Utility vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9242672-B2
Application number	US-201414201049-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 7, 2014
Priority date	Mar 7, 2013
Publication date	Jan 26, 2016
Grant date	Jan 26, 2016

Abstract

A vehicle is described herein having a rear drive mounted to a sub-frame where the sub-frame is movable relative to the frame, and where a suspension is movable relative to the sub-frame. Thus the vertical travel of the wheels is a combination of the vertical travel of the wheels relative to the sub-frame and the vertical travel of the sub-frame relative to the frame. The sub-frame could in the front or the rear, or both.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle, comprising:
a frame having a left suspension attachment point and a right suspension attachment point;
ground engaging members supporting the frame;
a propulsion unit supported by the frame;
a sub-frame pivotably coupled to the frame;
a final drive drivingly coupled to the propulsion unit, and supported by the sub-frame;
right and left suspension assemblies coupling the ground engaging assemblies to the frame independent of each other; the right suspension attachment point providing a point on the frame that couples the right suspension assembly to the frame separately and independently from the left suspension assembly, the left suspension attachment point providing a point on the frame that couples the left suspension assembly to the frame separately and independently from the right suspension assembly; and
drive members coupling the rear drive to the ground engaging members.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the right and left suspension assemblies comprise trailing arms suspended from the frame and coupled to the ground engaging members.

3. The vehicle of claim 2 , wherein the right and left suspension assemblies further comprise linear force elements (LFE) coupled between the trailing arms and the sub-frame.

4. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the right and left suspension assemblies comprise control arms suspended from the sub-frame and coupled to the ground engaging members.

5. The vehicle of claim 4 , wherein the right and left suspension assemblies further comprise linear force elements (LFE) coupled between the control arms and the sub-frame.

6. The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a suspension assembly coupled between the frame and the sub-frame.

7. The vehicle of claim 6 , wherein the suspension assembly comprises at least one linear force element (LFE).

8. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the final drive is a differential.

9. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the final drive is a front final drive.

10. The vehicle of claim 9 , wherein the sub frame is coupled to the frame by way of upper and lower pivot links.

11. The vehicle of claim 10 , further comprising a steering gear supported by the sub frame and movable therewith.

12. The vehicle of claim 11 , further comprising a steering motor supported by the frame.

13. The vehicle of claim 12 , further comprising a steering link coupling the steering motor and steering gear.

14. The vehicle of claim 13 , wherein the steering link is parallel with the upper pivot link.

15. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the final drive is a rear final drive.

16. A vehicle, comprising:
a frame;
ground engaging members supporting the frame;
a propulsion unit supported by the frame;
a sub-frame pivotably coupled to the frame;
a final drive drivingly coupled to the propulsion unit, and supported by the sub-frame, the final drive being movable with the sub-frame relative to the propulsion unit;
at least some of the ground engaging members being driven ground engaging members and the driven ground engaging members being movable relative to the frame and sub-frame; and
drive members coupling the final drive to the driven ground engaging members; at least one linear force element (LFE) coupled between the ground engaging members and the sub-frame, and at least one LFE coupled between the frame and the sub-frame.

17. The vehicle of claim 16 , further comprising right and left suspensions which allow the driven ground engaging members to being movable relative to the frame and sub-frame.

18. The vehicle of claim 17 , wherein the right and left suspensions allow the driven ground engaging members to being movable relative to the frame independent of each other.

19. The vehicle of claim 18 , wherein the right and left suspensions comprise trailing arms suspended from the frame and coupled to the ground engaging members.

20. The vehicle of claim 19 , wherein the right and left suspensions further comprise linear force elements (LFE) coupled between the trailing arms and the sub-frame.

21. The vehicle of claim 16 , wherein the right and left suspensions comprise control arms suspended from the sub-frame and coupled to the ground engaging members.

22. The vehicle of claim 21 , wherein the right and left suspensions further comprise linear force elements (LFE) coupled between the control arms and the sub-frame.

23. The vehicle of claim 16 , wherein the right and left suspensions comprise a lower suspension member pivotally mounted to the sub-frame and coupling the ground engaging assemblies to opposite ends of the lower suspension member.

24. The vehicle of claim 23 , wherein the lower suspension member is a solid link and pivots about an axis parallel with a longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

25. The vehicle of claim 24 , further comprising upper control arms coupled to the ground engaging members and the sub-frame.

26. The vehicle of claim 25 , further comprising linear force elements (LFE) coupled between the upper control arms and the sub-frame.

27. The vehicle of claim 16 , further comprising a suspension assembly coupled between the frame and the sub-frame.

28. The vehicle of claim 27 , wherein the suspension assembly comprises at least one linear force element (LFE).

29. The vehicle of claim 16 , wherein the final drive is a differential.

30. The vehicle of claim 16 , wherein the final drive is a front final drive.

31. The vehicle of claim 30 , wherein the sub frame is coupled to the frame by way of upper and lower pivot links.

32. The vehicle of claim 31 , further comprising a steering gear supported by the sub frame and movable therewith.

33. The vehicle of claim 32 , further comprising a steering motor supported by the frame.

34. The vehicle of claim 33 , further comprising a steering link coupling the steering motor and steering gear.

35. The vehicle of claim 34 , wherein the steering link is parallel with the upper pivot link.

36. The vehicle of claim 16 , wherein the rear drive is a differential.

37. A vehicle, comprising:
a frame;
ground engaging members supporting the frame;
a propulsion unit supported by the frame;
a sub-frame pivotably coupled to the frame;
a rear drive drivingly coupled to the propulsion unit, and supported by the sub-frame;
a lower suspension member that is pivotally mounted to the sub-frame via first pivot point and that separately couples one of the ground engaging assemblies members to the frame about a second pivot point; and
drive members coupling the rear drive to the ground engaging members.

38. The vehicle of claim 37 , wherein the lower suspension member is a solid link and pivots about an axis parallel with a longitudinal axis of the vehicle.

39. The vehicle of claim 37 , further comprising upper control arms coupled to the ground engaging members and the sub-frame.

40. The vehicle of claim 39 , further comprising linear force elements (LFE) coupled between the upper control arms and the sub-frame.

41. The vehicle of claim 37 , wherein the lower suspension member is movably coupled to the sub-frame.

42. The vehicle of claim 40 ,

Assignees

• Polaris Inc

Inventors

• Brady Louis J
• Slattery Gordon C
• Schertz Jeffrey T
• Giese Timothy J

Classifications

• B60G2300/124

  Quads · CPC title

• B60K5/00

  Arrangement or mounting of internal-combustion or jet-propulsion units (B60K7/00 takes precedence; arrangement or mounting of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion B60K6/00) · CPC title

• B60G2300/13

  Small sized city motor vehicles · CPC title

• B60G2300/07

  Off-road vehicles · CPC title

• B60G3/185 Primary

  the arms being essentially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle · CPC title