Vehicle Axle Linkage with Virtual Pivot for Roll Movement
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing linkage systems for off-road vehicle front axles limit free angular roll movement and increase manufacturing costs and weight due to cumbersome protruding elements that restrict space and movement.
Innovation Solution
A linkage system with a pair of connection elements that include lower and upper movable hinges, allowing a virtual pivoting point above the axle, enabling increased roll movement while maintaining a compact design and reducing encumbrances, using metallic materials and a geometric configuration that adjusts the virtual pivoting point's position for versatility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a protruding portion is used to create a hinge point above the axle, then the roll movement is improved, but the encumbrance increases and free space is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the hinge function from a physical protruding portion and relocates it to a virtual pivoting point. The connection elements are designed without extending protrusions, instead using hinge connections at their extremities to define the pivoting point in space, thereby eliminating the encumbrance while preserving the roll movement capability
Solution Approach 2:
The invention introduces connection elements as intermediaries between the axle and chassis. These elements have hinge connections at both extremities, creating a virtual pivoting point that mediates the roll movement without requiring a physical protruding structure. The intermediaries transfer the rotational motion while maintaining spatial efficiency
2Ease of operation
If the distance h' is increased to improve roll, then the encumbrance of protruding portion increases and manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The invention removes the need for a physical protruding portion that would require significant material and manufacturing resources. By defining the pivoting point virtually through hinge connections at the extremities of connection elements, the design eliminates costly protrusion structures while achieving the same roll function
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the parameter from physical distance (height of protrusion) to geometric configuration (arrangement of hinge connections). The virtual pivoting point's position is determined by the geometry of connection elements and hinge locations, allowing optimization of roll movement without increasing material usage or manufacturing complexity
3Reliability
If a protruding portion is used for hinge connection, then connection is achieved, but it limits angular roll movement and increases weight
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the hinge connection function from a massive protruding structure and implements it through lightweight connection elements. The hinges are placed at the extremities of these elements, creating a virtual pivoting point that provides reliable connection without the weight penalty of a physical protrusion
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of having the axle protrude upward to create a hinge point, the invention inverts the approach by having connection elements extend from the axle with hinges at their ends. The pivoting point is inverted from a physical structure to a virtual geometric point defined by the hinge arrangement
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
Linkage system (1) for connecting an axle (2) of an off-road vehicle to a chassis (3) thereof, the linkage system (1) comprising a left and a right connection elements (5, 6) defining respectively a lower movable connection (13) with axle (2) and an upper movable connection (14) with an intermediate element (7) carried by chassis (3), the upper connection (13) and the lower connection (14) of each left and right connection elements (5, 6) being aligned along a respective straight line (R1, R2), said lines (R1, R2) intersecting on a point (P) positioned above said intermediate element (7), such point (P) being a virtual pivot roll point of axle (2).