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US 11,807,065 B1Granted
Pivot offset elasto-hydraulic bushing
AssigneeZoox, Inc.
InventorsJohannes Edren, Johannes Andreas Huennekens
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A suspension including one or more elasto-hydraulic bushings that can enable adjustment of the kinematic pivot point. The suspension can include a bushing system having a single buishing or a coupled bushing pair interactively arranged and configured to transform rotational motion into translational motion or vice versa by the expansion and contraction of one or more reservoirs.
Claims20
A vehicle comprising:
- a vehicle structure;
- a bushing system coupled to the vehicle structure, the bushing system comprising:
- a first rigid portion fixed to the vehicle structure;
- a second rigid portion movable relative to the first rigid portion;
- and
- an elastomeric member disposed between the first rigid portion and the second rigid portion, the elastomeric member defining a first chamber and a second chamber;
- and
- a suspension arm coupled to the second rigid portion;
- wherein the bushing system is configured such that at least one of:
- rotation of the suspension arm causes fluid to flow out of the first chamber and into the second chamber thereby causing the suspension arm to translate;
- or
- translation of the suspension arm causes fluid to flow out of the second chamber and into the first chamber, thereby causing the suspension arm to rotate.
9 more elements
A bushing system comprising:
- a first rigid portion;
- a second rigid portion movable relative to the first rigid portion;
- and
- an elastomeric member disposed between the first rigid portion and the second rigid portion, the elastomeric member comprising:
- a first chamber;
- and
- a second chamber fluidly connected to the first chamber;
- wherein the bushing system is configured such that at least one of:
- rotation of the second rigid portion causes fluid to flow from the first chamber to the second chamber thereby causing the second rigid portion to translate;
- or
- translation of the second rigid portion causes fluid to flow from the second chamber to the first chamber, thereby causing the second rigid portion to rotate.
8 more elements
A method of transforming a first motion into a second motion comprising:
- receiving, by a bushing system comprising a first chamber fluidly connected to a second chamber, a first force that is either a translation first force or a rotational first force;
- causing the first chamber to be compressed in response to receiving the translation force or rotational force;
- causing the second chamber to expand in response to the first chamber being compressed;
- imparting, by the bushing system, a second force associated with causing the second chamber to expand,
- wherein:
- the second force is a rotational second force if the first force received is the translation first force, and the second force is a translation second force if the first force received is the rotational first force.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.