Loading patent…
AssigneeThe Boler Company
InventorsSerge Alexander Barlas, Michael Brannigan, Jonathan Mark Bunne, David Harry Hillman, Tjong Thiam Lie
Estimating the term…
Vehicles, notably heavy duty trucks, equipped with torque reactive suspensions, such as trailing arm air suspensions, are susceptible to driveline vibration and wheel hop due to engine produced torque. According to this invention such driveline vibration and wheel hop can be suppressed by preventing frame rise from occurring. Suppression can be accomplished by providing one of several forms of frame rise control means operative between the vehicle drive axle and the vehicle frame. One form of frame rise control means utilizes rebound control leaf springs on opposite sides of a vehicle. Another form utilizes shock absorbers each of which incorporates a spring mounted on the piston rod. Another form utilizes hydraulic cylinders, each having a source of pressurized hydraulic fluid connected to the chamber of the cylinder on the rebound side of the piston and the chamber on the opposite side of the piston vented to atmosphere. Another form utilizes hydraulic cylinders each having a source of hydraulic fluid connected to the chambers on opposite sides of the piston with a valve operative to block flow of hydraulic fluid from the chamber on the rebound side of the piston. Still another form utilizes an elongated endless elastic strap embracing the shock absorbers.
In a vehicle having a frame supported at least in part on ground wheels by a torque reactive suspension incorporating a drive axle operatively connected to said ground wheels, driveline means connected in power transmitting relationship between the vehicle engine and said drive axle and shock absorber means operatively interconnected between said frame and said drive axle, the improvement comprising frame rise control means operative between said drive axle and said vehicle frame which functions in rebound to limit frame rise due to engine torque and thereby suppresses driveline vibration and wheel hop due to engine produced torque.
A method of suppressing driveline vibration and wheel hop in a vehicle having a frame supported in part on ground wheels by a torque reactive suspension incorporating a drive axle operatively connected to said ground wheels, and driveline means connected in power transmitting relationship between the vehicle engine and said drive axle wherein said suspension incorporates a pair of shock absorbers, one on each side of the vehicle, and a step of minimizing frame rise is accomplished by positioning an elastomeric sleeve on the piston rod of each said shock absorber so as to resist rebound.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.