Suspension system for a truck cab

• US 7,232,180 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2006
• Issued: 06/19/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: C.R.F. Societa Consortile Per Azioni
• Original Assignee: Cefla Societa' Cooperativa
• Inventors: Butera, Francesco, Alacqua, Stefano, Biasiotto, Marco
• Primary Examiner(s): MORROW, JASON S
• Application Number:
  US11/325,305
• Publication Number:
  US 20060261639A1
• Time in Patent Office: 530 Days
• Field of Search: 296/190.07, 296/190.05, 296/190.04, 296/35.1, 180/89.13, 180/89.14
• US Class Current: 296/190.07
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 33/0604 Cabs insulated against vibrations or noise, e.g. with elastic suspension resilient connections between superstructure sub-units B62D27/04; damping noise in general G10K11/00; for vehicles in general B60R13/08
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 9/145 involving only rotary movement of the effective parts wing closers or openers with fluid brakes of the rotary type E05F3/14
• CPC Class Codes: F16F 9/535 Magnetorheological [MR] fluid dampers springs comprising magnetorheological [MR] elastomers F16F1/361

Abstract

A suspension system for the cab of a lorry comprises a rotational damper preferably of a magneto-rheological type.

Claims

1. A suspension system for the cab of a lorry or truck vehicle comprising:

at least one arm mounted oscillating on a chassis of the lorry or truck and connected to the structure of the cab; and

elastic means and shock-absorbing means operatively set between the oscillating arm and the chassis of the lorry or truck,

said system wherein said shock-absorbing means comprise a fluid rotational damper,

wherein said rotational damper is of the type that uses a magneto-rheological fluid, comprising;

an external casing;

a blade piston mounted oscillating in the cavity inside the casing, which defines two operative chambers that communicate with one another through passages made in the blade piston,

wherein the aforesaid elastic means are constituted by a leaf spring having a part for attachment to the chassis of the vehicle and an end co-operating with said oscillating arm,

wherein the system comprises a front suspension and a rear suspension, at least one of which being provided with the aforesaid rotational damper,

wherein the front suspension comprises a pair of longitudinal arms mounted oscillating about one and the same axis transverse to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and connected at their free ends to the opposite ends of a transverse torsion bar, the structure of the cab of the vehicle being mounted so that it can turn about said torsion bar to enable tipping-up of the cab, each oscillating arm being rigidly connected to the blade piston of a respective rotational damper, and said leaf spring being set transverse to the longitudinal direction, with its central part anchored to the chassis of the vehicle and the opposite ends co-operating with the ends of the two oscillating arms underneath the latter.

2. The suspension system according to claim 1, wherein the rear suspension comprises a pair of oscillating transverse arms, mounted oscillating about two axes parallel to the longitudinal direction of the motor vehicle and each rigidly connected to the casing of a respective rotational damper, the blade piston of each damper being rigidly connected to the chassis of the vehicle, said leaf spring being set transverse to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, with its central part anchored to the chassis of the vehicle and opposite ends co-operating with said oscillating transverse arms.

3. A suspension system for a cab of a lorry or truck vehicle comprising:

at least one arm mounted oscillating on a chassis of the lorry or truck and connected to the structure of the cab; and

elastic means and shock-absorbing means operatively set between the oscillating arm and the chassis of the lorry or truck,

said system wherein said shock-absorbing means comprise a fluid rotational damper,

wherein said rotational damper is of the type that uses a magneto-rheological fluid, comprising;

an external casing;

a blade piston mounted oscillating in the cavity inside the casing, which defines two operative chambers that communicate with one another through passages made in the blade piston;

wherein the aforesaid elastic means are constituted by a leaf spring having a part for attachment to the chassis of the vehicle and an end co-operating with said oscillating arm,

wherein set between said leaf spring and the structure of the vehicle is at least one air spring for control of the orientation of the cab.

4. A suspension system for a cab of a lorry or truck vehicle comprising:

at least one arm mounted oscillating on a chassis of the lorry or truck and connected to the structure of the cab; and

elastic means and shock-absorbing means operatively set between the oscillating arm and the chassis of the lorry or truck,

said system wherein said shock-absorbing means comprise a fluid rotational damper, and

wherein the cab is mounted on the chassis of the truck so that it can be raised by rotation around an axis transverse to the longitudinal direction of the lorry or truck to a position enabling access to an engine arranged under the cab,

wherein said rotational damper is of the type that uses a magneto-rheological fluid, comprising;

an external casing;

a blade piston mounted oscillating in the cavity inside the casing, which defines two operative chambers that communicate with one another through passages made in the blade piston,

wherein the aforesaid elastic means are constituted by a leaf spring having a part for attachment to the chassis of the vehicle and an end co-operating with said oscillating arm,

wherein it comprises a front suspension and a rear suspension, at least one of which being provided with the aforesaid rotational damper, and

wherein the front suspension comprises a pair of longitudinal arms mounted oscillating about one and the same axis transverse to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and connected at their free ends to the opposite ends of a transverse torsion bar, the structure of the cab of the vehicle being mounted so that it can turn about said torsion bar to enable tipping-up of the cab, each oscillating arm being rigidly connected to the blade piston of a respective rotational damper, and said leaf spring being set transverse to the longitudinal direction, with its central part anchored to the chassis of the vehicle and the opposite ends co-operating with the ends of the two oscillating arms underneath the latter.

5. The suspension system according to claim 4, wherein the rear suspension comprises a pair of oscillating transverse arms, mounted oscillating about two axes parallel to the longitudinal direction of the motor vehicle and each rigidly connected to the casing of a respective rotational damper, the blade piston of each damper being rigidly connected to the chassis of the vehicle, said leaf spring being set transverse to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, with its central part anchored to the chassis of the vehicle and opposite ends co-operating with said oscillating transverse arms.

6. The suspension system according to claim 4, wherein set between said leaf spring and the structure of the vehicle is at least one air spring for control of the orientation of the cab.

7. A truck or lorry vehicle comprising:

a chassis,

a cab mounted on the chassis of the truck or lorry so that it can be raised by rotation around an axis transverse to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle to a position enabling access to an engine arranged under the cab, and

a suspension interposed between the chassis and the cab, wherein said suspension comprises;

at least one arm mounted oscillating on a chassis of the truck or lorry and connected to a structure of the cab;

elastic means and shock-absorbing means operatively set between the oscillating arm and the chassis of the truck or lorry, and

wherein said shock-absorbing means comprise a fluid rotational damper.

8. The truck or lorry vehicle according to claim 7, wherein said rotational damper is of the type that uses a magneto-rheological fluid, comprising:

an external casing;

a blade piston mounted oscillating in the cavity inside the casing, which defines two operative chambers that communicate with one another through passages made in the blade piston;

9. The truck or lorry vehicle according to claim 8, wherein the aforesaid elastic means are constituted by a leaf spring having a part for attachment to the chassis of the vehicle and an end co-operating with said oscillating arm.

10. The truck or lorry vehicle according to claim 9, wherein it comprises a front suspension and a rear suspension, at least one of which being provided with the aforesaid rotational damper.

11. The truck or lorry vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the front suspension comprises a pair of longitudinal arms mounted oscillating about one and the same axis transverse to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and connected at their free ends to the opposite ends of a transverse torsion bar, the structure of the cab of the vehicle being mounted so that it can turn about said torsion bar to enable tipping-up of the cab, each oscillating arm being rigidly connected to the blade piston of a respective rotational damper, and said leaf spring being set transverse to the longitudinal direction, with its central part anchored to the chassis of the vehicle and the opposite ends co-operating with the ends of the two oscillating arms underneath the latter.

12. The truck or lorry vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the rear suspension comprises a pair of oscillating transverse arms, mounted oscillating about two axes parallel to the longitudinal direction of the motor vehicle and each rigidly connected to the casing of a respective rotational damper, the blade piston of each damper being rigidly connected to the chassis of the vehicle, said leaf spring being set transverse to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, with its central part anchored to the chassis of the vehicle and opposite ends co-operating with said oscillating transverse arms.

13. The truck or lorry vehicle according to claim 9, wherein set between said leaf spring and the structure of the vehicle is at least one air spring for control of the orientation of the cab.