This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202110819715.X, filed on Jul. 20, 2021, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
The embodiments relate to the field of vehicle braking technologies, a parking mechanism, an EMB system, and a vehicle.
Unlike a conventional brake that uses hydraulic pressure to push a piston to push a friction sheet, an electronic mechanical brake (EMB) system is a brake that uses a wheel-end motor to drive a reducer, then to drive a mechanical structure (for example, a ball screw, a cam mechanism, or a slider-crank mechanism) that converts rotational motion into linear motion, and to finally drive the friction sheet to implement braking.
An electronic parking brake (EPB) unit needs to be integrated into the EMB system for the following two reasons: 1. A motor and a motion mechanism of the EMB system may generate braking force, and this set of EMB system may be used to reduce costs. 2. The motion mechanism of the EMB system is non-self-locking. After the motor of the EMB system is powered off, the motion mechanism rebounds and releases braking. If the motor of the EMB system is powered on for a long time, a serious heating problem may occur. The EPB unit can lock the motion mechanism of the EMB system when long-time braking is required. In this way, the motion mechanism cannot rebound and braking is maintained.
At present, integration of the EPB unit into the EMB system can implement parking, but a change of parking force is mostly stepwise, and a vehicle may slide when the parking force increases.
The embodiments provide a parking mechanism, an EMB system, and a vehicle, to provide stepless variable parking force for braking a vehicle to standstill. This can implement unidirectional locking when the parking force increases.
According to a first aspect, the embodiments provide a parking mechanism. The parking mechanism may be integrated into an EMB system of a vehicle to brake and park the vehicle. The parking mechanism includes a wheel disc, a wedge disc, and a drive assembly. The wheel disc is configured to be fixedly connected to a motor shaft of a brake system (for example, an EMB system), and may rotate with the motor shaft of the brake system. The wedge disc is fastened relative to a motor housing of the brake system, and when the motor shaft of the brake system rotates, the wheel disc rotates relative to the wedge disc. An axis of the wheel disc and an axis of the wedge disc are aligned with an axis of the motor shaft of the brake system. Therefore, the wheel disc rotates with the motor shaft and relative to the wedge disc by using the axis of the motor shaft as a rotation axis. A wedge groove with an opening facing the wheel disc is formed on a surface of the wedge disc facing the wheel disc, a movable part in contact with the wheel disc is disposed in the wedge groove, and in a direction from a bottom of the wedge groove to the wheel disc, a groove depth at a first end of the wedge groove is greater than a size of the movable part, and a groove depth at a second end of the wedge groove is less than the size of the movable part. When the movable part moves between the first end and the second end of the wedge groove, friction between the movable part and the wheel disc changes. An elastic part is disposed between the movable part and the first end of the wedge groove, and the elastic part is in a compressed energy storage state, so that the elastic part has a trend of driving the movable part to move from the first end to the second end of the wedge groove. It may be predicted that when the movable part is driven by the elastic part to move from the first end to the second end of the wedge groove, the movable part is pressed to the wheel disc due to a limitation of a structure of the wedge groove, and the friction between the movable part and the wheel disc will gradually increase. The drive assembly is configured to drive the movable part to move against elastic potential energy of the elastic part and from the second end to the first end of the wedge groove.
When the parking mechanism is used in the brake system for parking, the elastic part driven by the drive assembly may cooperate with the wedge groove to apply pressure to the movable part. Plenty of friction are generated between the movable part and the wheel disc, the wheel disc is fastened relative to the wedge disc, and the motor shaft of the brake system is fastened relative to the motor housing, to implement braking of the vehicle to standstill. In this case, the motor shaft of the brake system is locked. When the parking needs to be canceled, the drive assembly is controlled to drive the movable part to move from the second end to the first end in the wedge groove. The friction between the movable part and the wheel disc gradually becomes smaller or even may be ignored. In this case, the wheel disc rotates relative to the wedge disc, so that the motor shaft rotates relative to the motor housing, and the motor shaft of the brake system is not locked. Because motion of the movable part in the wedge groove is consecutive, the parking mechanism can implement stepless adjustment of parking force, and cooperation between the movable part and the wedge groove can implement unidirectional locking when the parking force increases.
In a possible implementation, the wedge disc is in a ring shape, and a cylindrical hole is disposed in a center of the wedge disc. A size of the cylindrical hole matches a peripheral surface of the wheel disc, so that the wedge disc is sleeved on the wheel disc. Based on a structure of the wheel disc and the wedge disc, the wedge groove is formed on an inner wall of the wedge disc in contact with a round hole of the wheel disc.
In some possible implementations, the movable part may be of a cylindrical structure, a spherical structure, or another similar structure. Such a structure facilitates motion of the movable part in the wedge groove. The elastic part may be a spring or a spring plate. It may be understood that, when the movable part is of a spherical structure and the elastic part is a spring, the elastic part may be in good contact with the movable part to bear force.
Based on the structure of the wheel disc and the wedge disc, in a possible implementation, the drive assembly includes a drive disc, and in an extension direction of the motor shaft of the brake system, the drive disc may be disposed on any side of the wheel disc and the wedge disc. An axis of the drive disc is aligned with the axis of the motor shaft, and the drive disc rotates relative to the wedge disc and around the axis of the motor shaft. The drive disc has a drive block, and the drive block extends into the wedge groove and is located at a side of the movable part away from the elastic part. When the drive disc rotates relative to the wedge disc by using the axis of the motor shaft as a rotation axis, the drive block moves in the wedge groove. In addition, when the drive block moves with the drive disc and from the second end to the first end in the wedge groove, the drive block drives the movable part to move against the elastic potential energy of the elastic part and to the first end. This unlocks the locking of the motor shaft.
The drive assembly further includes a power source that drives the drive disc to rotate. The power source may be an electromagnetic drive structure and may be configured to drive the drive disc to rotate by using the axis of the motor shaft as a rotation axis.
To implement self-locking of the parking mechanism when the electromagnetic drive structure is powered off, the drive assembly may further include a transmission rod. An outer thread is formed by rotating a peripheral surface of the transmission rod around an axis of the transmission rod. Accordingly, a worm gear is formed at an edge of the drive disc, and the worm gear is engaged with the thread. Therefore, the transmission rod and the drive disc form a worm gear and worm assembly, to implement self-locking.
In addition, a wrench interface is further disposed at an end of the transmission rod away from the electromagnetic drive structure. The wrench interface may be in a hexagonal prism shape, an inner hexagonal shape, a torx shape, or the like. When the electromagnetic drive structure is powered off, a worker may operate the parking mechanism by using a wrench acting on the wrench interface, to unlock the motor shaft of the brake system.
According to a second aspect, the embodiments may further provide an EMB system, including a motor, a reducer, and the parking mechanism in any one of the foregoing solutions. The motor is in transmission connection to the reducer by using a motor shaft, a wheel disc of the parking mechanism is fixedly connected to the motor shaft, and a wedge disc of the parking mechanism is fastened relative to a motor housing of the motor. The EMB system can implement braking by using the foregoing parking mechanism and achieve all beneficial effects of the parking mechanism. Details are not described herein again.
According to a third aspect, the embodiments may further provide a vehicle. The vehicle includes a vehicle body, a wheel hub, and the EMB system. A motor shaft of the EMB system is in transmission connection to the wheel hub, and finally the braking is achieved by braking the wheel hub.
Currently, an EMB system may be used for braking a vehicle. After an EPB unit is integrated into the EMB system, the EPB unit can lock a motion mechanism of the EMB system to maintain braking. However, an application scope of a current EPB unit is limited, stepless change (which may also be referred to as consecutive change) cannot be implemented, and a vehicle may easily slide when parking force increases.
In view of this, the embodiments may provide a parking mechanism that can be integrated into an EMB system, to resolve the foregoing problems. To make objectives, solutions, and advantages clearer, the following further describes the embodiments in detail with reference to accompanying drawings.
Terms used in the embodiments are merely intended to describe the embodiments but are not intended as limiting. Terms “one”, “a”, “the”, “the foregoing”, “this”, and “the one” of singular forms used herein are also intended to include plural forms like “one or more”, unless otherwise specified in the context clearly.
Reference to “one embodiment” or “some embodiments” or the like means that one or more embodiments include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in combination with the embodiment. Thus, phrases “in one embodiment”, “in some embodiments”, “in some other embodiments”, “in some additional embodiments”, and the like that appear do not necessarily mean referring to a same embodiment, but mean “one or more embodiments, but not all embodiments”, unless otherwise emphasized. The terms “include”, “have”, and their variants all mean “include but are not limited to”, unless otherwise emphasized in other ways.
Refer to
The wheel disc 1 is of a disc-shaped structure, equivalent to a cylinder with a low height, and has two opposite surfaces. A distance between the two surfaces is equivalent to the height of the cylinder, that is, a thickness of the wheel disc 1. An axis of the wheel disc 1 is aligned with an axis Q of the motor shaft, so that the wheel disc 1 co-axially rotates with the motor shaft, and the wheel disc 1 and the motor shaft have a same rotational angular velocity. The wedge disc 2 may also be of a disc-shaped structure, equivalent to a cylinder with a low height, and has two opposite surfaces. A distance between the two surfaces is equivalent to the height of the cylinder, that is, a thickness of the wedge disc 2. The wedge disc 2 has a cylindrical hole extending along an axis of the wedge disc 2 and penetrating the thickness of the wedge disc 2. An inner diameter of the cylindrical hole is equivalent to a size of a radial peripheral surface of the wheel disc 1, so that the wedge disc 2 can be sleeved on the wheel disc 1, and the axis of the sleeved wedge disc 2 is aligned with the axis of the wheel disc 1. In this manner, the axis of the wheel disc 1, the axis of the wedge disc 2, and the axis Q of the motor shaft are aligned. When the brake system is not at a standstill, the motor shaft of the brake system rotates normally, and the wheel disc 1 rotates relative to the wedge disc 2 by using the axis Q of the motor shaft as a rotation axis. To implement braking of the brake system, the motor shaft of the brake system needs to be braked to reduce a rotation rate of the motor shaft of the brake system until the motor shaft of the brake system stops rotating (that the motor shaft of the brake system stops rotating is equivalent to that the brake system is at a standstill).
At least one wedge groove 21 with an opening facing the wheel disc 1 is formed on a surface of the wedge disc 2 facing the wheel disc 1. In
With reference to a structure of the wheel disc 1 and the wedge disc 2 shown in
With reference to
To control the movable part 22 to move in the wedge groove 21 to change motion of the wheel disc 1 relative to the wedge disc 2, for example, as shown in
The drive assembly 3 is configured to drive the movable part 22 to move from the second end a2 to the first end a1, so that the friction between the movable part 22 and the wheel disc 1 decreases. When the drive assembly 3 drives the movable part 22 to move from the second end a2 to the first end a1, until the friction between the movable part 22 and the wheel disc 1 decreases to almost disappearing, locking on the wheel disc 1 is canceled, the motor shaft of the brake system rotates normally, where the motor shaft is fixedly connected to the wheel disc 1, and the brake system is released from a standstill.
Based on the structure and the cooperation manner of the wheel disc 1 and the wedge disc 2, the drive assembly 3 may include a drive disc 31 of a circular disc structure. The drive disc 31 is also equivalent to a cylinder with a low height, and also has two opposite surfaces. A distance between the two surfaces is equivalent to the height of the cylinder, that is, a thickness of the drive disc 31. The wedge disc 2 is sleeved on the wheel disc 1 in a radial direction of the motor shaft of the brake system, and in the direction of the axis Q of the motor shaft of the brake system, the drive disc 31 is disposed on any side of the wheel disc 1 and the wedge disc 2. A drive block 311 that extends into the wedge groove 21 is formed on the drive disc 31, and the drive block 311 is located on a side of the movable part 22 away from the elastic part 23, to facilitate the drive block 311 to apply, to the movable part 22, force that drives the movable part 22 to move from the second end a2 to the first end a1.
In some embodiments, the movable part 22 is cylindrical, and the cylindrical movable part 22 is disposed in the wedge groove 21 in the following manner. An axis of the cylindrical movable part 22 is parallel to the axis Q of the motor shaft of the brake system, and a radial peripheral surface of the cylindrical movable part 22 is in contact with the inner wall of the wedge groove 21 and/or the wheel disc 1. In some other embodiments, the movable part 22 may alternatively be spherical, and a manner of disposing the spherical movable part in the wedge groove 21 is not limited. The motion of the movable part 22 in the two forms in the wedge groove 21 may be rolling, or may be translation, or may be a combination of rolling and translation, provided that the motion of the movable part 22 in the wedge groove 21 can control the braking state of the motor shaft of the brake system. In addition, an action manner between the movable part 22 and the wheel disc 1 may be replaced with a butterfly friction block structure, a ratchet wheel structure, a ratchet disc structure, or the like. Details are not described herein.
It should be understood that, in
To implement electronic braking, the drive assembly 3 in the parking mechanism 10 provided in the embodiments further includes a power source, and the power source drives the drive disc 31 to rotate around the axis of the motor shaft of the brake system.
A parking mechanism 10 is shown in
To more clearly show a transmission relationship of the parking mechanism 10 in
With reference to
Still with reference to
In some alternative solutions, the wrench interface e may also be in an inner hexagonal shape, a petal shape (for example, a torx shape), or the like. Details are not described herein.
For example, the parking mechanism 10 in
When the electronic brake system is at a standstill, the electromagnetic drive structure 32 of the drive assembly 3 is powered on to drive a transmission rod 33 to rotate in a direction shown in
In conclusion, the parking mechanism 10 provided in the embodiments is equivalent to an overrunning clutch (which may also be referred to as a one-way clutch), and the motor shaft of the brake system is enabled to implement the following two states through cooperation of transmission structures of the parking mechanism 10: Cooperation of the movable part 22 and the wedge groove 21 implements a one-way clutch effect (one-way locking of the motor shaft), and braking of the motor shaft of the brake system is fully released without affecting normal operation of the motor shaft of the brake system.
Based on a structure of the parking mechanism 10, for example, the parking mechanism 10 shown in
It should be understood that a function of the parking mechanism 10 herein is to lock the motion of the motor shaft 201 of the motor 20. The entire EMB system 100 only needs to lock power transmission. Therefore, an EMB system 100 shown in
With reference to a transmission connection structure of an EMB system 100 shown in
With reference to the structure of the parking mechanism 10 shown in
When software of the EMB system 100 drives the motor 20 to increase parking force, the motor shaft 201 rotates with the wheel disc 1 around an axis of the motor shaft 201 and in the wedge groove 21 in a direction from the second end b2 to the first end b1. The drive assembly 3 drives the drive block 311 to apply, to the movable part 22, force in a direction from the first end b1 to the second end b2 of the wedge groove 21. Elastic potential energy of the elastic part 23 is insufficient to prevent an action of the movable part 22. When the parking force increases, the friction between the wheel disc 1 and the movable part 22 located in the wedge groove 21 and close to the second end b2 continues to prevent the motor shaft 201 from being reversed. It should be understood that, in a period of increasing parking force, locking between the movable part 22 and the wedge groove 21 is unidirectional, and the transmission rod 33 and the drive disc 31 of the drive assembly 3 do not need to be loosened, so that the EMB system 100 is at a standstill, and the vehicle does not slide.
In addition, a worm gear and worm assembly including the transmission rod 33 and the drive disc 31 of the parking mechanism 10 can implement self-locking, so that the EMB system 100 is purely mechanically parked for a long time, and a motor 20 of the EMB system 100 does not need to be energized for a long time.
It can be understood that the EMB system 100 provided in the embodiments may implement braking by using the foregoing parking mechanism 10. When braking needs to be maintained for a long time, reversal of the motor 20 can be locked, and the motor 20 is enabled to rotate forward without being prevented from increasing force, so that the motor 20 can be powered off and cooled down. As the EMB system 100 uses the parking mechanism 10, when an electrical failure occurs, braking can be released manually, and no additional parking system is required, thereby reducing costs.
Based on the EMB system 100, as shown in
The foregoing descriptions are merely implementations of the embodiments, but are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments. Any variation or replacement readily figured out by a person skilled in the art shall fall within the scope of the embodiments.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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202110819715.X | Jul 2021 | CN | national |