Wheel Suspension for a Motor Vehicle

The present invention relates to a wheel suspension for a motor vehicle, especially to a double wishbone axle, with a shock absorber-, respectively, spring-leg that is supported on the body side and connected with a guide member.

A wheel suspension of double wishbone-type construction is disclosed in the DE-OS No. 32 19 685 which includes a shock absorber-, respectively, spring-leg that is supported on the body side and is connected with the lower cross guide member. With such a prior art construction, one encounters certain structural expenditures at the spring leg, for example, for driven axles, to extend the drive shaft without impairment to the wheel. This is achieved in this prior art construction by a fork-shaped lower spring leg end, between which the drive shaft is extended freely rotatably.

It is the object of the present invention to provide a wheel suspension with an arrangement of a shock absorber- or spring-leg having an optimized response behavior whereby also a use of a shock absorber leg becomes possible for driven axles without additional structural expenditure.

Owing to the connection of the shock absorber leg with an intermediate member which is connected, on the one hand, with the upper cross guide member and, on the other with the wheel carrier by way of the guide joint, it is achieved in an advantageous manner that the shock absorber leg can be designed of relatively great length with a corresponding shock-absorbing travel. Furthermore, a sufficient free space underneath the spring leg end is present in driven axles for the free unimpaired extension of a drive shaft so that a complicated constructive solution as, for example, by means of a fork-shaped spring leg end, can be dispensed with. Furthermore, a direct translation from the wheel to the shock absorber-, respectively, spring-leg of 1:1 and a wheel/stabilization translation of 1:1 is additionally achieved by the arrangement of the shock absorber-, respectively, spring-leg in the intermediate member as well as by the bearing support of the stabilizer suspension at the intermediate member.

These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing which shows, for purposes of illustration only, several embodiments in accordance with the present invention, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a wheel suspension of double wishbone-type construction with an intermediate member in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a partial perspective view of a modified embodiment of an intermediate member with a split-up guide member in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 3 is a partial perspective view of a further embodiment of an intermediate member with a single guide arm in accordance with the present invention.

Referring now to the drawing wherein like reference numerals are used throughout the various views to designate like parts, the wheel suspension 1 according to FIG. 1 essentially includes an upper cross-guide member 2 and a lower cross guide member 3 which is pivotally connected with a wheel carrier 4 and is pivotally supported at the vehicle body or frame in bearings 5 and 6. An intermediate member 7 is arranged between the wheel carrier 4 and the upper cross guide member 2 in which a spring-, respectively, shock absorber-leg is retained. The intermediate member 7 includes a mounting sleeve 9 which has protruding arms 10 and 11 whereby the one arm 10 is directed toward the wheel carrier 4 and receives a guide joint 12 while the further arm 11 carries a bearing support 13 of the guide member 2.

Preferably the lower end of the shock absorber leg 8 is retained by the mounting sleeve 9, respectively, it is connected with the sleeve by appropriate connecting materials whereby it is quite possible that also another area of the shock absorber leg can be retainingly surrounded.

As shown in FIG. 1, the intermediate member 7 includes a joint 16 for an attachment 14 of a stabilizer 15. The joint 16 is provided between the two arms 10 and 11 within the area of the mounting sleeve 7, whereby at least one pivot axis 17 of the attachment 14 extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle.

According to a further embodiment as shown in FIG. 2, the intermediate member 7a includes a first arm 10 according to the embodiment of FIG. 1 as well as two further arms 18 and 19 which are arranged diverging with respect to one another and receive the split-up cross guide member 20, 21. A joint 16b for the attachment 14 of the stabilizer is provided between these two arms 18 and 19 having at least one transversely extending pivot axis 25.

An intermediate member 7b is illustrated in FIG. 3 which includes a single arm 22 between the mounting device 9 and the wheel carrier 4 that includes both the bearing support 26 for the guide joint 12 as also a bearing support 23 for an arm of a cross guide member 24. In the two embodiments according to FIGS. 2 and 3, the joints 16a and 16b for the attachment 14 are shown with at least one axis 25 extending transversely to the vehicle, whereby corresponding to the spatial arrangement of the stabilizer, these joints 16a and 16b may also have a position according to FIG. 1. The joints 16, 16a, and 16b may be arranged at any desired location along the circumference of the mounting sleeve 9 corresponding to the particular construction.

The shock absorber-, respectively, spring-leg 8 may be secured adjustably in height in the mounting sleeve 9 of the intermediate members 7, 7a and 7b by way of retaining means 27 such as threads 28, clamping parts and similar fastening elements so that the leg 8 can be adjusted in height corresponding to the design of the spring 29.

While I have shown and described only one embodiment in accordance with the present invention, it is understood that the same is not limited thereto but is susceptible of numerous changes and modifications as known to those skilled in the art, and I therefore do not wish to be limited to the details shown and described herein but intend to cover all such changes and modifications as are encompassed by the scope of the appended claims.