheel, and a second end of the half shaft is connected to the output shaft of the reduction mechanism;

[0012] Alternatively, the connection mechanism comprises a transmission shaft, and both ends of the transmission shaft are respectively connected to the wheel and the output shaft of the reduction mechanism through constant velocity universal joints.

[0013] Preferably, the suspension system further comprises a shock absorber, a first end of the shock absorber is connected to the swing arm, and a second end of the shock absorber is connected to the steering arm.

[0014] Preferably, two groups of shock absorbers are provided, and the two groups of shock absorbers are respectively located on both sides of the driving motor.

[0015] Preferably, the steering drive unit includes a steering gear, a steering transmission mechanism and a slewing device, the steering gear is installed on the steering arm, the steering gear is connected to the rotating end of the slewing device through the steering transmission mechanism, the steering arm is fixedly connected to the fixed end of the slewing device, and the steering gear drives the rotating end of the slewing device to rotate through the steering transmission mechanism, so that the steering arm can rotate 360 ​​degrees around the axis of the slewing device.

[0016] Preferably, the steering transmission mechanism includes one of a worm gear structure, a parallel axis gear or a bevel gear structure.

[0017] Preferably, two groups of the swing arms are provided, and the two groups of the swing arms are respectively distributed on the upper and lower sides of the connecting mechanism.

[0018] Preferably, the cross section of the steering arm is a "7" type.

[0019] Preferably, the reduction mechanism comprises one of a parallel shaft gear reducer, a belt drive reducer or a chain drive reducer.

[0020] A vehicle comprises a vehicle chassis and a vehicle corner module as described in any one of the above items, wherein the vehicle corner module is arranged on the vehicle chassis.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the at least one technical solution adopted in the embodiments of this specification can achieve the following beneficial effects:

[0022] Installing the drive motor on the steering arm can reduce the unsprung mass and the dynamic load of the wheel, and prevent the drive motor from experiencing frequent and severe bumps. The size of the drive motor is not limited by the size of the wheel hub. The output shaft of the drive motor is connected to the input shaft of the reduction mechanism in the direction away from the wheel. The reduction mechanism is arranged inside the steering arm, which can leave more axial space for the connecting mechanism, thereby ensuring that the wheel can complete a large range of up and down jumps. The steering system drives the steering arm to rotate, which can realize the wheel's 360-degree rotation relative to the body. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying creative work.

[0024] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the vehicle corner module provided by the present application;

[0025] Figure 2 is a side view of a vehicle corner module provided by the present application;

[0026] Figure 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a driving system of a vehicle corner module provided by the present application;

[0027] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the steering system structure of the vehicle corner module provided in this application.

[0028] In the figure, 1. wheel; 2. steering arm; 3. connecting mechanism; 4. driving motor; 5. reduction mechanism; 6. swing arm; 7. steering gear; 8. steering transmission mechanism; 9. slewing device; 10. shock absorber. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0030] The following describes the implementation methods of the present application through specific examples, and those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present application from the contents disclosed in this specification. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. The present application can also be implemented or applied through other different specific implementation methods, and the details in this specification can also be modified or changed in various ways based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of the present application. It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the following embodiments and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in the field without making creative work belong to the scope of protection of the present application.

[0031] It should be noted that various aspects of the embodiments within the scope of the appended claims are described below. It should be apparent that the aspects described herein can be embodied in a wide variety of forms, and any specific structure and / or function described herein is merely illustrative. Based on the present application, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that an aspect described herein can be implemented independently of any other aspect, and two or more of these aspects can be combined in various ways. For example, any number and aspect described herein can be used to implement the device and / or practice the method. In addition, other structures and / or functionalities other than one or more of the aspects described herein can be used to implement this device and / or practice this method.

[0032] It should also be noted that the illustrations provided in the following embodiments are only schematic illustrations of the basic concept of the present application. The drawings only show components related to the present application rather than being drawn according to the number, shape and size of components in actual implementation. In actual implementation, the type, quantity and proportion of each component may be changed arbitrarily, and the component layout may also be more complicated.

[0033] Additionally, in the following description, specific details are provided to facilitate a thorough understanding of the examples. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the aspects described may be practiced without these specific details.

[0034] Some existing corner module solutions will place the drive motor on the spring, where part of the motor is installed on the body and driven by a half-shaft. However, since the half-shaft connects the body and the corner module, this type of corner module cannot achieve 360-degree rotation. The drive system of this type of solution is not completely located in the corner module and is not a corner module in the pure sense. The corner module solution with patent number CN118003818A places the motor on the spring and in the corner module. The drive motor drives the wheel to rotate through two constant velocity joints. However, due to the limitation of the lateral size of the vehicle, the drive shaft where the two constant velocity joints are located is too short to support the wheels to achieve large wheel bounce, and the off-road performance of the vehicle is limited.

[0035] The inventor has designed a vehicle corner module after extensive and intensive experiments.

[0036] The technical solutions provided by various embodiments of the present application are described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0037] like Figure 1-Figure 2 As shown, a vehicle corner module comprises:

[0038] Wheel 1;

[0039] A suspension system, including a swing arm 6;

[0040] The steering system comprises a steering drive unit and a steering arm 2, wherein the steering drive unit is mounted on the steering arm 2, the two ends of the swing arm 6 are respectively connected to the wheel 1 and the steering arm 2 through a revolute pair, the outer end of the swing arm 6 is connected to the horn of the wheel 1 through a revolute pair, and the steering drive unit drives the wheel 1 to steer through the revolute arm 2 and the swing arm 6;

[0041] The driving system includes a driving motor 4, a reduction mechanism 5 and a connecting mechanism 3. The driving motor 4 is installed on the steering arm 2, and its output shaft is connected to the input shaft of the reduction mechanism 5 in a direction away from the wheel 1. The reduction mechanism 5 is arranged inside the steering arm 2, and the output shaft of the reduction mechanism 5 is connected to the wheel 1 through the connecting mechanism 3 in a direction close to the wheel 1.

[0042] Installing the drive motor 4 on the steering arm 2 can reduce the unsprung mass and the dynamic load of the wheel 1, effectively reduce the vibration of the vehicle, and prevent the drive motor 4 from experiencing frequent and severe bumps. At the same time, the size of the drive motor 4 is not limited by the size of the wheel hub of the wheel 1. In theory, it can provide a stronger driving force for the corner module. The output shaft of the drive motor 4 is connected to the input shaft of the reduction mechanism 5 in the direction away from the wheel 1, and the reduction mechanism 5 is used to achieve deceleration and torque increase. The reduction mechanism 5 is arranged inside the steering arm 2. The output shaft of the reduction mechanism 5 is connected to the wheel 1 through the connecting mechanism 3, which can leave more axial space for the connecting mechanism 3, thereby ensuring that the wheel 1 can complete a large range of up and down jumps. The steering arm 2 is driven to rotate by the steering drive unit, and the steering arm 2 drives the wheel 1 to rotate through the swing arm 6, which can realize a 360-degree rotation of the wheel 1 relative to the vehicle body.

[0043] It should be noted that integrating the drive motor 4, the reduction mechanism 5, etc. on the steering arm 2 reduces the overall mass and leaves more axial design space for the design of the connecting mechanism 3, thereby ensuring that the wheel 1 can complete a large range of up and down jumps.

[0044] like Figure 1-Figure 3As shown, in some embodiments, the connecting mechanism 3 includes a half-shaft, a first end of the half-shaft is connected to the wheel 1, and a second end of the half-shaft is connected to the output shaft of the reduction mechanism 5. The half-shaft can transmit power to the wheel 1, effectively transmit torque, and thus drive the vehicle forward. Since the reduction mechanism 5 is arranged inside the steering arm 2, more axial space is left for the half-shaft, so the length of the half-shaft can be designed to be longer, which can ensure that the wheel 1 can complete a large up and down jump, thereby meeting the requirements of off-road conditions.

[0045] In some other embodiments, the connecting mechanism 3 can also adopt a transmission shaft, and the two ends of the transmission shaft are respectively connected to the wheel 1 and the output shaft of the reduction mechanism 5 through constant velocity universal joints. The two ends of the transmission shaft are respectively connected to the wheel 1 and the output shaft of the reduction mechanism 5 through constant velocity universal joints to ensure that the output shaft of the reduction mechanism 5 can rotate synchronously with the wheel 1, and the wheel 1 can jump up and down relative to the reduction mechanism 5.

[0046] like Figure 1-Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments, the suspension system also includes a shock absorber 10, a first end of the shock absorber 10 is connected to the swing arm 6, and a second end of the shock absorber 10 is connected to the steering arm 2. By setting the shock absorber 10, the upper end of the shock absorber 10 is connected to the steering arm 2, and the lower end is connected to the swing arm 6, which can play a shock absorbing and buffering function when the wheel 1 bounces.

[0047] It should be noted that the suspension system can be either a double swing arm 6 suspension or a McPherson suspension. The shock absorber 10 can be either one group or two groups.

[0048] like Figure 1-Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments, two groups of shock absorbers 10 are provided. In order to avoid the driving motor 4, the two groups of shock absorbers 10 are respectively located on both sides of the driving motor 4. By providing two groups of shock absorbers 10, the shock absorption and buffering are more uniform.

[0049] like Figure 1 and Figure 4As shown, in some embodiments, the steering drive unit includes a steering gear 7, a steering transmission mechanism 8 and a slewing device 9, the steering gear 7 is installed on the steering arm 2, the steering gear 7 is connected to the fixed end of the slewing device 9 through the steering transmission mechanism 8, the steering arm 2 is fixedly connected to the rotating end of the slewing device 9, the steering gear 7 drives the rotating end of the slewing device 9 to rotate through the steering transmission mechanism 8, so that the steering arm 2 can rotate 360 ​​degrees around the axis of the slewing device 9, the steering arm 2 is fixedly connected to the rotating end of the slewing device 9 and rotates with it, the steering gear 7 rotates when working, the steering gear 7 is connected to the steering transmission mechanism 8, the steering transmission mechanism 8 steers the rotation direction, the steering transmission mechanism 8 drives the rotating end of the slewing device 9 to rotate, the slewing device 9 drives the steering arm 2 to rotate together, the steering arm 2 drives the wheel 1 to rotate through the swing arm 6, so that the wheel 1 can rotate 360 ​​degrees around the axis of the slewing device 9, that is, the wheel 1 is rotated 360 degrees relative to the vehicle body.

[0050] It should be noted that the slewing device 9 may be a slewing support bearing, and the axis of the slewing support bearing is in a vertical direction or a nearly vertical direction.

[0051] In this embodiment, the steering transmission mechanism 8 includes a worm gear structure, and the worm gear structure is used for steering, so that the horizontal rotation of the steering machine 7 is converted into the vertical rotation of the slewing device 9. In other embodiments, the steering transmission mechanism 8 can also use a parallel shaft gear or a bevel gear structure, which can be selected according to actual conditions.

[0052] like Figure 1-Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments, the swing arm 6 is provided with two groups, and the two groups of the swing arms 6 are respectively distributed on the upper and lower sides of the connecting mechanism 3. By providing two groups of swing arms 6 respectively distributed on the upper and lower sides of the connecting mechanism 3, the inner side of the swing arm 6 is connected to the steering arm 2, and the outer side of the swing arm 6 is connected to the horn of the wheel 1 through a rotating pair. The swing arm 6 is responsible for transmitting various forces and torques from the road surface. When the wheel 1 travels on an uneven road surface, the swing arm 6 will transmit the impact force of the road surface to the steering arm 2. A shock absorber 10 is provided on the upper swing arm 6 to play a shock absorbing role.

[0053] like Figure 1-Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments, the cross-section of the steering arm 2 is a "7" type, the cross-section of the steering arm 2 is a "7" type design, the steering system is arranged at the lateral part of the steering arm 2, the drive motor 4 and the reduction mechanism 5 are arranged at the vertical part of the steering arm 2, and the swing arm 6 is connected to the side of the vertical part of the steering arm 2 close to the wheel 1.

[0054] In this embodiment, the speed reduction mechanism 5 includes a parallel axis gear reducer, the input shaft and output shaft of the parallel axis gear reducer are parallel and the gears are meshed, this design makes its structure compact and occupies less space, which is convenient for providing more space for the connecting mechanism 3, and at the same time, the parallel axis gear reducer has less energy loss during the transmission process and has a higher load capacity and overload capacity. In other embodiments, the speed reduction mechanism 5 can also adopt a belt drive reducer or a chain drive reducer.

[0055] See also Figure 1-Figure 4 Based on the same inventive concept, an embodiment of the present specification provides a vehicle, comprising a vehicle chassis and a vehicle corner module as described in any one of the above items, wherein the vehicle corner module is arranged on the vehicle chassis.

[0056] During implementation, by adopting the above-mentioned vehicle corner module, by placing the drive motor 4 on the spring, the unsprung mass and the dynamic load of the wheel 1 are reduced, the vehicle vibration is effectively reduced, the output shaft of the drive motor 4 is directed to the inside of the vehicle, and the power output end is turned toward the wheel 1 through the parallel shaft reduction mechanism 5, leaving more axial space for the design of the drive shaft, thereby ensuring that the wheel 1 can complete a large range of up and down jumps; by integrating the output end housing of the drive motor 4, the reduction mechanism 5 housing, etc. on the steering arm 2, the overall mass is reduced, and more axial design space is left for the design of the half shaft or drive shaft; the steering gear 7 and the controller, the drive motor 4 and the controller, the suspension system, etc. are all located in the corner module, and the corner module can achieve 360-degree rotation relative to the vehicle body.

[0057] The same or similar parts between the various embodiments in this specification can be referred to each other, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. In particular, for the method embodiment described later, since it corresponds to the system, the description is relatively simple, and the relevant parts can be referred to the partial description of the system embodiment.

[0058] The above is only a specific implementation of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily thought of by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present application should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A vehicle corner module, characterized in that: include: wheel; suspension system, including swing arm; A steering system, comprising a steering drive unit and a steering arm, wherein the steering drive unit is mounted on the steering arm, and both ends of the swing arm are respectively connected to the wheel and the steering arm through a revolute pair, and the steering drive unit drives the wheel to steer through the steering arm and the swing arm; The driving system includes a driving motor, a reduction mechanism and a connecting mechanism. The driving motor is mounted on the steering arm, and its output shaft is connected to the input shaft of the reduction mechanism in a direction away from the wheel. The reduction mechanism is arranged inside the steering arm, and the output shaft of the reduction mechanism is connected to the wheel through the connecting mechanism in a direction close to the wheel.

2. The vehicle corner module according to claim 1, characterized in that The connecting mechanism comprises a half shaft, a first end of the half shaft is connected to the wheel, and a second end of the half shaft is connected to the output shaft of the reduction mechanism; Alternatively, the connection mechanism comprises a transmission shaft, and both ends of the transmission shaft are respectively connected to the wheel and the output shaft of the reduction mechanism through constant velocity universal joints.

3. The vehicle corner module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The suspension system further comprises a shock absorber, wherein a first end of the shock absorber is connected to the swing arm, and a second end of the shock absorber is connected to the steering arm.

4. The vehicle corner module according to claim 3, characterized in that: The shock absorbers are provided in two groups, and the two groups of shock absorbers are respectively located on both sides of the driving motor.

5. The vehicle corner module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The steering drive unit includes a steering gear, a steering transmission mechanism and a slewing device. The steering gear is installed on the steering arm. The steering gear is connected to the fixed end of the slewing device through the steering transmission mechanism. The steering arm is fixedly connected to the rotating end of the slewing device. The steering gear drives the rotating end of the slewing device to rotate through the steering transmission mechanism, so that the steering arm can rotate 360 ​​degrees around the axis of the slewing device.

6. The vehicle corner module according to claim 5, characterized in that The steering transmission mechanism includes one of a worm gear structure, a parallel axis gear or a bevel gear structure.

7. The vehicle corner module according to claim 1, characterized in that The swing arms are provided in two groups, and the two groups of swing arms are respectively distributed on the upper and lower sides of the connecting mechanism.

8. The vehicle corner module according to claim 1, characterized in that The cross section of the steering arm is a "7" type.

9. The vehicle corner module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The speed reduction mechanism includes a parallel shaft gear reducer, a belt drive reducer or a chain drive reducer.

10. A vehicle, characterized in that: It comprises a vehicle chassis and a vehicle corner module as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the vehicle corner module is arranged on the vehicle chassis.

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