Patent ID: 8167319
Filing Date: 2012-05-01
Classification: B60G

Abstract:
1. A stabilizer apparatus for a vehicle, comprising: (a) a pair of torsion bars each of which is held by a body of the vehicle and is rotatable about an axis thereof, each of said torsion bars being provided for a corresponding one of right and left wheels and extending generally in a lateral direction of the vehicle, each of said torsion bars including a distal end portion connected to a wheel holding portion that holds a corresponding one of the right and left wheels, said torsion bars being configured to serve as a stabilizer bar in a state in which relative rotation of each of said torsion bars relative to the other of said torsion bars is inhibited; (b) a cylinder device including a cylinder housing and a piston which is disposed inside said cylinder housing and is movable in an axial direction of said cylinder housing, said cylinder housing and said piston cooperating with each other to define a fluid chamber which accommodates therein a working fluid and which has a volume that is to be changed by movement of said piston inside said cylinder housing; (c) a motion converting mechanism configured to convert the relative rotation of each of said torsion bars into the movement of said piston inside said cylinder housing, and to hold said piston in a movement end position in the axial direction when each of said torsion bars is being positioned in a neutral angular position relative to the other of said torsion bars, said motion converting mechanism being configured to convert the relative rotation of each of said torsion bars in a direction away from the neutral angular position, into the movement of said piston in a direction away from the movement end position, and to convert the relative rotation of each of said torsion bars in a direction toward the neutral angular position, into the movement of said piston in a direction toward the movement end position; (d) a reservoir held in communication with said fluid chamber and storing therein the working fluid; and (e) a movement-allowance-state switching mechanism configured to switch between a bidirectional-movement allowance state in which said piston is allowed to be moved in opposite directions consisting of the direction toward the movement end position and the direction away from the movement end position and a unidirectional-movement allowance state in which said piston is allowed to be moved only in the direction toward the movement end position, the bidirectional-movement allowance state being established by allowing both of outflow of the working fluid from said fluid chamber to said reservoir and inflow of the working fluid from said reservoir to said fluid chamber, the unidirectional-movement allowance state being established by allowing only one of the outflow of the working fluid from said fluid chamber to said reservoir and the inflow of the working fluid from said reservoir to said fluid chamber, wherein each of said torsion bars is allowed to be rotated relative to the other of said torsion bars in the direction toward the neutral angular position and in the direction away from the neutral angular position when the bidirectional-movement allowance state is being established, and is allowed to be rotated relative to the other of said torsion bars only in the direction toward the neutral angular position when the unidirectional-movement allowance state is being established.