초록 ▼

A steering and suspension system which steers and tracks all wheels of a vehicle and banks the vehicle body during turns. Front and rear power assisted rack and pinion steering assemblies are mechanically linked so that the rear wheels are turned in the opposite direction of the front wheels relativ

A steering and suspension system which steers and tracks all wheels of a vehicle and banks the vehicle body during turns. Front and rear power assisted rack and pinion steering assemblies are mechanically linked so that the rear wheels are turned in the opposite direction of the front wheels relative to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. The power assistance turns the radially inward wheels to a greater degree than the radially outward wheels. A pendulous mass is suspended from the vehicle body to react to centrifugal force and is operationally linked to a camber and attitude adjustment spool valve to regulate fluid flow to front and rear camber pistons and to hydraulic shock absorbers. The spool valve responds to swing of the pendulous mass to channel fluid to the camber pistons which cause the vehicle wheels to lean into a turn. Moreover, the spool valve channels fluid to the shock absorbers that are radially outward of a curve to bank into a turn. The pendulous mass also reacts to gravitational pull to detect straight-line driving on a laterally sloped road, thereby affecting the spool valve to transmit fluid to the hydraulic shock absorbers which are associated with depressed side of the vehicle until the vehicle body is leveled.

대표청구항 ▼

A vehicle having a steering wheel, a frame, left and right front wheels, and left and right rear wheels, said frame having a longitudinal axis and a transverse axis, comprising, a front steering means operatively linked to a steering wheel for turning left and right front wheels in response to rotat

A vehicle having a steering wheel, a frame, left and right front wheels, and left and right rear wheels, said frame having a longitudinal axis and a transverse axis, comprising, a front steering means operatively linked to a steering wheel for turning left and right front wheels in response to rotation of said steering wheel, a rear steering means operatively linked to said steering wheel for turning left and right rear wheels in response to rotation of the steering wheel, front camber adjustment means operatively linked to said front wheels for transmitting rotary rotation to said left and right front wheels, said front camber adjustment means including a left suspension arm attached to the left front wheel and a right suspension arm attached to the right front wheel, said left and right suspension arms each pivotally connected to a vehicle frame opposite the associated wheel, said front camber adjustment means being responsive to a fluid working medium to cause rotary motion of aid front wheels relative to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle frame, rear camber adjustment means operatively linked to said rear wheels for transmitting rotary motion to said left and right rear wheels, said rear camber adjustment means including a left suspension arm attached to the left rear wheel and a right suspension arm attached to the right rear wheel, said left and right suspension arms each pivotally connected to the vehicle frame opposite the associated wheel, said rear camber adjustment means responsive to a fluid working medium to cause rotary motion of said rear wheels relative to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle frame, attitude adjustment means connecting said front and rear wheels to said vehicle frame for controlling the distance between a wheel and said vehicle frame, said attitude adjustment means actuated by a fluid working medium, supply means for providing said fluid working medium, valve means for directing fluid flow of said fluid working medium between said supply means on the one hand and said front and rear adjustment means and said attitude adjustment means of the other hand, and a pendulous mass pivotally suspended from said vehicle frame and operatively connected to said valve means for regulating the orientation of each wheel, said pendulous mass disposed to pivot in response to the magnitude of lateral acceleration of a vehicle and in response to the vertical position of the right front and rear wheels relative to the left front and rear wheels.