Sensor assembly and knuckle assembly

Abstract

The invention provides a sensor assembly and a knuckle assembly. A sensor assembly configured for a vehicle suspension system. The sensor assembly includes a body, a nose, a first sensor, and a second sensor. The body defines a first receptacle and includes a first end and a second end. The nose extends from the body and defines a second receptacle. A first sensor is disposed in the first receptacle and configured to measure a first vehicle characteristic of the vehicle suspension system. A second sensor is disposed in the second housing and configured to measure a second vehicle characteristic, and the second vehicle characteristic is different from the first vehicle characteristic.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to wheel systems, and more particularly to sensors for wheel systems. Background Art

[0002] Certain vehicle systems may include one or more sensors configured to monitor the operation of one or more vehicle components, such as the rotational speed of one or more of the wheels or the dynamic movement of one or more of the vehicle's suspension components. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present disclosure provides a sensor assembly configured for a vehicle suspension system. The sensor assembly may include a body, a nose, a first sensor, and a second sensor. The body may define a first receptacle and may include a first end and a second end. The nose may extend from the body, and the nose may define a receptacle. The first sensor may be disposed in the first receptacle and may be configured to measure a first vehicle characteristic of the vehicle suspension system. The second sensor may be disposed in the second receptacle and may be configured to measure a second vehicle characteristic, and the second vehicle characteristic may be different from the first vehicle characteristic.

[0004] In one aspect, the first sensor is an accelerometer and the first vehicle characteristic of the vehicle suspension system is an acceleration of at least one component of the vehicle suspension system.

[0005] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a sensor assembly for a vehicle suspension system is provided. The vehicle suspension system may include at least one wheel, and the sensor assembly may include a housing, an accelerometer, and a wheel speed sensor. The housing may be configured to be attached to at least one component of an unsprung mass of the vehicle suspension system. The accelerometer may be disposed within the housing and configured to measure an acceleration of at least one vehicle component portion of the unsprung mass when the at least one vehicle component is displaced relative to at least one direction. The wheel speed sensor may be disposed within the housing and configured to measure a rotational speed of at least one wheel.

[0006] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a steering knuckle assembly for a vehicle suspension system is provided. The steering knuckle assembly may include a steering knuckle and a sensor assembly. The steering knuckle may include a steering knuckle body and one or more arms extending from the body. The one or more arms may be configured to be attached to one or more components of the vehicle suspension system. The steering knuckle body may be provided with a cylindrical portion defining a wheel carrier aperture, and the wheel carrier aperture may define an axis of rotation of the wheel. The sensor assembly may be provided with a housing, an accelerometer, and a wheel speed sensor. The housing may be configured to be attached to the steering knuckle body, and the accelerometer may be disposed in the housing and configured to measure the acceleration of the steering knuckle body when the steering knuckle body moves relative to at least one direction. The wheel speed sensor may be disposed in the housing and configured to measure the rotational speed of the wheel. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1 A top schematic view of a portion of a vehicle suspension system and sensor assembly is illustrated in accordance with one or more embodiments.

[0008] Figure 2 A perspective view of an integrated accelerometer and wheel speed sensor is illustrated.

[0009] Figure 3 A top view of an integrated accelerometer and wheel speed sensor is shown.

[0010] Figure 4 An exploded perspective view of an exemplary steering knuckle assembly for a vehicle is illustrated.

[0011] Figure 4A and Figure 4B The example shows Figure 4 A detailed view of a portion of the knuckle body cut through by the dashed line in FIG.

[0012] Figure 5A and Figure 5B Each illustrates a schematic diagram of a vehicle suspension system and the orientation of one or more sensor assemblies disposed therein. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0013] Embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein. However, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely examples, and other embodiments may take various and alternative forms. The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale; some features may be exaggerated or minimized to show the details of specific components. Therefore, the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein should not be interpreted as restrictive, but only as a representative basis for teaching those skilled in the art to adopt the embodiments in various ways. As will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art, the various features illustrated and described with reference to any one of the drawings may be combined with the features illustrated in one or more other drawings to produce embodiments that are not explicitly illustrated or described. The combination of the illustrated features provides representative embodiments of typical applications. However, for specific applications or implementations, various combinations and modifications of features consistent with the teachings of the present disclosure may be desired.

[0014] The present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments and methods described below, as specific components and / or conditions may of course vary. Furthermore, the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing specific embodiments of the present invention only and is not intended to be limiting in any way.

[0015] As used in the specification and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. For example, reference to a component in the singular is intended to include a plurality of components.

[0016] The terms "substantially" or "about" may be used herein to describe the disclosed or claimed embodiments. The terms "substantially" or "about" may modify a value or relative property disclosed or claimed in the present disclosure. In such cases, "substantially" or "about" may mean that the value or relative property it modifies is within ±0%, 0.1%, 0.5%, 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, 5%, or 10% of the value or relative property.

[0017] When an element or layer is referred to as being "on," "engaged to," "connected to," or "coupled to" another element or layer, it may be directly on, engaged, connected, or coupled to that other element or layer, or there may be intervening elements or layers. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on," "directly engaged to," "directly connected to," or "directly coupled to" another element or layer, there may be no intervening elements or layers. Other words used to describe the relationship between elements should be interpreted in a similar manner (e.g., "between" versus "directly between," "adjacent" versus "directly adjacent," etc.). The term "and / or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0018] Although the terms first, second, third, etc. can be used to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and / or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers and / or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms can only be used to distinguish an element, component, region, layer or section from another region, layer or section. Terms such as "first", "second" and other numerical terms do not imply order or sequence when used in this article unless the context clearly indicates. Therefore, without departing from the teaching of the example embodiments, the first element, component, region, layer or section discussed below can be referred to as the second element, component, region, layer or section.

[0019] For ease of description, spatially relative terms such as "inside," "outside," "below," "below," "lower," "above," "upper," etc. may be used to describe the relationship of one element or feature to another element or feature as illustrated in the figure. In addition to the orientation depicted in the accompanying drawings, spatially relative terms may be intended to cover different orientations of the device in use or operation. For example, if the device in the figure is turned over, an element described as being "below" or "beneath" another element or feature would then be oriented "above" the other element or feature. Thus, the example term "below" may cover both above and below orientations. The device may be oriented in other ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatially relative descriptors used herein are interpreted accordingly.

[0020] Figure 1 A top view of a portion of a vehicle suspension system 10 provided with a sensor assembly 14 according to one or more embodiments is shown. The suspension system 10 may be a steering shaft provided with a steering knuckle 12, which is configured to support or carry a wheel carrier 24 that may be attached to a wheel 22. As will be described herein, the sensor assembly 14 may include one or more sensors operably connected to a vehicle control system (not illustrated) via a single cable. The sensor assembly 14 may include an accelerometer 18 and a wheel speed sensor 20.

[0021] Figure 2 1 shows a perspective view of a sensor assembly 14 according to one or more embodiments. The sensor assembly 14 may include a housing 26 and a cable or cable assembly 16 that may be fixed to the housing 26. The housing 26 may be provided with a body 28 ( Figure 3) and a nose 34 that can extend from a first end 36 (e.g., a front wall 40) of the body 28. The body 28 can include a pair of lateral side walls 32a, 32b that can each extend from a second end 38 (e.g., a base 30) of the body 28 to the front wall 40. The front wall 40, the lateral side walls 32a, 32b, and the base 30 can collectively form a first receiving portion 42 for receiving the accelerometer 18, and the nose 34 can define a second receiving portion 44, and the wheel speed sensor 20 can be disposed in the second receiving portion 44.

[0022] The flange 46 may extend from the base 30 in the thickness direction (e.g., away from the base) and in the radial direction (e.g., substantially orthogonal to the thickness direction), and the flange may define a fastener hole 54 that may be configured to receive a fastener (not illustrated) to secure the sensor assembly 14 to the steering knuckle 12. The sensor assembly 14 may include one or more (e.g., five) electrical connection members, such as a bus bar including a first wheel speed sensor bus bar 56, a second wheel speed sensor bus bar 58, a first accelerometer bus bar 60, a second accelerometer bus bar 62, and a third accelerometer bus bar 64. The first wheel speed sensor bus bar 56 and the second wheel speed sensor bus bar 58 may be electrically connected to the wheel speed sensor 20, and the first accelerometer bus bar 60, the second accelerometer bus bar 62, and the third accelerometer bus bar 64 may be electrically connected to the accelerometer 18. The collar 48 may extend from the base 30, and the bus bars 56, 58, 60, 62, 64 may be supported by and extend through the collar 48. The cable assembly 16 may include a jacket 66 ( Figure 3 ) and a boot 52 that can be secured to the sheath 66 and the collar 48. The housing 42 that houses the accelerometer 18 is filled or covered with a material that protects the accelerometer 18 from mechanical shock and humidity (not shown). Figure 2 denoted in ).

[0023] Figure 3 A top view of the sensor assembly 14 is shown. The housing 26 ( Figure 2 ) part (such as nose 34 ( Figure 2 ), the body 28 and / or the base 30) may be configured to be inserted into the sensor hole 94 ( Figure 4A and Figure 4B). The nose 34 can be narrower than the width of the body 28 and include a tapered portion to facilitate insertion of the nose 34 and the body 28 into the sensor hole 94. As an example, the lateral side walls 32a, 32b can be spaced apart from each other and define a first width W1, and the base 30 can have a second width W2 that can be greater than the first width W1. The nose 34 can include a first or non-tapered portion 84 that can extend away from the base from the body 28, and a second or tapered portion 86 that can extend from the non-tapered portion 84. The non-tapered portion 84 can define a third width W3, and the tapered portion 86 can define a fourth width W4 that can be less than the third width W3. The collar 48( Figure 2 ) may define a fifth width W5, which may be less than the second width W2 of the base 30. The flange 46 may define a sixth width W6, which may be greater than the fifth width W5.

[0024] As described above, the wheel speed sensor 20 may be disposed in the second receiving portion 44 defined by the nose 34. The wheel speed sensor 20 may include a first lead 70 and a second lead 72 that may extend from the wheel speed sensor 20. The leads 70, the leads 72 themselves, or other electrical connectors (e.g., wires represented by dashed lines 74, 76) may extend through the nose 34 into the accelerometer 18 ( Figure 2 ) in the body below or above the circuit board 80 of the cable assembly 16 and extends to the first wheel speed sensor bus bar 56 and the second wheel speed sensor bus bar 58. The accelerometer 18 includes a circuit board 80, which can carry one or more (e.g., three) sensor nodes, which can be connected to the first accelerometer bus bar 60, the second accelerometer bus bar 62, and the third accelerometer bus bar 64 through the first accelerometer connection 88, the second accelerometer connection 90, and the third accelerometer connection 92, respectively. The first accelerometer bus bar 60, the second accelerometer bus bar 62, and the third accelerometer bus bar 64 and the first wheel speed sensor bus bar 56 and the second wheel speed sensor bus bar 58 can be connected to one or more wires 82 that can be covered by the sheath 66 of the cable assembly 16. In one or more embodiments, a protrusion 68 can be disposed between the base 30 and the collar 48, and the shield 52 can be fixed to the protrusion 68.

[0025] The accelerometer 18 may include a known damping mass that is held in place by an element such as a spring that measures the movement of the mass relative to the device. The deflection of the spring is measured by methods such as piezoelectric voltage, capacitance, or optical devices. The higher the measured value, the greater the deflection of the mass, and therefore the higher the detected acceleration. The accelerometer may also be configured to sense the orientation of the knuckle 12 and the displacement of the knuckle 12 relative to one or more directions. The inner periphery 96 of the first receiving portion 42 may include one or more retaining flanges 78 (e.g., two), which may be configured to ensure that the circuit board 80 in the first receiving portion 42 is inserted into the correct position. One or more holes or recesses (e.g., two) 79 may be defined on the circuit board 80, which are configured to accommodate one or more retaining flanges 78. In addition, the outer periphery of the circuit board 80 may include one or more holes or recesses (e.g., three) 79 to handle the circuit board during the press-fit operation.

[0026] Figure 4 An exploded perspective view of an exemplary steering knuckle assembly 98 is shown in accordance with one or more embodiments.

[0027] Figure 4A and Figure 4B The example shows Figure 4 Detailed view of a portion of the knuckle body 104 cut out by the dashed line in FIG.

[0028] Figure 4A The first mounting plane P1 of the sensor assembly 14 is shown relative to the wheel 22 ( Figure 1 )'s orientation of the axis of rotation RA. Figure 4B The second mounting plane P2 of the sensor assembly 14 is shown relative to the wheel 22 ( Figure 1 )'s orientation of the axis of rotation RA.

[0029] The knuckle assembly 98 may form the unsprung mass of the vehicle suspension system 10 ( Figure 1) and may include a knuckle 12, a wheel carrier 112, a bearing 114, and a snap ring 116. The knuckle 12 may include a knuckle body 104, which may be provided with a cylindrical portion 100, which may define a wheel carrier hole 102. The knuckle body 104 may include one or more arms 108, 110, which may be configured for attachment to other vehicle suspension components (e.g., a control arm swing arm). The wheel carrier hole 102 may be sized to accommodate the bearing 114, the snap ring 116, and the wheel carrier 112. The wheel carrier 112 may be configured to rotate about an axis of rotation RA relative to the bearing 114. Although the knuckle assembly 98 is shown as having a bearing 114, a snap ring 116, and a wheel carrier 112, a person of ordinary skill in the art will understand that other components (e.g., a stub shaft, a main shaft, etc.) may be employed.

[0030] In one or more embodiments, the outer periphery of the barrel portion 100 can define the sensor hole 94 and the attachment hole 106 that can be located adjacent to the sensor hole 94. The sensor hole 94 and the attachment hole 106 can extend through the barrel portion 100 toward the rotation axis RA. The attachment hole 106 can be located so that once at least a portion of the sensor assembly 14 (e.g., the nose 34 and the body 28) is inserted or disposed within the sensor hole 94, the fastener hole 54 can be substantially aligned with the attachment hole 106 so that a fastener can be inserted through the fastener hole 54 and into the attachment hole 106 to secure the sensor assembly 14 to the knuckle body 104. Figure 4A A first mounting plane P1 is shown which may be arranged substantially orthogonal (eg at 90°) to the rotation axis RA. Figure 4B A second mounting plane P2 is shown which may be arranged substantially parallel to the rotation axis RA.

[0031] Figure 5A and Figure 5B Each of the four wheels is provided with a sensor assembly 14 and a schematic diagram of the arrangement of the sensor assembly 14 relative to the wheel. Specifically, Figure 5A The sensor assembly 14 of each wheel 22 is shown arranged orthogonally to the rotation axis of the wheel 22 (eg, Figure 4A shown), and Figure 5B The sensor assembly 14 (eg, Figure 4B shown).

[0032] The suspension system 10 includes a left front knuckle 12a, a right front knuckle 12b, a left rear knuckle 12c, and a right rear knuckle 12d. The arrangement of the sensor assembly 14 in a direction parallel to the rotation axis RA can allow one sensor assembly 14 to be used for each of the knuckles 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d. However, arranging the sensor assembly 14 orthogonal to the rotation axis RA may require two sensor assemblies 14a, 14b for the vehicle knuckles 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d. For the orthogonal arrangement of the sensors, the left front knuckle 12a and the right rear knuckle 12d can each include a first sensor assembly 14a, and the right front knuckle 12b and the left rear knuckle 12c can include a second sensor assembly 14b. In all arrangements, the wheel speed sensor 20 must be correctly oriented to the rotating element linked to the wheel, in most cases the rotating ring of the bearing 114.

[0033] Although exemplary embodiments are described above, these embodiments are not intended to describe all possible forms covered by the claims. The words used in the specification are descriptive rather than limiting words, and it should be understood that various changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. As mentioned above, the features of various embodiments can be combined to form other embodiments of the present invention that may not be explicitly described or illustrated. Although various embodiments may have been described as providing advantages or being superior to other embodiments or implementations of the prior art relative to one or more desired characteristics, it is recognized by those of ordinary skill in the art that, depending on the specific application and implementation, one or more features or characteristics may be sacrificed to achieve the desired overall system properties. These properties may include, but are not limited to, cost, strength, durability, life cycle cost, marketability, appearance, packaging, size, applicability, weight, manufacturability, ease of assembly, etc. Therefore, any embodiment is described as less ideal than other embodiments or implementations of the prior art in terms of one or more characteristics, and these embodiments do not exceed the scope of the present disclosure and may be desirable for specific applications.

Claims

1. A sensor assembly for a vehicle suspension system, the sensor assembly comprising: a body defining a first receiving portion, the body including a first end and a second end; a nose portion extending from the body and defining a second receiving portion; a first sensor disposed in the first receptacle and configured to measure a first vehicle property of the vehicle suspension system; as well as A second sensor is disposed in the second housing and is configured to measure a second vehicle characteristic of the vehicle suspension system, the second vehicle characteristic being different from the first vehicle characteristic.

2. The sensor assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The first sensor is an accelerometer and the first vehicle characteristic of the vehicle suspension system is an acceleration of at least one component of the vehicle suspension system.

3. The sensor assembly according to claim 2, wherein: The vehicle suspension system includes a steering knuckle configured to carry a wheel, and the first vehicle characteristic is an acceleration of the steering knuckle relative to one or more directions, wherein the second sensor is a wheel speed sensor, and the second vehicle characteristic is a rotational speed of the wheel.

4. The sensor assembly according to claim 1, further comprising: one or more first bus bars extending from the second end of the body and electrically connected to the first sensor; as well as One or more second bus bars extend from the second end of the body and are electrically connected to the second sensor.

5. The sensor assembly according to claim 4, wherein: The nose extends from the first end of the body.

6. The sensor assembly according to claim 1, wherein: The body includes a base, a pair of lateral side walls, and a front wall, wherein the front wall forms the first end of the body and the base forms the second end of the body, wherein the pair of lateral side walls are spaced apart by a first width, and the base has a second width, and wherein the second width is greater than the first width.

7. The sensor assembly according to claim 6, wherein: The nose includes a first portion and a second portion, wherein the first portion extends from the body and the second portion extends away from the body from the first portion, wherein the first portion of the nose defines a third width and the second portion of the nose defines a fourth width, wherein the third width is less than the second width and the fourth width is less than the third width.

8. The sensor assembly according to claim 6, further comprising: A flange extends away from the base in radial and axial directions, the flange defining a fastener hole configured to receive a fastener to secure the sensor assembly to at least one component of the vehicle suspension system.

9. The sensor assembly according to claim 8, wherein: The at least one component is a steering knuckle configured to carry a wheel, wherein the steering knuckle defines a wheel carrier hole and a sensor hole, the wheel carrier hole is configured to accommodate the wheel carrier and defines a rotation axis, the sensor hole is configured to accommodate the nose, the sensor hole and the fastener hole are arranged adjacent to each other, wherein a plane extending through the center of the sensor hole and the center of the fastener hole is arranged to be substantially orthogonal to the rotation axis.

10. The sensor assembly according to claim 8, further comprising: a collar extending from the flange, the flange being disposed between the base and the collar, the collar defining an electrical connection receiving portion; one or more first sensor connectors extending through the electrical connection receiving portion and electrically connected to the first sensor; as well as One or more second sensor connectors extend through the electrical connection receiving portion and are electrically connected to the second sensor.

11. The sensor assembly according to claim 10, further comprising: A cable assembly includes a conductor, a sheath and a shield, wherein the conductor is disposed within the sheath and shield and is operably connected to the one or more first sensor connectors and the one or more second sensor connectors, and the shield covers a ferrule.

12. The sensor assembly according to claim 10, wherein: The one or more second sensor connectors are disposed between the one or more first sensor connectors.

13. A sensor assembly for a vehicle suspension system including at least one wheel, the sensor assembly comprising: a housing configured for attachment to at least one component of the vehicle suspension system; an accelerometer disposed within the housing and configured to measure acceleration of the at least one vehicle component when the at least one vehicle component is displaced relative to at least one direction; as well as A wheel speed sensor is disposed within the housing and is configured to measure a rotational speed of the at least one wheel.

14. The sensor assembly of claim 13, further comprising: A cable assembly comprising one or more wires operably connected to the accelerometer and the wheel speed sensor, wherein the housing comprises a first end, a second end, and a middle portion extending between the first end and the second end, wherein the accelerometer is disposed in the middle portion, the wheel speed sensor is disposed in the first end, and the cable assembly is secured to the second end.

15. The sensor assembly of claim 14, wherein: The intermediate portion defines a receiving portion, and an inner periphery of the receiving portion includes one or more retaining flanges, wherein the accelerometer includes a circuit board disposed within the receiving portion, wherein the one or more retaining flanges are configured to secure the circuit board within the receiving portion.

16. A steering knuckle assembly for a vehicle suspension system, the steering knuckle assembly comprising: a steering knuckle comprising a knuckle body and one or more arms extending from the knuckle body, the one or more arms being configured for attachment to one or more components of the vehicle suspension system, the knuckle body being provided with a cylindrical portion defining a wheel carrier aperture, the wheel carrier aperture defining an axis of rotation of the wheel; as well as A sensor component, wherein the sensor component is provided with: a housing configured to be attached to the knuckle body, an accelerometer disposed within the housing and configured to measure acceleration of the knuckle body when the knuckle body moves relative to at least one direction, and A wheel speed sensor is disposed in the housing and is configured to measure a rotation speed of the wheel.

17. The steering knuckle assembly according to claim 16, wherein: The housing includes a body and a nose, the body being provided with a first end and a second end and defining a receiving portion extending between the first end and the second end, wherein the nose portion extends from the first end portion, and the wheel speed sensor is disposed in the nose portion, and the accelerometer is disposed in the receiving portion, Wherein the cylindrical portion of the knuckle body defines a sensor aperture, and wherein the nose and body of the sensor assembly are disposed within the sensor aperture.

18. The steering knuckle assembly according to claim 17, wherein: The housing is further provided with a flange extending from the second end of the body, wherein the flange defines a fastener hole and the cylindrical portion defines an attachment hole adjacent to the sensor hole, wherein the attachment hole and the sensor hole are each configured to receive a fastener to secure the sensor assembly to the steering knuckle body.

19. The steering knuckle assembly according to claim 18, wherein: The flange has a triangular shape.

20. The steering knuckle assembly of claim 18, further comprising: A cable assembly includes a wire, a sheath and a shield, wherein the wire is disposed within the sheath and the shield, and the wire is operably connected to the accelerometer and the wheel speed sensor, wherein the housing further includes a collar extending from the flange, and the shield covers the collar.

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