Wheel drive axle and knuckle

Abstract

The application belongs to the technical field of automobile chassis, and discloses a wheel drive axle, which comprises a wheel assembly, a driving device connected with the wheel assembly, a steering knuckle connected with the wheel assembly, an upper kingpin and a lower kingpin respectively hinged to the upper and lower ends of the steering knuckle, an upper swing arm hinged to one end of the upper kingpin, a lower swing arm hinged to one end of the lower kingpin, an elastic element, and a shock absorber; the upper kingpin and the lower kingpin are on the same axis; the elastic element is fixed to the upper kingpin or the upper swing arm; and the shock absorber is hinged to the upper kingpin. The application also discloses a steering knuckle. The application solves the problem that the upper swing arm and the lower swing arm bear vertical load, is beneficial to the lightweight of the upper swing arm and the lower swing arm, balances the dynamic load borne by the wheel drive axle, and improves the safety, driving comfort and steering stability of the vehicle.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a wheel-side drive axle and steering knuckle, belonging to the field of automotive chassis technology. Background Technology

[0002] Existing wheel-side drive systems often employ a double wishbone independent suspension structure. This structure typically includes a wheel-side assembly for mounting the wheel hub, a steering knuckle connected to the wheel-side assembly, upper and lower kingpins hinged to the upper and lower ends of the steering knuckle, an upper control arm hinged to the upper kingpin at one end, a lower control arm connected to the lower kingpin at one end, a wheel-side motor located inside the steering knuckle and connected to the wheel-side assembly, a shock absorber hinged to the lower control arm at one end, and an air spring or airbag mounted on the upper control arm. This type of wheel-side drive system generally suffers from the following drawbacks:

[0003] 1. Because one end of the shock absorber is hinged to the lower control arm and / or because the air spring is mounted on the upper control arm, the lower control arm and / or the upper control arm bear vertical loads, which is not conducive to the lightweighting of the lower control arm and / or the upper control arm. Furthermore, the heavy lower control arm and / or the upper control arm will increase the unsprung mass, reducing the vehicle's ride comfort and handling stability.

[0004] 2. Since the shock absorber is hinged at one end to the lower control arm and at the other end to the frame near the upper control arm, it vertically spans the upper and lower control arms in space. Therefore, it can easily interfere with the arrangement of the wheel-side motor and obstruct the disassembly and assembly of the wheel-side motor, which is not conducive to motor inspection and maintenance.

[0005] 3. The wheel-side motor increases the unsprung mass of the vehicle, leading to increased dynamic load and vibration, and reduced vehicle safety and ride comfort. Furthermore, because the shock absorber is hinged to the lower control arm and the air spring is mounted on the upper control arm, and the upper and lower kingpins, which are respectively hinged to one end of the upper and lower control arms, are connected to the steering knuckle via single-point hinges, the entire vehicle's force is concentrated at the two hinge points of the steering knuckle. This results in harsh stress conditions, making it impossible to balance the dynamic load borne by the wheel-side drive axle. This leads to increased wear on components such as the kingpin bearings, affecting their reliability and service life, as well as the steering accuracy of the axle.

[0006] In the prior art, Chinese invention patent application publication number CN113427996A discloses an independent suspension distributed drive system. This system includes a steering knuckle arm, a wheel hub assembly fixedly mounted on the periphery of the half-shaft structure, a protective shell fixedly mounted on the left end of the half-shaft structure, a reducer fixedly mounted inside the protective shell, a motor fixedly connected to the left side of the reducer, a brake fixedly mounted on the left side of the protective shell, a steering knuckle threadedly connected to the left side of the reducer, an upper control arm assembly and a lower control arm assembly hinged to the upper and lower ends of the steering knuckle via an upper and lower kingpin, respectively, and an elastic element, such as an airbag, mounted on the upper kingpin through mounting holes. The upper and lower kingpins are on the same axis, and the steering knuckle can rotate around the upper and lower kingpins to achieve steering. This patent avoids the problem of the upper control arm bearing vertical loads mentioned in point 1 by mounting the airbag-like elastic element on the upper kingpin, but it still does not solve the problems mentioned in points 2 and 3, as well as the problem of the lower control arm bearing vertical loads mentioned in point 1.

[0007] Chinese utility model patent application publication number CN212796435U discloses an independent suspension wheel-side drive assembly and its application upper control arm. The wheel-side drive assembly includes a hub bracket and drive unit respectively mounted on both sides of the steering knuckle, an upper control arm and a lower control arm respectively hinged to the upper and lower ends of the steering knuckle via ball joints, an elastic element supported and fixed by the upper control arm, a shock absorber hinged at its bottom end to the middle of the lower control arm, a steering knuckle arm attached to the steering knuckle, and a weight-reducing hollow portion on the upper control arm. The power output end of the drive unit passes through the steering knuckle and is connected to the hub bracket. The inner ends of the upper and lower control arms, the top of the shock absorber, and the top of the elastic element are all connected to the vehicle frame. This patent achieves the weight reduction of the upper control arm as mentioned in point 1 by providing two elastic element mounting positions on the upper control arm and creating a weight-reducing hollow portion. However, this patent still does not solve the problems mentioned in points 2 and 3, as well as the problem of the upper and lower control arms bearing vertical loads as mentioned in point 1. Summary of the Invention

[0008] The present invention aims to provide a wheel-side drive axle and steering knuckle to solve the problem of the lower control arm bearing vertical load and to balance the dynamic load borne by the wheel-side drive axle.

[0009] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0010] A wheel-side drive axle includes a wheel-side assembly, a drive unit connected to the wheel-side assembly, a steering knuckle connected to the wheel-side assembly, an upper kingpin and a lower kingpin respectively hinged to the upper and lower ends of the steering knuckle, an upper control arm with one end hinged to the upper kingpin, a lower control arm with one end hinged to the lower kingpin, an elastic element, and a shock absorber; the upper kingpin and the lower kingpin are on the same axis; the elastic element is fixed to the upper kingpin or the upper control arm; and the shock absorber is hinged to the upper kingpin.

[0011] Furthermore, the elastic element is fixed to the upper kingpin, and a redundant hinge point is provided between the steering knuckle and the upper kingpin. The steering knuckle is redundantly hinged to the upper kingpin through the redundant hinge point, and the upper kingpin, the redundant hinge point, and the lower kingpin are all on the same axis.

[0012] Furthermore, the steering knuckle is fixed with a steering knuckle arm, and a brake is mounted externally on the wheel-side assembly.

[0013] Based on the same inventive concept, the present invention also provides a steering knuckle, wherein the outer side of the steering knuckle is provided with an external mounting position for connecting to the wheel assembly, and the inner side of the steering knuckle is provided with an internal mounting position for connecting to the wheel motor; the upper end of the steering knuckle is provided with an upper hinge hole for hinged to the upper kingpin, and the lower end of the steering knuckle is provided with a lower hinge hole for hinged to the lower kingpin; the upper kingpin is hinged to the shock absorber.

[0014] Furthermore, the upper kingpin is fixed to the elastic element, and the steering knuckle is provided with a redundant hinge mounting position. The redundant hinge mounting position is used for redundant hinge between the steering knuckle and the upper kingpin. The redundant hinge mounting position, the upper hinge hole, and the lower hinge hole are arranged collinearly.

[0015] Furthermore, a steering knuckle arm is fixed to the steering knuckle.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages:

[0017] 1. The wheel-side drive axle of the present invention solves the problem of the lower control arm bearing vertical load due to the damper being hinged to the upper kingpin in the traditional axle structure. This is beneficial for the weight reduction of the lower control arm, reduces the unsprung mass, and improves the driving comfort and handling stability of the vehicle.

[0018] 2. The wheel-side drive axle of the present invention solves the problem of difficult wheel-side motor arrangement and disassembly caused by the shock absorber obstructing the space in the traditional axle structure by hinged the shock absorber to the upper kingpin, thereby improving the maintainability of the vehicle.

[0019] 3. The wheel-side drive axle of the present invention solves the problem of vertical load on both the upper and lower control arms by hinged the shock absorber to the upper kingpin, fixing the elastic element to the upper kingpin, and setting redundant hinge points to redundantly hinge the steering knuckle to the upper kingpin. This is beneficial for the weight reduction of the upper and lower control arms, further improving the vehicle's driving comfort and handling stability. At the same time, by setting redundant hinges, the force at the upper and lower hinge points of the steering knuckle can be distributed, balancing the dynamic load on the axle, improving the reliability and service life of the structure, and improving the steering accuracy of the axle.

[0020] 4. The steering knuckle of the present invention solves the problem of the lower control arm bearing vertical load due to the shock absorber being hinged to the upper kingpin on the steering knuckle in the traditional axle structure. This is beneficial for the weight reduction of the lower control arm and improves the driving comfort and handling stability of the vehicle. At the same time, it also solves the problem of the wheel-side motor being difficult to arrange and disassemble due to the shock absorber obstructing space in the traditional axle structure, thus improving the maintainability of the vehicle.

[0021] 5. The steering knuckle of the present invention, by hinged the shock absorber to the upper kingpin, fixing the elastic element to the upper kingpin, and providing a redundant hinge mounting position for redundant hinge connection between the steering knuckle and the upper kingpin, can simultaneously solve the problem of the upper and lower control arms bearing vertical loads in the traditional axle structure. It can distribute the force at the upper and lower hinge holes of the steering knuckle, i.e., the upper and lower hinge points, balance the dynamic load borne by the axle, improve the reliability and service life of the structure, and improve the steering accuracy of the axle. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a front view of one embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 2 This is a right view of one embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] In the diagram: 1—Wheel-side assembly, 2—Brake, 3—Steering knuckle, 4—Upper kingpin, 5—Lower kingpin, 6—Upper control arm, 7—Lower control arm, 8—Steering knuckle arm, 9—Elastic element, 10—Shock absorber, 11—Redundant hinge point, 12—Shock absorber hinge position, 13—Wheel-side motor, 14—Kingpin axis. Detailed Implementation

[0025] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0026] Example 1

[0027] See Figures 1 to 2This embodiment provides a wheel-side drive axle. This wheel-side drive axle can adopt a double wishbone independent suspension structure or other axle structures. The wheel-side drive axle provided in this embodiment is a double wishbone independent suspension steering drive axle, which includes a wheel-side assembly 1, a brake 2 mounted on the housing of the wheel-side assembly 1, a drive device connected to the wheel-side assembly 1, a steering knuckle 3 connected to the wheel-side assembly 1, an upper kingpin 4 and a lower kingpin 5 respectively hinged to the upper and lower ends of the steering knuckle 3, an upper control arm 6 with one end hinged to the upper kingpin 4 and the other end hinged to the vehicle frame, a lower control arm 7 with one end hinged to the lower kingpin 5 and the other end hinged to the vehicle frame, a steering knuckle arm 8 fixed to the steering knuckle 3, an elastic element 9 fixed to the upper kingpin 4, and a shock absorber 10 hinged to the upper kingpin 4. The steering knuckle 3 and the upper kingpin 4 are provided with a redundant hinge point 11. The steering knuckle 3 is redundantly hinged to the upper kingpin 4 through the redundant hinge point 11. The upper kingpin 4, the redundant hinge point 11, and the lower kingpin 5 are all on the same axis, namely the kingpin axis 14.

[0028] By mounting both the elastic element 9 and the shock absorber 10 on the upper kingpin 4, vertical forces on the upper control arm 6 and lower control arm 7 can be avoided, reducing the vertical structural strength requirements of the upper control arm 6 and lower control arm 7. This facilitates the lightweighting of the upper control arm 6 and lower control arm 7, reduces unsprung mass, and improves vehicle ride comfort and handling stability. Simultaneously, by adding redundant hinge points 11, i.e., introducing virtual constraints on the kingpin axis 14, the increased load on the upper kingpin 4 can be accommodated, and the forces at the upper and lower hinge points of the steering knuckle 3 can be distributed, thereby balancing the dynamic load on the axle, improving structural reliability and service life, and enhancing the steering accuracy of the axle. The increased load on the upper kingpin 4 here comes from two main sources: First, the installation position of the shock absorber 10 has been moved from the original lower control arm 7 to the upper kingpin 4, which reduces the vertical force on the lower control arm 7 while bringing additional load to the upper kingpin 4; Second, the wheel-side drive design: the installation position of the wheel-side motor 13 in the drive unit has been moved from the original frame to the steering knuckle 3 on the wheel side, which increases the unsprung mass of the vehicle. When the vehicle is in motion (especially on bumpy roads or when going over speed bumps), the wheel-side motor 13 moves up and down with the wheel, bringing additional dynamic load.

[0029] In this embodiment, the upper end of the upper kingpin 4 is hinged to the upper end of the steering knuckle 3 via a bearing pin, the middle of the upper kingpin 4 is hinged to the upper control arm 6 via a bearing pin, and the lower end of the upper kingpin 4 is hinged to the steering knuckle 3 near the middle via a redundant hinge point 11. The lower kingpin 5 is hinged to the lower end of the steering knuckle 3 via a bearing pin, and the lower kingpin 5 is also hinged to the lower control arm 7 via a bearing pin. The hinge structure at the redundant hinge point 11 adopts a structure that does not interfere with the rotational movement of the steering knuckle 3 around the bearing pin, such as a rotary joint. However, in actual arrangement and installation, a ball joint, which is easier to implement, is preferred. A ball joint can be achieved by adding a bushing to a longitudinal pin. At the same time, a rubber bushing or other flexible component can also be provided at the redundant hinge point 11 to compensate for errors caused by manufacturing, installation, or wheel hop, avoid interference, and improve ride comfort. By introducing redundant constraints, the force originally concentrated at the two bearing pins of the upper and lower steering knuckle 3 can be distributed to the redundant hinge point 11, optimizing the force distribution, improving the load-bearing capacity, reducing the wear of moving parts, and reducing the risk of stress concentration and fatigue failure of the steering knuckle 3.

[0030] In this embodiment, an arbitrary mounting base can be provided on the upper main pin 4 for vertically fixing the elastic element 9. A vibration damping hinge position 12 is provided at the middle position of the inner side of the upper main pin 4. The upper main pin 4 is connected to the vibration damping hinge position 12 by a longitudinal pin and bushing to install the vibration damper 10. The vibration damper 10 does not obstruct the space behind the drive device or the wheel-side motor 13.

[0031] In this embodiment, the drive device is a wheel-side motor 13 (or a wheel-side motor 13 with a reducer) mounted on the steering knuckle 3. The wheel-side motor 13 is connected to the wheel-side assembly 1.

[0032] In this embodiment, one end of the steering knuckle arm 8 is fixed to the steering knuckle 3, and the other end is connected to the steering system within the vehicle axle. This allows the steering knuckle 3 and the wheel to rotate together around the kingpin axis 14, thus achieving axle steering. The brake 2 is used for vehicle braking. Preferably, the brake 2 is a disc brake, wherein the brake disc of the disc brake 2 is fixed to the wheel assembly 1, and the brake caliper of the disc brake 2 is fixed to the steering knuckle 3. The elastic element 9 is preferably an air spring, which can be one or more, used for connection to the vehicle frame.

[0033] The beneficial effects of this embodiment are as follows: By mounting the elastic element 9 and the shock absorber 10 on the upper kingpin 4, the wheel-side drive axle of this embodiment can avoid the upper control arm 6 and the lower control arm 7 bearing vertical loads, reduce the vertical structural strength requirements of the upper control arm 6 and the lower control arm 7, which is conducive to the lightweighting of the upper control arm 6 and the lower control arm 7, and reduces the unsprung mass of the whole vehicle, thereby improving the driving comfort and handling stability of the vehicle; at the same time, it avoids the shock absorber 10 from obstructing the back of the motor, which facilitates the disassembly of the motor and improves its maintainability. By adding redundant hinge points 11, the wheel-side drive axle of this embodiment avoids the suspension force being concentrated at the two points of the bearing pin (or ball joint) at the connection between the upper kingpin 4 and the lower kingpin 5, thereby balancing the suspension force, adapting to the increased unsprung mass and dynamic load of the wheel-side motor 13, improving the suspension load-bearing capacity and the service life of components such as the bearing pin (or ball joint), and improving the steering accuracy of the axle.

[0034] Example 2

[0035] This embodiment provides a steering knuckle 3 installed on a wheel-side drive axle. The steering knuckle 3 has an external mounting position on its outer side for connection to the wheel-side assembly 1, and an internal mounting position on its inner side for connection to the wheel-side motor 13. The upper end of the steering knuckle 3 has an upper hinge hole for hinged to the upper kingpin 4, and the lower end of the steering knuckle 3 has a lower hinge hole for hinged to the lower kingpin 5. The upper kingpin 4 is hinged to a shock absorber 10. The upper kingpin 4 is fixed to an elastic element 9. A redundant hinge mounting position is provided at the middle position of the steering knuckle 3 (i.e., the position between the upper and lower hinge holes). This redundant hinge mounting position is used for redundant hinged connection between the steering knuckle 3 and the upper kingpin 4. The redundant hinge mounting position, the upper hinge hole, and the lower hinge hole are collinear, meaning the upper hinge hole, the redundant hinge mounting position, and the lower hinge hole are all on the same kingpin axis 14.

[0036] The existing steering knuckle 3 uses a traditional topology, connecting the upper and lower control arms (i.e., the upper control arm 6 and the lower control arm 7) or intermediate components through two hinge points. This does not accommodate the additional unsprung mass brought by the wheel-side motor 13 and the dynamic load caused by road bumps, resulting in alternating stress concentration on the upper and lower kingpins (or ball joints), leading to harsh stress conditions and increased wear on components such as bearings (or ball joints) at the connection of the upper and lower kingpins. In contrast, the steering knuckle 3 of this embodiment adds a redundant hinge mounting position for redundant hinge connection between the steering knuckle 3 and the upper kingpin 4. This can distribute the force at the upper and lower hinge points of the steering knuckle 3 (i.e., the connection between the upper kingpin 4 and the lower kingpin 5), thereby balancing the dynamic load on the suspension, improving the suspension's load-bearing capacity and component lifespan, accommodating the additional unsprung mass and dynamic load brought by the wheel-side motor 13, and improving structural reliability and steering accuracy.

[0037] In this embodiment, a bearing pin is fitted into the upper hinge hole, and the upper end of the steering knuckle 3 is hinged to the upper end of the upper kingpin 4 through the engagement of the upper hinge hole and the bearing pin. A bearing pin is fitted into the lower hinge hole, and the lower end of the steering knuckle 3 is hinged to the lower kingpin 5 through the engagement of the lower hinge hole and the bearing pin. The redundant hinge mounting position is a structure that allows the steering knuckle 3 to rotate around the bearing pin without interfering with its rotation. It can be equipped with a bearing, a ball joint, or a longitudinal pin with a bushing to achieve a ball joint between the steering knuckle 3 and the upper kingpin 4.

[0038] In this embodiment, a steering knuckle arm 8 is fixed to the steering knuckle 3. The steering knuckle arm 8 is used to connect the steering system and drive the steering knuckle 3 to rotate about the same kingpin axis 14 where the redundant hinge mounting position, the upper hinge hole, and the lower hinge hole are located.

[0039] The beneficial effects of this embodiment are as follows: By mounting the elastic element 9 and the shock absorber 10 on the upper kingpin 4 of the steering knuckle 3, the upper control arm 6 and lower control arm 7 of the vehicle drive axle can be prevented from bearing vertical loads, reducing the vertical structural strength requirements of the upper control arm 6 and lower control arm 7, which is conducive to the lightweighting of the upper control arm 6 and lower control arm 7, and also reduces the unsprung mass of the vehicle, improving the driving comfort and handling stability of the vehicle; at the same time, it avoids the shock absorber 10 in the vehicle drive axle from obstructing the back of the motor, which facilitates the disassembly of the motor and improves its maintainability. In this embodiment, the steering knuckle 3 is provided with a redundant hinge mounting position for redundant hinge connection between the steering knuckle 3 and the upper kingpin 4. This can distribute the force at the upper hinge hole and the lower hinge hole of the steering knuckle 3, i.e., the upper and lower hinge points. This avoids the suspension force in the wheel-side drive axle being concentrated at the bearing pin (or ball joint) at the connection of the upper and lower kingpins. It balances the dynamic load on the steering knuckle 3, improves the reliability and service life of the steering knuckle 3 structure, improves the suspension load-bearing capacity and the service life of components such as the bearing pin (or ball joint), and improves the steering accuracy of the axle.

[0040] The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in the present invention can be combined with each other. The present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above; these embodiments are merely illustrative and not limiting. Those skilled in the art, under the guidance of the present invention, can make many modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims, and all such modifications fall within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A wheel drive axle, comprising a wheel assembly (1), a driving device connected with the wheel assembly (1), a knuckle (3) connected with the wheel assembly (1), an upper kingpin (4) and a lower kingpin (5) respectively hingedly connected with upper and lower ends of the knuckle (3), an upper swing arm (6) having one end hingedly connected with the upper kingpin (4), a lower swing arm (7) having one end hingedly connected with the lower kingpin (5), an elastic element (9), and a shock absorber (10); the upper kingpin (4) and the lower kingpin (5) are on the same axis; characterized in that, The elastic element (9) is fixed to the upper kingpin (4); the damper (10) is hinged to the upper kingpin (4); a redundant hinge point (11) is provided between the steering knuckle (3) and the upper kingpin (4), the steering knuckle (3) is redundantly hinged to the upper kingpin (4) through the redundant hinge point (11), and the upper kingpin (4), the redundant hinge point (11) and the lower kingpin (5) are all on the same axis.

2. The hub-pulley drive axle according to claim 1, characterized in that The steering knuckle (3) is fixed with a steering knuckle arm (8), and the wheel-side assembly (1) is externally fitted with a brake (2).

3. The hub-pulley drive axle according to claim 1, characterized in that The steering knuckle (3) has an external mounting position for connecting with the wheel assembly (1) on its outer side, and an internal mounting position for connecting with the wheel motor (13) on its inner side; the steering knuckle (3) has an upper hinge hole for hinged with the upper kingpin (4) at its upper end, and a lower hinge hole for hinged with the lower kingpin (5) at its lower end.

4. The hub-pulley drive axle according to claim 3, characterized in that The steering knuckle (3) is provided with a redundant hinge mounting position, which is used for redundant hinge of the steering knuckle (3) and the upper kingpin (4). The redundant hinge mounting position, the upper hinge hole and the lower hinge hole are arranged collinearly.

5. The hub-pulley drive axle according to claim 3, characterized in that A steering knuckle arm (8) is fixed on the steering knuckle (3).

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