CN115519955A

CN115519955A - Suspension system, control method thereof and vehicle

Info

Publication number: CN115519955A
Application number: CN202211132973.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 胡西; 高健
Original assignee: Xiaomi Automobile Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Xiaomi Automobile Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-09-16
Filing date: 2022-09-16
Publication date: 2022-12-27

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a suspension system, a control method thereof, and a vehicle, wherein the suspension system includes: a drive device; the connecting rod mechanism comprises a power input end and a power output end, the power input end is connected with the driving device, and the power output end is used for connecting a wheel edge assembly; the linkage mechanism is configured to convert a driving force provided by the driving device and received by the power input end into an output force of the power output end, and the output force has a vertical component. According to the suspension system provided by the disclosure, when the vehicle body tilts due to the fact that the vehicle body receives lateral force, the vertical force of the grounding point of the tire can be adjusted through the driving device through the link mechanism, the tilting rigidity of the suspension system cannot be influenced, and the riding comfort of the vehicle is guaranteed. In addition, the suspension system omits a stabilizer bar, vertical force of the tire grounding point is adjusted through the matching of the driving device and the link mechanism, the structure is simple, and the cost is saved.

Description

Suspension system, control method thereof and vehicle

Technical Field

The disclosure relates to the field of automobiles, in particular to a suspension system, a control method thereof and a vehicle.

Background

The suspension system is a general term for all force-transmitting connecting devices between a frame (or a load-bearing vehicle body) and an axle (or a wheel) of an automobile, and has the functions of transmitting force and torque acting between the wheel and the frame, buffering impact force transmitted to the frame or the vehicle body from an uneven road surface, and reducing vibration caused by the impact force so as to ensure that the automobile can run smoothly.

However, when the vehicle body of the automobile is rolled by receiving a lateral force, the roll rigidity of the suspension system inside the automobile is greatly increased, which affects the riding comfort.

Disclosure of Invention

To overcome the problems in the related art, the present disclosure provides a suspension system, a control method thereof, and a vehicle.

According to a first aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a suspension system comprising:

a drive device;

the connecting rod mechanism comprises a power input end and a power output end, the power input end is connected with the driving device, and the power output end is used for connecting a wheel edge assembly;

the connecting rod mechanism is configured to convert the driving force provided by the driving device and received by the power input end into the output force of the power output end, and the output force has a vertical component.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the link mechanism includes a connecting rod and a first control arm, one end of the connecting rod constitutes the power input end, the other end of the connecting rod with the first end of the first control arm is rotated and is connected, the second end of the first control arm constitutes the power output end, be provided with on the first control arm and rotate connecting portion, rotate connecting portion be used for with first control arm rotates to be connected in frame or automobile body.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the connecting rod extends in a horizontal direction, and the driving device provides a driving force in the horizontal direction to the connecting rod.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, a damping device is disposed on the connecting rod, and the damping device is used for damping the movement of the connecting rod along the axial direction of the connecting rod.

In some embodiments of the disclosure, the first control arm includes a first arm portion and a second arm portion arranged at an included angle, one end of the first arm portion is the first end of the first control arm, a first end of the second arm portion is the second end of the first control arm, and the rotation connection portion is arranged at a junction of the other end of the first arm portion and the other end of the second arm portion.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the first arm portion and the second arm portion are perpendicular to each other, and the connecting rod and the second arm portion each extend in a horizontal direction.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the suspension system further comprises a shock absorber, one end of the shock absorber is rotatably connected to the second arm portion, and the other end of the shock absorber is used for connecting to a vehicle body.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the driving device includes a cylinder, and a first piston and a second piston which are disposed in the cylinder, the cylinder is fixed to a vehicle frame or a vehicle body, the first piston and the second piston divide an inner cavity of the cylinder into three inner cavity units which are isolated from each other, a volume of each inner cavity unit changes to drive the first piston and the second piston to move, the driving device has a first side and a second side which are opposite to each other, the first side and the second side of the driving device are both provided with one of the link mechanisms, and the first piston and the second piston are respectively connected to the link mechanisms on both sides.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the cylinder is an elongated structure extending along a horizontal direction, and the first piston and the second piston are disposed in the cylinder at an interval along the horizontal direction and can move along the extending direction of the cylinder.

In some embodiments of the disclosure, the driving device includes a hydraulic control system, and the hydraulic control system is configured to provide hydraulic oil to each of the internal cavity units and change the amount of hydraulic oil in each of the internal cavity units to drive the first piston and the second piston to move.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the driving device has a plurality of operation modes, including:

a first operating mode for controlling the first piston and the second piston to be stationary;

the second working mode is used for controlling the first piston and the second piston to move along the cylinder body, and the distance between the first piston and the second piston is kept unchanged;

a third operating mode for controlling the first piston and the second piston to move relatively toward or away from each other;

a fourth operating mode for controlling the first piston and the second piston to move freely.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the suspension system comprises:

and the first end of the second control arm is used for connecting the wheel edge assembly, and the second end of the second control arm is used for connecting the frame or the vehicle body.

According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a control method of a suspension system, including:

acquiring state information and/or road surface information of a vehicle;

and controlling the driving device to drive the link mechanism to act on the basis of the state information and/or road surface information of the vehicle so as to change the magnitude and/or direction of the output force.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the acquiring the state information and/or the road surface information of the vehicle includes:

acquiring a control instruction received by the vehicle, wherein the control instruction comprises an accelerator control instruction, a steering control instruction and/or a braking control instruction, and the control instruction is used as the state information of the vehicle; and/or the presence of a gas in the atmosphere,

acquiring vehicle body motion state information of the vehicle, wherein the vehicle body motion state information comprises speed information of a vehicle body in a vertical direction, a horizontal direction and/or an inclined direction, and the vehicle body motion state information of the vehicle is used as the state information of the vehicle; and/or the presence of a gas in the gas,

and acquiring road surface spectrum information of a running road surface of the vehicle, and taking the road surface spectrum information as the road surface information.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the driving device has a first operating mode, and when the driving device is in the first operating mode, the first piston and the second piston in the cylinder of the driving device are controlled to be fixed, so that the output force is kept constant.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the controlling the driving device to drive the link mechanism to act to change the magnitude and/or direction of the output force based on the state information and/or road surface information of the vehicle includes:

and controlling the driving device to be in the first working mode when the vehicle is determined to run on a flat road at a constant speed according to the state information and/or the road information of the vehicle.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the drive device has a second operating mode, when the drive device is in the second operating mode, the first and second pistons within a cylinder in the drive device are controlled to move along the cylinder with a constant spacing between the first and second pistons to increase a downward vertical component of an output force applied to a wheel toward which the first and second pistons move and to increase an upward vertical component of an output force applied to a wheel away from which the first and second pistons move.

and controlling the driving device to be in the second working mode when determining that one side wheel of the vehicle passes through a bump or a recess according to the state information and/or the road surface information of the vehicle or when determining that the vehicle turns.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the driving device has a third operating mode, and when the driving device is in the third operating mode, the first piston and the second piston in the cylinder of the driving device are controlled to make a relative movement close to each other so as to simultaneously increase an upward vertical component of the output force of the wheels on both sides, or the first piston and the second piston are controlled to make a relative movement away from each other so as to simultaneously increase a downward vertical component of the output force of the wheels on both sides.

and controlling the driving device to be in the third working mode when the vehicle is determined to run in an accelerating mode, a braking mode or a non-flat road surface mode according to the state information and/or the road surface information of the vehicle.

In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the drive device has a fourth mode of operation, and when the drive device is in the fourth mode of operation, the first piston and the second piston within the cylinder in the drive device are controlled to move freely.

and controlling the driving device to be in the fourth working mode when determining that one side wheel of the vehicle passes through a bulge or a depression or when determining that the vehicle turns according to the state information and/or the road surface information of the vehicle.

According to a third aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a vehicle including the suspension system as described above, or a control method employing the suspension system as described above.

The technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the disclosure can have the following beneficial effects: set up link mechanism between drive arrangement and wheel limit assembly, through link mechanism with the drive power conversion that drive arrangement provided to export the output power to wheel limit assembly, and the output power has vertical component to change the vertical power of tire ground point, so, when the automobile body took place to heel because of receiving the yawing force, can adjust the vertical power of tire ground point through drive arrangement through link mechanism, and can not influence suspension system's the rigidity that heels, guarantee the riding comfort of vehicle. In addition, the suspension system omits a stabilizer bar, vertical force of the tire grounding point is adjusted through the matching of the driving device and the link mechanism, the structure is simple, and the cost is saved.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the disclosure.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the invention and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural view of a suspension system;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of a stabilizer bar configuration of the suspension system shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a force-receiving illustration of the stabilizer bar of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram comparing roll stiffness of the suspension system with and without a stabilizer bar installed;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a suspension system according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a drive arrangement in a suspension system according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a schematic illustrating the output force of a suspension system in which a first piston and a second piston move synchronously to the left in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a schematic illustrating the output force of a first piston and a second piston moving in unison to the right in a suspension system according to one exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 9 is a schematic illustration of the output force of a suspension system showing relative movement of a first piston and a second piston toward each other in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating output forces of a first piston and a second piston in a suspension system moving away from each other in a relative motion according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling a suspension system according to one exemplary embodiment.

In the figure:

1-auxiliary frame; 2-a control arm; 3-a shock absorber; 4-a spring; 5-a wheel edge assembly; 6-a stabilizer bar;

61-stabilizer bar; 611-passive stabilizer bar support; 612-a stabilizer bar body; 62-stabilizer bar pull rod;

10-a drive device; 11-a first piston; 12-a second piston; 13-cylinder body; 131-a first lumen element; 132-a second lumen element; 133-a third lumen element; 14-a hydraulic control system; 20-a linkage mechanism; 201-power input; 202-power output; 21-a connecting rod; 22-a first control arm; 221-a first arm; 222-a second arm; 223-a rotary connection; 30-a second control arm; 40-a buffer device; 50-a shock absorber; 100-a wheel-rim assembly; 200-a subframe.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the accompanying drawings, like numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise indicated. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with the present invention. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatus and methods consistent with certain aspects of the invention, as detailed in the appended claims.

Suspension systems are largely divided into passive and active suspension systems.

The passive suspension system is controlled by a spring and a stabilizer bar when the vehicle turns, and the stabilizer bar also distributes the front and rear roll stiffness, so that the effect of adjusting the turning trend of the whole vehicle is achieved, and the passive suspension system also plays an important role in controlling the stability. Roll refers to the body tilting to one side, for example, when the vehicle is on a horizontal plane, the central axis perpendicular to the horizontal plane is taken as the first axis, and when the vehicle rolls, the first axis forms an angle with the vertical line. Roll stiffness refers to the incremental amount of restoring moment of couple applied to the sprung mass of the vehicle by one axle (the line connecting the centers of the left and right wheels) in units of incremental roll angle.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic structural diagram of a suspension system, as shown in fig. 1, the suspension system includes a subframe 1, control arms 2 (5 in total), shock absorbers 3, springs 4, a wheel-side assembly 5, and a stabilizer bar 6. Wherein, the damper 3 is a traditional passive damper, and the spring 2 is a spiral spring.

The auxiliary frame 1 is connected to a vehicle body through a bushing, the control arm 2 is connected with the auxiliary frame 1 and a wheel edge assembly 5, the shock absorber 3 is connected with the vehicle body and one of the control arms 2, and the spring 4 is also connected with the vehicle body and one of the control arms 2. The stabilizer bar 6 is installed on the auxiliary frame 1 through a bush and a bracket and is connected with the wheel edge assembly 5 through a connecting rod.

Therefore, the control arm 2, the auxiliary frame 1 and the wheel edge assembly 5 form a single-degree-of-freedom motion mechanism with vertical motion, the vertical motion is supported by the spring 4 and plays a role in bearing, and the shock absorber 3 is a damping element and can quickly attenuate vertical vibration excitation from a road surface. Because of the requirement of comfort, the vertical vibration offset frequency of the support weight of the suspension is usually controlled between 1 and 1.7, the vertical rigidity range converted to the wheel edge assembly is usually 25 to 40N/mm, but the vehicle body generates a roll angle under the action of lateral acceleration during steering, and in order to avoid overlarge roll of the vehicle body, the wheel center rigidity needs to be increased by using the stabilizer bar 6, and the roll rigidity is generally increased to 50 to 100N/mm, so that the requirement of the whole vehicle can be met.

Other independent suspensions, such as macpherson suspensions, triple-link (quinral-link and Central-link) suspensions, E-type multi-link (SLA) suspensions, integrated link (intersoll-link) suspensions, etc., require the use of a stabilizer bar to increase roll stiffness.

Fig. 2 shows a schematic structure diagram of a passive stabilizer bar, as shown in fig. 2, the passive stabilizer bar includes a stabilizer bar 61 and a stabilizer bar pull rod 62 disposed at two ends of the stabilizer bar, wherein the stabilizer bar 61 includes a stabilizer bar body 612 and a passive stabilizer bar support 611 disposed on the stabilizer bar body 612, the passive stabilizer bar support 611 is usually fixedly connected with a subframe or a vehicle body and is connected with the stabilizer bar body 612 through a bushing, and the stabilizer bar body 612 can rotate around a bushing center line. Stabilizer rod body 612 is typically made of spring steel and can withstand some degree of torsion and bending.

When the vehicle turns, the lateral acceleration generates centrifugal force and acts on the mass center of the vehicle, so that the vehicle body generates torsion and load transfer of left and right wheels. Meanwhile, the inner wheel descends, the outer wheel ascends, the stabilizer bar 61 is stressed as shown in fig. 3, and the stabilizer bar has certain torsional rigidity, so that counterforce for preventing the vehicle body from twisting is generated.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a comparison of the rolling rigidity of the suspension system when the stabilizer bar is mounted and when the stabilizer bar is not mounted, and in fig. 4, a dotted line shows a rolling rigidity curve when the stabilizer bar is not mounted, and a solid line shows a rolling rigidity curve when the stabilizer bar is mounted. As can be seen from fig. 4, the mounting of the stabilizer bar can greatly increase the roll rigidity of the suspension system, thereby reducing the roll angle of the vehicle body during cornering. The roll stiffness of the passive stabilizer bar is related to the link action lever ratio, stabilizer bar diameter, and stabilizer bar bushing stiffness. Thus, in a given suspension system, the stabilizer bar diameter of a passive stabilizer bar can correspond to only one roll stiffness, i.e., the static stiffness.

The stabilizer bar may also be an active stabilizer bar, and the active stabilizer bar generally includes a first bar portion and a second bar portion arranged at an interval, the first bar portion and the second bar portion are connected through a servo mechanism, and the servo mechanism can realize disconnection and connection between the first bar portion and the second bar portion. Therefore, when one side wheel passes through the ridge or the pit, the other side wheel is not affected, and when the other side wheel turns, the first rod part and the second rod part are combined through the servo mechanism, so that the roll stiffness is improved.

The driving stabilizer bar can also adopt two motors to respectively control the first rod part and the second rod part, and the relative torsion speed and relative fixation of the first rod part and the second rod part are adjusted through the motors, so that the aim of dynamically adjusting the roll stiffness is achieved, and the pitching of the vehicle body can be controlled.

Above-mentioned stabilizer bar, no matter passive stabilizer bar or active stabilizer bar all are connected with wheel limit assembly 5 or control arm 2 to make both sides wheel jump (tire) interact, when both sides tire syntropy is beated, the stabilizer bar does not have the influence basically to the vertical rigidity of wheel center, when the reverse beat, makes the stabilizer bar produce torsional motion, thereby makes suspension system rigidity increase, and suspension system rigidity's increase can influence the travelling comfort of taking.

The active suspension comprises an active shock absorber and an air spring, wherein the active shock absorber is divided into two types, one type is similar to the traditional shock absorber, and the level of damping force can be adjusted according to the actual running condition only through a control unit, or belongs to a damping element; and the other type is provided with a work system, and the shock absorber can generate force through a hydraulic unit to do work and counteract the road surface excitation, so that the aims of improving the comfort and the controllability are fulfilled. The air spring mainly can realize the change of the spring stiffness and the load, so that the vertical vibration frequency of the sprung mass can be kept and the vehicle body can be lifted under different load states, and the comfort and the trafficability can be improved.

In one embodiment, the active suspension is different from the passive suspension shown in fig. 1 mainly in that an air spring is used instead of a coil spring, an active damper is used instead of a passive damper, and an air cylinder, a hydraulic servo mechanism and an air compressor are added. Meanwhile, a stabilizer bar is cancelled, and the function of the stabilizer bar is completed by an active shock absorber. In the process of straight-line running of the vehicle, the active shock absorber adjusts damping according to the vibration excitation of the road surface, and the hydraulic servo mechanism can not participate in the work; when a vehicle runs on a curve, the vehicle body is tilted by a lateral force, the outer active shock absorber is lengthened by the hydraulic servo mechanism, the roll stiffness can be increased instantaneously, and meanwhile, the air spring can also participate in the work, so that the roll stiffness is increased; in the process of straight line driving and curve driving of the vehicle, other control strategies are adopted under different working conditions of acceleration, braking, steering input and the like.

The active suspension described above also needs to increase roll rigidity when the vehicle body rolls, and thus also affects ride comfort.

Based on this, the present disclosure provides a suspension system, a link mechanism is disposed between a driving device and a wheel assembly, the driving force provided by the driving device is converted into an output force output to the wheel assembly through the link mechanism, and the output force has a vertical component to change a vertical force of a tire grounding point, so that when a vehicle body is tilted due to a lateral force, the vertical force of the tire grounding point can be adjusted through the driving device through the link mechanism, the tilting stiffness of the suspension system is not affected, and the riding comfort of the vehicle is ensured.

An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure provides a suspension system, as shown in fig. 5, which includes a driving device 10 and a link mechanism 20 connected, the driving device 10 is configured to provide a driving force to the link mechanism 20 to drive the link mechanism 20 to move, and the link mechanism 20 is configured to convert the driving force provided by the driving device 10 into an output force and output the output force to a wheel rim assembly 100.

The link mechanism 20 includes a power input end 201 and a power output end 202, the power input end 201 is connected to the driving device 10, the power output end 202 is used for connecting to a wheel-side assembly 100, for example, the power output end 202 is rotatably connected to the wheel-side assembly 100, for example, hinged to the wheel-side assembly 100 through a bushing or a ball pin. The linkage 20 is configured to convert a driving force provided by the driving device 10 received at the power input 201 into an output force of the power output 202, the output force having a vertical component. It will be understood that the vertical component of the output force described herein refers to the component of the output force in a direction perpendicular to the contact surface of the tire that is used to provide an upward lifting force to the tire or a downward depressing force to the tire, the vertical component being in the direction, for example, a as shown in fig. 5.

In this embodiment, the link mechanism 20 is disposed between the driving device 10 and the wheel rim assembly 100, the driving force provided by the driving device 10 is converted into an output force output to the wheel rim assembly 100 through the link mechanism 20, and the output force has a vertical component to change a vertical force of the tire grounding point. Thus, when the vehicle body is tilted due to the lateral force, the driving device 10 can adjust the vertical force of the tire grounding point through the link mechanism 20, and the form of the link mechanism 20 can be changed, so that the rolling rigidity of the suspension system is not influenced, and the riding comfort of the vehicle is ensured. In addition, the suspension system omits a stabilizer bar, vertical force of the tire grounding point is adjusted through the matching of the driving device 10 and the link mechanism 20, the structure is simple, and the cost is saved.

The link mechanism 20 may be, for example, a double crank mechanism, a crank rocker mechanism, a slider-crank mechanism, or the like, or may be a combination of each mechanism unit, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the direction and magnitude of the vertical component of the output force may be adjusted by changing the form of the link mechanism 20.

It is understood that in the present embodiment, the link mechanism 20 is used to connect to one wheel-side assembly 100, and in a typical vehicle with four wheel-side assemblies 100, each wheel-side assembly 100 is connected to one link mechanism 20. The driving device 10 may drive only one link mechanism 20 to move, or may drive a plurality of link mechanisms 20 simultaneously.

An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure provides a suspension system, as shown in fig. 5, which includes a driving device 10 and a link mechanism 20. The link mechanism 20 includes a connecting rod 21 and a first control arm 22, one end of the connecting rod 21 forms a power input end 201, the other end of the connecting rod 21 is rotatably connected with a first end of the first control arm 22, a second end of the first control arm 22 forms a power output end 202, a rotation connecting portion 223 is arranged on the first control arm 22, and the rotation connecting portion 223 is used for rotatably connecting the first control arm 22 to a vehicle frame or a vehicle body.

The vehicle frame is, for example, a subframe 200 for supporting a suspension system, and the vehicle body is, for example, a steel plate of a vehicle body. The first control arm 22 is connected to the frame or the vehicle body through the rotation connection portion 223, and since the frame or the vehicle body is relatively fixed, the position of the rotation connection portion 223 is also relatively fixed, so that when the first control arm 22 rotates, the force of the first end of the first control arm 22 is transmitted to the second end, and the output force is applied to the wheel-side assembly 100 through the second end of the first control arm 22.

While the suspension system is generally provided with upper and lower control arms, in the present embodiment, a control arm is formed as a part of the link mechanism 20, so that the structure is simplified and the cost is reduced while ensuring that an output force having a vertical component is supplied to the wheel rim assembly 100.

With continued reference to fig. 5, the suspension system further includes a second control arm 30, a first end of the second control arm 30 is used for connecting the wheel-side assembly 100, a second end of the second control arm 30 is used for connecting the vehicle frame or the vehicle body, the second control arm 30 is located above the first control arm 22, and the first control arm 22, the second control arm 30, the vehicle frame and the wheel-side assembly 100 form a single-degree-of-freedom motion mechanism with vertical motion.

The rotation connecting portion 223 may be configured as a bushing, a ball pin, or the like, for example, but the rotation connecting portion 223 may be configured as another rotation connecting structure, and the first control arm 22 may be rotatably connected to the vehicle frame or the vehicle body, which is not limited in the present disclosure.

In one embodiment, as shown in fig. 5, the connecting rod 21 extends in a horizontal direction, and the driving device 10 provides a driving force in the horizontal direction to the connecting rod 21. In this embodiment, the connecting rod 21 is a horizontal rod, which can reduce the vertical dimension of the suspension system, so that the structure of the suspension system is more compact, and on the other hand, since the tires of the vehicle are usually arranged oppositely, the link mechanisms 20 are also arranged oppositely, so that the driving device 10 can be disposed between the two link mechanisms 20 arranged oppositely, thereby facilitating the driving device 10 to drive the two link mechanisms 20 to act simultaneously.

In order to further improve the riding comfort of the vehicle, as shown in fig. 5, a buffer device 40 is arranged on the connecting rod 21, and the buffer device 40 is used for buffering the movement of the connecting rod 21 along the axial direction thereof, so as to avoid the vehicle bump and ensure the riding comfort. The damping device 40 may be a spring, a damper, or the like, which can damp the motion. The buffer device 40 is exemplarily a spring, and when the connecting rod 21 moves, the spring can provide an elastic force in the moving direction and can extend and contract in the moving direction to ensure comfort. The spring can adopt an air spring, and the air spring can also realize the change of rigidity so as to adapt to different load states.

Wherein, connecting rod 21 can include first connecting rod portion and second connecting rod portion, the one end in first connecting rod portion is connected with the first end of first control arm 22, the one end of buffer 40 is connected to the other end in first connecting rod portion, the one end in second connecting rod portion is connected with drive arrangement 10, the other end in buffer 40 is connected to the other end in second connecting rod portion, the axis coincidence in first connecting rod portion, second connecting rod portion and buffer 40 to guarantee to carry out the transmission of the power of axis direction each other and can not take place radial dislocation.

In one embodiment, as shown in fig. 5, the first control arm 22 includes a first arm 221 and a second arm 222 arranged at an included angle, one end of the first arm 221 is a first end of the first control arm 22, a first end of the second arm 222 is a second end of the first control arm 22, and a rotation connection 223 is disposed at a junction between the other end of the first arm 221 and the other end of the second arm 222. For example, the other end of the first arm 221 and the other end of the second arm 222 are both laterally connected to the rotation connecting portion 223.

Compared with the two-force-rod control arm and the triangular-arm control arm in the related art, in the embodiment, the first control arm 22 is arranged in a bending structure, so that the size of the suspension system in the vertical direction can be reduced, the structure of the suspension system is more compact, and the output force has more vertical components by setting the angle between the first arm 221 and the second arm 222.

Illustratively, referring to fig. 5, the first arm 221 and the second arm 222 are perpendicular to each other, and the connecting rod 21 and the second arm 222 both extend in the horizontal direction, so that when the connecting rod 21 moves in the horizontal direction, the output force of the first control arm 22 on the wheel rim assembly 100 is a vertical force, thereby improving the force transmission efficiency. Taking the link mechanism 20 on the left side in fig. 5 as an example, when the connecting rod 21 moves to the left, the first end of the first control arm 22 is driven to the left, and the second end of the first control arm 22 applies a downward output force to the wheel-side assembly 100; when the connecting rod 21 moves to the right, the first end of the first control arm 22 receives a driving force to the right, and the second end of the first control arm 22 applies an upward output force to the wheel-side assembly 100. The right-hand linkage 20 moves in a similar manner and is not described in detail here.

In one embodiment, the suspension system further includes a shock absorber 50, one end of the shock absorber 50 is rotatably connected to the second arm portion 222, and the other end of the shock absorber 50 is used for connecting to the vehicle body, and the shock absorber 50 is arranged to damp vertical vibration excitation from the road surface, thereby further improving comfort.

An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure provides a suspension system, as shown in fig. 5, the suspension system includes a driving device 10 and a link mechanism 20 connected with each other, as shown in fig. 6, the driving device 10 includes a cylinder 13 and a first piston 11 and a second piston 12 disposed in the cylinder 13, the cylinder 13 is fixed to a vehicle frame or a vehicle body, the first piston 11 and the second piston 12 divide an inner cavity of the cylinder 13 into three inner cavity units isolated from each other, a volume of each inner cavity unit is changed to drive the first piston 11 and the second piston 12 to move, the driving device 10 has a first side and a second side opposite to each other, the first side and the second side of the driving device 10 are both provided with one link mechanism 20, the first piston 11 and the second piston 12 are respectively connected with the link mechanisms 20 at two sides, for example, the first piston 11 is connected with the link mechanism 20 at one side by a first piston rod, and the second piston 12 is connected with the link mechanism 20 at the other side by a second piston rod.

In this embodiment, the two link mechanisms 20 can be driven by the operation of the two pistons in one cylinder 13, and for example, the operation of the two pistons can be driven by changing the amount of fluid in each chamber unit, thereby further simplifying the structure and control of the suspension system and reducing the cost. The fluid can be gas or liquid, and the response speed is high, so that the device can adapt to transient working conditions.

As an example, the driving device 10 includes a hydraulic control system 14, the hydraulic control system 14 is configured to supply hydraulic oil to each of the cavity units and change the amount of hydraulic oil in each of the cavity units to drive the first piston 11 and the second piston 12 to move, the hydraulic control system 14 includes, for example, a hydraulic pump and a delivery line, the delivery line is communicated with each of the cavity units, and the hydraulic pump delivers and withdraws hydraulic oil from each of the cavity units through the delivery line to change the amount of hydraulic oil in each of the cavity units. The hydraulic control system is adopted, the working frequency of the hydraulic control system can reach more than 60Hz, and therefore the response speed of the suspension system is improved.

In one embodiment, as shown in fig. 6, the cylinder 13 has an elongated structure extending in a horizontal direction, and the first piston 11 and the second piston 12 are arranged in the cylinder 13 at intervals in the horizontal direction and are capable of moving in the extending direction of the cylinder 13. For convenience of description, three mutually isolated inner cavity units are referred to as a first inner cavity unit 131, a second inner cavity unit 132 and a third inner cavity unit 133 from left to right, and for the left-side link mechanism 20, when the volume of the first inner cavity unit 131 is decreased and the volume of the second inner cavity unit 132 is increased, the first piston 11 can be driven to move leftward, the first piston 11 drives the connecting rod 21 to move leftward, and the first end of the first control arm 22 is subjected to a leftward driving force, so that the second end of the first control arm 22 applies a downward output force to the wheel-side assembly 100. When the volume of the first inner chamber unit 131 is increased and the volume of the second inner chamber unit 132 is decreased, the first piston 11 can be driven to move rightward, the first piston 11 drives the connecting rod 21 to move rightward, the first end of the first control arm 22 receives a rightward driving force, and the second end of the first control arm 22 applies an upward output force to the wheel-side assembly 100. The action of the right-hand linkage 20 is similar and will not be described in detail here.

In this embodiment, the driving device 10 may be configured with a plurality of operation modes, and the plurality of operation modes may include a first operation mode, a second operation mode, a third operation mode, and a fourth operation mode. When the drive is in the first mode of operation, the first piston 11 and the second piston 12 are controlled to be stationary so that the output force applied to the wheels on both sides remains constant.

As shown in fig. 7 and 8, when the driving device 10 is in the second operation mode, the first piston 11 and the second piston 12 are controlled to move along the cylinder 13, and the distance between the first piston 11 and the second piston 12 is kept constant, and the moving directions of the first piston 11 and the second piston 12 are shown by arrows in fig. 7 and 8. If the first piston 11 and the second piston 12 move leftward in synchronization as shown in fig. 7, the left wheel side assembly 100 receives a downward pressing output force, and the right wheel side assembly 100 receives a lifting output force, and if the first piston 11 and the second piston 12 move rightward in synchronization as shown in fig. 8, the left wheel side assembly 100 receives a lifting output force, and the right wheel side assembly 100 receives a downward pressing output force.

As shown in fig. 9 and 10, when the driving device 10 is in the third operating mode, the first piston 11 and the second piston 12 are controlled to move relatively close to or away from each other, and the moving directions of the first piston 11 and the second piston 12 are as shown by arrows in fig. 9 and 10. As shown in fig. 9, when the first piston 11 and the second piston 12 perform a relative movement toward each other, the left wheel side assembly 100 and the right wheel side assembly 100 both receive an output force of lifting, and as shown in fig. 10, when the first piston 11 and the second piston 12 perform a relative movement away from each other, the left wheel side assembly 100 and the right wheel side assembly 100 both receive an output force of pressing down.

When the driving device 10 is in the fourth operation mode, the first piston 11 and the second piston 12 are controlled to move freely. It will be appreciated that free movement as described herein means that the first piston 11 is not constrained by the position of the second piston 12, nor is the second piston 12 constrained by the position of the first piston 11, both of which can move to any position within the cylinder 13.

In this embodiment, different working modes (described in detail later) may be selected according to the driving condition of the vehicle and the road condition, so that the working mode of the driving apparatus is more matched with the current working condition of the vehicle, and in addition, the driver may also manually select the working mode of the driving apparatus according to the actual condition.

An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure also provides a control method of a suspension system, which is, for example, applicable to control of the suspension system as described above, as shown in fig. 11, the control method of the suspension system including:

and S100, acquiring the state information and/or road surface information of the vehicle.

In the step, the current working condition of the vehicle can be reflected by the state information and the road surface information of the vehicle. The state information of the vehicle can be detected by the detection device, and can also be determined according to the operation and control actions of a driver on a console, a steering wheel and the like. The road surface information can be determined by, for example, road surface image recognition, road surface scanning, or the like.

And S200, controlling the driving device to drive the link mechanism to act based on the state information and/or the road surface information of the vehicle so as to change the magnitude and/or the direction of the output force.

In this embodiment, according to the current operating mode of vehicle, control drive arrangement drive link mechanism action to change link mechanism's form, and then change the size and/or the direction of the output power of output to wheel limit assembly, so that the atress of wheel limit assembly and current vehicle gesture more adaptation, and then improve riding comfort.

In step S100, the state information of the vehicle may be acquired based on the information detected by the detection device, the manipulation action of the driver, and the like. In one embodiment, control instructions received by the vehicle may be acquired, where the control instructions include a throttle control instruction, a steering control instruction, and/or a braking control instruction, and the control instructions are used as the state information of the vehicle. For example, when the driver steps on the accelerator, it may be determined that the vehicle is in an acceleration running state, when the driver steps on the brake, it may be determined that the vehicle is in a braking state, when the driver turns the steering wheel to the left, it may be determined that the vehicle is in a left turning state, and when the driver turns the steering wheel to the right, it may be determined that the vehicle is in a right turning state.

In another embodiment, the vehicle body movement state information of the vehicle may be acquired, and the vehicle body movement state information may include speed information of a vertical direction, a horizontal direction, and/or an oblique direction of the vehicle body, and the speed information may include, for example, linear speed information and angular speed information, with the vehicle body movement state information of the vehicle as the state information of the vehicle. For example, when a horizontal forward acceleration is detected, it may be determined that the vehicle is in an acceleration running state, when a horizontal backward acceleration is detected, it may be determined that the vehicle is in a braking state, when a leftward-leaning acceleration is detected, it may be determined that the vehicle is in a leftward-turning state, and when a rightward-leaning acceleration is detected, it may be determined that the vehicle is in a rightward-turning state.

In step S100, road surface information may be determined according to road surface image recognition, road surface scanning, and the like, and for example, road surface spectrum information of a road surface on which a vehicle runs may be acquired as the road surface information. By analyzing the road spectrum information, the current road condition can be known, such as whether the current road is flat, whether the current road is convex or not, whether the current road is concave or not and the like.

As described above, the drive device has a plurality of operation modes, and thus, the drive device can be controlled to switch between different operation modes according to the state information of the vehicle and/or the road surface information.

In one embodiment, the driving device has a first working mode, and when the driving device is in the first working mode, the first piston and the second piston in the cylinder body of the driving device are controlled to be fixed, so that the output force is kept unchanged. For example, when it is determined that the vehicle is traveling on a flat road at a constant speed according to the state information and/or the road surface information of the vehicle, the driving apparatus is controlled to be in the first operation mode. Under the working condition, the action of the link mechanism does not need to be controlled, and when the vehicle body has extremely small side inclination, the shock absorber and the buffer device can be used for damping.

In one embodiment, the drive device has a second mode of operation, and when the drive device is in the second mode of operation, the first and second pistons within the cylinder in the drive device are controlled to move along the cylinder with the spacing between the first and second pistons remaining constant to increase the downward vertical component of the output force applied to the wheel towards which the first and second pistons move and to increase the upward vertical component of the output force applied to the wheel away from which the first and second pistons move. In this embodiment, since the first and second pistons are moving synchronously, the increase in the downward vertical component of the output force applied to the wheel toward which the first and second pistons move is equal to the increase in the upward vertical component of the output force applied to the wheel away from which the first and second pistons move.

Illustratively, the driving device is controlled to be in the second operation mode when it is determined that one side wheel of the vehicle passes a protrusion or a depression or when it is determined that the vehicle is steered, based on the state information and/or the road surface information of the vehicle. For example, when it is determined that the first wheel of the vehicle passes the bump based on the state information and/or the road surface information of the vehicle, the upward vertical component of the output force applied to the first wheel is controlled to be increased, and thus, the first wheel is lifted to maintain the stability of the vehicle body. For example, if the first wheel is a left front wheel, the first piston and the second piston are both moved synchronously to the right with respect to the drive device between the left front wheel and the right front wheel, thereby lifting the left front wheel.

When it is determined that the second wheel of the vehicle passes through the depression based on the state information and/or the road surface information of the vehicle, the control increases a downward vertical component of the output force applied to the second wheel, so that the second wheel is depressed to maintain the stability of the vehicle body. For example, if the second wheel is a left front wheel, then both the first piston and the second piston move synchronously to the left side for the drive device between the left front wheel and the right front wheel, thereby pressing down the left front wheel.

When it is determined that the vehicle is turning based on the state information and/or road surface information of the vehicle, a downward vertical component of the output force applied to the outer-turning wheel is controlled to be increased, and an upward vertical component of the output force applied to the inner-turning wheel is controlled to be increased, so that the inner-turning wheel is pressed down and the outer-turning wheel is lifted up to reduce the roll of the vehicle body. For example, when the vehicle turns left, the first piston and the second piston are both driven to move synchronously to the left, and when the vehicle turns right, the first piston and the second piston are both driven to move synchronously to the right.

In one embodiment, the driving device has a third operation mode, and when the driving device is in the third operation mode, the first piston and the second piston in the cylinder of the driving device are controlled to perform relative movement close to each other so as to simultaneously increase the upward vertical component of the output force of the wheels on the two sides, or the first piston and the second piston are controlled to perform relative movement away from each other so as to simultaneously increase the downward vertical component of the output force of the wheels on the two sides.

For example, when it is determined that the vehicle is accelerating, braking or running on a non-flat road surface according to the state information and/or road surface information of the vehicle, the driving device is controlled to be in the third operating mode.

For example, when it is determined that the vehicle is running with acceleration, the control increases the upward vertical component of the output force applied to the left and right front wheels, and may also control increases the downward vertical component of the output force applied to the left and right rear wheels, such that the left and right front wheel support forces are reduced and the left and right rear wheel support forces are increased, thereby canceling the axle load shift-back caused by acceleration. Illustratively, for the drive device between the left and right front wheels, the first and second pistons make relative movements toward each other, thereby reducing the preload of the damper device such as a spring; in the drive device between the left and right rear wheels, the first and second pistons are relatively moved away from each other, thereby increasing the preload of a damper device such as a spring. It is to be understood that the left, right, front and rear directions described herein are directions referenced by the driver, the tire on the front left-hand side of the driver being the front left wheel, the tire on the rear left-hand side being the rear left wheel, the tire on the front right-hand side being the front right wheel, and the tire on the rear right-hand side being the rear right wheel.

When it is determined that the vehicle is braked, the downward vertical component of the output force applied to the left and right front wheels is controlled to be increased, and the upward vertical component of the output force applied to the left and right rear wheels is also controlled to be increased, so that the left and right front wheel supporting forces are increased and the left and right rear wheel supporting forces are decreased, thereby offsetting the forward movement of the axle load caused by acceleration. Illustratively, for the drive device between the left and right front wheels, the first and second pistons are relatively moved away from each other, thereby increasing the preload of the damper device such as a spring; in the drive device between the left and right rear wheels, the first and second pistons are relatively moved close to each other, thereby reducing the preload of a damper device such as a spring.

When it is determined that the vehicle is traveling on a non-flat road surface, the downward vertical component of the output force applied to each wheel is controlled to be increased, and thus the vehicle body is raised, for example, the first piston and the second piston are controlled to make relative movements toward each other to increase the vertical force of the wheel attached to the ground, thereby raising the vehicle body.

In one embodiment, the driving device has a fourth working mode, and when the driving device is in the fourth working mode, the first piston and the second piston in the cylinder body in the driving device are controlled to move freely, so that the first piston and the second piston can move to any position in the cylinder body, and the magnitude and the direction of output force borne by the wheels on two sides can be adjusted flexibly.

For example, when it is determined that one side wheel of the vehicle passes through a protrusion or a depression, or when it is determined that the vehicle is turning, the driving device is controlled to be in the fourth operation mode so that the posture of the wheel is more adapted to the current operation condition. Particularly, when the vehicle is in transient rotation, for example, when the elk tests and other limit working conditions, the control driving device is in the fourth working mode, the single-shaft roll stiffness and the front-back roll stiffness distribution can be adjusted, the lateral force of the whole vehicle is established to be the optimal mode, the tire adhesion can be adjusted, and the controllability is further improved.

An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure provides a vehicle, which may be, for example, a fuel automobile, an electric automobile, or a hybrid automobile, including the suspension system as described above, or a control method employing the suspension system as described above.

Other embodiments of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the invention disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the invention following, in general, the principles of the invention and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice within the art to which the invention pertains. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the invention being indicated by the following claims.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the precise arrangements described above and shown in the drawings and that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the invention is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A suspension system, comprising:

a drive device;

wherein the linkage is configured to convert the driving force provided by the driving device received by the power input end into an output force of the power output end, the output force having a vertical component.

2. The suspension system of claim 1 wherein the linkage includes a connecting rod and a first control arm, one end of the connecting rod constituting the power input, the other end of the connecting rod being pivotally connected to a first end of the first control arm, a second end of the first control arm constituting the power output, the first control arm having a pivotal connection provided thereon for pivotally connecting the first control arm to a vehicle frame or body.

3. The suspension system according to claim 2, wherein the connecting rod extends in a horizontal direction, and the driving device provides a driving force in the horizontal direction to the connecting rod.

4. A suspension system according to claim 2, wherein a damping means is provided on the connecting rod for damping movement of the connecting rod in a direction along its axis.

5. The suspension system of claim 2 wherein said first control arm includes angled first and second arm portions, said first arm portion having one end at said first end of said first control arm and said second arm portion having a first end at said second end of said first control arm, said pivotal connection being provided at the intersection of the other end of said first arm portion and the other end of said second arm portion.

6. The suspension system of claim 5, wherein the first arm portion and the second arm portion are perpendicular to each other, and the connecting rod and the second arm portion each extend in a horizontal direction.

7. The suspension system of claim 5, further comprising a shock absorber having one end pivotally connected to the second arm and another end for connection to a vehicle body.

8. The suspension system according to any one of claims 1 to 7 wherein the drive means includes a cylinder and a first piston and a second piston disposed in the cylinder, the cylinder is fixed to the vehicle frame or body, the first piston and the second piston divide the internal cavity of the cylinder into three mutually isolated internal cavity units, the volume of each internal cavity unit varies to drive the first piston and the second piston to move, the drive means has a first side and a second side which are opposite, the first side and the second side of the drive means are each provided with one of the link mechanisms, and the first piston and the second piston are respectively connected to the link mechanisms on both sides.

9. The suspension system according to claim 8, wherein the cylinder has an elongated structure extending in a horizontal direction, and the first piston and the second piston are disposed in the cylinder at a spacing in the horizontal direction and are movable in the extending direction of the cylinder.

10. The suspension system of claim 8 wherein said drive means includes a hydraulic control system for supplying hydraulic oil to each of said interior chamber units and varying the amount of hydraulic oil in each of said interior chamber units to drive movement of said first and second pistons.

11. The suspension system of claim 8 wherein the drive means has a plurality of operating modes including:

12. The suspension system of any one of claims 1 to 7, comprising:

13. A control method of a suspension system, characterized by comprising:

acquiring state information and/or road surface information of a vehicle;

14. The control method of a suspension system according to claim 13, wherein said acquiring the state information and/or the road surface information of the vehicle includes:

15. A method of controlling a suspension system according to claim 13 wherein the drive means has a first mode of operation and when the drive means is in the first mode of operation the first and second pistons within the cylinder of the drive means are controlled to be fixed such that the output force is maintained constant.

16. The control method of a suspension system according to claim 15, wherein said controlling said drive means to drive said link mechanism to act to change the magnitude and/or direction of said output force based on the state information and/or road surface information of said vehicle comprises:

17. A method of controlling a suspension system according to claim 13 wherein the drive has a second mode of operation and when the drive is in the second mode of operation the first and second pistons within a cylinder in the drive are controlled to move along the cylinder with the spacing between the first and second pistons remaining constant to increase the downward vertical component of the output force applied to the wheel towards which the first and second pistons move and to increase the upward vertical component of the output force applied to the wheel away from which the first and second pistons move.

18. The control method of a suspension system according to claim 17, wherein said controlling said drive device to drive said link mechanism to act to change the magnitude and/or direction of said output force based on the state information and/or road surface information of said vehicle comprises:

19. A method of controlling a suspension system according to claim 13 wherein the drive means has a third operating mode and when the drive means is in the third operating mode the first and second pistons in the cylinder of the drive means are controlled to move relatively closer to one another to increase simultaneously the upward vertical component of the output force from the wheels on either side or the first and second pistons are controlled to move relatively farther from one another to increase simultaneously the downward vertical component of the output force from the wheels on either side.

20. The control method of a suspension system according to claim 19, wherein said controlling said drive means to drive said link mechanism to act to change the magnitude and/or direction of said output force based on the state information and/or road surface information of said vehicle comprises:

and when the vehicle is determined to be accelerated to run, braked or run on a non-flat road surface according to the state information and/or road surface information of the vehicle, controlling the driving device to be in the third working mode.

21. A method of controlling a suspension system according to claim 13 wherein the drive means has a fourth mode of operation and the first and second pistons in the cylinder of the drive means are controlled to move freely when the drive means is in the fourth mode of operation.

22. The control method of a suspension system according to claim 21, wherein said controlling said drive device to drive said link mechanism to act to change the magnitude and/or direction of said output force based on the state information and/or road surface information of said vehicle comprises:

23. A vehicle comprising a suspension system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 12, or a control method using a suspension system as claimed in any one of claims 13 to 22.