MXPA98004388A - Variable geometry linkage configuration - Google Patents

Abstract

A variable geometry linkage configuration for use between a support structure (12) and suspended body (14) comprises a link member (46) having first and second ends, a first pivotal interconnection for pivotally interconnecting the first end of the link member (46) with a support plate (12) for rotation about a support pivot axis of rotation. A lever member (72) is provided which has a longitudinal axis and first and second ends. A second pivotal interconnection for pivotally interconnecting the first end of the lever member (72) with an impact plate (14) for rotation about a main pivot axis of rotation. A shock pivot is mounted to the lever member (72) and is adapted to connect an end of a shock absorber (100) to the lever member for rotation abouta shock pivot axis of rotation. A third pivotal interconnection is provided for pivotally interconnecting the lever member (72) to the link member (46) for rotation about a lever pivot axis of rotation. An improved variable geometry linkage is provided in which at least one of the pivotal interconnections comprises a universal pivot joint for articulation of the link member with respect to the support plate and/or the lever member about mutually perpendicular axes to accommodate pitch and roll between the impact plate and the support plate.

Description

CONFIGURATION OF VARIABLE GEOMETRY LINK Background of the Invention Field of the Invention This invention relates to a mechanical configuration for a variable geometry damping system. In one of its aspects, the invention relates to a mechanical configuration having one or more universal joints. Description of the Related Art U.S. Patent No. 5,253,853, to Conaway et al., Discloses a variable damping device to isolate a truck cab from vibration strength of a vehicle frame. The damping suspension comprises a link member pivotally interconnected at one end to a support plate, a lever member k pivotally interconnected at one end to a suspended impact plate and pivotally interconnected to a link member. 0 A shock absorber is mounted on the impact plate and pivotally connected to the lever member on a pivot shaft spaced from the pivot connection with the link and with the impact plate. Air springs are mounted between the impact plate and the support plate and a torsion arm is pivotally interconnected between the impact plate and the support plate. Cuff rubber gaskets are disclosed for one or more of the pivot connections. The variable geometry damping system disclosed by Cona ay et al. Provides a nonlinear mechanical transformation function between the input damping resistance supplied by the shock absorber and the output force applied to the impact plate. There are extremely high levels of deformation for rotation required of most system mechanical connections, exceeding the capabilities of rubber hose connections. conventional. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In one aspect, the invention relates to a variable geometry link configuration for use between a support structure and a suspended body comprising a member of link having first and second ends and a first pivotal interconnection for pivotally interconnecting said end end of the link member with a support plate for rotation about a pivot axis of rotation support. A lever member has a longitudinal axis and first and second ends 0 as well as a second pivotal interconnection for pivotally interconnecting the first end of the lever member with the impact plate for rotation about a main pivot axis of rotation. An impact pivot is mounted on the lever member and is adapted to connect an end of an impact absorber to the lever member for impact pivot otation. A third pivotal interconnection is provided to pivotally interconnect the lever member to the link member for rotation about a lever pivot axis of rotation.

According to the invention, at least one of the first and third pivotal interconnections is a universal pivot joint for articulation of the link member with respect to the support plate and / or the lever member about mutually perpendicular shafts to accommodate the inclination and the bearing 0 between the impact plate and the support plate. Both first and third pivotal interconnections preferably include a universal pivot joint for rotation of the link member around mutually perpendicular axes with respect to the support plate and the lever member. The pivot interconnections may comprise rolling bearings. The link member may be an H-shaped anvil having first and second ends, each of which mounts a universal bearing bearing assembly. The lever member may be of a U-shaped configuration. The lever member preferably has a pair of spaced legs that mount a universal bearing bearing assembly. One of the legs can mount a bearing journal that is part of the second pivotal interconnection. further, one of the legs preferably mounts a shock absorber flange having an arrow for pivotally mounting the lever member to one end of the shock absorber. The bearing journal can removably mount a link at an outer end thereof to mount the shock absorber to the lever member. The bearing journal preferably has an opening, and the link also has an opening in alignment with the opening in the bearing journal and a pin extends through the openings in the bearing journal and in the link for retaining the bearing. removable way the r & ** > The link in the bearing journal. The bearing journal of 0 preferably mounts a low friction bearing which forms part of the second pivotal interconnection. At least one of the universal pivot joints preferably comprises a body with opposed journals that mounts bearings that support the body for rotation about a pivot axis and a transverse hole 5 substantially perpendicular to the pivot axis of the bearings. The transverse hole can mount needle bearings in it. The lever member preferably comprises a crank arm with the second end mounted on the universal pivot joint and the first end rotatably mounted on the second pivotal interconnection. The impact pivot preferably comprises a second crank arm mounted at a first end to the first end of the lever member and adapted to pivotally mount the end of the impact absorber at a second end thereof. In another aspect, the invention relates to a suspension system comprising a support plate adapted to be mounted on a support structure, an impact plate adapted to be mounted on a suspended body, and a variable geometry link configuration assembled between them to control the movement between the support structure and the suspended body. A link member has first and second ends. A first pivotal interconnect is provided to pivotally interconnect the first end of the Mf link member with a support plate for rotation about a pivot axis of support pivot. A lever member is provided, which has a longitudinal axis and first and second ends. A second pivotal interconnection is provided to pivotally interconnect said first end of said lever member with said impact plate for rotation about a pivot axis of main pivot. An impact pivot is mounted on the lever member and is adapted to connect an end flf of an impact absorber to the lever member for rotation about a pivot axis of impact pivots. A third pivotal interconnection is provided to pivotally or interconnect the lever member to the link member for rotation about a lever pivot axis of rotation. According to the invention, at least one of the first and third pivotal interconnections is a universal pivot joint for articulation of the link member with respect to the support plate and / or the lever member about perpendicular axes. mutual to accommodate inclination and bearing between the impact plate and the support plate. Both first and third pivotal interconnections preferably include a universal pivot joint for rotation 5 of the link member about mutually perpendicular axes with respect to the support plate and the lever member. The pivotal interconnections can comprise rolling bearings. The link member may be an anvil in the form Je * of H having first and second ends, each of which 0 mounts a universal bearing bearing assembly. The lever member may be U-shaped in configuration. The lever member preferably has a pair of spaced legs that are mounted to the link member through a universal joint. One of the legs can mount a bearing journal 5 that forms part of the second pivotal interconnection. In addition, one of the legs preferably mounts a shock absorber flange Wß impacts having an arrow to pivotally mount the lever member to one end of the shock absorber. The bearing journal can removably mount a link at an external end 0 thereof to mount the impact absorber to the lever member. The bearing journal preferably has an opening, and the link also has an opening in alignment with the opening in the bearing journal and a pin extends through the openings in the bearing journal and in the link for removable holding. the link in the jF bearing journal. The bearing journal preferably mounts a low friction bearing, which forms part of the second pivotal interconnection. At least one of the universal pivot joints preferably comprises a body with opposed journals that mount 5 bearings that support the body for rotation about a pivot axis and a transverse hole substantially perpendicular to the pivot axis of the bearings. The transverse hole can mount needle bearings in it. The lever member of preference comprises a crank arm with the second end 10 mounted to the universal pivot joint and the first end rotatably mounted to the second pivotal interconnection. The impact pivot preferably comprises a second crank arm mounted at a first end to the first end of the lever member and adapted to pivotally mount the end of the impact absorber at a second end thereof. Wf Brief Description of the Drawings The invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a link configuration according to the invention; Figure 2 is a view taken along the lines 2-2 of Figure 1; Figure 3 is a plan view of a cardan joint used in the link configuration illustrated in Figures 1 and 2; Figure 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the link configuration, taken along lines 4-4 of Figure 2; Figure 5 is a side elevational view of a lever clamp illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 4; Figure 6 is a front elevational view of the lever clamp illustrated in Figure 5; ^ P Fig. 7 is a schematic view, in side elevation, of an alternate variable geometry mechanism, according to the invention; Figure 8 is a top elevational view of the variable geometry mechanism illustrated in Figure 7; Figure 9 is a side elevational view of another embodiment of the lever clamp illustrated in Figure 6; ß Figure 10 is a front elevational view of the lever clamp illustrated in Figure 9; Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view of the lever clamp illustrated in Figure 10 taken along lines 11-11 of Figure 10; Fig. 12 is a top plan view of the middle crossover member illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8; Figure 13 is a front elevational view of the middle crossing member illustrated in Figure 12; and FIG. 14 is a side elevational view of the middle crossover member illustrated in FIG. 12. Description of the Preferred Embodiment The variable geometry mechanism of this invention is used in the vibration damping device disclosed in FIG. U.S. Patent No. 5,235,853, issued October 19, 1993, which disclosure is incorporated herein by reference. According to this disclosure, a variable geometry mechanism is mounted between a supporting structure 0 and a suspended body 14 to dampen the movement of the suspended body with respect to the supporting structure. The shock absorber (not shown) is pivotally connected at one end to either the support structure or the suspended body and essentially extends horizontally.The shock absorber is connected at the other end to the variable geometry mechanism for cushioning. in a non-linear way the movement of the body suspended with respect to the support structure., the suspended body will be supported on the support structure with 0 conventional air springs, mechanical springs, or a combination of both. It is said that the mechanism finds particular use in damping the vibration of a vehicle with respect to a frame, and in particular a truck cabin with respect to a truck frame. The mechanism can be capable of cushioning the cabin vibration with respect to a frame in a manner sufficient to avoid the special seat required for the operator of the vehicle. Referring now to Figures 1 and 2, the variable geometry mechanism comprises the U-shaped support anvil 16 (Roscommon Manufacturing Company - RMC P / N H-7) having a base 18 secured to the support structure 12 and a pair of arms 20 and 22. An opening 21 extends through the arm 20 and an opening 23 extends through the arm 22. A cardan joint is mounted on the U-shaped support anvil 16 on the arched surfaces 21 and 23. The gimbal joint is illustrated in FIG. 3, to which reference will now be made. The cardan joint is a conventional universal joint, sold by Roscommon Manufacturing Company under the designation RMC P / N H-751. The cardan joint has a central support body 26 from which four equal legs 28, 30, 32 and 34 extend. Removable bearing cups 36, 38, 40 and 42 are mounted rotatably and removably to the legs 28, 30 , 32 and 34, respectively. Each of the legs is a die surface hardened on the surface and polished to support "needle bearings" of the bearing element. Each of the bearing cups 36, 38, 40 and 42 has hardened, polished inner surfaces that support the cylindrical needle bearing bearings along an inner surface, which support the cylindrical needle bearing bearings throughout. of an inner surface for relatively friction free rotation of the bearings with respect to the respective trunnions on the legs. Each of the bearing cups further has an outer ring groove 37 for receiving a retaining ring. Elastomeric seals are installed in the die entry openings to retain lubrication around the bearing journals and to exclude water and foreign particles. A screw 44 is threaded into a threaded opening in the central support body 26. The screw 44 seals an access opening to the interior of the * 10 central body 26, in which lubrication is placed to lubricate the bearings 36, 38, 40 and 42. Referring now to figures 1, 2 and 4, an anvil in the form of H 46 (Spicer P / N 10- 26-47) provides a link between a U-shaped support anvil 16 and an embracing ¬ of lever 72. The anvil in the form of H has a central frame 48 and four dependent legs 50, 54, 60 and 64. The legs 50, 54, 60 and 64 have circular openings 52, 56, 62 and 66, respectively . The legs 50 and 54 form a U-shaped opening 58 in which the cardan joint 24 is mounted, and the 0 legs 60 and 64 form a U-shaped opening 68 in which a second cardan joint 70 is mounted. , identical to the cardan joint 24. The cardan joint 24 is mounted on the U-shaped support anvil 16 on the arcuate surfaces 21 and 23 through the bearings 38 and 42. Typically, the bearings 38 and 42 are mechanically fastened to the arcuate surfaces 21 and 23 via internal retaining rings 57. The H-shaped anvil 46 is pivotally mounted to the cardan joint 24 in the openings 56 and 52 through bearings 36 and 40, respectively. Typically, the bearings 36 and 40 are retained in the respective openings 56 and 52 through conventional elastic rings 57. In this way, the H-shaped anvil 46 is mounted on the H-shaped support anvil 16 through a universal joint s formed by the cardan joint 24. As a result, the H-shaped anvil 46 is mounted for pivotal movement with respect to the U-shaped support anvil 16 about a pivot axis of support pivot 86 and a transverse axis of rotation 88 with respect to the pivot axis of support pivot 86. A lever clamp 72 is pivotally mounted on an upper end of its H-shaped anvil 46 through the cardan joint 70 for rotation with respect to the H-shaped anvil 46 about a transverse rotation axis 90 and a pivot axis of rotation lever 92. For this purpose, the cardan joint 70 has bearings that are mounted in the openings 62 and 66 of the H-shaped anvil 46. The bearings are retained in the openings 62 and 66 by the elastic ring 57. The clamp of lever 72 is of configuration U-shaped element having dependent legs 74 and 78 with aligned openings 76 and 80, respectively. The cardan joint 70 has bearings that are received in -WT the openings 76 and 80 of the lever clamp 72, thereby pivotally mounting the lever clamp 72 for rotational movement with respect to the H-shaped anvil 46 about the axis of lever pivot rotation 92. The bearings are retained in the openings 76 and 80 through conventional elastic rings 57 which fit within the ring grooves 37 (FIG. 3). A U-shaped clamp 102 is secured to the suspended body W 14 through a bite portion 104, typically by means of welding. Clamp 102 has dependent legs 106 and 110 with openings 108 and 112, respectively. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, a flange 114 having a bearing journal 116 is attached to the external surface of the leg 78 and a flange 118 having a bearing journal 120 is mounted on the external surface of the leg 74. , preferably by means of welding. A bearing cup 122 is mounted on the bearing journal trunnion 116 and a bearing cup 124 is mounted on the bearing journal 120 for rotation relative thereto. The bearings 122, 124 are retained in the trunnions 116, 120 by means of resilient rings 57. The leg 106 mounts the bearing cup 124 in the opening 108. Similarly, the leg 110 mounts the bearing 124 in the opening 112. The bearings 122 and 124 are retained on the legs 106 and 110 by means of the elastic ring 57. Typically, the flanges 114 and 118 of the bearing journals 116 and 120 are placed in the form of a tail to the legs 78 1"and 74". to establish alignment, then permanently attached to the legs 78 and 74 by welding the flanges 114 and 118 to the legs 78 and 74, respectively. As shown more clearly in Figures 5 and 6, an impact damper flange 82 having an arcuate surface 84 is secured to the external surface of the flange 74, preferably by means of welding. A bearing 130, shown in phantom lines in Figure 6, is mounted on the bearing 126 and secured therein by means of a nut 132 (shown in phantom lines in Figure 6). A free end 100 of a shock absorber is rigidly mounted to the impact bearing 130. Referring now to FIGS. 7 and 8, a second embodiment of the invention is shown, where similar numbers have been used to designate similar parts.

The bearing supports 140 and 144 have transverse holes f 142 and 145, respectively, for mounting the bearings 38 and 42.

The bearings 34 and 42 form a part of a cardan joint 24 having the same structure as the cardan joint 24 disclosed above with respect to the first embodiment. The bearings 40 and 36 of the gimbal joint 24 mount an H-shaped anvil 46 for rotation about an axis of rotation 80 in the bearings 38 and 42. The anvil 46 is also capable of rotating about the axis of rotation 88 in the bearings 36 and 40. The upper portion of the H-shaped anvil 46 mounts J "a half-crossover link member 146 having bearings 150 and 152 that are mounted in openings 62 and 66, respectively, of the H-shaped anvil 46. As shown in Figures 7-8 and in greater detail in Figs. 12-14, the middle crossover link member 146 has a body 148 with bearing arms 149 extending laterally to rotationally support the bearings 150 and 152. The body 148 also has a transverse hole 151 in m which receives an end 158 of a crank 156. The hole The transverse section 151 has needle bearings 154 provided around a circumferential surface thereof. The end 158 is threaded and receives a nut 176 to secure the crank 158 to the body 148. The crank 156 has a side section 160 and an axial section 162 that forms the crank shape. The axial section 162 is mounted to a suspended body through a pair of trunnion mounts 168 and 170, each having a fl ange. bearing bearing. A crank arm 164 is rigidly mounted to the end of the axial section 162 of the crank 156 for rotational movement with the crank 156. The crank arm 164 has an opening 166 in which a bearing (not shown) is mounted for mounting a free end of a shock absorber (not shown). Figures 9 and 10 show another lever clamp assembly shown in Figures 5 and 6, in which 5 similar reference numbers have been used to designate similar parts in Figures 9-10. A modified lever clamp assembly 182 comprises an elongate link 184 having a first end 186 and a second end 188. The first end 186 of the link 184 5 has an arcuate surface 190 thereon which mounts a shock absorber bearing 192 having a threaded shaft 194. The threaded shaft 194 can be supported by a bearing (not shown) as in the previous embodiment of the shock absorber bearing shown in FIGS. 5-6. A free end 0 of an impact damper can be mounted on the bearing, as before. The second end 188 of the link 184 has an arcuate surface 196 which is provided with a mounting journal 198 thereon, which is adapted to be removably mounted to the bearing flange 118 of the lever clamp 72 through an elongate stump. 200. Wg The elongate stump 200, shown in Figure 10 and in greater detail in Figure 11, comprises a cylindrical arrow 202 having one end provided with a portion of reduced diameter 0 on it. The reduced diameter portion 204 terminates in a rectangular protrusion 206 which is provided with a bore 208 having a spring loaded pin 210 extending therethrough. The reduced diameter portion 204 is housed in a bearing cup 212 which contains "needle" bearing element bearings 214 that allow the shaft 202 to rotate with negligible friction on the bearing bearing cup 212. Seal rings 220 they are provided at each end of the bushing 216 to remove foreign contaminants. A spacer ring 222 is provided adjacent one end of the bushing 216 to provide clearance between the bearing cup 212 and an adjacent component, and to provide a sealing surface. The cup of bearing 212 and the elongate stump 200 cooperate to removably mount the shock absorber flange to the lever clamp 72. One end of the journal 200 is mounted within the bearing 118 of the lever clamp 72 while the end of the journal 200 having the rectangular protrusion 206 is inserted into the journal 198 at the second end 188 of the flange 182 of the shock absorber. The spring-loaded pin 210 of the elongated pin 200 can cooperate with recesses (not shown) in the journal 198 to removably secure the flange of the shock absorber thereto. The spring-loaded pin 210 can be retracted into the bore 208 to remove the link 184 from the stump 200. The link operates as described in the previous embodiment. Reasonable variations and modifications are possible within the scope of the foregoing description and drawings without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Claims (6)

1. CLAIMS 1. In a variable geometry link configuration for use between a support structure and a suspended body, comprising: a link member having first and second ends; a first pivotal interconnection for pivotally interconnecting said first end of said link member with a support plate for rotation about a pivot axis of the support pivot; a lever member having a longitudinal axis and first and second ends; a second pivotal interconnection for pivotally interconnecting said first end of said lever member with Said impact plate for rotation about a pivot axis of the main pivot; an impact pivot mounted on the lever member * and adapted to be connected to one end of an impact absorber to the lever member for rotation about an axis of rotation of impact pivot 0; a third pivotal interconnection for pivotally interconnecting the lever member to the link member for rotation about a lever pivot axis of rotation; the improvement comprising: at least one of the first and third pivotal interconnections comprises a universal pivot joint for articulation of the link member with respect to the support plate and / or the lever member about mutually perpendicular shafts to accommodate the inclination and the bearing between the impact plate and the support plate. The variable geometry link of claim 1, wherein both of the first and third pivotal interconnections include a universal pivot joint for rotation of the link member alrededorr around mutually perpendicular axes 0 with respect to the support plate and member of lever. 3. The variable geometry link of claim 1 or 2, wherein the pivotal interconnections comprise rolling bearings. 4. The variable geometry link according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein the link member is an H-shaped anvil having first and Wß-second ends, each of which mounts a bearing assembly of universal bearing. 5. The variable geometry link of any of claims 1-4, wherein the lever member is of U-shaped configuration. 6. The variable geometry link of any of claims 1-5, wherein the The lever has a pair of spaced legs that are mounted to the link member through a universal joint. The variable length of claim 6, wherein one of the legs mounts a shock absorber flange having a bearing for pivotally mounting the lever member to one end of the shock absorber. 8. The variable geometry link of claim 6, wherein one of the legs mounts a bearing journal that forms part of the second pivotal interconnection. 9. The variable geometry link of claim 8, wherein the bearing journal removably mounts a link at an outer end thereof to mount the impact absorber to the lever member. The variable geometry link of claim 9, wherein the bearing journal has an opening, and the link also has an opening in alignment with the opening in the bearing journal and a pin extends through the openings in the journal. bearing journal and in the link to removably retain the link in the bearing journal. The variable geometry link of claim 8, wherein the bearing journal mounts a low friction bearing that forms part of the second pivotal interconnection. The variable geometry link of any of claims 1-4, wherein at least one of the universal pivot joints comprises a body with opposed journals that mount bearings that support the body for rotation about a pivot shaft and a bore transverse substantially perpendicular to the pivot axis of the bearings. 13. The variable geometry link of claim 12, where the transverse hole mounts needle bearings in it. 14. The variable geometry link of claim 12 or 13, wherein the lever member comprises a crank arm with said second end mounted to the at least one universal pivot joint and is adapted to pivotally mount the end of the shock absorber at a second end 0 thereof. The variable geometry link of claim 14, wherein the impact pivot comprises a second crank arm mounted at a first end to the first end of the lever member and adapted to pivotally mount the end of the impact absorber in a second end of it. T-fr- 16. A suspension system comprising a support plate adapted to be mounted on a support structure, an impact plate adapted to be mounted on a suspended body, and a variable geometry link configuration mounted between them to control the movement between the support structure and the suspended body, comprising: a link member having first and second ends; 5 a first pivotal interconnection for pivotally interconnecting said first end of said link member with a support plate for rotation about a pivot axis of support pivot; a lever member having a longitudinal axis and first and second ends of a second pivotal interconnection for pivotally interconnecting said first end of said lever member with said impact plate for rotation about an axis of ', m main pivot rotation; 10 an impact pivot mounted to the lever member and adapted to be connected to one end of an impact absorber to the lever member for rotation about an axis of pivot of impact pivots; a third pivotal interconnection to interconnect 15 pivotally the lever member to the link member for rotation about a lever pivot axis of rotation; Vp »the improvement comprising: at least one of the first and third pivotal interconnections comprises a universal pivot joint for articulation of the link member with respect to the support plate and / or the lever member about axes mutually perpendicular to accommodate the inclination and the bearing between the impact plate and the support plate; The suspension system of claim 16, wherein both the first and third pivotal interconnections include * a universal pivot joint for articulation of the link member about mutually perpendicular axes with respect to the support plate and the lever member. 18. The suspension system of claims 5 16 or 17, wherein the first and third pivotal interconnections comprise rolling bearings. The suspension system of any of claims 16-18, wherein the link member is an anvil W in the form of H having first and second ends, each of 10 which mounts a universal bearing bearing assembly. The suspension system of any of claims 16-19, wherein the lever member is U-shaped in configuration. 21. The suspension system of any of claims 16-20, wherein the lever member has a pair of opposite legs which are adapted to be mounted to the H-link member through a universal joint. 22. The suspension system of claim 21, wherein one of the legs mounts a bearing journal that forms part 0 of the second pivotal interconnection. 23. The suspension system of claim 21, wherein one of the legs mounts a shock absorber flange having a bearing for pivotally mounting the lever member to one end of the shock absorber. 24. The suspension system of claim 22, # W wherein the bearing journal removably mounts a link at an outer end thereof to mount the impact absorber to the lever member. 25. The suspension system of claim 24, 5 where the bearing journal has an opening, and the link also has an opening in alignment with the opening in the bearing journal and a pin extends through the openings in the bearing journal and in the link to retain &"removably the link in the bearing journal." 26. The suspension system of the claims 24 or 25, wherein the bearing journal mounts a low friction bearing that forms a part of the second pivotal interconnection. The suspension system of any of claims 16-19, wherein at least one of the universal pivot joints comprises a body with opposed journals that mount bearings that support the body for rotation about j | K. of a pivot shaft and a transverse hole substantially perpendicular to the pivot axis of the bearings. 28. The suspension system of claim 27, wherein the transverse hole assembles needle bearings therein. 29. The suspension system of claims 27 or 28, wherein the lever member comprises a crank arm with said second end mounted on the at least one universal pivot joint and said first end rotatably mounted on the second interconnection. pivotal The connection of claim 29, wherein the impact pivot comprises a second crank arm mounted at a first end to the first end of the lever member and adapted to pivotally mount the end of the impact absorber at a second end thereof. * * A variable geometry link configuration for use between a support structure (12) and a suspended body (14) comprises a link member (46) having first and second ends, a first pivotal interconnection for pivotally interconnecting the first end of the link member (46) with a support plate (12) for rotation about a pivot axis of support pivot. A lever member (72) f is provided, which has a longitudinal axis and first and second ends. A second pivotal interconnection for pivotally interconnecting the first end of the lever member (72) with an impact plate (14) for rotation about a pivot axis of the main pivot. An impact pivot is mounted on the lever member (72) and is adapted to connect one end of a shock absorber (100) to the lever member for rotation about an axis of rotation of pivot t of impacts. A third pivotal interconnection is provided to pivotally interconnect the lever member (72) to the link member (46) for rotation about a lever pivot axis of rotation. A variable, improved geometry link is provided, in which at least one of the pivotal interconnections comprises a universal pivot joint for articulation of the link member with respect to the support plate and / or the lever member around shafts mutually perpendicular to accommodate the inclination and rolling between the plate % ¥