Vehicle with an actuator for adjusting a suspension assembly

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11364960-B2
Application number	US-201716336282-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 26, 2017
Priority date	Sep 30, 2016
Publication date	Jun 21, 2022
Grant date	Jun 21, 2022

Abstract

A vehicle comprises a chassis, a seat, a motor, an endless drive track, and a rear suspension assembly supporting the endless drive track. The rear suspension assembly includes a left slide and right slide rail, at least one rear suspension arm being operatively pivotally connected to one of the slide rails and the chassis, with at least one coupling block being connected thereto. A rear stopper is connected to one of the slide rails, the rear stopper being disposed within a range of motion of the at least one coupling block in a first position and being disposed out of the range of motion of the at least one coupling block in a second position. The vehicle includes a control cable and an actuator, the rear stopper moving between the first and second positions when moving the actuator between first and second actuator positions.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle, comprising:
a chassis;
at least one seat connected to the chassis;
a motor connected to the chassis;
an endless drive track disposed below the chassis, the endless drive track being operatively connected to the motor for propulsion of the vehicle;
a rear suspension assembly supporting the endless drive track, the rear suspension assembly comprising:
a left slide rail,
a right slide rail,
at least one rear suspension arm having a first end and a second end, the first end of the at least one rear suspension arm being operatively pivotally connected to at least one of the left and right slide rails, the second end of the at least one rear suspension arm being operatively pivotally connected to the chassis,
at least one coupling block connected to the at least one rear suspension arm, and
at least one rear stopper movably connected to the at least one of the left and right slide rails, the at least one rear stopper being movable between a first stopper position and a second stopper position,
the at least one rear stopper being disposed within a range of motion of the at least one coupling block when in the first stopper position, the at least one coupling block selectively abutting the at least one rear stopper when the first end of the at least one rear suspension arm extends rearward,
the at least one rear stopper being disposed out of the range of motion of the at least one coupling block when in the second stopper position, motion of the at least one coupling block being unimpeded by the at least one rear stopper when the first end of the at least one rear suspension arm extends rearward;

a control cable having a first end operatively connected to the at least one rear stopper of the rear suspension assembly; and
an actuator operatively connected to a second end of the control cable and the at least one rear stopper via the control cable, the actuator being disposed forward of the at least one seat, the actuator being operable by a user during operation of the vehicle,
the actuator being movable between a plurality of actuator positions including at least a first actuator position and a second actuator position, each of the first stopper position and the second stopper position being related to one of the plurality of actuator positions,
the at least one rear stopper moving to the first stopper position when moving the actuator to the first actuator position, the at least one rear stopper moving to the second stopper position when moving the actuator to the second actuator position.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the at least one rear stopper moves between the first stopper position and the second stopper position by rotation.

3. The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising at least one rocker arm having a first end and a second end; and
wherein:
the first end of the at least one rocker arm is pivotally connected to at least one of the left and right slide rails; and
the second end of the at least one rocker arm is pivotally connected to the first end of the at least one rear suspension arm.

4. The vehicle of claim 3 , further comprising:
a cross-member connected to the first end of the at least one rear suspension arm;
wherein:
the at least one rocker arm includes:
a right rocker arm pivotally connected to the right slide rail at a first end of the right rocker arm, and
a left rocker arm pivotally connected to the left slide rail at a first end of the left rocker arm;

the at least one coupling block is operatively connected to one of:
the right rocker arm, and
the left rocker arm;

a second end of the right rocker arm is connected to the cross-member;
a second end of the left rocker arm is connected to the cross-member; and
the at least one rear stopper is rotatably connected to:
the right slide rail if the at least one coupling block is connected to the right rocker arm, and
the left slide rail if the at least one coupling block is connected to the left rocker arm.

5. The vehicle of claim 4 , wherein the at least one coupling block is connected to at least one of the first end of the cross-member and the second end of the cross-member.

6. The vehicle of claim 5 , wherein:
the at least one coupling block includes:
a right coupling block connected to the right rocker arm, and
a left coupling block connected to the left rocker arm;

the at least one rear stopper includes:
a right rear stopper connected to the right slide rail, and
a left rear stopper connected to the left slide rail; and

further comprising:
a shaft connecting to and extending between the right rear stopper and the left rear stopper, the right and left rear stoppers being rotationally fixed with respect to the shaft, the shaft being adapted for rotating the right and left rear stoppers such that the right and left rear stoppers are in a same one of the first and second stopper positions.

7. The vehicle of claim 6 , further comprising:
a right mounting portion connected to a right end portion of the shaft, the right rear stopper being connected to the right mounting portion; and
a left mounting portion connected to a left end portion of the shaft, the left rear stopper being connected to the left mounting portion,
the right and left mounting portions being rotationally fixed with respect to the shaft.

8. The vehicle of claim 7 , further comprising a biasing element operatively connected to at least one of the right and left mounting portions, the biasing element biasing the right and the left rear stoppers, via the at least one of the right and left mounting portions, toward the first stopper position.

9. The vehicle of claim 8 , wherein:
the control cable is connected to one of the right and left mounting portions;
moving the actuator from the first actuator position to the second actuator position applies a tension on the control cable, the tension of the control cable, via the one of the right and left mounting portions, causing the shaft to rotate the right and left rear stoppers from the first stopper position to the second stopper position; and
moving the actuator from the second actuator position to the first actuator position releases the tension on the control cable, the biasing element then biasing the shaft to rotate the right and left rear stoppers from the second stopper position to the first stopper position.

10. The vehicle of claim 9 , wherein:
the control cable is connected to the left mounting portion; and
the biasing element is connected to the right mounting portion.

11. The vehicle of claim 8 , wherein the biasing element is a torsion spring.

12. The vehicle of claim 11 , wherein the torsion spring is disposed about an axis of rotation of the shaft.

13. The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising:
at least one body panel connected to the chassis; and
wherein a portion of the control cable is disposed in an interior of the at least one body panel.

14. The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising:
a handlebar connected to the chassis; and
wherein:
the actuator is a twist grip actuator disposed on the handlebar; and
the twist grip actuator is movable between at least the first actuator position and the second actuator position by twisting the twist grip actuator about the handlebar.

15. The vehicle of claim 14 , further comprising:
a left handle disposed on a left side portion of the handlebar;
a brake lever disposed on the left side portion, the brake lever being connected to a brake fluid reservoir, the brake fluid reservoir being connected to the handlebar rightward of the left handle;
a right handl

Assignees

• Bombardier Recreational Products Inc

Inventors

• Lavallee Jean-Simon
• Bourassa Michel

Classifications

• B62M27/02 Primary

  power driven · CPC title

• B62D55/104

  Suspension devices for wheels, rollers, bogies or frames (vehicle suspension in general B60G) · CPC title

• B62D55/116 Primary

  Attitude or position control of chassis by action on suspension, e.g. to compensate for a slope · CPC title

• B62D55/10

  Bogies; Frames (track-tensioning means B62D55/30) · CPC title

• B62M2027/026

  Snow mobiles characterised by the suspension means · CPC title