Motor vehicle having synchronously operable actuators

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11312429-B2
Application number	US-201916526576-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 30, 2019
Priority date	Aug 7, 2018
Publication date	Apr 26, 2022
Grant date	Apr 26, 2022

Abstract

A motor vehicle having a first portion and a second portion movable relative thereto; the vehicle further includes an actuator arrangement by which the second portion is drivable relative to the first portion; and the vehicle having a control apparatus that is coupled to the actuator arrangement and controls the operation of the actuator arrangement; the actuator arrangement including at least two separate actuators arranged remotely from one another, which are each switchable between an operating state wherein an output member of the actuator outputs a force and/or a motion, and a passive state in which the output member does not, the actuators are synchronously operable in a synchronous operating mode, wherein one actuator, constituting a master actuator, is coupled directly to the control apparatus, and the at least one further actuator is connected to the energy supply of the master actuator only such that the at least one further actuator is supplied with operating energy, and is in the operating state, only when the master actuator is switched by the control apparatus into the operating state.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A motor vehicle having a first motor vehicle portion and a second motor vehicle portion movable relative to the first motor vehicle portion; the motor vehicle further comprising an actuator arrangement by which the second motor vehicle portion is drivable to move relative to the first motor vehicle portion; and the motor vehicle comprising a control apparatus that is coupled in signal- and/or energy-transferring fashion to the actuator arrangement and controls the operation of the actuator arrangement; the actuator arrangement comprising at least two separate actuators arranged physically remotely from one another, each of the at least two separate actuators being switchable between an operating state in which an output member of said each actuator outputs a force and/or a motion, and a passive state in which the output member of said each actuator does not output a force and/or a motion,
wherein the at least two separate actuators are synchronously operable in a synchronous operating mode, such that in order to ensure the synchronous operating mode one actuator of the at least two separate actuators of the actuator arrangement, constituting a master actuator, is coupled directly to the control apparatus, and at least one further actuator of the at least two separate actuators of the actuator arrangement is connected to an energy supply of the master actuator only in such a way that the at least one further actuator is supplied with operating energy, and is in the operating state, only when the master actuator is switched by the control apparatus into the operating state,
wherein only the master actuator is coupled to an onboard vehicle communication network and the at least one further actuator of the actuator arrangement is not coupled to the onboard vehicle communication network.

2. The motor vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the master actuator and the at least one further actuator are of identical design such that an energy delivery of identical magnitude to the at least two separate actuators brings about outputs of identical magnitude at the respective output members of the at least two separate actuators.

3. The motor vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the master actuator and the at least one further actuator are connected to one another in series in terms of their energy supply.

4. The motor vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein all actuators of the actuator arrangement are connected in series with one another in terms of their energy supply.

5. The motor vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the control apparatus is physically integrated into the master actuator.

6. The motor vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the first motor vehicle portion is a vehicle body; and the second motor vehicle portion is a component that is embodied to modify aerodynamic properties of the motor vehicle by displacement relative to the vehicle body.

7. The motor vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the master actuator is coupled to a data bus.

8. The motor vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein all further actuators, of the actuator arrangement are not coupled to the onboard vehicle communication network.

9. A motor vehicle having a first motor vehicle portion and a second motor vehicle portion movable relative to the first motor vehicle portion; the motor vehicle further comprising an actuator arrangement by which the second motor vehicle portion is drivable to move relative to the first motor vehicle portion; and the motor vehicle comprising a control apparatus that is coupled in signal- and/or energy-transferring fashion to the actuator arrangement and controls the operation of the actuator arrangement; the actuator arrangement comprising at least two separate actuators arranged physically remotely from one another, each of the at least two separate actuators being switchable between an operating state in which an output member of said each actuator outputs a force and/or a motion, and a passive state in which the output member of said each actuator does not output a force and/or a motion,
wherein the at least two separate actuators are synchronously operable in a synchronous operating mode and wherein the at least two separate actuators includes a master actuator and at least one further actuator, the master actuator being coupled directly to the control apparatus which is coupled to an onboard vehicle communication network, the master actuator having a power inlet operably connected to a vehicle power supply and the master actuator having a power outlet, the at least one further actuator being connected to the power outlet of the master actuator only in such a way that the at least one further actuator is supplied with operating energy from the vehicle power supply only from the power outlet of the master actuator, and is in the operating state, only when the master actuator is switched by the control apparatus into the operating state and the master actuator receives operating energy from the vehicle power supply.

Assignees

• Roechling Automotive Se & Co Kg

Inventors

• Solazzo Domenico
• Dill Peter

Classifications

• B62D37/04 Primary

  by means of movable masses · CPC title

• B62D37/02

  by aerodynamic means · CPC title

• B60R16/023

  for transmission of signals between vehicle parts or subsystems · CPC title

• B62D35/005 Primary

  Front spoilers (B62D35/001 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B62D27/04

  resilient · CPC title