Patent ID: 7150457
Filing Date: 2006-12-19
Classification: B60G

Abstract:
1. A suspension system for a vehicle including: a plurality of fluid-operated cylinders which are each configured to interconnect the wheels of the vehicle to a chassis, each cylinder being divided into an upper and a lower chamber by a piston associated with that cylinder, the upper chambers of opposing left and right cylinders being directly connected in flow communication by a flow communication means and the lower chambers of longitudinally opposing or front and rear cylinders being directly connected in flow communication by a flow communication means so that displacement of one of the wheels, and with it a piston of the fluid-operated cylinder connected to said one wheel, in a substantially vertical plane will cause a corresponding but opposite displacement of pistons of the fluid-operated cylinders that are directly in flow communication with the cylinder connected to said one wheel, thereby to urge their associated wheels into contact with the surface over which the vehicle is traveling and so that the volume of fluid in opposing cylinders and the flow communication means connecting them is always equal; and one or more fluid-operated flow control arrangements configured to connect fluid-operated cylinders of opposing left and right wheels via a second flow communication means for improving contact between the wheels and said surface and to provide damping without affecting other opposing sets of left and right wheels whilst maintaining equal volumes of fluid in opposing cylinders and the flow communication means connecting them and wherein the flow communication means associated with the flow control arrangements and the flow communications means associated with the cylinders are interconnected but operate independently from each other.