Vehicle chassis for an electrically powered vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11440588-B2
Application number	US-202117236482-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 21, 2021
Priority date	Jan 11, 2018
Publication date	Sep 13, 2022
Grant date	Sep 13, 2022

Abstract

A chassis for an electrically powered vehicle, including a front wheel suspension and a rear wheel suspension, each having longitudinal control arms arranged on both sides and a torsion spring actively connected to the longitudinal control arms. The chassis includes a battery housing receiving a propulsion battery. A front transverse carrier extends between the respective longitudinal control arms of the front wheel suspension, and a rear transverse carrier extends between the respective longitudinal control arms of the rear wheel suspension. The respective transverse carriers are rigidly connected to the battery housing and couple the longitudinal control arms and the torsion spring.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle comprising:
a front wheel suspension including a left front longitudinal control arm, a right front longitudinal control arm, and a front torsion spring actively connected to at least one of the left front longitudinal control arm and the right front longitudinal control arm;
a rear wheel suspension including a left rear longitudinal control arm, a right rear longitudinal control arm, and a rear torsion spring actively connected to at least one of the left front longitudinal control arm and the right rear longitudinal control arm;
a battery housing;
a front transverse carrier rigidly connected to the battery housing and rotatably supporting the left front longitudinal control arm and the right front longitudinal control arm;
a rear transverse carrier rigidly connected to the battery housing and rotatably supporting the left rear longitudinal control arm and the right rear longitudinal control arm;
the left front longitudinal control arm and the right front longitudinal control arm each having a wheel supporting end and a transverse carrier mounting end, the front transverse carrier coupled to the transverse carrier mounting end of each of the left front longitudinal control arm and the right front longitudinal control arm;
the left rear longitudinal control arm and the right rear longitudinal control arm each having a wheel supporting end and a transverse carrier mounting end, the rear transverse carrier coupled to the transverse carrier mounting end of each of the left rear longitudinal control arm and the right rear longitudinal control arm; and
the wheel supporting end of the left front longitudinal control arm and the right front longitudinal control arm positioned adjacent to the battery housing and the wheel supporting end of the left front longitudinal control arm and the right rear longitudinal control arm positioned adjacent to the battery housing.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the front torsion spring and the rear torsion spring each include at least one of a straight elongated torsion spring, a wound torsion spring, a hollow torsion bar spring, and a rubber-elastic torsion spring.

3. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the front transverse carrier is a straight, hollow rail having a center line parallel to a front end of the battery housing; and
the rear transverse carrier is a straight, hollow rail having a center line parallel to a rear end of the battery housing.

4. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein a rigid connection couples the front transverse carrier to the front torsion spring; and
a rigid connection couples the rear transverse carrier to the rear torsion spring.

5. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the front torsion spring includes a left front torsion spring and a right front torsion spring, the left front torsion spring actively connected to the left front longitudinal control arm and the right front torsion spring actively connected to the right front longitudinal control arm; and
the rear torsion spring includes a left rear torsion spring and a right rear torsion spring, the left rear torsion spring actively connected to the left rear longitudinal control arm and the right rear torsion spring actively connected to the right rear longitudinal control arm.

6. The vehicle of claim 5 , wherein left and right front torsion springs and the left and right rear torsion springs include at least one of a cylindrical coil spring and a torsion tube.

7. The vehicle of claim 5 , including a front electrically controllable actuator coupling the front transverse carrier to at least one of the left front torsion spring and the right front torsion spring; and
a rear electrically controllable actuator coupling the rear transverse carrier to at least one of the left front torsion spring and right rear torsion spring.

8. The vehicle of claim 1 , including a front stabilizer extending between and rigidly connected to the left front longitudinal control arm and right front longitudinal control arm; and
a rear stabilizer extending between and rigidly connected to the left rear longitudinal control arm and the right rear longitudinal control arm.

9. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the battery housing contains multiple sections, each section containing a propulsion battery.

10. A chassis for an electrically powered vehicle comprising:
a battery housing having a front end, a rear end, a left side, and a right side;
a front wheel suspension including a right front longitudinal control arm and a left front longitudinal control arm;
a rear wheel suspension including a right rear longitudinal control arm and a left rear longitudinal control arm;
a front transverse carrier having a hollow profile defining a cavity, the front transverse carrier rigidly connected to the front end of the battery housing and rotatably supporting the right front longitudinal control arm and the left front longitudinal control arm;
a rear transverse carrier having a hollow profile defining a cavity, the rear transverse carrier rigidly connected to the rear end of the battery housing and rotatably supporting the right rear longitudinal control arm and the left rear longitudinal control arm;
a front torsion spring disposed within the cavity of the front transverse carrier and connected to at least one of the right front longitudinal control arm and the left front longitudinal control arm and to the front transverse carrier;
a rear torsion spring disposed within the cavity of the rear transverse carrier and connected to at least one of the right rear longitudinal control arm and the left rear longitudinal control arm and to the front transverse carrier;
the right front longitudinal control arm and the right rear longitudinal control arm extend parallel to a direction of vehicle travel and adjacent to the right side of the battery housing; and
the left front longitudinal control arm and the left rear longitudinal control arm extend parallel to the direction of vehicle travel and adjacent to the left side of the battery housing.

11. The chassis of claim 10 , wherein the front transverse carrier is a straight, hollow rail having a center line parallel to the front end of the battery housing.

12. The chassis of claim 10 , wherein the front torsion spring includes a left front torsion spring and a right front torsion spring, the left front torsion spring connected to the left front longitudinal control arm and the right front torsion spring connected to the right front longitudinal control arm.

13. The chassis of claim 10 , including a stabilizer extending between and rigidly connected to the right front longitudinal control arm and the left front longitudinal control arm.

14. The chassis of claim 10 , wherein the front transverse carrier, the left front longitudinal control arm, and the right front longitudinal control arm form a U-shaped front unit with the left front longitudinal control arm and the right front longitudinal control arm extending rearward from the front end of the battery housing towards the rear end of the battery housing; and
the rear transverse carrier, the left rear longitudinal control arm, and the right rear longitudinal control arm form a U-shaped rear unit with the left rear longitudinal control arm and the right rear longitudinal control arm extending forward from the rear end of the battery housing towards the front end of the battery housing.

15. The chassis of claim 12 , including a clamp connecting the left and right front torsion springs.

16. The chassis of claim 10 , wherein the front torsion spring includes a left front torsion spring and a ri

Assignees

• Ford Global Tech Llc

Inventors

• Gerhards Thomas
• Hintzen Ralf
• Mainz Daniel
• Wolf-Monheim Friedrich Peter

Classifications

• B60G11/225

  Neidhart type rubber springs · CPC title

• B60K2001/0438

  Arrangement under the floor · CPC title

• B60L50/66

  Arrangements of batteries · CPC title

• B60G21/055

  Stabiliser bars · CPC title

• B60K2007/0092

  the motor axle being coaxial to the wheel axle · CPC title