Suspension system for vehicles

Details Suspension system for vehicles Suspension system for vehicles

1998-12-31

2001-02-06

Hurley, Kevin (Department: 3619)

Land vehicles

Suspension modification enacted during travel

Lateral and longitudinal vehicle attitude control

C280S005506

Reexamination Certificate

active

06182979

ABSTRACT:

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority of Korean Patent Application No. 97-80121 filed on Dec. 31, 1997, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a suspension system for a vehicle and, more particularly, to an active suspension system for a vehicle which assumes an optimal geometrical shape depending on the driving state.
(b) Description of the Related Art
Generally, conventional active control suspension systems are designed to control the roll and pitch of a vehicle body by detecting the same and forcing the vehicle body against the directions of the roll and pitch. To apply such force to the vehicle body, the suspension system requires the use of a high level of energy.
That is, when using hydraulic force, the mechanical energy W of a hydraulic actuator can be calculated using an equation as shown in the following:
W=F·S=|F||S
|Cos&thgr;
where, F is the actuator force, S is an actuator stroke, and &thgr; is an actuating angle of the actuator with respect to a vertical direction of the vehicle.
In a conventional active suspension system, as is well known, since the hydraulic actuator is disposed in a vertical direction with respect to the vehicle body, a great amount of mechanical energy needs to be exerted by the actuator to support the vehicle body. Even when the actuator is not mechanically operating in a state where no roll and pitch is applied to the vehicle, mechanical energy for supporting the vehicle against outer force is required.
Therefore, to apply such a great amount of mechanical energy, a high capacity hydraulic pump, a highly precise actuator, and various valves are required, complicating the suspension system, enlarging the size of the same as well as increasing manufacturing costs.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Therefore, the present invention has been made in an effort to solve the above-described problems.
It is an objective of the present invention to provide a suspension system for a vehicle which is simple in structure and can effectively control the height of a roll center, in addition to a camber and a tread using minimized energy, thereby providing optimal driving conditions for the vehicle.
To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a suspension system for a vehicle. The suspension system comprises a wheel carrier for rotatably supporting a wheel, an upper control link having a first end coupled to an upper end of the wheel carrier and a second end proximal to a vehicle body, a lower control link having a second end coupled to a lower end of the wheel carrier and a second end proximal to the vehicle body, a reciprocating hydraulic actuator disposed such that its reciprocating motion becomes perpendicular to a vertical direction of the vehicle body, a converter for converting the reciprocating motion of the reciprocating hydraulic actuator into an up-and-down motion of the upper and lower control links, and an electronic control part for controlling an operation of the reciprocating hydraulic actuator in accordance with a driving condition of the vehicle.
According to an embodiment of the present invention, the means for converting comprises an upper bell crank comprising a hinge portion pivotally coupled on an upper stationary hinge shaft supported by an upper bracket fixedly mounted on a vehicle body, a horizontal portion extending from the hinge portion toward the wheel carrier and to which the second end of the upper control link is pivotally coupled, and a vertical portion extending downward from the hinge portion, a lower bell crank comprising a hinge portion pivotally coupled on a upper stationary hinge shaft supported by the lower bracket, a horizontal portion extending from the hinge portion toward the wheel carrier and to which the second end of the lower control link is pivotally coupled, and a vertical portion extending upward from the hinge portion; and a lower end of the vertical portions of the upper bell crank and an upper end of the vertical portion of the lower bell crank being pivotally mounted on a movable hinge shaft to which actuating force of the actuator is applied.
Preferably, each length of the vertical portions of the upper and lower bell cranks is longer than that of the horizontal portions of the upper and lower bell cranks.


REFERENCES:
patent: 2071577 (1937-02-01), Renwick
patent: 4168075 (1979-09-01), Matschinsky
patent: 5230529 (1993-07-01), Harvey-Bailey
patent: 5700025 (1997-12-01), Lee
patent: 5938219 (1999-08-01), Hayami et al.
patent: 5992866 (1999-11-01), Frigo et al.
patent: 6036201 (2000-03-01), Pond et al.

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