Active rear axle kinematics - improving driving dynamics, safety and comfort

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Active rear axle kinematics - improving driving dynamics, safety and comfort

Hägele, Alexander / Berger, Frank / Krimmel, Horst

Cornering with more dynamism and agility, improved driving stability and safety at high speeds, as well as mastering parking and turning manoeuvres more easily: These are the benefits offered by the rear axle kinematics called Active Kinematics Control (AKC) from ZF. The System allows the rear axle of passenger cars to provide active steering assistance via electromechanic wheel alignment - and can be adapted in two variants for different axle designs in a modular manner. Thanks to the electronic control unit, the AKC System can be integrated into the active control network of the respective passenger car. It then supports the functions of other active systems. For example, ESP/ESC and AKC are still working together for the vehicle stabilisation. If the AKC system and the antilock braking system communicate when braking on surfaces with differing grip levels, the total braking distance can be reduced. Parking assistance systems are also ideally suited for functional networking with AKC. In the future, it will be possible to further exploit the potential of the AKC system if it also interacts with environment recognition or car-to-X communication systems. As a result, suspension and steering could be set in advance to dangerous situations or particularly challenging sections along the route for instance. This example is conceivable: The vehicle in front informs the vehicles behind of black ice so that the control strategy of the AKC system adjusts to ensure stability and safety. New challenges in terms of functional safety grow as a result of highly automated driving. Active rear axle kinematics can significantly contribute to make functions such as automatic guidance more fail-safe.