Motor-vehicle wheel suspension, with a toe angle regulating device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9776466-B2
Application number	US-201615206442-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 11, 2016
Priority date	Jul 14, 2015
Publication date	Oct 3, 2017
Grant date	Oct 3, 2017

Abstract

A motor-vehicle wheel suspension includes a lower oscillating arm, a damper unit, an upper oscillating rod and a vertical articulated rod. The suspension includes a toe control oscillating rod having an inner end pivotally connected to a supporting structure and an outer end pivotally connected to a wheel support. An articulation of the outer end of the toe control rod to the wheel support and the upper end of the vertical rod includes an articulation axle connected to the vertical rod. An eccentric cylindrical member is rotatably mounted on the articulation axle within a cylindrical cavity in the support and has an axis eccentric relative to the articulation axle. The articulation axle is connected to an adjustment ring, whose rotation determines a variation in the position of the wheel support and a resulting variation of the wheel toe angle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A motor-vehicle wheel suspension, comprising a wheel support connected to a motor-vehicle supporting structure by at least the following connecting elements:
a lower oscillating arm, having an inner end pivotally connected to said supporting structure around a first articulation axis and an outer end pivotally connected to the wheel support around a second articulation axis,
a damper unit having a lower end pivotally connected to the lower oscillating arm around a third articulation axis, and an upper end connected in an articulated manner to a motor-vehicle structure,
an upper oscillating rod for camber control, having opposite ends articulated to the supporting structure and the wheel support respectively around fourth and fifth articulation axes,
a vertical articulated rod having an upper end pivotally connected to the wheel support around a sixth articulation axis and a lower end pivotally connected to the outer end of the lower oscillating arm,
an oscillating toe rod for toe control which has an inner end pivotally connected to said supporting structure around a seventh articulation axis and an outer end which is pivotally connected to the wheel support,
the lower end of the vertical rod pivotally connected to the outer end of the lower oscillating arm around said third articulation axis, around which the lower end of the damper unit is also articulated,
the outer end of said toe rod is pivotally connected to the wheel support around said sixth articulation axis, around which the upper end of said vertical rod is also articulated,
the articulation of the outer end of said toe rod to the wheel support and to the upper end of said vertical rod comprises:
an articulation axle rigidly connected to said upper end of the vertical rod and projecting axially in cantilever fashion therefrom,
a cylindrical cavity formed in the outer end of said toe rod which rotatably receives therein said articulation axle, for articulation of said toe rod around said articulation axle,
an eccentric cylindrical member rigidly connected to said articulation axle and rotatably mounted within a cylindrical cavity formed in said wheel support and having an axis which is eccentric with respect to said articulation axle, and
an adjustment ring rigidly connected to said articulation axle,

in such a way that an angular adjustment of said ring determines a change of position of the wheel support which causes a variation of a toe angle of the wheel, without modifying the position of said seventh articulation axis of the toe rod to the supporting structure and without modifying the distance between said sixth and seventh axes around which the opposite ends of said toe rod are articulated.

2. Motor-vehicle wheel suspension according to claim 1 , wherein said supporting structure comprises an auxiliary frame secured to the motor-vehicle body and comprising two cross-members connected to each other by two longitudinal arms, said auxiliary frame comprising a plurality of connecting portions for connection to the motor-vehicle body with the interposition of elastic supports, and said longitudinal arms bear connecting portions for the pivotal connection of the inner ends of said lower oscillating arm, said camber rod and said toe rod.

3. Motor-vehicle wheel suspension according to claim 1 , further comprising a torsion rod rotatably supported around a transverse axis by means of supports secured to said supporting structure and having end arms each connected to a respective lower oscillating arm with the interposition of a connecting rod having ends respectively articulated to the respective end arm of the torsion rod and to said lower oscillating arm.

4. Motor-vehicle wheel suspension according to claim 1 , further comprising a helical spring arranged spaced apart from said damper unit and having a lower end resting on said lower oscillating arm and an upper end adapted to engage a support of the motor-vehicle structure.

5. Motor-vehicle wheel suspension according to claim 1 , wherein said lower oscillating arm has a pair of connecting portions provided with elastic bushings for articulation on said supporting structure around said first articulation axis.

6. Motor-vehicle wheel suspension according to claim 1 , wherein said lower oscillating arm has a connecting portion at its outer end, for pivotal connection of the lower end of the damper unit and of the lower end of said vertical rod.

Assignees

• Fca Italy Spa

Inventors

• Battaglia Gaetano
• Dusini Luca

Classifications

• B60G3/20 Primary

  all arms being rigid · CPC title

• B60G2206/121

  the arm having an H or X-shape · CPC title

• B60G2204/4222

  for movement on predefined locus of, e.g. the wheel center · CPC title

• B60G7/02

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

• B60G7/001

  Suspension arms, e.g. constructional features (B60G7/006 takes precedence) · CPC title