Vehicle corner module and vehicle

Abstract

An embodiment of the present specification provides a vehicle corner module comprising: a wheel; the suspension system comprises a swing arm; the steering system comprises a steering driving part and a steering arm, the steering driving part is installed on the steering arm, the two ends of a swing arm are connected with the wheels and the steering arm through rotating pairs respectively, and the steering driving part drives the wheels to steer through the steering arm and the swing arm; the driving system comprises a driving motor, a speed reducing mechanism and a connecting mechanism, the driving motor is installed on the steering arm, the output shaft is connected with the speed reducing mechanism, the speed reducing mechanism is arranged in the steering arm, and the output shaft of the speed reducing mechanism is connected with the wheels through the connecting mechanism. The driving motor is installed on the steering arm, the unsprung mass and the wheel dynamic load can be reduced, the output shaft of the driving motor is connected with the input shaft of the speed reducing mechanism in the direction away from the wheel, the speed reducing mechanism is arranged in the steering arm, and more axial space can be reserved for the connecting mechanism; therefore, the wheels can run up and down greatly.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This specification relates to the field of vehicle technology, and in particular to a vehicle corner module and a vehicle. Background Art

[0002] The corner module is an electromechanical system that integrates wheel damping, drive, steering, braking, and other functions at the wheel end. It typically consists of a wheel, drive motor and controller, steering gear and controller, shock absorber, and swing arm. Its high degree of modularity and integration allows for greater flexibility, enabling lateral movement, 360-degree rotation, and rapid separation and reassembly from the vehicle body. This also makes fault location easier in the event of a fault.

[0003] Existing corner module solutions can be divided into two categories based on the location of the drive motor. The first category uses an in-wheel hub motor, with the drive motor placed under the sprung wheel. A common drawback of this type of solution is the excessive unsprung mass, which results in high dynamic loads and severe vehicle vibration. Furthermore, the motor, located under the sprung wheel, experiences more turbulence, significantly limiting its lifespan.

[0004] The second type of solution places the drive motor on a spring, with part of the motor mounted on the vehicle body and driven by a half-shaft. However, since the half-shaft connects the vehicle body and the corner module, this type of corner module cannot achieve 360-degree rotation. The drive system of this type of solution is not entirely located in the corner module and is not a corner module in the pure sense. The corner module solution with patent number CN118003818A places the motor on a spring and in the corner module. The drive motor drives the wheel rotation through two constant velocity joints. However, due to the limitation of the vehicle's lateral size, the drive shaft where the two constant velocity joints are located is too short to support the wheels to achieve large wheel bounce, thus limiting the vehicle's off-road performance. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, the embodiments of the present specification provide a vehicle corner module and a vehicle, in which the drive motor is installed on the steering arm, which can reduce the unsprung mass and the dynamic load on the wheel. The output shaft of the drive motor is connected to the input shaft of the reduction mechanism in a direction away from the wheel. The reduction mechanism is arranged inside the steering arm, which can leave more axial space for the connecting mechanism, thereby ensuring that the wheel can complete a large range of up and down jumps.

[0006] The embodiments of this specification provide the following technical solutions: a vehicle corner module, comprising:

[0007] wheel;

[0008] suspension system, including swingarm;

[0009] A steering system comprising a steering drive unit and a steering arm, wherein the steering drive unit is mounted on the steering arm, and both ends of the swing arm are respectively connected to the wheel and the steering arm via a revolute pair, and the steering drive unit drives the wheel to steer via the steering arm and the swing arm;

[0010] The drive system includes a drive motor, a reduction mechanism and a connecting mechanism. The drive motor is installed on the steering arm, and its output shaft is connected to the input shaft of the reduction mechanism in a direction away from the wheel. The reduction mechanism is arranged inside the steering arm, and the output shaft of the reduction mechanism is connected to the wheel through the connecting mechanism in a direction close to the wheel.

[0011] Preferably, the connecting mechanism includes a half shaft, a first end of the half shaft is connected to the wheel, and a second end of the half shaft is connected to the output shaft of the reduction mechanism;

[0012] Alternatively, the connection mechanism includes a transmission shaft, and both ends of the transmission shaft are connected to the wheel and the output shaft of the reduction mechanism respectively through constant velocity joints.

[0013] Preferably, the suspension system further includes a shock absorber, a first end of the shock absorber is connected to the swing arm, and a second end of the shock absorber is connected to the steering arm.

[0014] Preferably, two groups of shock absorbers are provided, and the two groups of shock absorbers are respectively located on both sides of the drive motor.

[0015] Preferably, the steering drive unit includes a steering gear, a steering transmission mechanism and a slewing device. The steering gear is installed on the steering arm. The steering gear is connected to the rotating end of the slewing device through the steering transmission mechanism. The steering arm is fixedly connected to the fixed end of the slewing device. The steering gear drives the rotating end of the slewing device to rotate through the steering transmission mechanism, so that the steering arm can rotate 360 ​​degrees around the axis of the slewing device.

[0016] Preferably, the steering transmission mechanism includes one of a worm gear structure, a parallel axis gear or a bevel gear structure.

[0017] Preferably, two groups of swing arms are provided, and the two groups of swing arms are respectively distributed on the upper and lower sides of the connecting mechanism.

[0018] Preferably, the cross section of the steering arm is a "7" type.

[0019] Preferably, the reduction mechanism includes one of a parallel shaft gear reducer, a belt drive reducer or a chain drive reducer.

[0020] A vehicle comprises a vehicle chassis and a vehicle corner module as described in any one of the above items, wherein the vehicle corner module is arranged on the vehicle chassis.

[0021] Compared with the prior art, the at least one technical solution adopted in the embodiments of this specification can achieve the following beneficial effects:

[0022] Installing the drive motor on the steering arm can reduce the unsprung mass and the dynamic load on the wheel, preventing the drive motor from experiencing frequent and severe bumps. The size of the drive motor is not limited by the size of the wheel hub. The output shaft of the drive motor is connected to the input shaft of the reduction mechanism in the direction away from the wheel. The reduction mechanism is arranged inside the steering arm, which can leave more axial space for the connection mechanism, thereby ensuring that the wheel can complete a large range of up and down jumps. By driving the steering arm to rotate through the steering system, the wheel can rotate 360 ​​degrees relative to the vehicle body. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.

[0024] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the vehicle corner module provided by this application;

[0025] Figure 2 is a side view of a vehicle corner module provided by the present application;

[0026] Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of the driving system of the vehicle corner module provided by this application;

[0027] Figure 4 It is a structural schematic diagram of the steering system of the vehicle corner module provided in this application.

[0028] In the figure, 1. wheel; 2. steering arm; 3. connecting mechanism; 4. drive motor; 5. reduction mechanism; 6. swing arm; 7. steering gear; 8. steering transmission mechanism; 9. slewing device; 10. shock absorber. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] The embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0030] The following describes the embodiments of the present application through specific examples, and those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present application from the contents disclosed in this specification. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments. The present application can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments, and the details in this specification can also be modified or changed in various ways based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of the present application. It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the features in the following embodiments and embodiments can be combined with each other. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without making creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0031] It should be noted that various aspects of the embodiments within the scope of the appended claims are described below. It should be apparent that the aspects described herein can be embodied in a wide variety of forms, and any specific structure and / or function described herein is merely illustrative. Based on this application, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that an aspect described herein can be implemented independently of any other aspect, and two or more of these aspects can be combined in various ways. For example, any number and aspect described herein can be used to implement an apparatus and / or practice a method. In addition, other structures and / or functionalities other than one or more of the aspects described herein can be used to implement this apparatus and / or practice this method.

[0032] It should also be noted that the illustrations provided in the following embodiments are only schematic illustrations of the basic concept of the present application. The illustrations only show components related to the present application and are not drawn according to the number, shape and size of components in actual implementation. In actual implementation, the type, quantity and proportion of each component can be changed at will, and the component layout type may also be more complicated.

[0033] Additionally, in the following description, specific details are provided to provide a thorough understanding of the examples. However, one skilled in the art will appreciate that the aspects described can be practiced without these specific details.

[0034] Some existing corner module solutions place the drive motor on the spring, with some of the motors installed on the vehicle body and driven by half-axles. However, since the half-axles connect the vehicle body and the corner module, this type of corner module cannot achieve 360-degree rotation. The drive system of this type of solution is not entirely located in the corner module and is not a corner module in the pure sense. The corner module solution with patent number CN118003818A places the motor on the spring and in the corner module. The drive motor drives the wheels to rotate through two constant velocity joints. However, due to the limitation of the lateral size of the vehicle, the drive shaft where the two constant velocity joints are located is too short to support the wheels to achieve large wheel bounces, and the off-road performance of the vehicle is limited.

[0035] The inventor has designed a vehicle corner module after extensive and in-depth experiments.

[0036] The following describes the technical solutions provided by various embodiments of the present application in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0037] like Figure 1-Figure 2 As shown, a vehicle corner module includes:

[0038] Wheel 1;

[0039] Suspension system, including swing arm 6;

[0040] The steering system includes a steering drive unit and a steering arm 2. The steering drive unit is mounted on the steering arm 2. The two ends of the swing arm 6 are respectively connected to the wheel 1 and the steering arm 2 via a revolute pair. The outer end of the swing arm 6 is connected to the horn of the wheel 1 via a revolute pair. The steering drive unit drives the wheel 1 to steer via the revolute arm 2 and the swing arm 6.

[0041] The drive system includes a drive motor 4, a reduction mechanism 5 and a connecting mechanism 3. The drive motor 4 is installed on the steering arm 2, and its output shaft is connected to the input shaft of the reduction mechanism 5 in a direction away from the wheel 1. The reduction mechanism 5 is arranged inside the steering arm 2, and the output shaft of the reduction mechanism 5 is connected to the wheel 1 through the connecting mechanism 3 in a direction close to the wheel 1.

[0042] Installing the drive motor 4 on the steering arm 2 can reduce the unsprung mass and the dynamic load of the wheel 1, effectively reducing vehicle vibration and preventing the drive motor 4 from experiencing frequent and severe bumps. At the same time, the size of the drive motor 4 is not limited to the size of the wheel hub of the wheel 1. In theory, it can provide a more powerful driving force for the corner module. The output shaft of the drive motor 4 is connected to the input shaft of the reduction mechanism 5 in the direction away from the wheel 1. The reduction mechanism 5 is used to achieve deceleration and torque increase. The reduction mechanism 5 is arranged inside the steering arm 2. The output shaft of the reduction mechanism 5 is connected to the wheel 1 through the connecting mechanism 3, which can leave more axial space for the connecting mechanism 3, thereby ensuring that the wheel 1 can complete a large range of up and down jumps. The steering drive unit drives the steering arm 2 to rotate, and the steering arm 2 drives the wheel 1 to rotate through the swing arm 6, which can realize a 360-degree rotation of the wheel 1 relative to the vehicle body.

[0043] It should be noted that integrating the drive motor 4, the reduction mechanism 5, etc. on the steering arm 2 reduces the overall mass and leaves more axial design space for the design of the connecting mechanism 3, thereby ensuring that the wheel 1 can complete a large range of up and down jumps.

[0044] like Figure 1-Figure 3As shown, in some embodiments, the connecting mechanism 3 includes a half-shaft, a first end of the half-shaft is connected to the wheel 1, and a second end of the half-shaft is connected to the output shaft of the reduction mechanism 5. The half-shaft can transmit power to the wheel 1, effectively transmit torque, and thus drive the car forward. Since the reduction mechanism 5 is arranged inside the steering arm 2, more axial space is left for the half-shaft, so the length of the half-shaft can be designed to be longer, which can ensure that the wheel 1 can complete a large range of up and down jumps, thereby meeting the requirements of off-road conditions.

[0045] In some other embodiments, the connecting mechanism 3 can also adopt a transmission shaft, and the two ends of the transmission shaft are respectively connected to the wheel 1 and the output shaft of the reduction mechanism 5 through constant velocity joints. The two ends of the transmission shaft are respectively connected to the wheel 1 and the output shaft of the reduction mechanism 5 through constant velocity joints to ensure that the output shaft of the reduction mechanism 5 can rotate synchronously with the wheel 1, and the wheel 1 can jump up and down relative to the reduction mechanism 5.

[0046] like Figure 1-Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments, the suspension system further includes a shock absorber 10, a first end of the shock absorber 10 being connected to the swing arm 6, and a second end of the shock absorber 10 being connected to the steering arm 2. By setting the shock absorber 10, the upper end of the shock absorber 10 is connected to the steering arm 2, and the lower end is connected to the swing arm 6, which can play a shock absorbing and buffering function when the wheel 1 bounces.

[0047] It should be noted that the suspension system can be either a double swing arm 6 suspension or a McPherson suspension. The shock absorbers 10 can be either one group or two groups.

[0048] like Figure 1-Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments, two groups of shock absorbers 10 are provided. In order to avoid the driving motor 4, the two groups of shock absorbers 10 are respectively located on both sides of the driving motor 4. By providing two groups of shock absorbers 10, the shock absorption and buffering are more uniform.

[0049] like Figure 1 and Figure 4As shown, in some embodiments, the steering drive unit includes a steering gear 7, a steering transmission mechanism 8 and a slewing device 9, the steering gear 7 is installed on the steering arm 2, the steering gear 7 is connected to the fixed end of the slewing device 9 through the steering transmission mechanism 8, the steering arm 2 is fixedly connected to the rotating end of the slewing device 9, the steering gear 7 drives the rotating end of the slewing device 9 to rotate through the steering transmission mechanism 8, so that the steering arm 2 can rotate 360 ​​degrees around the axis of the slewing device 9, the steering arm 2 is fixedly connected to the rotating end of the slewing device 9 and rotates with it, the steering gear 7 rotates when working, the steering gear 7 is connected to the steering transmission mechanism 8, the steering transmission mechanism 8 steers the rotation direction, the steering transmission mechanism 8 drives the rotating end of the slewing device 9 to rotate, the slewing device 9 drives the steering arm 2 to rotate together, and the steering arm 2 drives the wheel 1 to rotate through the swing arm 6, so that the wheel 1 can rotate 360 ​​degrees around the axis of the slewing device 9, that is, the wheel 1 rotates 360 degrees relative to the vehicle body.

[0050] It should be noted that the slewing device 9 may be a slewing support bearing, and the axis of the slewing support bearing is in a vertical direction or a nearly vertical direction.

[0051] In this embodiment, the steering transmission mechanism 8 includes a worm gear structure. By using the worm gear structure for steering, the horizontal rotation of the steering gear 7 is converted into vertical rotation of the slewing device 9. In other embodiments, the steering transmission mechanism 8 may also use a parallel axis gear or a bevel gear structure, and the selection can be based on actual conditions.

[0052] like Figure 1-Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments, the swing arm 6 is provided with two groups, and the two groups of the swing arms 6 are respectively distributed on the upper and lower sides of the connecting mechanism 3. By providing two groups of swing arms 6 respectively distributed on the upper and lower sides of the connecting mechanism 3, the inner side of the swing arm 6 is connected to the steering arm 2, and the outer side of the swing arm 6 is connected to the horn of the wheel 1 through a rotating pair. The swing arm 6 is responsible for transmitting various forces and torques from the road surface. When the wheel 1 travels on an uneven road surface, the swing arm 6 will transmit the impact force of the road surface to the steering arm 2. A shock absorber 10 is provided on the upper swing arm 6 to play a shock-absorbing role.

[0053] like Figure 1-Figure 2 As shown, in some embodiments, the cross-section of the steering arm 2 is a "7" type, the cross-section of the steering arm 2 is a "7" type design, the steering system is arranged at the transverse part of the steering arm 2, the drive motor 4 and the reduction mechanism 5 are arranged at the vertical part of the steering arm 2, and the swing arm 6 is connected to the side of the vertical part of the steering arm 2 close to the wheel 1.

[0054] In this embodiment, the reduction mechanism 5 comprises a parallel-axis gear reducer. The input and output shafts of the parallel-axis gear reducer are parallel and mesh with each other. This design makes it compact and occupies little space, providing more space for the connecting mechanism 3. Furthermore, the parallel-axis gear reducer has low energy loss during transmission and has a high load capacity and overload capacity. In other embodiments, the reduction mechanism 5 may also be a belt-driven reducer or a chain-driven reducer.

[0055] See also Figures 1-4 Based on the same technical concept, an embodiment of this specification provides a vehicle, including a vehicle chassis and a vehicle corner module as described in any one of the above items, wherein the vehicle corner module is arranged on the vehicle chassis.

[0056] During implementation, by adopting the above-mentioned vehicle corner module, by placing the drive motor 4 on the spring, the unsprung mass and the dynamic load of the wheel 1 are reduced, the vehicle vibration is effectively reduced, the output shaft of the drive motor 4 is directed to the inside of the vehicle, and the power output end is turned toward the wheel 1 through the parallel shaft reduction mechanism 5, leaving more axial space for the design of the drive shaft, thereby ensuring that the wheel 1 can complete a large range of up and down jumps; by integrating the output end housing of the drive motor 4, the reduction mechanism 5 housing, etc. on the steering arm 2, the overall mass is reduced, and more axial design space is left for the design of the half-axle or drive shaft; the steering gear 7 and controller, the drive motor 4 and controller, the suspension system, etc. are all located in the corner module, and the corner module can achieve 360-degree rotation relative to the vehicle body.

[0057] The same or similar parts between the various embodiments in this specification can be referred to in conjunction with each other, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. In particular, for the method embodiments described later, since they correspond to the system, the description is relatively simple, and the relevant parts can be referred to the partial description of the system embodiment.

[0058] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of the present application, but the scope of protection of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily conceived by a person skilled in the art within the technical scope disclosed in the present application should be included in the scope of protection of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application should be based on the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

1. A vehicle corner module, characterized in that: include: wheel; suspension system, including swingarm; A steering system comprising a steering drive unit and a steering arm, wherein the steering drive unit is mounted on the steering arm, and both ends of the swing arm are respectively connected to the wheel and the steering arm via a revolute pair, and the steering drive unit drives the wheel to steer via the steering arm and the swing arm; The drive system includes a drive motor, a reduction mechanism and a connecting mechanism. The drive motor is installed on the steering arm, and its output shaft is connected to the input shaft of the reduction mechanism in a direction away from the wheel. The reduction mechanism is arranged inside the steering arm, and the output shaft of the reduction mechanism is connected to the wheel through the connecting mechanism in a direction close to the wheel.

2. The vehicle corner module according to claim 1, characterized in that The connecting mechanism includes a half shaft, a first end of the half shaft is connected to the wheel, and a second end of the half shaft is connected to the output shaft of the reduction mechanism; Alternatively, the connection mechanism includes a transmission shaft, and both ends of the transmission shaft are connected to the wheel and the output shaft of the reduction mechanism respectively through constant velocity joints.

3. The vehicle corner module according to claim 1, characterized in that The suspension system further includes a shock absorber, wherein a first end of the shock absorber is connected to the swing arm, and a second end of the shock absorber is connected to the steering arm.

4. The vehicle corner module according to claim 3, characterized in that The shock absorbers are provided in two groups, and the two groups of shock absorbers are respectively located on both sides of the driving motor.

5. The vehicle corner module according to claim 1, characterized in that The steering drive unit includes a steering gear, a steering transmission mechanism and a slewing device. The steering gear is installed on the steering arm. The steering gear is connected to the fixed end of the slewing device through the steering transmission mechanism. The steering arm is fixedly connected to the rotating end of the slewing device. The steering gear drives the rotating end of the slewing device to rotate through the steering transmission mechanism, so that the steering arm can rotate 360 ​​degrees around the axis of the slewing device.

6. The vehicle corner module according to claim 5, characterized in that The steering transmission mechanism includes a worm gear structure, a parallel axis gear or a bevel gear structure.

7. The vehicle corner module according to claim 1, characterized in that The swing arms are provided in two groups, and the two groups of swing arms are respectively distributed on the upper and lower sides of the connecting mechanism.

8. The vehicle corner module according to claim 1, characterized in that The cross section of the steering arm is a "7" type.

9. The vehicle corner module according to claim 1, characterized in that The speed reduction mechanism includes a parallel shaft gear reducer, a belt drive reducer or a chain drive reducer.

10. A vehicle, characterized in that: The vehicle corner module comprises a vehicle chassis and a vehicle corner module according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the vehicle corner module is arranged on the vehicle chassis.

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