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Custom CD of patents similar to US6655487 : Front suspension with three ball joints for a vehicle - $19.95 |
| United States Patent | 6655487 |
| Link to this page | http://www.wikipatents.com/6655487.html |
| Inventor(s) | Mallette; Bertrand (Rock Forest, CA), Girouard; Bruno (Montreal, CA), Fecteau; Berthold (Richmond, CA), Cote ; Mario (Bedford, CA) |
| Abstract | A suspension for a vehicle includes an upper A-arm and a lower A-arm. A leg
with an axis is rotatably connected to both the upper A-arm and the lower
A-arm. A mechanical link is rotatably connected to the leg so that
movement of the mechanical link applies rotational force to the leg to
cause the leg to rotate about the axis. |
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Title Information  |
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| Publication Date |
December 2, 2003 |
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| Filing Date |
June 11, 2001 |
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| Parent Case |
This application claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No.
60/251,263, filed Dec. 5, 2000, the contents of which are incorporated
herein by reference. This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S.
patent application Ser. No. 09/472,133, entitled "IMPROVED VEHICLE" filed
on Dec. 23, 1999 now abandoned, the contents of which are incorporated
herein by reference. This application claims priority to Canadian Patent
Application No. 2,256,944, which was filed on Dec. 23, 1998. The contents
of Canadian Application No. 2,256,944 are also incorporated herein by
reference. This application also incorporates by reference U.S. patent
application Ser. No. 09/472,134, entitled "SNOWMOBILE," which was filed on
Dec. 23, 1999. In addition, this application incorporates by reference
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 60/230,432, entitled "A NOVEL
THREE-WHEELED VEHICLE," which was filed on Sep. 6, 2000. Finally, this
application relies for priority on U.S. patent application Ser. No.
60/237,384, which was filed on Oct. 4, 2000, the contents of which are
incorporated herein by reference. |
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| Priority Data |
Dec 23, 1998
[CA]
2256944
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Title Information |
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References |
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| *references marked with an asterisk below are user-added references |
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U.S. References |
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| | Reference | Relevancy | Comments | Reference | Relevancy | Comments | 6343666
Olson et al.
Feb,2002 |  Your vote accepted
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| | Reference | Relevancy | Comments | Magazine Article: Dirt Wheels/Jan. 1991.
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Oct,2007 | Your vote accepted
[0 after 0 votes] | | Brochure of Yamaha Snow Scout: Motoneige Quebec, 1987, vol. 13, No. 1 (CA).
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Oct,2007 | Your vote accepted
[0 after 0 votes] | | Brochure of Yamaha Snow Scout: Snowmobile Brochure Business, 3.sup.rd Annual.
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Oct,2007 | Your vote accepted
[0 after 0 votes] | | Magazine Supertrax/Jan. 1999.
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[0 after 0 votes] | | Snow tech, Spring 1999, Article "Special Report" Redline Snowmobiles, pp. 28-31.
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[0 after 0 votes] | | Montoneige, Quebec, vol. 25-No. 3, Nov. 1999, pp. 1, 6, 31 and 58.
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Oct,2007 | Your vote accepted
[0 after 0 votes] | | Creations J.P.L. Inc. Advertisement (advertising seat designs)..
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Market Review |
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Technical Review |
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Claims |
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What is claimed is:
1. A support for a recreational vehicle, the support comprising: an elongated body having a front side defined by a forward direction of travel of a recreational vehicle and a
rear side defined by a rearward direction of a recreational vehicle; a first protrusion projecting from the front side of said body; a second protrusion projecting from the rear side of said body, one of said front protrusion and said rear protrusion
being adapted to be moveably connected to a portion of a suspension system of the vehicle, the other of said front protrusion and said rear protrusion being adapted to be moveably connected to a portion of a steering system of a vehicle; and said
elongated body being adapted to be connected to a ground engaging element of a vehicle, wherein said support further comprises a third protrusion, said third protrusion projecting from the spine side of said elongated body as the one of said first
protrusion and said second protrusion adapted to be connected to a portion of a suspension system, said third protrusion is integral with said body, the one of said first protrusion and said second protrusion adapted to be connected to a portion of a
steering system of the vehicle is located at an intermediate position between the other of said first protrusion and said second protrusion adapted to be connected to a portion of a suspension system of said vehicle, and said third protrusion and the
support has an axis of rotation defined by a line which passes through the one of said first protrusion and said second protrusion adapted to be connected to a suspension system and said third protrusion.
2. The support of claim 1, wherein said protrusions are integral with said body.
3. The support of claim 2, wherein said support is an aluminum extrusion.
4. The support of claim 3, wherein said aluminum extrusion has a direction of extrusion perpendicular to a forward direction of travel of the vehicle.
5. The support of claim 1, wherein said support is an aluminum extrusion having a direction of extrusion perpendicular to a forward direction of travel of a vehicle.
6. The support of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a snowmobile and said ground-engaging element is a ski.
7. The support of claim 1, wherein said axis is 10.degree. to 30.degree. from vertical.
8. The support of claim 1, wherein said axis is 15.degree. to 25.degree. from vertical.
9. The support of claim 1, wherein said axis is 20.degree. from vertical.
10. A vehicle having a suspension system comprising: a first suspension element pivotally connected to the vehicle; and a support having: an elongated body having a front side defined by a forward direction of the recreational vehicle and a
rear side defined by a rearward direction of the recreational vehicle, a first protrusion projecting from the front side of said body, a second protrusion projecting from the rear side of said body, one of said front protrusion and said rear protrusion
being moveably connected to said first suspension element of the vehicle, the other of said front protrusion and said rear protrusion moveably connected to a portion of a steering system of the vehicle, and said elongated body being adapted to be
connected to a ground-engaging element of the vehicle.
11. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the suspension system further comprises: a second suspension element pivotally connected to the vehicle; and wherein said elongated body further comprises a third protrusion projecting from the same side of
said elongated body as the one of said first protrusion and second protrusion connected to said first suspension element.
12. The vehicle of claim 11 wherein said protrusions are integral with said support; and said support is an aluminum extrusion having a direction of extrusion perpendicular to a forward direction of travel of the vehicle.
13. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the one of said first protrusion and said second protrusion connected to a portion of a steering system of the vehicle is located at an intermediate position between the other of said first protrusion and
said second protrusion connected to the first suspension element of the vehicle and said third protrusion.
14. The vehicle of claim 13, wherein the vehicle is a snowmobile and said ground engaging element is a ski.
15. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the support has an axis of rotation defined by a line which passes through the one of said first protrusion and said second protrusion connected to the first suspension element and said third protrusion.
16. The vehicle of claim 15, wherein said axis is 10.degree. to 30.degree. from vertical.
17. The vehicle of claim 16, wherein said axis is 15.degree. to 25.degree. from vertical.
18. The vehicle of claim 17, wherein said axis is 20.degree. from vertical. |
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Claims |
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Description |
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FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention concerns generally concerns the construction of vehicles such as snowmobiles, all terrain vehicles ("ATVs"), and other similar vehicles. More specifically, the present invention concerns the construction of a front
suspension with three-ball joints that are connected to a support leg for the vehicle.
DESCRIPTION OF RELATED ART AND GENERAL BACKGROUND
Snowmobiles, ATVs, wheeled vehicles, and other related vehicles (hereinafter, "recreational vehicles," although the appellation should not be construed to be limited only to the vehicles or type of vehicles described herein) often function under
similar operating conditions. Despite this, snowmobiles, ATVs, wheeled vehicles, and other recreational vehicles do not share a common design approach or a commonality of components. This is due, in large part, to the different stresses and strains
(mainly at the extremes) that the different vehicles experience during routine operation.
As a general rule, the prior art includes few, if any, examples of a common design approach to ATVs, wheeled vehicles, and snowmobiles. Primarily, this appears to be due to the fact that these vehicles were designed traditionally from radically
different starting points. For example, there has not been a common design approach to the front suspensions that are incorporated into snowmobiles, ATVs, and other wheeled vehicles even though there are common design parameters for each of these types
of vehicles.
In the case of snowmobiles, two front suspensions are well known in the art. The first is typically referred to as a "trailing arm suspension" and is commonly found on snowmobiles manufactured by Bombardier Inc. of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
The second is known as a double A-arm suspension and is typically found on snowmobiles manufactured by Arctic Cat of Thief River Falls, Minn., USA.
A prior art trailing arm front suspension is generally depicted in FIGS. 1, 3, and 36. As illustrated in detail in FIG. 36, a trailing arm suspension 442 includes a trailing arm 444 (which is also referred to as a swing arm). Trailing arm 444
connects between a pivot 446, which connects to engine cradle 56, and a front leg 448. Front leg 448 connects ski 20 to engine cradle 56. A shock absorber 450 connects between engine cradle 56 and trailing arm 444 to dampen the forces associated with
the travel of snowmobile 12 over uneven terrain. Steering control of snowmobile 12 is provided by a mechanical link between skis 20 and handlebars 82.
A typical double A-arm suspension 452 is illustrated generally in FIGS. 37-40. The illustration of double A-arm suspension 452 that is shown in FIGS. 37-38 was reproduced from U.S. Pat. No. 5,664,649, which purports on its face to be assigned
to Arctic Cat. As shown, double A-arm suspension 452 includes an upper A-arm 454 and a lower A-arm 456. Both A-arms 456, 454 are connected to front leg 458 and permit front leg 458 to move vertically as snowmobile 460 travels over uneven terrain. A
shock absorber 462, which is connected between the body of snowmobile 460 and lower A-arm 456, dampens the forces applied to skis 464 as snowmobile 460 travels over the ground. Alternatively, it is known to connect shock absorber 450 directly to front
leg 458, as illustrated in FIG. 39.
Since upper and lower A-arms 454, 456 are connected to front leg 458 through pins (or bolts) 466, 468, front leg 458 cannot rotate around its vertical centerline. Therefore, front leg 208 cannot be used to turn ski 464. Instead, a steering
shaft 470 extends through a hole 472 bored through front leg 458. Steering shaft 470 is connected to handlebars 474 through a mechanical linkage 476. As handlebars 474 are rotated, steering shaft 470 rotates in the direction of the arrow 478 shown in
FIG. 40. Since steering shaft 470 is connected to ski 464 through a pin or bolt 480, as steering shaft 470 rotates, ski 464 turns.
While both of these front suspensions provide adequate control and steering of the respective snowmobiles on which they are installed, neither provides a simple construction for a front suspension.
In the case of the trailing arm suspension, the trailing arm 444 adds additional components to the system. The additional components add to the manufactur | | |
