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US 8,505,938 B2Granted
Sway bar assembly and vehicle including same
AssigneeHonda Motor Co., Ltd.
InventorDarin D. King
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A sway bar assembly includes a sway bar, a biasing member, and a winder assembly. The sway bar includes a central portion, a left end portion, and a right end portion. The central portion is configured for pivotal coupling to a frame of a vehicle. The left end portion is configured for coupling with a left support arm. The right end portion is configured for coupling with a right support arm. The biasing member is configured to be fixed to a frame of a vehicle. The winder assembly is coupled with the biasing member and configured to facilitate selective movement of the biasing member with respect to the sway bar.
Claims16
A vehicle comprising:
- a frame;
- a left support arm pivotally coupled with the frame and pivotable with respect to the frame about a first axis;
- a right support arm pivotally coupled with the frame and pivotable with respect to the frame about a second axis, the first and second axes being substantially parallel;
- a left wheel rotatably coupled with the left support arm;
- a right wheel rotatably coupled with the right support arm;
- and
- a sway bar assembly comprising:
- a sway bar comprising a central portion, a left end portion, and a right end portion, the central portion pivotally coupled with the frame and pivotable with respect to the frame about a third axis that is substantially perpendicular to the first and second axes, the left end portion coupled with the left support arm, and the right end portion coupled with the right support arm, wherein the left end portion and the right end portion extend away from the third axis in substantially the same direction;
- and
- a biasing member fixed to the frame;
- and
- a winder assembly coupled with the biasing member and configured to facilitate selective movement of at least a portion of the biasing member with respect to the sway bar.
9 more elements
A vehicle comprising:
- a frame;
- a left support arm pivotally coupled with the frame about a first axis;
- a right support arm pivotally coupled with the frame;
- a left wheel rotatably coupled with the left support arm;
- a right wheel rotatably coupled with the right support arm;
- and
- a sway bar assembly comprising:
- a sway bar comprising a central portion, a left end portion, and a right end portion, the central portion pivotally coupled with the frame, the left end portion coupled with the left support arm, and the right end portion coupled with the right support arm;
- and
- a biasing member fixed to the frame;
- and
- a winder assembly coupled with the biasing member and configured to facilitate selective movement of at least a portion of the biasing member with respect to the sway bar;
- wherein the winder assembly comprises a winding collar and a fastener, the winding collar is coupled with the biasing member, the fastener is configured to selectively fix the winding collar in position relative to the sway bar, and the winding collar defines a plurality of receptacles configured to receive a winding tool.
10 more elements
A sway bar assembly comprising:
- a sway bar comprising a central portion, a left end portion, and a right end portion, the central portion being configured for pivotal coupling to a frame of a vehicle about an axis, the left end portion being configured for coupling with a left support arm, and the right end portion being configured for coupling with a right support arm, wherein the left end portion and the right end portion extend away from the axis in substantially the same direction;
- a biasing member configured to be fixed to the frame of the vehicle;
- and
- a winder assembly coupled with the biasing member and configured to facilitate selective movement of at least a portion of the biasing member with respect to the sway bar;
- wherein
- the biasing member comprises a torsion spring having a pair of distal ends each configured to be fixed to the frame of the vehicle;
- the sway bar assembly further comprises a pair of bushing brackets configured to pivotally couple the sway bar with the frame of the vehicle, wherein each of the bushing brackets is fixed to a respective one of the distal ends of the torsion spring.
4 more elements
A sway bar assembly comprising:
- a sway bar comprising a central portion, a left end portion, and a right end portion, the central portion being configured for pivotal coupling to a frame of a vehicle about an axis, the left end portion being configured for coupling with a left support arm, and the right end portion being configured for coupling with a right support arm, wherein the left end portion and the right end portion extend away from the axis in substantially the same direction;
- a biasing member configured to be fixed to the frame of the vehicle;
- and
- a winder assembly coupled with the biasing member and configured to facilitate selective movement of at least a portion of the biasing member with respect to the sway bar;
- wherein
- the winder assembly comprises a winding collar and a fastener, the winding collar is coupled with the biasing member, and the fastener is configured to selectively fix the winding collar in position relative to the sway bar.
3 more elements
A vehicle comprising:
- a frame;
- a left support arm pivotally coupled with the frame;
- a right support arm pivotally coupled with the frame;
- a left wheel rotatably coupled with the left support arm;
- a right wheel rotatably coupled with the right support arm;
- a sway bar assembly comprising:
- a sway bar comprising a central portion, a left end portion, and a right end portion, the central portion pivotally coupled with the frame and pivotable with respect to the frame about an axis, the left end portion coupled with the left support arm, and the right end portion coupled with the right support arm, wherein the left end portion and the right end portion extend away from the axis in substantially the same direction;
- a torsion spring comprising a pair of distal ends, the torsion spring extending at least partially between the left end portion and the right end portion, and each of the distal ends being fixed to the frame;
- and
- a winder assembly coupled with the torsion spring and configured to facilitate selective movement of at least a portion of the torsion spring with respect to the sway bar;
- a left link member pivotally coupled with each of the left end portion of the sway bar and the left support arm;
- and
- a right link member pivotally coupled with each of the right end portion of the sway bar and the right support arm.
10 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.