Large-turning-angle distributed independent steering device

Abstract

The invention is suitable for the technical field of vehicle structures, and provides a large-turning-angle distributed independent steering device which comprises a drive-by-wire steering gear and a large-angle steering rocker arm pull rod system and is matched with a suspension system to achieve the large-angle steering function of wheels. According to the large-turning-angle distributed independent steering device, the steering auxiliary rocker arm and the steering auxiliary pull rod are additionally arranged between the steering transverse pull rod and the steering knuckle, so that under the condition that the stroke of the steering transverse pull rod is limited, the steering angle of wheels can still be greatly increased and can reach 75 degrees to the maximum, and the steering efficiency is improved. Therefore, the flexibility of the vehicle steering system is obviously enhanced. When the device is applied to a four-wheel independently-driven vehicle, the advantages of the device are more outstanding. The vehicle not only has large-angle steering capability, but also can realize in-situ steering by means of rotation of the wheels. Due to the characteristic, the maneuverability of the vehicle in a narrow space or a complex road condition is greatly improved, the movement flexibility of the vehicle is further improved, and more convenient and efficient driving experience is brought to a user.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the technical field of vehicle structures, and particularly relates to a large-angle distributed independent steering device. Background Art

[0002] In the automotive field, the vehicle steering system is a crucial part of the vehicle chassis. Its core function is to accurately transmit the driver's steering intention to the wheels, thereby achieving the steering control of the vehicle. The working principle of traditional vehicle steering devices is as follows: when the driver turns the steering wheel, the rotational motion of the steering wheel transmits torque to the steering gear through the steering column. After receiving the torque, the steering gear converts the rotational motion into a linear motion, and then uses the steering tie rod to push the steering knuckle, causing the steering knuckle to rotate around the kingpin, and finally driving the wheels to achieve steering. However, limited by the stroke of the linear motion of the steering tie rod, traditional steering devices have obvious deficiencies. In practical applications, the wheel rotation angle can usually only be within the range of thirty degrees to forty degrees. This is because when the steering tie rod moves linearly, due to factors such as mechanical structure and spatial layout, its movement range is limited. This limited movement stroke directly restricts the rotation amplitude of the steering knuckle, resulting in the wheel steering angle being difficult to break through this range.

[0003] With the increasing congestion of urban traffic, the number of vehicles on urban roads continues to rise, posing higher requirements for the flexibility of motor vehicle movement. The size of the wheel rotation angle of a vehicle is closely related to the vehicle movement flexibility. A larger wheel rotation angle can enable the vehicle to turn and reverse more easily in a narrow space, improving the vehicle's handling performance and passing efficiency. However, for vehicles equipped with traditional steering systems, since the maximum steering angle of the steering wheel does not exceed forty degrees, they have poor flexibility when facing complex road conditions and cannot meet the requirements of modern urban traffic for vehicle mobility. In view of the above deficiencies of traditional vehicle steering systems, the present invention proposes a large-angle distributed independent steering device. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to provide a large-angle distributed independent steering device, aiming to solve the problems raised in the above background art.

[0005] The purpose of the present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions: A large-angle distributed independent steering device includes a steer-by-wire steering gear and a large-angle steering rocker tie rod system, which cooperate with the suspension system to achieve the large-angle steering function of the wheels; The large-angle steering rocker rod system includes a steering tie rod, an auxiliary steering rocker fixed support, an auxiliary steering rocker, and an auxiliary steering rod; the steering tie rod is connected to the auxiliary steering rocker; the auxiliary steering rocker fixed support is fixed to the vehicle subframe and serves as the rotation fulcrum of the auxiliary steering rocker; one end of the auxiliary steering rocker is rotatably connected to the auxiliary steering rocker fixed support, and the auxiliary steering rocker can only rotate around the axis of the support. The other end of the auxiliary steering rocker is connected to one end of the auxiliary steering rod. The auxiliary steering rod swings following the rotation of the auxiliary steering rocker. The other end of the auxiliary steering rod is connected to the steering knuckle. The swing of the auxiliary steering rod drives the steering knuckle to rotate around the kingpin axis, achieving a maximum steering angle of 75° for the wheel; The steer-by-wire steering gear is fixed to the vehicle subframe and is used to receive the steering wheel angle signal and convert the rotational movement of the steering wheel into the linear movement of the steering tie rod; The suspension system is used to limit the steering knuckle to only rotate around the kingpin axis.

[0006] Further, the suspension system includes a suspension upper control arm, a suspension lower control arm, and a shock absorber; one end of the suspension upper control arm is connected to the top of the steering knuckle, and the other end is fixed to the vehicle body; one end of the suspension lower control arm is connected to the bottom of the steering knuckle, and the other end is fixed to the vehicle subframe; the upper end of the shock absorber is connected to the vehicle body, and the lower end is connected to the suspension lower control arm. The shock absorber is used to buffer vehicle vibrations; the suspension upper control arm and the suspension lower control arm jointly limit the position of the steering knuckle, so that the steering knuckle can only rotate around the kingpin axis.

[0007] Further, the relative position of the steering knuckle and the wheel remains unchanged.

[0008] Further, the large-angle steering rocker rod system further includes a steering tie rod ball joint and an auxiliary steering rod ball joint; the steering tie rod is connected to the auxiliary steering rocker through the steering tie rod ball joint, and the other end of the auxiliary steering rod is connected to the steering knuckle through the auxiliary rod ball joint.

[0009] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are: A steering assist rocker arm and a steering assist tie rod are added between the steering cross rod and the steering knuckle in the large-angle distributed independent steering device. This ingenious design enables a significant increase in the steering angle of the wheels, up to 75°, even when the stroke of the steering cross rod is limited, thus significantly enhancing the flexibility of the vehicle's steering system. When this device is applied to a vehicle with four-wheel independent drive, its advantages are even more prominent. The vehicle not only has the ability to turn at large angles but also can achieve in-situ turning by means of the rotation of the wheels. This feature greatly improves the maneuverability of the vehicle in narrow spaces or complex road conditions, further enhancing the vehicle's movement flexibility and bringing a more convenient and efficient driving experience to users. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0010] Figure 1 It is an overall three-dimensional structure diagram including the large-angle distributed independent steering device and the suspension system.

[0011] Figure 2 It is Figure 1 the top view of

[0012] Figure 3 It is Figure 1 the front view of

[0013] Figure 4 It is Figure 1 the isometric view when the wheel turns left in

[0014] Figure 5 It is Figure 1 the front view when the wheel turns left in

[0015] Figure 6 It is Figure 1 the top view when the wheel turns left in

[0016] Figure 7 It is Figure 1 the isometric view (rear view) when the wheel turns right in

[0017] Figure 8 It is Figure 1 the front view when the wheel turns right in

[0018] Figure 9 It is Figure 1 the rear view when the wheel turns right in

[0019] Figure 10 It is Figure 1 the top view when the wheel turns right in

[0020] Figure 11 It is the top view of the large-angle steering rocker arm tie rod system in the large-angle distributed independent steering device.

[0021] Figure 12It is a bottom view of the large-angle steering rocker arm tie rod system in the large-angle distributed independent steering device.

[0022] In the figure: 11 - upper control arm of suspension; 12 - shock absorber; 13 - lower control arm of suspension; 14 - steering knuckle; 21 - steer-by-wire gear; 221 - steering tie rod; 222 - ball joint of steering tie rod; 223 - fixed support of auxiliary steering rocker arm; 224 - auxiliary steering rocker arm; 225 - auxiliary steering tie rod; 226 - ball joint of auxiliary steering tie rod. Specific embodiments

[0023] For a clearer understanding of the technical features, objectives, and beneficial effects of the present invention, the technical solution of the present invention will be described in detail below, but it should not be construed as a limitation on the implementable scope of the present invention.

[0024] The following describes the specific implementation of the present invention in detail with reference to specific embodiments.

[0025] As Figures 1 - 12 shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides a large-angle distributed independent steering device, which is applied to a distributed independent steer-by-wire vehicle. The four wheels of this type of vehicle can steer independently without interference. For the convenience of description, the following takes the steering system of one independent wheel of the distributed independent steer-by-wire vehicle as an example for specific description.

[0026] The steering system is an important part of the vehicle chassis and is responsible for transmitting the driver's steering operation to the wheels. The large-angle distributed independent steering device of the present invention consists of a steer-by-wire gear 21 and a large-angle steering rocker arm tie rod system, and cooperates with the suspension system to achieve the function of large-angle wheel steering.

[0027] The large-angle steering rocker rod system consists of a steering tie rod 221, a steering tie rod ball joint 222, an auxiliary steering rocker fixed support 223, an auxiliary steering rocker 224, an auxiliary steering rod 225, an auxiliary steering rod ball joint 226, and connecting components such as bolts and bearings that connect these components. Among them, the connecting components only play a connecting role and have no impact on the relative positions and motion relationships of the components of the large-angle distributed independent steering device. Therefore, they are not highlighted and explained in the attached drawings, and will not be further explained in the following text. The steering tie rod 221 is connected to the auxiliary steering rocker 224 through the steering tie rod ball joint 222; the auxiliary steering rocker fixed support 223 is fixed to the vehicle subframe by bolts and its relative position with the vehicle body does not change, and it is the rotation fulcrum of the auxiliary steering rocker 224; one end of the auxiliary steering rocker 224 is rotatably connected to the auxiliary steering rocker fixed support 223, and the auxiliary steering rocker 224 can only rotate around the axis of the support 223. The other end of the auxiliary steering rocker 224 is connected to one end of the auxiliary steering rod 225; the auxiliary steering rod 225 swings with the rotation of the auxiliary steering rocker 224, and the other end of the auxiliary steering rod 225 is connected to the steering knuckle 14 through the auxiliary rod ball joint 226. When the auxiliary steering rod 225 swings, it drives the steering knuckle 14 to rotate around the kingpin axis. The relative position between the wheel and the steering knuckle 14 remains unchanged, so the wheel is not detailedly marked in the attached drawings.

[0028] The steer-by-wire steering gear 21 is fixed to the vehicle subframe and its relative position with the vehicle body does not change. It is used to receive the steering wheel angle signal and convert the rotational motion of the steering wheel into the linear motion of the steering tie rod 221.

[0029] The suspension system includes a suspension upper control arm 11, a suspension lower control arm 13, and a shock absorber 12; one end of the suspension upper control arm 11 is connected to the top of the steering knuckle 14, and the other end is fixed to the vehicle body; one end of the suspension lower control arm 13 is connected to the bottom of the steering knuckle 14, and the other end is fixed to the vehicle subframe; the upper end of the shock absorber 12 is connected to the vehicle body, and the lower end is connected to the suspension lower control arm 13. The motion scenario of this embodiment is a flat road surface, and the bounce of the suspension during vehicle motion is not considered for the time being, that is, the relative positions of the three mechanisms of the suspension upper control arm 11, the suspension lower control arm 13, and the shock absorber 12 with the vehicle do not change. The suspension upper control arm 11 and the suspension lower control arm 13 jointly limit the position of the steering knuckle 14, enabling the steering knuckle 14 to only rotate around the kingpin axis, thereby realizing the steering of the vehicle.

[0030] In an embodiment of the present invention, in the traditional steering system, the end of the steering tie rod 221 is directly connected to the steering knuckle 14 through a tie rod ball joint. The linear motion of the steering tie rod 221 drives the rotational motion of the steering knuckle 14. Since the linear motion of the steering tie rod 221 is limited, the steering angle of the vehicle wheels equipped with the traditional steering system is relatively small. In the large-angle distributed independent steering device of the present invention, a large-angle steering rocker arm tie rod system is connected to the end of the traditional steering system, and the end of this system is connected to the steering knuckle 14.

[0031] When the driver turns the steering wheel, the steer-by-wire actuator 21 receives the steering angle signal of the steering wheel and converts the rotational motion of the steering wheel into the linear motion of the steering tie rod 221. The linear motion of the steering tie rod 221 drives the auxiliary steering rocker arm 224 to rotate around the axis of the auxiliary steering rocker arm fixed support 223 through the steering tie rod ball joint 222. The rotational motion of the auxiliary steering rocker arm 224 causes the auxiliary steering tie rod 225 to swing, and the swing of the auxiliary steering tie rod 225 ultimately drives the steering knuckle 14 to rotate around the kingpin axis, realizing the rotation of the wheel. Figures 4 - 6 A relative position diagram of each mechanism in the left-turn state of the wheel is provided. Figure 6 The maximum steering angle in the left-turn state is marked. Figures 7 - 10 A relative position diagram of each mechanism in the right-turn state of the wheel is provided. Figure 10 The maximum steering angle in the right-turn state is marked.

[0032] During the vehicle steering process, the auxiliary steering rocker arm 224 and the auxiliary steering tie rod 225 play a key role. They magnify the motion distance of the steering tie rod 221. The motion stroke of the auxiliary steering tie rod ball joint 226 connected to the auxiliary steering tie rod 225 is greater than the motion stroke of the steering tie rod ball joint 222 connected to the steering tie rod 221. Without interfering with other components and without changing the stroke of the original vehicle steering tie rod 221, the large-angle distributed independent steering device with a large-angle steering rocker arm tie rod system can make the steering angle of the wheel reach 75°, greatly improving the steering flexibility of the vehicle.

[0033] The working principle of the present invention is: When the driver turns the steering wheel, the steer-by-wire steering gear 21 receives the steering angle signal of the steering wheel and converts the rotational movement of the steering wheel into the linear movement of the steering tie rod 221. The linear movement of the steering tie rod 221 drives the auxiliary steering rocker arm 224 to rotate around the axis of the auxiliary steering rocker arm fixed support 223 through the steering tie rod ball joint 222. The rotational movement of the auxiliary steering rocker arm 224 causes the auxiliary steering tie rod 225 to swing, and the swing of the auxiliary steering tie rod 225 ultimately drives the steering knuckle 14 to rotate around the kingpin axis, realizing the steering of the wheel. By adding an auxiliary steering rocker arm and an auxiliary steering tie rod between the steering tie rod and the steering knuckle, this large-angle distributed independent steering device can still greatly increase the steering angle of the wheel, up to 75°, even when the stroke of the steering tie rod is limited, thus significantly enhancing the flexibility of the vehicle steering system.

[0034] The above is only the preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, without departing from the concept of the present invention, several modifications and improvements can be made, which should also be regarded as the protection scope of the present invention, and these will not affect the implementation effect of the present invention and the practicality of the patent.

Claims

1. A large-angle distributed independent steering device, characterized in that: It includes a wire-controlled steering gear and a large-angle steering rocker arm tie rod system, which cooperates with the suspension system to achieve large-angle steering function of the wheels; The large-angle steering rocker arm tie rod system includes a steering tie rod, an auxiliary steering rocker arm fixed support, an auxiliary steering rocker arm and an auxiliary steering tie rod; the steering tie rod is connected to the auxiliary steering rocker arm; the auxiliary steering rocker arm fixed support is fixed to the vehicle subframe and serves as a rotation fulcrum of the auxiliary steering rocker arm; one end of the auxiliary steering rocker arm is rotatably connected to the auxiliary steering rocker arm fixed support, and the auxiliary steering rocker arm can only rotate around the axis of the support, and the other end of the auxiliary steering rocker arm is connected to one end of the auxiliary steering tie rod, and the auxiliary steering tie rod swings following the rotation of the auxiliary steering rocker arm, and the other end of the auxiliary steering tie rod is connected to the steering knuckle, and the swing of the auxiliary steering tie rod drives the steering knuckle to rotate around the kingpin axis, so as to achieve a maximum steering angle of 75° for the wheel; The wire-controlled steering gear is fixed to the vehicle subframe and is used to receive the steering wheel angle signal and convert the rotational motion of the steering wheel into the linear motion of the steering tie rod; The suspension system is used to limit the steering knuckle to rotate only around the kingpin axis.

2. The large-angle distributed independent steering device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The suspension system includes an upper suspension control arm, a lower suspension control arm and a shock absorber; one end of the upper suspension control arm is connected to the top of the steering knuckle, and the other end is fixed to the vehicle body; one end of the lower suspension control arm is connected to the bottom of the steering knuckle, and the other end is fixed to the vehicle subframe; the upper end of the shock absorber is connected to the vehicle body, and the lower end is connected to the lower suspension control arm, and the shock absorber is used to buffer vehicle vibration; the upper suspension control arm and the lower suspension control arm jointly limit the position of the steering knuckle, so that the steering knuckle can only rotate around the kingpin axis.

3. The large-angle distributed independent steering device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The relative position of the steering knuckle and the wheel remains unchanged.

4. The large-angle distributed independent steering device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The large-angle steering rocker arm tie rod system also includes a steering tie rod ball head and an auxiliary steering tie rod ball head; the steering tie rod is connected to the auxiliary steering rocker arm through the steering tie rod ball head, and the other end of the auxiliary steering tie rod is connected to the steering knuckle through the auxiliary tie rod ball head.

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