Suspension group in particular for motorized vehicles

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9656529-B2
Application number	US-201414763910-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 7, 2014
Priority date	Feb 12, 2013
Publication date	May 23, 2017
Grant date	May 23, 2017

Abstract

Suspension group for motorized vehicles comprising a main spring which extends between a first and a second end of the group, a main damper connected in parallel to said main spring said main spring being pre-loaded by pre-loading means which together press the spring in compression and impose a rest length thereon, namely the length assumed by the spring when there are no further external loads on the first and/or on the second end of the group except for the pre-load caused by the pre-loading means, wherein the first and second end are connected kinematically to a first and a second mass of the motor vehicle respectively, the first mass being a mass suspended by the suspension group and the second mass being a non-suspended mass.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Suspension group for motor vehicles comprising
a main spring which extends between a first and a second end of the group, influencing them elastically along a working axis,
a main damper connected in parallel to said main spring so as to exercise a damping action of the relative movement between said first and second ends, induced and/or countered by the main spring,
said main spring being pre-loaded by pre-loading means which together influence the spring in compression and impose a rest length thereon, namely the length assumed by the spring when there are no further external loads on the first and/or on the second end of the group except for the pre-load caused by the pre-loading means,
in which the first and second end are connected kinematically to a first and a second mass of the motor vehicle respectively, the first mass being a mass suspended by the suspension group and the second mass being a non-suspended mass and comprising a wheel or a portion of connection/support to a wheel of the motor vehicle, wherein
between at least one of said first and second ends and the respective suspended/non-suspended mass at least one kinematism is placed, in series with the main spring which permits a supplementary stroke between the end to which it is attached and the relative adjacent suspended/non-suspended mass, said supplementary stroke increasing the distance between the suspended and non-suspended mass imposed by the extension of the main spring,
wherein the kinematism is influenced by the load of the suspended mass, so as to prove retracted, namely not to provide any supplementary stroke, until the length of the main spring is less than or equal to the rest length, and so as to extend under the effect of the non-suspended mass, providing a supplementary stroke, after the main spring has extended reaching its rest length.

2. Suspension group according to claim 1 , wherein the kinematism comprises at least one secondary spring which influences the kinematism in extension so as to pass from the retracted configuration to the extracted configuration, said secondary spring extending the kinematism after the main spring has extended reaching its rest length.

3. Suspension group according to claim 1 , wherein the kinematism comprises at least one secondary spring which influences the kinematism in traction so as to pass from the extracted configuration to the retracted configuration.

4. Suspension group according to claim 1 , wherein said kinematism comprises at least one secondary damper suitable for damping the compression and extension movement of the kinematism.

5. Suspension group according to claim 1 , wherein the kinematism comprises a prismatic guide which permits a reciprocating rectilinear movement along a kinematism axis parallel to said working axis of the main spring.

6. Suspension group according to claim 5 , when dependent on claim 2 , wherein said prismatic guide comprises a stem sliding inside a lining, wherein the secondary spring and/or the secondary damper are housed inside said lining.

7. Suspension group according to claim 1 , wherein the kinematism comprises a connecting rod which connects the relative end to which the suspended/non-suspended mass is applied.

8. Suspension group according to claim 7 , wherein the kinematism comprises a secondary spring having one end connected to the rod and one end connected to the relative suspended/non-suspended mass so as to influence the kinematism in extension.

9. Suspension group according to claim 1 , wherein said pre-loading means comprise a counter-spring which acts so as to influence the main spring in extension, that is which opposes the elastic action of the main spring.

10. Suspension group according to claim 9 , wherein said counter-spring is housed inside the main damper.

11. Suspension group according to claim 1 , wherein the main damper is mechanically connected to said first and second ends.

12. Suspension group according to claim 1 , wherein the main damper is positioned coaxially in relation to the main spring.

13. Suspension group according to claim 1 , wherein between each of said first and second ends and the respective suspended/non-suspended mass a kinematism is placed, in series, which permits a supplementary stroke between the ends to which it is applied and the relative adjacent suspended/non-suspended mass, each kinematism being influenced by the load of the suspended mass, so as to prove retracted, namely not to provide any supplementary stroke, until the length of the main spring is less than or equal to the rest length, and so as to extend under the effect of the non-suspended mass, providing a supplementary stroke, after the main spring has extended reaching its rest length.

14. Suspension group according to claim 1 , wherein the first and the second end are kinematically connected to the first and to the second mass of the motor vehicle respectively by means of hinges having hinge axes parallel to each other and perpendicular to the working axis.

15. Suspension group according to claim 1 , wherein the kinematism comprises at least one secondary spring which influences the kinematism in extension, and wherein the rigidity of the main spring, if applicable also comprising the rigidity of any counter-spring is at least 8 times the rigidity of the secondary spring.

16. Suspension group according to claim 1 , wherein the main spring guarantees a main stroke equal to at least 2.5 times the supplementary stroke due to the kinematism, the main stroke being defined by the difference between the length at rest of the main spring and the minimum length of the main spring achieved in conditions of maximum admissible load in compression.

17. Suspension group according to claim 1 , wherein the kinematism comprises at least one secondary damper which influences the kinematism in compression to damp the reclosing stroke of the kinematism.

18. Suspension group according to claim 1 , wherein the non-suspended mass comprises a rear wheel of the motor vehicle and part of the fork supporting said rear wheel and wherein the suspended mass comprises or is mechanically attached to the support frame of the saddle of the motor vehicle.

19. Motor vehicle comprising a suspension group according to claim 1 .

Assignees

• Piaggio & C Spa

Inventors

• Bartolozzi Stefano
• Bertelli Michele
• Dall'Igna Luigi
• Savin Riccardo

Classifications

• B60G17/021

  the mechanical spring being a coil spring (B60G17/0272 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60G2202/312

  The spring being a wound spring · CPC title

• B60G2204/421

  Pivoted lever mechanisms for mounting suspension elements, e.g. Watt linkage · CPC title

• B60G2202/413

  Hydraulic actuator · CPC title

• B60G2204/44

  Centering or positioning means · CPC title