Patent ID: 8328212

Claim:
A suspension system for use on a vehicle, comprising: a knuckle configured to be attached to a vehicle wheel and including an aperture having a central axis that corresponds with a rotational axis of the vehicle wheel when the vehicle wheel is attached to the knuckle, the knuckle configured to be mounted to a vehicle frame such that a vertical axis of the knuckle and a horizontal axis of the knuckle each intersect the central axis of the knuckle and are perpendicular to the central axis and to each other, the horizontal axis separating an upper portion of the knuckle from a lower portion of the knuckle, the upper portion of the knuckle being spaced further from a travel surface than the lower portion of the knuckle when the vehicle suspension system is mounted to the vehicle and the vehicle is located on the travel surface, the lower portion of the knuckle including a lowermost portion of the knuckle that is closer to the travel surface than any other portion of the knuckle, and the vertical axis separating a front portion of the knuckle from a rear portion of the knuckle; a first trailing arm structure extending in a frontward direction from the knuckle and connected to the knuckle via a first connector that has a rotational axis and the first trailing arm structure is configured to rotate about the rotational axis of the first connector; a second trailing arm structure extending in a frontward direction from the knuckle and connected to the knuckle via a second connector that has a rotational axis and the second trailing arm structure is configured to rotate about the rotational axis of the second connector, the second connector located closer to the lowermost portion of the knuckle than the first connector; a lower arm structure extending in a substantially transverse direction from the knuckle and connected to the knuckle via a lower connector such that the lower arm structure is configured to rotate about a rotational axis of the lower connector; and an upper arm structure extending in a substantially transverse direction from the knuckle and connected to the knuckle via an upper connector such that the upper arm structure is configured to rotate about a rotational axis of the upper connector, the upper connector located a greater distance from the lowermost portion of the knuckle than the lower connector, wherein the second trailing arm structure crosses above the lower arm structure at a crossing location as viewed from a direction normal to a plane defined by the central axis and the horizontal axis of the knuckle, such that the second trailing arm structure is located further from the travel surface than the lower arm structure at the crossing location where the second trailing arm structure crosses above the lower arm structure.