Suspension device permitting camber

• US 20020171216A1
• Filed: 04/04/2002
• Published: 11/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Michelin Recherche et Technique SA (Compagnie Generale DES Etablissements Michelin SCA)
• Original Assignee: Michelin Recherche et Technique SA (Compagnie Generale DES Etablissements Michelin SCA)
• Inventors: Deal, Michel
• Granted Patent: US 6,776,426 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 280/86.751
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2200/144 with two lateral arms forming a parallelogram
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2200/46 camber angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2200/462 Toe-in/out
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/148 on the unsprung part of the vehicle, e.g. wheel knuckle or rigid axle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/421 Pivoted lever mechanisms for mounting suspension elements, e.g. Watt linkage
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/422 Links for mounting suspension elements
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 3/20 all arms being rigid
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 7/008 Attaching arms to unsprung part of vehicle B60G7/005, B60G7/006 take precedence

Abstract

The invention relates to a suspension device (1; 11) intended to connect a wheel carrier (3) to a body (5) of a vehicle, the device having means (4, 8, 9) conferring to the wheel carrier, with respect to the body, a degree of camber freedom and a degree of suspension deflection freedom substantially independent of one another. The said means comprises an intermediate support (4) linking the wheel carrier to the body, the intermediate support being, on the one hand, articulated with respect to the body along a substantially vertical first axis (ASI) and, on the other hand, articulated to the wheel carrier along a second axis (R1R2), so that a rotation of the intermediate support about the first axis permits the degree of camber freedom.

Claims

1. In a suspension device for connecting a wheel carrier to a body of a vehicle, the said device having means for conferring to the wheel carrier, with respect to the body, a degree of camber freedom and a degree of suspension deflection freedom substantially independent of one another, wherein the improvement in said means comprises:

an intermediate support linking the wheel carrier to the body, the intermediate support being, on the one hand, articulated with respect to the body along a substantially vertical first axis (ASI) and, on the other hand, articulated to the wheel carrier along a second axis (R1R2), so that a rotation of the said intermediate support about the said first axis permits the said degree of camber freedom.

2. The suspension device according to claim 1, wherein said wheel carrier is intended to carry a wheel of radius ‘

r’ and

said wheel is intended to rest on the ground (S), and wherein said device is configured so that the camber movement of the wheel carrier with respect to the body allows, about a mean position, a first instantaneous center of rotation (CIR R/C) situated in a range from substantially 2.5 r above the ground to substantially r below the ground.

3. The suspension device according to claim 2, wherein said first instantaneous center of rotation (CIR R/C) is situated in the range from substantially r above the ground to substantially r below the ground.

4. The suspension device according to claim 2, wherein said first instantaneous center of rotation (CIR R/C) is situated in a range from substantially 0.2 r above the ground to substantially 0.4 r below the ground.

5. The suspension device according to claim 2, wherein said wheel is intended to rest on the ground (S) by way of a contact area (AC), configured so that said device is close to the equilibrium in the said mean position in the absence of transverse force (Fy) exerted by the ground on the wheel in the contact area.

6. The suspension device according to claim 2, wherein the camber movement of the wheel carrier with respect to said first axis (ASI) allows, about said mean position, a second instantaneous center of rotation (CIR R/ASI) situated substantially in the plane of the wheel (PR).

7. The suspension device according to claim 2, wherein said first instantaneous center of rotation (CIR R/C) is situated below the plane of the ground (S), so that transverse forces (Fy) exerted by the ground on the wheel (2) in the contact area (AC) induce an inclination of the wheel carrier with respect to the body towards decreasing camber when said transverse forces are directed towards the inside of the vehicle and towards increasing camber when said transverse forces are directed towards the outside of the vehicle.

8. The suspension device according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate support is linked to the wheel carrier so that the steering is substantially independent of the camber.

9. The suspension device according to claim 1, further having means for controlling the steering.

10. The suspension device according to claim 1, further having control means for influencing the camber of the wheel.

11. The suspension device according to claim 10, wherein the control means comprises an elastically deformable element opposing the camber movements.

12. The suspension device according to claim 11, wherein the elastically deformable element comprises elastomeric articulations.

13. The suspension device according to claim 10, wherein the control means comprises an actuator.

14. The suspension device according to claim 1, including means for connection in addition an opposite wheel carrier belonging to the same axle as said wheel carrier.