Bombardier Recreational Products Inc.

Daniel Leclerc

Martin Heon

Marc Gagnon

Charles Despres-Nadeau

Christian De Grammont

Bruno Girouard

William Bombardier

Philippe Roy Richard

A vehicle including a frame; a front left suspension assembly with a front left wheel; a front right suspension assembly with a front right wheel; a front gear train; a motor; shafts connected between the front wheels and the front gear train. Each front suspension assembly including a knuckle including: a first portion connected to a wheel hub and including a first ball joint, and a second portion extending upward from the first portion and including a second ball joint; a lower A-arm connected to the first ball joint; an upper A-arm connected to the second ball joint; the second ball joint being distanced from the wheel axis by a distance greater than the inner rim radius; and a shock assembly connected to the lower A-arm and the frame, the shafts passing below the ball joint of the shock absorber assembly which is vertically higher than the shaft.

Front suspension assembly for an off-road vehicle

A vehicle including: a frame; front suspension assemblies and wheels; a rear left suspension assembly connected to the frame; a rear right suspension assembly connected to the frame; rear wheels having a wheel axis and an inner rim radius; a rear gear train; and a motor. Each rear suspension assembly including a swing arm; a shock assembly; a knuckle including: a first portion connected to a wheel hub, and a second portion extending upward from the first portion; a first link having an outward end connected to the first portion and an inward end connected to the frame; and a second link having an outward end connected to the second portion and an inward end connected to the frame, the outward end of the second link being distanced from the corresponding wheel axis by a distance greater than the inner rim radius.

Rear suspension assembly for an off-road vehicle

A shock absorber for a vehicle includes an inner tube at least partially defining an inner fluid compartment and an outer tube enclosing at least in part the inner tube therein. Together, the inner tube and the outer tube at least partially define an outer fluid compartment therebetween. The inner tube defines a bypass zone having a plurality of bypass apertures that fluidly communicate the inner fluid compartment with the outer fluid compartment. A piston is movably mounted within the inner tube and moves in compression and in rebound. The piston defines a piston passage extending through the piston for permitting fluid flow between a first side and second side of the piston. An electronically controlled valve is connected to the piston and controls fluid flow through the piston passage. A method for controlling the shock absorber is also disclosed.

Shock absorber for a vehicle

A vehicle has a frame, seats, front and rear suspension assemblies, front and rear wheels, a motor, a rear differential, left and right constant velocity joints operatively connected to the rear differential; and left and right half-shaft operatively connecting the constant velocity joints to the rear wheels. Each of the rear suspension assemblies has: a trailing arm having a front end pivotally connected to the frame; a knuckle pivotally connected to a rear portion of the trailing arm; lower and upper links pivotally connected between the trailing arm and the frame; and a toe link pivotally connected between the knuckle and the frame. Each of the rear suspension assemblies has an instant center axis passing through a connection between the trailing arm and the frame. Centers of the velocity joints are laterally outward of their corresponding instant center axes when viewed in a top plan view of the vehicle.

A vehicle has a frame, seats, two front and two rear suspension assemblies, two front and two rear wheels, and a motor. Each rear suspension assembly has a trailing arm, a knuckle pivotally connected to the trailing arm, a lower link having laterally outward and inward ends pivotally connected to the trailing arm at a first connection point and to the frame at a second connection point respectively, an upper link having laterally outward and inward ends pivotally connected to the trailing arm at a third connection point and to the frame at a fourth connection point respectively, and a toe link having laterally outward an inward ends pivotally connected to the knuckle at a fifth connection point and to the frame at a sixth connection point respectively. The fifth connection point is laterally further from a longitudinally and vertically extending center plane than the first and third connection points.

A vehicle has a frame, driver and passenger seats, two front and two rear suspension assemblies, two front and two rear wheels, and a motor operatively connected to at least two of the wheels. Each rear suspension assembly has a trailing arm having a front end pivotally connected to the frame, a knuckle pivotally connected to a rear portion of the trailing arm, a link having a laterally outward end pivotally connected to the trailing arm and the knuckle and a laterally inward end pivotally connected to the frame, and a fastener fastening the laterally outward end of the link, the knuckle and the trailing arm together.

A vehicle has a frame, driver and passenger seats, two front and two rear suspension assemblies, two front and two rear wheels, and a motor operatively connected to the at least two wheels. Each rear suspension assembly has a trailing arm having a front end pivotally connected to the frame; a knuckle pivotally connected to a rear portion of the trailing arm; a lower link having a laterally outward end pivotally connected to the trailing arm and a laterally inward end pivotally connected to the frame; an upper link having a laterally outward end pivotally connected to the trailing arm and a laterally inward end pivotally connected to the frame; and a toe link having a laterally outward end pivotally connected to the knuckle and a laterally inward end pivotally connected to the frame.

A vehicle has a frame, at least one front wheel connected to the frame, at least one front suspension assembly connecting the at least one front wheel to the frame, at least one rear wheel connected to the frame, and at least one rear suspension assembly connecting the at least one rear wheel to the frame. At least one of the at least one front and at least one rear suspension assemblies includes an air spring. A seat is connected to the frame. An engine is connected to the frame and is operatively connected to at least one of the wheels. An air compressor is connected to the frame and fluidly communicates with the at least one air spring for supplying air to the at least one air spring. A control unit is electrically connected to the air compressor for controlling an operation of the air compressor.

Vehicle suspension and pneumatic systems

A vehicle has a frame, at least two wheels, at least one front and one rear suspension assembly, at least one of the suspension assemblies including an air spring, an air compressor, at least one air spring valve selectively fluidly communicating the air compressor with the at least one air spring, an auxiliary air output, an auxiliary valve selectively fluidly communicating the auxiliary air output with the air compressor, a control unit electrically connected to the air compressor, the at least one air spring valve, the auxiliary valve, and a vehicle condition sensor. The condition sensor senses an operating condition of the vehicle. The control unit only opens the auxiliary valve to fluidly communicate the auxiliary air output with the air compressor when a predetermined operating condition of the vehicle is sensed by the condition sensor. A method of controlling a pneumatic system of a vehicle is also disclosed.

A recreational utility vehicle has a frame, four wheels, a pair of seats mounted laterally beside each other, a cage, a steering assembly, an engine, a front differential, a rear differential, an actuator selectively operatively connecting the engine to the front differential, and a vehicle drive mode switch for selecting between a first and second drive mode. When the first drive mode is selected, the actuator operatively connects the engine to the front differential, and when the second drive mode is selected, the actuator operatively disconnects the engine from the front differential. An electric motor is operatively connected to the steering assembly. A steering control unit is electrically connected to the electric motor, determines an output torque to be applied by the electric motor based at least in part on a speed of the vehicle, and controls the electric motor to apply the output torque to the steering assembly.

Vehicle having a variable assist power steering assembly

A vehicle has a frame, at least one front wheel, at least one front suspension assembly, at least one rear wheel, and at least one rear suspension assembly, a seat, a steering assembly, an engine, and an air intake system fluidly communicating with the engine. At least one of the front and rear suspension assemblies includes an air spring. An air compressor selectively supplies air to the at least one air spring. An inlet of the air compressor fluidly communicates with the air intake system. During operation of the air compressor to supply air to the at least one air spring, the air compressor draws air from the air intake system and simultaneously supplies the air to the at least one air spring. A control unit is electrically connected to the air compressor for controlling an operation of the air compressor.

A recreational utility vehicle has a frame, four wheels, a pair of seats mounted laterally beside each other, a cage, a steering assembly, an engine, a front differential, a rear differential, an actuator selectively operatively connecting the engine to the front differential, and a vehicle drive mode switch for selecting between a first and second drive mode. When the first drive mode is selected, the actuator operatively connects the engine to the front differential, and when the second drive mode, the actuator operatively disconnects the engine from the front differential. An electric motor is operatively connected to the steering assembly. A steering control unit is electrically connected to the electric motor, determines an output torque to be applied by the electric motor based at least in part on a speed of the vehicle, and controls the electric motor to apply the output torque to the steering assembly.

A wheeled vehicle () has a power steering assembly. The vehicle can operate in an AWD mode and a 2WD mode. The degree of steering assist provided by the power steering assembly is determined from one of various steering maps (A-D;A-D). The steering map is selected based on whether the vehicle is operating in the AWD mode or the RWD mode and on a steering mode selected by a steering mode control switch () on the vehicle. A method of controlling a power steering assembly is also disclosed.

Growing community of inventors

St-Denis-de-Brompton, Canada

Daniel Leclerc