Front suspension assembly for an off-road vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12377694-B2
Application number	US-202118029486-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 30, 2021
Priority date	Sep 30, 2020
Publication date	Aug 5, 2025
Grant date	Aug 5, 2025

Abstract

A vehicle including a frame; a front left suspension assembly with a front left wheel; a front right suspension assembly with a front right wheel; a front gear train; a motor; shafts connected between the front wheels and the front gear train. Each front suspension assembly including a knuckle including: a first portion connected to a wheel hub and including a first ball joint, and a second portion extending upward from the first portion and including a second ball joint; a lower A-arm connected to the first ball joint; an upper A-arm connected to the second ball joint; the second ball joint being distanced from the wheel axis by a distance greater than the inner rim radius; and a shock assembly connected to the lower A-arm and the frame, the shafts passing below the ball joint of the shock absorber assembly which is vertically higher than the shaft.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle comprising:
a frame;
a driver seat connected to the frame;
a front left suspension assembly connected to the frame;
a front left wheel operatively connected to the front left suspension assembly, the front left wheel having a left wheel axis, the front left wheel including:
a front left rim having an inner rim radius, and
a front left tire mounted to the front left rim;

a front right suspension assembly connected to the frame;
a front right wheel operatively connected to the front right suspension assembly, the front right wheel having a right wheel axis, the front right wheel including:
a front right rim having the inner rim radius, and
a front right tire mounted to the front right rim;

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;
a front gear train operatively connected to the front left wheel and the front right wheel;
a motor operatively connected to the front gear train, the motor driving the front right wheel and the front left wheel via the front gear train;
a right shaft having a laterally outward end connected to the front right wheel and a laterally inward end connected to the front gear train; and
a left shaft having a laterally outward end connected to the front left wheel and a laterally inward end connected to the front gear train,
each of the front left suspension assembly and the front right suspension assembly comprising:
a knuckle pivotally connected to a corresponding one of the front right wheel and the front left wheel, the knuckle including:
a first portion connected to a wheel hub, the wheel hub being operatively connected to the corresponding one of the front right wheel and the front left wheel, the first portion including a first ball joint, and
a second portion connected to and extending generally upward from the first portion, the second portion including a second ball joint disposed at a top portion of the knuckle;

a lower A-arm having a laterally outward end pivotally connected to the first ball joint of the knuckle and two laterally inward ends pivotally connected to the frame, the lower A-arm including a front arm and a rear arm;
an upper A-arm having a laterally outward end pivotally connected to the second ball joint of the knuckle and two laterally inward ends pivotally connected to the frame,
the second ball joint being distanced from a corresponding one of the right wheel axis and the left wheel axis by a distance greater than the inner rim radius;

a shock absorber assembly having a lower end pivotally connected to the lower A-arm via a bearing of the shock absorber assembly and an upper end pivotally connected to the frame; and
a sway bar assembly including:
a sway bar including:
a central portion arranged generally horizontally left to right,
a right portion extending generally forward from a right end of the central portion, and
a left portion extending generally forward from a left end of the central portion;

a left link having a bottom end pivotally connected to the front arm of the lower A-arm of the front left suspension assembly and a top end pivotally connected to a left end of the sway bar; and
a right link having a bottom end pivotally connected to the front arm of the lower A-arm of the front right suspension assembly and a top end pivotally connected to a right end of the sway bar,
the central portion of the sway bar is disposed forward of the shock absorber assembly of the front left suspension assembly and the shock absorber assembly of the front right suspension assembly.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein each of the front left suspension assembly and the front right suspension assembly further comprises:
a bracket connected to the lower A-arm, the bracket extending upward from a top surface of the lower A-arm, the first ball joint being connected to the bracket; and
wherein:
the lower end of the shock absorber assembly is connected to the bracket, the shock absorber assembly being connected to the lower A-arm via the bracket.

3. The vehicle of claim 2 , wherein, for each of the front left suspension assembly and the front right suspension assembly, the corresponding one of the left shaft and the right shaft passes through a space between:
the bracket,
a front edge of the lower A-arm, and
a rear edge of the lower A-arm.

4. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein:
for the front left suspension assembly, when the vehicle is at rest:
the left shaft is disposed above a lower surface of the lower A-arm; and

for the front right suspension assembly, when the vehicle is at rest:
the right shaft is disposed above a lower surface of the lower A-arm.

5. The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising:
a steering wheel disposed forward of the driver seat;
a steering assembly operatively connected to the steering wheel; and
wherein each of the front left suspension assembly and the front right suspension assembly further comprises:
a third ball joint connected to the knuckle,
a steering rod operatively connected to the steering assembly at a lateral inward end, and
a lateral outward end of the steering rod being connected to the third ball joint.

6. The vehicle of claim 5 , wherein, for each of the front left suspension assembly and the front right suspension assembly, the steering rod is disposed rearward of the shock absorber assembly.

7. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein:
for each of the front left suspension assembly and the front right suspension assembly, a kingpin axis intersects a line extending through the first ball joint and the second ball joint; and
for each of the front left suspension assembly and the front right suspension assembly, the kingpin axis, the second portion of the knuckle, the shock absorber assembly, and a corresponding one of the left shaft and the right shaft extend in a common plane.

8. The vehicle of claim 7 , for each of the front left suspension assembly and the front right suspension assembly, an upper distance from the wheel axis to the second ball joint is greater than two times a lower distance from the wheel axis to the first ball joint, each of the upper distance and the lower distance being measured along the kingpin axis.

9. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein, for each of the front left suspension assembly and the front right suspension assembly, a top end of the second portion of the knuckle and the laterally outward end of the upper A-arm are disposed vertically higher than a top surface of a corresponding one of the front right wheel and the front left wheel.

10. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein, for each of the front left suspension assembly and the front right suspension assembly, the second portion of the knuckle extends vertically along an interior side of a corresponding one of the front right wheel and the front left wheel.

11. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the second ball joint of the knuckle of each of the front left suspension assembly and the front right suspension assembly are vertically higher than the upper end of the shock absorber of each of the front left suspension assembly and the front right suspension assembly when the vehicle is in a full bump position.

12. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein a corresponding one of the left shaft and the right shaft passes below the bearing of the shock absorber assembly connected to the lower A-arm, and the bearing is disposed vertically higher than the corresponding one of the left shaft and the right shaft

Assignees

• Bombardier Recreational Products Inc

Inventors

• Heon Martin
• Leclerc Daniel
• Roy Richard Philippe
• Girouard Bruno

Classifications

• B60G2204/14

  Mounting of suspension arms · CPC title

• B60G2200/422

  Driving wheels or live axles · CPC title

• B62D7/18

  Steering knuckles; King pins · CPC title

• B60G7/02

  Attaching arms to sprung part of vehicle {(B60G7/006 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B60G2206/124

  the arm having triangular or Y-shape, e.g. wishbone · CPC title