US 2009/0020973 A1Published application

Independent Suspension Assembly

AssigneeTuthill Corporation

InventorGregory A. Richardson

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

An independent suspension assembly having a wheel support member and upper and lower control arms that is well adapted for use with the front steerable wheels of a large truck. The upper and lower control arms are each pivotally secured to the wheel support member at a first location on the control arm and pivotally supported relative to the frame at a second location on the control arm. The wheel support member is vertically displaceable relative to the frame by pivotal movement of the upper and lower control arms relative to both the frame and wheel support member. A leaf spring and an air spring may be positioned between the lower control arm and frame to communicate loads therebetween. A vertically extending linkage member may be disposed between the lower control arm and frame. The lower control arm may extend across the longitudinal centerline of the vehicle below the engine.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An independent suspension assembly for a vehicle having a frame and a plurality of wheels, said independent suspension assembly comprising:

a wheel support member, one of the vehicle wheels being mountable on said wheel support member;
an upper control arm, said upper control arm being pivotally secured to said wheel support member at a first location on said upper control arm and pivotally supported relative to the frame at a second location on said upper control arm;
a lower control arm, said lower control arm being pivotally secured to said wheel support member at a first location on said lower control arm and pivotally supported relative to the frame at a second location on said lower control arm;
wherein said wheel support member is vertically displaceable relative to the frame by pivotal movement of said upper and lower control arms relative to the frame and to said wheel support member;
a leaf spring assembly operably disposed between said lower control arm and the frame wherein a load communicated between said wheel support member and the frame is at least partially transferrable through said leaf spring assembly;
and
an air spring assembly operably disposed between said lower control arm and the frame wherein a load communicated between said wheel support member and the frame is at least partially transferrable through said air spring assembly.

4 more elements

An independent suspension assembly for a vehicle having a frame and a plurality of wheels, said independent suspension assembly comprising:

a wheel support member, one of the vehicle wheels being mountable on said wheel support member;
an upper control arm, said upper control arm being pivotally secured to said wheel support member at a first location on said upper control arm and pivotally supported relative to the frame at a second location on said upper control arm;
a lower control arm, said lower control arm being pivotally secured to said wheel support member at a first location on said lower control arm and pivotally supported relative to the frame at a second location on said lower control arm;
wherein said wheel support member is vertically displaceable relative to the frame by pivotal movement of said upper and lower control arms relative to the frame and to said wheel support member;
and
a linkage member disposed between said lower control arm and the frame, said lower control arm being pivotally secured to said linkage member wherein said pivotal connection between said lower control arm and said linkage member defines said second lower control arm location and a first location on said linkage member;
and wherein said linkage member is pivotally supported relative the frame at a second location on said linkage member.

4 more elements

An independent suspension system for a vehicle having a frame and a plurality of wheels wherein the vehicle defines a longitudinal centerline and the plurality of wheels includes paired first and second wheels located on opposite sides of the longitudinal centerline, the first and second wheels being steerable wheels;

said independent suspension system comprising:
a first independent suspension assembly for supporting the first wheel and a second independent suspension assembly for supporting the second wheel wherein each of said first and second independent suspension assemblies includes:
a wheel support member, one of the first and second wheels being mountable on said wheel support member, said wheel support member being controllably rotatable about a substantially vertical axis;
an upper control arm, said upper control arm being pivotally secured to said wheel support member at a first location on said upper control arm and pivotally supported relative to the frame at a second location on said upper control arm;
a lower control arm, said lower control arm being pivotally secured to said wheel support member at a first location on said lower control arm and pivotally supported relative to the frame at a second location on said lower control arm;
wherein said wheel support member is vertically displaceable relative to the frame by pivotal movement of said upper and lower control arms relative to the frame and to said wheel support member;
and
wherein said first and second locations on said lower control arm are disposed on opposite sides of the longitudinal centerline.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 12/169,449Filed 8 Jul 2008
Priority: 16 Jul 2007
Published: 22 Jan 2009
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

B60G 3/18
Resilient suspensions for a single wheel: with two or more pivoted arms, e.g. parallelogram
B60G 3/20
With two or more pivoted arms, e.g. parallelogram: all arms being rigid
B60G 11/04
Having leaf springs only: arranged substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle
B60G 2200/144
With lateral arms: with two lateral arms forming a parallelogram