Compliance steer control system
First Claim
1. In a vehicle having a pair of steerable front wheels mounted to said vehicle through a front suspension arrangement, a power steering system associated with said pair of front wheels through a linkage arrangement, which power steering includes a source of hydraulic pressure, a hydraulic servo having first and second chambers, a control valve responsive to the rotation of a steering wheel of the vehicle for selectively pressurizing said first and second chambers, and a pair of rear wheels mounted to said vehicle by a rear suspension arrangement which includes elastomeric mounting members;
- a compliance steer control system responsive to the pressurization of said first and second chambers for producing a bias which tends to turn one of said pair of front wheels and said pair of rear wheels with respect to said vehicle in the same direction as said front pair of wheels are turned in response to the rotation of said steering wheel.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
The pressure outputs of a power steering control valve are fed either to hydraulic cylinders (or servos) or to chambered elastomeric insulator units to, in the case of the rear wheels, produce a bias which opposes a side force produced during cornering to prevent the rear wheels from undergoing "compliance steering", while in the case of front wheels, induce same to turn through an angle slightly greater than intended by the driver to either prevent compliance steering or increase same to improve vehicle handling when cornering respectively .
40 Citations
14 Claims
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1. In a vehicle having a pair of steerable front wheels mounted to said vehicle through a front suspension arrangement, a power steering system associated with said pair of front wheels through a linkage arrangement, which power steering includes a source of hydraulic pressure, a hydraulic servo having first and second chambers, a control valve responsive to the rotation of a steering wheel of the vehicle for selectively pressurizing said first and second chambers, and a pair of rear wheels mounted to said vehicle by a rear suspension arrangement which includes elastomeric mounting members;
a compliance steer control system responsive to the pressurization of said first and second chambers for producing a bias which tends to turn one of said pair of front wheels and said pair of rear wheels with respect to said vehicle in the same direction as said front pair of wheels are turned in response to the rotation of said steering wheel. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A compliance steer control system for an automotive vehicle having a longitudinal axis, a pair of steerable front wheels mounted to said vehicle by a front suspension and a pair of rear wheels mounted to said vehicle by a rear suspension comprising:
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a power steering system associated with said pair of front wheels which includes a source of hydraulic pressure, a hydraulic servo having first and second chambers and a control valve responsive to the rotation of a steering wheel of the vehicle for selectively pressurizing said first and second chambers in response to the rotation of said steering wheel; and a system responsive to the pressurization of said first and second chambers for producing a bias which tends to vary the orientation of at least one of said pair of front wheels and said pair of rear wheels with respect to the longitudinal axis of said vehicle in a manner to tend to turn same in the same direction as said pair of front wheels are turned in response to the rotation of said steering wheel.
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8. In a vehicle having a pair of steerable front wheels mounted to said vehicle through a front suspension arrangement, a power steering system associated with said pair of front wheels through a linkage arrangement, which power steering includes a source of hydraulic pressure, a hydraulic servo having first and second chambers, a control valve responsive to the rotation of a steering wheel of the vehicle for selectively pressurizing said first and second chambers, and a pair of rear wheels mounted to said vehicle by a rear suspension arrangement which includes elastomeric mounting members;
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a compliance steer control system responsive to the pressurization of said first and second chambers for producing a bias which tends to turn said pair of front wheels with respect to said vehicle in the same direction as said front pair of wheels are turned in response to the rotation of said steering wheel, said compliance steer control system including hydraulic servo chambered means fluidly communicated with said control valve for producing said bias, said chambered means operatively connected to said pair of front wheels in a manner to increase the angle through which they are turned by said power steering, said bias varying with the pressure fed thereto from said control valve so as to at least compensate for the compliance steering of the pair of rear wheels when said vehicle is steered to traverse a curved path. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10)
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11. In a vehicle
a chassis having a longitudinal axis; -
a pair of front wheels operatively connected to said chassis by a front suspension; a pair of rear wheels operatively connected to said chassis by a rear suspension; a steering wheel operatively connected with said pair of front wheels by a steering mechanism for turning said pair of front wheels with respect to said longitudinal axis to steer said vehicle; a power steering system including a source of fluid under pressure, a valve responsive to the rotation of said steering wheel and a hydraulic servo which assists the turning of said pair of front wheels in response to the output of said valve; and means responsive to the output of said valve for one of (a) turning said pair of front wheels by an amount additional to that normally produced by the rotation of said steering wheel and (b) tending to turn said pair of rear wheels in the same direction with respect to said longitudinal axis as said pair of front wheels are turned by rotation of said steering wheel. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14)
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Specification