An independent suspension for vehicles, in particular for transporting people and/or materials, including a hub defining a rotation axis of the wheel of the vehicle, an electric motor, operatively connected to the hub and configured to rotate the hub and a support element operatively connected to the hub and developing, with a planar shape, along its own main development direction transverse to the rotation axis of the wheel. The support element is arranged below the hub and the electric motor. The electric motor develops within a containment volume defined at least partially by the support element.

An independent suspension for vehicles, in particular for transporting people and/or materials, including a hub defining a rotation axis of the wheel of the vehicle, an electric motor, operatively connected to the hub and configured to rotate the hub and a support element operatively connected to the hub and developing, with a planar shape, along its own main development direction transverse to the rotation axis of the wheel. The support element is arranged below the hub and the electric motor. The electric motor develops within a containment volume defined at least partially by the support element.

An exemplary actuator includes a motor, a transmission, and a support structure. The motor includes two torque sources that apply respective input torques to a rotor, which rotates about a rotation axis in response to a net input torque. The torque sources are arranged such that the input torques are additive, resulting in a vector-summated torque output. The torque sources also generate corresponding reactive torques that are applied to the first stator and the second stator. The transmission couples and constrains the first stator and the second stator such that rotational motion of one stator causes counter rotation of the other stator. Thus, the reactive torques are subtractive resulting a differential torque output. In some applications, the differential torque output is used to actuate a suspension of a vehicle. The actuator is also coupled to the vehicle via the support structure, which also reflects a reaction force or torque to actuate other subsystems (e.g., anti-dive, anti-squat).

A high speed actuation system for protracting and retracting a retractable wheel and/or track drive assembly of an amphibian includes an actuator, at least one retractable wheel and/or track drive assembly comprising at least one wheel and/or track drive supported directly or indirectly by a suspension assembly and movable between a protracted and retracted positions, an energy source for providing power to the actuator, and a controller that controls in amount the power provided by the energy source to the actuator such that the time of actuation to retract the at least one retractable wheel and/or track drive assembly from a protracted position to a retracted position, or to protract the at least one retractable wheel and/or track drive assembly from a retracted position to a protracted position, is less than 5 seconds.

A vehicle lower section structure including: a left and right pair of vehicle body frame members; a lower extension section joined to each of the left and right pair of vehicle body frame members, the lower extension section including: a front lower extension section extending toward a vehicle lower side, and a rear lower extension section disposed at a vehicle rear side of the front lower extension section and extending toward the vehicle lower side; and a front-rear direction extension section that bridges the vehicle front-rear direction between the front lower extension section and the rear lower extension section, the front-rear direction extension section provided with a lower arm support section that a lower arm is attached to pivotably substantially a vehicle vertical direction, and the front-rear direction extension section being joined to the rear lower extension section at the vehicle rear side of the lower arm support section.

The invention is directed to a spring strut support mount, including a damper element and a mount housing having a first and a second housing member, wherein the housing members can be threadably engaged by a thread so as to encompass the damping element. The housing members have a detent arrangement which permits a screwing action but prevents a loosening of the thread connection. The invention provides for improving a spring strut support mount such that the housing members cannot loosen from one another during operation. The housing members have a detent arrangement which permits a screwing action but prevents a loosening of the thread connection.

An independent wheel suspension includes a knuckle which is supported on a spring support connected to a vehicle body. The knuckle is connected to the spring support via a knuckle pin and is arranged so as to be mounted rotatably around a longitudinal axis A of the knuckle pin. The transverse control arms are mounted at the upper end and lower end, respectively, of the knuckle pin. The spring support is connected to the knuckle pin so as to be fixed with respect to rotation relative to it so that the knuckle pin connects the spring support, the knuckle and the upper transverse control arm and lower transverse control arm together. The independent wheel suspension has a further safety component which prevents the knuckle pin from rotating in an uncontrolled manner around its longitudinal axis A.

The invention relates to a device for adjusting the height of a vehicle body, having two components, which can be moved longitudinally relative to each other, and a movement thread, which is arranged between these components. The movement thread includes a partial thread which is designed as a spindle paired with a first component and a partial thread which is designed as a spindle nut paired with the other component. The partial threads are designed to be axially movable relative to each other by a rotational drive. The device also includes a locking device which bridges the movement thread in at least three longitudinal positions and which comprises an axially fixed locking ring that is arranged on the spindle in a rotatable manner and has locking cams distributed over the circumference and a shifting gate that is rigidly connected to the spindle nut in an axial manner, receives the locking cams, and includes locking stops, which are arranged at end positions of the at least three longitudinal positions and are distributed over the circumference, and switching ramps, which lie axially opposite the locking stops, are provided with slopes that decrease in the circumferential direction, and are arranged over the circumference. A movement of the locking cams towards the locking stops and towards the switching ramps in the shifting gate is provided by an axial movement of the spindle relative to the spindle nut, this displacement depending on a rotational direction of the rotational drive, and a selection of the locking stops is carried out by rotating the locking ring by the rotated locking cams resting against switching stops provided between the switching ramps. In order to shorten the switching paths and the switching times of the locking device, at least one switching ramp arranged between two locking stops is expanded relative to the remaining switching ramps in a direction of the locking stops.

A control arm for the rear wheel suspension of a car where the control arm includes a cup-shaped spring mount with branches projecting from the spring seat. The branches may be designed as closed channels or U-shaped channels. In the upper part of the control arm there are flanges projecting from each side thereof. The flanges include a reinforced area around the spring seat. The cup-shaped spring seat is reinforces with wedges on the inside thereof. The spring seat and branches form a stiff frame structure. Also described is a method for manufacturing the control arm by forging.

A universal wheel driving system includes a sun gear provided to receive power from a power source mounted in a vehicle body, a ring gear to which a wheel is concentrically connected, a gear train engaged to the sun gear and the ring gear and configured to transfer the power between the sun gear and the ring gear while allowing relative motion between the rotation shafts of the sun gear and the ring gear, a carrier supporting a final pinion of the gear train and gear-meshing with the ring gear so that a position of the rotation shaft of the final pinion remains unchanged with respect to a position of the rotation shaft of the ring gear, and a suspension portion provided to support the carrier against the sun gear so that the ring gear and the carrier move up and down with respect to the vehicle body.