Suspension system for a wheel rolling on a flat track

In combination with a tracking antenna, means adapted to support the antenna for angular displacement about a vertical axis including a movable truck adapted to roll along an annular track characterized by a flat upper surface disposed in a substantially horizontal plane, a suspension system including:

• A. a wheel frame;
• B. at least one wheel mounted in said wheel frame and supported thereby for rotation about an axis of rotation substantially paralleling a reference line disposed in said horizontal plane, said wheel being characterized by an uncrowned annular surface contacting the flat surface of said track along a line defining a line of contact paralleling said axis, said line of contact being tiltable with respect to said reference line as the flat surface is caused to tilt relative to said horizontal plane;
• C. a load supporting bed connected in load supporting relation with said antenna;
• and
• D. means connecting said wheel frame to said bed in load-supporting relation therewith including a pair of flexural members disposed in downwardly converging planes intersecting said flat upper surface at the midpoint of said line of contact, each of said flexural members being characterized by a modulus of elasticity sufficient to permit the axis of said wheel to maintain a substantially constant state of parallelism with said line of contact as the line is caused to tilt with respect to said reference line.

An improved suspension system for an uncrowned wheel adapted to be supported for rolling displacement along a planar surface comprising:

• A. a wheel frame having connected thereto at least one wheel characterized by an uncrowned peripheral surface adapted to seat on a planar supporting surface for defining between the surfaces a line of contact paralleling the rotational axis of the wheel;
• B. a load supporting bed disposed above said frame;
• and
• C. means for interconnecting the bed in supported relation with said wheel frame including at least one flexible strut of a planar configuration disposed in a downwardly inclined plane intersecting said supporting surface at a point located along said line of contact and having its uppermost end portion rigidly connected to the bed and its lowermost end portion rigidly connected to said frame.