A Study on Suspension Geometry for Personal Mobility Vehicles (PMVs) with Inward Tilt Mechanism

Abstract

Since the concept of a Personal Mobility Vehicle (PMV) that tilts inward while turning is relatively new, there is currently a lack of theoretical considerations regarding the suspension mechanism. Therefore, this study aims to explore the theoretical relationship between suspension geometry and the pitching posture during turning in a PMV with two front wheels and one rear wheel that tilts inward during turns. Our findings suggest that a combination of a front telescopic suspension and a rear full trailing arm (swing arm) suspension is suitable for minimizing both the squatting pitching of the vehicle body during turns and the disturbances caused by changes in tread and tire camber angles during wheel strokes in the upright driving position from a static force balance perspective. From a dynamic perspective, there is no significant concern about pitching occurring even in cases where there may be a delay in active tilt angle tracking (PID) control when using the combination of front telescopic suspension and rear full trailing arm suspension. However, it is essential to note that a large sprung roll moment of inertia can still induce the squatting pitching.