US007967310B2

( 12) Ulllted States Patent ( 10) Patent N 0. : US 7, 967, 310 B2

Frasch et a] . ( 4 5 ) Date o f Patent: J u n. 28 , 2011
( 5 4 ) WHEEL SUSPEN SION FOR THE REAR 5 , 000, 4 77 A * 3/ 1991 Minakawa et al. 28 0/ 124 136
WHEELS OF A MOTOR VEHICLE 5 , 04 8 , 8 5 8 A * 9/ 1991 Lu ger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 0/ 124 . 136
5 , 116, 076 A * 5 / 1992 Mo ll . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 0/ 124 . 138
. . . _ 5 , 4 15 , 4 27 A * 5 / 1995 So mmerer et al. 28 0/ 124 . 14 2
( 75 ) Inv ento rs: wlllhelm Frasch, Ob er_ b 01h1ngen ( DE) , 5 , 4 99, 8 39 A * 3/ 1996 Wahl et a1 " 28 0/ 124 ' 14 5
Relnhard K u nert, WBISSaCh ( DE) 6, 75 2, 4 09 B1 6/ 2004 K u nert
7, 25 8 , 35 5 B2 * 8 / 2007 Amano . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 0/ 124 . 134
( 73) Assignee: gj riggng. h. c. F. Po rsche AG , Stu ttgart ( Co ntinu ed)
FOREIG N PATEN T DOCUMEN TS
( * ) N o tice: Su b j ect to any disclaimer, the term o f this DE 364 24 21 C2 @198 7
p atent is extended o r adj u sted u nder 35 _
U. S. C. 15 4 ( 1) ) b y 15 5 days. ( Co n? rmed)
( 21) Ap p l. N o . : 12/ 339, 963 OTHER PUBLICATION S
( 22) Filed Dec 19 2008 Lu dwig Seethaler, Indep endent Wheel Su sp ensio n f o r Driv en Rear
' l Wheels o f Mo to r Vehicle, Ap r. 3, 1997, G erman Patent Of ? ce, DE
( 65 ) Prio r Pu b licatio n Data 195 35 923 Al, Machine Translatio n o f Descrip tio n. *
US 2009/ 016015 4 A1 J u n. 25 , 2009 ( Co ntinu ed)
( 30) Fo reign Ap p licatio n Prio rity Data Primary Examiner * Ru th Ilan
Assistant Examiner * J ames English
Dec. 21, 2007 ( DE) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 2007 063 5 4 5
( 5 1) I t Cl ( 5 7) ABSTRACT
11 . .
360G 3/ 18 ( 2006 01) A Wheel su sp ensio n f o r the rear Wheels o f a mo to r v ehicle is
360G 3/ 26 ( 200601) created, With three links b eing p ro v ided in an u p p er link
( 5 2) U 5 Cl 28 0/ 124 14 3; _ 28 0/ 8 6 5 _ 28 0/ 8 6 75 7_ p lane, and With a f o remo st link as v ieWed in the directio n o f
' ' ' 134 _ ' 28 0} 124 135 ' _ i8 0/ 124 ' 138 f trav el b eing p ro v ided as a track ro d and the tWo f u rther links
' ' 28 0/ 12 139 b eing p ro v ided as sep arate indiv idu al links at b o th sides o f a
_ _ _ ' v ertical Wheel central transv erse p lane. A triangu lar link is
( 5 8 ) Fleld o f clagggxggz ggegz hl igg/ llz gz 1134 4 ; arranged in the lo Wer link p lane, Which triangu lar link ho lds
28 0/ 124 14 ' 3 1 24 14 ' 9 8 6 5 8 ' 6 75 8 8 6' 75 1 asp iralo rair sp ring andadamp erstru t sp acedap art f ro mo ne
See a licatio n me f o r Co m let se rgh h' isto ' ano ther. By co rresp o nding p o le f o rmatio ns de? ned b y the
p p p 1y links, elasto kinematic o r imaginary p iv o t axes are f o rmed,
. Which p ermits an elasto kinematic adj u stment o f the Wheel in
( 5 6) Ref erences Clted a to e- in sense u nder the in? u ence o f b raking f o rces, side
U S PATEN T DOCUMEN TS f o rces and lo ad shif t f o rces. The Wheel su sp ensio n is also
' co n? gu red su ch that an elasto kinematic adj u stment o f the
2 gititgi? ltlz cgi 3 a1 " Z EN / 124 106 Wheel in a to e- o u t sense is o b tained in the ev ent o f Wheel lo ads
4 , 8 15 , 75 5 A * 3/ 198 9 Takata et a1. . . . . . . . . . . . 28 0/ 124 128 and dnv e f o rces
4 , 8 4 0, 396 A * 6/ 198 9 K u b o . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 0/ 124 . 14 3
4 , 973, 075 A * 11/ 1990 Ro ri et al. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 0/ 8 675 7 13 Claims, 5 Drawing Sheets
US 7, 967, 310 B2
Page 2
US. PATEN T DOCUMEN TS DE 102004 024 8 99 A1 12/ 2005
*
7, 28 1, 716 B2 * 10/ 2007 Fanso n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 0/ 5 5 2 EP 1364 8 16 A2 11/ 2003
7, 766, 34 4 B2 * 8 / 2010 Bu ma . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 0/ 5 5 11 OTHER PUBLICATION S
FOREIG N PATEN T DOCUMEN TS G erman Patent and Trademark Of ? ce Search Rep o rt dated Sep . 26,
DE 195 35 923 A1 4 / 1997 2008 .
DE 10005 4 07 A1 9/ 2000 _ _
DE 10111135 A1 9/ 2002 * crted b y examlner
US. Patent J u n. 28 , 2011 Sheet 1 015 US 7, 967, 310 B2
FIG . 1
US. Patent J u n. 28 , 2011 Sheet 2 015 US 7, 967, 310 B2
( T5 1
18 5
1D 12
' s
W Fig. 2
US. Patent J u n. 28 , 2011 Sheet 3 015 US 7, 967, 310 B2
US. Patent J u n. 28 , 2011 Sheet 4 015 US 7, 967, 310 B2
US. Patent J u n. 28 , 2011 Sheet 5 015 US 7, 967, 310 B2
Fig. 5
US 7, 967, 310 B2
1
WHEEL SUSPEN SION FOR THE REAR
WHEELS OF A MOTOR VEHICLE
CROSS- REFEREN CE TO RELATED
APPLICATION
This ap p licatio n claims the p rio rity, u nder 35 U. S. C. 1 19,
o f G erman ap p licatio n DE 10 2007 063 5 4 5 . 3, ? led Dec. 21,
2007; the p rio r ap p licatio n is herewith inco rp o rated b y ref er
ence in its entirety.
BACK G ROUN D OF THE IN VEN TION
Field o f the Inv entio n
The inv entio n relates to a Wheel su sp ensio n f o r the rear
Wheels o f a mo to r v ehicle.
Pu b lished, no n- p ro secu ted G erman p atent ap p licatio n DE
100 05 4 07 Al, co rresp o nding to US. Pat. N o . 6, 75 2, 4 09,
describ es a Wheel su sp ensio n Which likeWise co ntains a lo Wer
triangu lar link and an u p p er track ro d and tWo f u rther indi
v idu al links. The Wheel su sp ensio n, o n acco u nt o f the trian
gu lar link b eing situ ated laterally adj acent to the indiv idu al
links, has a relativ ely large sp atial req u irement in the limited
installatio n sp ace o f the v ehicle. Also , as a resu lt o f the p o si
tio n o f the triangu lar link, an extreme V- shap e o f the indi
v idu al links and a cro ssing With the track ro d are necessary.
The design may p o ssib ly lead, in the ev ent o f tilting f o rces o n
the Wheel carrier, to hardening o f the b earing elasticities,
Which co u ld also lead to an in? u ence o n the changes in Wheel
p o sitio n u nder the in? u ence o f b raking f o rces, side f o rces and
driv e f o rces. Pu b lished, no n- p ro secu ted G erman p atent ap p li
catio n DE l00 05 4 07 Al describ es in p articu lar a Wheel
su sp ensio n f o r the rear Wheels o f a mo to r v ehicle Which
likeWise co ntains three indiv idu al links in an u p p er p lane and
a triangu lar link in a lo Wer p lane, o n Which triangu lar link a
damp er and sp ring stru t is su p p o rted.
SUMMARY OF THE IN VEN TION
It is acco rdingly an o b j ect o f the inv entio n to p ro v ide a
Wheel su sp ensio n f o r the rear Wheels o f a mo to r v ehicle that
o v erco mes the ab o v e- mentio ned disadv antages o f the p rio r
art dev ices o f this general typ e, b y Which it is p o ssib le to
o b tain a co mp act, sp ace- sav ing design o f the Wheel su sp en
sio n u nit in the v ehicle. Fu rthermo re, it is intended to o b tain
an o p timu m p o sitio ning o f the links With articu latio n p o ints at
the Wheel carrier side and b o dy side in o rder to av o id any
adv erse ef f ect o n the driv ing b ehav io r in the ev ent o f f o rces,
su ch as f o r examp le b raking f o rces, side f o rces and driv e
f o rces, acting o n the Wheel.
With the f o rego ing and o ther o b j ects in v ieW there is p ro
v ided, in acco rdance With the inv entio n, a Wheel su sp ensio n
f o r rear Wheels o f a mo to r v ehicle. The Wheel su sp ensio n
co ntains f o u r links inclu ding a triangu lar link and three sep a
rate links. One o f the three sep arate links is a track ro d and the
remaining tWo links are tWo o ther links. A Wheel carrier is
gu ided b y the f o u r links Which are held o n a Wheel carrier side
and o n a b o dy side. A damp er stru t and a sp ring b eing either
an air sp ring o r a sp iral sp ring are p ro v ided. The triangu lar
link is disp o sed in a lo Wer link p lane and the three sep arate
links are disp o sed in an u p p er link p lane, and With it b eing
p o ssib le, as a resu lt o f p o le f o rmatio ns de? ned b y the links,
f o r a Wheel to b e elasto kinematically adj u sted in a to e- in
sense and a to e- o u t sense u nder actio n o f f o rces. The trian
gu lar link has a b o dy side f ro nt mo u nt b eing articu latedly
co nnected to the Wheel carrier, in relatio n to a directio n o f
20
25
30
35
4 0
4 5
5 0
5 5
60
65
2
trav el, b ehind a v ertical Wheel central transv erse p lane and
b elo W a ho riz o ntal Wheel central p lane. The triangu lar link
ho lds the damp er stru t and the sp ring Which is sp aced ap art
f ro m the damp er stru t, in a su p p o rting f ashio n. And, as v ieWed
in the directio n o f trav el, the track ro d is disp o sed in f ro nt o f
the v ertical Wheel central transv erse p lane in the u p p er link
p lane, and in that in each case o ne o f the sep arate links is
disp o sed at b o th sides o f the v ertical Wheel central transv erse
p lane. The sep arate links are aligned at dif f erent angles so as
to div erge f ro m the Wheel carrier in a directio n o f a v ehicle
b o dy and de? ne the u p p er link p lane.
The o b j ect is achiev ed acco rding to the inv entio n in that the
triangu lar link is articu latedly co nnected to the Wheel car
rieriin relatio n to the directio n o f trav elib ehind a v ertical
Wheel central transv erse p lane and b elo W a ho riZ o ntal Wheel
central p lane in a mo u nt, and ho lds a damp er stru t, and an air
o r steel sp iral sp ring Which is sp aced ap art f ro m the damp er
stru t, in a su p p o rting f ashio n. As v ieWed in the directio n o f
trav el, an indiv idu al link Which is emb o died as a track ro d is
arranged in f ro nt o f the Wheel central transv erse p lane in the
u p p er link p lane, and in each case o ne indiv idu al link is
arranged at b o th sides o f the v ertical Wheel central transv erse
p lane, Which indiv idu al links are aligned at dif f erent angles so
as to div erge f ro m the Wheel carrier in the directio n o f the
v ehicle b o dy and likeWise f o rm the u p p er link p lane. In this
Way, a Wheel su sp ensio n is adv antageo u sly created Which,
While hav ing a sp ace- sav ing arrangement, p ro v ides targeted
Wheel gu idance u nder the in? u ence o f f o rces acting o n the
Wheel.
A co ntrib u tio n to o p timu m Wheel gu idance is p ro v ided b y
the arrangement o f the Wheel gu ide links in the lo Wer and in
the u p p er link p lanes, Which arrangement generates targeted
p o le f o rmatio n and theref o re f o rms co rresp o nding imaginary
and elasto kinematic axes Which b ring ab o u t a su b stantial
in? u ence o n the Wheel p o sitio ning in the directio n o f to e- in
and/ o r to e- o u t.
In o rder to achiev e this, the track ro d has an articu latio n
p o int o n the Wheel carrier, Which articu latio n p o int is situ ated
ab o v e a ho riZ o ntal Wheel central transv erse p lane, With the
articu latio n p o ints o f the tWo indiv idu al links to the Wheel
carrier b eing situ ated ab o v e the articu latio n p o int o f the track
ro d o n the Wheel carrier. The b o dy- side mo u nt p o ints o f the
tWo indiv idu al links f o rm a b o dy- side p iv o t axis Which ru ns in
the v ehicle lo ngitu dinal directio n and Which, as v ieWed in the
directio n o f trav el, is aligned at an acu te angle With resp ect to
the v ertical Wheel central lo ngitu dinal p lane and With resp ect
to the Wheel- carrier- side p iv o t axis thro u gh the mo u nts o f the
indiv idu al links. In p articu lar, the track ro d and the indiv idu al
link Whichias v ieWed in the directio n o f trav eliis arranged
in f ro nt o f the v ertical Wheel central transv erse p lane are
arranged at dif f erent heights and so as to b e ap p ro ximately
p arallel to o ne ano ther and hav e an ap p ro ximately eq u al
length and the b o dy- side and Wheel- carrier- side articu latio n
p o ints lie v irtu ally in p arallel v ertical p lanes.
The tWo indiv idu al links hav e a ? rst, u p p er p o le f o r an
elasto kinematic p iv o t axis, Which p o leias v ieWed in the
directio n o f trav eliis situ ated in f ro nt o f a v ertical Wheel
central transv erse p lane and o u tside the tread Width o f the
Wheel. The triangu lar link and the track ro d f o rm a seco nd,
lo Wer p o le f o r the elasto kinematic p iv o t axis in the Wheel
co ntact p lane, Which p o le is situ ated o u tside the tread Width.
Fo r a targeted change in p o sitio n o f the Wheel u nder the
in? u ence o f f o rces, the b o dy- side mo u nt o f the track ro d and
the b o dy- sideias v ieWed in the directio n o f trav elif ro nt
mo u nt o f the triangu lar link hav e a so f ter characteristic than
the b o dy- side mo u nts o f the indiv idu al links and o f the f u rther
mo u nt o f the triangu lar link.
US 7, 967, 310 B2
3
The links o f the Wheel su sp ensio n are aligned With resp ect
to o ne ano ther and hav e mo u nt characteristics su ch that an
imaginary o r elasto kinematic p iv o t axis is generated b y the
p o les f o rmed, in su ch a Way that the Wheel can b e elasto ki
nematically adj u sted in the directio n o f to e- in u nder the in? u
ence o f b raking f o rces and lo ad shif t f o rces and that the Wheel
can b e elasto kinematically adj u sted in the directio n o f to e- o u t
u nder the in? u ence o f Wheel lo ads and driv e f o rces. The p o le
in the Wheel co ntact p lane f o r the adj u stment o f the Wheel in
the ev ent o f b raking f o rces and the p o le f o r the adj u stment o f
the Wheel in the ev ent o f lo ad shif t f o rces are situ ated o u tside
the tread Width andiWith resp ect to the directio n o f trav eli
in f ro nt o f the v ertical Wheel central transv erse p lane.
Fu rthermo re, the p o le in the Wheel co ntact p lane f o r the
elasto kinematic adj u stment o f the Wheel in a to e- in sense is
f o rmed b y an imaginary p iv o t axis Which ru ns thro u gh the
Wheel- carrier- side mo u nt o f the triangu lar link and thro u gh an
u p p er p o le f o rmed b y the indiv idu al links situ ated at the f ro nt
and at the rear.
As a resu lt o f the arrangement o f the links With resp ect to
o ne ano ther in the u p p er and lo Wer link p lanes, it is thereb y
p o ssib le f o r Wheel p iv o t axes and theref o re also co rresp o nd
ing p o les to b e f o rmed Which generate a targeted adj u stment
o f the Wheel in a to e- in sense and a to e- o u t sense.
Other f eatu res Which are co nsidered as characteristic f o r
the inv entio n are set f o rth in the ap p ended claims.
Altho u gh the inv entio n is illu strated and describ ed herein
as emb o died in a Wheel su sp ensio n f o r the rear Wheels o f a
mo to r v ehicle, it is nev ertheless no t intended to b e limited to
the details sho Wn, since v ario u s mo di? catio ns and stru ctu ral
changes may b e made therein Witho u t dep arting f ro m the
sp irit o f the inv entio n and Within the sco p e and range o f
eq u iv alents o f the claims.
The co nstru ctio n and metho d o f o p eratio n o f the inv entio n,
ho Wev er, to gether With additio nal o b j ects and adv antages
thereo f Will b e b est u ndersto o d f ro m the f o llo Wing descrip
tio n o f sp eci? c emb o diments When read in co nnectio n With
the acco mp anying draWings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL
VIEWS OF THE DRAWIN G S
FIG . 1 is a diagrammatic, p lan v ieW o f a Wheel su sp ensio n
With indiv idu al links arranged in an u p p er link p lane and a
triangu lar link arranged in a lo Wer link p lane acco rding to the
inv entio n;
FIG . 2 is a diagrammatic, rear v ieW o f the Wheel su sp en
sio niin a directio n o f trav el;
FIG . 3 is a diagrammatic, f ro nt v ieW o f the Wheel su sp en
sio n, co u nter to the directio n o f trav el;
FIG . 4 is a diagrammatic, to p and rear p ersp ectiv e v ieW o f
the Wheel su sp ensio n;
FIG . 5 is a diagrammatic, p ersp ectiv e v ieW o f the Wheel
su sp ensio n With an elasto kinematic p iv o t axis f o r b rake
f o rces and lo ad shif t f o rces; and
FIG . 6 is a diagrammatic, p ersp ectiv e v ieW o f the Wheel
su sp ensio n With an elasto kinematic p iv o t axis f o r side f o rces.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE IN VEN TION
Ref erring no W to the ? gu res o f the draWing in detail and
? rst, p articu larly, to FIG S. 1 and 3 thereo f , there is sho Wn a
Wheel su sp ensio n 1 f o r rear Wheels 2 o f a mo to r v ehicle. The
su sp ensio n 1 co ntains, in an u p p er link p lane L1, three sep a
rate indiv idu al links 3, 4 and 5 , With the o ne indiv idu al link 3
f o rming a track ro d. A lo Wer link p lane L2 is f o rmed b y a
20
25
30
35
4 0
4 5
5 0
5 5
60
65
4
triangu lar link 6 Which su p p o rts a damp er stru t 7 and, sep a
rately f ro m the latter, an air sp ring o r sp iral sp ring 8 .
In the lo Wer link p lane L2, the triangu lar link 6 is articu
latedly co nnected to a Wheel carrier 9* W1Ih resp ect to a
directio n o f trav el Fib ehind a v ertical Wheel central trans
v erse p lane x- x and b elo W a ho riz o ntal Wheel central p lane Z - Z
in a Wheel- carrier- side mo u nt 10. The triangu lar link 6 is
arranged directly b elo W the indiv idu al links 3, 4 and 5 and
b o dy- side mo u nts 11 and 12 are situ ated Within, o r are sp a
tially delimited b y, the o u ter track ro d 3 and the o u ter indi
v idu al link 5 .
The track ro d 3 and the ? rst indiv idu al link 4 are arranged,
and articu latedly co nnected at articu latio n p o ints 15 , 16 to
mo u nts o n the Wheel carrier 9 and in the mo u nts 13 and 17 at
the b o dy side, in f ro nt o f the v ertical Wheel central transv erse
p lane x- x as v ieWed in the directio n o f trav el F. The f u rther
indiv idu al link 5 o f the u p p er link p lane L1 ISiWIIh resp ect
to the directio n o f trav el Fiarranged b ehind the v ertical
Wheel central transv erse p lane x- x and is held o n the Wheel
carrier 9 in a mo u nt 18 and at the b o dy side in the mo u nt p o int
14 .
The track ro d 3 is arranged slightly b elo W the indiv idu al
links 4 and 5 in terms o f height With the articu latio n p o ints 13
and 15 and, as v ieWed in the height directio n ( FIG . 2) , the rear
indiv idu al link 5 is p ro v ided b etWeen the track ro d 3 and the
central indiv idu al link 4 , and the articu latio n p o ints 18 and 14
and 16 and 17 are also arranged co rresp o ndingly. The b o dy
side mo u nt p o ints 14 and 17 o f the tWo indiv idu al links 5 and
4 f o rm a lo ngitu dinally ru nning, b o dy- side p iv o t axis S ( FIG .
1) Which is aligned at an acu te angle With resp ect to the
v ertical Wheel central lo ngitu dinal p lane y- y.
The links 3, 4 , 5 and 6 o f the Wheel su sp ensio n 1 are aligned
With resp ect to o ne ano ther and hav e mo u nt characteristics
matched to o ne ano ther su ch that p o les P can b e f o rmed,
Which p o les P generate imaginary and elasto kinematic axes
f o r the Wheel p o sitio ning. In this Way, it is p o ssib le f o r the
Wheels 2 to b e elasto kinematically adj u sted in the directio n o f
to e- in u nder the in? u ence o f b raking f o rces B, lo ad shif t
f o rces L and in the ev ent o f side f o rces S, and f o r the Wheels
to b e elasto kinematically adj u sted in the directio n o f to e- o u t
u nder the in? u ence o f Wheel lo ads and driv e f o rces.
The tWo indiv idu al links 4 and 5 ( FIG . 5 ) f o rm an u p p er
p o le Po and the triangu lar link 6 With the track ro d 3 f o rms a
lo Wer p o le Pu . An elasto kinematic p iv o t axis S1 With a p o le
Pb in the Wheel co ntact p lane is f o rmed b etWeen the p o les Po
and Pu , su ch that, u nder the in? u ence o f b raking f o rces B and
lo ad shif t f o rces L, an adj u stment o f the v ehicle Wheel takes
p lace in the directio n o f to e- in in the ev ent o f b raking f o rces
B ab o u t the p o le Pb and in the ev ent o f lo ad shif t f o rces L
ab o u t the p o le P1. The p o le PI is the p o int o f intersectio n o f the
elasto kinematic p iv o t axis With the ho riZ o ntal Wheel central
p lane Z - Z . The p o les are situ ated o u tside the tread Width and,
as v ieWed in the directio n o f trav el F, in f ro nt o f the v ertical
Wheel central transv erse p lane x- x.
The p o le Ps in the Wheel co ntact p lane f o r the elasto kine
matic adj u stment o f the Wheel 2 in the directio n o f to e- in in
the ev ent o f a side f o rce S is f o rmed b y an imaginary p iv o t axis
Is. The imaginary p iv o t axis Is ru ns thro u gh an u p p er p o le Po
f o rmed b y the indiv idu al links 4 and 5 . A f u rther p o le Pu is
f o rmed b y the Wheel- carrier- side mo u nt 10 o f the triangu lar
link 6. On acco u nt o f the lev er arm h generated b etWeen the
v ertical Wheel central transv erse p lane x- x and the p o le Ps in
the Wheel co ntact p lane, an elasto kinematic adj u stment o f the
Wheel in the directio n o f to e- in can take p lace in the ev ent o f
a side f o rce S.
US 7, 967, 310 B2
5
The indiv idu al link 5 Which is situ ated at the rear is
arranged ab o v e a stab iliz er arm 20 o f a stab iliz er 22 and has an
identical p ro ? le to the stab iliz er arm 20, as a resu lt o f Which
a small installatio n sp ace is req u ired. A hanger 21 o f the
stab iliz er 22 is co nnected to the triangu lar link 6 b y a screW
23. The screW 23 simu ltaneo u sly f astens the sp ring stru t 7 to
the triangu lar link 6.
The indiv idu al link 4 has a cu rv ed indentatio n 24 Which is
co mp o sed o f a ho llo W and Which extends o v er a p art o f the
length o f the link 4 . The ho llo W o f f ers a f ree sp ace f o r a
lo ngitu dinal b eam o f the v ehicle b o dy to ru n thro u gh.
The air sp ring o r steel sp iral sp ring 8 is held in a su p p o rted
f ashio n in the triangu lar link 6 Within a recess 25 .
The track ro d 3 and the indiv idu al links 5 hav e the same
length and may theref o re b e co n? gu red as so - called identical
p arts. If the indentatio n 24 in the indiv idu al link 4 is no t
req u ired, the three links 3, 4 and 5 may all b e f o rmed as
identical p arts.
The inv entio n claimed is:
1. A Wheel su sp ensio n f o r rear Wheels o f a mo to r v ehicle,
the Wheel su sp ensio n co mp rising:
f o u r links inclu ding a triangu lar link and three sep arate
links, o ne o f said three sep arate links b eing a track ro d
and remaining tWo links b eing tWo o ther links;
a Wheel carrier b eing gu ided b y said f o u r links Which are
held o n a Wheel carrier side and o n a b o dy side;
a damp er stru t;
a sp ring selected f ro m the gro u p co nsisting o f air sp rings
and sp iral sp rings;
said triangu lar link disp o sed in a lo Wer link p lane and said
three sep arate links b eing disp o sed in an u p p er link
p lane and ab o v e a ho riz o ntal Wheel central p lane, and
With it b eing p o ssib le, as a resu lt o f p o le f o rmatio ns
de? ned b y means o f said links, f o r a Wheel to b e elas
to kinematically adj u sted in a to e- in sense and a to e- o u t
sense u nder actio n o f f o rces; and
said triangu lar link hav ing a b o dy side f ro nt mo u nt b eing
articu latedly co nnected to said Wheel carrier, in relatio n
to a directio n o f trav el, b ehind a v ertical Wheel central
transv erse p lane and b elo W the ho riz o ntal Wheel central
p lane, said triangu lar link ho lding said damp er stru t and
said sp ring Which is sp aced ap art f ro m said damp er stru t,
in a su p p o rting f ashio n, and in that, as v ieWed in the
directio n o f trav el, said track ro d is disp o sed in f ro nt o f
the v ertical Wheel central transv erse p lane in the u p p er
link p lane, and in that in each case o ne o f said sep arate
links is disp o sed at b o th sides o f the v ertical Wheel
central transv erse p lane, said sep arate links b eing
aligned at dif f erent angles so as to div erge f ro m said
Wheel carrier in a directio n o f a v ehicle b o dy and de? ne
the u p p er link p lane.
2. The Wheel su sp ensio n acco rding to claim 1, Wherein said
track ro d has an articu latio n p o int o n said Wheel carrier, said
articu latio n p o int is situ ated ab o v e the ho riz o ntal Wheel cen
tral p lane, and said tWo o ther links hav e f u rther articu latio n
p o ints to said Wheel carrier b eing situ ated ab o v e said articu
latio n p o int o f said track ro d o n said Wheel carrier.
3. The Wheel su sp ensio n acco rding to claim 2, Wherein said
tWo o ther links hav e b o dy- side mo u nt p o ints Which de? ne a
b o dy- side p iv o t axis Which ru ns in a v ehicle lo ngitu dinal
directio n and Which, as v ieWed in the directio n o f trav el, is
co rresp o ndingly aligned at an acu te angle With resp ect to a
v ertical Wheel central lo ngitu dinal p lane and With resp ect to a
Wheel- carrier- side p iv o t axis thro u gh said f u rther articu latio n
p o ints o f said tWo o ther links.
4 . The Wheel su sp ensio n acco rding to claim 3, Wherein a
f o remo st o f said links has an indentatio n f o rmed therein
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Which is co mp o sed o f a ho llo W Which extends f ro m said
b o dy- side mo u nt p o int to a straight link arm p art Which is
mo u nted to said Wheel carrier at the f u rther articu latio n p o int.
5 . The Wheel su sp ensio n acco rding to claim 2, Wherein said
tWo o ther links f o rm a ? rst, u p p er p o le f o r an elasto kinematic
p iv o t axis, the u p p er p o leias v ieWed in the directio n o f
trav eliis situ ated in f ro nt o f the v ertical Wheel central trans
v erse p lane and o u tside a tread Width o f the Wheel.
6. The Wheel su sp ensio n acco rding to claim 5 , Wherein said
triangu lar link and said track ro d f o rm a seco nd, lo Wer p o le
f o r the elasto kinematic p iv o t axis, and the elasto kinematic
p iv o t axis is situ ated With a f u rther p o le in a Wheel co ntact
p lane o u tside the tread Width and With resp ect to the v ertical
Wheel central transv erse p lane.
7. The Wheel su sp ensio n acco rding to claim 6, Wherein the
f u rther p o le in the Wheel co ntact p lane is designed f o r an
adj u stment o f the Wheel in an ev ent o f b raking f o rces, and an
o ther p o le o n the elasto kinematic p iv o t axis is designed f o r an
adj u stment o f the Wheel in an ev ent o f lo ad shif t f o rces, and
the f u rther p o le and the o ther p o le are situ ated in f ro nt o f the
v ertical Wheel central transv erse p lane and o u tside the tread
Width.
8 . The Wheel su sp ensio n acco rding to claim 1, Wherein o ne
o f said tWo o ther links is situ ated b ehind the v ertical Wheel
central transv erse p lane as v ieWed in the directio n o f trav el, o f
the u p p er link p lane, and is disp o sed at an angle o f ap p ro xi
mately 4 5 With resp ect to the v ertical Wheel central trans
v erse p lane and has an o v erlap p ing, identical p ro ? le to a
stab iliz er arm Which ru ns b elo W said o ne link and Which is
sp aced ap art in terms o f height.
9. The Wheel su sp ensio n acco rding to claim 1, Wherein said
links are aligned With resp ect to o ne ano ther and hav e mo u nt
characteristics su ch that axes Which are f o rmed b y p o les are
generated, in su ch a Way that the Wheel can b e elasto kine
matically adj u sted in a directio n o f to e- in u nder an in? u ence
o f b raking f o rces, lo ad shif t f o rces and in an ev ent o f side
f o rces, and that the Wheel can b e elasto kinematically adj u sted
in the directio n o f to e- o u t u nder an in? u ence o f Wheel lo ads
and driv e f o rces.
10. The Wheel su sp ensio n acco rding to claim 9, Wherein:
said links inclu de a f ro nt link and an indiv idu al link; and
a p o le in a Wheel co ntact p lane f o r an elasto kinematic
adj u stment o f the Wheel in the to e- in sense in an ev ent o f
a side f o rce is f o rmed b y an imaginary p iv o t axis Which
ru ns thro u gh said b o dy side f ro nt mo u nt o f said triangu
lar link and thro u gh an u p p er p o le f o rmed b y said f ro nt
link and said indiv idu al link Which is situ ated at a rear.
11. The Wheel su sp ensio n acco rding to claim 1, Wherein
said triangu lar link has a recep tacle f o r ho lding a lo Wer end o f
said sp ring.
12. The Wheel su sp ensio n acco rding to claim 1, f u rther
co mp rising:
a screW; and
a stab iliz er hav ing a hanger held in said triangu lar link b y
means o f said screW Which is f o rmed simu ltaneo u sly as
a b earing screW f o r said damp er stru t.
13. A Wheel su sp ensio n f o r rear Wheels o f a mo to r v ehicle,
the Wheel su sp ensio n co mp rising:
f o u r links inclu ding a triangu lar link and three sep arate
links, o ne o f said three sep arate links b eing a track ro d
and remaining tWo links b eing tWo o ther links;
a Wheel carrier b eing gu ided b y said f o u r links Which are
held o n a Wheel carrier side and o n a b o dy side;
a damp er stru t;
a sp ring selected f ro m the gro u p co nsisting o f air sp rings
and sp iral sp rings;
US 7, 967, 310 B2
7
said triangu lar link disp o sed in a lo wer link p lane and said
three sep arate links b eing disp o sed in an u p p er link
p lane, and With it b eing p o ssib le, as a resu lt o f p o le
f o rmatio ns de? ned b y means o f said links, f o r a Wheel to
b e elasto kinematically adj u sted in a to e- in sense and a
to e- o u t sense u nder actio n o f f o rces;
said triangu lar link hav ing a b o dy side f ro nt mo u nt b eing
articu latedly co nnected to said Wheel carrier, in relatio n
to a directio n o f trav el, b ehind a v ertical Wheel central
transv erse p lane and b elo W a ho riz o ntal Wheel central
p lane, said triangu lar link ho lding said damp er stru t and
said sp ring Which is sp aced ap art f ro m said damp er stru t,
in a su p p o rting f ashio n, and in that, as v ieWed in the
directio n o f trav el, said track ro d is disp o sed in f ro nt o f
the v ertical Wheel central transv erse p lane in the u p p er
link p lane, and in that in each case o ne o f said sep arate
links is disp o sed at b o th sides o f the v ertical Wheel
central transv erse p lane, said sep arate links b eing
15
8
aligned at dif f erent angles so as to div erge f ro m said
Wheel carrier in a directio n o f a v ehicle b o dy and de? ne
the u p p er link p lane;
said track ro d hav ing an articu latio n p o int o n said Wheel
carrier, said articu latio n p o int situ ated ab o v e the ho ri
Z o ntal Wheel central p lane, and said tWo o ther links hav e
f u rther articu latio n p o ints to said Wheel carrier b eing
situ ated ab o v e said articu latio n p o int o f said track ro d o n
said Wheel carrier; and
said track ro d and o ne o f said tWo o ther links Whichias
v ieWed in the directio n o f trav eliis disp o sed in f ro nt o f
the v ertical Wheel central transv erse p lane, are disp o sed
at dif f erent heights and so as to b e ap p ro ximately p aral
lel to o ne ano ther and hav e an ap p ro ximately eq u al
length and hav e b o dy- side articu latio n p o ints and Wheel
carrier- side articu latio n p o ints and Which lie v irtu ally in
p arallel v ertical p lanes.
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