Autonomous Bogie Layout for Lightweight NVH-Isolated Transit Vehicles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing light mass transit vehicles face challenges in achieving reduced size, weight, and energy efficiency while maintaining stability, durability, and providing effective noise, vibration, and harshness (NVH) isolation, along with the need for self-driven movement and precise geo-positioning and collision avoidance.
Innovation Solution
A bogie design with a support frame, suspension system, wheelsets, actuators, and integrated transmission and brake assemblies, combined with geo-positional determination and collision avoidance systems, allowing for independent operation and control, including LIDAR for precise positioning and autonomous movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If high-mass components are used to provide structural support and stability, then the bogie achieves greater strength and durability, but the overall weight of the vehicle increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite materials in the bogie frame construction, combining materials with different properties to achieve both strength and weight reduction. The frame uses optimized material compositions that provide structural integrity while minimizing mass, directly addressing the contradiction between strength and weight.
Solution Approach 2:
The bogie is divided into modular functional components (drive module, suspension module, braking module, positioning module) that can be independently optimized. This segmentation allows each component to use materials and designs tailored to its specific requirements, reducing overall weight while maintaining necessary strength in critical areas.
2Stability of the object's composition
If traditional heavy bogie designs are used, then the vehicle achieves adequate stability and NVH isolation, but the size and weight reduction goals for light mass transit cannot be met
Solution Approach 1:
Composite materials are used throughout the bogie structure to achieve high strength-to-weight ratios, enabling weight reduction while maintaining the structural rigidity required for vehicle stability. The composite construction allows for optimized structural geometry that preserves stability characteristics.
Solution Approach 2:
The suspension system incorporates active damping and dynamic adjustment capabilities that allow the bogie to adapt to varying operational conditions. This dynamic approach replaces static heavy structures with adaptive lightweight systems that maintain stability through active control rather than passive mass.
3Area of stationary object
If functional components are densely packaged within the bogie frame, then space efficiency is improved, but isolation of functional parts from NVH and damage becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
Functional components are segmented into separate modular units with dedicated mounting zones. Critical components such as the actuator, transmission, and positioning sensors are isolated in separate modules from high-NVH areas like the wheel interfaces and suspension elements, reducing noise and vibration exposure while maintaining compact overall dimensions.
Solution Approach 2:
NVH isolation barriers and damping intermediaries are strategically placed between functional components and sources of noise and vibration. These intermediary elements provide protective separation without requiring increased spacing, allowing dense packaging while shielding sensitive components from harmful factors.
4Adaptability or versatility
If integrated transmission and brake assemblies are added to the wheel axle, then the bogie achieves improved functionality and compactness, but the complexity of the system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The transmission and brake assemblies are merged into integrated units mounted on the wheel axle. The transmission combines gear sets and differential functions, while the brake assembly integrates disc brakes with the wheel structure. This merging reduces the number of separate components and simplifies the overall system architecture.
Solution Approach 2:
The wheel axle assembly is designed as a multi-functional universal component that simultaneously supports the transmission, brake system, wheelset, and positioning mechanisms. This universal design consolidates multiple functions into a single integrated structure, reducing complexity compared to separate dedicated components for each function.
Data Source
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AI summary
An aspect provides a bogie for a vehicle, including: a bogie support frame including a first portion and a second portion, the first portion being mountable to the vehicle body; a suspension system connecting the first portion and second portion; at least one wheelset mounted on the second portion, each wheelset including two or more wheels mounted on a wheel axle; and an actuator for providing torque to the two or more wheels, wherein upon the first portion of the bogie support frame the actuator. The bogie allowing independent operation in terms of movement as well as positioning and collision avoidance with sensors for macro positioning such as GPS, micro positioning such as by LIDAR and for dynamic anti-collision monitoring such as RADAR.