Land vehicles – Wheeled – Running gear
Patent
1993-09-24
1995-02-07
Rice, Kenneth R.
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Running gear
280723, 267273, B60G 2104
Patent
active
053870042
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to attachment arrangements for U-shaped stabilizer bars in motor vehicles and, more particularly, to a coupling for an articulated fastening coupling for such arms.
U-shaped stabilizer bars are generally joined to the chassis of a vehicle by way of rubber elastic bearings supporting the central portion, which is oriented more or less transverse to the lengthwise direction of the vehicle, while the arms of the stabilizer, which extend more or less lengthwise of the vehicle, have a jointed connection with the wheel-steering links or alternatively with the wheel mounts themselves. In principle, however, there are known arrangements, particularly in combination with rigid axles, in which the stabilizer arms are jointed to the chassis, while the central portion of the U-shaped stabilizer bar is connected to the steering links or to the axle.
In general, the jointed connection of the stabilizer arms is effected through coupling rods which are arranged to compensate for the unequal travels of the steering links on the one hand and of the stabilizer arms on the other hand, resulting from unlike suspension kinematics.
These differences in travel are especially great in the case of a transverse link axle or a spring leg/transverse link axle such as is conventional in modern front-wheel-drive vehicles. In such arrangements, the stabilizer arms are supported about an axis of rotation extending transverse to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle, while the transverse links, and hence also the points of action of their coupling rods, are supported about an axis extending more or less lengthwise of the vehicle.
To compensate for the differences in travel that occur, therefore, the coupling rods are commonly supported from both the stabilizer arm and the steering link and/or the chassis by rubber elastic elements. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,027,577 and German Utility Design No. 6,801,096.
Instead of using coupling rods and joints, however, it is also common practice, as described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,792,215, to attach the stabilizer arms of a U-shaped stabilizer, which extend generally lengthwise of the vehicle, directly and relatively rigidly to the steering links by embedding them in prestressed rubber blocks of comparatively large volume and to suspend the central portion, which extends transverse to the lengthwise direction of the vehicle, from spaced coupling-rod-like attachment members which are attached by rubber elements to the vehicle chassis and are spherically movable therein.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a coupling arrangement for a U-shaped stabilizer arm which overcomes the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art.
Another object of the invention is to provide a coupling rod of simple manufacture for jointed attachment of a U-shaped stabilizer arm which can transmit the stabilizing forces to the steering links with improved efficiency and increased angular mobility and which insofar as possible requires but little installation space and is especially suitable for automated assembly of the stabilizer.
These and other objects of the invention are attained by providing a coupling rod for a stabilizer arm which includes a coupling rod head to accommodate the stabilizer arm and a coupling rod pin with a spherically movable bearing for attachment to a support member such as the chassis or a steering link. Preferably, the coupling rod head and the coupling rod pin are separate parts and the coupling rod pin is in the form of a threaded bolt received in the coupling rod head.
In a preferred embodiment, the spherically movable bearing has a body capable of being connected in geometrically fixed relation to a steering link or the like and the body has a central through-bore of double-truncated cone shape traversed by a pin, the smallest diameter of the bore more or less corresponding to the diameter of the coupling rod pin. The bearing also includes two sliding shells having part-spherical sur
REFERENCES:
patent: 2027577 (1936-01-01), Crane
patent: 2394276 (1946-02-01), Venditty
patent: 2792215 (1957-05-01), Timpner et al.
patent: 3311364 (1967-03-01), De Castelet
patent: 4470616 (1984-09-01), Kaneko et al.
Rice Kenneth R.
Volkswagen AG
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