Predictive Wheel Camber and Caster Control for Autonomous Cornering

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing autonomous vehicles lack the ability to dynamically adjust wheel camber and caster angles in response to vehicle dynamics, leading to potential inefficiencies in cornering performance and collision avoidance.

Innovation Solution

An autonomous vehicle equipped with a vehicle dynamics prediction module that generates control signals to adjust camber and caster angles using actuators, allowing for pre-emptive adjustments based on predicted cornering forces and road conditions.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If wheel camber and caster angles are fixed, then vehicle structure is simple and reliable, but cornering performance and collision avoidance capability are insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecornering performanceVSAvoidwheel geometry adjustment mechanism

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements dynamic adjustment of wheel camber and caster angles through actuators (electric motors, hydraulic cylinders, or pneumatic actuators) that modify wheel geometry in real-time based on vehicle dynamics conditions, transforming the static wheel geometry system into a dynamic one that adapts to cornering forces and road conditions

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

Solution Approach 2:

The vehicle dynamics prediction module predicts upcoming cornering forces and road conditions in advance, allowing the wheel geometry adjustment mechanism to proactively modify camber and caster angles before the vehicle actually encounters the cornering situation, optimizing performance preemptively rather than reactively

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Device complexity

If reactive mechanical systems are used to adjust wheel camber, then device complexity is reduced, but lag time increases limiting system efficacy

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveadjustment mechanismVSAvoidadjustment lag time

Core Design Contradiction:

Device complexityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The vehicle dynamics prediction module forecasts upcoming cornering forces and road conditions before they occur, enabling the control system to initiate wheel geometry adjustments in advance, thereby eliminating the lag time inherent in reactive systems and ensuring optimal wheel alignment is achieved before cornering events

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces traditional reactive mechanical adjustment systems with a prediction-based control system that uses sensors, processors, and actuators to proactively adjust wheel geometry, substituting mechanical reactivity with electronic prediction and control to eliminate adjustment delays

Inventive Principle:

Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

Data Source

PatentUS11993279B1Automatically adjustable camber and caster for autonomous vehicle

Publication Date: 2024.05.28 ROY MATTHEW MACGREGOR

AI summary

An autonomous vehicle comprises a chassis, a plurality of wheels rotationally mounted to the chassis, wherein each wheel is characterized by a camber angle and a caster angle. The vehicle includes a vehicle dynamics prediction module for predicting a vehicle dynamics condition and for generating a control signal based on the vehicle dynamics condition and a wheel geometry adjustment mechanism connected to each of the wheels for automatically adjusting one or both of the camber angle and the caster angle in response to the control signal.