Claims:1. A system (100) for providing stiffness to a vehicle, the system comprising:
a pair of brackets (102a, 102b), wherein each bracket (102) comprises a first member (202) and a second member (204), and wherein the first member (202) is coupled to a vertical member (104) of a chassis, and wherein the second member (204) is coupled to a lower link (116) from a pair of lower links (116a, 116b) of the chassis, and wherein the second member (204) comprises a U-shaped opening (206);
a pair of holding brackets (106a, 106b), wherein each holding bracket (106) is mounted on each of the second member (204);
a pair of sleeves (108a, 108b), wherein each sleeve (108) comprises a locking mechanism (406), and wherein each sleeve (108) is fixed adjacent to each of the holding bracket (106) by using the locking mechanism (406); and
a cross bar (110), wherein one end of the cross bar (110) is coupled with a right stabilizer link, and wherein other end of the cross bar (110) is coupled with a left stabilizer link (112), and wherein the cross bar (110) passes through the pair of sleeves (108a, 108b), the pair of holding brackets (106a, 106b) and each of the U-shaped openings (206),
and wherein during operation each sleeve (108) prevents lateral movement of the cross bar (110) thereby provides lateral stiffness to the vehicle,
and wherein the cross bar is adapted to provide roll stiffness to the vehicle by virtue of its coupling with the right stabilizer link and the left stabilizer link (112).

2. The system (100) of claim 1, wherein the first member (202) comprises a hole (208) and the second member (204) comprises a plurality of holes (210), and wherein the first member (202) and the second member (204) are perpendicular to each other.

3. The system (100) of claim 2, wherein during assembly the first member is coupled to the vertical member (104) through the hole (208), and wherein the second member (204) is coupled to the lower link (116) through one of the plurality of holes (210).

4. The system (100) of claim 1, wherein the U-shaped opening (206) is perpendicular to a plane of chassis and the second member (204).

5. The system (100) of claim 2, wherein the holding bracket (106) is mounted on the second member (204) through the plurality of holes (210).

6. The system (100) of claim 1, wherein the holding bracket (106) comprises a hollow cylindrical bush (304) located within the holding bracket (106), and wherein during assembly the hollow cylindrical bush (304) is configured to receive and hold the cross bar (110).

7. The system (100) of claim 1, wherein each of the holding bracket (106) resists rotation of the cross bar (110) thereby providing roll stiffness to the vehicle.

8. The system (100) of claim 1, wherein each of the sleeve (108) comprises a hollow cylindrical washer (404) located within the sleeve (108), and wherein during assembly the hollow cylindrical washer (404) is configured to receive and hold the cross bar (110).

9. The system (100) of claim 6 or 8, wherein the hollow cylindrical bush (304) and the hollow cylindrical washer (404) is formed from at least one of a rubber, a plastic, and a fiber material.

10. The system (100) of claim 1, wherein the locking mechanism (406a and 406b) comprises at least one of a nut and bolt arrangement, a screw joint, and a threaded bearing.
, Description:FORM 2

THE PATENTS ACT, 1970
(39 of 1970)
&
THE PATENT RULES, 2003

COMPLETE SPECIFICATION
(See Section 10 and Rule 13)

Title of invention:
SYSTEM FOR PROVIDING STIFFNESS TO A VEHICLE

Applicant:
Tata Motors Limited
A company Incorporated in India under the Companies Act, 1956
Having address:
Bombay House, 24 Homi Mody Street,
Hutatma Chowk, Mumbai 400001,
Maharashtra, India

The following specification describes the invention and the manner in which it is to be performed.

PRIORITY INFORMATION AND DEFINITIVE STATEMENT
[001] This patent application does not claim priority from any application.

TECHNICAL FIELD
[002] The present subject matter described herein, in general, relates to vehicles and more particularly to a system for providing stiffness to a vehicle.

BACKGROUND
[003] Typically, during motion of a vehicle, there may be various forces acting on the vehicle. Example of the forces include, but not limited to, a driving force, a frictional force, air resistance, gravity pull, centrifugal and centripetal forces, reactional force, lateral force, and body roll motion. As a result of various forces, the vehicle becomes unstable. Thus, in order to provide stability to the vehicle, conventional systems and methodologies utilizes a combination of a tie rod and an anti-roll bar. The tie rod and the anti-roll bar are connected to a front section of a chassis of the vehicle. The tie rod provides lateral stiffness against the lateral forces exerted on the chassis. The anti-roll bar is a U-shaped bar comprising two movement arms. During operation, the anti-roll bar provides roll stiffness to a stabilizer link connected to a suspension in order to reduce a vehicle body roll motion thereby providing stability to the vehicle.
[004] It is observed that the roll stiffness is inversely proportional to a length of the movement arms. Thus, higher the length of the movement arm, lesser would be the roll stiffness. It may be noted that the roll stiffness provided by the anti-roll bar in conventional system and methodologies is not adequate because of the length of the movement arms. Further, it may be noted that the length of movement arms is directly proportional to a diameter of the anti-roll bar and thereby to a weight of the anti-roll bar. It is to be noted that the weight of the anti-roll bar contributes to an overall weight of the vehicle.

SUMMARY
[005] Before the present systems are described, it is to be understood that this application is not limited to the particular systems, and methodologies described, as there can be multiple possible embodiments which are not expressly illustrated in the present disclosure. It is also to be understood that the terminology used in the description is for the purpose of describing the particular versions or embodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present application. This summary is provided to introduce concepts related to a system for providing stiffness to a vehicle and the concepts are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify essential features of the claimed subject matter nor is it intended for use in determining or limiting the scope of the claimed subject matter.
[006] In one implementation, a system for providing stiffness to a vehicle is disclosed. The system may comprise a pair of brackets, a pair of holding brackets, a pair of sleeves, a vertical member, a chassis, a pair of lower links, and a cross bar. Each bracket of the pair of brackets may comprise a first member and a second member. In one aspect, the first member may be coupled to the vertical member of the chassis. The second member may be coupled to a lower link, from the pair of lower links, of the chassis. Further, the second member may comprise a U-shaped opening. In addition, each holding bracket from the pair of holding brackets may be mounted on each of the second member. Each sleeve from the pair of sleeves may comprise a locking mechanism. In one aspect, each sleeve may be fixed adjacent to each of the holding bracket by using the locking mechanism. Further, the system comprises the cross bar passing through the pair of sleeves, the pair of holding brackets and each of the U-shaped openings. In addition, the cross bar may comprise one end and other end. The one end of the cross bar may be coupled with a right stabilizer link. The other end of the cross bar may be coupled with a left stabilizer link. During operation, each sleeve may prevent lateral movement of the cross bar thereby provides lateral stiffness to the vehicle. Similarly, each of the cross bar may provide roll stiffness to the vehicle by virtue of its coupling with the right stabilizer link and the left stabilizer link.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[007] The foregoing detailed description of embodiments is better understood when read in conjunction with the appended drawings. For the purpose of illustrating the disclosure, example constructions of the disclosure are shown in the present document; however, the disclosure is not limited to the specific apparatus disclosed in the document and the drawings.
[008] The detailed description is given with reference to the accompanying figures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. The same numbers are used throughout the drawings to refer like features and components.
[009] Figure 1 illustrates a system for providing stiffness to a vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.
[0010] Figure 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of a bracket disclosed in the system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.
[0011] Figure 3 illustrates a schematic diagram of a holding bracket disclosed in the system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.
[0012] Figure 4 illustrates a schematic diagram of a sleeve disclosed in the system, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0013] Some embodiments of this disclosure, illustrating all its features, will now be discussed in detail. The words "coupled," "mounted," "locking," "opening," “holding”, “fixed”, and other forms thereof, are intended to be open ended. It must also be noted that as used herein and in the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural references unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Although a system for providing stiffness to a vehicle, or similar or equivalent to those described herein can be used in the practice or testing of embodiments of the present disclosure. The disclosed embodiments are merely exemplary of the disclosure, which may be embodied in various forms.
[0014] Various modifications to the embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art and the generic principles herein may be applied to other constructions of the system for providing stiffness to a vehicle. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the present disclosure of the system for providing stiffness to the vehicle is not intended to be limited to the embodiments illustrated, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and features described herein. It should be appreciated by the one of ordinary skill in the art that the conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present disclosure.
[0015] The present invention describes a system for providing stiffness to a vehicle. The present system introduces a cross bar for providing stiffness to the vehicle. It is observed that the conventional system and methodologies has described use of a conventional anti-roll bar and a conventional tie rod to provide stiffness to the vehicle. More specifically, the conventional anti-roll bar provides roll stiffness to a suspension of the vehicle by reducing a vehicle body roll motion. The conventional tie rod provides lateral stiffness to maintain vehicle stability and vehicle geometry. However, the utilization of the anti-roll bar and the tie rod increases the weight of the vehicle.
[0016] In order to overcome the drawbacks of the conventional system and methodologies, the present system is constructed to provide both the lateral stiffness and the roll stiffness to the vehicle with the help of a cross bar and other system components. The other system components may comprise a pair of brackets, a pair of holding brackets, and a pair of sleeves. It is to be noted that each bracket from the pair of brackets may comprise a first member and a second member. The first member and the second member are perpendicular to each other. The first member is parallel to a plane of the chassis. In one aspect, the first member may be coupled to a vertical member of a chassis of the vehicle. The second member, on the other hand, may be coupled to a lower link, from a pair of lower links, of the chassis. Further, the second member may comprise a U-shaped opening. The U-shaped opening is perpendicular to the plane of the chassis and the second member.
[0017] The pair of holding brackets may be mounted on each of the second member. Each sleeve, from the pair of sleeves, may comprise a locking mechanism. In one aspect, each sleeve may be fixed adjacent to each of the holding bracket by using the locking mechanism. Example of the locking mechanism may include, but not limited to, a nut and bolt arrangement, a screw joint, and a threaded bearing. In order to configure the cross bar with the other system components, the cross bar is passed through the pair of sleeves, the pair of holding brackets and each of the U-shaped openings. In one aspect, the cross bar is a C-shaped cross bar. It may be noted that one end of the cross bar may be coupled with a right stabilizer link. On the other hand, other end of the cross bar may be coupled with a left stabilizer link.
[0018] Once the present system is configured in a manner as describe aforementioned, each sleeve may prevent lateral movement of the cross bar thereby provides lateral stiffness to the vehicle while the vehicle is in motion. Similarly, the cross bar is adapted to provide roll stiffness to the vehicle by virtue of its coupling with the right stabilizer link and the left stabilizer link. In one embodiment, each of the holding bracket may resist rotation of the cross bar thereby providing roll stiffness to the vehicle.
[0019] It is important to note that the present system is advantageous over the conventional systems as the present system reduces the overall weight of the vehicle by eliminating the need of the anti-roll bar and the tie rod. In addition to the aforementioned advantage, the C-shaped cross bar has smaller movement arms as compared to movement arms of the conventional anti-roll bar. Thus, the C-shaped cross may provide more stiffness when compared with the conventional anti-roll bar. Apart from the stiffness, the smaller movement arms reduce diameter of the cross bar thereby reducing weight of the cross bar.
[0020] While aspects of described system and method for providing stiffness to a vehicle and may be implemented in any number of different structures, components, and/or constructions, the embodiments are described in the context of the following exemplary system.
[0021] Referring now to Figure 1, a system 100 for providing stiffness to a vehicle, in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter is disclosed. The system 100 comprises, a pair of brackets 102a, 102b (hereinafter may be referred as 102), vertical members 104a, 104b (hereinafter may be referred as 104), a pair of holding brackets 106a, 106b (hereinafter may be referred as 106), a pair of sleeves 108a, 108b (hereinafter may be referred as 108), a cross bar 110, a left stabilizer link 112, a right stabilizer link (not shown), suspensions 114a, 114b (hereinafter may be referred as 114), and a pair of lower links 116a, 116b (hereinafter may be referred as 116). Each bracket 102 of the pair of brackets 102a, 102b comprises a first member and a second member. In one aspect, the first member is coupled to a vertical member 104 of the chassis. The second member is coupled to a lower link 116 from the pair of lower links 116a, 116b of the chassis. Further, the second member may comprise a U-shaped opening. In addition, each holding bracket 106 from the pair of holding brackets 106a, 106b is mounted on each of the second member. Each sleeve 108 from the pair of sleeves 108a, 108b comprises a locking mechanism. The locking mechanism may comprise a plurality of screws to fasten the sleeve on the cross bar 110. In one aspect, each sleeve 108 may be fixed adjacent to each of the holding bracket 106 by using the locking mechanism. Further, the system comprises the cross bar 110 passing through the pair of sleeves 108, the pair of holding brackets 106 and each of the U-shaped openings. In one embodiment, the cross bar 110 is a C-shaped cross bar 110. It may be noted that one end of the cross bar 110 may be connected to a stabilizer link by means of a set of fasteners. In one embodiment, the cross bar 110 may be coupled with a right stabilizer link (not shown) by using a first fastener from the set of fasteners. Similarly, other end of the cross bar may be coupled with a left stabilizer link 112 by using a second fastener from the set of fasteners. It may be noted that the cross bar 110 is adapted to provide roll stiffness to the vehicle by virtue of its coupling with the right stabilizer link and the left stabilizer link 112. Further, the right stabilizer link may be coupled with a right suspension 114a by means of a third fastener from the set of fasteners. The left stabilizer link 112 may be coupled with the left suspension 114b by means of a fourth fastener from the set of fasteners.
[0022] It is to be understood that the right suspension 114a and the left suspension 114b, from the suspensions 114, are configured to support road holding and handling the ride quality of the of the vehicle. In one embodiment, the suspension 114 may contribute to handling and braking of the vehicle. In another embodiment, the suspension 114 may provide comfort by keeping passengers of the vehicle comfortably isolated from road noise, bumps and vibration. It must be noted that, during operation of the vehicle, a wheel may be connected to the suspension 114.
[0023] Referring now to Figure 2, the bracket 102 in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter is disclosed. The bracket 102 comprises the first member 202 and the second member 204. The first member 202 and the second member 204 are perpendicular to each other. The first member 202 is parallel to a plane of the chassis. In one aspect, the first member 202 comprise a hole 208. In one embodiment, the first member 202 is coupled to the vertical member 104 through the hole 208. On the other hand, the second member 204 is perpendicular to the plane of the chassis. The second member 204 comprises a U-shaped opening 206. The U-shaped opening 206 is perpendicular to the plane of the chassis and the second member 204. Further, the second member 204 comprises a plurality of holes 210. In one example, the second member 204 comprises three holes. In one aspect, the second member 204 is coupled to the lower link 116 through one of the plurality of holes 210. In an example, the second member 204 may be coupled to the lower link 116 by using at least one of a nut and bolt arrangement, a fastener, a rivet, a screw joint and others. In one example, length of the first member 202 may be less than length of the second member 204.
[0024] Referring now to Figure 3, the holding bracket 106 in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter is disclosed. The holding bracket 106 comprises a jacket 302, a hollow cylindrical bush 304, a base 308, and a plurality of fasteners 306a, 306b. During assembly, the base 308 is mounted on the second member 204. In one example, the base 308 may be made from at least one of a rubber, a plastic, a fiber, a metal and other rigid material. The base 308 may provide a rigid support to the cross bar 110 passing through the holding bracket 106. Further, the jacket 302 may be mounted on the base 308 through the plurality of holes 210. In one example, the jacket 302 is mounted on the base 308 through by using two holes of the second member 204. The jacket 302 may be mounted by means of at least one of a fastener, a screw joint, a nut and bolt arrangement, and glue. In one example, the jacket 302 may be made from least one of a steel, a rubber, a plastic, a fiber, a metal and other rigid material.
[0025] Further, the holding bracket 106 comprises the hollow cylindrical bush 304 located within the jacket 302. Furthermore, the hollow cylindrical bush 304 receives the cross bar 110. It is to be noted that the hollow cylindrical bush 304 holds the cross bar tightly inside the holding bracket 106. In one embodiment, the hollow cylindrical bush 304 may be configured to absorb road bumps, control an amount of movement in the cross bar 110 and reduce noise and vibration. In one embodiment, length of the hollow cylindrical bush 304 may be same as a width of the jacket 302. In one example, the hollow cylindrical bush 304 may be formed from at least one of a rubber, a plastic, and a fiber material. During operation, the holding bracket 106 may resist rotation of the cross bar 110 thereby providing roll stiffness to the vehicle.
[0026] Referring now to Figure 4, the sleeve 108 in accordance with an embodiment of the present subject matter is disclosed. The sleeve comprises an outer shell 402, a hollow cylindrical washer 404, and a locking mechanism 406a, 406b. As shown in the figure 4, the sleeve 108 may comprise the hollow cylindrical washer 404 located within the outer shell 402. In one aspect, the outer shell 402 is cylindrical in shape. In one example, the outer shell 402 may be made from least one of a rubber, a plastic, a fiber, a metal and other rigid material. The hollow cylindrical washer 404 may be formed from at least one of a rubber, a plastic, and a fiber material. In one embodiment, a length of the hollow cylindrical washer 404 may be same as a length of the outer shell 402. During assembly, the hollow cylindrical washer 404 receives and holds the cross bar 110. In one embodiment, the hollow cylindrical washer 404 facilitates close-fitting of the sleeve over the cross bar 110. Further, each sleeve 108 is fixed adjacent to each of the holding bracket 106 by using the locking mechanism 406a, 406b (hereinafter may also be referred as 406). Example of the locking mechanism 406 includes, but not limited to, a screw joint, a threaded bush, and a rivet.
[0027] In one embodiment, the locking mechanism 406 may comprise a plurality of screws to fasten the sleeve 108 on the cross bar 110. The plurality of screws may comprise a first screw 406a and a second screw 406b fitted on the sleeve 108 and positioned opposite to each other. In an example, the first screw 406a and the second screw 406b are 180 degrees apart. It is to be noted that the plurality of screws tightly fixes the sleeve 108 adjacent to the holding bracket 106. During operation, each sleeve 108 may prevent lateral movement of the cross bar 110 thereby providing lateral stiffness to the vehicle.
[0028] In order to elucidate the functioning of the aforementioned system, consider an example of a vehicle driven on an uneven road. During motion of the vehicle, there may be various forces acting on the vehicle. Example of the forces include, but not limited to, a driving force, a frictional force, air resistance, gravity pull, centrifugal and centripetal forces, reactional force, lateral force, and body roll motion. The system provides stiffness to the vehicle against one or more of the aforementioned forces. When the vehicle is driven on the uneven road, all wheels of the vehicle may not be at the same level from the ground. It is to be noted that a left wheel may be coupled with the left suspension 114a, and the right wheel may be coupled with the right suspension 114b. The left suspension 114a and the right suspension 114b are further connected to the cross bar 110 through the left stabilizer link 112 and the right stabilizer link respectively.
[0029] In one scenario, when the left wheel is experiencing a bump and the right wheel is on a flat road, the vehicle geometry and stability may be affected. During above scenario, as the left wheel is experiencing the bump, the left wheel may be at a higher elevation than the right wheel. As the left wheel is at higher elevation, the left suspension 114a may be pressed towards a vehicle frame. As the left suspension 114a is pressed towards a vehicle frame, the left stabilizer link 112 may also be lifted upwards as compared to the right stabilizer link. As there is an imbalance in the position of the right stabilizer link and the left stabilizer link 112, the cross bar 110 experiences a torsion force to rotate the cross bar 110 thereby rolling the vehicle in direction of the bump. However, as the cross bar 110 is mounted on the pair of holding brackets 106, the torsion force is opposed by the pair of holding brackets 106 thereby resisting the rotation of the cross bar 110. It is to be noted that by resisting the rotation of the cross bar 110, the pair of holding brackets 106 provides roll stiffness to the vehicle.
[0030] In above scenario, when the right wheel is at a lower elevation than the left wheel, the vehicle experiences lateral forces as center of gravity may shift from center of the vehicle to the right side of the vehicle. The lateral forces may pull a left lower link 116a from the pair of lower links 116 towards a lower link 116b from the pair of lower link 116. Due to the lateral forces, the vehicle may experience an imbalance condition. When the vehicle is in the imbalance condition, the cross bar 110 mounted on the chassis maintains the balance of the vehicle by keeping the distance between the left lower link 116a and the right lower link 116b constant. As disclosed in the system, the cross bar 110 passes through the pair of sleeves 108 fixed adjacent to the pair of holding brackets 106 by using the locking mechanism 406. The locking mechanism 406 is configured to prevent the movement of the pair of sleeves 108 thereby preventing the movement of the cross bar 110. As there is no movement of the cross bar 110, the distance between the pair of lower links 116 is maintained thereby maintaining the balance of the vehicle. Thus, the pair of sleeves 108 provides lateral stiffness to the vehicle by preventing lateral movement of the cross bar 110.
[0031] Exemplary embodiments discussed above may provide certain advantages. Though not required to practice aspects of the disclosure, these advantages may include those provided by the following features.
[0032] Some embodiments enable a system to provide lateral stiffness and roll stiffness to a vehicle.
[0033] Some embodiments enable a system to reduce the weight of the vehicle.
[0034] Some embodiments enable a system to reduce the cost of the vehicle.
[0035] Some embodiments enable a system to reduce movement arm’s length of the cross bar.
[0036] Some embodiments enable a system to replace the tie rod and the anti-roll bar by the cross bar comprising smaller movement arms as compared to the anti-roll bar.
[0037] Some embodiments enable a system to eliminate the tie rod and replace the anti-roll bar with an optimized cross bar.
[0038] Although implementations for systems for providing stiffness to a vehicle have been described in language specific to structural features and/or methods, it is to be understood that the appended claims are not necessarily limited to the specific features or methods described. Rather, the specific features and methods are disclosed as examples of implementations for providing stiffness to a vehicle.