Rear suspension with semi-active toe force compliance control
First Claim
1. A vehicle suspension comprising:
- a hub for supporting a vehicle wheel;
a trailing arm secured to the hub and also secured to the body of the vehicle;
a first lateral arm located, relative to the vehicle, rearward of the rotational axis of the wheel, said first lateral arm being secured to the hub and also secured to the vehicle body and being generally transverse to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle;
a second lateral arm located, relative to the vehicle, upward of the rotational axis of the wheel and upward of the first lateral arm, said second lateral arm being secured to the hub and also secured to the vehicle body and being generally transverse to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle;
a third lateral arm located, relative to the vehicle, forward of the rotational axis of the wheel, said third lateral arm being secured to the trailing arm and also secured to the body of the vehicle and comprising a variable stiffness actuator;
wherein the variable stiffness actuator includes a hydraulic circuit with an electronically controlled orifice where the open state of the orifice provides a fluid flow state in the actuator such that the third lateral arm is in a least stiff state, thus, affecting toe properties of the vehicle wheel.
2 Assignments
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Herein, a particular vehicle suspension control arm in a suspension having multiple control arms is designed to create a range of available axial stiffness levels which relates to a range of toe change at the wheel under to lateral loading. In particular, a semi-active device is arranged on a given suspension control arm to allow a change in stiffness that produces a desirable amount of toe change under the presence of lateral loading. This suspension arrangement, when applied to the rear axle of an automobile, has significant merit in being able to enhance maneuverability and stability over a large range of operating conditions at a minimal level of control input energy and with robust failsafe operation.
33 Citations
16 Claims
-
1. A vehicle suspension comprising:
-
a hub for supporting a vehicle wheel; a trailing arm secured to the hub and also secured to the body of the vehicle; a first lateral arm located, relative to the vehicle, rearward of the rotational axis of the wheel, said first lateral arm being secured to the hub and also secured to the vehicle body and being generally transverse to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle; a second lateral arm located, relative to the vehicle, upward of the rotational axis of the wheel and upward of the first lateral arm, said second lateral arm being secured to the hub and also secured to the vehicle body and being generally transverse to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle; a third lateral arm located, relative to the vehicle, forward of the rotational axis of the wheel, said third lateral arm being secured to the trailing arm and also secured to the body of the vehicle and comprising a variable stiffness actuator; wherein the variable stiffness actuator includes a hydraulic circuit with an electronically controlled orifice where the open state of the orifice provides a fluid flow state in the actuator such that the third lateral arm is in a least stiff state, thus, affecting toe properties of the vehicle wheel. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12)
-
-
13. A method for controlling a vehicle suspension comprising the steps of:
-
providing; a hub for supporting a vehicle wheel; a trailing arm secured to the hub and also secured to the body of the vehicle; a first lateral arm located, relative to the vehicle, rearward of the rotational axis of the wheel, said first lateral arm being secured to the hub and also secured to the vehicle body and being generally transverse to the trailing arm; a second lateral arm located, relative to the vehicle, upward of the rotational axis of the wheel and upward of the first lateral arm, said second lateral arm being secured to the hub and also secured to the vehicle body and being generally transverse to the trailing arm; a third lateral arm located, relative to the vehicle, forward of the rotational axis of the wheel, said third lateral arm being secured to the hub and also secured to the body of the vehicle and comprising a variable stiffness actuator; controlling an orifice within the variable stiffness actuator electronically, to fully open a hydraulic circuit, where the open state of the orifice and circuit provides a fluid flow state in the actuator such that the third lateral arm is in a least stiff state. - View Dependent Claims (14, 15, 16)
-
Specification