GB1501110A - Vehicle rear suspension - Google Patents

Abstract

1501110 Adjusting vehicle suspension height MOULTON DEVELOPMENTS Ltd 23 June 1975 [2 July 1974] 29315/74 Heading B7D A rear suspension comprises hydraulic displacer units 10, 11 of the varying rate type associated individually with the suspensions of respective rear wheels, a pipe 50 providing communication between the displacer units, a branch 52 extending from the pipe 50 to a reservoir 51, a solenoid valve 53 operable to allow flow through the branch 52, and a pump operable to pump fluid from the reservoir 51 into the pipe 50. Each displacer unit 10, 11 communicates through a damping valve 20 with a gas spring 18, 19 and acts through a strut 12 on a transverse, trailing or semi-trailing suspension arm 14 carrying a wheel hub 16. A torsion bar 70 which is connected between the arms 14 and may serve as an anti-roll bar has fixed to its central region a fork 78 for actuating time-delayed switch mechanism 103. The fork 78 co-operates with a spring leaf 75 which is connected to a rotary damper 76 and is arranged, in dependence on the direction of rotation of the torsion bar, to close one of micro-switches 71, 72 which energize a winding 54 for opening the valve 53 or a relay 73 for operating a motor 57 which drives the pump 56. A non-return valve 55a is arranged on the output side of the pump 56, and a switch 74 operated in conjunction with the ignition switch of the vehicle prevents operation of the pump unless the ignition is switched on. Roll damping may be obtained by suitable sizing of the pipe 50 or by providing a constriction in the pipe.