Rear suspension assembly for an off-road vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10668780-B2
Application number	US-201815961292-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 24, 2018
Priority date	Jan 29, 2015
Publication date	Jun 2, 2020
Grant date	Jun 2, 2020

Abstract

A vehicle has a frame, driver and passenger seats, two front and two rear suspension assemblies, two front and two rear wheels, and a motor operatively connected to at least two of the wheels. Each rear suspension assembly has a trailing arm having a front end pivotally connected to the frame, a knuckle pivotally connected to a rear portion of the trailing arm, a link having a laterally outward end pivotally connected to the trailing arm and the knuckle and a laterally inward end pivotally connected to the frame, and a fastener fastening the laterally outward end of the link, the knuckle and the trailing arm together.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle comprising:
a frame;
a driver seat connected to the frame;
a passenger seat connected to the frame, the passenger seat being disposed beside the driver seat;
a front left suspension assembly connected to the frame;
a front left wheel operatively connected to the front left suspension assembly;
a front right suspension assembly connected to the frame;
a front right wheel operatively connected to the front right suspension assembly;
a rear left suspension assembly connected to the frame;
a rear left wheel operatively connected to the rear left suspension assembly;
a rear right suspension assembly connected to the frame;
a rear right wheel operatively connected to the rear right suspension assembly; and
a motor operatively connected to at least two of the wheels;
each of the rear left suspension assembly and the rear right suspension assembly comprising:
a trailing arm having a front end pivotally connected to the frame;
a knuckle pivotally connected to a rear portion of the trailing arm;
a link having a laterally outward end pivotally connected to the trailing arm and the knuckle and a laterally inward end pivotally connected to the frame; and
a single fastener inserted through the laterally outward end of the link, the knuckle and the trailing arm,
the single fastener fastening the laterally outward end of the link, the knuckle and the trailing arm together,
the laterally outward end of the link pivoting relative to both the trailing arm and the knuckle about the single fastener.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein each of the rear left suspension assembly and the rear right suspension assembly further comprises a shock absorber assembly having a lower end pivotally connected to the trailing arm and an upper end pivotally connected to the frame.

3. The vehicle of claim 2 , further comprising a torsion bar pivotally connected between the trailing arms.

4. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein for each of the rear left suspension assembly and the rear right suspension assembly:
the link is a lower link; and
the single fastener is a single lower fastener; and
wherein each of the rear left suspension assembly and the rear right suspension assembly further comprises:
an upper link having a laterally outward end pivotally connected to the trailing arm and the knuckle and a laterally inward end pivotally connected to the frame; and
a single upper fastener inserted through the laterally outward end of the upper link, the knuckle and the trailing arm,
the single fastener fastening the laterally outward end of the upper link, the knuckle and the trailing arm together.

5. The vehicle of claim 4 , wherein for each of the rear left suspension assembly and the rear right suspension assembly:
the single lower fastener extends through a first ball joint connected to the lower link; and
the single upper fastener extends through a second ball joint connected to the upper link.

6. The vehicle of claim 4 , wherein for each of the rear left suspension assembly and the rear right suspension assembly:
the knuckle has an upper tab and a lower tab;
the single upper fastener passes through the upper tab; and
the single lower fastener passes through the lower tab.

7. The vehicle of claim 6 , wherein for each of the rear left suspension assembly and the rear right suspension assembly:
the upper tab is longitudinally between the laterally outward end of the upper link and the trailing arm; and
the lower tab is longitudinally between the laterally outward end of the lower link and the trailing arm.

8. The vehicle of claim 6 , wherein each of the rear left suspension assembly and the rear right suspension assembly further comprises:
an upper ball joint disposed in the upper tab; and
a lower ball joint disposed in the lower tab;
wherein:
the single upper fastener passes through the upper ball joint; and
the single lower fastener passes through the lower joint.

9. The vehicle of claim 4 , wherein each of the rear left suspension assembly and the rear right suspension assembly further comprises a toe link having a laterally outward end pivotally connected to the knuckle by a toe link fastener and a laterally inward end pivotally connected to the frame.

10. The vehicle of claim 9 , wherein for each of the rear left suspension assembly and the rear right suspension assembly the toe link is vertically between the lower link and the upper link.

11. The vehicle of claim 9 , wherein for each of the rear left suspension assembly and the rear right suspension assembly the toe link fastener is laterally outward of the lower and upper fasteners.

12. The vehicle of claim 9 , wherein for each of the rear left suspension assembly and the rear right suspension assembly a connection point of the laterally inward end of the toe link with the frame is laterally inward of connection points of the laterally inward ends of the upper and lower links with the frame.

13. The vehicle of claim 9 , wherein for each of the rear left suspension assembly and the rear right suspension assembly the laterally outward end of the toe link is longitudinally rearward of the laterally outward ends of the upper and lower links.

14. A vehicle comprising:
a frame having a rear portion, the rear portion of the frame comprising left and right first members and left and right second members, the first members being bottom members, the second members being vertically higher than the bottom members, each of the first and second members having a rear end;
a driver seat connected to the frame;
a passenger seat connected to the frame, the passenger seat being disposed beside the driver seat;
a front left suspension assembly connected to the frame;
a front left wheel operatively connected to the front left suspension assembly;
a front right suspension assembly connected to the frame;
a front right wheel operatively connected to the front right suspension assembly;
a rear left suspension assembly connected to the frame;
a rear left wheel operatively connected to the rear left suspension assembly, the rear left wheel rotating about a rear left wheel rotation axis;
a rear right suspension assembly connected to the frame;
a rear right wheel operatively connected to the rear right suspension assembly, the rear right wheel rotating about a rear right wheel rotation axis,
the rear ends of the first and second members being disposed rearward of the rear left wheel rotation axis and the rear right wheel rotation axis; and
a motor operatively connected to at least two of the wheels;
each of the rear left suspension assembly and the rear right suspension assembly comprising:
a trailing arm having a front end pivotally connected to the frame;
a knuckle pivotally connected to a rear portion of the trailing arm;
a lower link having a laterally outward end pivotally connected to the trailing arm and a laterally inward end pivotally connected to the frame;
an upper link having a laterally outward end pivotally connected to the trailing arm and a laterally inward end pivotally connected to the frame; and
a toe link having a laterally outward end pivotally connected to the knuckle and a laterally inward end pivotally connected to the frame,
the inward end of at least one of the lower link, the upper link and the toe link being vertically between the rear ends of the first members and the rear ends of the second members,
the inward end of the at least one of the lower link, the upper link and the toe link being laterally between the rear ends of the left first and second members and the rear ends of the right first and s

Assignees

• Bombardier Recreational Products Inc

Inventors

• Despres-Nadeau Charles
• Heon Martin
• Leclerc Daniel

Classifications

• B60G7/005

  Ball joints (B60G7/006 takes precedence; for steering linkage B62D7/16; ball joints per se F16C11/06) · CPC title

• B60G2200/182

  with one longitudinal arm or rod and lateral rods · CPC title

• B60G3/20

  all arms being rigid · CPC title

• B60G3/202 Primary

  having one longitudinal arm and two parallel transversal arms, e.g. dual-link type strut suspension · CPC title

• B60G2200/18

  Multilink suspensions, e.g. elastokinematic arrangements · CPC title