Locking anti-motion suspension
AssigneeCNH America LLC
InventorDaniel Shore
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A skid steer vehicle has a suspension that includes a control arm pivotally coupled to the vehicle chassis that is supported by a hydraulic cylinder connected to an accumulator to provide springing. A hydraulic circuit coupled to the cylinder and accumulator permit the operator to raise and lower the chassis, to lock the suspension while the vehicle is loaded, and to automatically charge or discharge the accumulator to match the cylinder pressure during loading and unloading. In this manner, when the suspension is unlocked after loading, the vehicle chassis neither rises nor falls.
Claims7
-14. (canceled)
A method for controlling a suspension of a skid steer vehicle, the suspension including at least one control arm pivotally attached to a chassis of the vehicle, a hydraulic cylinder coupled to and between the control arm and the chassis, and a gas-charged accumulator in fluid communication with the hydraulic cylinder to provide springing for the control arm, the method comprising the steps of:
- connecting the cylinder to the accumulator to suspend the control arm;
- traveling to a loading location;
- disconnecting the cylinder from the accumulator to lock the control arm in a fixed pivotal position with respect to the chassis;
- changing the load on the vehicle such that the hydraulic fluid pressure changes in the cylinder;
- and
- automatically and continuously adjusting the accumulator pressure to match the cylinder pressure as the load on the vehicle changes to maintain the vehicle chassis at the same height after loading.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.