Land vehicles – Wheeled – Running gear
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-08
2003-09-23
Rice, Kenneth R. (Department: 3627)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Running gear
C280S788000, C180S378000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06623020
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to suspension systems for automotive vehicles and particularly to a vehicle suspension member assembly suitable for a multi-link type rear suspension system.
A vehicle rear suspension member assembly consists of, as shown in
FIG. 4
, a pair of left and right side members
50
and
50
spaced from each other laterally of a vehicle body, and a pair of front and rear cross members
51
and
52
spaced from each other longitudinally of the vehicle body. Each of the cross members
51
and
52
is attached at opposite longitudinal ends to the side members
50
and
50
, whereby to constitute a generally rectangular framework. Each side member
50
has at the front and rear ends thereof resilient supports
53
and
54
. The suspension member assembly is resiliently supported on the vehicle body by way of the resilient supports
53
and
54
.
Each side member
50
is provided with a pair of front and rear lower link connecting brackets
55
for connecting thereto front and rear connecting portions of a lower link, respectively. On the front and rear cross members
51
and
52
is supported a differential gear (not shown) by way of resilient bushings
56
. Each side member
50
is further provided with a pair of upper link connecting brackets
57
for connecting thereto upper links, respectively.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
For reduction of the cost, common use of parts is required. However, in case the resilient support points P
2
for supporting the front portion of the above described suspension member assembly on the vehicle body are varied or modified to cope with a variation of the tread of the vehicle due to a variation of a kind of vehicle, without changing the resilient support points P
1
for supporting the front portion of the suspension member assembly on the vehicle body, it is required to change or modify all of the above described four parts
50
,
51
and
52
and therefore it is impossible to make common use of those parts in vehicles having different treads.
In order that the front resilient support points P
2
can be moved laterally outward of the vehicle body without changing or modifying the side members
50
and
50
, while holding the rear resilient support points P
1
unchanged or fixed, each side member
50
must be turned laterally outward of the vehicle body about the rear resilient support point P
1
, thus causing variations in the angles of inclination of the links to be connected to the side members
50
. Accordingly, common use of the links makes it difficult to attain common use of the side member
50
.
Since the differential gear is supported on the front and rear cross members
51
and
52
which are in turn supported on the m vehicle body by way of the side members
50
, a large shearing force is applied to the connecting portions or joints (welded portions) between the cross members
51
and
52
and the side members
50
and
50
, particularly to the connecting portion or joints between the rear side cross member
52
and the side member
50
, due to a force supplied thereto from the differential gear (i.e., so-called windup input), thus requiring a countermeasure for enabling the suspension member assembly to retain a sufficient strength and rigidity.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle suspension member assembly which enables to make common use of parts in vehicles having different treads.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a vehicle suspension member assembly of the foregoing character which has a sufficient strength and rigidity.
To accomplish the above objects, there is provided according to an aspect of the present invention a novel and improved vehicle suspension member assembly comprising a pair of front and rear cross members spaced from each other longitudinally of a vehicle body and elongated laterally of the vehicle body, a pair of side members spaced from each other laterally of the vehicle body and elongated longitudinally of the vehicle body, the side members and the front and rear cross members being joined to constitute a generally rectangular suspension member subassembly, a pair of front resilient supports for supporting a front portion of the subassembly on the vehicle body, and a pair of rear resilient supports for supporting a rear portion of the subassembly on the vehicle body, wherein the rear resilient supports are disposed at opposite longitudinal end portions of the rear cross member, respectively, and the front resilient supports are disposed at front end portions of the side members, respectively, and wherein the front cross member is disposed between the side members.
According to a further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a novel and improved vehicle suspension member assembly comprising a pair of front and rear cross members spaced from each other longitudinally of a vehicle body and elongated laterally of the vehicle body, a pair of side members spaced from each other laterally of the vehicle body and elongated longitudinally of the vehicle body, the side members and the front and rear cross members being joined to constitute a generally rectangular suspension member subassembly, a pair of front resilient supports for supporting a front portion of the subassembly on the vehicle body, and a pair of rear resilient supports for supporting a rear portion of the subassembly on the vehicle body, wherein the front resilient supports are disposed at opposite longitudinal end portions of the front cross member, end portions of the side members, respectively, and wherein the rear cross member is disposed between the side members.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5556133 (1996-09-01), Oku et al.
patent: 5560651 (1996-10-01), Kami et al.
patent: 5562308 (1996-10-01), Kamei et al.
patent: 5641180 (1997-06-01), Kamei et al.
patent: 6120060 (2000-09-01), Kocer et al.
patent: 1035003 (2000-09-01), None
patent: 06008846 (1994-06-01), None
Buchanan Christopher
Nissan Motor Co,. Ltd.
Rice Kenneth R.
LandOfFree
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