Abstract: A hydraulic system for a vehicle suspension for a vehicle, the vehicle including a vehicle body and at least two forward and two rearward wheel assemblies, the vehicle suspension including front and rear resilient vehicle support means between the vehicle body and the wheel assemblies for resiliently supporting the vehicle above the wheel assemblies, the hydraulic system including: at least two front (11, 12) and two rear (13, 14) wheel rams respectively located between the wheel assemblies and the vehicle body, each ram (11 to 14) including at least a compression chamber (45 to 48) and a rebound chamber (49 to 52); wherein the compression chamber (45, 46) and rebound chamber (49, 50) of each said front wheel ram (11, 12) is in fluid communication with the rebound chamber (47, 48) and compression chamber (51, 52) respectively of a diagonally opposed said rear wheel ram (13, 14) to respectively provide two fluid circuits, each fluid circuit providing a front and back compression volume therein, the front compr

Abstract: A suspension system for a vehicle having at least one pair of forward and one pair of rearward wheels, including: a suspension arm (7–10) for each wheel providing at least partial location of the associated wheel, the suspension arm (7–8) of the forward wheel being pivotally mounted to a vehicle body at a pivot position (11, 15, 12, 16) rearward to an axle line of the forward wheel, the suspension arm (9–10) of the rearward wheel being pivotally mounted to the vehicle body at a pivot position (13, 17; 14, 18) forward to an axle line of the rearward wheel; at least one lever arm (19–22) moving in conjunction with and extending radially from the pivot position (11–18) of each suspension arm (7–10); wherein at each respective side of the vehicle, a ram assembly (23, 24) is located between the lever arms (19–22) of the forward and rearward wheel, the ram assembly (23, 24) including at least a first (25, 27) and second (26, 28) variable volume fluid chamber, each fluid chamber (25–28) being in fluid communication

Abstract: A method of controlling the roll stiffness and roll moment distribution of a vehicle suspension system of a vehicle, the vehicle suspension system including front and rear vehicle support means for supporting the vehicle and any load carried by the vehicle, and at least one roll moment reaction means for providing a variable roll stiffness for the vehicle suspension system;

Abstract: A continuously variable reversible transmission including an input shaft (2), a housing (1), an input arm (4), first and second CVT shafts (5.6), a fixed input wheel (35), a ratio selector mechanism, an overall output wheel (36) and an output shaft (24). The input arm (4) is fixed to the input shaft (2) and extends substantially perpendicular to the input shaft. At each end of the input arm, a first (5) and second (6) CVT shaft is rotatably mounted, with the axes of the CVT shafts extending parallel to the input shaft. The fixed input wheel (35) may be aligned with the axis of the input shaft. The first CVT shaft (5) is coupled with the fixed input wheel (35), the second CVT shaft (6) is coupled with the first CVT shaft (5) and the output wheel (36) which is fixed to the output shaft (24) is coupled with the second CVT shaft.

Abstract: A suspension system for a vehicle having at least one pair of forward and one pair of rearward wheels, including: a suspension arm (7-10) for each wheel providing at least partial location of the associated wheel, the suspension arm (7-8) Of the forward wheel being pivotally mounted to a vehicle body at a pivot position (11, 15, 12, 16) rearward to an axle line of the forward wheel, the suspension arm (9-10) of the rearward wheel being pivotally mounted to the vehicle body at a pivot position (13, 17; 14, 18) forward to an axle line of the rearward wheel; at least one lever arm (19-22) moving in conjunction with and extending radially from the pivot position (11-18) of each suspension arm (7-10); wherein at each respective side of the vehicle, a ram assembly (23, 24) is located between the lever arms (19-22) of the forward and rearward wheel, the ram assembly (23, 24) including at least a first (25, 27) and second (26, 28) variable volume fluid chamber, each fluid chamber (25-28) being in fluid communication

Abstract: A hydraulic system for a vehicle suspension, the hydraulic system being a portion of a roll control component of the vehicle suspension, the hydraulic system including a front hydraulic ram, a rear hydraulic ram, a first hydraulic volume extending, in use, between a first chamber of the front hydraulic ram and a first chamber of the rear hydraulic ram, a second hydraulic volume extending, in use, between a second chamber of the front hydraulic ram and a second chamber of the rear hydraulic ram, at least one accumulator in fluid communication with at least one hydraulic volume, and a fluid flow restrictor adapted to restrict the rate of fluid flow between the at least one accumulator and the corresponding at least one hydraulic volume during cornering of the vehicle.

Abstract: A continuously variable reversible transmission including an input shaft (2), a housing (1), an input arm (4), first and second CVT shafts (5.6), a fixed input wheel (35), a ratio selector mechanism, an overall output wheel (36) and an output shaft (24). The input arm (4) is fixed to the input shaft (2) and extends substantially perpendicular to the input shaft. At each end of the input arm, a first (5) and second (6) CVT shaft is rotatably mounted, with the axes of the CVT shafts extending parallel to the input shaft. The fixed input wheel (35) may be aligned with the axis of the input shaft. The first CVT shaft (5) is coupled with the fixed input wheel (35), the second CVT shaft (6) is coupled with the first CVT shaft (5) and the output wheel (36) which is fixed to the output shaft (24) is coupled with the second CVT shaft.

Abstract: A vehicle suspension control system that allows substantially vertical motion of each wheel relative to the vehicle body includes front and rear resilient support means for supporting the body, a front roll stabilization assembly interconnecting at least one forward pair of wheels and a rear roll stabilization assembly interconnecting at least one rearward pair of wheels. Each roll stabilization assembly includes at least one lateral torsion bar (2) and a double-acting hydraulic actuator (3) interconnected to the at least one lateral torsion bar (2), the front and rear hydraulic actuators (3) being interconnected by first and second fluid conduits (5). Roll moments applied to the vehicle body generate pressure within the fluid conduits (5) thereby transmitting the roll moment into each lateral torsion bar (2).

Abstract: A load distribution unit is utilized in a vehicle suspension system having at least one pair of laterally adjacent forward wheel assemblies, and at least one pair of laterally adjacent rear wheel assemblies. A wheel ram is associated with each of the wheel assemblies, each wheel ram including a major chamber therein. The load distribution unit includes a plurality of fluid chambers, each fluid chamber being divided into at least two control chambers by at least one piston supported therein. Two pairs of the control chambers which vary in volume proportionally and in opposite senses therein with piston motion are system chambers, and at least two of the remaining control chambers are bump chambers. The pistons are interconnected by at least one connection device. The major chamber of each wheel ram is in fluid communication with a respective system chamber. The vehicle suspension system provides a roll stiffness and a pitch stiffness while providing minimum cross-axial articulation stiffness.

Abstract: A suspension system is provided for a vehicle having a chassis supported on at least one front pair of laterally spaced wheels and at least one rear pair of laterally spaced wheels. The suspension system includes vehicle support devices for supporting the chassis above each pair of wheels, and roll moment reaction devices for providing location of the chassis about a substantially level roll attitude. The roll moment reaction devices include a respective roll attitude control mechanism for each pair of laterally spaced wheels for passively controlling the position of the wheels relative to each other and the chassis. Each roll attitude control mechanism is connected to at least one other roll attitude control mechanism by roll mechanism interconnection devices. The roll mechanism interconnection devices are arranged such that the roll moment reaction devices resist roll of the vehicle chassis with respect to the wheels, while simultaneously permitting cross-axle articulation motions of the wheels.