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.

Claims

1. An all-terrain vehicle, comprising: a cabin including a side glazing and a front cabin glazing, wherein the front cabin glazing is installed at an angle to a horizontal surface of the cabin and is configured to be opened forward and upward; a passenger compartment; a door for entering the cabin, wherein the door is located under the front cabin glazing and has width less than that of the front cabin glazing; a vehicle body frame; a transmission; an engine with an engine exhaust system; a plurality of wheel tires, pressure levels of which are controlled by a pressure gage installed on a control panel of the vehicle, wherein wheel tires are low pressure tires; and a wheel suspension system connected to the plurality of wheel tires, a fluid power drive, and a tire inflation system, wherein the wheel suspension system is configured as a closed-circuit air pipeline formed by a plurality of hollow tubes connected together to form the vehicle body frame, wherein the vehicle body frame comprises a plurality of hollow side members and a plurality of hollow crossbars, the closed-circuit air pipeline being connected to the plurality of wheel tires such that the plurality of wheel tires are pressurized by the engine exhaust system, and wherein each wheel tire of the plurality of wheel tires is mounted on an axle shaft installed within a bearing assembly secured to the vehicle body frame.

2. The all-terrain vehicle of claim 1, the vehicle further comprising: a heating system configured to remove excess heat from the engine into the cabin, a passenger compartment of the cabin, and the atmosphere, wherein the heat is removed from the engine by means of one or more dampers installed between the cabin and the passenger compartment and walls of said passenger compartment.

3. The all-terrain vehicle of claim 1, wherein the transmission further comprises: a transmission gearbox connected to a steering gear via a driveline system, wherein both sides of the steering gear comprise a first set of star wheels, wherein the first set of star wheels is interconnected to a second set of star wheels by means of a plurality of chain-drives and a third set of star wheels by means of a plurality of final drives, wherein the second set of star wheels and the third set of star wheels are mounted on the axle shaft installed within the bearing assembly.

4. The all-terrain vehicle of claim 1, wherein the engine exhaust system is connected to a branched pipe, the branched pipe comprising a first pipe member and a second pipe member, wherein the first pipe member is open to atmosphere and includes a damper, the damper being connected to a control system, wherein the second pipe member is connected to the vehicle body frame and includes a valve member, and wherein the plurality of wheel tires are pressurized by the engine exhaust system.

Description

(1) A technical character of the invention is explained with a help of the following figures:

(2) FIG. 1 is general view of an all-terrain vehicle;

(3) FIG. 2 is layout of main assemblies of an all-terrain vehicle;

(4) 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;

(5) FIG. 4 is schematic layout of a suspension with an air line provided outside a frame.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

(6) 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).

(7) 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, i.e., a control system shown at (40) in FIGS. 3 and 4, and a fluid power drive shown at (41) in FIGS. 2 through 4.

(8) 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.

(9) 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.

(10) 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).

(11) 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.

(12) 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.

(13) While the invention has been described with reference to an exemplary embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.