阅读说明：本技术 具有倾斜锁定装置的倾斜机动车辆 (Tilting motor vehicle with tilt locking device ) 是由 A·拉法埃利 于 2020-04-01 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及机动车辆(1),其包括至少一个后驱动轮(5)和两个前转向轮(7’、7")。倾斜四连杆机构(11)允许机动车辆例如在转弯时执行倾斜运动。前转向轮(7’、7")的围绕转向轴线(21A’、21A")旋转并通过转向杆(23)彼此连接的支撑臂(21’、21")与倾斜四连杆机构相关联。每个轮通过悬架(33’；33")的插入而被约束在各自的支撑臂上。倾斜锁定装置包括制动器(53’、53"),其锁定相应悬架的弹跳运动和四连杆机构的倾斜运动。(The invention relates to a motor vehicle (1) comprising at least one rear driving wheel (5) and two front steering wheels (7', 7'). The tilting four-bar linkage (11) allows the motor vehicle to perform a tilting movement, for example when cornering. The supporting arms (21') of the front steering wheels (7', 7') rotating about the steering axes (21A' ) and connected to each other by a steering rod (23) are associated with a tilting four-bar linkage. Each wheel is constrained to a respective supporting arm by the interposition of a suspension (33'; 33 "). The tilt locking means comprise a brake (53', 53") which locks the bouncing movement of the respective suspension and the tilting movement of the four-bar linkage.)

1. A tilting motor vehicle (1) comprising:

a frame (3);

at least one rear drive wheel (5);

a left front steering wheel (7') and a right front steering wheel (7') which are disposed side by side in the left-right direction (L-R);

a tilting four-bar linkage (11) comprising: an upper crosspiece (13) extending transversely to a median plane (M) of the motor vehicle (1) along a left-right direction (L-R); a lower crosspiece (15) extending transversely to a median plane (M) of the motor vehicle (1) along a left-right direction (L-R); a left upright (16') connecting the upper crosspiece (13) and the lower crosspiece (15); a right upright (16") connecting the upper crosspiece (13) and the lower crosspiece (15);

a left support arm (21') coupled to a left upright (16') to rotate with respect to said left upright about a respective steering axis (21A '); wherein the left front steering wheel (7') is connected to the left support arm (21') by the interposition of a left suspension (33 ');

a right support arm (21") coupled to a right upright (16") to rotate with respect to said right upright about a respective steering axis (21A "); wherein the right front steering wheel (7') is connected to the right support arm (21') by the interposition of a right suspension (33 ');

a cross member (23) extending in a left-right direction, pivoted at a first end (23.1) to the left support arm (21') and pivoted at a second end (23.2) to the right support arm (21") so as to follow a rotary motion of the left support arm (21') and the right support arm (21") about respective steering axes (21A ', 21A ") when the motor vehicle (1) performs a tilting motion, and to rotate relative to the left support arm (21') and the right support arm (21") about respective tilting axes (24X);

a tilt locking device (50', 50") comprising:

a first brake (53 '; 53') for at least one of said front left (7') and front right (7') steered wheels, adapted to lock with a single actuation a bouncing movement of the respective suspension (33 '; 33') and a rotational movement of said transverse component about a tilting axis (24X) by constraining a first member (47', 47'; 45', 45'; 120', 120'; 151', 151'; 161', 24.1', 105) and a second member (57 '; 57'; 24.1', 24.1', 105) of the respective suspension (33 '; 33') with respect to each other, which performs a bouncing movement with respect to the supporting arm (21 '; 21'), which is associated with a respective steering wheel (7 '; 7') and is mechanically connected to a transverse component (23), so as to perform a rotational movement proportional to the rotation of the cross member (23) about the tilt axis (24X); and

a second brake (53 '; 53') for the other of said left (7') and right (7') steering wheel, adapted to lock at least the bouncing movement of the respective suspension (33 '; 33') with said single actuation.

2. A motor vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said second brake (53", 53') is also adapted to constrain with respect to each other the first member (47", 47'; 45", 45 '; 120", 120'; 151", 151 '; 161"; 161') of the suspension (33", 33') of said other one of the front left and right steered wheels (7") and the additional second member (57 "; 57'; 24.1", 24.1', 105) associated with the respective steered wheel (7", 7') and performing a rotational movement proportional to the rotation of the transverse component (23) about the tilt axis (24X).

3. Motor vehicle (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each second member (57 "; 57 '; 24.1", 24.1', 105) is supported for rotation on a respective supporting arm (21 '; 21 ").

4. A motor vehicle (1) according to one or more of the preceding claims, wherein said transverse component is a steering rod (23) connected to a handlebar (29) of the motor vehicle (1) by a steering column (27).

5. A motor vehicle as claimed in one or more of the preceding claims, wherein for each of said left (7') and right (7") front steering wheels, the tilt locking means comprise a further member (55', 55"; 103', 103") supported on the supporting arm (21'; 21") and mechanically connected to the first member (45 '; 45") of the respective suspension (33'; 33") so as to move with respect to the supporting arm (21 '; 21") in proportion to the bouncing movement of the suspension (33'); and wherein the brake is adapted to lock the further member (55 '; 55 "; 103', 103") and the second member (57', 57", 103', 103") relative to each other.

6. A motor vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the other member (55 '; 55 "; 103 '; 103") is rotatably coupled to the support arm (21 '; 21") and is adapted to rotate with respect to the support arm (21 '; 21") in proportion to the bouncing movement of the respective suspension (33 '; 33 ").

7. A motor vehicle according to claim 5 or 6, wherein the second member (57 '; 57 "; 105'; 105") is rotatably coupled to the support arm (21 '; 21") and is adapted to rotate with respect to the support arm (21'; 21") in proportion to the rotational movement of the transverse component (23) about the tilt axis (24X).

8. A motor vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the second member (105 '; 105") is rotatably coupled to the support arm (21'; 21") and is adapted to rotate with respect to the support arm (21 '; 21") in proportion to the rotational movement of the cross-member (23) about the tilt axis (24X), and wherein the further member (55'; 55") and the second member (57 '; 57") are arranged to rotate with respect to the suspension arm (21'; 21") about respective substantially parallel and spaced axes (56A; 24X).

9. A motor vehicle according to claim 8, wherein each brake (53 '; 53") is a disc brake comprising a caliper (55 '; 55") which is part of said other member (55 '; 55") and a disc sector (57 '; 57") which is part of the second member (57 '; 57") or which is part of the second member.

10. A motor vehicle according to claim 6, wherein the second member (105 '; 105") is rotatably coupled to the support arm (21'; 21") and is adapted to rotate relative to the support arm (21 '; 21") in proportion to the rotational movement of the transverse component (23) about the tilt axis (24X), and wherein the further member (103', 103") and the second member (105 '; 105") are arranged to rotate relative to the suspension arm (21'; 21") about a common axis.

11. A motor vehicle according to claim 10, wherein a brake (53 '; 53") is configured to angularly lock the other member (103 '; 103") and the second member (105 '; 105") with respect to each other.

12. A motor vehicle according to claim 11, wherein the brake is a drum brake.

13. A motor vehicle as claimed in one or more of claims 5 to 12, wherein said further member (55 '; 55 "; 103', 103") is connected to the first member (47', 47 "; 45', 45"; 120', 120") of the suspension (33', 33") by a rod (63', 63 ").

14. A motor vehicle as claimed in one or more of claims 5 to 11, wherein said further member (55', 55") is rigidly connected to a first member (45', 45") of the suspension (33', 33 "); and wherein the second member (57', 57") is constrained to the cross-member (23) by means of a rod (64 '; 64") which transmits the rotary motion of the cross-member (23) about the tilt axis (24X) to the second member (57 '; 57 ").

15. A motor vehicle according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the first member (47', 47 "; 45', 45") of the suspension (33', 33") comprises an element of a suspension four-bar linkage.

16. A motor vehicle according to claim 13, in which the first member (120'; 120") of the suspension comprises an element with linear motion.

17. Motor vehicle according to one or more of claims 1 to 4, wherein each suspension (33 '; 33") comprises a suspension four-bar linkage having a first crank (45', 45") rotatably coupled to the respective support arm (21 '; 21") and a second crank (47 '; 47") rotatably coupled to the respective support arm (21 '; 21 "); wherein for each of said left (7') and right (7') front steering wheels, the tilt locking means comprises: a further member (103' ) rotatably supported on a first crank (45 '; 45 ') of the suspension four-bar linkage about a rotation axis (126 '; 126 '); wherein the further member (103' ) is coaxial with a second member (105 '; 105 ') rotatably supported on the first crank (45 '; 45 ') about the rotation axis (126 '; 126 '); wherein the further member (103 '; 103') is mechanically connected to a second crank (47 '; 47') so as to rotate about the rotation axis (126 '; 126') in proportion to the bouncing movement of the suspension (33 '; 33'); wherein the second member (105 '; 105') is mechanically connected to the transverse member (23) so as to rotate about said axis of rotation in proportion to the rotation of the transverse member (23) about the tilt axis (24X); and wherein the brake (53 '; 53') is adapted to rotationally lock the further member (103 '; 103') and the second member (105 '; 105') with respect to each other.

18. A motor vehicle according to claim 17, wherein said brake (53', 53") is a drum brake.

19. A motor vehicle as claimed in one or more of claims 1 to 4, wherein each suspension (33', 33") comprises a suspension four-bar linkage; wherein each suspension four-bar linkage comprises a first crank (153', 153") rotatably coupled to the respective support arm (21'; 21"), a second crank (155', 155") rotatably coupled to the respective support arm (21'; 21"), and a wheel support (151', 151") connected to the support arm (21', 21") by said first and second cranks; wherein each suspension four-bar linkage moves on a plane orthogonal to the axis of rotation of the respective wheel (7', 7'); wherein the respective first braking members (55', 55") of the first and second brakes (53', 53") are rigidly connected to the wheel supports (151 '; 151") of the left (7') and right (7") front steering wheels; wherein the respective second brake members (57 '; 57 ') of the first and second brakes (52', 53') are pivotally coupled to the respective support arms (21' ) and are mechanically connected with the transverse component (23) to perform a rotational movement proportional to the rotation of the transverse component (23) about the tilt axis (24X).

20. A motor vehicle according to claim 19, wherein the suspension four-bar linkage is one of a watt four-bar linkage, a roberts four-bar linkage, and a chebyshev four-bar linkage.

21. A motor vehicle as claimed in one or more of claims 1 to 4, wherein each suspension (33', 33") comprises a suspension assembly comprising an elastic member (35', 35") and a shock absorber (37', 37 "); each suspension assembly has an upper end coupled to the respective suspension arm (21', 21") and a lower end hinged to a pivoting arm (163', 163") that mechanically connects the lower end of the suspension assembly to the respective support arm (21', 21 "); wherein each first and second brake (53', 53") comprises a first brake member (55', 55") rigidly coupled to a lower end of the suspension assembly and a second brake member (57', 57") hinged to the respective suspension arm (21', 21") and to one of the upper ends of the suspension assembly; and wherein the second braking member (57' ) is mechanically connected to the cross member (23) to perform a rotational movement proportional to the rotation of the cross member (23) about the tilt axis (24X).

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of so-called tilting motor vehicles, i.e. having a tilting movement about a mid-plane extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. Embodiments disclosed herein relate to saddle vehicles having three or more wheels.

Background

In the field of motor vehicles, more and more vehicles combine the features of two-wheeled saddle vehicles (such as motorcycles and scooters) in terms of handling, as well as the stability of four-wheeled vehicles. These vehicles include three-wheeled motor vehicles provided with two front steering wheels and one rear driving wheel, and four-wheeled motor vehicles commonly known as four-wheeled motorcycles.

More specifically, the three-wheeled motor vehicle described above is provided with two front steering wheels, i.e. which are adapted to perform the steering of the vehicle controlled by the driver via the handlebars, and are inclined, i.e. can be tilted or tilted sideways by a tilting movement. The tilting motion is a swinging motion about an axis oriented substantially in the direction of travel. The three-wheeled vehicle also includes rear drive wheels drivingly connected to the engine and intended to provide drive torque and thus allow traction, while the front wheels in the pair are intended to provide directionality of the vehicle.

In addition to the steering movement, the front wheels of a pair have a tilting movement and are connected to the frame by a shock-absorbing suspension allowing a bouncing movement. Due to the use of two pairs of front wheels, the tilting vehicle ensures greater stability than a normal two-wheeled motor vehicle, by virtue of the double support of the front wheels on the ground, similar to that provided by a car.

The front wheels are interconnected by kinematic mechanisms that ensure that the wheels themselves can tilt and steer in a substantially synchronous manner, for example interposing one or two four-bar linkages connecting the front wheels to the front end frame. Furthermore, such motor vehicles are usually equipped with two independent shock absorbing suspensions, one for each front drive wheel. Each suspension is provided with an elastic member (spring) and a viscous member (damper).

Although three-or four-wheeled leaning motor vehicles exhibit great stability, in some cases they may tip over due to uncontrolled leaning movements. This may occur especially at low forward speeds, or in the case of a vehicle that is stationary or parked. To avoid such inconvenience, three-or four-wheeled tilting motor vehicles are often provided with a tilt lock or tilt control device to prevent the motor vehicle from accidentally tipping over when stationary or traveling at low speeds. For example in WO2017115293, WO 2017115294; WO 2017115295; WO 2017115296; WO 2017115297; WO 2018116210; WO2018116211 and the prior art document mentioned therein disclose a three-wheeled motor vehicle with a tilt lock or tilt control.

US7264251 discloses a three-wheeled motor vehicle with a tilt locking mechanism. The motor vehicle comprises a four-bar linkage having: a first or upper crosspiece extending in a transverse direction with respect to the median plane of the motor vehicle, i.e. in a left-right direction; a second or lower crosspiece extending in a transverse direction, i.e. in a left-right direction, with respect to the median plane of the motor vehicle; a first pillar connecting the first end of the upper rail and the first end of the lower rail and located on one side, e.g., the left side with respect to the medial plane of the vehicle; a second upright connecting the second end of the upper rail and the second end of the lower rail. A steering arm supporting the front wheels is associated with the upright. A shock absorbing suspension allowing bouncing movement between the respective drive wheel and the support arm is associated with each arm. The support arms are connected by a steering rod which transmits the steering movement exerted by the handlebar to the two support arms of the wheel. In order to lock the tilting movement of the motor vehicle, a brake is provided which prevents the crosspiece of the tilting four-bar linkage from rotating relative to the front end frame. Since each wheel is constrained to the supporting arm by means of a suspension, in order to avoid tilting movements due to uneven compression of the two left and right suspensions, the tilt locking device also comprises two locking members which, when activated, prevent telescopic movements of the two suspensions, i.e. lock the two bouncing movements of the two suspensions. When the tilt lock is activated, the front wheels can only perform steering movements relative to the front end frame.

This tilt locking arrangement is very effective, but requires three different actuators to perform the locking: the actuator locks the tilting movement of the tilting four-bar linkage; two different actuators lock the two suspensions in telescopic motion, i.e. in contraction and in extension.

A tilt lock device having the same effectiveness but overcoming the disadvantages of the prior art devices would be useful. In particular, a tilt lock device that requires fewer actuators and is therefore simpler, more cost effective and less cumbersome would be useful.

Disclosure of Invention

In order to overcome or alleviate one or more of the drawbacks of the prior art devices, a motor vehicle with a tilt locking device according to claim 1 is provided. Particularly advantageous embodiments and features of the motor vehicle according to the invention are defined in the dependent claims.

A leaning motor vehicle includes a frame, at least one rear drive wheel, and two front steerable wheels, left and right steerable wheels, respectively. The motor vehicle further comprises a tilting four-bar linkage. The tilting four-bar linkage in turn comprises: an upper crosspiece extending transversely to the median plane of the motor vehicle; a lower rail extending transversely to a mid-plane of the motor vehicle; and two upright columns, namely a left upright column and a right upright column, which are connected with the upper crosspiece and the lower crosspiece. A left support arm is also provided that is coupled to the left upright for rotation relative thereto about a respective steering axis. The left front steering wheel is connected to the left support arm by the interposition of a left suspension. Similarly, on the right side of the motor vehicle there is provided a right support arm coupled to the right upright of the four-bar linkage so as to rotate about a respective steering axis with respect to the right upright. The right front steering wheel is connected to the right support arm with the interposition of a right suspension. A cross member, such as a steering rod, is pivotally connected at a first end to the left support arm and pivotally connected at a second end to the right support arm to follow rotational movement of the left and right support arms about respective steering axes of the left and right front steerable wheels. Furthermore, when the motor vehicle performs a tilting movement, the transverse member is adapted to rotate about a respective tilting axis with respect to the left and right support arms. The tilt axes are parallel to each other and to the axis of the tilting four-bar linkage.

The device is generally provided with a tilt locking device comprising, for at least one of said front left and right steered wheels, a first brake adapted to lock, by a single actuation, a bouncing movement of the respective suspension and a rotational movement of said transverse member about a tilt axis. The locking of the rotational movement of the transverse member about the tilting axis is achieved by: a first member of the respective suspension which performs a bouncing movement with respect to the supporting arm and a second member associated with the respective steering wheel and mechanically connected to the cross-member are constrained with respect to each other to perform a rotational movement proportional to the rotation of the cross-member about the tilting axis. The first member and the second member are constrained to each other, either directly or by means of intermediate components arranged between them, as will be explained in more detail with reference to the embodiments disclosed herein. For the other of said left and right steering wheels, the tilt locking means further comprise a second brake adapted to lock at least the bouncing movement of the respective suspension by said single actuation.

In this way, on at least one side of the vehicle, a single brake locks the suspension, preventing bouncing movement of the respective wheel, and further locking the tilting movement of the tilting four-bar linkage. On the other side of the vehicle, the brake may simply lock the bouncing motion of the associated suspension.

As will become apparent from the detailed description, in some embodiments, the first member, the second member, or both may be integral with or form part of the respective brake, i.e., one or both may be a member of the respective brake.

In a practical embodiment the second brake is further adapted to lock the transverse member for rotational movement about the tilt axis. In this way, a substantially symmetrical arrangement is obtained for the left and right side of the motor vehicle.

In some embodiments, the tilt locking means comprise, for each front steering wheel, a first member supported (directly or indirectly) on the support arm and mechanically connected to the suspension, so as to move with respect to the support arm a movement proportional to the bouncing movement of the respective suspension. Furthermore, for at least one and preferably each front steering wheel, the tilt locking means comprise a second member supported (directly or indirectly) on the support arm and mechanically connected to the cross member to move with respect to the support arm a movement proportional to the rotational movement of the cross member about the tilt axis. A brake is adapted to lock the first member and the second member relative to each other.

For example, the first member is rotatably coupled to the support arm and adapted to rotate relative to the support arm in proportion to the bouncing motion of the respective suspension.

In a possible embodiment, the second member is rotatably coupled to the support arm and is adapted to rotate with respect to the support arm in proportion to the rotational movement of the transverse member about the tilt axis.

In the embodiment disclosed herein, for each of said front left and right steerable wheels, the tilt lock means comprises a further member supported on the support arm and mechanically linked to the first member of the respective suspension, so as to move with respect to the support arm a movement proportional to the bouncing movement of the suspension. A brake is adapted to lock the other member and the second member relative to each other. In the embodiments disclosed herein, the other member may be integral with one of the members of the respective brake or form the one member itself. Similarly, the second member may be integral with one of the members of the respective brake or form the one member itself.

Drawings

The invention will be better understood from the following description and the appended drawings, which illustrate exemplary and non-limiting embodiments of the invention. More specifically, in the figure:

FIG. 1 illustrates a bottom isometric view of a three-wheeled motor vehicle with some components removed, according to an embodiment;

FIG. 2 shows a front view of the motor vehicle of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a side view of the front end portion of the motor vehicle of FIGS. 1 and 2, taken along the line III-III in FIG. 2;

figures 4 and 5 show isometric views from different angles of the support of the right wheel of the motor vehicle of figures 1 to 3;

FIG. 6 shows an enlarged view of FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 shows a simplified view of the front end portion of the vehicle of FIGS. 1-6;

FIG. 8 shows a tilt lock arrangement in another embodiment;

FIG. 9 shows a bottom isometric view of a three-wheeled motor vehicle with some components removed, in accordance with another embodiment;

FIG. 10 shows a front view of the motor vehicle of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 shows a side view of the front end portion of the motor vehicle of FIGS. 1 and 2 taken along line XI-XI in FIG. 10;

figures 12 and 13 show isometric views from different angles of the support of the right wheel of the motor vehicle of figures 9 to 11;

FIG. 14 shows an enlarged view of FIG. 9;

FIG. 15 shows a side view of the brake of the embodiment of FIGS. 9 to 14;

FIG. 16 shows a cross-section taken along XVI-XVI of FIG. 15;

FIG. 16A shows a cross-section taken along line A-A of FIG. 16;

FIG. 16B shows an isometric view of the brake of FIG. 15 with parts removed;

FIG. 17 shows a view taken along XVII-XVII of FIG. 16;

FIGS. 18 and 19 illustrate another embodiment of a tilt lock mechanism;

FIG. 20 shows a front view of a motor vehicle having another embodiment of a tilt lock arrangement;

FIG. 21 shows a bottom isometric view of a portion of the vehicle of FIG. 20;

figures 22 and 23 show isometric views from two different angles of the support of the left wheel of the motor vehicle according to figures 20 and 21;

FIG. 24 shows a front view of a front wheel frame of a three-wheeled vehicle having a wheel suspension using a Watt four-bar linkage according to another embodiment;

FIG. 25 shows an isometric view of the front wheel carriage of FIG. 24;

fig. 26 and 27 show a side view and an isometric view of one of the front steering wheels of the front wheel frame of fig. 24 and 25;

fig. 28 and 29 show side and isometric views of the support arm, wheel support and brake of the right steering wheel of the front wheel carriage of fig. 23 and 25;

figures 30 and 31 show further views of the support arm with some parts removed;

FIGS. 32 and 33 show schematic simplified isometric and side views similar to FIGS. 25 and 26;

FIGS. 34 and 35 show a schematic simplified isometric and side view similar to FIGS. 32 and 33 with an embodiment of a wheel suspension using a Robert's four-bar linkage;

figures 36 and 37 show a schematic simplified isometric and side view similar to figures 32 and 33 with an embodiment of a wheel suspension using a chebyshev four-bar linkage;

FIG. 38 shows a front view of the right front steering wheel of a three-wheeled vehicle having another embodiment of a tilt lock arrangement according to the present disclosure;

figures 39 and 40 show two isometric views of the device of figure 38;

fig. 41 shows a side view of the device of fig. 38 to 40; and

fig. 42, 43, 44 and 45 show views similar to fig. 38, 39, 40 and 41 in a further embodiment.

Detailed Description

Referring to the drawings, an arrow F indicates a forward direction of the vehicle, double arrows L-R indicate a left-right direction of the vehicle, and arrows U-D indicate an up-down direction of the vehicle. The terms "left", "right", "up", "down" are for a driver sitting on a stationary, and therefore non-leaning, vehicle. "lateral" means a left-right direction, i.e., a direction extending laterally with respect to the median plane of the motor vehicle.

The embodiments of figures 1 to 7

A first embodiment of a motor vehicle is shown in fig. 1 to 7.

In summary, in a first embodiment, a tilt-saddle motor vehicle is provided having at least two front steering wheels, with a tilt four-bar linkage extending in a lateral, i.e. left-right, direction. The four bar linkage of slope has two crosspieces, is upper crosspiece and lower crosspiece respectively, and it is connected by two stands, is left stand and right stand respectively. A right support arm and a left support arm, which support the right front steering wheel and the left front steering wheel, respectively, are associated with the upright through the interposition of respective suspensions. The two support arms are connected by a cross member, which may consist of a steering rod and is constrained at its two ends to the two support arms by respective joints, which allow rotation about two axes: a tilt axis and an axis orthogonal to the tilt axis. A first brake member, typically a disc brake, is associated with at least one end of the cross member, and preferably with both ends of the cross member, which is rotatably supported about an axis of rotation on the respective wheel support arm. The first brake member rotates relative to the support arm integrally with the rotational movement of the transverse member about the tilt axis. Associated with the first brake member is a second brake member that is rotatably supported on the respective wheel support arm about an axis of rotation that is parallel to but spaced from the axis of rotation of the first brake member. This second braking member is constrained, for example by a lever, to at least one element of the suspension of the respective wheel so as to rotate with respect to the supporting arm, the rotational movement being proportional to the bouncing movement, i.e. to the movement of the suspension. By applying the brake, the two members of the brake are locked relative to each other. Since they are supported on the support arm about parallel but non-coinciding axes of rotation, the movement of the two members of the brake relative to the support arm is locked by the application of the brake, whereby the bouncing movement of the suspension and the tilting movement of the vehicle are thus locked.

The first embodiment will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In fig. 1 to 7, a motor vehicle 1 includes a frame 3, a rear drive wheel 5 drivingly connected to an engine (not shown) that provides drive torque, and a pair of front steering wheels. More specifically, the motor vehicle 1 comprises a first front steering wheel 7', or left front steering wheel 7', and a second front steering wheel 7", or right front steering wheel 7". In the following, components, groups or elements symmetrical with respect to the centreline plane M of the motor vehicle 1 are indicated with the same reference numerals, plus a single prime (') for the elements to the left of the centreline plane M, plus a double prime (") for the elements to the right of the centreline plane M.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 1 to 7, at the front of the motor vehicle 1, hereinafter also referred to as front wheel carrier, a steering movement mechanism, generally indicated at 9, is provided which allows the front steered wheels 7' and 7 "to perform a synchronous steering and tilting movement. In this context, steering movement refers to movement of the front wheels 7', 7 "about the respective steering axes, by which a change in trajectory relative to a straight trajectory in the forward direction F is imparted to the vehicle. Here, the tilting motion refers to a motion that allows the motor vehicle 1 to tilt with respect to a vertical plane, for example, when the vehicle turns a corner.

In the embodiment shown, the steering kinematic mechanism 9 comprises a four-bar linkage 11, more precisely a parallelogram linkage, hereinafter referred to as tilting four-bar linkage 11.

The tilting four-bar linkage 11 has a first upper crosspiece 13 and a second lower crosspiece 15 that are substantially parallel to each other. The upper crosspiece 13 and the lower crosspiece 15 extend in the left-right direction, transversely to the median plane M.

The two crosspieces 13, 15 are pivoted to the frame 3 at two intermediate points by hinges 13A and 15A, respectively. In this way, for example, when the motor vehicle 1 is negotiating a curve at high speed, the two crosspieces 13 and 15 can be rotated about respective axes of rotation that are parallel to each other and lie on the centreline plane M of the frame 3 of the vehicle 1, so as to perform a tilting movement.

The tilting four-bar linkage 11 also comprises two uprights, respectively a left upright 16' and a right upright 16 ". Two uprights 16', 16 "are hinged to the upper crosspiece 13 and to the lower crosspiece 15 to form therewith a tilting four-bar linkage. The reference numerals 17', 19' and 17", 19" denote hinges on both sides of the vehicle 1, by which the uprights 16' and 16 "are hinged to the crosspieces 13, 15. More specifically, the upper crosspiece 13 is hinged at a first end 13.1 to the left upright 16 'by means of a hinge 17' and at a second end 13.2 "to the right upright 16" by means of a hinge 17 ". Similarly, the lower crosspiece 15 is hinged to the left upright 16 'by a hinge 19' at a first end 15.1 and "hinged to the right upright 16" by a hinge 19 "at a second end 15.2. The hinges 17', 17 "and 19', 19" define the mutual axes of rotation of the crosspieces 13, 15 and the uprights 16', 16 ". The axes of rotation defined by the hinges 17', 17 "and 19', 19" are parallel to the axis of rotation of the crosspieces 13, 15 relative to the frame 3.

In addition to the tilting four-bar linkage 11, the steering kinematic mechanism 9 also comprises a pair of support arms to which the front steering wheels 7', 7 "are connected. More precisely, the left support arm 21 'supports the left front steering wheel 7', and the right support arm 21 "supports the right front steering wheel 7".

In the illustrated embodiment, the two support arms 21', 21 "are shaped like a half fork, but it should be understood that other arrangements are possible. Each support arm 21', 21 "is connected to the tilting four-bar linkage 11 so as to rotate about a respective steering axis, denoted 21A ' and 21A", of the left wheel 7' and the right wheel 7", respectively. The steering axes 21A' and 21A "are oriented substantially in the direction of the arrow U, more precisely they are slightly inclined backwards with respect to the vertical.

In the illustrated embodiment, the upper portion of each support arm 21', 21 "is housed within a respective upright 16', 16" of the tilting four-bar linkage 11. For this purpose, the two uprights 16', 16 "can be made of internally hollow cylinders in which the bearings (not shown) of the supporting arms 21', 21" of the wheels 7', 7 "are mounted.

For controlling the steering movement of the two support arms 21', 21 "about the steering axes 21A', 21A", a transverse member 23 is provided which extends in the left-right direction. In the embodiment shown here, the cross member 23 constitutes a steering lever, i.e. a lever that transmits steering movements from the steering column to the two support arms 21', 21 "and thus to the two front steering wheels 7', 7". In the following, the transverse member 23 will therefore be referred to as steering rod 23. The steering rod 23 has a left end 23.1 hinged to the left upright 16 'by a joint 24' and a right end 23.2 hinged to the right upright 16 "by a joint 24". Each joint 24', 24 "defines two mutual axes of rotation between the steering rod 23 and the respective upright 16', 16". The two axes of rotation defined by the joint 24' are indicated by 24X and 24Y in figures 3, 4 and 5. The axes 24X of the two joints 24', 24 "have an orientation mainly in the forward direction F of the motor vehicle 1 and allow the steering rod 23 to rotate with respect to the support arms 21', 21" and therefore with respect to the uprights 16', 16 "when the motor vehicle 1 performs a tilting movement. Accordingly, the axis 24X is also referred to herein as the tilt axis. The axis 24Y has a mainly upward orientation (arrow U-D) and allows the steering rod 23 to rotate with respect to the uprights 16', 16 "to perform a steering movement.

The steering rod 23 is movable along the double arrow f23 (fig. 1, 2, 6) under the control of a steering column 27 operated by a handlebar 29 of the motor vehicle 1. The steering column 27 is connected to the steering rod 23 at a central point by means of a transmission 31 (fig. 2, 6). Rotation of the handlebar 29 about the axis of the steering column 23 causes translation of the steering rod 23 according to the arrow f23, and this movement is transmitted through the joints 24', 24 "to the support arms 21', 21" of the front steering wheels 7', 7", which simultaneously rotate about the steering axes 21A', 21A". On the other hand, the rolling movement, i.e. the tilting movement, of the motor vehicle 1, schematically indicated by the double arrow R in fig. 2, causes the steering rod 23 to rotate with respect to the supporting arms 21', 21 ″ about the respective tilt axis 24X of each end 23.1, 23.2.

Typically, the tilting and steering movements occur simultaneously during driving. When the motor vehicle 1 is stationary, it is suitable to lock the tilting movement free of steering movement, as will be elucidated below, and for this purpose a tilting locking device is provided, which is described in detail below.

Each front steering wheel 7', 7 "is connected to a respective support arm 21', 21" by means of a suspension 33', 33 ". The suspension may have different shapes, as is well known to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the suspension described below and shown in the drawings must be construed as exemplary and not limiting.

In the illustrated embodiment, each suspension 33', 33 "includes an elastic member 35', 35" (in the example, a coil spring) and a viscous member (i.e., a damper 37', 37 "). In the non-limiting example illustrated, the elastic members 35', 35 "and the shock absorbers 37', 37" are coaxial with each other. The assembly consisting of the elastic members 35', 35 "and the shock absorbers forms suspensions 33', 33" together with accessories 38', 38 "(hereinafter referred to as" suspension mechanisms 38', 38 "). The assembly consisting of the elastic members 35', 35 "and the shock absorbers 37', 37" is connected to points on the respective support arms 21', 21 "and to points on the suspension mechanisms 38', 38". Each suspension mechanism 38', 38 "supports a respective front steering wheel 7', 7". The suspension mechanisms 38', 38 "are rigidly constrained to an axle (not shown) to which the respective front steering wheel 7', 7" is rotatably mounted.

In the embodiment shown, the suspension mechanism 38', 38 "comprises or consists of a suspension four-bar linkage that moves on a plane containing the axis of rotation of the respective front wheel 7', 7".

Reference numerals 41', 41 "and 43', 43" denote the points of constraint of the assembly formed by the elastic members 35', 35 "and the shock absorbers 37', 37" to the respective supporting arms 21', 21 "and suspension mechanisms 38', 38" of the steering wheel (see in particular figures 2, 4, 5).

Typically, the suspension mechanisms 38', 38 "are arranged to allow bouncing movement between the respective front steering wheel 7', 7" and the respective support arm 21', 21 ". This bouncing movement corresponds to the contraction and expansion movement of the shock-absorbing suspensions 33', 33", more specifically the contraction and expansion movement of the elastic members 35', 35" and the shock absorbers 37', 37 ".

More specifically, in the illustrated embodiment, the suspension mechanism 38', 38 "comprises or consists of a suspension four-bar linkage having two cranks (rocker arms) 45', 47' and 45", 47", respectively. Although in the illustrated embodiment each suspension four-bar linkage is arranged to oscillate on a plane containing the axis of rotation of the respective wheel, in other embodiments the plane of oscillation of the suspension four-bar linkage may be orthogonal to the plane illustrated in the drawings, i.e. the plane of oscillation of the suspension four-bar linkage may be orthogonal to the axis of rotation of the respective wheel.

In the exemplary embodiment illustrated, each crank 45', 47' and 45", 47" is pivoted at 49', 51' and 49", 51" to a respective supporting arm 21', 21 "of the front steering wheel 7', 7". During travel, uneven ground results in bouncing motion of the sprung mass of the motor vehicle 1 relative to the unsprung mass of the motor vehicle. Sprung mass refers to the mass portion of the motor vehicle 1 that acts on the wheels through the suspension. Such masses include in particular the frame, the load, the engine, etc., whereas unsprung masses refer to the parts of the mass of the motor vehicle 1 that are not supported by the suspension, in particular the wheels, the brakes, etc.

The bouncing movement of the sprung mass relative to the front steering wheels 7', 7 "comprises a telescopic movement of the springs 35', 35" and the shock absorbers 37', 37 "of the suspensions 33', 33", corresponding to a swinging movement of the suspension four-bar linkages 38', 38 ". When the vehicle is stationary or almost stationary, such a movement of the suspensions 33', 33 "may cause a pitching movement of the vehicle when the suspensions are moving identically and synchronously, or a tilting movement of the motor vehicle 1 when the contraction and expansion of the two suspensions differ from each other.

In order to avoid the risk of the motor vehicle 1 tipping over when moving at low speeds or at rest, the tilting movement due to the deformation of the tilting four-bar linkage 11 and the unequal contraction or expansion of the two suspensions 33', 33 "must be locked. To this end, a locking device is provided, which is described in detail below.

In summary, the tilt locking device is arranged to lock with a single actuator: a bouncing motion on at least one side of the motor vehicle 1, preferably on both sides of the motor vehicle 1; furthermore, the rotational movement of at least one component of the steering kinematic mechanism 9 is determined by the inclination.

More specifically, in the embodiment shown, a tilt locking device is provided which locks the contraction and extension movements of the suspensions 33', 33 "and further the rotational movement of the steering rod 23 about the tilt axis 24X, while leaving a steering movement, i.e. a free rotational movement of the steering rod 23 about the axis 24Y.

More specifically, in the illustrated embodiment, a tilt lock is provided that rigidly connects the suspension mechanisms 38', 38 "and the steering rod 23 to each other. The parts of the tilt locking device associated with the front left steering wheel 7' are visible in particular in fig. 4 and 5. The parts of the tilt locking device associated with the right front steering wheel 7 "are substantially symmetrical to the parts associated with the left front steering wheel 7' and will not be described in detail. The left and right components of the tilt lock are indicated in the figures with the same reference numerals, the left part of the motor vehicle 1 being indicated with a prime (') followed and the right part of the motor vehicle 1 being indicated with a double prime ("), depending on the form, also applied to the rest of the motor vehicle described above.

With particular reference to fig. 4 and 5, the assembly of the components of the tilt locking device associated with the front left steering wheel 7 'is generally indicated with 50'. It comprises a brake 53', in particular a disc brake, which in turn comprises a caliper 55' and a disc sector 57 '. The caliper 55' is supported by the support arm 21' such that it can rotate about its own axis of rotation relative to the support arm 21', and similarly, the disk sector 57' is supported on the support arm 21' so as to be able to rotate about its own axis of rotation relative to the support arm 21', the rotation arm being parallel to and spaced from the axis of rotation of the caliper 55 '. In the illustration of fig. 7, 56' denotes an actuator, for example a hydraulic actuator, of the caliper 55' of the brake 53 '. In practice, a single hydraulic pump may be provided to actuate both disc brakes 53', 53 ". The same actuation system may be used in all embodiments disclosed below. As will become clear from the following description, the brake is adapted to restrain, i.e. lock, the first member of the respective suspension 33', 33 "performing a bouncing movement with respect to the supporting arm and the second member mechanically connected with the cross member 23 to each other. In the exemplary embodiment of fig. 1 to 7, the first component is one of the cranks 45', 47' or 45", 47" of the suspensions 33', 33 ". The second component is a disk sector 57', 57 ". The calipers 55', 55 "represent another member rotatably supported on the respective support arms 21', 21" and mechanically connected to the first member (cranks 45', 45") for movement in a motion proportional to the suspension bouncing motion.

It should be noted that in the exemplary embodiment shown and in the embodiments disclosed hereinafter, symmetrical detent devices 53', 53 "are provided. In fact, however, the locking of the cross member 23 may be performed by only one of the two detents.

The calipers 55', 55 "are another member of the tilt locking device, supported on the support arms 21', 21". Said other member or caliper 55', 55 "(as will become clear from the following description) has a movement with respect to the supporting arm which is proportional to the bouncing movement of the respective suspension 33', 33". Typically, the motion may be a reciprocating rotational motion.

As mentioned above, the disc sectors 57', 57 "are the second members of the tilt locking means, which are supported on the supporting arms 21', 21" and are mechanically connected to the steering rod 23 so as to move with respect to the supporting arms 21', 21 "in proportion to the rotational movement of the steering rod 23 about the tilt axis 24X.

The caliper 55' and the disc sectors 57' are arranged in such a way that, during the rotational movement of the caliper 55' and the disc sectors 57' with respect to the support arm 21', the peripheral edge of the disc sectors 57' is always kept inside the caliper 55', irrespective of the attitude of the motor vehicle 1.

More specifically, in the illustrated embodiment, the disc sector 57' is integral with the joint 24' so as to oscillate, i.e. reciprocally rotate integrally therewith, about a tilt axis 24X, which represents the rotation axis of the disc sector 57 '. In fig. 4, the oscillating movement of the disk sector 57' about the tilt axis 24X is indicated by the double arrow f 57. Thus, the disc sector 57' follows the tilting movement of the steering rod 23 about the tilting axis 24X.

Instead, the caliper 55' is mounted to a shaft 56' (see in particular fig. 5) having an axis 56A parallel to the tilting axis 24X and which represents the rotation axis of the caliper 55' with respect to the support arm 211. The shaft 56 'is constrained to the appendix 61' of the support arm 21 'of the front steering wheel 7'. The caliper 55' is thus rotatable about the axis 56A with respect to the support arm 21' of the front steering wheel 7 '. The oscillating movement of the caliper 55' is caused by the bouncing movement of the respective shock-absorbing suspension 33', which is transmitted to the caliper 55' in the following manner. In fact, the caliper 55' of the brake 53' oscillates about the axis 56A in proportion to the contraction and extension movements of the shock-absorbing suspension 33 '.

The arrangement of the caliper 55 'and the disc sectors 57' can be reversed from that shown: caliper 55' may be integral with joint 24' so as to rotate about axis 24A, and disk sector 57' may be mounted to shaft 56A and connected to shock-absorbing suspension 33' so as to oscillate about axis 56A according to the movement of shock-absorbing suspension 33 '.

In order to connect the caliper 55' of the brake 53' to the shock-absorbing suspension 33', a rigid attachment member is provided, which, in the example shown, consists of a rod 63' which transmits the motion from the shock-absorbing suspension 33', and thus from the suspension mechanism 38' to the caliper 55 '. The rod 63' is substantially rigid, which means that its length remains unchanged during operation. The first end of the rod 63' is connected to the caliper 55' by a first joint, preferably a ball joint 65 '. The second end of the rod 63 'is connected to the suspension mechanism 38', more particularly to a member that follows the contraction and expansion movements (i.e. bouncing movements) of the shock-absorbing suspension 33', by means of a second joint, preferably a ball joint 67'.

In the illustrated embodiment, the rod 63 'is connected to an extension of one of the cranks 45', 47 'of the suspension mechanism 38', in particular to the extension of the crank 45', by means of a ball joint 67'. In this way, the bouncing movement is transmitted by the rod 63' to the caliper 55' of the brake 53', so that the caliper swings about the axis 56A of the shaft 56' at an angle proportional to the bouncing movement, and therefore to the contraction and extension movement of the shock-absorbing suspension 33 '. In fig. 4, the movement of the lever 63 'is indicated by the double arrow f63 and the corresponding movement of the caliper 55' is indicated by the double arrow f 55.

In order to understand more directly the operation of the tilt locking device, fig. 7 shows a schematic view of its components and the elements of the motor vehicle 1 interacting therewith, more precisely a schematic view of the steering and tilting system. As mentioned above, the tilt locking means are of the double type and are substantially symmetrical for the left and right sides of the motor vehicle 1. In fig. 7, the two components forming the tilt lock, i.e., the double (left) 50 'and the double (right) 50 "tilt locks, are identified by the same reference numerals, with a prime (') following the left component and a double prime (") following the right component.

The operation of the tilt locks 50', 50 "is as follows. When the motor vehicle 1 is driving and must be free to perform a tilting movement, for example a turn along its trajectory, the tilt locking means 50', 50 "are deactivated. In other words, in this case, the motor vehicle 1 can perform a tilting movement, i.e. a left-right tilting relative to the median plane M, which is allowed by the deformation of the tilting four-bar linkage 11. The bouncing movement, i.e. the compression and extension of the two shock-absorbing suspensions 33', 33 "can also be freely allowed. The steering movement, i.e. the rotation of the steering column 27, the steering rod 23 and the support arms 21', 21 "of the front steering wheels 7', 7", is also freely allowed.

In order to prevent the tilting four-bar linkage 11 from deforming and/or the different contraction or extension of the two shock-absorbing suspensions 33', 33 "from causing the motor vehicle 1 to tilt or even tip over when the motor vehicle 1 is stationary or moving at a very low speed such that tilting is not necessary or appropriate, the double tilt locking means 50', 50" are activated. This requires the activation of two disc brakes 53', 53 ". The calipers 55', 55 "of the two brakes 53', 53" are closed, so that each caliper 55', 55 "and the corresponding disc sector 57', 57" are locked with respect to each other. Thus, since the axes of rotation of the calipers 55', 55 "and of the disc sectors 57', 57" are spaced from each other, the movement of the rod 63' with respect to the supporting arms 21', 21 "is blocked, so that the respective shock-absorbing suspensions 33', 33" also remain locked. Bouncing movement is prevented. The rotary movement of the joints 24', 24 "about the respective tilt axes 24X is also locked, so that the steering rod 23 can no longer rotate about these axes. The deformation of the tilting four-bar linkage 11 is prevented and thus the tilting motion is suppressed.

Thus, with the activation of the two brakes 53', 53", all the movements of the front wheel frame of the motor vehicle 1 are locked, except for the steering movement. Since the rotation of the steering rod 23 about the tilt axis 24X is suppressed, the locking of the tilting movement is obtained by only the two actuators 56', 56 "; at the same time, since the contraction and expansion movements of the two suspensions 33', 33 "are prevented, the bouncing movement of the two front steering wheels 7', 7" is also locked. On both sides of the motor vehicle 1, the respective single brake 53', 53 "thus locks the tilting and bouncing movements, effectively making the steering rod 23 and the unsprung elements of the suspension mechanisms 38', 38" (in this particular case the cranks 45', 45") integral with each other. Since these two parts (steering rod 23 and cranks 45', 45") are not adjacent, i.e. they are not articulated to each other, a transmission member is provided, consisting of rods 63', 63", which transmits the movement of the cranks 45', 45 "to the caliper 55'.

In the embodiment of fig. 1 to 7, the locking of the tilting and bouncing movements is obtained by rigidly constraining the disk sectors 57', 57 "to the calipers 55', 55" of each brake 53', 53 "to constrain the steering rod 23 to one of the components of the suspension mechanisms 38', 38" (cranks 45', 45 "). The two members of the brake 53', 53 "are in this case articulated on the respective supporting arm 21', 21" of the front steering wheel 7', 7 ". However, this is not the only possible solution.

FIG. 8 embodiment

The embodiment of fig. 8 differs from the embodiment of fig. 1 to 7 mainly in the different arrangement of the components of the brakes 53', 53 "of the tilt locking means.

In summary, in the embodiment of fig. 8, a tilt saddle motor vehicle is provided with at least two front steered wheels having a tilt four-bar linkage extending in a lateral, i.e. left-right, direction. The four bar linkage of slope has two crosspieces, is upper crosspiece and lower crosspiece respectively, and it is connected by two stands, is left stand and right stand respectively. A right support arm and a left support arm, which support the right front steering wheel and the left front steering wheel, respectively, are associated with the upright through the interposition of respective suspensions. The two support arms are connected by a cross member, which may consist of a steering rod and is constrained to the two support arms by its two ends with respective joints, said joints allowing rotation about two axes: a tilt axis and an axis orthogonal to the tilt axis. The means for transmitting the rotational movement of the transverse member about the tilting axis are associated with at least one end of the transverse member and preferably with both ends of the transverse member. The transmission member, for example a lever, transmits the rotary motion to a first braking member, usually a disc brake, supported by a respective supporting arm of the wheel and adapted to rotate with respect to this supporting arm about an axis of rotation, the movement of which is proportional to the tilting movement of the transverse member. The first brake member is associated with a second brake member rigidly connected to a member of the suspension for rotation relative to the support arm about its own axis, the rotational movement being proportional to the tilting movement of the suspension. By applying the brake, the two members of the brake are locked relative to each other; thus, as the members are rotatable about non-coinciding axes, a locking of the movement of the two members of the brake with respect to the support arm to which they are mounted is obtained, and therefore: the bouncing motion of the suspension and the tilting motion of the vehicle are locked.

In this embodiment, the structure of the motor vehicle 1 is substantially as described with reference to fig. 1 to 7. In fig. 8, this different embodiment of the tilt locking means is schematically shown and is limited to the right assembly of the part 50", wherein the member of the brake, again labelled 53", is hinged to the bottom part of the support arm 21", i.e. at the suspension mechanism 38", which forms part of the suspension 33 ". The latter spring 35 "and damper 37" are omitted.

More specifically, with reference to fig. 8, the suspension mechanism 38 "again comprises a four-bar linkage, in which the first crank 45" is hinged at 49 "to the support arm 21" and the second crank 47 "is hinged at 51" to the support arm 21 ". The brake 53 "comprises a caliper 55" integral with the crank 45 "and oscillating integrally therewith about the fulcrum 49". The caliper 55 "cooperates with a disc sector 57" of the brake 53 ". The disc sector 57 "is hinged to the support arm 21" at the fulcrum 51 "where the crank 47" is also hinged.

As will become apparent from the detailed description below, each braking device 53', 53 ″ locks, i.e. constrains, to each other, a first member of the respective suspension that performs a bouncing movement and a second member that is mechanically connected to the transverse member 23 to perform a rotational movement proportional to the rotation of said transverse member about the tilting axis. In this embodiment, the first member is the cranks 45', 45 "of the suspension four-bar linkage 38', 38". The second component is a disk sector 57', 57 ".

As in the previously described embodiment of fig. 1 to 7, the tilt locking means 50', 50 "comprise, in addition to the first member 45', 45" and the second member 57', 57", another member supported by the support arms 21', 21" and mechanically connected to the first member 45', 45 ". In the embodiment of fig. 8, the other component is the brake caliper 55', 55 ".

The disk sector 57 "does not rotate integrally with the crank 47", but is connected to the joint 24 "by a rod 64". The joint 24 "may have an appendage 24.1" that rotates about a tilt axis 24X of the joint 24 ". The rod 64 "is connected at a first end to the joint 24", more precisely to the appendage 24.1 "of said joint 24, by means of a first ball-and-socket joint 66". The rod is further connected at a second end to the disk sector 57 "by a second ball joint 68". The lever 64 ″ rotates about the tilt axis 24X integrally with the steering rod 23. In this way, the rotary motion of the steering rod 23 about the tilt axis 24X is transmitted to the disc sector 57 "of the brake 53". Basically, due to the transmission represented by the lever 64", the disc sector 57" rotates around the axis of the fulcrum 51 "by an angle proportional to the relative rotation angle between the steering rod 23 and the supporting arm 21" around the tilting axis 24X. The caliper 44 "of the brake 53" swings with respect to the support arm 21 "about the fulcrum 49" by an angle equal to the swing angle of the crank 45", i.e., determines the angle of the bouncing movement.

The above arrangement is reflected symmetrically on the right side of the motor vehicle 1. The remaining parts and components of the motor vehicle 1 not shown in fig. 8 may be configured as already described with reference to fig. 1 to 7.

As noted above with respect to the embodiment of fig. 1-7, the arrangement may be reversed, with the caliper 55 "hinged about the fulcrum 51" of the second crank 47 "of the suspension mechanism 38", and the disc sector 57 "integral with the first crank 45" and oscillating about the fulcrum 49 ".

The operation of the motor vehicle 1 provided with a tilt locking device 50 "of the type shown in fig. 8 is as follows. The tilt locking means are deactivated when the motor vehicle 1 is in normal driving and must be able to freely perform a tilting movement, i.e. tilting about a median plane M orthogonal to the surface on which the motor vehicle 1 moves. Brake 53 "is inactive. Also inactive is a brake 53', which is manufactured and arranged in a mirror-image manner with respect to the brake 53 ″ on the left side of the motor vehicle 1.

When the tilt locking needs to be activated, for example when the motor vehicle 1 is moving at a very low speed and is about to stop or is at rest or parked, it is sufficient to activate the two actuators 56", 56 'of the disc brakes 53" (fig. 8) and 53' (not shown in fig. 8). In this way, the disc sectors 57', 57 "and the respective calipers 55', 55" are integral with each other. As a result, on the right side, the steering rod 23, the rod 64", the disk sector 57", the caliper 55 "and the crank 45" are locked and cannot rotate with respect to the support arm 21 ". Similarly, the second crank 47 "is locked, which is part of the same suspension four-bar linkage to which the crank 45" belongs.

Therefore, the bouncing movement of the right front steering wheel 7 "is prevented because the cranks 45", 47 "cannot rotate relative to the support arms 21" of the left front steering wheel 7 ". By means of the mirror image arrangement on the left side of the motor vehicle 1, the bouncing movement of the right front steered wheel 7' is also locked. The inability of the steering rod 23 to rotate about the tilt axis 24X locks the tilting movement, i.e. the deformation of the tilting four-bar linkage 11.

In the embodiment of fig. 8, a particularly advantageous feature is also provided from a dimensional point of view. The caliper 55 "is mounted such that the brake pads (not visible) are arranged at the axis of rotation defined by the fulcrum 49". In this way, relative movement between the disc sector 57 "and the caliper 55" is minimized.

In all illustrated embodiments, the activation of the tilt motion lock may be manual or automatic. In the second case, for example, a speed sensor may be provided which activates the tilt lock when the forward speed of the motor vehicle 1 is lower than a predetermined value.

In all the embodiments described above, the two brakes 53', 53 "may be actuated with mechanical, hydraulic, electric actuators or in any other way. For example, each caliper 55', 55 "may be provided with its own hydraulic actuator that may be actuated by a single hydraulic pump supplying pressurized fluid to both calipers. In other embodiments, a mechanical control may be provided, wherein the traction cable acts on both calipers 55', 55", for example using a mechanical, electrical or pneumatic control. In all cases, a single actuation mechanism may be sufficient to activate both brakes 53', 53 ".

In the above described embodiments the tilt locking device is provided with a disc brake on each side of the motor vehicle 1. The locking of the tilting and bouncing movements obtained by the brake makes the two members (disc sectors 57', 57 "and calipers 55', 55") integral with each other, which can rotate freely about their parallel but spaced axes with respect to the support arms 21' and 21", respectively, under normal driving conditions. Furthermore, the rotational movement of the two members and the rotational movement of the steering rod 23 about the tilting axis 24A and the suspension 33'; the rotational movement of the member (45 '; 45 ') of 33' is proportional.

In other embodiments, on the other hand, the rotational movement of two coaxial members, which can rotate freely independently around a common axis under normal driving conditions, to perform a rotation around said axis, which varies with the tilting and bouncing movements, can be directly locked by means of a brake on each side of the motor vehicle 1.

The embodiment of fig. 9 to 17

The brake of the tilt locking device described in the previous embodiments is essentially a disc brake, with two members rotating about parallel but non-coincident axes, so that the interlocking of the two members of the brake creates an interlocking constraint. In other embodiments, the brake may be a brake having two coaxial members that rotate about a common axis relative to the support arm of the respective wheel. In this case, the brake may be a drum brake.

Such an embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to fig. 9 to 17.

In summary, in this embodiment, a tilt saddle motor vehicle is provided with at least two front steered wheels having a tilt four-bar linkage extending in a lateral, i.e. left-right, direction. The four bar linkage of slope has two crosspieces, is upper crosspiece and lower crosspiece respectively, and it is connected by two stands, is left stand and right stand respectively. A right support arm and a left support arm, which support the right front steering wheel and the left front steering wheel, respectively, are associated with the upright through the interposition of respective suspensions. The two support arms are connected by a cross member, which may consist of a steering rod and is constrained to the two support arms by its two ends with respective joints, said joints allowing rotation about two axes: a tilt axis and an axis orthogonal to the tilt axis. A first braking member, usually a drum brake, is associated with at least one end of the transverse member, preferably with both ends of the transverse member, this first member being supported by the respective supporting arms of the wheel and being adapted to rotate with a movement proportional to the movement of the transverse member about the tilting axis. The second brake member is associated with the first brake member. The second brake member is rotatably supported on the respective wheel support arm and is coaxial with the first brake member. The second braking member is constrained to at least one element of the suspension of the respective wheel so as to rotate with respect to the supporting arm, the rotational movement being proportional to the bouncing movement, i.e. to the movement of the suspension. By activating the brake, the rotational movement of the two members of the brake is locked with respect to the support arm to which they are mounted, and therefore: the bouncing motion of the suspension and the tilting motion of the vehicle are locked.

Referring now to the drawings, fig. 9 to 17 show an embodiment of a brake having members that lock coaxially with each other. The same numerals denote the same or equivalent parts as those described with reference to fig. 1 to 7, and a description thereof will not be given.

The main difference between the embodiment of figures 1 to 7 and the embodiment of figures 9 to 17 lies in the different shapes of the brakes that lock the tilting movement, still marked 53', 53", and in the different arrangements of the rotation axes of the members locked by the brakes (i.e. integral with each other). Accordingly, the following description focuses on these aspects.

In this case, the brakes 53' and 53 "consist of special drum brakes comprising shoes acting on two different coaxial tracks integral with the two members of the front wheel carrier of the motor vehicle 1, the shoes rotating about the axes of the brakes with respect to each other in the case of non-locking tilting. More precisely, the first member is constrained to the respective support arm 21', 21 "; the second member is constrained to the suspension 33', 33", and the third member, which in the embodiment shown carries the brake shoe, is constrained to the steering rod 23 so as to rotate about its own axis of rotation by an angle that is a function of the angle of mutual rotation between the steering rod 23 and the supporting arm 21', 21" about the tilt axis 24X, caused by the tilting motion.

With particular reference to fig. 9 to 17, each drum brake 53', 53 "has a first member 101', 101" rigidly connected to the respective supporting arm 21', 21 ". Each brake further comprises a second member 103', 103 "connected to the suspension 33', 33". More specifically, the rods or tension-compression rods 63', 63 "connect the second members 103', 103" to the cranks 45', 45 "of the suspension mechanisms 38', 38". As in the embodiments previously described with reference to fig. 1 to 7, the purpose of the levers 63', 63 "is to transmit the oscillating movement of the cranks 45', 45" about the pivot axis between the cranks and the support arms 21', 21 "to the members of the brake, in this case the members 103', 103". The second member 103', 103 "of the drum brake is rotatably mounted about the tilt axis 24X. Thus, the second members 103', 103 "of the drum brakes 53', 53" rotate about the axis 24X, the rotational movement being proportional to the bouncing movement of the cranks 45', 45 ". The rods 63', 63 "can be connected to the respective cranks 45', 45" by means of ball joints 67', 67 "and to members 103', 103" which can be fixed on the appendix 103A, by means of ball joints 65', 65", see in particular fig. 15-17.

Each drum brake 53', 53 "also comprises a third member 105', 105" integral with the joint 24', 24 "connecting the respective end 23.1, 23.2 of the steering rod 23 to the respective supporting arm 21', 21". More specifically, the third member 105', 105 "of each drum brake 53', 53" is integral with the portion of the respective joint 24', 24 "that rotates about the tilt axis 24X. Thus, when the motor vehicle 1 is tilted sideways, for example when travelling along a curve, by making the rotation about the axis 24X correspond to the rotation performed by the steering rod 23 with respect to the supporting arms 21', 21", the third members 105', 105" of the drum brakes 53', 53 "also rotate with respect to the supporting arms 21', 21" about the tilting axis 24X.

As in the previously described embodiment, the brakes 53', 53 "are adapted to constrain, i.e. lock, with respect to each other the first member 45', 45" of the respective suspension 33', 33", which performs a bouncing movement with respect to the support arm 21', 21", and the second member, which is mechanically connected with the cross-member 23 to perform a rotational movement proportional to the rotational movement of the cross-member about the tilt axis. In the embodiment of fig. 9 to 17, the second member is the member 105', 105 "of the respective brake 53', 53". In this embodiment, the tilt locking means 50', 50 "also comprise another member supported by the support arms 21', 21" and kinematically connected to the first member, i.e. the cranks 45', 45 ". In this embodiment, the other member is a second member 103', 103 "of the drum brake.

More details of each drum brake 53', 53 "are shown in figures 15 to 17. The drum brake shown in the drawings is indicated simply at 53 and similarly the various components and elements which are part of it are indicated by reference numerals without a prime (') or double prime (") symbol to indicate that the same structure is located on the left and right sides of the motor vehicle 1.

Hinged to the third member 105 is a shoe 107 that pivots about a pin 109, which in the embodiment shown is integral with the third member 105 of the drum brake 53. The shoe 107 is held in the rest position by a spring 111 and can be deployed by pivoting about the axis of the pin 109 under the control of an actuating mechanism 113. The shoe 107 acts on two circular tracks 101A and 103A coaxial with each other. Track 101A is formed on member 101 and track 103A is formed on member 103. Thus, by acting on the shoe 107 with a single actuating mechanism 113, the members 101, 103, 105 can be mutually locked so that they cannot rotate relative to each other about the tilt axis 24X. This arrangement is possible in the case of the drum brake described herein, since the members 101, 103, 105 perform a rotational movement with respect to each other about a common axis (axis 24X), which is limited to a relatively small angle, typically several tens of degrees.

In the isometric view of fig. 16B, member 105 has been removed to show that member 103 is provided with a slot 103X through which pivot pin 109 and actuating mechanism 113 protrude. The slots 103X allow relative rotation between the components of the drum brake 53 when the brake is unlocked.

The two drum brakes 53', 53 "may be actuated in any suitable manner. In the illustrated embodiment, in a central position, there is provided a hydraulic cylinder-piston actuator, indicated with 121 (see fig. 9, 10 and 14), which controls two traction cables 123', 123 ″ to actuate the brakes 53', 53 ″ respectively.

The operation of the tilt lock mechanism of fig. 9 to 17 is as follows. When the motor vehicle 1 is running, the tilt locking means is deactivated. The drum brakes 53', 53 "are deactivated. The motor vehicle 1 is thus free to roll, the tilting four-bar linkage 11 can perform a deformation movement, and the steering rod 23 rotates correspondingly about the tilting axis 24X. Further, each suspension 33', 33 "is free to perform independent bouncing motion with respect to the left and right front steered wheels 7', 7".

When the tilt locking means are activated, for example in the case of a stop or parking of the motor vehicle 1, the two drum brakes 53', 53 "are activated and lock the members 101', 101" and 103', 103 "of each drum brake 53', 53" with respect to the members 105', 105", so that the system consisting of the steering rod 23, the support arms 21', 21" and the suspension mechanisms 38', 38 "is substantially rigid. In this way, the tilting and bouncing movements of the two suspensions 33', 33 "are prevented.

It will be appreciated that the tilting movement, which involves a rotation of the crosspieces 13, 15 about the axes 13A, 15A, can also be locked by acting on the rails 101A of the single drum brakes 53', 53 ". In fact, once the mutual rotation of the steering rod 23 about the axis 24X is locked with respect to the respective supporting arm 21', 21", the entire tilting four-bar linkage 11 is locked and not deformable. Thus, one of the two drum brakes 53', 53 "may be devoid of the rail 101A and its respective shoe 107 may be used only for the relative angular movement between the locking member 103 (and therefore the rod 63 and the crank 45) and the respective supporting arm 21. This angular movement must be locked on the right and left sides of the motor vehicle 1 in order to avoid an asymmetric bouncing movement which leads to an undesired tilting of the motor vehicle 1 with respect to the middle axis M.

The embodiment of fig. 18 and 19

In the embodiment of fig. 9 to 17, the movement of the steering rod 23 about the axis 24X is transmitted directly to the third member 105', 105 "of the brake 53', 53", while the bouncing movement is transmitted to the member 103', 103 "through the rod 63', 63". However, different arrangements are also possible, in which the brakes 53', 53 "are placed at the bottom at the suspensions 33', 33" and the transmission rods are used to transmit the pivoting movement of the steering rod 23 relative to the respective supporting arm 21', 21 "about the tilting axis 24X to the members of the brakes, in a manner similar to that on which the embodiment of fig. 8 is based.

In summary, in this embodiment, a tilt saddle motor vehicle is provided with at least two front steered wheels having a tilt four-bar linkage extending in a lateral, i.e. left-right, direction. The four bar linkage of slope has two crosspieces, is upper crosspiece and lower crosspiece respectively, and it is connected by two stands, is left stand and right stand respectively. A right support arm and a left support arm, which support the right front steering wheel and the left front steering wheel, respectively, are associated with the upright through the interposition of respective suspensions. The two support arms are connected by a cross member, which may consist of a steering rod and is constrained to the two support arms by its two ends with respective joints, said joints allowing rotation about two axes: a tilt axis and an axis orthogonal to the tilt axis. A member for transmitting a rotational movement about the tilting axis, such as a rod, is associated with at least one end of the transverse member, and preferably with both ends of the transverse member. This transfers the rotational movement about the tilting axis to a first brake member, typically a drum brake, which is rotatably supported on a component of the suspension, for example on a crank of a four-bar linkage of the suspension. An attachment member, such as a rod, connects the first brake member to the cross member so as to transfer rotational motion proportional to the tilting motion to the first brake member. Thus, the first brake member rotates about an axis carried by the suspension component with a motion proportional to the tilting motion. A second brake member is associated with the first brake member, is supported coaxially with the first brake member and is constrained to the suspension for rotation about a common axis between the first and second members of the brake with a rotational motion proportional to the bouncing motion. By applying the brake, the rotational movement of the two members of the brake is locked, thus: the bouncing motion of the suspension and the tilting motion of the vehicle are locked.

Referring now to the drawings, fig. 18 and 19 show an embodiment in which the common axis of rotation of the three members of the drum brake 53', 53 "is carried by one of the components of the suspension mechanism 38', 38", in particular by the crank 45 "of the suspension four-bar linkage, in front and isometric views. Fig. 18 and 19 show only the components of the tilt lock arrangement on the right side of the motor vehicle 1, it being understood that the components on the left side are substantially symmetrical. The same numerals denote the same or corresponding parts as those already described in the foregoing embodiments.

More specifically, with reference to fig. 18 and 19, similar to the description of the previous embodiment, the suspension mechanism 38 "comprises a first crank 45" hinged at 49 "to the support arm 21" and a second crank 47 "hinged at 51" to the support arm 21 ".

The drum brake 53 "includes a first member 101", a second member 103", and a third member 105", and its structure is substantially the same as that shown in fig. 15 to 17. In fig. 18 and 19, the drum brake 53 "is shown partially open and with portions removed for greater clarity. The member 105 "carries the shoe 107" of the drum brake 53", which acts on two coaxial tracks provided on the member 101" and on the member 103", respectively. Member 101 "is supported on crank 45" such that when brake 53 "is deactivated, it can rotate freely about axis 126, particularly shown in fig. 18. Member 103 "is coaxially mounted to member 101" and is connected to crank 47 "by an appendage 103A so that it can rotate freely with respect to crank 47" about an axis 103B parallel to axis 126 ". Furthermore, member 103 is free to rotate about axis 126 with respect to crank 45 ". In practice, the crank 45", the crank 47", the support arm 21 "and the member 103" form a four-bar linkage that pivots and deforms with the bouncing motion of the suspension, in the same way as the suspension four-bar linkage 38 "deforms.

The member 105 "hinged with the shoe 107" is hinged about the axis 126 "and pivots to the rod 64" by means of the ball joint 68 ". Thus, the member 105 "rotates about the axis 126" to perform an angular movement corresponding to the angular movement due to the tilting of the steering rod 23 about the axis 24X with respect to the supporting arm 21 ".

The above arrangement is symmetrically reflected on the left side of the motor vehicle 1, not shown. The remaining components and parts of the motor vehicle 1 not shown in fig. 18 and 19 can be configured as already described with reference to fig. 1 to 17.

Thus, in this embodiment, each brake 53', 53 "is adapted to constrain, i.e. lock with respect to each other, a first member of the suspension (i.e. the crank 45', 45") performing a bouncing movement with respect to the support arm 21', 21 "and a second member (i.e. the member 105', 105") of the mechanical connection to the cross-member 23 ". The members 103', 103 "of the drum brakes 53', 53" represent the other member of the tilt locking device.

The operation of a motor vehicle 1 provided with a tilt locking device of the type shown in fig. 18 and 19 is as follows. The tilt locking means are deactivated when the motor vehicle 1 is in normal driving and must be able to freely perform a tilting movement, i.e. tilting about a median plane M orthogonal to the surface on which the motor vehicle 1 moves. The drum brake 53 "is inactive. Also inactive is a brake 53', which is manufactured and arranged in a mirror-image manner with respect to the brake 53 ″ on the left side of the motor vehicle 1. The members 101, 103, 105 of each drum brake are rotatable relative to each other and relative to the cranks 45', 45 "of the suspension mechanisms 38', 38 'about the common axes 126", 126'.

When it is desired to activate the tilt lock, for example when the motor vehicle 1 is moving at a very low speed and is about to stop or is at rest or parked, it is sufficient to activate the drum brakes 53 "(fig. 18, 19) and 53' (not shown). Thus, the members 101, 103, 105 of each of the two drum brakes 53', 53 ″ are made integral with each other. As a result, on the right side, the steering rod 23, the rod 64", the disk sector 57" and the three members 101", 103", 105 "are locked and cannot rotate relative to the support arm 21". Similarly, the second crank 47 "is locked, which is part of the same suspension four-bar linkage to which the crank 45" belongs.

Therefore, the bouncing movement of the front left steering wheel 7 "is prevented, because the cranks 45", 47 "cannot rotate relative to the support arm 21" of the front left steering wheel 7 ". By means of the mirror image arrangement on the left side of the motor vehicle 1, the bouncing movement of the right front steered wheel 7' is also locked. The inability of the steering rod 23 to rotate about the tilt axis 24X locks the tilting movement, i.e. the deformation of the tilting four-bar linkage 11.

The embodiment of fig. 20 to 23

In the above-described embodiment, the bouncing motion is a rotational motion of the suspension mechanism 38', 38 ″. The tilt locking means are thus arranged to lock the rotational movement of the steering rod 23 about the tilt axis 24X defined by the joints 24', 24 "on one side and to lock the rotational movement of the suspension mechanisms 38', 38" on the other side. However, the criteria for achieving locking of the pitch and bounce motions also apply to systems where the bounce motion is a linear motion rather than a rotational motion.

Fig. 20 to 23 show an embodiment in which the suspension mechanisms 38', 38 "are arranged to allow linear bouncing motion rather than rotational bouncing motion. The same numbers indicate the same or equivalent parts of the motor vehicle, still indicated with 1, and are not described in detail. In the embodiment of fig. 20 to 23, a drum brake is provided, but the possibility of using a disc brake as shown in fig. 1 to 7 is not excluded.

In fig. 20 to 23, each suspension 33', 33 "comprises a spring-damper assembly to which the arms 120', 120" are rigidly connected. Each arm rotatably supports the pin of a respective front steering wheel 7', 7 ". 122 '(fig. 22, 23) represent the seats of the respective support bearings for receiving the pins of the wheel 7'.

In the embodiment shown, each suspension 33', 33 "comprises two assemblies of springs and shock absorbers parallel to each other, to avoid rotational movements about the longitudinal axis of the suspension. Each suspension 33', 33 "is fixed at a first end to the respective support arm 21', 21". In this exemplary embodiment, the support arms 21', 21 "are shorter than those provided in the embodiments of the previous figures, since the suspensions 33', 33" are downward extensions of the respective support arms 21', 21 "(i.e. towards the front steering wheels 7', 7"). The second bottom end of each suspension 33', 33 "is constrained to an arm 120', 120". The contraction and extension of the suspensions 33', 33 "corresponds to a linear bouncing movement of the front steering wheels 7', 7".

Each drum brake 53', 53 "is connected to a respective lower end of a respective suspension 33', 33" by a rod 63', 63 "equivalent to the rod 63', 63" of the previous embodiment. Therefore, the stretching and shortening motions of the suspension corresponding to the linear bouncing motion of the front steering wheels 7', 7 "are transmitted as reciprocating rotational motions to the members 103', 103" of the respective drum brakes 53', 53 ". Therefore, when the drum brakes 53', 53 "are locked, they also prevent the bouncing movement of the two suspensions 33', 33".

Thus, like in the previously described embodiments, each brake 53', 53 "of the tilt locking device constrains, i.e. locks to each other, a first member 120', 120" and a second member of the suspension 33', 33", i.e. the brake members 105', 105, which are mechanically connected to the cross-member 23 to perform a rotational movement proportional to the rotation of the cross-member 23 about the tilt axis 24X. The other member of the tilt lock device is represented by the members 103', 103 "of the drum brake.

The embodiment of fig. 24 to 33

In summary, in the embodiment of fig. 24 to 33, a tilt saddle motor vehicle 1 is provided, of which only the front wheel frame 1A is shown for the sake of simplicity.

In fig. 24, 25, the front wheel frame 1A is shown in an isometric view and a side view, respectively. Fig. 26 and 27 show only the right front steerable wheel 7 "and the relevant parts of the front wheel frame. Figures 28, 29, 30 and 31 show side and isometric views of a portion of the right support arm and a member of the respective detent of the tilt lock. In order to make it easier to understand the structure of the tilt locking device of the present embodiment, fig. 32 and 33 show an axonometric view and a side view of the vehicle front wheel frame 1A in a schematic and simplified manner.

The motor vehicle comprises two front steered wheels, namely a left front steered wheel 7' and a right front steered wheel 7 ". The motor vehicle further includes a tilting four-bar linkage 11 extending in the lateral direction, i.e., the left-right direction. The tilting four bar linkage has two rungs, upper and lower rungs 13 and 15 respectively, which are connected by two uprights, left and right uprights 16' and 16 "respectively. Left and right support arms 21 "and 21' are provided, which support the right front steerable wheel 7" and the left front steerable wheel 7', respectively, with interposition of respective suspensions 33', 33 ". The supporting arms 21', 21 "are associated with the uprights 16' and 16" and the upper portions thereof are housed in the uprights to rotate therein about the steering axis of the front steering wheels 7', 7 ". The two supporting arms 21', 21 "are connected to each other by a transverse member 23, which transverse member 23 may comprise a steering rod and is constrained at its two ends to the two supporting arms 21', 21" by respective joints 24', 24 "which allow rotation about two axes, namely: a tilt axis 24X and an axis 24Y orthogonal to the tilt axis.

A brake, for example a disc brake, is associated with at least one support arm 21', 21 ". In the embodiment of fig. 24 to 33, left and right stoppers 53 'and 53 "are provided at the left and right support arms 21' and 21", respectively. The two brakes are symmetrical to each other with respect to the middle plane of the vehicle 1. Each brake includes a first brake member 55', 55 "and a second brake member 57', 57". The brake members 57', 57 "are sectors of a disc and the brake members 55', 55" are or comprise brake calipers which co-act with the disc sectors.

The brake members 57', 57 "are rotatably supported on the respective wheel support arms 21', 21" for rotation about the rotation axis 57X. The braking members 57', 57 "rotate with respect to the supporting arms 21', 21" in proportion to the rotational movement of the cross member 23 about the tilt axis 24X. The rotary motion of the cross member 23 about the tilt axis 24X is transmitted by mechanical transmission means to the braking members 57', 57 "of each brake 53', 53".

The components of the embodiment of the transmission are better shown in fig. 30 and 31, where surrounding components have been removed for clarity. Each mechanical transmission may include a respective rod 64', 64 "coupled at a first upper end to a pivot arm 70', 70" by a first ball joint 66', 66 ". The pivoting arms 70', 70 "are coupled to the joints 24', 24" so that they pivot rigidly with the cross-member 23 about the axis 24X to perform an angular movement corresponding to an angular tilting movement of the cross-member 23 about said axis 24X. The opposite lower end of each rod 64', 64 "is coupled to a further pivot arm 72', 72" by a further ball joint 68', 68 ". The latter are hinged at the respective supporting arms 21', 21 "and are rigidly coupled to the respective braking members 57', 57". In an embodiment, the brake members 57', 57 "and the further pivot arms 72', 72" are provided on two opposite sides of the support arms 21', 21 ".

In summary, when the cross member 23 is pivoted about the axis 24X relative to the support arms 21', 21", the brake member 57', 57" of each brake 53', 53 "is pivoted proportionally about the axis 57X.

Each braking member 57', 57 "is adapted to co-act with a respective braking member 55', 55". In the embodiment of fig. 24 to 33, the braking members 55', 55 "are rigidly mounted on respective wheel supports 151', 151" forming part of the respective suspension mechanisms 38', 38 "of the suspensions 33', 33" of each front steering wheel 7', 7 ". Each wheel support 151', 151 "rotatably supports the axle of the respective wheel 7', 7".

Each wheel support 151', 151 "is connected to a respective support arm 21', 21" by two rocker arms or cranks 153', 153 "and 155', 155". The wheel supports 151', 151", the two rocker arms 153', 153", 155', 155 "and the support arms 21', 21" form a respective suspension four-bar linkage for each wheel 7', 7 ". In the embodiment of fig. 24 to 33, the four-bar linkage is a so-called watt four-bar linkage. The four-bar linkage lies on a plane orthogonal to the axis of rotation of the respective wheel 7', 7 ".

Each suspension mechanism 38', 38 "is mainly composed of a suspension four-bar linkage, forming the respective suspension 33', 33" together with the spring 35', 35 "and the damper 37', 37". Each assembly formed by a spring 35', 35 "and a shock absorber 37', 37" is connected at one end to a wheel support 151', 151 "and at the opposite end to a support arm 21', 21".

The watt four-bar linkage is designed such that during the bouncing motion of the suspension mechanisms 38', 38", the axles of the respective front steering wheels 7', 7", and thus the centers of the wheels, move along an approximately straight-line trajectory.

In some embodiments, each braking member 55', 55 "is rigidly mounted on the respective wheel support 151', 151" in a position such that the centre of its caliper is as close as possible to the axis of the respective front steering wheel 7', 7 ". In this way, the active elements (calipers) of the brakes 53', 53 "move along an approximately rectilinear trajectory during the bouncing movement of the respective wheels.

Instead, the braking members 57', 57 "pivot about the hinges, whereby they are coupled to the respective support arms 21', 21" with a movement proportional to the tilting of the vehicle, i.e. the rotation of the cross member 23 about the tilting axis 24X.

For example, in the exemplary embodiment of fig. 1 to 8, each brake 53', 53 "is thus a disc brake, the disc of which is formed by the brake members 57', 57" and the caliper of which is arranged inside the brake members 55', 55 "and is not shown.

When the two brakes 53', 53 "are activated, the suspension four-bar linkage 38', 38" on each side of the vehicle is locked with respect to the support arms 21', 21", i.e. the rocker arms 153', 153" and 155', 155 "cannot pivot about the hinges connecting them to the support arms 21', 21". The brake members 57', 57 "are prevented from pivoting about the axis 57A. Rotational movement of the cross member 23 about the tilt axis 24A is also prevented due to the connection between the brake members 57', 57 "and the cross member 23 formed by the respective pivot arms 72', 72" and levers 64', 64 ". As a result, the tilting of the vehicle 1 and the bouncing movement of the suspensions 33', 33 "are prevented.

In summary, in this embodiment, the tilt locking device resists bouncing movement of the suspension and tilting movement of the vehicle by constraining the following components relative to each other: (A) by respective suspensions 33'; 33", wheel supports 151', 151" relative to support arm 21'; 21 "performs a bouncing movement; (B) by the brake member 57'; 57 "which is mechanically connected to the cross member to perform a rotational movement proportional to the rotation of the cross member 23 about the tilt axis 24X.

The embodiment of fig. 34 and 35

Fig. 34 and 35 show, in a highly schematic and simplified manner similar to fig. 32 and 33, an axonometric view and a side view of a front wheel carrier of a vehicle according to a further embodiment. The same reference numerals as in fig. 24 to 33 are used to designate the same or equivalent portions or components, and are not described again. As shown in fig. 32 and 33, some parts of each suspension 33', 33", such as in particular springs and shock absorbers, are omitted for the sake of clarity.

The main difference between the embodiment of figures 24 to 33 (and more particularly figures 32, 33) and the embodiment of figures 34 and 35 is in the configuration of the suspension four-bar linkage, i.e. the suspension mechanism 38', 38 ". In fig. 24 to 33, the suspension four-link mechanism forming the suspension mechanisms 38', 38 ″ is a watt four-link mechanism. In the embodiment of fig. 34, 35, the suspension four-bar linkage 38', 38 "is a so-called roberts four-bar linkage. Elements forming the roberts four-bar linkage 38', 38 "of fig. 34, 35 are labeled with the same reference numerals as used in fig. 24-33 for designating functionally equivalent components of the suspension four-bar linkage.

The embodiment of fig. 36 and 37

Fig. 36 and 37 show, in a highly schematic and simplified manner similar to fig. 32 and 33, an axonometric view and a side view of a front wheel carrier of a vehicle according to a further embodiment. The same reference numerals as in fig. 24 to 33 are used to designate the same or equivalent portions or components, and are not described again.

The main difference between the embodiment of figures 24 to 33 (and more particularly figures 32, 33) and the embodiment of figures 36 and 37 is the configuration of the suspension four-bar linkage 38', 38 ". In fig. 24 to 33, the suspension four-bar linkage 38', 38 "is a watt four-bar linkage. In the embodiment of fig. 36, 37, the suspension four-bar linkage 38', 38 "is a so-called chebyshev (also known as chebyshev) four-bar linkage. The elements forming the chebyshev four-bar linkage 38', 38 "of figures 36, 37 are labelled with the same reference numerals as used for functionally equivalent parts in figures 24-33.

Both roberts and chebyshev four-bar linkages are designed such that the point at which the respective front wheel axle is located moves along an approximately straight trajectory.

The embodiment of fig. 38 to 41

Another embodiment of the tilt locking means will be disclosed below with reference to fig. 38 to 41. In the figure, only a view of a right portion of a front wheel frame of a vehicle is shown. The left portion of the front wheel frame is symmetrical to the right portion of the front wheel frame. The remainder of the vehicle, which is not shown in fig. 38 to 41, may be substantially the same as described above in connection with the previous embodiments. In particular, the vehicle includes a tilting four-bar linkage mechanism consisting of upper and lower crossbars or rungs 13, 15 and left and right uprights 16', 16 "connecting the upper and lower rungs. Each front steering wheel 7', 7 "is supported by a respective supporting arm 21', 21" associated with a suspension 33', 33 ". The latter includes springs 35', 35 "and dampers 37', 37", as well as suspension mechanisms 38', 38 ".

Turning now in particular to fig. 38 to 41, a brake, for example a disc brake, is associated with at least one support arm 21', 21 ". In the embodiment of fig. 38 to 41, the right brake 53 "is shown and described below, provided with a symmetrical arrangement, not shown, on the left side of the vehicle. The brake 53 "includes a first brake member 55" having a brake caliper and a second brake member 57 "having a brake disc sector.

The brake members 57 "are rotatably supported on the respective support arms 21" for rotation about a rotational axis 57X (fig. 41). The brake member 57 "rotates with respect to the support arm 21" in proportion to the rotational movement of the cross member 23 about the tilt axis 24X.

The rotary motion of the cross member 23 about the tilt axis 24X is transmitted to the brake member 57 "of the brake 53" by means of a mechanical transmission. In the embodiment of fig. 38-41, the mechanical transmission includes a respective lever 64 "coupled at a first upper end to a pivot arm 70" by a first ball joint 66 ". The pivoting arm 70 "is in turn coupled to the joint 24" in such a way that it pivots about the axis 24X to perform an angular movement corresponding to an angular tilting movement of the cross member 23 about said axis 24X. The lower end of the rod 64 "is connected to the brake member 57" by another ball joint 68 ".

In summary, when the cross member 23 pivots about the axis 24X relative to the support arm 21", the brake member 57" pivots proportionally about the axis 57X. The left side of the vehicle is provided with a symmetrical arrangement not shown.

The brake member 57 "is adapted to co-act with the brake member 55". In the embodiment of fig. 38 to 41, the braking member 55 "is rigidly connected to the lower end of the assembly formed by the spring 35" and the shock absorber 37 "of the suspension 33". Specifically, the brake member 55 "is rigidly coupled to the lower end of the spring damper assembly by a bracket 161". The upper end of the spring damper assembly is coupled to the support arm 21 "by a joint, such as a ball joint. The lower end of the spring shock absorber assembly is further coupled to the lower end of the support arm 21 "by a pivot arm 163". The pivot arm 163 "is hinged to the support arm 21" at 163X and to the bottom end of the spring damper assembly at 163Y. The axis 163Y is coaxial with the axis of rotation of the front steering wheel 7 ". The pivot arm 163 forms a suspension mechanism 38 "in the sense used herein, and the suspension mechanism 38" in combination with the spring-damper assembly forms a corresponding suspension 33 ".

Under normal operating conditions, brake 53 "is not active. The vehicle may be tilted about a horizontal axis. When the vehicle is tilted, the cross member 23 rotates about the axis 24X with respect to the support arm 21 ". The wheel 7 "can perform a bouncing movement including a contraction and an extension of the spring-damper assembly and a pivoting movement of the suspension mechanism 38" (pivot arm 167 ").

When the vehicle is stationary, such as at a stop, the vehicle should be prevented from leaning and the bouncing motion of the suspension 33 "should be locked. Brake 53 "is activated such that brake members 55" and 57 "are restrained from one another. This locks the suspension 33 "and prevents bouncing movement of the wheel 7". At the same time, by locking the brake 53", the cross member 23 is prevented from rotating about the axis 24X relative to the support arm 21" by the mechanical transmission formed by the lever 64 "and the pivot arm 70" connecting the brake member 57 "to the cross member 23. The tilting movement is prevented.

A symmetric brake 53 'on the left side of the vehicle locks the left suspension 33' (not shown). The activation of the two brakes 53', 53 "locks the motion of the vehicle against tilting and bouncing motion with only two brakes and a single actuation means, as in the previously described embodiments.

In summary, in this embodiment, the tilt locking device resists bouncing movement of the suspension and tilting movement of the vehicle by constraining the following components relative to each other: (A) a first member, represented by the pivoting arm 163 "of the respective suspension 33", which performs a bouncing movement with respect to the supporting arm 21 "; (B) a second member, represented by a braking member 57", is mechanically connected to the cross member 23 to perform a rotational movement proportional to the rotation of the cross member 23 about the tilt axis 24X.

Embodiment of figures 42 to 45

The embodiment of fig. 42 to 45 is similar to the embodiment of fig. 38 to 41. The same reference numerals denote the same or equivalent parts and components, and detailed description thereof is omitted. Fig. 42-45 show the same views as fig. 38-41 of the alternative embodiment.

The main difference between the embodiment of fig. 38-41 and the embodiment of fig. 42-45 is the pivot point of the brake member 57 ". Although in fig. 38-41 the braking member 57 "is hinged to the supporting arm 21", in the embodiment of fig. 42-45 the braking member 57 "is hinged about an axis 57X to a bracket 166" rigidly coupled to the upper end of the assembly formed by the spring 35 "and the shock absorber 37". The bracket 166 "and the upper end of the spring and shock absorber assembly are coupled to the support arm 21" by a ball-and-socket joint, as in the embodiment of fig. 38-41, which allows the bouncing movement of the wheel 7 ".

By connecting the brake member 57 "and the brake member 55" to the upper and lower end of the suspension of the spring and shock absorber assembly 35", 37", respectively, a perfect linear movement is obtained between the two brake members 57", 55".

The operation of the tilt lock mechanism of fig. 42-45 is the same as that described above in connection with the embodiment of fig. 38-41 and will not be described again.

While the invention has been described in terms of various specific embodiments, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications, alterations, and omissions are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims.