Articulated Vehicle Pendulum Control for Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Articulated vehicles with single steering joints experience uneven driving characteristics and stability issues due to differential pendulum movements and load distribution, leading to potential wheel lift-off during cornering and uneven terrain, compromising safety.
Innovation Solution
A device that uses actuators and sensor systems to dynamically limit pendulum movements based on vehicle speed, load distribution, and steering angle, preventing wheel lift-off and adjusting pendulum link preloading to maintain stability and safety, with optional integration of speed regulation and suspension stiffening.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If pendulum movements are limited by actuators during cornering, then wheel lift-off is prevented, but ground adaptation capability is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically adjusts the pendulum movement limitation based on vehicle operating conditions. During cornering, actuators actively limit pendulum movements to prevent wheel lift-off. During straight driving, the limitation is reduced or deactivated to allow unrestricted ground adaptation. This dynamic switching between different control modes resolves the contradiction between safety and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The control system changes the parameter of pendulum movement amplitude based on driving conditions. By detecting cornering through sensors (steering angle, lateral acceleration), the system adjusts the permissible pendulum swing range. This parameter adjustment allows the vehicle to maintain safety during cornering while preserving ground adaptation capability during straight driving.
2Reliability
If actuators are activated to limit pendulum movements, then wheel load stability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses sensor feedback (pressure sensors, steering angle sensors, acceleration sensors) to detect vehicle conditions and automatically activates actuators when cornering is detected. This feedback-based automatic control improves wheel load stability without requiring complex manual intervention systems, as the activation logic is based on straightforward sensor thresholds and control algorithms.
3Reliability
If pendulum movements are restricted during straight driving, then wheel lift-off is prevented, but road contour following capability is degraded
Solution Approach 1:
The control system dynamically switches between two operational modes: during straight driving, pendulum movements are unrestricted to maintain excellent road contour following capability; during cornering, movements are actively limited to prevent wheel lift-off. This dynamic mode switching ensures that vehicle stability is improved only when necessary, preserving road contour following during normal straight driving conditions.
Data Source
Figure 1a
Figure 1b
Figure 2
AI summary
A device for improving the driving safety of articulated vehicles with devices (21, 22) for controlling actuators (14, 15, 16, 17') that act on the articulated pendulum joint to limit the pendulum movement between the front and rear sections, wherein sensor devices for detecting the forces (DV, DH) acting on them are arranged on the actuators (14, 15, 16, 17), and with an evaluation and control unit (23) for the signals of the sensor devices, which is connected to the devices for controlling (21, 22) the actuators (14, 15, 16, 17') and controls them in such a way that they regulate the pendulum movements between the front and rear sections to a predefinable level depending on the forces (DV, DH) acting on the actuators (14, 15, 16, 17).