Distributed steering gear mechanism, control method, control system and vehicle

Abstract

The invention discloses a distributed steering gear mechanism, a control method, a control system and a vehicle, and belongs to the technical field of vehicles. In the distributed steering gear mechanism, the pull rod assemblies of the two steering gears are fixedly connected or separated through the clutch, the working occasion of independent steering of each steering gear is met, and the consistency of two paired wheels in a high-speed driving state can be improved; the vehicle stability problem caused by low consistency of the two steering gears arranged in pairs in a high-speed state is solved, the potential vehicle instability risk is avoided, the driving experience of a user is improved, the change of the steering gears is small, the technical maturity is high, and considerable advantages are achieved in cost. According to the distributed steering gear control system, the state information of the vehicle is obtained through the observation module, the state information is received through the decision-making module and output processing is carried out, and the control module enables the clutch to be switched between the fixed connection state and the separated state through an instruction.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of vehicles, in particular to a distributed steering gear mechanism, a control method, a control system and a vehicle. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the passenger car market, steer-by-wire steering has shown great advantages in terms of sensitive responsiveness and intelligent driving function expandability. In particular, four-wheel independent steering increases the degree of freedom of driving posture control, improves driving stability, enhances steering responsiveness, and reduces the turning radius, bringing considerable convenience to people in driving and parking situations, including U-turns in narrow spaces, rapid lateral and diagonal movements when changing lanes, and special driving demand conditions such as in-place parking and out-of-parking.

[0003] Common single-wheel independent steering is mostly a kingpin steering system. Invention patent application CN118419131A discloses a technical solution for four-wheel independent steering by providing a driving motor for each wheel. Although this solution can achieve four-wheel independent steering control, the consistency of the motors and wheels on both sides is low, especially when the vehicle is at high speed, which affects the stability and safety of the vehicle. SUMMARY

[0004] The present application aims to at least solve one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, the present application proposes a distributed steering gear mechanism, a control method, a control system and a vehicle, which can improve the stability of the vehicle.

[0005] According to a distributed steering gear mechanism according to an embodiment of the present application, the distributed steering gear mechanism comprises a steering gear and a clutch. The steering gear is provided with at least two steering gears, each comprising a power-assisted driving assembly and a pull rod assembly drivingly connected to the power-assisted driving assembly. The power-assisted driving assembly drives the pull rod assembly to steer the wheels. The pull rod assembly has a driven end that moves with the steering of the wheels. The clutch is arranged between the two steering gears, and the two driven ends are switchably connected through the clutch. The clutch has a fixed state and a separated state. When the clutch is in the fixed state, the two driven ends are fixedly connected to each other. When the clutch is in the separated state, the two driven ends are separated from each other.

[0006] The distributed steering gear mechanism according to the embodiment of the present application has at least the following beneficial effects: the two driven ends of the two steering gears are fixed or separated through the clutch. When the two driven ends are separated, the two pull rod assemblies act independently, and the corresponding wheels can be independently steered. When the two driven ends are fixed, the two pull rod assemblies act synchronously, and the consistency of the wheels on both sides is ensured. The connection state of the two pull rod assemblies is switched through the clutch, which can meet the working occasions of independent steering of each steering gear and improve the stability and safety in the high-speed driving state. The problem of low consistency of the two steering gears arranged in pairs in the high-speed state is solved, the potential risk of vehicle instability is avoided, and the user driving experience is improved. Meanwhile, the distributed steering gear mechanism has small changes to the steering gear, high technical maturity, and considerable cost advantage.

[0007] According to some embodiments of the present application, the clutch comprises a connecting piece fixedly arranged on one of the driven ends, and the other driven end is provided with a connecting guide column. The connecting piece is provided with a connecting hole, and the connecting guide column and the connecting hole extend towards each other, and the connecting guide column is slidably arranged in the connecting hole.

[0008] According to some embodiments of the present application, the clutch further comprises a clutch connecting assembly arranged on the connecting piece. The clutch connecting assembly is used to lock and fix the connecting guide column and the connecting hole, so that the two driven ends are fixed to each other.

[0009] According to some embodiments of the present application, the outer side of the connecting guide column is provided with a locking groove, and the clutch connecting assembly comprises a locking piece and a connecting driving member. The connecting driving member is used to drive the locking piece to move relative to the connecting guide column, so that the locking piece is inserted into or extracted from the locking groove.

[0010] According to some embodiments of the present application, the locking piece is elastically connected to the connecting piece, so that the locking piece is elastically abutted in the locking groove. The connecting driving member is an electromagnetic driver, and the connecting driving member has a driving end driven by the electromagnetic driver. The driving end is connected to the locking piece.

[0011] According to some embodiments of the present application, the number of the clutch connecting assemblies is at least one. When the number of the clutch connecting assemblies is multiple, the multiple clutch connecting assemblies are uniformly distributed around the connecting piece in the circumferential direction.

[0012] According to some embodiments of the present application, a power-assisted transmission structure is arranged between the power-assisted driving assembly and the pull rod assembly. The power-assisted transmission structure adopts a pinion gear type or a parallel shaft type.

[0013] A distributed steering gear control method according to the second aspect of the embodiment of the present application comprises: acquire state information of the vehicle, the state information comprising driving mode, driving speed and clutch state; obtain clutch state control decision according to the state information; control the clutch to switch between the fixed state and the separated state according to the clutch state control decision, so as to make the vehicle enter a preset mode.

[0014] The distributed steering gear control method according to the embodiment of the present application has at least the following beneficial effects: the clutch in the distributed steering gear mechanism is controlled to switch between the fixed state and the separated state according to the state information of the vehicle, so that the pull rod assembly of the two steering gears can be maintained or switched to the fixed state or the separated state according to the state information of the vehicle, the problem of low consistency of the two steering gears in the high-speed state is solved, the potential risk of vehicle instability is avoided, and the user driving experience is improved.

[0015] The distributed steering gear control system according to the third aspect of the embodiment of the present application comprises: an observation module configured to acquire state information of the vehicle, the state information comprising driving mode, driving speed and clutch state; a decision module configured to obtain clutch state control decision according to the state information; a control module configured to control the clutch to switch between the fixed state and the separated state according to the clutch state control decision, so as to make the vehicle enter a preset mode.

[0016] The distributed steering gear control system according to the embodiment of the present application has at least the following beneficial effects: the control system executes the control method of the above-mentioned embodiment, the observation module acquires the state information of the vehicle, the decision module receives the state information and performs output processing, and the control module makes the clutch maintain or switch the fixed state or the separated state through the clutch state switching instruction or the clutch state maintaining instruction, so as to realize the control of the distributed steering gear mechanism, solve the problem of low consistency of the steering gears in the high-speed state, avoid the potential risk of vehicle instability, and improve the user driving experience.

[0017] The vehicle according to the fourth aspect of the embodiment of the present application comprises the distributed steering gear control system.

[0018] Since the vehicle adopts all the technical solutions of the distributed steering gear control system of the above-mentioned embodiment, it has at least all the beneficial effects brought by the technical solutions of the above-mentioned embodiment, which will not be described here.

[0019] Other features and advantages of the present application will be described in the following description, and some will become apparent from the description, or will be learned by practice of the present application. Attached Figure Description

[0020] The present invention will be further described below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments, wherein: Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a distributed steering mechanism according to the present invention; Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the connection between the clutch and the two tie rod assemblies of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a block diagram of the distributed steering control system of the present invention; Figure 4 This is a flowchart of the distributed steering control method of the present invention.

[0021] Icon labels: Steering gear 100; Power steering assembly 110; Tie rod assembly 120; Driven end 121; Housing 130; Clutch 200; Connector 210; Clutch connection assembly 220; Locking element 221; Connecting drive component 222; Housing 230. Detailed Implementation

[0022] Embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. Examples of these embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present invention, and should not be construed as limiting the present invention.

[0023] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the terms "upper" and "lower" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limiting this invention.

[0024] In the description of this invention, "multiple" means two or more; "greater than," "less than," and "exceeding" are understood to exclude the stated number; "above," "below," and "within" are understood to include the stated number. The use of "first" and "second" in the description is merely for distinguishing technical features and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance, or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features, or implicitly indicating the order of the indicated technical features.

[0025] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that terms such as "set up," "install," and "connect" should be interpreted broadly, and those skilled in the art can reasonably determine the specific meaning of the above terms in this invention in conjunction with the specific content of the technical solution.

[0026] The technical solutions of the present application will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the drawings. Obviously, the following described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, not all the embodiments.

[0027] As shown in Figure 1 and Figure 2 , the distributed steering gear mechanism of the present application is embodied as follows: A distributed steering gear mechanism comprises a steering gear 100 and a clutch 200.

[0028] The steering gear 100 comprises a power-assisted driving assembly 110 and a pull rod assembly 120. The pull rod assembly 120 is drivingly connected with the power-assisted driving assembly 110. The number of the steering gears 100 is two, and the two steering gears 100 are arranged in pairs left and right. The opposite ends of the two pull rod assemblies 120 are respectively provided with driven ends 121.

[0029] The clutch 200 is arranged between the two steering gears 100, and the pull rod assemblies 120 of the two steering gears 100 are switched between the fixed state and the separated state through the clutch 200. When the clutch 200 is in the fixed state, the two driven ends 121 are fixedly connected with each other, and when the clutch 200 is in the separated state, the two driven ends 121 are separated from each other, and the two pull rod assemblies 120 can move relatively along the left and right directions.

[0030] It can be understood that the steering gear 100 of the present application is a steer-by-wire steering gear capable of independently controlling the wheel deflection angle of a single wheel, and the two steering gears 100 correspond to the left and right wheels respectively. The power-assisted driving assembly 110 drives the pull rod assembly 120 to drive the wheels to steer, and the driven end 121 moves with the wheels. In the normal driving process, the steering gears 100 on both sides respectively receive the signals sent by the steer-by-wire column, and the two power-assisted driving assemblies 110 work to pull the corresponding wheel steering mechanism through the pull rod assembly 120 to realize steering. The left and right steering gears 100 can pull the wheels to rotate in the same direction to realize the steering function.

[0031] On the same vehicle, different Ackerman rates can be set by programming. A larger Ackerman rate can be set to balance the steering performance and reduce tire wear, or a smaller Ackerman rate can be set to reduce the steering radius and improve steering and handling.

[0032] The steering gears 100 on both sides can also pull the wheels to rotate towards each other, cooperate with the suspension design of the vehicle and the steering of the other pair of wheels to realize the effects of the vehicle turning in place, the whole vehicle translating, the crab mode, etc.

[0033] The four-wheel independent steering structure increases the degree of freedom of driving posture control, improves driving stability, enhances steering responsiveness, and reduces the turning radius, thereby bringing convenience in many driving situations, such as U-turn in a narrow space, rapid lateral and diagonal movement when changing lanes, in-parking and out-parking, and other special steering conditions.

[0034] In the distributed steering gear mechanism of the present application, a clutch 200 is arranged between the two steering gears 100 arranged in pairs, and the two driven ends 121 can be fixed or separated through the clutch 200. When the two driven ends 121 are separated, the pull rod assemblies 120 of the two steering gears 100 move independently, and each wheel can be independently steered. When the two driven ends 121 are fixed, the two pull rod assemblies 120 move synchronously, ensuring the consistency of the wheels on both sides. The distributed steering gear mechanism can meet the occasions of independent work of each steering gear 100 and improve the stability and safety in high-speed driving. It solves the problem of low consistency of the two steering gears 100 arranged in pairs in high-speed state, avoids the potential risk of vehicle instability, and improves the user driving experience. At the same time, the distributed steering gear mechanism has small changes to the steering gear 100, high technical maturity, and considerable cost advantage.

[0035] For the existing steer-by-wire steering gear, the pull rod assembly generally includes a rack and inner and outer pull rods. The power-assisted driving assembly 110 drives the gear to rotate through a worm gear or other transmission structure, thereby driving the rack to translate through the gear to drive the inner and outer pull rods to realize steering driving. In the present application, the two driven ends 121 are arranged on the racks of the two pull rod assemblies 120 respectively: the racks of the two pull rod assemblies extend left and right and are aligned with each other, and the two driven ends 121 are arranged at the end portions of the two racks facing each other.

[0036] The clutch 200 of the present embodiment includes a connecting piece 210 and a clutch connection assembly 220. The connecting piece 210 is fixedly arranged on one of the driven ends 121, and the connecting piece 210 is provided with a left and right extending connecting hole. The other driven end 121 has a left and right extending connecting guide column which is slidably arranged in the connecting hole. The clutch connection assembly 220 is arranged on the connecting piece 210, and the clutch connection assembly 220 is used to lock and fix the connecting guide column and the connecting hole, so that the two driven ends 121 are fixed to each other, thereby enabling the two pull rod assemblies 120 to move synchronously.

[0037] As shown in Figure 2 The two pull rod assemblies 120 of the present embodiment are arranged left and right, and the two pull rod assemblies 120 are respectively a left pull rod assembly 120 and a right pull rod assembly 120. The two driven ends 121 are respectively a first connecting end and a second connecting end. The first connecting end is arranged at the left end of the right pull rod assembly 120, the second connecting end is arranged at the right end of the left pull rod assembly 120, and the first connecting end is arranged on the right side of the second connecting end.

[0038] The connecting piece 210 is fixedly arranged at the first connecting end, and the second connecting end is slidably connected with the connecting piece 210 through the connecting guide column and the connecting hole extending along the left-right direction. When the clutching connecting assembly 220 fixes the connecting guide column and the connecting hole, the first connecting end and the second connecting end can be fixedly connected with each other.

[0039] It is worth mentioning that when the clutching connecting assembly 220 fixes the connecting guide column and the connecting hole to fix the two pull rod assemblies 120, the power driving assemblies 110 of the two steering gears 100 need to be controlled to move synchronously, or one of the power driving assemblies 110 needs to be stopped. The power driving assembly 110 is generally a driving element such as a motor, which needs to avoid the self-locking function from affecting the steering driving in use.

[0040] The connecting guide column and the connecting piece 210 in the embodiment are both in the shape of a cylinder. The left end of the connecting piece 210 is coaxially provided with the connecting hole, and the shape of the connecting hole is consistent with that of the connecting guide column. In some other embodiments, the connecting guide column can also have other shapes, such as a cuboid or other polygonal prism. The cross-sectional shape of the connecting hole and the connecting guide column in the left-right direction is matched, so that the connecting guide column can be movably inserted into the connecting hole.

[0041] The clutching connecting assembly 220 in the embodiment adopts a radial clamping structure to fix the connecting guide column and the connecting hole. Specifically, the outer side of the connecting guide column is provided with a locking groove. The clutching connecting assembly 220 includes a locking piece 221 and a connecting driving member 222, and the connecting driving member 222 is used to drive the locking piece 221 to move relative to the connecting guide column, so that the locking piece 221 is clamped into or pulled out of the locking groove. By driving the locking piece 221 to be inserted into or pulled out of the locking groove through the connecting driving member 222, the connecting hole and the connecting guide column can be switched between the fixed connection state and the movable connection state, so as to switch the two pull rod assemblies 120 between the fixed connection state and the separated state.

[0042] In the embodiment, the locking piece 221 is elastically connected with the connecting piece 210 to elastically abut against the locking groove. The connecting driving member 222 is an electromagnetic driver, and the connecting driving member 222 has a driving end connected with the locking piece 221 and driven by electromagnetic driving. The connecting driving member 222 generates a magnetic field by energizing the coil, so as to drive the armature or the permanent magnet to move, thereby realizing the electromagnetic driving of the driving end. As shown in the accompanying drawings, the locking piece 221 is elastically connected with the connecting piece 210 along the radial direction of the connecting guide column through the compression spring. When the connecting driving member 222 is not powered, the locking piece 221 is always inserted into the locking groove under the action of the elastic force, and the pull rod assemblies 120 of the two steering gears 100 are in the fixed connection state. Figure 2

[0043] ​When the connection driving member 222 is powered, the driving end drives the locking piece 221 to move away from the central axis of the connection guide column, and the locking piece 221 is extracted from the locking groove, so that the connection guide column and the connecting piece 210 can move relative to each other in the left-right direction, and the two pull rod assemblies 120 of the two steering gears 100 are switched to the separated state.

[0044] In actual use, when the connection guide column is completely inserted into the connection hole, the locking groove and the locking piece 221 are aligned in the radial direction of the connection guide column, and at this time, the two pull rod assemblies 120 driven by the two pull rod assemblies 120 are parallel to each other. In special steering conditions, the two wheels are relatively deflected under the drive of the corresponding steering gear 100, and the distance between the two driven ends 121 in the left-right direction increases.

[0045] Further, the right end of the connection guide column has a guide portion in the shape of a sharp head with a thick left end and a thin right end. The end of the locking piece 221 towards the connection guide column is provided with an inclined surface arranged obliquely, and the oblique direction and angle of the inclined surface match the guide portion.

[0046] When the vehicle completes special steering conditions such as vehicle in-place steering, vehicle translation, crab mode, etc., the two guide portions control the two wheels to restore to parallel to each other, and the distance between the two driven ends 121 in the left-right direction decreases until the connection guide column is completely inserted into the connection hole. In this process, the guide portion of the connection guide column is in contact with the inclined surface of the locking piece 221, and overcomes the elastic force of the locking piece 221 to push open the locking piece 221, until the locking piece 221 is aligned with the locking groove, and the locking piece 221 is clamped into the locking groove under the action of the elastic force.

[0047] The embodiment adopts elastic driving mechanical connection to realize the fixed state of the two pull rod assemblies 120, and adopts electromagnetic driving structure to realize the separated state. In the fixed state, even if the connection driving member 222 loses power due to abnormal conditions, the two driven ends 121 will not be separated, which ensures the safety of high-speed driving. Conversely, in the separated state, even if the connection driving member 222 loses power due to abnormal conditions, the connection guide column can be connected with the connecting piece 210 in a sliding manner when the locking piece 221 is not aligned with the locking groove, and the two pull rod assemblies 120 can still act independently, which will not affect the working condition requirements of the independent work of each steering gear 100.

[0048] The locking piece 221 of the embodiment is arranged in the radial direction of the connection guide column in the connecting piece 210, and is clamped or released with the locking groove through the spring structure and the electromagnetic driving connection driving member 222. In some other embodiments, the locking piece 221 can also be rotationally connected with the connecting piece 210, and is elastically pressed into the locking groove through a torsional spring or a spring, and then the locking piece 221 is driven by the connection driving member 222 to overcome the elastic force and separate from the locking groove.

[0049] The connection driving member 222 in the embodiment is an electromagnetic driver, and in the unpowered state, the connection driving member 222 does not hinder the movement of the locking piece 221, and the locking piece 221 can move relative to the connecting piece 210 under the action of the elastic force, thereby realizing the elastic locking function. In other embodiments, the connection driving member 222 can be selected from a cylinder, an electric push rod, a hydraulic push rod, or a screw nut driving assembly, which can directly drive the locking piece 221 to insert or pull out the locking groove.

[0050] The clutch connection assemblies 220 in the embodiment are two, and the two clutch connection assemblies 220 are arranged on the opposite sides of the connecting piece 210. In other embodiments, when the number of the clutch connection assemblies 220 is multiple, the multiple clutch connection assemblies 220 are uniformly distributed around the circumference of the connecting piece 210, so that when the two driven ends 121 are fixedly connected, the force between the connecting guide column and the connecting piece 210 is uniform and stable.

[0051] The steering device 100 of the application further comprises a machine shell 130, and the power-assisted driving assembly 110 is installed in the machine shell 130. The clutch 200 of the application further comprises an outer shell 230, and the outer shell 230 is fixedly connected with the machine shells 130 of the two steering devices 100. The connecting piece 210 and the clutch connection assembly 220 are arranged in the space surrounded by the outer shell 230. Further, a dust cover is arranged between the pull rod assembly 120 and the machine shell 130, so as to prevent sand and dust from entering the transmission gap between the pull rod assembly 120 and the machine shell 130 and affecting the movement of the pull rod assembly 120.

[0052] Further, the power-assisted driving assembly 110 and the pull rod assembly 120 in the embodiment are provided with a power-assisted transmission structure. The power-assisted transmission structure is in the form of a pinion gear or a parallel shaft, and the power-assisted driving assembly 110 is drivingly connected with the pull rod assembly 120 through the power-assisted transmission structure to realize torque amplification and power transmission.

[0053] The pinion gear transmission structure refers to that the power-assisted driving assembly 110 directly drives a pinion gear through a speed reduction mechanism (such as a worm gear or a planetary gear), the pinion gear is engaged with the steering rack, the rotary motion is converted into linear motion, and the steering pull rod is pushed.

[0054] The parallel shaft transmission structure refers to that the power-assisted driving assembly 110 transmits torque to the steering rack or the steering nut through a gear set (such as a helical gear or a planetary gear) arranged in parallel. The shaft of the motor of the power-assisted driving assembly 110 is parallel to the axis of the rack, and the engagement transmission can be achieved through various transmission modes such as a belt, a chain, or a gear.

[0055] The pinion gear type transmission structure can directly act on the steering rack, has high transmission efficiency, occupies small space, and is suitable for small and medium-sized vehicles. The torque transmission path of the parallel shaft type transmission structure is flexible, and can adapt to greater assist demand. Compared with the pinion gear type transmission structure, the parallel shaft type transmission structure is more suitable for heavy vehicles or commercial vehicles and the like with large vehicle weight.

[0056] As shown in the accompanying drawings, Figure 3 The present application also provides a distributed steering gear control system suitable for the distributed steering gear mechanism, which comprises an observation module, a decision module and a control module.

[0057] The observation module is used for obtaining the state information of the vehicle and sending the obtained state information to the decision module. After receiving the state information sent by the observation module, the decision module performs output processing according to the state information to obtain a clutch state switching instruction or a clutch state maintaining instruction. The control module controls the clutch 200 according to the clutch state switching instruction or the clutch state maintaining instruction, so that the clutch 200 is maintained or switched between the fixed connection state and the separated state.

[0058] The observation module is used for obtaining the state information of the vehicle, which can be understood as the input information of the driver and the vehicle, mainly including the clutch state of the clutch 200, the vehicle speed, the driving mode, the driving mode switching request, the wheel rotation angle and the like. The observation module processes the above-mentioned state information, such as screening, integration and the like, and inputs the processed state information to the decision module.

[0059] The decision module obtains a clutch state switching instruction or a clutch state maintaining instruction according to the state information. The decision module presets a speed standard, and sets the vehicle speed exceeding the speed standard as a preset speed range. The speed standard is selected according to the actual use requirements of the actual vehicle.

[0060] When the vehicle speed is in the preset speed range, it is judged whether the clutch state of the clutch 200 is in the fixed connection state: if it is in the fixed connection state, the clutch state maintaining instruction is sent to the control module, so that the clutch 200 is maintained in the fixed connection state; if it is in the separated state, the clutch state switching instruction is sent to the control module. The control module controls the clutch 200, so that the connection driving member 222 of the clutch 200 is powered off, and the two pull rod assemblies 120 are switched to the fixed connection state, so that when the vehicle speed reaches the preset speed range, the two wheels can keep high consistency, and the stability and safety of the vehicle are improved.

[0061] When the vehicle speed does not reach the preset speed range, the clutch state of the clutch 200 is selected according to the driving mode and the driving mode switching request. In order to improve the driving stability, the driver can select to switch or maintain the clutch state to the fixed connection state; or can select to switch or maintain the clutch state to the separated state, to balance the steering stability and the tire wear and the steering performance.

[0062] When the vehicle needs to be turned in place, translated as a whole, or crabbed, the vehicle speed is first determined to be zero, that is, the vehicle needs to be in the above-mentioned special driving mode from the parking state. If the vehicle speed is zero, the clutch state of the clutch 200 is determined to be in the disengaged state. If the clutch state is in the disengaged state, the clutch state maintenance instruction is sent to the control module, so that the clutch 200 is maintained in the disengaged state. If the clutch state is in the engaged state, the clutch state switching instruction is sent to the control module, so that the clutch 200 is switched to the disengaged state.

[0063] It is worth noting that in the distributed steering gear mechanism of the embodiment of the application, the clutch 200 adopts the electromagnetic driving connection driving member 222. When the control module controls the clutch to maintain or switch to the engaged state, in addition to controlling the connection driving member 222 to be powered off, the two power-assisted driving assemblies 110 are also needed to drive the two wheels to rotate to be relatively parallel, so that the locking piece is clamped into the locking groove, and the engagement of the two pull rod assemblies is realized. In this process, the wheel rotation angle information needs to be detected in real time, or the control feedback of the two power-assisted driving assemblies 110 is realized.

[0064] As shown in Figure 4 The embodiment of the application also provides a distributed steering gear control method, which comprises the following steps: Step S100: acquiring state information of a vehicle; Step S200: obtaining a clutch state control decision according to the state information; Step S300: controlling the clutch to switch between the engaged state and the disengaged state according to the clutch state control decision, so that the vehicle enters a preset mode.

[0065] In step S100, the state information includes a driving mode and a driving speed. The state information of the vehicle can be understood as the input information of the driver and the vehicle, mainly including the clutch state of the clutch 200, the vehicle speed, the driving mode, the driving mode switching request, the wheel rotation angle and the like. The observation module processes the above-mentioned state information.

[0066] In step S200, the processed state information is input to the decision module, and the decision module obtains the clutch state switching instruction or the clutch state maintenance instruction according to the state information.

[0067] In step S300, the control module controls the connection driving member 222 of the clutch 200 to be powered off or powered on according to the clutch state switching instruction or the clutch state maintenance instruction.

[0068] In some embodiments, the above-mentioned step S200 specifically includes but is not limited to the following: Step S210, preset speed standard, set the vehicle speed exceeding the speed standard as a preset speed range; the speed standard is specifically selected according to the actual use requirements of the actual vehicle.

[0069] Step S220, judge whether the vehicle speed is in the preset speed range; If the vehicle speed is in the preset speed range and the clutch 200 is in the fixed connection state, the clutch state maintenance instruction is sent to the control module, so that the clutch 200 is maintained in the fixed connection state; If the vehicle speed is in the preset speed range and the clutch 200 is in the separated state, the clutch state switching instruction is sent to the control module, so that the clutch 200 is switched to the fixed connection state; If the vehicle speed is not in the preset speed range, the driving mode of the vehicle is judged.

[0070] Step S230, judge whether the current vehicle driving mode needs four-wheel independent steering, and judge the clutch state of the clutch 200; If the current driving mode needs four-wheel independent steering and the clutch 200 is in the separated state, the clutch state maintenance instruction is sent to the control module, so that the clutch 200 is maintained in the separated state; If the current driving mode needs four-wheel independent steering and the clutch 200 is in the fixed connection state, the clutch state switching instruction is sent to the control module, so that the clutch 200 is switched to the separated state; If the current driving mode does not need four-wheel independent steering and the clutch 200 is in the fixed connection state, the clutch state maintenance instruction is sent to the control module, so that the clutch 200 is maintained in the fixed connection state; If the current driving mode does not need four-wheel independent steering and the clutch 200 is in the separated state, the clutch state switching instruction is sent to the control module, so that the clutch 200 is switched to the fixed connection state.

[0071] Step S240, monitor the driving mode switching request; When receiving the driving mode switching request, judge whether the target driving mode needs four-wheel independent steering, and judge the current clutch state of the clutch 200; If the target driving mode needs four-wheel independent steering and the clutch 200 is in the separated state, the clutch state maintenance instruction is sent to the control module, so that the clutch 200 is maintained in the separated state; If the target driving mode needs four-wheel independent steering and the clutch 200 is in the fixed connection state, the clutch state switching instruction is sent to the control module, so that the clutch 200 is switched to the separated state; If the target driving mode does not need four-wheel independent steering and the clutch 200 is in the fixed connection state, the clutch state maintenance instruction is sent to the control module, so that the clutch 200 is maintained in the fixed connection state; If the target driving mode does not require four-wheel independent steering, the clutch 200 is in the disengaged state, and the clutch state switching instruction is sent to the control module to switch the clutch 200 to the fixed state.

[0072] In the above steps S230 and S240, it is judged according to the driving conditions of the vehicle whether the current vehicle driving mode requires four-wheel independent steering, such as the special steering conditions of the vehicle turning in place, the whole vehicle translating, the crab walking, etc., or the driving mode corresponding to the driving process requiring to reduce the steering radius of the vehicle, then it is judged that four-wheel independent steering is required; if it is the driving mode of medium and low speed conventional driving or heavy load transportation condition, it is judged that four-wheel independent steering is not required. In actual application, whether four-wheel independent steering is required in different driving modes of the vehicle can be preset, and the judgment can be directly completed in application.

[0073] In the above step S300, the preset mode of the vehicle can be divided into the preset mode requiring the clutch 200 to be in the fixed state and the preset mode requiring the clutch 200 to be in the disengaged state according to the clutch state of the clutch 200. The former generally includes high-speed driving mode, heavy load driving mode and conventional driving mode, which respectively correspond to straight-line high-speed cruising, heavy load transportation, medium and low speed conventional driving and other conditions; the latter generally includes high-performance driving mode required to optimize the road holding force or induce excessive steering condition, low-speed narrow space operation mode in auxiliary parking, narrow road U-turn and other conditions.

[0074] The embodiment of the application also provides a vehicle controller, comprising: at least one processor; and a memory storing instructions which, when executed by the at least one processor, control the above-mentioned distributed steering controller control system to perform the distributed steering controller control method of the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0075] Taking the processor and the memory in the vehicle controller as an example, the processor and the memory can be connected through a bus. The memory as a non-transitory computer readable storage medium can be used to store non-transitory software programs and non-transitory computer executable programs. In addition, the memory can include a high-speed random access memory, and can also include a non-transitory memory, such as at least one disk memory, a flash memory device, or other non-transitory solid-state memory device. In some embodiments, the memory can optionally include a memory remotely arranged relative to the control processor, and these remote memories can be connected to the controller through a network.

[0076] The non-transitory software programs and instructions required for the control method of the above-mentioned embodiment are stored in the memory, and when executed by the processor, the distributed steering controller control method in the above-mentioned embodiment is executed.

[0077] The embodiments of the present application also provide a vehicle comprising the distributed steering gear mechanism or the distributed steering gear control system of the above embodiments. The vehicle can be a private car, such as a sedan, an SUV, an MPV, a pickup truck, or the like. The vehicle can also be a commercial vehicle, such as a van, a bus, a minivan, or a large trailer truck, or the like. The vehicle needs to have an electric motor capable of outputting power or storing mechanical energy as a generator. When the vehicle is a new energy vehicle, it can be a hybrid vehicle or a pure electric vehicle.

[0078] Since the vehicle applies all the technical solutions of the distributed steering gear mechanism or the distributed steering gear control system, it at least has all the beneficial effects brought by the technical solutions of the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0079] Those skilled in the art can understand that all or some of the steps in the above disclosed method and the system can be implemented as software, firmware, hardware, and appropriate combinations thereof. Some or all of the physical components can be implemented as software executed by a processor, such as a central processing unit, a digital signal processor, or a microprocessor, or as hardware, or as an integrated circuit, such as an application specific integrated circuit. Such software can be distributed on a computer readable medium, which can include computer storage media (or non-transitory media) and communication media (or transitory media). As known to those skilled in the art, the term computer storage media includes volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented in any method or technology for storage of information such as computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data. Computer storage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical disk storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tapes, magnetic disk storage, or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the desired information and can be accessed by a computer. In addition, as known to those skilled in the art, communication media generally includes computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other data in modulated data signals such as carrier waves or other transport mechanisms, and can include any information delivery medium.

[0080] The device embodiments described above are only illustrative, and units described as separate components can or can not be physically separated, i.e. can be located in one place, or can be distributed to multiple network units. Some or all of the modules can be selected to achieve the purpose of the present embodiment according to actual needs.

[0081] The embodiments of the present application are described in detail above in combination with the drawings, but the present application is not limited to the above embodiments, and various changes can be made within the scope of knowledge possessed by those skilled in the art without departing from the purpose of the present application.

Claims

1. A distributed steering mechanism, characterized in that: include: A steering gear is provided, including at least two, the steering gear including a power steering assembly and a tie rod assembly that is pulsatorically connected to the power steering assembly, the power steering assembly drives the wheels to steer by driving the tie rod assembly, and the tie rod assembly is provided with a driven end that moves with the steering of the wheels; The clutch is located between the two steering gears, and the two driven ends are switchably connected through the clutch. The clutch has a fixed state and a disengaged state. When the clutch is in the fixed state, the two driven ends are fixedly connected to each other; when the clutch is in the disengaged state, the two driven ends are separated from each other.

2. The distributed steering mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: The clutch includes a connector, which is fixedly disposed on one of the driven ends. The other driven end has a connecting guide post. The connector is provided with a connecting hole. The connecting guide post and the connecting hole both extend towards each other. The connecting guide post slides through the connecting hole.

3. The distributed steering mechanism according to claim 2, characterized in that: The clutch further includes a clutch connection assembly disposed on the connector. The clutch connection assembly is used to lock and fix the connecting guide post and the connecting hole so that the two driven ends are fixedly connected to each other.

4. The distributed steering mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that: The outer side of the connecting guide post is provided with a locking groove. The clutch connection assembly includes a locking member and a connecting drive member. The connecting drive member is used to drive the locking member to move relative to the connecting guide post so that the locking member can be engaged or disengaged from the locking groove.

5. The distributed steering mechanism according to claim 4, characterized in that: The locking member is elastically connected to the connecting member so that the locking member is elastically pressed against the locking groove. The connecting driving member is an electromagnetic actuator, which has an electromagnetic driving end connected to the locking member.

6. The distributed steering mechanism according to claim 3, characterized in that: The number of clutch connection components is at least one. When the number of clutch connection components is multiple, the multiple clutch connection components are evenly distributed around the circumference of the connector.

7. The distributed steering mechanism according to claim 1, characterized in that: A power assist transmission structure is provided between the power assist drive assembly and the tie rod assembly. The power assist transmission structure adopts a pinion type or a parallel shaft type.

8. A distributed steering gear control method, characterized in that: The control method, applicable to the distributed steering mechanism according to any one of claims 1 to 7, comprises: Acquire vehicle status information, including driving mode, driving speed, and clutch status; Based on the aforementioned status information, a clutch state control decision is obtained; According to the clutch state control decision, the clutch is switched between the fixed state and the disengaged state so that the vehicle enters a preset mode.

9. A distributed steering system, characterized in that: include: The observation module is used to acquire vehicle status information, including driving mode, driving speed, and clutch status. The decision module is used to make clutch state control decisions based on the state information; The control module is used to control the clutch to switch between the fixed engagement state and the disengaged state according to the clutch state control decision, so as to enable the vehicle to enter a preset mode.

10. A vehicle, characterized in that: Includes the distributed steering control system as described in claim 9.

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