초록 ▼

A motor vehicle chassis structure which includes an independent suspension system including left and right suspension components for left and right wheels (4, 8) respectively for gripping and travelling along a road surface, each of which suspension components is arranged to allow a constrained up a

A motor vehicle chassis structure which includes an independent suspension system including left and right suspension components for left and right wheels (4, 8) respectively for gripping and travelling along a road surface, each of which suspension components is arranged to allow a constrained up and down movement of the respective wheel relative to the vehicle chassis structure, characterised in that the upper suspension components on one side of the vehicle are cross-linked with the upper suspension components on the other side of the vehicle by a connecting rod (10, 11) and an offset pivot shaft assembly (9, 5), so as to constrain the plane of each wheel towards an orientation which is normal to the road surface while allowing the chassis structure to move vertically and to roll relative to said wheels during cornering, acceleration, deceleration and combinations thereof.

대표청구항 ▼

The invention claimed is: 1. A motor vehicle chassis structure comprising: a chassis, left and right wheel mountings supporting left and right wheels respectively for travelling along a road surface, and an independent suspension system including left and right upper and lower suspension components

The invention claimed is: 1. A motor vehicle chassis structure comprising: a chassis, left and right wheel mountings supporting left and right wheels respectively for travelling along a road surface, and an independent suspension system including left and right upper and lower suspension components having outboard ends directly connected in use to upper and lower portions of the left and right wheel mountings respectively, the suspension components being arranged in use to allow a constrained up and down movement of each wheel relative to the chassis, wherein the upper suspension component on one side of the vehicle is cross-linked with the upper suspension component on the other side of the vehicle by a cross-linkage without direct connection of the cross-linkage to the lower suspension components, and wherein, in order to provide camber compensation, the cross-linkage is arranged so that a downward vertical movement of the outboard end of the upper suspension component on one side relative to the chassis is translated into a lateral inward movement of the outboard end of the upper suspension component on the other side relative to the chassis, and vice versa, irrespective of whether the outboard end of the upper suspension component on the one side is connected to the respective wheel mounting, so that, in use, due to the direct connection between the outboard ends of the upper suspension components and the respective wheel mountings, said lateral inward movement of the outboard end of the upper suspension component on the other side results in an equal lateral inward movement by said upper portion of the respective wheel mounting, and so the chassis structure acts to constrain the rotational plane of each wheel towards an orientation which is substantially normal to the road surface while allowing the chassis to move vertically and to roll relative to the wheels during cornering, acceleration, deceleration and combinations thereof. 2. A motor vehicle chassis structure according to claim 1 in which the upper suspension components on each side are cross-linked to the corresponding components on the other side in such a way that a vertical movement of the wheel relative to the chassis on one side is arranged to feed a compensating change in the inclination in a lateral direction of the wheel relative to the chassis on the other side. 3. A motor vehicle chassis structure according to claim 1, in which the cross-linkage comprises cross-links, provided by a mechanical linkage. 4. A motor vehicle chassis structure according to claim 3 in which the cross-links are two rigid links, wherein the upper suspension components on each side of the vehicle comprise a top arm and a rigid arm, each rigid link is pivotally joined at one end to an inboard end of the top arm on one side, whose outboard end is pivotally joined to an upper end of a wheel mounting on one side of the vehicle, and each rigid link is pivotally joined at its other end to the lower end of the rigid arm pivotally joined to the chassis on the other side of the vehicle, said rigid arm being pivotally connected to the top arm on said other side. 5. A motor vehicle chassis structure according to claim 1 wherein a spring unit is mounted so as to extend between the chassis and either an upper end of each suspension upright on which a wheel is mounted, or an upper suspension component, and each point of attachment provides for pivoting between the end of the spring unit and the chassis at one end, and the suspension upright or upper suspension component at the other end. 6. A motor vehicle chassis structure according to claim 4 wherein the spring unit extends between two points of attachment at an acute angle to the vertical.