Active chassis for a two-track vehicle

Abstract

An active chassis for a two-track vehicle provided with a wheel suspension. A wheel carrier carrying a vehicle wheel is connected via connecting rod to the vehicle structure. The camber behavior of the vehicle wheel is defined by a mechanical camber curve of the vehicle wheels that is predetermined by the rigid kinematics of the connected rods, which defines a mechanical adjustment of the camber angle of the vehicle wheel depending on a spring path of the vehicle structure, and which is controllable with an actuator controller which can be controlled by a chassis control device.

Claims

1. An active chassis for a two-track motor vehicle provided with a wheel suspension, comprising: a wheel carrier carrying a vehicle wheel connected via connecting rods to a vehicle structure, wherein a camber behavior of the vehicle wheel is determined by a mechanical camber curve predetermined by the rigid kinematics of the connecting rods defining a mechanical adjustment of a camber curve of the vehicle wheel as a function of a spring path of the vehicle structure, and with a camber actuator, controlled by a chassis control device for carrying out an active camber angle adjustment, so that with a change of the vehicle loading state of the vehicle structure, a deflection or a rebound is carried out with the spring path, and with a corresponding adjustment of the mechanical camber angle, wherein in order to control the camber actuator, an evaluating unit is assigned to the chassis control device, which controls the camber actuator when the loading state is changed, and in order to counteract at least partially the mechanical camber angle adjustment with an active camber angle adjustment, or in order to support the mechanical camber angle adjustment, wherein the evaluating unit determines an actuator camber curve on the basis of a current loading state of the vehicle, and wherein the evaluating unit influences the actuator camber curve by controlling the camber actuator of the mechanical camber curve, creating a total camber curve, wherein in order to determine an actual loading state, a loading sensor system is in communication with the evaluating unit, by which a change in weight of a load and a change in a longitudinal position of a center of gravity of the load are determined, and are detected as an input parameter obtained by the evaluating unit and on the basis of which the evaluating unit determines the actuator camber curve, and wherein the evaluating unit is in communication with a spring path sensor system to detect a spring path resulting from the change in the vehicle loading state.

2. The active chassis according to claim 1, wherein the evaluating unit detects as another input parameter the spring path with a deflection or a rebound of the vehicle, and the evaluating unit can be controlled on the basis of the spring path and the actuator camber curve generates a camber angle signal by which the camber actuator can be controlled.

3. The active chassis according to claim 1, wherein the chassis is provided with an actuating unit acting between the vehicle structure and the wheel carrier or connecting rods, which is employed for level control and/or for roll stabilization of the vehicle structure, and the actuating unit is controlled with the chassis control device in combination with the camber actuator.

4. The active chassis according to claim 1, wherein the camber actuator is associated with the wheel carrier, and the wheel carrier is formed in two parts with a carrying element on a wheel side and with a carrying element carrying the vehicle wheel on an axle side, which is connected via the connecting rods at the vehicle structure, and that the camber actuator is arranged between the carrying elements.

5. The active chassis according to claim 4, wherein the camber actuator is provided with a wheel-side rotary part and with an axle-side rotary part, which are rotatable relative to each other about axes of rotation of the wheel-side rotary part and the axle-side rotary part, and the wheel-side rotary part is adjustable during the rotation of at least one of the rotary parts relative to the axle-side rotary part, wherein the adjustment is a camber angle adjustment, and wherein the rotary parts are rotated by an electric motor which can be controlled by the chassis control device.

6. The active chassis according to claim 4, wherein the camber actuator is a linear actuator or an active connecting rod which is supported between the wheel carrier and the vehicle structure, and the linear actuator is telescopically adjustable in length by the chassis control device.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) The invention and its advantageous embodiments and development and their advantages will be explained next in more detail with reference to the drawings.

(2) The drawings show the following:

(3) FIG. 1 is a schematic representation of a wheel suspension of an active chassis for a two-track vehicle;

(4) FIG. 2 shows an outline view of the two-track vehicle;

(5) FIG. 3 is a block diagram indicating the software architecture in the vehicle control device;

(6) FIG. 4 is a camber curve diagram illustrating the mode of operation of the invention, and

(7) FIG. 5 shows a replacement model of a chassis configuration;

(8) FIG. 6 shows a replacement model of a chassis configuration; and

(9) FIG. 7 shows a replacement model of a chassis configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(10) FIG. 1 shows a partial view of an active chassis for a two-track vehicle, which is equipped by way of an example with a wheel carrier 1 supporting the rear right wheel HR 1 that is connected by means of the upper and lower transverse link at the vehicle structure 7. The transverse links 3, 5 are respectively articulated on the side of the body of the vehicle. Between the lower transverse link 5 and the vehicle structure 7 is supported in the usual manner a suspension strut 9 with a bearing spring, as well as with a vibration damper.

(11) As shown in FIG. 1, the wheel carrier 1 consists of two parts, a wheel-side carrying element 11 and an axle-side carrying element 13. In addition, a braking device, not shown in the figure, can be attached to the wheel-side carrying element 11. At the axle-side carrying element are articulated both transverse links 3, 5 via link bearings.

(12) The mechanical camber behavior of the vehicle wheel HR is determined by a mechanical camber curve S.sub.M, which is in turn predetermined by the rigid kinematics of the links 3, 5, defining a mechanical camber angle adjustment of the vehicle wheel HR as a function of a deflection or rebound path d of the vehicle structure 7. With the chassis configuration having the mechanical camber curve S.sub.M shown in FIG. 4, an increase of the total vehicle mass leads to a relative increase of the (negative) static camber, which is particularly meaningful with passive axles.

(13) In addition to the mechanical camber adjustment, an active camber adjustment can be provided by means of a camber actuator 15 which is interposed between both carrying elements 11, 13. The camber actuator 15 is provided with a wheel-side rotary part 17 and with an axle-side rotary part 19. Both rotary parts 17, 19 of the camber actuator 15 are connected to each other via inclined control surfaces. The control surfaces are located in a plane of rotation in which they can be mutually slidably mounted, for example so that they are in a sliding contact with each other.

(14) The rotary parts 17, 19 are rotatably mounted about their axes of rotation between both carrying elements 17, 19. As shown in FIG. 1, the axis of rotation of the wheel-side rotary part 17 is aligned in the vehicle transverse direction y so that it is coaxial to an axis of rotation of the axle-side rotary part 19. With a rotational actuation of at least one of the rotary parts 17, 19, the wheel-side rotary member 17 is moved with a tumbling motion at a variable pivoting angle about the wheel axle, whereby the camber angle is actively adjusted at the rear wheel HR.

(15) Both rotary parts 17, 19 can be controlled by means of electric motors 27, which are in signal communication with a chassis control unit 29. During driving operations, the chassis control unit 29 generates a control signal S as a function of a plurality of driving parameters by means of which the electric motors 27 of the camber actuator 15 can be actuated for an active camber angle adjustment.

(16) In addition, the chassis control unit 29 is in signal communication with an actuating unit 31 of an active suspension system. As shown in FIG. 1, the actuating unit 31 is provided by way of an example with a torsion bar spring arrangement. This arrangement is equipped with a rotary actuator 31, which is mounted at the vehicle structure 7 and is in operative connection via a torsion bar 33 with the lower transverse link 5 of the wheel suspension. With a corresponding control of the rotary actuator 31, the lower transverse link 5 is impacted by actuator force F.sub.A, and in particular ensures the level control and/or roll stabilization of the vehicle structure 7 during driving operations.

(17) The wheel suspension shown in FIG. 1 is illustrated by way of an example for the rear right wheel HR. The wheel suspensions of the other wheels HL, VL and VR of the vehicle are constructed in an identical manner, so that to each of the vehicle wheels is assigned a camber actuator 15 as well as an actuating unit 31, which are respectively controlled by the chassis control unit 29.

(18) As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 29 is provided with an evaluation unit 37 for each of the rear vehicle wheels HL, HR, by means of which a camber angle adjustment can be influenced when the vehicle loading status changes. The front wheels VL, VR are also assigned to the evaluation units 37, which are, however, omitted in FIG. 3 in order to simplify the illustration.

(19) Each of the evaluation units 37 is in signal communication with a loading sensor system 39, by means of which the actual loading state of the vehicle can be detected. For this purpose, the loading sensor system 39 detects the additional weight m.sub.Z as well as the longitudinal position l.sub.Z of the center of gravity of the additional weight. The evaluation unit 37 then determines on the basis of the actual loading state an actuator camber curve S.sub.A. In addition, each of the evaluation units 37 is in signal communication with a spring path sensor system 38, by means of which a spring path d.sub.HR and d.sub.HL can be detected which results from the additional weight on the rear wheels HR, HL. The evaluation units 37 generates on the basis of the actuator camber curve S.sub.A and of the spring path d.sub.HR, d.sub.HL a camber angle signal S.sub.HL, S.sub.HR, by means of which the camber actuator 15 can be controlled on the right and on the left rear wheel HL, HR. The mechanical camber curve S.sub.M, which is determined only by the rigid kinematics of the links 5, 7, can thus be additionally influenced in this manner by the actuator curve S.sub.A which is freely adjustable with the evaluation unit 37, wherein the camber behavior, which is to say the camber angle and the camber gradient, can be respectively adjusted according to the current loading state in order to improve driving safety.

(20) The operation of the evaluation unit 37 will be explained next based on the reference to the camber curve diagram of FIG. 4. For example, the diagram of FIG. 4 shows a mechanical camber curve S.sub.M, which is defined solely by the rigid kinematics of the transverse links 5, 7. The mechanical camber curve SM influences an actuator camber curve SA, not shown in FIG. 3, by means of the evaluation unit 37, which results in a total camber curve SG.sub.1 acting on the vehicle wheel HR.

(21) The interaction of the camber actuator 15 and the actuating unit 31 will be described next for the case when an additional load is added to an unloaded vehicle: In this case, the vehicle structure 7 is deflected by the spring path d.sub.1 of FIG. 4. This results in an angle adjustment which is determined by the mechanical camber angle of the mechanical camber curve S.sub.M from a camber angle .sub.0 to a camber angle .sub.1. As a result of the adjustment by the adjusting unit of the active suspension system 31 according to prior art (indicated by the arrow 31), a level adjustment is performed so that the vehicle structure 7 will be raised again with the spring path d.sub.1 to the vehicle structure level in the unloaded state. The level control can be superimposed in the technical realization on the deflecting operation.

(22) The level adjustment described above is thus accompanied by an adjustment of the camber angle from the camber angle .sub.1 to the camber angle .sub.0, which may be detrimental to the driving safety. In order to improve the driving safety, the mechanical camber curve S.sub.M can be influenced by the actuator camber curve S.sub.A. The actuator camber curve SA is designed in such a way that the result is a total camber curve S.sub.G1 which acts on the rear wheel HR, whichin comparison to the mechanical camber curve S.sub.Mprovides a reduced camber gradient.

(23) As an alternative, an actuator camber curve S.sub.A can be generated by the evaluation unit 37, which results in a total camber curve S.sub.G2 (FIG. 4) acting on the rear wheel HR. The camber curve S.sub.G2 is in FIG. 4 shifted parallel to the left relative to the camber curve S.sub.G1. This means that in comparison to the mechanical camber curve, not only a reduced camber gradient is provided, but a component of an enlarged negative camber angle .sub.2 is also provided.

(24) In the case of the additional load mentioned above, the additional mass as well as the longitudinal position of the center of gravity of the additional load are determined in the loading sensor system 39. The mode of operation of the loading sensor system 39 is based on the determination of the vertical forces acting on the chassis and it is a function of the configuration of the chassis. FIG. 5 through 7 suggest a calculation method for the vertically acting total force F as an example used for three different chassis configurations. In this case, c is the known spring constant of the suspension spring, d is the known damping amount of the vibration damper, F.sub.a is the known actuator force of the actuating unit 10, and D.sub.ZU is the measured spring path. The forces were determined separately for each vehicle wheel. In order to determine the dynamic influences, which are caused by driving over bumps, the vertical forces are subjected to a signal filtration with a very slow low-pass filter. Typical time constants of the low-pass filter are in the range of 5 seconds.

(25) If the additional load in the vehicle is for example shifted towards the rear, then the loading sensor system 39 will detect a new actual loading state. The evaluation unit 37 thus determines on this basis an actuator camber curve S.sub.A, which leads to an increase of the camber curve gradient acting on the vehicle and which contributes to a more stable driving behavior in the dynamic driving limit range. This counteracts the increased tendency towards an excessive control of the vehicle due to the additional weight on the rear axle.