Road vehicle with controllable front wheel disengagement in angled frontal impact

Abstract

A road vehicle is provided with a roll axis, a pitch axis, a yaw axis, a chassis and two front wheels. Wherein each front wheel includes a front suspension lever connecting the respective front wheel to the chassis; wherein each front suspension lever is substantially triangular, a first apex of which is coupled to a respective front wheel and the remaining two apex of which are coupled to the chassis at a front attachment point and a rear attachment point, respectively, with respect to the direction of travel along the roll axis; wherein the coupling between the front apex of the front suspension lever and the chassis comprises a fracture inducing zone.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This patent application claims priority to Italian Patent Application No. 102024000025860, filed on November 15, 2024, the entire disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The technical field of this invention relates to road vehicles. Within this technical field, the present invention aims to solve the technical problem of providing the public with an additional function that offers significant advantages in the event of an angled frontal collision. Background Technology

[0004] As is well known, road vehicles are defined by roll, pitch, and yaw axes. The vehicle includes a chassis, two front wheels, and two rear wheels. The wheels determine the vehicle's contact point with the ground, and the chassis is connected to the wheels in a suspended manner relative to the ground via suitable suspensions. These components are well known to those skilled in the art, and therefore the context in which this invention is applied can be correctly understood without further detail. Specifically, each suspension includes a lever element connected on one side to the corresponding wheel and on the other side to the chassis. The dimensions of the attachment points between the suspension levers and the chassis are, of course, appropriately designed to ensure stable and durable coupling. However, this absolutely necessary aspect becomes problematic in certain situations—namely, in the event of an angled frontal collision. An angled frontal collision refers to a collision where the surface of an obstacle forms an angle other than 90° with respect to the vehicle's direction of travel. Therefore, such an angled collision generates different forces on the vehicle's front wheels. Specifically, one front wheel may experience a significantly greater impact force than the other due to the angle between the obstacle and the vehicle's direction of travel. This greater-force wheel may then strike the chassis, which remains attached to it through the corresponding attachment point between the suspension and the chassis. Damage from such impacts can lead to partial chassis collapse, endangering passenger safety and resulting in high vehicle repair costs and lengthy repair cycles. This issue has garnered so much attention that the US FMVSS 208 regulation requires vehicles to pass a crash test involving impact with an obstacle at approximately 48 km / h at a 30° angle to the direction of travel. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the aforementioned prior art—in the event of an angled collision, one of the front wheels impacts the chassis, which remains attached to the suspension—the object of the present invention is to provide a solution that, under the same collision, avoids chassis collapse caused by impact with the wheels, thereby reducing damage to the passenger compartment.

[0006] According to the present invention, this objective is achieved by the vehicle claimed by the present invention.

[0007] The present invention relates to a road vehicle having a roll axis, a pitch axis, a yaw axis, a chassis, and two front wheels. For each front wheel, the vehicle includes a front suspension lever connecting that front wheel to the chassis. Each front suspension lever is generally triangular, with its first vertex coupled to the corresponding front wheel, and the other two vertices coupled to the chassis at a front attachment point and a rear attachment point, respectively, relative to the direction of travel of the roll axis. A key aspect of the invention is that the coupling between the front vertex of the front suspension lever and the chassis includes a fracture-inducing zone to generate and control partial wheel disengagement relative to the chassis in the event of an angular collision. This weakening of the coupling at the front vertex of the front suspension lever causes the coupling to fail when a stress threshold (lower than that of the prior art lacking this weakening) is exceeded, and in the case of an angular collision, the wheel is no longer trapped in a trajectory between the obstacle / rigid wall and the passenger compartment, but can move rearward, thereby reducing the load on the passenger compartment.

[0008] As disclosed in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, from a structural perspective, the coupling between the front apex of the front suspension lever and the chassis is preferably achieved in the following manner:

[0009] - The shape of the front apex of the front suspension lever is constructed in the form of a bushing, called the front bushing apex, and its axis is parallel to the roll axis;

[0010] - A through pin is provided, which is inserted into the apex of the front bushing of the front suspension lever. The through pin has a central portion coupled to the bushing and two ends fixed to the chassis - the front end and the rear end, which are located on opposite sides of the bushing, respectively.

[0011] Wherein, between the central portion and the front end and / or between the central portion and the rear end, the pin includes one or two necked or reduced cross-sectional areas to form one or two weakened areas with lower mechanical strength and greater susceptibility to breakage.

[0012] In addition to weakening the coupling pin between the front apex of the front suspension lever and the chassis, the present invention also proposes an implementation method: strengthening the front suspension lever itself so as to increase the force acting on the weakened coupling pin between the front apex of the front suspension lever and the chassis in the event of an angled frontal collision.

[0013] From a structural perspective, for example, a rib could be provided that extends roughly from the first vertex coupled to the corresponding front wheel to the rear vertex coupled to the chassis. Attached Figure Description

[0014] The present invention will be best understood by reading the following detailed description of several embodiments (by way of non-limiting examples only) with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0015] - Figure 1 This is a diagram illustrating an impending angled collision between vehicles on a road.

[0016] - Figure 2 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a road vehicle, showing the front wheels and corresponding suspension.

[0017] - Figure 3 for Figure 2 A diagram illustrating a road vehicle shortly after an angled collision, where, according to current technology, the front wheels impact the chassis.

[0018] - Figure 4 and Figure 5 A schematic diagram illustrating the components of a suspension affected by the present invention;

[0019] - Figure 6 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a road vehicle shortly after an angled collision, wherein, according to the invention, the front wheels did not impact the chassis;

[0020] - Figure 7 and Figure 8 The following examples illustrate how suspension components can be improved according to embodiments of the present invention;

[0021] - Figure 9 Show Figure 8 New components installed in the suspension;

[0022] - Figure 10 and Figure 11 The following examples illustrate how the second component of the suspension can be improved according to embodiments of the present invention;

[0023] - Figure 12 It shows Figure 9 Enlarged detail images to show Figure 11 A new component installed in the suspension. Detailed Implementation

[0024] Figure 1 and Figure 2 The diagram schematically illustrates a vehicle 1 traveling in direction F, which is parallel to the vehicle's roll axis X (which is perpendicular to the pitch axis Y and yaw axis Z). Reference numeral 17 indicates a barrier-shaped obstacle at a 30° angle to direction F. In other words, Figure 1 and Figure 2 The image shows the vehicles before an angled head-on collision. Figure 2Several components of the vehicle that will be affected by an angled collision are specifically shown, namely the chassis 2, the front wheels 3, and the corresponding front suspension 4. In this example, each front suspension 4 includes a triangular front suspension lever 5. Reference numerals 6, 7, and 8 (also referred to as the first vertex, the front vertex, and the rear vertex) identify the attachment points of this triangular lever to the wheel 3 and the chassis 2, respectively. It can be clearly seen that there are a front attachment point 7 and a rear attachment point 8 along the direction of travel F.

[0025] Figure 3 The diagram schematically illustrates the situation after the collision. Because the obstacle is angled, a front wheel becomes trapped between the obstacle and the chassis, which remains coupled to the front wheel via attachment points 6 and 7. In this configuration, wheel 3 impacts chassis 2, as schematically shown in the figure.

[0026] Figure 4 and Figure 5 Several structural elements related to the present invention are schematically shown. Figure 5 (A view from bottom to top along the yaw direction Z). These figures, as well as the front suspension lever 5 shown separately in triangular form. Figure 7 The diagram shows that the first vertex 6 is constructed as a bushing with its axis parallel to the yaw direction Z, the front vertex 7 is constructed as a bushing with its axis parallel to the roll direction X (referred to as the front bushing vertex), and the rear vertex 8 is constructed as a pin coupled to bushing 16, which is constrained to chassis 2 and has its axis parallel to the roll direction X. Figure 5 Reference numeral 9 in the figure illustrates a pin that passes through the bushing 7 and is fixed to the chassis 2 on opposite sides of the bushing 7.

[0027] Figure 6 According to the present invention, after an angled collision occurs, the wheel 3, which was previously trapped due to impacting the chassis 2, no longer impacts the chassis 2; this is due to the controlled failure of the coupling between the front apex 7 and the chassis 2.

[0028] Figure 7 and Figure 8 Showing the results for achieving Figure 6 The diagram illustrates how suspension components can be modified according to an embodiment of the invention. Specifically, according to this example, the coupling between the front apex 7 and the chassis 2 is released during a collision due to a rib 15 provided on the front suspension lever 5; this rib 15 reinforces the lever itself, thus allowing greater stress to be transferred to the coupling point between the front apex 7 and the chassis 2 during a collision. In this example, the rib 15 extends from the apex 6 of the wheel 3 to the rear apex 8 of the chassis 2.

[0029] Figure 9 It shows Figure 8 The new front suspension lever 5 has been installed in the suspension 4.

[0030] Figure 10 and Figure 11 The figures illustrate how a modification can be made to the second component of the suspension 4 according to an embodiment of the invention. Specifically, the two figures show a through pin 9 that passes through the bushing 7 and couples with the chassis 2 on opposite sides of the bushing 7. Reference numerals 12, 10, and 11 respectively identify the central portion of the through pin 9 for coupling with the bushing 7 and the front end 10 and rear end 11 located on opposite sides of the bushing 7. As can be seen from this example, the two ends 10 and 11 are provided with holes to couple the through pin 9 to the chassis 2 by means of screws or bolts. Figure 11 and Figure 12 As shown in the details, according to this example, the through pin 9 is modified as follows:

[0031] - A necking or cross-sectional reduction region 13 is provided between the central portion 12 and the front end 10;

[0032] - A necked or reduced cross-section region 14 is provided between the central portion 12 and the rear end 11. This forms a weakened region of the through pin 9, which has lower mechanical strength and is more prone to breakage in angled collisions.

[0033] Finally, it should be clearly stated that the embodiments of the present invention disclosed and illustrated herein may be modified and varied, but none of them shall exceed the scope of protection of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A road vehicle (1) having a roll axis (X), a pitch axis (Y), a yaw axis (Z), a chassis (2), and two front wheels (3); wherein each front wheel (3) includes a front suspension lever (5) connecting the corresponding front wheel (3) to the chassis (2); wherein each front suspension lever (5) is substantially triangular, with its first vertex (6) coupled to the corresponding front wheel (3), and the other two vertices, namely the front vertex (7) and the rear vertex (8), coupled to the chassis (2) at a front attachment point and a rear attachment point, respectively, relative to the direction of travel along the roll axis (X); characterized in that: The coupling between the front apex (7) of the front suspension lever (5) and the chassis (2) includes a fracture induction zone.

2. The vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The coupling between the front apex (7) of the front suspension lever (5) and the chassis (2) is achieved in the following way: - The shape of the front apex (7) of the front suspension lever (5) is constructed as a bushing with its axis parallel to the roll axis (X), and is called the front bushing apex; - A through pin (9) is provided, which is inserted into the front bushing apex of the front suspension lever (5). The through pin (9) has a central portion (12) coupled to the front bushing apex and two ends fixed to the chassis (2), the two segments being the front end (10) and the rear end (11) located on opposite sides of the front bushing apex, respectively. Between the central portion (12) and the front end (10), the through pin (9) includes a necked or reduced cross-sectional area (13) to form a weakened area with lower mechanical strength and easier breakage.

3. The vehicle as described in any of the preceding claims, wherein, The coupling between the front apex (7) of the front suspension lever (5) and the chassis (2) is achieved in the following manner: - The shape of the front apex (7) of the front suspension lever (5) is constructed as a bushing with its axis parallel to the roll axis (X); - A through pin (9) is provided, which is inserted into the front bushing apex of the front suspension lever (5). The through pin (9) has a central portion (12) coupled to the front bushing apex and two ends fixed to the chassis (2), the two ends being the front end (10) and the rear end (11) located on opposite sides of the front bushing apex, respectively. Between the central portion (12) and the rear end (11), the through pin (9) includes a necked or reduced cross-sectional area (14) to form a weakened area with lower mechanical strength and easier breakage.

4. The vehicle as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein, The front suspension lever (5), which is basically triangular, is located in a plane orthogonal to the yaw axis (Z) so that the front suspension lever (5) is basically parallel to the vehicle support plane (1).

5. The vehicle as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein, The shape of the first vertex (6) of the front suspension lever (5) coupled to the corresponding front wheel (3) is constructed as a bushing with its axis parallel to the yaw axis (Z).

6. The vehicle as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein, The front suspension lever (5) includes a rib (15) that extends substantially from a first vertex (6) coupled to the corresponding front wheel (3) to a rear vertex (8) coupled to the chassis (2) to increase the force acting on the weakened coupling between the front vertex (7) of the front suspension lever (5) and the chassis (2) in the event of an angled frontal collision.

7. The vehicle as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein, The rear apex (8) of the front suspension lever (5) coupled to the chassis (2) is pivotal and inserted into a bushing (16) whose axis is parallel to the roll axis (X) and coupled to the chassis (2).

8. The vehicle as claimed in any of the preceding claims, wherein, The first vertex (6) of the front suspension lever (5) is substantially aligned with the front vertex (7) in a direction parallel to the pitch axis (Y).

Images