Patent ID: 6945541
Filing Date: 2005-09-20
Classification: B60G

Abstract:
1. A wheel suspension for suspending a wheel assembly from a sprung body of a wheeled vehicle, and adapted to permit the wheel assembly to move relative to the sprung body through a jounce and rebound vertical travel limited by mechanical stops, the suspension comprising: an upper structural member coupled to the wheel assembly to define an upper relative rotation center, and rotationally coupled to the sprung body at an upper pivot; a lower structural member coupled to the wheel assembly to define a lower relative rotation center disposed on a side of a gravitational center of the wheel assembly opposite the upper relative rotation center, and rotationally coupled to the sprung body at a lower pivot; and an actuator connected to both the wheel assembly and the sprung body and capable of applying an active control force between the body and wheel assembly to move the wheel assembly over an active control range comprising at least 80 percent of the vertical travel of the wheel assembly; the upper and lower pivots and relative rotation centers being positioned to produce a maximum horizontal kinetic displacement of the wheel assembly of less than about 4.0 millimeters as the actuator moves through the active control range.