Four bar linkage and air spring suspension system

A suspension assembly:

• a first linkage pivotally coupled at a first end with a frame of a commercial vehicle;
• an air spring coupled with the frame and coupled with a second end of the first linkage, the air spring configured to extend and retract to drive the first linkage to pivot about the first end relative to the structural member;
• a carriage pivotally coupled with the first linkage at a position between the first end and the second end of the first linkage, the axle fixedly coupled with the carriage;
• and
• a second linkage pivotally coupled at a first end with the structural member, and pivotally coupled with the carriage at a second end;
• wherein the first linkage extends inwards from the first end where the first linkage pivotally couples with the structural member to the second end where the first linkage couples with the air spring such that the second end of the first linkage is laterally closer to a longitudinal centerline of the frame of the commercial vehicle than the first end of the first linkage.

A chassis comprising:

• an axle;
• a suspension assembly coupled with a frame of a vehicle, the suspension assembly comprising:
• a pair of first linkages pivotally coupled at their first ends with a pair of structural members of the frame, the structural members extending in a downwards direction from rails of the frame;
• a pair of air springs coupled with the frame and coupled with a second end of the first linkages, the air springs configured to extend and retract to drive the first linkages to pivot about their first ends relative to the structural members;
• a pair of carriages pivotally coupled with the first linkages at a position between the first end and the second end of the first linkages, the axle fixedly coupled with the carriages;
• and
• a pair of second linkages pivotally coupled at their first ends with the structural member, and pivotally coupled with the carriages at their second ends;
• wherein the pair of first linkages extend in a direction non-parallel with a longitudinal axis of the vehicle, the pair of first linkages extending inwards from their first ends where the first linkages pivotally couple with the structural members to their second ends where the first linkages couple with the air springs such that a lateral distance between the first ends of the pair of first linkages is greater than a lateral distance between the second ends of the pair of first linkages.