Laterally tiltable, multitrack vehicle

• US 9,145,168 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2014
• Issued: 09/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Spahl, Robert, Halfmann, Edmund, Gerhardt, Torsten, Simon, Marc
• Primary Examiner(s): Ilan, Ruth
• Application Number:
  US14/201,616
• Publication Number:
  US 20140252732A1
• Time in Patent Office: 571 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 21/05 between wheels on the same axle but on different sides of the vehicle, i.e. the left and right wheel suspensions being interconnected
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2300/45 Rolling frame vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 9/02 combined with means for inwardly inclining vehicle body on bends
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 9/04 combined with means for inwardly inclining wheels on bends B62D9/02 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 5/10 with means for inwardly inclining the vehicle body on bends

Abstract

A laterally tiltable, multitrack vehicle is disclosed. The vehicle includes a vehicle body and at least three wheels. The first and the second wheels are assigned to a common axle to form a first wheel pair. Each wheel of the wheel pair is rotatably mounted on a wheel support. The wheel supports of the wheel pair are connected to one another in an articulated manner via a double lever which is mounted rotatably at a first pivot point on the vehicle body. The wheel supports of the wheel pair also are connected to one another in an articulated manner via a parallel trailing arm, which runs parallel to the double lever and is configured to transmit lateral tilting of one wheel support to the other wheel support. Each wheel support of the wheel pair is configured to connect in a force-transmitting manner to the vehicle body via a link at at least one second pivot point which is spaced apart from the first pivot point for transmitting lateral tilting of the wheel support to the vehicle body, wherein the link forms an oblique angle with respect to the double lever.

Claims

1. A laterally tiltable, multitrack vehicle, comprising:

a vehicle body;

three wheels; and

first and second wheels of the three wheels being assigned to a common axle to form a first wheel pair;

wherein each wheel of the wheel pair is rotatably mounted on a wheel support and the wheel supports of the wheel pair are connected to one another in an articulated manner via a double lever, which is mounted rotatably at a first pivot point on the vehicle body,

wherein the wheel supports of the wheel pair are connected to one another in an articulated manner via a parallel arm, which runs parallel to the double lever and is configured to transmit lateral tilting of one wheel support to the other wheel support, and

wherein each wheel support of the wheel pair is configured to connect in a force-transmitting manner to the vehicle body via a link at at least one second pivot point, which is spaced apart from the first pivot point, for transmitting lateral tilting of the wheel support to the vehicle body, wherein the link forms an oblique angle with respect to the double lever;

wherein the links are releasably connected to the second pivot point during operation of the vehicle.

2. The vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second pivot point is a single, common pivot point for both links.

3. The vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the links have a telescopic configuration.

4. The vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein each wheel is mounted on the respective wheel support in a manner which is resilient and damped in terms of oscillations.

5. The vehicle as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a fourth wheel, the third and fourth wheels forming a second wheel pair.

6. The vehicle as claimed in claim 5, wherein one wheel pair forms steerable front wheels and the second wheel pair forms rear wheels of the vehicle.

7. The vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a motor vehicle.

8. A laterally tiltable, multitrack vehicle, comprising:

first and second wheels assigned to a common axle and rotatably mounted, respectively, on first and second wheel supports;

a third wheel;

the wheel supports being connected to one another via a double lever to transmit lateral tilting between the wheel supports, wherein the double lever is rotatably mounted via a first pivot connection to the vehicle body;

a parallel arm having an unitary construction, the parallel arm having a central portion between first and second opposing ends, the opposing ends being coupled to the wheel supports in an articulated manner and the central portion being unconnected to the vehicle body; and

first and second links connecting the wheel supports to the vehicle body via a second pivot connection to the vehicle body, wherein the second pivot connection is spaced apart from the first pivot connection and each of the first and second links each form an oblique angle with respect to the double lever.

9. The vehicle as claimed in claim 8, wherein the parallel arm extends along a direction parallel to the double lever.

10. The vehicle as claimed in claim 8, wherein connections between the links and the wheel support are located higher than the second pivot connection, with respect to a ground surface, when the vehicle is in an upright position.

11. The vehicle as claimed in claim 10, wherein connections between the links and the wheel support are located higher than the parallel arm and the double lever, with respect to the ground surface.

12. The vehicle as claimed in claim 11, wherein the parallel arm is located higher than the double lever, with respect to the ground surface.

13. The vehicle as claimed in claim 8, wherein the links are releasably connected to the vehicle body via the second pivot connection.

14. The vehicle as claimed in claim 8, wherein the second pivot connection is a single, common pivot connection for the links.

15. The vehicle as claimed in claim 8, wherein the links have a telescopic configuration.

16. The vehicle as claimed in claim 8, further comprising a fourth wheel, the third and fourth wheels forming a second wheel pair.

17. The vehicle as claimed in claim 16, wherein one wheel pair forms steerable front wheels and the second wheel pair forms rear wheels of the vehicle.

18. The vehicle as claimed in claim 8, wherein the vehicle is a motor vehicle.