KR100350275B1 - Active wheel alignment control system - Google Patents

Abstract

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an active wheel alignment control system, and in particular, is installed on the front and rear wheels 1 of an automobile to adjust the angle of the toe, caster, camber, and angle of the steering wheel, including the driving speed, the load, and the height of the suspension. Four wheel sensors 2 for detecting and inputting them to the electronic control unit; Detects various information input from the wheel sensors 2, divides it into primary (static) and secondary (dynamic), detects numerical values through predetermined programs, respectively, and outputs a control signal corresponding to the camber and caster control unit ( 4) and an electronic control unit 3 which outputs to the toe control unit 5 and controls the angles of the caster, the camber and the toe; Necessary for varying the length of the steering link 8 for the variable length of the tie rod 6 under the control of the toe control unit 5 under the control of the electronic control unit 3 while being installed on the front and rear wheels 1 of the vehicle. A first motor 7 for generating power; The bolt 81 and the nut 82 coupled thereto and the gear 83 fixed to the outer side of the nut 82 and interlocked with the gear 71 coupled to the shaft of the first motor 7, A steering link (8) for varying its length in response to the rotation of the first motor (7) to directly adjust the length of the toe control tie rod (6); One end of the bolt 81 is fixed to one side of the tie rod (6) between the nut 82 of the steering link (8) and the other tie rod (6) is installed to be idling, the two tie rods (6) to the steering link A first connecting bearing 9 interconnected through 8; Second and third connection bearings 11 and 12 installed at upper and lower portions of the show-up show bar 10 to absorb angle changes of the links during caster control; A piston link 14 whose one end is condensed on the stabilizer 13 and the other end is condensed on the bottom end of the shock absorber 10 and the length of the movable rod 141 is variable in response to the operation of the compressor 16; ; One end is fixed to the lock arm 15 and the other end is stored at the lower end of the shock absorber 10 and is controlled by the camber and caster controller 4 under the control of the electronic control unit 3. A compressor (16) for controlling the caster angle (CASTER ANGLE) by varying the length of the piston link (14) through forward and backward of the (161); The camber fixed to its own shaft is fixed on the tie rod 6 in the form of meshing with the gear 171 held by the knuckle 17 and the camber under the control of the electronic control unit 3 and The second motor 18 which changes the camber of the wheel 1 under the control of the caster control unit 4 can be configured to implement optimal wheel alignment through active wheel alignment change, thereby providing more stable driving performance. In addition to this, it is possible to improve the riding comfort and handling performance felt by the rider.

Description

Active wheel alignment control system

The present invention relates to an active wheel alignment control system, and more particularly, to realize optimal wheel alignment by actively changing wheel alignment (alignment of wheels), thereby ensuring stable driving performance as well as improved performance. The invention has been invented to improve the riding comfort and handling performance felt by the rider.

In general, the steering performance of the vehicle is determined by the alignment of the front wheels, which includes elements such as the height of the vehicle body, the toe, the caster, the camber, the steering shaft inclination, and the turning radius.

This is a deciding factor for how well the vehicle is grounded, and it is an important part that can be driven. Also, poor wheel alignment can also affect the stability and aging of the entire vehicle such as tremor, tire wear, deformation and wear of parts. It is badly affected and deeply related to economic losses.

However, in the existing design, the elements of such alignment are always fixed without active changes due to occupants, increased spring heights, vehicle speed, and road conditions, so the driver is forced to cope with such environmental changes. It is a cause of inconsistency in overall vehicle driving performance.

For example, in the design of a camber, the ideal front wheels should have the same camber when the vehicle is rolling on a flat road, but in fact the road is slightly higher or crowned near the centerline due to drainage problems, so there is more to the right wheel in actual design. It gives a positive camber, and in general, there is a lot of driver 1 ride, so the left front wheel is given a slightly larger amount of camber, which generalizes the dynamically changing driving environment, making it a fixed and current wheel alignment design. This is a problem.

In general, the problems of necessity and inaccuracy of each factor are as follows.

First, in TOE, zero toe causes the tire to rotate in the straight direction without toe in or toe out, and the more toe angle causes the tire to wear out faster.

Second, casters are intended to maintain directional safety and control, increase steering return, and reduce steering maneuverability. Excessive amounts of casters increase steering maneuverability (heavy steering wheels). It is necessary to maintain the height of the suspension because the vibration at low speed, the impact that the steering wheel receives from the road, and the sag of the spring reduces the positive caster.

Thirdly, for camber, both positive and negative camber angles result in uneven and fast wear of the tires, and incorrect camber on both wheels may become uncontrollable due to heavy and unstable steering, and different cambers At low speeds it causes vibrations, and elongated springs change the camber, affecting the opposite side of the camber (typically the front wheel camber can change 3/4 degrees when the rear spring is stretched 25mm).

Fourth, the radius of rotation, usually the inner wheel on the rotation has a larger angle than the outer wheel.

Fifth, in the steering axis inclination, the steering axis refers to the angle of inclination inward when viewed from the front. When the rotation is completed, the steering axis returns to the straight direction, and thus the steering stability depends on the steering wheel. The reversibility is different, and if the angle is large when the vehicle is stopped, the steering operation force is reduced, and this angle reduces the wear of the tire, and if this angle is not correct, the parts such as the spindle, steering knuckle, blunt joint, etc. Easy to wear

Sixth, the SCRUB RADIUS is not an alignment angle and cannot be measured directly, but it affects steering operation, stability and returnability, maintains stability in the direction when the tire is blown out, and maintains straight braking when the front wheel brake fails. The uneven force exerted by the suspension acts inside the steering shaft.

These factors are necessary to dynamically control the wheel alignment because the proper value will change according to the number of passengers, the height of the suspension, the speed, the degree of curve, etc.

However, in the related art, a link (LOWER-ARM) for supporting between the wheel and the vehicle body and supporting the front, rear, left and right loads; A spring / dampump supporting a load of the vehicle and absorbing a road surface shock; It consists of a steering link that steers the wheels of the vehicle, and the suspension links, springs, and dampers support this load when the wheel moves up and down due to the bending of the road surface or the centripetal force when turning. It is a structure which suppresses vibration and ensures the running stability of a vehicle.

However, a vehicle having such a configuration has various driving conditions (riders / wheels) because the suspension links connecting the wheels to the body are mounted at fixed positions of the body and the wheels, and thus have fixed wheel alignment (wheel alignment). There is a problem in that it is impossible to have the optimal wheel alignment required in the traveling speed / road surface condition).

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, it is possible to secure more stable running performance through the way to actively implement the wheel alignment, that is, the wheel alignment, the wheel alignment state to implement the optimal wheel alignment In addition, the present invention provides an active wheel alignment control system capable of improving ride comfort and handling performance felt by a rider with improved driving performance as described above.

The above object of the present invention is to provide a first motor for varying the length of the steering link (TIE ROD) in the toe (TOE) portion, and a first connection bearing for supporting the TIE ROD rotated by the gear of the first motor. When the gear of the motor is rotated by the signal processed from the electronic control unit by installing the motor, the moment is transmitted to the gear coupled to it, the element itself rotates, and the thin tie rod part acts as a bolt to rotate the nut to lengthen the tie rod. The toe is controlled by the function of adjusting the at the same time the connecting bearing is to connect the left and right tie rods,

The caster part is provided with second and third connecting bearings for absorbing the change of the angle of the links rotated by the motor that changes the position of the front and rear wheels. The caster angle is controlled by the moving rod, and the shaft between the two connecting bearings is responsible for steering as the tie rod moves.

This is achieved by installing a second motor attached to the Knuckle to the camber part to change the camber of the wheel, so that the camber angle is controlled when the camber control motor is rotated by the electrical signal sent from the ECU and transmitted to the gear. can do.

Therefore, it is possible to secure stable driving performance through active wheel alignment control, and the riding comfort and handling performance felt by the rider can be greatly improved by the improved driving performance.

1 is a detailed view of the soil portion of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a detailed view of the caster portion of the present invention.

Figure 3 is a detailed view of the camber portion of the present invention.

Figure 4 is a detailed block diagram of a control unit of the present invention.

5 shows the left and right loads and the height of the suspension on four wheels on an ideally smooth road;

6 is a view showing the left and right loads and suspension height that is applied to four wheels on the road inclined to the right.

Explanation of symbols on main parts of drawing

1: front and rear wheel 2: wheel sensor

3: electronic control unit 4: camber and caster control unit

5: Sat control unit 6: tie rod

7,18: first and second motor 8: steering link

9,11,12: 1st to 3rd connection bearing 10: Shock absorber

13: stabilizer 14: piston link

15: lock arm 16: compressor

17: knuckles

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 shows a detailed view of the earth portion of the present invention, Figure 2 shows a detailed view of the caster portion of the present invention, Figure 3 shows a detailed view of the camber portion of the present invention, Figure 4 is a view of the control unit of the present invention A detailed block diagram is shown.

According to this, the vehicle is installed on the front and rear wheels 1 of the vehicle to detect the angles of the toe, caster, camber, and steering wheel angle, including the driving speed, load, and height of the vehicle, and input them to the electronic control unit. Dog wheel sensor 2;

Detects various information input from the wheel sensors 2, divides it into primary (static) and secondary (dynamic), detects numerical values through predetermined programs, respectively, and outputs a control signal corresponding to the camber and caster control unit ( 4) and an electronic control unit 3 which outputs to the toe control unit 5 and controls the angles of the caster, the camber and the toe;

Necessary for varying the length of the steering link 8 for the variable length of the tie rod 6 under the control of the toe control unit 5 under the control of the electronic control unit 3 while being installed on the front and rear wheels 1 of the vehicle. A first motor 7 for generating power;

The bolt 81 and the nut 82 coupled thereto and the gear 83 fixed to the outer side of the nut 82 and interlocked with the gear 71 coupled to the shaft of the first motor 7, A steering link (8) for varying its length in response to the rotation of the first motor (7) to directly adjust the length of the toe control tie rod (6);

One end of the bolt 81 is fixed to one side of the tie rod (6) between the nut 82 of the steering link (8) and the other tie rod (6) is installed to be idling, the two tie rods (6) to the steering link A first connecting bearing 9 interconnected through 8;

Second and third connection bearings 11 and 12 installed at upper and lower portions of the show-up show bar 10 to absorb angle changes of the links during caster control;

A piston link 14 whose one end is condensed on the stabilizer 13 and the other end is condensed on the bottom end of the shock absorber 10 and the length of the movable rod 141 is variable in response to the operation of the compressor 16; ;

One end is fixed to the lock arm 15 and the other end is stored at the lower end of the shock absorber 10 and is controlled by the camber and caster controller 4 under the control of the electronic control unit 3. A compressor (16) for controlling the caster angle (CASTER ANGLE) by varying the length of the piston link (14) through forward and backward of the (161);

The camber fixed to its own shaft is fixed on the tie rod 6 in the form of meshing with the gear 171 held by the knuckle 17 and the camber under the control of the electronic control unit 3 and The second motor 18 is configured to change the camber of the wheel 1 under the control of the caster controller 4.

On the other hand, Figure 5 is a diagram showing the left and right loads and the height of the suspension on the four wheels on an ideal flat road, Figure 6 shows the left and right loads and suspension height on the four wheels on the road inclined to the right The figure is shown.

Referring to the operation and effect of the system of the present invention configured as described above in detail.

First, in each wheel sensor 2 installed on the front and rear wheels 1 of the vehicle, the angles of the toe, the caster, the camber, and the angle of the steering wheel, including the driving speed of the vehicle, the load, and the height of the suspension, are respectively determined. Since it is detected and input to the electronic control unit 3, the electronic control unit 3 senses various information input from these wheel sensors 2 and divides the information into primary (static) and secondary (dynamic). After detecting a numerical value through a predetermined program, a control signal corresponding to the numerical value can be outputted to the camber, the caster control unit 4 and the toe control unit 5.

On the other hand, the control of the toe (TOE) is the shaft gear 71 of the first motor (7) by the toe control unit 5 for receiving a signal processed from the electronic control unit 3 and outputs a predetermined control signal Is rotated, the gear 83 fixed on the outer circumferential surface of the nut 82 constituting the steering link 8 rotates with the nut 82, so that the bolt 81 fastened to the nut 82 is Moving to the left or the right in the drawing, the entire length of the tie rod 6 itself is varied so that the toe is controlled.

At this time, the left and right tie rods 6 are rotatably installed between the steering link 8 itself and the nut 82 of the steering link 8 and the other side (left side in the drawing) of the tie rods 6. The interconnection is maintained by the first connecting bearing 9.

In addition, the caster control is controlled by the piston link 14 and the compressor 16 provided between the stabilizer 13 and the lower end of the shock absorber 10 and the lock arm 15. The movable rod 141 of the piston link 14 and the compressor 16 by the force of the compressor 16 which is operated in response to the output signal of the camber and caster control part 4 which are controlled by the control unit 3 ( 161 is advanced back and forth to control the caster angle (CASTER ANGLE).

At this time, when the caster angle is controlled through the operation of the shock absorber 10 is rotated in the front and rear direction by the operation of the compressor 16, the second and third connection bearings are installed on the upper and lower parts of the show-show showbar (10) (11) (12) is to absorb the change in the angle of the link during the caster control.

That is, the second and third connection bearings 11 and 12 are responsible for steering as the tie rod 6 moves.

In addition, the camber control is fixed on the tie rod 6 in a form in which a gear 181 fixed to its own shaft is engaged with a gear 171 stored on the knuckle 17 and is fixed to the electronic control unit 3. Is controlled by the camber under the control of the < RTI ID = 0.0 > and < / RTI > the caster controller 4 to change the camber of the wheel 1;

On the other hand, in the electronic control unit (3), the wheel sensor (2) installed on each wheel, the load applied to the four wheels and the height of the suspension even in the first static state (when the vehicle is stopped) changes the resistance value Sensing through.

However, when the load W1 + W2 + W3 + W4 = 2000 kg on the flat road, and the height of the suspension h1, h2, h3, h4 each have a value of 200 mm, a special situation such as the surface inclined to the right as shown in FIG. When sensing at, the values of W2 and W3, h1 and h4 become larger, so that the error can be aligned at the proper angle based on the flat ground.

In other words, the sum of the weight is always constant even on the road that is inclined to the right, but the height of the suspension is not always relative due to the damping effect (W1 + W2 + W3 + W4 = 2000 kg, but h1 + h2 + h3 + h4 = 760 mm). As the damping force changes due to aging, the height of the suspension against the left and right slope cannot be linearized. Therefore, the conversion to the height of the suspension on the flat after sensing in the inclined place is compared with the rate of change of the front wheel and the height by comparing the change rate of the left and right weights. The difference in height between the rear wheels can be calculated (8 total rates of change).

In addition, when there is a ride passenger, the weight changes, and the position of the rider can be determined by comparing the eight relative values. Thus, the reference angle of the alignment in the flat state is determined by the values obtained by the initial sensing.

In addition, the electronic control unit (3) is secondary to the height of the load and suspension is changed irregularly in the actual driving state, it is difficult to grasp the linear relationship, so the angle of the toe, camber, caster can not be correctly controlled Based on the information obtained from the initial sensing, the optimum toe, caster, and camber angles are different depending on the speed change, steering angle, steering force, etc. May be experimentally determined and programmed.

In this test method, first, the angle of toe, camber, and caster that must be taken to go a certain distance straight at a constant speed according to various loads and suspension heights on four wheels is measured. In order to measure stability, the camber, caster and toe are changed according to the speed change so that the steering wheel is variable at low speed and the steering wheel is heavy at high speed.

Third, measure how much steering angle and steering force of steering wheel is required and how much steering resilience depends on the degree of curve, and change the camber, caster and toe respectively. Tolerance of tow camber and caster is determined at.

Based on the comprehensive data obtained by the experimental method, the electronic control unit 3 controls the elements by programming the alignment values necessary for driving according to the state of the vehicle, thereby realizing the optimum wheel alignment to achieve more stable driving performance. It is possible to secure the ride as well as to improve the riding comfort and handling performance that the rider feels.

As described above, according to the present invention, the wheel alignment, that is, the wheel alignment, that is, the wheel alignment state can be actively implemented to implement the optimal wheel alignment, thereby ensuring a more stable driving performance, as a result of this, It is a very useful invention that can improve handling performance.

Claims (1)

Four wheel sensors installed on the front and rear wheels (1) to detect the angles of the toe, caster, camber and steering wheel angle, including the driving speed, load, and suspension height, and input them to the electronic control unit. (2); Detects various information input from the wheel sensors 2, divides it into primary (static) and secondary (dynamic), detects numerical values through predetermined programs, respectively, and outputs a control signal corresponding to the camber and caster control unit ( 4) and an electronic control unit 3 which outputs to the toe control unit 5 and controls the angles of the caster, the camber and the toe; Necessary for varying the length of the steering link 8 for the variable length of the tie rod 6 under the control of the toe control unit 5 under the control of the electronic control unit 3 while being installed on the front and rear wheels 1 of the vehicle. A first motor 7 for generating power; The bolt 81 and the nut 82 coupled thereto and the gear 83 fixed to the outer side of the nut 82 and interlocked with the gear 71 coupled to the shaft of the first motor 7, A steering link (8) for varying its length in response to the rotation of the first motor (7) to directly adjust the length of the toe control tie rod (6); One end of the bolt 81 is fixed to one side of the tie rod (6) between the nut 82 of the steering link (8) and the other tie rod (6) is installed to be idling, the two tie rods (6) to the steering link A first connecting bearing 9 interconnected through 8; Second and third connection bearings 11 and 12 installed at upper and lower portions of the show-up show bar 10 to absorb angle changes of the links during caster control; A piston link 14 whose one end is condensed on the stabilizer 13 and the other end is condensed on the bottom end of the shock absorber 10 and the length of the movable rod 141 is variable in response to the operation of the compressor 16; ; One end is fixed to the lock arm 15 and the other end is stored at the lower end of the shock absorber 10 and is controlled by the camber and caster controller 4 under the control of the electronic control unit 3. A compressor (16) for controlling the caster angle (CASTER ANGLE) by varying the length of the piston link (14) through forward and backward of the (161); The camber fixed to its own shaft is fixed on the tie rod 6 in the form of meshing with the gear 171 held by the knuckle 17 and the camber under the control of the electronic control unit 3 and An active wheel alignment control system, comprising: a second motor (18) for changing the camber of the wheel (1) under the control of the caster controller (4).