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US 4,261,589 AGranted
Suspension system
AssigneeAtlantic Richfield Company
InventorDonald F. Wilkes
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A self-righting rolling suspension system is disclosed which has two ground contact zones and has self-righting stability in perpendicular planes, one of which includes the contact zones and one of which is perpendicular thereto. The system includes rolling support members that may be discs, annuli, cones or similar bodies of revolution. With the preferred orientation of the rolling supports, an effective radius several times the actual radius of the rolling support results. A self-adjusting differential is also obtained from one application of the principles.Shock absorbing and braking assemblies can also be incorporated in the system.
Claims41
A self-righting rolling support assembly comprising:
- a pair of circular support members, each being inclined at an acute angle relative to a support surface and having rolling contact with the support surface at a contact zone, the contact zones lying in a first plane perpendicular to the support surface and being spaced from one another to provide self-righting stability in the first plane;
- interconnection means for interconnecting the support members and maintaining the inclined relationship of the support members relative to the support surface;
- and
- a second plane perpendicular to both the support surface and the first plane, there being self-righting stability against tipping in both the first and second planes.
1 more element
A self-righting rolling support assembly comprising:
- a pair of circular support members, each being inclined at an acute angle relative to a support surface and having rolling contact with the support surface at a contact zone, the contact zones lying in a first plane perpendicular to the support surface and being spaced from one another to provide self-righting stability in the first plane;
- interconnection means for interconnecting the support members and maintaining the inclined relationship of the support members relative to the support surface;
- a second plane perpendicular to both the support surface and the first plane, there being self-righting stability against tipping in both the first and second planes;
- and
- wherein the interconnection means includes a surface of revolution having pure rolling contact with each support member, the surface of revolution also being effective to elevate a portion of the respective support member in relation to the underlying surface.
2 more elements
A self-righting rolling support assembly comprising:
- a pair of circular support members, each being inclined at an acute angle relative to a support surface and having rolling contact with the support surface at a contact zone, the contact zones lying in a first plane perpendicular to the support surface and being spaced from one another to provide self-righting stability in the first plane;
- interconnection means for interconnecting the support members and maintaining the inclined relationship of the support members relative to the support surface;
- a second plane perpendicular to both the support surface and the first plane, there being self-righting stability against tipping in both the first and second planes;
- wherein each support member includes a conical section having a perimeter, the perimeter of one support member being in contact with the perimeter of the other support member;
- and
- wherein coupling means is provided to inhibit dislocation of the perimeters in the first plane.
3 more elements
A self-righting rolling support assembly comprising:
- a pair of circular support members, each being inclined at an acute angle relative to a support surface and having rolling contact with the support surface at a contact zone, the contact zones lying in a first plane perpendicular to the support surface and being spaced from one another to provide self-righting stability in the first plane;
- interconnection means for interconnecting the support members and maintaining the inclined relationship of the support members relative to the support surface;
- a second plane perpendicular to both the support surface and the first plane, there being self-righting stability against tipping in both the first and second planes;
- wherein each support member includes a conical section having a conical surface, the conical surface of one support member is in line contact with the conical surface of the other support member;
- and
- wherein the interconnection means holds the support members such that the apices of the respective conical sections coincide.
3 more elements
A self-righting rolling support assembly comprising:
- a pair of circular support members, each being inclined at an acute angle relative to a support surface and having rolling contact with the support surface at a contact zone, the contact zones lying in a first plane perpendicular to the support surface and being spaced from one another to provide self-righting stability in the first plane;
- interconnection means for interconnecting the support members and maintaining the inclined relationship of the support members relative to the support surface;
- a second plane perpendicular to both the support surface and the first plane, there being self-righting stability against tipping in both the first and second planes;
- wherein each support member includes an axle extending vertically in the first plane and having a length sufficient to intersect a vertical line in the first plane which passes through the respective contact zone;
- and
- wherein the interconnection means includes a first bearing at the end of each of the axles, another bearing adjacent each circular support member, and means for applying a vertical load between the first bearings and the contact zones.
3 more elements
A self-righting rolling support assembly comprising:
- a pair of circular support members, each being inclined at an acute angle relative to a support surface and having rolling contact with the support surface at a contact zone, the contact zones lying in a first plane perpendicular to the support surface and being spaced from one another to provide self-righting stability in the first plane;
- interconnection means for interconnecting the support members and maintaining the inclined relationship of the support members relative to the support surface;
- a second plane perpendicular to both the support surface and the first plane, there being self-righting stability against tipping in both the first and second planes;
- each support member includes an axle extending vertically in the first plane and having a length sufficient to intersect a vertical line in the first plane which passes through the respective contact zone;
- the interconnection means includes a bearing at the end of each of the axles, another bearing adjacent each circular support member, and means for applying a vertical load between the first bearings and the contact zones;
- the contact zones being closely adjacent one another;
- and
- a rail being positioned between the contact zones on which the assembly can travel.
5 more elements
A self-righting rolling support assembly comprising:
- a pair of circular support members, each being inclined at an acute angle relative to a support surface and having rolling contact with the support surface at a contact zone, the contact zones lying in a first plane perpendicular to the support surface and being spaced from one another to provide self-righting stability in the first plane;
- interconnection means for interconnecting the support members and maintaining the inclined relationship of the support members relative to the support surface;
- a second plane perpendicular to both the support surface and the first plane, there being self-righting stability against tipping in both the first and second planes;
- wherein each support member includes an axle extending vertically in the first plane and having a length sufficient to intersect a vertical line in the first plane which passes through the respective contact zone;
- wherein the interconnection means includes a first bearing at the end of each of the axles, a second bearing adjacent each circular support member, and means for applying a vertical load between the first bearing and the contact zones;
- and
- wherein the interconnection means is operable to rotate the position of the second bearing relative to the first plane so as to steer the support members.
4 more elements
A self-righting rolling support assembly comprising:
- a pair of circular support members, each being inclined at an acute angle relative to a support surface and having rolling contact with the support surface at a contact zone, the contact zones lying in a first plane perpendicular to the support surface and being spaced from one another to provide self-righting stability in the first plane;
- interconnection means for interconnecting the support members and maintaining the inclined relationship of the support members relative to the support surface;
- a second plane perpendicular to both the support surface and the first plane, there being self-righting stability against tipping in both the first and second planes;
- shock absorbing means for accommodating
- wherein each support member includes an axle extending vertically in the first plane and having a length sufficient to intersect a vertical line in the first plane which passes through the respective contact zone;
- wherein the interconnection means includes a first bearing at the end of each of the axles, a second bearing adjacent each circular support member, and means for applying a vertical load between the first bearing and the contact zones;
- and
- shock absorbing means for accommodating impulsive vertical forces on the circular support member, connected between the first bearing and the second bearing.
5 more elements
A self-righting rolling support assembly comprising:
- a pair of circular support members, each being inclined at an acute angle relative to a support surface and having rolling contact with the support surface at a contact zone, the contact zones lying in a first plane perpendicular to the support surface and being spaced from one another to provide self-righting stability in the first plane;
- interconnection means for interconnecting the support members and maintaining the inclined relationship of the support members relative to the support surface;
- a second plane perpendicular to both the support surface and the first plane, there being self-righting stability against tipping in both the first and second planes;
- and
- brake means for retarding rotational movement of the circular support member, the brake means acting on the circular support member in vertical alignment with the contact zone.
2 more elements
A rolling support assembly comprising:
- a circular support member, inclined at an acute angle relative to a support surface, having rolling contact with the support surface at a contact zone, the acute angle selected so that the effective radius of curvature for the member at the contact zone substantially exceeds the actual radius of the support member at the contact zone;
- and
- support means engaging the support member with rolling contact and supporting the support member relative to the surface in the inclined position so as to provide self-righting lateral stability, the circular support member being effective to cause self-righting stability in a plane extending perpendicularly to the lateral direction.
A rolling geometry arrangement comprising:
- a rotatable circular member having an axis of symmetry;
- and
- support means including a surface portion with an axis, engaging the circular member with rolling contact on the surface portion and supporting the circular member such that the axis of symmetry is inclined at an acute angle relative to the axis and such that the angular velocity of the circular member about its axis of symmetry is different from the angular velocity of the surface portion about its axis.
A rolling geometry arrangement comprising:
- a rotatable circular member having an axis of symmetry;
- support means including a surface portion with an axis, the surface portion engaging the circular member with rolling contact and supporting the circular member such that the axis of symmetry is inclined at an acute angle relative to the axis and such that the angular velocity of the circular member about its axis of symmetry is different from the angular velocity of the surface portion about its axis;
- and
- a second rotatable circular member having a corresponding axis of symmetry, mounted on the support means such that the corresponding axis of symmetry is inclined at a second acute angle relative to the axis so that both circular members rotate relative to the support means.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.