ALL-TERRAIN VEHICLE AND ITS SUSPENSION

Abstract

The invention relates to the vehicles for off-road driving, both on land and on water, which can be used for construction of vehicles with good cross-country ability, (all-terrain vehicles). An all-terrain vehicle comprises a cabin with a glazing and a door, a passenger compartment, a frame, an engine with an exhaust system, a transmission gearbox, a steering gear, a running gear comprising a final drive system connected with at least two pairs of axle shafts with the wheels mounted on them having the low pressure tires, a suspension connected with the wheel tires, a tire inflation system, a heating system, a control system, is different in that it comprises an air line connected simultaneously with all wheel tires and associated with a tire inflation system. A suspension of an all-terrain vehicle comprises a wheel suspension system connected with the wheel tires, a fluid power drive, and a tire inflation system, is different in that a wheel suspension system is configured as an air line formed by the hollow tubes welded together to make a frame formed by the side members and the cross bars or it is configured outside a frame to form a closed circuit connected with each tire by means of the pipelines with the valve members, whereas as a fluid power drive and a tire inflation system the claimed invention provides an engine exhaust system equipped with a damper and connected with an air line through a pipeline with a valve member.

Claims

1. An all-terrain vehicle, comprising: a cabin with a glazing and a door, a passenger compartment, a frame, an engine with an exhaust system, a transmission gearbox, a steering gear, a running gear comprising a final drive system connected with at least two pairs of axle shafts with the wheels mounted on them having the low pressure tires, a suspension connected with the wheel tires, a tire inflation system, a heating system, a control system, and an air line connected simultaneously with all wheel tires and associated with a tire inflation system.

2. The all-terrain vehicle as set forth in claim 1 including a front cabin glazing is configured to be opened forward and upward and is installed at an angle to the horizontal.

3. The all-terrain vehicle as set forth in claim 1 including a door to enter a cabin is located under a frontal glazing and is configured to be less than its width.

4. The all-terrain vehicle as set forth in claim 1 wherein each wheel is mounted on an axle shaft installed within a bearing assembly secured to the frame side members.

5. The all-terrain vehicle as set forth in claim 1 including a heating system is configured to remove excess warm air from an engine room into a cabin, a passenger compartment, and in the atmosphere.

6. The all-terrain vehicle as set forth in claim 1 wherein the heat is removed from an engine by means of dampers installed between a cabin and a passenger compartment and in one of the walls of the said passenger compartment.

7. A suspension of the all-terrain vehicle, comprising: a wheel suspension system connected with the wheel tires, a fluid power drive, and a tire inflation system; and a wheel suspension system is configured as an air line formed by the hollow tubes welded together to make a frame formed by the side members and the cross bars or it is configured outside a frame to form a closed circuit connected with each tire by means of the pipelines with the valve members, whereas, as a fluid power drive and a tire inflation system, the claimed invention provides an engine exhaust system equipped with a damper and connected with an air line through a pipeline with a valve member.

8. The suspension as set forth in claim 7 including an air line outside a frame is configured as the pipelines connected with each tire through the manifolds with valve members.

9. The suspension as set forth in claim 7 including a damper in the engine exhaust system is connected with a control system of the all-terrain vehicle.

Description

[0035] A technical character of the invention is explained with a help of the following figures:

[0036] FIG. 1 is general view of an all-terrain vehicle;

[0037] FIG. 2 is layout of main assemblies of an all-terrain vehicle;

[0038] FIG. 3 is schematic layout of an all-terrain vehicle's suspension with an air line in the side members and the cross bars of a frame;

[0039] FIG. 4 is schematic layout of a suspension with an air line provided outside a frame.

[0040] The numbers on the above figures refer to: a cabin (1) with a side glazing (2) and a frontal glazing (3), a door (4), a passengers compartment (5); an engine (6); a transmission gearbox (7); a driveline shun (8); a steering gear (9) comprising the axle shafts (25) with the star wheels (26) interconnected by the chain-drives (27) with the star wheels (28), mounted on the axle shafts (12) connected with wheels (14); the final drives (10, 11); the axle shafts (12) fixed within the bearing units (13); the wheels (14) with the low pressure tires (15), mounted on the axle shafts (12); a suspension with an air line (16) configured inside a frame formed by the side members (17) and the cross bars (18); the pipelines (19) with the valve members, e.g. the stop valves (20) connecting an air line (16) with the tires (15); a tire inflation system in a form of a pipeline (21) with a valve member, e.g. a stop valve (22); a damper (23) connected to a pipeline (21) and an air line (16); an exhaust system (24) of an engine (6); an air line configured outside a frame in a form of a pipeline (29) with the manifolds (30) and the valve members such as the valves (31); a clutch (32).

[0041] The claimed all-terrain vehicle with its suspension operates in a following way. When an engine (6) is turned, the valve members (20) on the pipelines (19) of an air line (16) as well as a valve member (22) on a pipeline (21) are opened and a damper (23) in an exhaust system (24) is closed. In result of excessive pressure in an exhaust system (24) exhaust gases flow through an open valve (22) and a pipeline (16) into the tires (15). All tires (15) are pumped up simultaneously to the required level of pressure depending on the terrain on which an all-terrain vehicle will move. The pressure level in tires (15) is regulated by a pressure gauge installed on an all-terrain vehicle's control panel (not shown on a figure).

[0042] After a valve (22) is closed automatically and a damper (23) is opened an all-terrain vehicle start to move. At the same time the pressure in tires (15) is maintained at the constant level because a valve (22) is closed and an air line with the wheels is disconnected from an exhaust system. The running torque is transferred from an engine (6) to a clutch (32), then to a transmission gearbox (7), and then, via driveline shun (8), to a steering gear that distributes it between right and left sides of an all-terrain vehicle changing from the full stop position to a full on position.

[0043] A steering gear operates in a following way. To make a turn, a driver must pull one of the levers. In this case a clutch from the relevant side is unlocked first and the brakes are locked after. The more one push a brake level, the more the brakes are locked. To stop an all-terrain vehicle a driver must put both levels into pull on position. With the lower pressure in tires (15), a damper (23) is closed manually or automatically, and a valve (22) for inflation of the tires with exhaust gases is opened. The operation herein can be performed both in manual and automatic modes.

[0044] To decrease the pressure in the tires (15), e.g. when one need to force a water course, the valve (22) is opened manually and an air from an air line (16) is released into the atmosphere through a damper (23) of an exhaust system (24).

[0045] In other embodiment of a suspension the air line is configured outside the frame as a pipeline (29) with manifolds (30) and valve members (31) (see FIG. 4). The operation of an all-terrain vehicle with a suspension according to this embodiment is performed in a similar way to the previous embodiment of the invention.

[0046] Hence, the claimed all-terrain vehicle and its suspension provide ride comfort, reduce the shock loads for a running gear during cross-country riding, ensure reliability eliminating flexural and resonant oscillations of the vehicle as a whole.