GB2358163A - A motor vehicle with controllable drive torque distribution between each of its driven wheels responding to vehicle load - Google Patents
A motor vehicle with controllable drive torque distribution between each of its driven wheels responding to vehicle load Download PDFInfo
- Publication number
- GB2358163A GB2358163A GB0000506A GB0000506A GB2358163A GB 2358163 A GB2358163 A GB 2358163A GB 0000506 A GB0000506 A GB 0000506A GB 0000506 A GB0000506 A GB 0000506A GB 2358163 A GB2358163 A GB 2358163A
- Authority
- GB
- United Kingdom
- Prior art keywords
- vehicle
- wheels
- load
- distribution
- wheel sets
- Prior art date
- Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
- Withdrawn
Links
Classifications
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60G—VEHICLE SUSPENSION ARRANGEMENTS
- B60G17/00—Resilient suspensions having means for adjusting the spring or vibration-damper characteristics, for regulating the distance between a supporting surface and a sprung part of vehicle or for locking suspension during use to meet varying vehicular or surface conditions, e.g. due to speed or load
- B60G17/02—Spring characteristics, e.g. mechanical springs and mechanical adjusting means
- B60G17/021—Spring characteristics, e.g. mechanical springs and mechanical adjusting means the mechanical spring being a coil spring
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60K—ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES
- B60K23/00—Arrangement or mounting of control devices for vehicle transmissions, or parts thereof, not otherwise provided for
- B60K23/08—Arrangement or mounting of control devices for vehicle transmissions, or parts thereof, not otherwise provided for for changing number of driven wheels, for switching from driving one axle to driving two or more axles
- B60K23/0808—Arrangement or mounting of control devices for vehicle transmissions, or parts thereof, not otherwise provided for for changing number of driven wheels, for switching from driving one axle to driving two or more axles for varying torque distribution between driven axles, e.g. by transfer clutch
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60G—VEHICLE SUSPENSION ARRANGEMENTS
- B60G2202/00—Indexing codes relating to the type of spring, damper or actuator
- B60G2202/30—Spring/Damper and/or actuator Units
- B60G2202/31—Spring/Damper and/or actuator Units with the spring arranged around the damper, e.g. MacPherson strut
- B60G2202/312—The spring being a wound spring
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60G—VEHICLE SUSPENSION ARRANGEMENTS
- B60G2300/00—Indexing codes relating to the type of vehicle
- B60G2300/07—Off-road vehicles
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60G—VEHICLE SUSPENSION ARRANGEMENTS
- B60G2400/00—Indexing codes relating to detected, measured or calculated conditions or factors
- B60G2400/60—Load
- B60G2400/61—Load distribution
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60G—VEHICLE SUSPENSION ARRANGEMENTS
- B60G2800/00—Indexing codes relating to the type of movement or to the condition of the vehicle and to the end result to be achieved by the control action
- B60G2800/21—Traction, slip, skid or slide control
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60G—VEHICLE SUSPENSION ARRANGEMENTS
- B60G2800/00—Indexing codes relating to the type of movement or to the condition of the vehicle and to the end result to be achieved by the control action
- B60G2800/21—Traction, slip, skid or slide control
- B60G2800/214—Traction, slip, skid or slide control by varying the load distribution
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60G—VEHICLE SUSPENSION ARRANGEMENTS
- B60G2800/00—Indexing codes relating to the type of movement or to the condition of the vehicle and to the end result to be achieved by the control action
- B60G2800/90—System Controller type
- B60G2800/91—Suspension Control
- B60G2800/915—Suspension load distribution
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60G—VEHICLE SUSPENSION ARRANGEMENTS
- B60G2800/00—Indexing codes relating to the type of movement or to the condition of the vehicle and to the end result to be achieved by the control action
- B60G2800/90—System Controller type
- B60G2800/95—Automatic Traction or Slip Control [ATC]
- B60G2800/952—Electronic driving torque distribution
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60K—ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PROPULSION UNITS OR OF TRANSMISSIONS IN VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENT OR MOUNTING OF PLURAL DIVERSE PRIME-MOVERS IN VEHICLES; AUXILIARY DRIVES FOR VEHICLES; INSTRUMENTATION OR DASHBOARDS FOR VEHICLES; ARRANGEMENTS IN CONNECTION WITH COOLING, AIR INTAKE, GAS EXHAUST OR FUEL SUPPLY OF PROPULSION UNITS IN VEHICLES
- B60K17/00—Arrangement or mounting of transmissions in vehicles
- B60K17/34—Arrangement or mounting of transmissions in vehicles for driving both front and rear wheels, e.g. four wheel drive vehicles
- B60K17/356—Arrangement or mounting of transmissions in vehicles for driving both front and rear wheels, e.g. four wheel drive vehicles having fluid or electric motor, for driving one or more wheels
-
- B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
- B60—VEHICLES IN GENERAL
- B60W—CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT
- B60W2530/00—Input parameters relating to vehicle conditions or values, not covered by groups B60W2510/00 or B60W2520/00
- B60W2530/10—Weight
Landscapes
- Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
- Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
- Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
- Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
- Transportation (AREA)
- Arrangement And Driving Of Transmission Devices (AREA)
Abstract
A motor vehicle includes load measuring means (11) for each of its wheels and independent drive motors (12) for each of its wheels. A control unit (16) continually monitors the load on each of the wheels 1, 2, 3, 4 and distributes the drive torque accordingly, the wheels with the highest load being supplied with the highest driving torque. The load distribution is also measured before the vehicle starts moving so that the torque distribution can be optimally determined as soon as the vehicle starts off.
Description
2r 358163 A Motor Vehicle The present invention relates to motor vehicles
and in particular to vehicles in which the drive torque distribution between the wheels of the vehicle can be controlled and changed.
The present invention provides a vehicle having a plurality of wheel sets, each set comprising at least one wheel, measuring means for measuring the weight supporting load on each of the w heel sets, drive means for applying a driving torque to each of the wheel sets, the magnitude of each driving torque being variable independently of the others, and control means for controlling the distribution of driving torque between the wheel sets on the basis of the measured weight supporting loads of the respective wheel sets.
The sets may each comprise only one wheel, or they may each comprise two wheels, for example the front two wheels of the four wheeled vehicle forming one set and the rear two wheels forming another.
Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:
Figure 1 is a schematic view of a vehicle according to the invention.
Referring to Figure 1, a vehicle has two rear wheels 1, 2 and two front wheels 3, 4. The wheels 1, 2, 3, 4 are connected to the vehicle body by an independent suspension system, including a suspension strut 5, 6, 7, 8 for each wheel which includes a spring 9 and an actuator 10. A ride height sensor in the form of a displacement transducer 11 is also provided for each strut 5, 6, 7, 8.
The drive torque to each of the wheels is independently controllable, an Ln this embodiment is provided by means of four electric motors 12 one for e,ah wheel. As an alternative the drive torque can be produced at a single source, spch as an internal combustion engine or a single electric motor, and the propo-dion transmitted to each wheel controlled by means of an actively controlled differential mechanism.
A control unit 16 controls the electric motors 12 and the suspension struto 5, 6, 7, 8 on the basis of various inputs, inter alia from the ride height sensors. 11, from transducers 17, 18 indicating the position of a brake pedal 19 and accelerat r pedal 20, and also from an inclinometer 21.
During operation the control unit 16 can continually monitor the load on eg..h of the wheels 1, 2, 3, 4. It can either do this simply by measuring the ride height t each wheel, or if the suspension is operating actively it can do it by raising the tide height at each wheel by a small amount by means of the actuator 10 and, from:t] ie amount of force required to do this, determining the load at each wheel.
In operation, the control unit 16 first monitors the load on each of the wheE 1S 1, 2, 3, 4 while the vehicle is stationary. From the load distribution, the conti ol: unit 16 determines the optimum torque distribution between the wheels,.1n preparation for when the vehicle starts off from rest. As soon as the driver s4its the vehicle moving, the torque is provided to the wheels in the optimum ration so as to provide masimum traction, the wheels with the highest loads being drjv,.n with the highest torque.
Then, as the vehicle is being driven the control unit 16 continues to moffitor the loads on all of the wheels 1, 2, 3, 4. If the weight distribution between,the wheels changes, the driving torque distribution can be changed accordingly. This allows the drive torque distribution to be optimized. to account for changes in the inclination of the ground. on which the vehicle is travelling. For example if the vehicle is climbing a steep hill a high proportion of the load. will be on the rear wheels 1, 2, and those wheels will therefore be driven with a high proportion of the total driving torque. If the vehicle then suddenly goes over the top of the hill and starts to descend, a large proportion of the weight will be transferred to the front wheels 3, 4, and the drive torque can be redistributed accordingly. Similarly of the vehicle turns so that it is traversing a slope, the weight will be supported more on the downhill side of the vehicle than on the uphill side. The drive torque will again be redistributed so that more is applied to the wheels on the downhill side than to those on the uphill side. This can help to improve traction.
In order to enhance the responsiveness of the system, the control unit 16 also monitors the level of braking and the level of acceleration demanded by the driver by monitoring the position of the brake and accelerator pedals 19, 20. Because changes in braking and acceleration result in a change of the distribution of load between the front and rear of the vehicle in a substantially predictable manner, the change in demanded braking or acceleration can be used to determine the optimum front / rear torque distribution before the resulting weight shift occurs. The torque distribution can therefore be controlled to follow closely the load distribution as it occurs, rather than just in response to its having occurred.
It will be appreciated that the invention can also be applied to fourwheeldrive vehicles in which the drive torque distribution between the front and rear of the vehicle can be controlled by means of an active differential mechanism. In such a system, the front / rear load distribution can be measured and the torque split between the front pair of wheels and the rear pair of wheels be determined on the basis of the proportion of the vehicle's load being carriecl by each pair. Obviously this will improve traction in situations where the vehicle changes from climbing to descending hills, and where the level of acceleration changes and causes load sh, ts from the front to the rear or vice versa.
Claims (8)
1. A vehicle having a plurality of wheel sets, each set comprising at least one wheel, measuring means for measuring the weight supporting load on each of the wheel sets, drive means for applying a driving torque to each of the wheel sets, the magnitude of each driving torque being variable independently of the others, and control means for controlling the distribution of driving torque between the wheel sets on the basis of the measured weight supporting loads of the respective wheel sets.
2. A vehicle according to claim 1 wherein the wheel sets comprise a front set of wheels at the front of the vehicle and a rear set of wheels at the rear of the vehicle, each set having at least two wheels.
3. A vehicle according to claim 1 having four sets of wheels, each set having only one wheel.
4. A vehicle according to any foregoing claim wherein the control means is arranged to continually adjust the distribution of torque between the wheel sets to accommodate shifts of load distribution between them during driving of the vehicle.
5. A vehicle according to any foregoing claim wherein the control unit is arranged to measure the distribution of load between the wheel sets when the vehicle is stationary and, when torque is first applied to the wheels to accelerate the vehicle, to use the measured distribution of load to determine the distribution of driving torque between the wheels.
6. A vehicle according to any foregoing claim wherein the control unit is arranged to monitor the level of braking demanded by driver and to control the control the distribution of driving torque accordingly to account 1 Dr resulting shifts of load between the front and rear of the vehicle.
7. A vehicle according to any foregoing claim wherein the control uni is arranged to monitor the level of acceleration demanded by driver and 0 control the control the distribution of driving torque accordingly to account. 1 or resulting shifts of load between the front and rear of the vehicle.
8. A vehicle substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to t le accompanying drawings.
Priority Applications (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB0000506A GB2358163A (en) | 2000-01-12 | 2000-01-12 | A motor vehicle with controllable drive torque distribution between each of its driven wheels responding to vehicle load |
Applications Claiming Priority (1)
| Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB0000506A GB2358163A (en) | 2000-01-12 | 2000-01-12 | A motor vehicle with controllable drive torque distribution between each of its driven wheels responding to vehicle load |
Publications (2)
| Publication Number | Publication Date |
|---|---|
| GB0000506D0 GB0000506D0 (en) | 2000-03-01 |
| GB2358163A true GB2358163A (en) | 2001-07-18 |
Family
ID=9883463
Family Applications (1)
| Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| GB0000506A Withdrawn GB2358163A (en) | 2000-01-12 | 2000-01-12 | A motor vehicle with controllable drive torque distribution between each of its driven wheels responding to vehicle load |
Country Status (1)
| Country | Link |
|---|---|
| GB (1) | GB2358163A (en) |
Cited By (15)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US6479906B2 (en) * | 2000-06-09 | 2002-11-12 | Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. | Drive force control system for vehicles |
| EP1354748A1 (en) * | 2002-04-15 | 2003-10-22 | ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN Aktiengesellschaft | Device and method for controlling automatically at least one differential lock |
| WO2003093047A1 (en) * | 2002-05-02 | 2003-11-13 | Ford Global Technologies, Llc. | Vehicle differential control |
| GB2388579A (en) * | 2002-05-02 | 2003-11-19 | Ford Global Tech Llc | Vehicle differential control |
| FR2856650A1 (en) * | 2003-06-27 | 2004-12-31 | Bosch Gmbh Robert | METHOD FOR COORDINATING A VEHICLE MOTION DYNAMIC CONTROL SYSTEM WITH A NORMAL FORCE ACTIVE ADJUSTMENT SYSTEM |
| WO2004007233A3 (en) * | 2002-07-12 | 2005-03-10 | Deka Products Lp | Motion control for a transporter |
| GB2388349B (en) * | 2002-05-02 | 2005-10-19 | * Ford Global Technologies, Llc | Vehicle differential control |
| GB2388350B (en) * | 2002-05-02 | 2005-10-26 | Ford Global Tech Llc | Vehicle differential control |
| WO2007096646A1 (en) * | 2006-02-25 | 2007-08-30 | Silicon Valley Group Plc | A control unit for a vehicle |
| WO2009112846A1 (en) * | 2008-03-13 | 2009-09-17 | Qed Group Limited | Torque control system |
| AU2008201663B2 (en) * | 2007-04-16 | 2010-05-13 | Liebherr-Components Biberach Gmbh | Truck |
| WO2011144279A1 (en) * | 2010-05-21 | 2011-11-24 | Audi Ag | Method for operating a motor vehicle and motor vehicle |
| US8322477B2 (en) | 1993-02-24 | 2012-12-04 | Deka Products Limited Partnership | Motion control of a transporter |
| US8453768B2 (en) | 2002-07-12 | 2013-06-04 | Deka Products Limited Partnership | Control of a transporter based on attitude |
| US8825314B2 (en) | 2012-07-31 | 2014-09-02 | Caterpillar Inc. | Work machine drive train torque vectoring |
Citations (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB2217277A (en) * | 1988-04-15 | 1989-10-25 | Honda Motor Co Ltd | Drive force distribution control system for motor vehicle |
| EP0575152A1 (en) * | 1992-06-15 | 1993-12-22 | Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | Left/right drive torque adjusting apparatus for vehicle and left/right drive torque adjusting method for vehicle |
-
2000
- 2000-01-12 GB GB0000506A patent/GB2358163A/en not_active Withdrawn
Patent Citations (2)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GB2217277A (en) * | 1988-04-15 | 1989-10-25 | Honda Motor Co Ltd | Drive force distribution control system for motor vehicle |
| EP0575152A1 (en) * | 1992-06-15 | 1993-12-22 | Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha | Left/right drive torque adjusting apparatus for vehicle and left/right drive torque adjusting method for vehicle |
Cited By (23)
| Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US8322477B2 (en) | 1993-02-24 | 2012-12-04 | Deka Products Limited Partnership | Motion control of a transporter |
| US6479906B2 (en) * | 2000-06-09 | 2002-11-12 | Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. | Drive force control system for vehicles |
| EP1354748A1 (en) * | 2002-04-15 | 2003-10-22 | ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN Aktiengesellschaft | Device and method for controlling automatically at least one differential lock |
| GB2388349B (en) * | 2002-05-02 | 2005-10-19 | * Ford Global Technologies, Llc | Vehicle differential control |
| GB2388579A (en) * | 2002-05-02 | 2003-11-19 | Ford Global Tech Llc | Vehicle differential control |
| GB2388579B (en) * | 2002-05-02 | 2005-10-26 | Ford Global Tech Llc | Vehicle differential control |
| GB2388350B (en) * | 2002-05-02 | 2005-10-26 | Ford Global Tech Llc | Vehicle differential control |
| WO2003093047A1 (en) * | 2002-05-02 | 2003-11-13 | Ford Global Technologies, Llc. | Vehicle differential control |
| US7290634B2 (en) | 2002-05-02 | 2007-11-06 | Ford Global Technologies, Llc | Vehicle differential control |
| WO2004007233A3 (en) * | 2002-07-12 | 2005-03-10 | Deka Products Lp | Motion control for a transporter |
| CN100333937C (en) * | 2002-07-12 | 2007-08-29 | 德卡产品有限公司 | Motion control of a transporter |
| US8453768B2 (en) | 2002-07-12 | 2013-06-04 | Deka Products Limited Partnership | Control of a transporter based on attitude |
| FR2856650A1 (en) * | 2003-06-27 | 2004-12-31 | Bosch Gmbh Robert | METHOD FOR COORDINATING A VEHICLE MOTION DYNAMIC CONTROL SYSTEM WITH A NORMAL FORCE ACTIVE ADJUSTMENT SYSTEM |
| US7308351B2 (en) | 2003-06-27 | 2007-12-11 | Robert Bosch Gmbh | Method for coordinating a vehicle dynamics control system with an active normal force adjustment system |
| WO2007096646A1 (en) * | 2006-02-25 | 2007-08-30 | Silicon Valley Group Plc | A control unit for a vehicle |
| GB2449047A (en) * | 2006-02-25 | 2008-11-05 | Silicon Valley Group Plc | A control unit for a vehicle |
| AU2008201663B2 (en) * | 2007-04-16 | 2010-05-13 | Liebherr-Components Biberach Gmbh | Truck |
| GB2458224B (en) * | 2008-03-13 | 2010-12-08 | Qed Group Ltd | Torque control system |
| WO2009112846A1 (en) * | 2008-03-13 | 2009-09-17 | Qed Group Limited | Torque control system |
| WO2011144279A1 (en) * | 2010-05-21 | 2011-11-24 | Audi Ag | Method for operating a motor vehicle and motor vehicle |
| CN102905916A (en) * | 2010-05-21 | 2013-01-30 | 奥迪股份公司 | Method for operating a motor vehicle and motor vehicle |
| CN102905916B (en) * | 2010-05-21 | 2015-06-03 | 奥迪股份公司 | Method for operating a motor vehicle and motor vehicle |
| US8825314B2 (en) | 2012-07-31 | 2014-09-02 | Caterpillar Inc. | Work machine drive train torque vectoring |
Also Published As
| Publication number | Publication date |
|---|---|
| GB0000506D0 (en) | 2000-03-01 |
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Legal Events
| Date | Code | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| COOA | Change in applicant's name or ownership of the application | ||
| WAP | Application withdrawn, taken to be withdrawn or refused ** after publication under section 16(1) |