Process and apparatus for stabilizing the oscillations of a vehicle, and vehicle equipped with such an apparatus

• US 5,495,879 A
• Filed: 12/29/1993
• Issued: 03/05/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Compagnie Generale Des Etablissements Michelin
• Original Assignee: Compagnie Generale Des Etablissements Michelin
• Inventors: Cabestrero, Abelardo
• Primary Examiner(s): Ball, Michael W.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lorin, Francis J.
• Application Number:
  US08/175,263
• Time in Patent Office: 797 Days
• Field of Search: 152/415, 152/416, 152/417, 141/38
• US Class Current: 152/415
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/00372 characterised by fluid diagrams

Abstract

An apparatus, method and vehicle in which the tires operate in accordance with stiff modes in order to increase the damping of their oscillations, the tires being filled practically completely with non-compressible fluid and being subject to the establishing of communications between at least one pair by connections filled with a constant volume of non-compressible fluid.

Claims

1. An apparatus for stabilizing oscillations of a vehicle equipped with at least two tires on rims, the two tires and rims being located on opposite sides or ends of the vehicle, the tires and their rims defining two volumes containing non-compressible fluid, said apparatus comprising a system of fluid transmission connections between said inner volumes of the tires, said system being filled with a constant volume of non-compressible fluid, and rotating joints and conduits establishing fluid transmission communications between at least the two inner volumes of said tires which are respectively located at opposite sides or ends of the vehicle and on opposite sides of one of the vertical planes passing through the center of gravity of the vehicle.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, characterized by the fact that at least one of the conduits is of calibrated diameter at least in part in order to introduce losses in head in the flow of the non-compressible fluid between the inner volumes of the connected tires.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, in which said system includes multiple fluid transmission connections provided with control means for said rotating joints and conduits and capable of maintaining the said inner volumes either isolated from each other or connected together, permitting selections of communications.

4. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 in which the conduits filled with non-compressible fluid are provided with at least one restrictor which makes it possible to adapt the level of the losses in head in the flow conduits for the flow of the non-compressible fluid.

5. An apparatus according to claim 4, in which the at least one restrictor is a valve having control means for regulating the losses in head.

6. An apparatus according to claim 3, in which there is a plurality of rotating joints and conduits in a fluid connection between the inner volumes of a pair of tires.

7. An apparatus as set forth in claim 1 including at least one pressure detector in the non-compressible fluid communications.

8. An apparatus according to claim 3, in which at least one of the control means is automatically controlled by the condition of instability of the vehicle.

9. A method of limiting the oscillations of a vehicle equipped with at least two tires located on opposite sides or ends of the vehicle, the inner volumes of which contain a non-compressible fluid, characterized by the fact that the method includes establishing a communication filled with a constant volume of non-compressible fluid between at least two of these inner volumes respectively located on opposite sides of one of the vertical planes passing through the center of gravity of the vehicle.

10. An apparatus for stabilizing oscillations of a vehicle equipped with a plurality of tires, the tires having inner volumes containing non-compressible fluid, said apparatus comprising a system of fluid transmission conduits filled with a constant volume of non-compressible fluid connecting the inner volumes of said tires and a fluid switch means interposed in the system for selectively establishing a fluid transmission connection between inner volumes of tires located at opposite sides or ends of the vehicle and on opposite sides of one of the vertical planes passing through the center of gravity of the vehicle.

11. A vehicle as set forth in claim 10 in which the inner volumes of the tires which are interconnected are located on opposite sides of a longitudinal plane passing through the center of gravity of the vehicle

12. A vehicle as set forth in claim 11 in which the inner volumes are located at opposite ends of the front axle.

13. A vehicle, a part of which is capable of being displaced with respect to the rest of the vehicle, substantially changing the position of the center of gravity of the vehicle, comprising at least four tires having inner volumes containing non-compressible fluid, and at least two tires on each side of the vehicle and located on opposite sides of a longitudinal plane passing through the center of gravity of the vehicle and at least two tires at each end of the vehicle and located on opposite sides of a transverse plane passing through the center of gravity of the vehicle, a system of fluid transmission connections between said inner volumes of the tires, said system being filled with a constant volume of non-compressible fluid, and rotating joints and conduits establishing fluid transmitting communications between at least two inner volumes of tires which are spaced from each other at opposite sides or ends of the vehicle and on opposite sides of one of the vertical planes passing through the center of gravity of the vehicle.