WO2012044238A1 - Dispositif de direction pour un véhicule à direction à châssis articulé - Google Patents

Dispositif de direction pour un véhicule à direction à châssis articulé Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2012044238A1
WO2012044238A1 PCT/SE2011/051151 SE2011051151W WO2012044238A1 WO 2012044238 A1 WO2012044238 A1 WO 2012044238A1 SE 2011051151 W SE2011051151 W SE 2011051151W WO 2012044238 A1 WO2012044238 A1 WO 2012044238A1
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
vehicle
steering
signal
wheel
supplied
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/SE2011/051151
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Bo Vikarby
Original Assignee
Östergrens Elmotor Ab
Priority date (The priority date 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 date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Östergrens Elmotor Ab filed Critical Östergrens Elmotor Ab
Publication of WO2012044238A1 publication Critical patent/WO2012044238A1/fr

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Classifications

    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
    • B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
    • B62D11/00—Steering non-deflectable wheels; Steering endless tracks or the like
    • B62D11/02—Steering non-deflectable wheels; Steering endless tracks or the like by differentially driving ground-engaging elements on opposite vehicle sides
    • B62D11/04—Steering non-deflectable wheels; Steering endless tracks or the like by differentially driving ground-engaging elements on opposite vehicle sides by means of separate power sources
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
    • B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
    • B62D11/00—Steering non-deflectable wheels; Steering endless tracks or the like
    • B62D11/24—Endless track steering specially adapted for vehicles having both steerable wheels and endless track
    • B—PERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B62—LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
    • B62D—MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
    • B62D12/00—Steering specially adapted for vehicles operating in tandem or having pivotally connected frames

Definitions

  • the present invention concerns a steering device for a vehicle, in particular an articulated frame vehicle driven by electric motors, in which an electric motor is arranged at each one of at least two wheels on opposite sides of the vehicle in order to drive the wheels .
  • a steering force is applied to the joint that is present between the different parts of the vehicle in order to pivot these relative to each other. It is possible in very light vehicles to achieve the pivoting of the parts at the joint purely mechanically, but the heavier the vehicle is, the more difficult it becomes to transfer the steering force. In lighter vehicles, for example, direct coupling of a power transfer means from the steering column of the vehicle to the joint may be achieved, with the aid of, for example, a cable, a chain or similar, which transfers the pivoting force from the steering column to the pivot joint.
  • a drive motor that can produce a hydraulic pressure with the aid of a servopump, there is generally no problem in finding solutions that make it possible to obtain sufficient servopower to facilitate the steering .
  • An articulated frame vehicle of this type with solely mechanical transfer of the steering force is revealed by, for example, EP 0772384 Bl.
  • the problem with such steering is, as has been mentioned above, that it becomes heavy to turn the steering wheel, particularly for heavy vehicles.
  • a completely different steering principle for larger articu- lated frame vehicles, such as construction equipment is known. It is obvious that these may have, as has been long known, hydraulic steering, in particular hydraulic pistons, between the two parts of the vehicle that accomplish the mutual pivoting of these parts.
  • the driving of such construction equipment with the aid of the electric motors arranged in the wheels is also known through, for example, US 6,283,237 Bl, where a regulator unit can drive the wheels of the vehicle independently of each other by regulating the power supply to the driving wheels.
  • the patent describes also how control signals from a steering wheel in the construction equipment can be supplied to the regulator unit of the vehicle, such that the regulator unit causes the wheels of the machine to rotate with different speeds, and in this way turn the machine.
  • Such a solution requires complicated programming in order to achieve steering of the machine, and thus this is an expensive solution. Nor does it give any possibility of steering the machine unless all parts of the driving and regulatory system are working.
  • the aim of the present invention is to find a simple and practical steering device that can facilitate the steering of an articulated frame vehicle that is driven by an electric motor arrangedat the relevant wheel at one or several axles of the vehicle.
  • This aim of the invention is achieved through the steering column of the vehicle being directly coupled through a power transfer means for the transfer of the turning force that is applied to the steering wheel to the pivot joint of the vehicle, whereby, according to the invention, there is arranged on the steering column also a force sensor that is arranged to sense the turning force that has been applied to the steering wheel and to produce an electrical output signal, which electrical output signal is arranged to be supplied to a regulator unit that controls the electric motor in the relevant wheel of the vehicle in such a manner that the wheel on one side of the vehicle is supplied with the signal as a small positive additive signal to the power supply for the driving of the electric motor in order to cause an increase in speed, and the wheel on the other side of the vehicle is supplied with the signal as a small negative subtractive signal to the power supply for the driving of the electric motor in order to cause
  • Figure 1 shows schematically in plan view a block diagram of an articulated frame vehicle
  • Figure 2 shows schematically a wiring diagram for the functions for steering the vehicle and that are essential for the invention.
  • Figure 1 shows a block diagram of an articulated frame vehicle that may be, for example, a lawn mower.
  • the vehicle has a forward part 1 and a rear part 2, which parts of the vehicle are united with each other through a pivot joint 3.
  • the vehicle has four wheels, two forward wheels 4, 5 that are located at the forward part of the vehicle, and two rear wheels 6, 7 that are located at the rear part of the vehicle.
  • a steering wheel 8 is arranged for steering the vehicle, and the steering column of the steering wheel is connected with the aid of a mechanical power transfer means 9 with a turning disc 10 that is fixed attached to the pivot joint 3, such that the mechanical power transfer means 9 can cause through the turning of the steering wheel 8 the turning disc 10 to be rotated around the pivot joint 3, such that the forward part 1 and the rear part 2 of the vehicle can be pivoted relative to each other.
  • the vehicle is driven by electric motors, and comprises one electric motor 11, 12 in each one of the rear wheels 6, 7. Batteries or other sources of electrical power, not shown in the drawings, are arranged in the vehicle in order to provide the power required to drive the vehicle forwards, and for the supply of power to any units, such as a cutting unit, that may be arranged in the vehicle .
  • a main switch such as a pedal 13, in the vehicle for the driving of the vehicle, see Figure 2, which pedal must be held depressed in order for the vehicle to receive any power at all for its propulsion or for the units arranged at it.
  • a regulator 14, an "accelerator pedal”, is arranged at the vehicle for the regulation of the speed of the vehicle, with which accelerator pedal the power supply to the electric motors 11, 12 is regulated.
  • the power supply to the motors is regulated by the accelerator pedal 14 such that both motors operate at the same speed by this means.
  • the regulation of the power to the two motors takes place in a separate regulator unit 15, 16 for each motor 11, 12.
  • the steering of the vehicle will acquire considerable inertia with the design described above, due to the weight of the vehicle.
  • the force that must be applied to the steering wheel 8 in order to turn with the aid of the mechanical power transfer means 9 the turning disc 10 and thus the pivot joint 3 of the vehicle is quite large.
  • the force sensor 17 emits an electrical signal, positive or negative, the magnitude of which depends on the torque applied.
  • This electrical signal is led through an amplifier 18 onwards to each one of the regulator units 15, 16 for the electric motors, where the signal to one of the regulator units 15 is led though an inverter 19 that inverts the polarity of the signal, such that the two regulator units 15, 16 receive signals from the force sensor that have the same magnitude but dif- ferent polarities.
  • These signals from the force sensor 17 are applied to the regulator units 15, 16 and they are added to the speed-regulation signal that is supplied from the accelerator pedal 14, where thus one side in this way is supplied with a small additive signal and the other side by a subtrac- tive signal of the same magnitude. If the output signal from the force sensor 17 is negative, this signal will be added as a negative signal to the first side, i.e. it will have an effect of a negative addition, i.e. it will be a signal that reduces the speed. The negative signal is inverted on the opposite side, which thus gives an increase in speed.
  • a positive electrical signal will be supplied to one wheel in order to drive it in one direction, and a negative signal will be supplied to the other wheel in order to drive it in the opposite direction.
  • no speed-regulation signal is supplied from the accelerator pedal, the vehicle will attempt to pivot around the pivot joint 3 in the direction in which the steering wheel is turned, through one of the motors being driven forwards and the other being driven backwards.
  • the accelerator pedal 14 is at the same time depressed, the signal from the steering wheel 8 and the force sensor 17 will be supplied as a small positive additive signal to the wheel on one side and as a negative, speed-reducing signal, to the wheel on the other side, which means that the two wheels are driven at different speeds and that the vehicle in this way turns.
  • the output signal from the force sensor is thus supplied with different polarities to the opposite sides of the vehicle, and it is added to or subtracted from the driving signal from the accelerator pedal 14.
  • a steering device may be arranged also on an articulated frame vehicle that is driven by more than two wheels, for example when all the wheels of the vehicle are driven, for example four or more wheels, and where also in such a case the output signal from a force sensor on the steering column is supplied to the regulator units for the drive motors, but with a negative signal supplied on one side of the vehicle and a positive signal supplied to the other side of the vehicle during turning.
  • the steering device according to the invention power-assisted steering for an articulated frame vehicle, such that the force that must be applied to the steering wheel in order to achieve the required steering is considerably reduced from the force that is required with fully mechanical manually steering.
  • the steering according to the invention provides a servo effect that reduces the requirement for manual force, and it does so with a minimum of additional components. Thus, it provides a cost-effective and secure solution to the need for steering force.
  • the steering device ensures also that the degree of turn of the steering wheel that is required in order to achieve the steering intended can be kept at a limited level, and this means that the steering properties are improved from those of a vehicle in which it has been necessary to have a high gearing ratio for the transfer from the steering column, in order to reduce the force required.
  • the steering device according to the invention is primarily intended for light and relatively cheap electrically powered vehicles, such as, for example, lawn mowers and other small vehicles. It is, however, possible to use the steering principle for all types of vehicle that have electric motors for the individual wheels to drive the vehicle.

Landscapes

  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Transportation (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Electric Propulsion And Braking For Vehicles (AREA)
  • Arrangement Or Mounting Of Propulsion Units For Vehicles (AREA)
  • Steering Controls (AREA)

Abstract

La présente invention concerne un dispositif de direction pour un véhicule, en particulier un véhicule à châssis articulé entraîné par des moteurs électriques, un moteur électrique (11, 12) étant disposé sur chaque roue d'au moins deux roues (6, 7) du véhicule afin d'entraîner la roue, une colonne de direction du véhicule étant accouplée directement par un moyen de transfert de puissance (9) pour le transfert d'une force rotative ayant été appliquée à une roue motrice (8) à une articulation à pivot (3) du véhicule. Un capteur de force est disposé sur la colonne de direction, ledit capteur de force étant conçu pour détecter la force de rotation ayant été appliquée à la roue motrice et pour produire un signal de sortie électrique conçu pour être apporté à une unité régulatrice commandant le moteur électrique (11, 12) au niveau de la roue appropriée (6, 7) du véhicule de telle manière que la roue sur un côté du véhicule soit alimentée en signal comme petit signal additif positif à l'alimentation vers l'entraînement du moteur électrique afin de provoquer une augmentation de la vitesse, et la roue sur l'autre côté du véhicule est alimentée en signal comme petit signal soustractif à l'alimentation vers l'entraînement du moteur électrique afin de provoquer une réduction de la vitesse.
PCT/SE2011/051151 2010-09-28 2011-09-27 Dispositif de direction pour un véhicule à direction à châssis articulé WO2012044238A1 (fr)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
SE1051001A SE535141C2 (sv) 2010-09-28 2010-09-28 Styranordning vid midjestyrt fordon
SE1051001-4 2010-09-28

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2012044238A1 true WO2012044238A1 (fr) 2012-04-05

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Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/SE2011/051151 WO2012044238A1 (fr) 2010-09-28 2011-09-27 Dispositif de direction pour un véhicule à direction à châssis articulé

Country Status (2)

Country Link
SE (1) SE535141C2 (fr)
WO (1) WO2012044238A1 (fr)

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR3002884A1 (fr) * 2013-03-05 2014-09-12 Patrick Bordier Dispositif de transport par chariot a roue telecommande
US11447374B2 (en) 2016-09-15 2022-09-20 Terex Australia Pty Ltd Crane counterweight and suspension

Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0772384B1 (fr) * 1994-05-20 2001-02-28 Stiga Ab Systeme de direction de tondeuse a conducteur porte et elements de liaison associes permettant de coupler les chaines de transmission
US6283237B1 (en) * 1999-06-01 2001-09-04 Caterpillar Inc. Method and apparatus for steering articulated machines using variable speed devices

Patent Citations (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
EP0772384B1 (fr) * 1994-05-20 2001-02-28 Stiga Ab Systeme de direction de tondeuse a conducteur porte et elements de liaison associes permettant de coupler les chaines de transmission
US6283237B1 (en) * 1999-06-01 2001-09-04 Caterpillar Inc. Method and apparatus for steering articulated machines using variable speed devices

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
FR3002884A1 (fr) * 2013-03-05 2014-09-12 Patrick Bordier Dispositif de transport par chariot a roue telecommande
US11447374B2 (en) 2016-09-15 2022-09-20 Terex Australia Pty Ltd Crane counterweight and suspension

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
SE535141C2 (sv) 2012-04-24
SE1051001A1 (sv) 2012-03-29

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