Vehicle front suspension stabilizer bar
AssigneeGeneral Motors Corporation
InventorBob DEKruyff
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A stabilizer bar arrangement including cross-bars secured at their outer ends to the oppositely disposed lower control arms and having juxtapositioned inner ends, with a slot formed in one bar and a pin mounted on the other bar for extension through the slot, the pin serving (1) to slide freely in the slot when the vehicle sustains equal and opposite wheel and lower control arm displacements, and (2) to prevent opposite vertical movements of the inner ends of the bars during turning operations, thereby limiting roll or tilt of the vehicle.
Claims3
For use in conjunction with an independent front suspension for vehicles having a frame, an upper control arm pivotally connected at its inner end to an upper portion of each of opposite side walls of said frame, a lower control arm pivotally connected at its inner end to a lower portion of each of opposite side walls of said frame, a wheel spindle assembly pivotally connected at its upper and lower ends to the outer ends of each set of upper and lower control arms, and a steerable wheel rotatably supported on each of said wheel spindle assemblies, stabilizer means operatively connected between said oppositely disposed lower control arms, said stabilizer means comprising a first cross-bar rigidly secured at the outer end thereof to a surface of one of said lower control arms and extending transversely therefrom toward the other of said lower control arms, a second cross-bar rigidly secured at the outer end thereof to a surface of said other of said lower control arms and extending transversely therefrom toward said one of said lower control arms, the respective inner ends of said first and second cross-bars being juxtaposed one in front of the other, a lateral slot formed in one of said inner ends, and a pin secured to the other of said inner ends and extending horizontally through said lateral slot, said pin and slot accommodating equal and oposite lateral movements of said cross-bars and lower control arms, and said pin and slot resisting opposing vertical movements of said cross-bars and lower control arms when said vehicle is subjected to control arm displacements encountered in a turning operation, thereby limiting tilting of said vehicle during said turning operation.
For use in conjunction with an independent front suspension system for vehicles having a frame, an upper control arm pivotally connected at its inner end to an upper portion of each of oposite side walls of said frame, a lower control arm pivotally connected at its inner end to a lower portion of each of opposite side walls of said frame, a wheel spindle assembly pivotally connected at its upper and lower ends to the outer ends of each set of upper and lower control arms, and a steerable wheel rotatably supported on each of said wheel spindle assemblies, stabilizer means operatively connected between said oppositely disposed lower control arms, said stabilizer means comprising a first cross-bar rigidly secured at the outer end thereof to a surface of one of said lower control arms and extending transversely therefrom toward the other of said lower control arms, a second cross-bar rigidly secured at the outer end thereof to a surface of said other of said lower control arms and extending transversely therefrom toward said one of said lower control arms, said first and second cross-bars, having a predetermined inherent resiliency, the respective inner ends of said first and second cross-bars being juxtaposed one in front of the other, a lateral slot formed in one of said juxtaposed inner ends, and a pin secured to the other of said juxtaposed inner ends and extending horizontally through said lateral slot, said slot accommodating lateral movement of said pin therein in response to lateral movements of said cross-bars and lower control arms when said vehicle sustains ride motions which result in equal and opposite right and left control arm displacements, and said slot resisting vertical movement of said pin and, hence, vertical movements of said cross-bars and lower control arms when said vehicle is subjected to unequal right and left control arm displacements encountered in a turning operation, said inherent resiliency of said cross-bars thereby limiting the degree of tilt of said vehicle during said turning operation.
For use in conjunction with an independent front suspension system for vehicles having a frame, an upper control arm pivotally connected at its inner end to an upper portion of each of opposite side walls of said frame, a lower control arm pivotally connected at its inner end to a lower portion of each of opposite side walls of said frame, a wheel spindle assembly pivotally connected at its upper and lower ends to the outer ends of each set of upper and lower control arms, and a steerable wheel rotatably supported on each of said wheel spindle assemblies, stabilizer means operatively connected between one of said oppositely disposed upper and lower pairs of control arms, said stabilizer means comprising a first cross-bar rigidly secured to one of said control arms on one side of the vehicle and extending inwardly therefrom toward the other of said control arms on the other side of the vehicle, a second cross-bar rigidly secured to said other of said control arms on said other side of the vehicle and extending inwardly therefrom toward said one of said control arms, the respective inner ends of said first and second cross-bars being juxtaposed as seen in the vertical view, said one of said control arms having a slot extending horizontally therethrough and elongated along the length thereof in the juxtaposed portion, and a pin secured to the other of said control arms in said juxtaposed portion and extending horizontally into said lateral slot and movable in either direction from the position when said vehicle is at rest, said pin and slot accommodating lateral movement of said cross-bars in their lengthwise directions when said vehicle sustains ride motions which result in equal and opposite right and left wheel and control arm displacements, and said pin and slot resisting unlike vertical movements of said cross-bars so as to resist like swinging movements of said control arms when said vehicle is subjected to unequal right and left wheel and control arm displacements encountered in a turning operation, thereby opposing tilting of said vehicle during said turning operation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.