Floating Plate Wheel Mount for Test Bench Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current vehicle test benches face challenges in maintaining a vehicle's straight-ahead position during testing, particularly when dealing with autonomous vehicles, due to lateral forces exerted by rollers, which can lead to instability and require expensive safety technologies and manual intervention.
Innovation Solution
A wheel mount system with a floating plate and rollers that can rotate around vertical axes ahead or behind the wheel contact point, using actuators to adjust the orientation of the rollers and stabilize the vehicle, allowing for secure positioning without manual adaptation to the steering wheel.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a bar is fastened to the steering wheel through the opened side window to counteract lateral drifting, then the vehicle positioning is improved, but the device complexity and ease of operation deteriorate due to manual intervention requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the vehicle's own lateral forces during steering as the actuating variable for the regulation process. The lateral forces that cause drifting are converted into useful signals for automatic positioning, eliminating the need for external manual intervention or additional coupling mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical coupling system (bar fastened to steering wheel) with an automated regulation system that uses wireless transmission of control signals and electronic control of the wheel mount actuators, eliminating the need for physical connection to the steering wheel.
2Reliability
If extensive safety technology is implemented to prevent vehicle damage during automated testing, then the reliability is improved, but the device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses the vehicle's own operational characteristics (lateral forces during steering) as the basis for the regulation process, eliminating the need for external safety intervention systems. The vehicle's natural physical responses are harnessed for automatic positioning.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the approach from using steering angle as the actuating variable to using lateral forces as the actuating variable. This parameter change simplifies the control system by directly utilizing the physical forces already present during vehicle operation on the test bench.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the wheel mount rotates around a vertical axis ahead of the wheel contact point, then the vehicle positioning is improved, but the lateral forces increase causing more drifting
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the wheel mount orientation based on real-time detection of vehicle position and lateral forces. The regulation process continuously modifies the actuator commands to optimize positioning while minimizing destabilizing lateral forces.
Solution Approach 2:
The system detects the vehicle's situation in the test bench and uses this feedback to adjust the wheel mount position. The regulation process forms a closed loop where positioning errors are continuously corrected by adjusting the wheel mount orientation and the vehicle's own steering response.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system effectively eliminates lateral forces during steering, enabling secure and stable positioning of vehicles in a test bench, even with arbitrary steering angles, without damaging the steering wheel and reducing production costs by avoiding complex coupling and decoupling processes.
Implementation Method 1
lateral forces, which are exerted on the tires by the rollers
Implementation Method 2
Actuators are assigned to the floating plate for rotating the part of the floating plate
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention relates to a wheel mount for a vehicle test bench for motor vehicles having steerable wheels, wherein the wheel mount comprises a floating plate as well as at least one roller supported on the floating plate and movable with the floating plate in a horizontal plane. According to the present invention, the wheel mount has a first working state, in which the part of the floating plate, on which the at least one roller is supported, is rotatably supported around a vertical axis, which is located ahead of the at least one wheel contact point on the at least one roller with respect to the driving direction of a vehicle located in the roller dynamometer. In addition, the wheel mount has a second working state, in which the part of the floating plate, on which the at least one roller is supported, is rotatably supported around a vertical axis, which is located behind the at least one wheel contact point with respect to the driving direction of a vehicle located in the roller dynamometer. Furthermore, actuators are assigned to the floating plate for rotating the part of the floating plate, on which the at least one roller is supported, around the corresponding axis in the first as well as in the second working state.