Multi-arm Vehicle Suspension with Adjustable Torsion Bars
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing vehicle suspension systems fail to provide automatic road clearance and body tilt adjustment based on roadway conditions and speed, leading to instability and reduced smoothness, especially on varying road surfaces and in catamaran applications where wave roughness affects stability and speed.
Innovation Solution
A multi-arm suspension system with adjustable torsion bars and linear actuators that allow synchronous change in arm lengths, enabling automatic clearance adjustment and body tilt, maintaining constant traction and stability across different road conditions and sea roughness without altering the wheelbase or vehicle width.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If the suspension arms length is increased to improve stability and smoothness, then the road clearance and body tilt adjustment capability is improved, but the vehicle dimensions (wheelbase and width) are exceeded
Solution Approach 1:
The suspension system employs adjustable arm lengths through linear actuators that can dynamically change the configuration of the suspension arms. This allows the system to adapt arm length based on road conditions and vehicle speed, achieving improved stability and smoothness without permanently increasing vehicle dimensions. The arms can extend when needed for adjustment and retract to maintain compact vehicle footprint.
Solution Approach 2:
The suspension arms are divided into multiple segments connected by joints, allowing independent adjustment of each segment's position. This segmentation enables the arms to achieve greater effective length for clearance adjustment while maintaining a compact overall structure when retracted, resolving the contradiction between stability enhancement and vehicle dimension constraints.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the suspension system is made more complex to enable automatic clearance and tilt adjustment, then the adaptability to road conditions is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The suspension arms serve multiple functions: they provide structural support, enable road clearance adjustment, control body tilt, and maintain wheel alignment. By making the arms multi-functional through their adjustable configuration, the system achieves high adaptability to various road conditions without adding separate dedicated components for each function, thus limiting the increase in device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The suspension system incorporates sensors and control mechanisms that automatically detect road conditions and adjust the suspension arm configuration without requiring external intervention. This self-service capability enables automatic adaptation to varying road surfaces and speeds, improving versatility while keeping the control system integrated and relatively simple rather than requiring complex external control systems.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides enhanced stability and smoothness for ground vehicles and catamarans by automatically adjusting clearance and body tilt, allowing for increased speed and reduced rocking amplitude on waves, ensuring all wheels maintain contact with the surface, thus preventing skidding and improving comfort and reliability.
Implementation Method 1
torsion bars attached to the frame through the bearing assemblies and connected to the arms of the corresponding motion parts, where at least two torsion bars may freely rotate with a twisting angle under the load of 1-5°
Implementation Method 2
linear actuators that are mounted in such a manner to allow synchronous change of their lengths
Implementation Method 3
torsion bars attached to the frame through the bearing assemblies
Data Source
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AI summary
A suspension comprises a frame, four arms and four torsion bars, which are arranged in pairs in a horizontal plane and are connected to said arms, and primary and additional connecting arms and linear actuators. The torsion bars are fastened to the frame via bearing assemblies and are mounted in parallel. The additional connecting arms are parallel, identically oriented and interconnected by tie rods; or the suspension comprises a frame, a steering mechanism, four identical wheel arms, each of which is adapted for connection to the hub of a corresponding wheel and to a connecting device, via a bearing assembly fastened to the frame, said connecting device being mounted such as to be freely rotatable, the connecting devices forming a front and rear suspension linkage, the axles of the connecting devices of both linkages being mounted in parallel, and the wheel levers of one linkage being mounted in parallel. A connecting device of the suspension is configured in the form of a flexible coupling or a rubber cord torsion bar. The suspension linkages are provided with a mechanism for altering rotation direction and are interconnected by a longitudinal tie rod. The wheel arms are fastened to the frame via rubber-coated bearing assemblies and are arranged in a horizontal plane.