JP2005069897A - Input detection device and test car - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an input detection device capable of detecting the input from the tread of the tire of a wheel with a simple constitution and a test car capable of measuring the input to the wheel nearly in the running state of an actual vehicle. <P>SOLUTION: The knuckle 5 which is non-revolving side member under the wheel spring is divided into a 1st knuckle member 51 which is connected with the hub 4 and the in-wheel motor 3 via the buffer mechanism 20, and a 2nd knuckle member 52 which is disposed in the suspension member 7 side and connected with the suspension arms 6a, 6b. The 1st knuckle member 51 and the 2nd knuckle member 52 are connected with the rectangular connection member 11 on which strain gauges Sx, Sy, and Sz are adhered while constituting the sensor of the input detection device 10, and the outputs of the strain gauges Sx, Sy, and Sz are sent to the input calculation means 12 of the input detection device 10 so as to calculate the force acting on the connection member 11, thereby measuring the force acting on the wheel. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an input detection device for detecting front-rear direction, left-right direction, and vertical direction force transmitted from a road surface to a wheel, and a test vehicle for measuring the direction and magnitude of the input in a traveling vehicle. It is about.

Conventionally, when testing vehicle running characteristics such as cornering performance, the vehicle is detected by a vehicle speed sensor that detects the rotation of a transmission, for example, or a torque sensor is mounted on a steering shaft to assist steering. Or detecting a braking / driving force applied to each wheel of the vehicle while detecting a yaw angular velocity (yaw rate) of the vehicle by installing a yaw rate sensor in the vehicle. A method for examining the relationship between the detected vehicle speed and torque, or the yaw rate and the braking / driving force is used.
On the other hand, in the drive wheel, the front-rear direction force, the left-right direction force, and the up-down direction force (three-wheel force of the wheel) input from the road surface are also transmitted to the drive shaft. In order to eliminate this effect, it is necessary to measure the force generated between the hub and the wheel.

  However, when a device for measuring the three-component force is mounted on a rotating body on a test vehicle, a problem arises that the device becomes large, for example, a slip ring is required to extract a signal from the device. There was a point. Furthermore, since the unsprung weight of the test vehicle becomes heavier than that of a normal vehicle by installing the test device, it is not only possible to accurately measure the original tire condition, but also the above device is installed outside the vehicle body. Therefore, it is necessary to re-install the above device every time the tire is changed.

  The present invention has been made in view of conventional problems, and has an input detection device that can detect an input from a tire ground contact surface of a wheel with a simple configuration, and an input to a wheel that is close to an actual vehicle. An object of the present invention is to provide a test vehicle that can be measured in a running state.

The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention is an input detection device for detecting the magnitude of input from a road surface generated on a wheel, and is non-rotating, for example, a knuckle or the like below a vehicle spring that suspends the wheel. The side member is equipped with input detection means for detecting an input in at least one of front-rear direction, left-right direction, and up-down direction force input to the wheel, and the input is detected. is there.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the input detection device according to the first aspect, the input detection means is arranged such that the input under the vehicle spring is concentrated, that is, the input has a plurality of transmission routes. In such a case, it is attached to a place where only one of the vibrations is transmitted.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the input detection device according to the first aspect, in order to detect the input with high accuracy, the input detection means is mounted at a position corresponding to the center axis of the tire (a portion corresponding to the axle). Is.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the input detection device according to any one of the first to third aspects, the input detection means comprises a force sensor such as a strain gauge or an acceleration sensor. .

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the input detection device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the wheel is a drive wheel formed by attaching a hollow in-wheel motor to a direct drive wheel. The above-mentioned input detection means is attached to the underbody part of the vehicle to which the non-rotating side case of the motor is coupled.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the input detection device according to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the motor is attached to a lower part of the vehicle spring via a buffer member or a buffer device.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, in the input detection device according to the fifth or sixth aspect, the input detection means is attached to a portion corresponding to the axle of the knuckle to detect an input to the wheel at the center position of the tire. It is what you do.
More specifically, the hollow motor includes a first annular case having a radially inner side opened, and a concentric circle with the first annular case on the radially inner side of the first annular case. A motor stator is attached to one case among the second annular cases that are radially arranged and opened on the outer side in the radial direction, and this is used as a non-rotating side case, and the other case has a predetermined distance from the motor stator. A motor rotor is mounted with a gap therebetween as a rotation case, and the non-rotation side case and the rotation case are rotatably connected via a bearing. The rotation case is directly or via a power transmission mechanism. The non-rotating side case is connected to a wheel, and is connected to the lower part of the vehicle spring directly or via the buffer member or the buffer device as described above.

The invention according to claim 8 is a test vehicle for measuring an input to a wheel of a vehicle in a running state, and the input detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 7 is provided on the wheel. It is possible to measure at least one of the forces in the front-rear direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction input to the wheels, or all the inputs in the three directions.
The invention according to claim 9 is the test vehicle according to claim 8, wherein the vehicle is a four-wheel drive vehicle, and the input detection device is mounted on each drive wheel.
A tenth aspect of the present invention is the test vehicle according to the eighth or ninth aspect, wherein means for detecting the rotational speed and rotational torque of the wheel are mounted, and the front-rear direction, the left-right direction, and the vertical direction of the wheel are mounted. In addition to the information on the force, information on the rotational speed and rotational torque of the wheel can be obtained.
According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, in the test vehicle according to any one of the eighth to tenth aspects, the vehicle includes a steering angle sensor that detects rotation of a steering shaft and a yaw rate sensor that detects a yaw angle of the vehicle. In addition to the above information, information on the steering angle and yaw rate can be obtained.

  According to the present invention, the force in the front-rear direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction input to the wheel on a non-rotating side member such as a knuckle, for example, under the vehicle spring that suspends the wheel (the three-component force of the wheel) Since the above-described three-component force is detected by mounting the input detection means for detecting the three-component force, it is possible to reliably detect the three-component force of the wheel with a simple configuration. Moreover, by mounting the input device, the three-wheel force of the wheel can be measured in a state close to the actual traveling state of the vehicle.

Hereinafter, the best mode of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the configuration of a drive wheel equipped with an input detection device 10 according to the present invention, in which 1 is a tire, 2 is a wheel comprising a rim 2a and a wheel disc 2b, and 3 is a stator 3S. A first annular case (hereinafter referred to as a non-rotating side case) 3a having a radially outer side attached thereto, and a concentric shape with the non-rotating side case 3a on the radially outer side of the non-rotating side case 3a And a second annular case (hereinafter referred to as a rotation side case) 3b having a radially inner side opened, to which the rotor 3R arranged at a predetermined interval from the stator 3S is attached. , A hollow in-wheel motor (outer rotor type DC brushless in-hole motor) that is rotatably connected via a bearing 3j, and 4 is connected to the wheel 2 and its rotating shaft. Hub portions, 5 a knuckle connected to upper and lower suspension arms 6a, 6b, a suspension member composed of a shock absorber or the like 7, 8 is a braking device mounted to said hub portion 4.
Reference numeral 20 denotes a linear motion guide member 21 that guides the non-rotating side case 3a in the vertical direction of the vehicle, and a shock absorber 22 composed of a spring member and a damper that expands and contracts in the operating direction of the linear motion guide member 21. A buffer mechanism for connecting the non-rotating side case 3a of the in-hole motor 3 and the knuckle 5 and floating-mounting the in-hole motor 3 with respect to a vehicle underbody; 30 is a rotating side case 3b of the motor A power transmission mechanism for connecting the rotating side case 3b and the wheel 2 to each other, and a hollow disk-shaped coupling plate 31 attached to a plurality of cross guides 32 combining two orthogonal linear motion guides. It is.

In this example, the non-rotating side member under the vehicle spring that suspends the wheel is attached to the wheel by detecting the distortion of the knuckle 5 by mounting the input detection device 10 on the knuckle 5 that holds the wheel in principle. Measure the force (three component force of the wheel).
When the hollow-shaped motor 3 as described above is used as an in-wheel motor for driving the drive wheels, the knuckle 5 has a large degree of freedom. For example, as shown in FIG. A first knuckle member 51 connected to the hub portion 4 coupled to the wheel 2 and connected to the non-rotating side case 3a of the motor 3 via the buffer mechanism 20, and the suspension arm 7 is disposed on the suspension arm 7 side. A rectangular parallelepiped coupling member 11 that divides the first knuckle member 51 and the second knuckle member 52 is provided while being divided into a second knuckle member 52 coupled to 6a and 6b. to the upper surface (the road surface and a plane parallel) 11a side, the force F _x in the longitudinal direction that acts on the connecting member 11 (X-direction), and, detects the force F _y in the horizontal direction (Y-direction), respectively Strain gauge S _x is a force sensor because, wearing S _y, side fitted with a strain gauge S _z for detecting a force F _z in the vertical direction 11b (plane perpendicular to the road surface) (Z-direction) The outputs of the respective strain gauges S _x , S _y , S _z are sent to the input calculating means 12 and the forces F _x , F _y , F _z acting on the connecting member 11 are calculated, so that they are applied to the wheels. Force can be measured.
Here, the input detecting device 10 for detecting the force in the front-rear direction, the left-right direction, and the up-down direction (three-wheel force of the wheel) transmitted from the road surface to the wheel is the connection member 11 and the strain gauges S _x , S _The sensor unit composed of _y and S _z and the calculation unit including the input calculation means 12 are configured as basic elements, and the calculated values of F _x , F _y and F _z are displayed as necessary. can be added to the communication unit such as the order of transmitting the display unit and for the output or the F _x from the sensor unit, F _y, the data of F _z in the vehicle side.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a test vehicle 40 according to the best mode. The test vehicle 40 is a four-wheel drive vehicle in which the in-wheel motor 3 having the above-described configuration is mounted on each wheel, and each drive wheel (41L, 41R; The input detection device 10 is mounted on each of the front wheels and the rear wheels 42L and 42R, and a steering angle sensor 43 that detects rotation of the steering shaft and a yaw rate sensor 44 that detects the yaw angle of the vehicle are mounted on the vehicle. 45 is based on the information on the wheel three component force detected by the input detection device 10 and the information on the wheel speed and torque from the motor controller (inverter) 46 for controlling and driving each driving wheel described later. It is a driving force control means for controlling the motor controller 46 to calculate and distribute the braking / driving force of each driving wheel.
In the test vehicle 40 of this example, since the outer rotor type DC brushless motor is used as the in-wheel motor 3 that directly drives each drive wheel, each motor controller 46 that brakes and drives each drive wheel is always a motor. Since the generated torque and the wheel speed are measured, it is possible to know the wheel speed and driving force of each driving wheel without newly installing a device such as a wheel speed sensor.
Therefore, the test vehicle 40 is run under various conditions, and the input detection device 10 applies the front-rear direction force F _x , the left-right direction force F _y , and the up-down direction force F applied to the drive wheels. measures _z, respectively, improved each force F _x, F _y, and F _z, the longitudinal force of the drive wheels, and the steering angle, by obtaining the relationship between the yaw rate, the control logic of the longitudinal force Thus, it is possible to realize vehicle stabilization control.

Thus, according to this best mode, the knuckle 5 which is the non-rotating side member below the vehicle spring that suspends the wheel is connected to the hub portion 4 and the non-rotating side of the motor 3 via the buffer mechanism 20. The first knuckle member 51 is divided into a first knuckle member 51 coupled to the case 3a and a second knuckle member 52 disposed on the suspension member 7 side and coupled to the suspension arms 6a and 6b. And the second knuckle member 52 are coupled by the rectangular parallelepiped connecting member 11 to which the strain gauges S _x , S _y , and S _z constituting the sensor unit of the input detection device 10 are attached. The outputs of S _x , S _y , and S _z are sent to the input calculating means 12 that constitutes the calculation unit of the input detection device 10, and the forces F _x , F _y , and F _z acting on the connecting member 11 are calculated to travel. Join the wheels of the vehicle inside Since so as to measure that force can be easily measured three minutes forces of the wheels with a simple structure. Further, by mounting the input detection device 10 on each of the drive wheels 41L, 41R, 42L, and 42R of the test vehicle 40, the three-component force of the wheels can be measured in a state close to the actual traveling state of the vehicle. .
Further, since the input detection device 10 is mounted on the knuckle 5 that is a non-rotating side member of the vehicle, there is an advantage that the labor of mounting the input detection device 10 is eliminated every time a tire is mounted.

In the above-described best mode, the case where the strain gauges S _x , S _y , S _z are used as means for detecting the three-component force of the wheel has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an acceleration sensor is used. Other three component force meters such as a three component force meter combined with a force sensor may be used.
In the above example, the linear motion guide member 21 that guides the in-hole motor 3 in the vertical direction of the vehicle, and the shock absorber 22 composed of a spring member and a damper that extend and contract in the operating direction of the linear motion guide member 21 are provided. Although the mounting mechanism is floating mounted on the vehicle suspension and the motor 3 and the wheel 2 are coupled by a power transmission mechanism 30 including a plurality of cross guides 32, the present invention The present invention can also be applied to a vehicle having a configuration in which the in-hole motor 3 is attached to a wheel using another buffer mechanism and a power transmission mechanism.
In the above example, the second knuckle member 52 is connected to the suspension arms 6a and 6b, which are one of the members constituting the suspension portion. However, the mounting location of the second knuckle member 52 is not limited to this. Needless to say, it is appropriately determined depending on the configuration of the suspension portion of the vehicle.
In the above example, the case where the hollow in-wheel motor 3 is mounted on the wheel as the in-wheel motor has been described. However, in the hollow shape such as the in-wheel motor 3Z with built-in brake as shown in FIG. Even when a non-in-wheel motor is mounted, if the input detection device 10 having the above-described configuration is provided between the motor 3Z and the mounting member 5Z for mounting the motor 3Z to the suspension portion, the three-wheel force of the wheel can be easily achieved. Can be measured.
Further, the installation location of the input detection device 10 is not limited to the knuckle 5 or between the mounting member 5Z and the motor 3Z as described above, but is attached to the non-rotating side member below the vehicle spring. Just do it. At this time, the location where the input detection means 10 is attached is preferably a location where the three component force of the wheel is concentrated. That is, depending on the configuration of the lower part of the vehicle spring, there may be a case where the input has a plurality of transmission routes. In that case, the input detection means 10 is placed at a location where the input concentrates, that is, the input transmission. If it is attached to a place where only one system of vibration is transmitted as a route, the three component force of the wheel can be detected with high accuracy.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the measurement results of the three component forces in the left rear when a lane change running test is performed on a WET road surface using a test vehicle equipped with the input detection device of the present invention. As described above, by using the input detection device, it is possible to accurately measure changes in the front-rear direction force F _x , the left-right direction force F _y , and the up-down direction force F _z caused by the lane change. It was confirmed that the three component force could be grasped reliably.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the time change of the vehicle speed when a start test is performed with a torque fixed at a constant value using a test vehicle equipped with the input detection device of the present invention on a slippery road surface. A is a case where control is performed using only the information on the four wheels of the test vehicle, and B in the figure shows a case where the control is not performed.
When the control was not performed, the front wheels were idle, but when control was performed to distribute the driving force proportional to the load to each drive wheel based on the load information of the four wheels, It did not occur and the acceleration was improved.
Thereby, it was confirmed that the traveling state of the vehicle can be controlled using the three component force obtained from the input detection device of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a locus of a change in yaw rate accompanying a change in rudder angle when a turning test with a skid pad is performed in a test vehicle equipped with the input detection device of the present invention. As the turning speed increases, when the steering angle-yaw rate correlation diagram exceeds the stability reference limit, control for distributing the driving force in proportion to the load is started. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a control logic of driving force control performed in the test vehicle.
In general, since the yaw rate also changes with the correction rudder, the rudder angle-yaw rate trajectory draws an ellipse, but the trajectory moves away from the origin when approaching the limit. Therefore, the stability reference limit is set with the distance from the origin of the trajectory as a measure of stability.
In addition, lateral force information was acquired at the same time as the driving force distribution control was started, and the driving force was controlled for each wheel in order to suppress the spin caused by the lateral force drop at the limit value. The lateral force monitor control has a control cycle shorter than that of the driving force distribution control, and acts as an inner loop of the driving force distribution control. Further, since the lateral force is a function of the slip angle and the load, the decrease in the lateral force does not necessarily cause the spin to be generated, and the fact that the steering is returned to the neutral direction is also a factor for reducing the lateral force. Therefore, in the driving force control for monitoring the lateral force, it is necessary to put the steering angle in the control loop. Table 1 below summarizes the driving force control method in consideration of both lateral force change and steering angle operation. By performing such control, as shown in Table 2, The steering stability evaluation value in the area has improved from +6 to +7.

  According to the present invention, the three-component force of the wheel can be easily measured with a simple configuration, and the three-component force of the wheel can be measured in a state close to the actual running state of the vehicle. When a wheel motor vehicle is put into practical use, the running state of the vehicle can be controlled using the three-component force of the wheel and the wheel speed, and vehicle stabilization control can be realized.

It is a figure which shows the structure of the in-wheel motor system carrying the input detection apparatus which concerns on this best form. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the test vehicle which concerns on this best form. It is a figure which shows the measurement result of three component force. It is a figure which shows the result of the start test of the test vehicle which concerns on this best form. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the steering angle and the yaw rate during left turn. It is a figure which shows the control logic in a turning test. It is a figure which shows the other example of mounting of the input detection apparatus by this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1 tire, 2 wheel, 3 is an in-wheel motor, 3S stator,
3R rotor, 3a non-rotating side case, 3b rotating side case, 3j bearing, 4 hub portion, 5 knuckle, 6a, 6b suspension arm, 7 suspension member,
8 braking device, 10 input detecting device, 11 connecting member, 12 input calculating means,
20 shock absorbing mechanism, 21 linear motion guide member, 22 shock absorber,
30 power transmission mechanism, 31 coupling plate, 32 cross guide,
S _x , S _y , S _z strain gauge, 51 first knuckle member, 52 second knuckle member.

Claims (11)

  An input detection device for detecting the magnitude of input from a road surface generated on a wheel, which is attached to a non-rotating side member under a vehicle spring that suspends the wheel, and that inputs to the wheel in the front-rear direction, the left-right direction, And the input detection apparatus provided with the input detection means which detects the input of at least 1 direction among the forces of an up-down direction.   The input detection device according to claim 1, wherein the input detection means is mounted at a location where the input concentrates under a vehicle spring.   The input detection device according to claim 1, wherein the input detection means is mounted at a position corresponding to a central axis of a tire.   4. The input detection device according to claim 1, wherein the input detection means is constituted by a force sensor.   The wheel is a drive wheel in which a hollow in-wheel motor is attached to a direct drive wheel, and the input detection means is mounted on a vehicle undercarriage part to which a non-rotating side case of the motor is coupled. The input detection device according to claim 1, wherein:   6. The input detection device according to claim 5, wherein the motor is attached to a lower part of the vehicle spring via a buffer member or a buffer device.   The input detection device according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the input detection means is attached to a portion corresponding to an axle of a knuckle.   A test vehicle for measuring an input to a wheel of a vehicle in a running state, the wheel comprising the input detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, and a front-rear direction, a left-right direction input to the wheel A test vehicle characterized by measuring at least one of a direction and a vertical force, or all inputs in the three directions.   The test vehicle according to claim 8, wherein the vehicle is a four-wheel drive vehicle, and the input detection device is mounted on each drive wheel.   The test vehicle according to claim 8 or 9, wherein means for detecting the rotational speed and rotational torque of the wheel is mounted. The test vehicle according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein a steering angle sensor that detects rotation of a steering shaft and a yaw rate sensor that detects a yaw angle of the vehicle are mounted on the vehicle.

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