US 7,815,205 B2Granted

Coupling mechanism for anti-roll bar

OwnerLaurent Barth, Xavier Delayreinventors

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Abstract

Coupling mechanism for a vehicle anti-roll bar comprising a first piece able to be fixed to a first half-bar, a second piece able to be fixed to a second half-bar, the second piece being so arranged as to be moveable in rotation about an axis of rotation A relative to the first piece. The mechanism includes at least one elastically deformable elongate element coupled to the first and second pieces so that relative rotation of the first and second pieces about the axis of rotation A causes elastic flexion deformation of the at least one elongate element, the mechanism including an actuator able to position the at least one elongate element in a first state in which the said at least one elongate element presents a first flexion stiffness for the said elastic flexion deformation, and a second state in which the said at least one elongate element presents a second flexion stiffness for the said elastic flexion deformation.

Claims22

Dependent claims

An anti-roll bar for a vehicle comprising a first half-bar having a first end connected to a coupling mechanism and a second end adapted to be connected to a first vehicle wheel, and a second half-bar having a first end connected to the coupling mechanism and a second end adapted to be connected to a second vehicle wheel, said coupling mechanism comprising a first piece able to be fixed to the first half-bar, a second piece able to be fixed to the second half-bar, the second piece being so arranged as to be moveable in rotation about an axis of rotation A relative to the first piece, characterized by the fact that it includes at least one elastically deformable elongate element coupled to the first and second pieces so that relative rotation of the first and second pieces about the axis of rotation A causes elastic flexion deformation of the at least one elongate element, the mechanism including an actuator able to rotate the at least one elongate element relative to the first and second pieces from a first state in which the at least one elongate element presents a first flexion stiffness for the elastic flexion deformation to a second state in which the at least one elongate element presents a second flexion stiffness for the elastic flexion deformation.

An anti-roll bar having a torsion stiffness for a vehicle having a first vehicle wheel and a second vehicle wheel comprising;

a coupling mechanism including a case and including a plate rotatable relative to said case,
a first half-bar having a first end engaging said case of said coupling mechanism and a second end connected to the first vehicle wheel,
a second half-bar having a first end engaging said plate of said coupling mechanism and a second end connected to the second vehicle wheel,
at least one elongated element of an elastically deformable material extending between said case and said plate for elastically deforming in a first direction in response to rotation between said first and second half-bars engaging said case and said plate,
said at least one elongated element having a cross-section being non-circular for presenting a first flexion stiffness in a one direction and for presenting a different second flexion stiffness in another direction,
and characterized by
an actuator for rotating said at least one elongated element relative to said case and said plate from a first state having the first flexion stiffness in said first direction when deforming in response to rotation between said first and second half-bars to a second state having the second flexion stiffness in said first direction when elastically deforming in response to rotation between said first and second half-bars to change said torsion stiffness of said anti-roll bar.

4 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/401,196Filed 10 Apr 2006
Priority: EP 053004566 Jun 2005
Published: US 2006/0273539 A17 Dec 2006
Granted: 19 Oct 2010
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification8 codes

B60G 21/0558
Adjustable: including means varying the stiffness of the stabiliser
B60G 2202/1351
Stabiliser bar and/or tube: comprising at least two stabiliser bars parallel to each other
B60G 2202/1362
Twist-beam type arrangement: including a second torsional element, e.g. second beam, stabiliser bar or tube
B60G 2204/82
Interactive suspensions; arrangement affecting more than one suspension unit: left and right unit on same axle