What is claimed is:
1. A vehicle drivesuspension system comprising:
a chassis having a front portion, a rear portion and a pair of sides;
a drive axle having opposed end portions extending between said sides;
an elongated rocker arm, having opposed end portions, connected to each of said opposed end portions of said drive axle and pivotally mounted to each of said sides substantially at said opposed end portions of said drive axle;
a sprocket rotatably fixed to each of said opposed end portions of said rocker arms;
a rotatable drive sprocket connected to each of said opposed end portions of said drive axle; and
a drive link for each rocker arm connected to rotate said sprockets in conjunction with said drive sprockets.
2. The vehicle of claim 1 further comprising a dampener connected between an opposed end portion of each of said rocker arms and said chassis.
3. The vehicle of claim 2 wherein said dampeners are shock absorbers.
4. The vehicle of claim 1 further comprising a brake associated with each of said drive sprockets.
5. The vehicle of claim 1 further comprising a tension sprocket mounted on each of said rocker arms and connected to said drive link.
6. The vehicle of claim 5 wherein said tension sprockets are slidably fixed to said rocker arms.
7. The vehicle of claim 1 further comprising a rubber stop member mounted on each side of said chassis and in alignment with corresponding ones of said rocker arms.
8. The vehicle of claim 1 further comprising i) a pivot plate extending from said chassis toward said drive axle, ii) a pivot mount associated with each of said rocker arms and iii) a pivot pin extending through each of said pivot mounts, corresponding ones of said pivot plates and into corresponding ones of said opposed end portions of said drive axle.
9. The vehicle of claim 8 wherein said pivot pins threadingly engage said opposed end portions of said drive axle.
10. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein each of said rocker arms has a middle point located equidistant from ends thereof and wherein said rocker arms are pivotally mounted to said opposed end portions of said drive axle at locations away from said middle points.
11. The vehicle of claim 10 wherein said rocker arms are pivotally mounted at locations that cause about 55-65% of the weight of said system to be biased toward said rear portion.
12. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein said drive axle is positioned below said sides.
13. The vehicle of claim 1 wherein said drive link is a chain or a belt.
14. A vehicle drivesuspension system comprising:
a chassis having a front portion, a rear portion and a pair of sides;
a drive axle having opposed end portions extending between said sides;
an elongated rocker arm, having opposed end portions and a pivot point, pivotally mounted to each of said sides at said pivot points and connected to said opposed end portions of said drive axle, said pivot points being located at positions other than middle points along the length of said rocker arms;
a sprocket rotatably fixed to each of said opposed end portions of said rocker arms;
a rotatable drive sprocket connected to each of said opposed end portions of said drive axle; and
a drive link for each rocker arm connected to rotate said sprockets in conjunction with said drive sprockets.
15. The vehicle of claim 14 further comprising a dampener connected between an opposed end portion of each of said rocker arms and said chassis.
16. The vehicle of claim 15 wherein said dampeners are shock absorbers.
17. The vehicle of claim 14 further comprising a brake associated with each of said drive sprockets.
18. The vehicle of claim 14 further comprising a tension sprocket mounted on each of said rocker arms and connected to said drive link.
19. The vehicle of claim 18 wherein said tension sprockets are slidably fixed to said rocker arms.
20. The vehicle of claim 14 further comprising a rubber stop member mounted on each side of said chassis and in alignment with corresponding ones of said rocker arms.
21. The vehicle of claim 14 further comprising i) a pivot plate extending from said chassis toward said drive axle, ii) a pivot mount associated with each of said rocker arms and iii) a pivot pin extending through each of said pivot mounts, corresponding ones of said pivot plates and into corresponding ones of said opposed end portions of said drive axle.
22. The vehicle of claim 21 wherein said pivot pins threadingly engage said opposed end portions of said drive axle.
23. The vehicle of claim 14 wherein said rocker arms are pivotally mounted at locations that cause about 55-65% of the weight of said system to be biased toward said rear portion.
24. The vehicle of claim 14 wherein said drive axle is positioned below said sides.
25. The vehicle of claim 14 wherein said drive link is a chain or a belt.
The claims below are in addition to those above.
All refrences to claim(s) which appear below refer to the numbering after this setence.
1. An integrated boot and release slide for a communications module, the integrated boot and release slide comprising:
a release slide, the release slide including:
a main body;
a plurality of arms extending from a first end of the main body; and
a plurality of coupling structures extending from a second end of the main body opposite the first end; and
a boot overmolded over the plurality of coupling structures of the release slide, the boot defining a cavity configured to slidably receive a communications cable.
2. The integrated boot and release slide of claim 1, wherein the release slide further includes a plurality of tabs configured to engage a plurality of springs of a communications module to bias the integrated boot and release slide in a non-activated position.
3. The integrated boot and release slide of claim 1, wherein the release slide comprises sheet metal.
4. The integrated boot and release slide of claim 1, wherein the main body comprises a hollow cylinder substantially enclosing at least a portion of one end of a housing of the module, the hollow cylinder having a substantially rectangular cross-section;
5. The integrated boot and release slide of claim 1, wherein the plurality of coupling structures includes five substantially U-shaped coupling structures.
6. The integrated boot and release slide of claim 1, wherein the plurality of coupling structures includes two substantially U-shaped coupling structures.
7. The integrated boot and release slide of claim 1, wherein the boot includes a main body overmolded over the plurality of coupling structures.
8. The integrated boot and release slide of claim 1, wherein the boot includes a handle extending from the main body.
9. The integrated boot and release slide of claim 1, wherein the boot includes a plurality of coupling lobes overmolded over the plurality of coupling structures.
10. The integrated boot and release slide of claim 1, wherein the boot comprises rubber.
11. A communications module comprising:
a housing comprising a top shell and a bottom shell; and
an integrated boot and release slide, the integrated boot and release slide comprising:
a release slide, the release slide including:
a main body comprising a hollow cylinder substantially enclosing at least a portion of one end of the bottom shell, the hollow cylinder having a substantially rectangular cross-section;
a plurality of arms extending from a first end of the main body along opposing sides of the housing; and
a plurality of coupling structures extending from a second end of the main body opposite the first end of the main body; and
a boot overmolded over the plurality of coupling structures of the release slide, the boot defining a cavity configured to slidably receive a communications cable.
12. The communications module of claim 11, wherein the housing includes at least one shoulder formed on each of the opposing sides of the housing and each of the plurality of arms includes a ramp and a de-latch member positioned near a corresponding at least one shoulder.
13. The communications module of claim 12, wherein the ramps are configured to accommodate inward-directed latches of a cage that are operable to engage the at least one shoulders, and wherein the de-latch members are configured to displace the latches so as to disengage the latches from the at least one shoulders.
14. The communications module of claim 11, wherein the housing includes a plurality of pivot slots and each of the plurality of arms of the release slide includes a cutout, the communications module further comprising:
a cam including two pivot posts configured to be received within the pivot slots and that define an axis of rotation with the pivot slots, the cam further including a plurality of cam legs that each extend in a direction substantially normal to the axis of rotation, each cam leg configured to be received by a corresponding cutout of the plurality of arms of the release slide;
a latch having a first end and a second end with the first end positioned above the cam, the first end configured to be displaced by the cam when the cam is rotated about the axis of rotation; and
a retaining cover configured to secure the latch to the communications module.
15. The communications module of claim 11, wherein the communications module is substantially compliant with the QSFP MSA or the CXP MSA.
16. An active cable comprising:
a communications cable comprising one or more optical fibers, the communications cable having first and second ends; and
first and second communications modules attached to the first and second ends of the communications cable, respectively, each communications module comprising:
a housing comprising a top shell and a bottom shell;
an integrated boot and release slide, the integrated boot and release slide comprising:
a release slide, the release slide including:
a main body including a hollow cylinder substantially enclosing at least a portion of one end of the bottom shell, the hollow cylinder having a substantially rectangular cross-section;
a plurality of arms extending from a first end of the main body along opposing sides of the housing; and
a plurality of coupling structures extending from a second end of the main body opposite the first end of the main body; and
a boot overmolded over the plurality of coupling structures of the release slide, the boot defining a cavity configured to slidably receive the communications cable.
17. The active cable of claim 16, wherein the cavity permits the boot to travel back and forth along a portion of the communications cable.
18. The active cable of claim 16, further comprising a plurality of springs, each disposed in a corresponding channel of the housing and configured to engage a corresponding tab formed in the release slide so as to bias the integrated boot and release slide in a non-activated position.
19. The active cable of claim 16, wherein each communications module is substantially compliant with the QSFP MSA or the CXP MSA.
20. The active cable of claim 16, wherein the communications cable comprises twelve optical fibers or twenty four optical fibers.