| 摘要 |
<p>In a steering and/or toe-control mechanism for automotive vehicle, it is known to have the steering arm (10) integrated with the suspension upright (30) for maintaining directional control of the wheel, while the upper and lower extremities of the upright are attached to control linkages (20) via spherical joints. In this invention, a universal joint is introduced to cause the steering arm to become an articulated segment of either the upper (20) or the lower control linkage, while the upright (30) depends from an axis integrated into the assembly. With respect to the steering arm (10), the upright thus attached is free to pivot about the axis only in the generally vertical plane, thereby precluding angular changes in the steering arm slope as a result of incremental variations in castor angle arising out of vertical movement of the road wheel. Owing to this, the steering and/or toe-control linkage geometry is no longer under the influence of castor angle variations, and thus the toe-in setting remains fixed throughout the wheel's range of travel. The articulated steering arms eliminate tire scrub arising out of undesirable toe changes, and thus reduce the ensuing tire drag, and thus result in reduced tire wear and fuel consumption, as the wheels rise and drop with compression and extension strokes of the suspension. Conversely, reduced tire drag improves straight-line and cornering speeds.</p> |
