CA2115317A1 - Zero g suspension - Google Patents

Zero g suspension

Info

Publication number
CA2115317A1
CA2115317A1 CA002115317A CA2115317A CA2115317A1 CA 2115317 A1 CA2115317 A1 CA 2115317A1 CA 002115317 A CA002115317 A CA 002115317A CA 2115317 A CA2115317 A CA 2115317A CA 2115317 A1 CA2115317 A1 CA 2115317A1
Authority
CA
Canada
Prior art keywords
vehicle
suspension system
suspension
points
sub frames
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Abandoned
Application number
CA002115317A
Other languages
French (fr)
Inventor
Dumitru Florian Hociung
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
Individual
Original Assignee
Individual
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Individual filed Critical Individual
Priority to CA002115317A priority Critical patent/CA2115317A1/en
Publication of CA2115317A1 publication Critical patent/CA2115317A1/en
Abandoned legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B60VEHICLES IN GENERAL
    • B60GVEHICLE SUSPENSION ARRANGEMENTS
    • B60G99/00Subject matter not provided for in other groups of this subclass
    • BPERFORMING OPERATIONS; TRANSPORTING
    • B62LAND VEHICLES FOR TRAVELLING OTHERWISE THAN ON RAILS
    • B62DMOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS
    • B62D24/00Connections between vehicle body and vehicle frame
    • B62D24/04Vehicle body mounted on resilient suspension for movement relative to the vehicle frame

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
  • Transportation (AREA)
  • Vehicle Body Suspensions (AREA)

Abstract

A vehicle suspension system for neutralising the effects of lateral accelerations comprises two suspension sub frames to which the wheels are attached by means of arms, springs, shock absorbers, etc. The vehicle body is attached to the sub frames in such a way that the weight of the vehicle is supported by the sub frames at a point of junction which is at the same level as or higher than the centre of gravity of the said vehicle. The force required to lift the vehicle off the surface of the ground is exerted between any elements of the suspension system. That force is not exerted on the vehicle body. At the point of junction the car body is free to tilt, roll, or turn along its longitudinal axis with respect to the suspension sub frames.

Description

21153i7 ZERO G SUSPENSION

The present invention relates to a device for supporting the weight of a land vehicle above ground level. Such devices are commonly called suspension systems.

Various types of suspension systems are known. One type comprises of wheels attached directly to the vehicle body by means of various configurations of supporting arms. The force necessary to keep the vehicle above ground level is supplied by various types of springs which are attached at one end to the supporting arms or directly to the wheels, and at the other end the springs are attached directly to the vehicle body.
Because the vehicle body is supported by these suspension systems at a point which lies bellow their centre of gravity, when moving in a turn these vehicles are subject to a rolling moment to the outside of the turn.
This causes a sensation of discomfort to the passengers of the vehicle.
Some types of suspension systems attempt to correct this problem by employing shock absorbers which have a high resistance to the forces which cause the vehicle to roll. The disadvantage of these suspension types is that they cause strong jarring movements of the vehicle when it is passing over bad pavement. Still other types of suspension systems limit the rolling moment of the vehicle by employing sophisticated pneumatic springs which can vary the force they apply to the wheels to counteract the rolling moment of the vehicle when necessary -i.e. in a turn-. Their disadvantage is that they are complex, expensive and heavy.

It is des*able to have a suspension system that can allow the vehicle body to tilt towards the radius of the turn, in order to neutralise the lateral accelerations acting on the vehicle body when the vehicle is moving in a turn. It is desirable that the suspension system be simple and inexpensive.
The present document relates to a suspension system for modifying the rolling moments acting on a vehicle body when the vehicle is moving in a turn. As used in this description and in the appended claims, the word "collinear" means lying on the same straight, real or im~in~ry line.

In one aspect of the invention the suspension comprises a set of sub frames. The number of sub frames to be used depends on the number of transversal axles of the vehicle. For example, a four wheeled vehicle will preferably have two sub frames, one for the two front wheels and one for 2il~317 the two rear wheels. The wheels are linked to the sub frame by means of any suitable arrangement of arms and links. The devices used to provide the force necessary to support the weight of the vehicle above ground level (i.e. springs) exert their lifting force between the wheels and the sub frame. (The springs do not exert their force directly on the car body?
include? yes/no. describe further later). The weight of the vehicle is supported by the sub frames at a point or at a set of collinear points which lie on the same imAginary longitudinal axis of the vehicle, at the same level as or preferably above the level of the centre of gravity of the vehicle. At the point of support, the vehicle body is allowed to turn about a longitudinal axis with respect to the sub frames. However, at the point of support the rotation of the vehicle body with respect to the sub frames may be arrested by means a jAmming device. The jamming device may be activated at the wish of the vehicle passengers, if they should prefer that the vehicle roll to the outside of the turn instead of the inside. During normal operation of the suspension system, while the vehicle is moving in a turn, the car body is allowed to tilt to the inside of the turn, i.e. with the edge of the vehicle body closer to the centre of the turn downwards and with the vehicle edge that is farther from the centre of the turn upwards .
The resulting tilt will reduce the effect of the lateral accelerations on the vehicle body. Instead, the lateral accelerations will be directed downwards, with respect to the vehicle body.
In another aspect of the invention the suspension system consists of a set of sub frames. Each sub frame has an approximately "U" shape, as viewed from the wheels. The wheels are linked with a suitable arrangement of arms to the two vertical arms of the sub frame. Each wheel should have a set of arms linking it to each of the two vertical arms of the sub frame. The arms linking the wheels to the sub frame should allow the wheels to move up and down to follow road irregularities. The device supplying the force required to support the weight of the car is exerting that force between the sub frame and the wheels. Alternatively the force required to keep the vehicle body above the ground may be applied between the sub frame and the the suspension arms. Alternatively the force required to keep the vehicle body above the ground level may be applied between the suspension arms. The exact points of application of the force required to lift the vehicle body are not required to be in any specific location, however the points of application should NOT be placed directly on the vehicle body. The weight of the vehicle body is supported by the sub frames at collinear set of points on an imaginary longitudinal 21~S317 axis of the vehicle body, above the centre of gravity of the vehicle. At the point of support the vehicle should be allowed to rotate with respect to the sub frames. The sub frames should be inflexible and made of any suitable material, such as steel, aluminium, carbon fibres, etc. The embodiment described is particularly suitable for vehicles having a front engine and a front wheel drive system.
In a further embodiment of the invention the suspension system comprises of two sub frames, one for the front wheels and one for the rear wheels. Each sub frame should approxim~tely resemble a square frame with four vertical legs extending vertically upwards from each of the four corners of the square frame. The four legs may be parallel or non-parallel to each other. The four legs may be perpendicular or non-perpendicular to the plane of the square frame. These particulars must be decided upon depending on the design requirements or philosophies. The four sub frame legs should be arranged two on each side of the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. The wheels are attached to the sub frame by means of any combination of suspension arms, links, etc. depending on design. Each wheel should have a suitably arranged set of suspension arms linking each one of them to two of the sub frame vertical suspension legs. Each wheel should be linked to two separate sub frame legs. The two vertical sub frame legs to which a wheel is attached should be on the same side of the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. The device supplying the force required to lift the vehicle body should apply that force between the sub frame and any other suspension element not connected directly to the vehicle body.
The weight of the vehicle body is supported by the sub frames at a set of points which lie on an im~ginary longitudinal support axis. For that purpose, the sub frames should have an extra set of support legs, rigid with respect to the sub fr~me, to support the vehicle body. The extra set of support legs can be suitably shaped to be as rigid as possible, while allowing space for the placement of the engine and other internal components of the car. The im~in~ry longitudinal support axis should be placed directly above the centre of gravity of the vehicle. At the point of support, the vehicle is normally allowed to turn about the imaginary longitudinal axis with respect to the sub frames, such that when moving in a turn the vehicle is allowed to tilt in the direction of the turn, i.e. with the edge of the vehicle closer to the centre of the turn downwards. If so desired by the passengers of the vehicle, the tilting motion of the vehicle body toward the centre of the turn of the turn can be transformed into a tilting motion away from the centre of the turn by means of a j~mming device suitably designed to stop the rotation movement of the vehicle 2115~17 body with respect to the sub frames.
Referring to the drawings, a further embodiment of the invention consists of a sub frame 8. Sections 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 34, 36 and 38 are all part of the sub frame 8. Those sections are rigid with respect to each other. They have been numbered separately to insure the knowledge that they are rigid with respect to each other. The suspension arms 42, 52, 44, 54, 48, 46, 50, 82, are connected at one end to a wheel axle support assembly and at the other end to the suspension sub frame 8. The wheel axle support assemblies comprise of the arms 56, 58, 72, 70 and 60, 74, 76, and 62 respectively. These elements are preferably rigid to one another.
The wheel axles 2 are connected to the wheel axle support assemblies. The method of connection of the wheel axles to the wheel axle support assemblies should allow the wheels to rotate along their vertical axis to turn the car. At all points of contact between the arms and sub frame or between the sub frame and the wheel axle support assemblies, vertical movement should be allowed, so that the wheels can follow road irregularities. The force required to keep the vehicle body above the ground can be provided by any suitable devices 40. Those devices act between the sub frame 8 through an element 80 and the suspension arms 44 and 54. The vehicle body weight is supported at the points of of support 12. The entire suspension system comprises of more than one sub frame. The points of support 12 of all the suspension sub frames should lie on the same longitudinal axis 20. The axis 22 represents the axis on which the centre of gravity of the vehicle body lies. The axis 22, containing the centre of gravity of the vehicle, should be positioned bellow the axis 20 containing the points of support and NOT above it. The suspension sub frame 8 and the vehicle body are normally free to rotate with respect to each other around the points of support 12. A braking device can be installed at the point of rotation to stop the rotation if the passengers desire that the vehicle should roll to the outside of the turn rather than the inside. This particular embodiment is more suitable to vehicles with front engines and front wheel drive systems.

Although only two embodiments of the present invention have been described and only one illustrated, the present invention is not limited to the features of these embodiments, but includes all variations and modifications within the scope of the claims.

Claims (13)

THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION IN WHICH AN EXCLUSIVE PROPERTY OR
PRIVILEGE IS CLAIMED ARE DEFINED AS FOLLOWS:
1. A suspension system for keeping land vehicles above ground level, comprising:

a set of sub frames to which the wheels are attached by any suitable arrangement of arms, the sub frame supporting the weight of the vehicle body at a set of approximately collinear points, the points of support forming a longitudinal support axis, which lies above the centre of gravity of the vehicle;
and means of supplying the force necessary to keep the vehicle above ground level, the respective force being applied between the sub frame and any other suitable point on the wheels or arms.
2. A suspension system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the number of sub frames used is the same as the number of transaxles of the vehicle.
3. A suspension system as claimed in claim 1, wherein each sub frame has two wheels attached to it.
4. A suspension system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the force necessary to keep the vehicle above ground level acts between the suspension arms.
5. A suspension system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sub frames may have any suitable shape necessary to support the weight of the vehicle body at a set of collinear points, wherein those points form a longitudinal axis.
6. A suspension system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the longitudinal support axis on which the points of support lie being above the centre of gravity of the vehicle and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle.
7. A suspension system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the longitudinal support axis on which the points of support lie is approximately perpendicular to the axes of both front and rear wheels when the vehicle is moving in a straight line.
8. A line as claimed in claim 6, wherein the longitudinal support axis is approximately parallel to the plane containing the axes of both front and rear wheels.
9. A suspension system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vehicle body is allowed to turn about the support axis with respect to the suspension sub frames.
10. A suspension system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the motion of rotation of the vehicle body with respect to the suspension sub frames is stopped permanently, temporarily or intermittently at the will of the passengers by means of a braking device.
11. A suspension system as claimed in claim 10, wherein the braking action is controlled by a computer or any other automatic device.
12. A suspension system for keeping the weight of land vehicles above ground level, comprising:
a set of two vertical "U" shaped suspension sub frames oriented with both vertical arms of the sub frames on the same longitudinal axis of the vehicle, the sub frames supporting the weight of the vehicle at a set of points which lie on a longitudinal axis above the centre of gravity of the vehicle, thevehicle body being allowed to rotate with respect to the sub frames, and;
a set of suspension arms linking two wheels to the sub frame, one wheel on each side of the sub frame, each wheel being connected to both vertical arms of the sub frame in a way that allows the wheels to move vertically with respect to the sub frame, and;
a set of devices used to supply the force needed to keep the vehicle above ground level, wherein that force acts between any two points of the suspension system but none of the points being directly on the vehicle body.
13. A suspension system as claimed in claim 1 and 12, wherein the suspension system is made of any suitable preferably rigid material, such as aluminium.
CA002115317A 1994-02-09 1994-02-09 Zero g suspension Abandoned CA2115317A1 (en)

Priority Applications (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA002115317A CA2115317A1 (en) 1994-02-09 1994-02-09 Zero g suspension

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CA002115317A CA2115317A1 (en) 1994-02-09 1994-02-09 Zero g suspension

Publications (1)

Publication Number Publication Date
CA2115317A1 true CA2115317A1 (en) 1995-08-10

Family

ID=4152886

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
CA002115317A Abandoned CA2115317A1 (en) 1994-02-09 1994-02-09 Zero g suspension

Country Status (1)

Country Link
CA (1) CA2115317A1 (en)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7862131B2 (en) 2007-03-01 2011-01-04 Camoplast Inc. Dual mode undercarriage for tracked vehicle

Cited By (2)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US7862131B2 (en) 2007-03-01 2011-01-04 Camoplast Inc. Dual mode undercarriage for tracked vehicle
US8157335B2 (en) 2007-03-01 2012-04-17 Camoplast Solideal Inc. Dual mode undercarriage for tracked vehicle

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Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
FZDE Dead