JP2002019656A - Assembly device for strut type suspension - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To avoid the interference of a strut A4 in a damper housing B2 or a body frame B1 in the lower part of the damper housing B2, and surely assemble a suspension assembly A to a car body. SOLUTION: A swing frame 4 capable of swinging on an axis line in the car length direction is fixed to a pallet 1 on which the suspension assembly A is placed, and a reference seat 5 receiving a wheel fixing member A1 and a clamp member 6 holding the strut A4 are installed on the swinging frame 4. In the state that the wheel fixing member A1 is fixed to the reference seat 5, the swinging axis line of the swinging frame 4 is made concentric with a pivoting part A3a of a knuckle A2 and the suspension arm A3, and by the swinging of the swinging frame 4, the attitude of the strut A4 is changed to a vertical attitude and an inward inclined attitude. At the beginning of rising of the pallet 1, the strut A4 is made vertical to avoid the interference to the damper housing B2 and the body frame, and after that, the strut A4 is made to incline inward, and the upper end A4b of the strut A4 is fit to a positioning hole B2a at the upper end of the damper housing B2.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a wheel mounting member,
A suspension assembly comprising a strut type suspension having a knuckle for supporting a wheel mounting member, a suspension arm pivotally attached to the knuckle, and a strut fixed to the knuckle, is connected to a subframe via the suspension arm. The present invention relates to a strut type suspension assembling device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this type of assembling apparatus, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-222983, a pallet on which a suspension assembly is mounted is provided, and a subframe is positioned and supported on the pallet. A supporting member, a biasing member for biasing and supporting the suspension arm in a substantially horizontal posture, and a strut clamp member are provided, and the strut is gripped by the clamp member so as to be in a predetermined posture, and in this state, the pallet is moved to the vehicle body. Is mounted on a vehicle body by ascending the suspension assembly from a lower position of the vehicle.

[0003]

Incidentally, the struts are generally arranged in an inwardly inclined position which is inclined upward and inward in the vehicle width direction. When the damper housing provided on the vehicle body is formed in an overhanging shape in which the upper housing portion is offset inward in the vehicle width direction with respect to the lower housing portion, the strut is inclined inward by the above-described conventional clamp member. If the pallet is lifted in this state while being gripped, the struts interfere with the damper housing and the vehicle body frame below the damper housing, and the suspension cannot be assembled.

[0004] In view of the above, it is an object of the present invention to provide a strut-type suspension assembling apparatus capable of avoiding strut interference with a damper housing and a vehicle body frame.

[0005]

Means for Solving the Problems In order to solve the above problems,
The present invention relates to a strut type suspension having a wheel mounting member, a knuckle for supporting the wheel mounting member, a suspension arm pivotally attached to the knuckle, and a strut fixed to the knuckle, connected to a subframe via a suspension arm. An apparatus for assembling a suspension assembly comprising: a pallet on which a suspension assembly is mounted; and a support member for positioning and supporting a subframe on the pallet. A swing frame that is swingable around the axis is mounted, and a reference seat for receiving the wheel mounting member and a clamp member for gripping the strut are provided on the swing frame, and the wheel mounting member is seated on the reference seat. The axis is concentric with the pivot between the knuckle and the suspension arm

According to the present invention, the strut is swung in the vehicle width direction around the pivotal joint between the knuckle and the suspension arm while the strut is held by the clamp member by the swing of the swing frame, and the posture of the strut is adjusted. Changes. And, when the damper housing provided on the vehicle body is of an overhang shape, the pallet is initially raised with the strut in an upright posture, and the strut is in an inclined position when the upper half of the strut is inserted into the damper housing, By further raising the pallet in this state, the suspension assembly can be assembled to the vehicle body without causing struts to interfere with the damper housing and the vehicle body frame. Further, according to the present invention, the suspension assembly can be mounted on the vehicle body with the wheel mounting member positioned at a predetermined position defined by the reference seat, and the mounting accuracy is improved.

[0007]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a pallet on which a suspension assembly A on the front side of a vehicle is mounted. The pallet 1 is lifted from a position below the vehicle body by a lifter (not shown). Attach suspension assembly A to

The suspension assembly includes a brake disk A1 as a wheel mounting member including a hub portion A1a for fixing wheels and a brake disk portion A1b, a knuckle A2 for supporting the brake disk A1 and a lower end of the knuckle A2. A suspension arm A3 pivotally connected via a ball joint A3a and a knuckle A2 at the lower end
Left and right strut-type front suspensions having a strut A4 fixed to the engine (not shown)
Are mounted on each side of the sub-frame A5 in the vehicle width direction via a suspension arm A3. In the drawings, only the suspension assembly A and one half of the pallet 1 are shown.

The pallet 1 is provided with a plurality of support members 2 (only one support member is shown in the figure) for positioning and supporting the sub-frame A5. Pallet 1
A bracket 3 projecting outward is fixed to each side in the vehicle width direction, and a swing frame 4 that can swing around an axis in the vehicle length direction is attached to the bracket 3. A reference seat 5 for receiving the brake disc A1 and a suspension spring A having a strut A4 extrapolated on the swing frame 4 are provided.
Clamp member 6 gripped in a portion below 4a
Are provided.

As shown in FIG. 2, the swing frame 4 is supported on the bracket 3 by a support shaft 4a on the axis, and is swung about the support shaft 4a by a cylinder 4b attached to the bracket 3. You. The reference seat 5 is formed of a block having an arc-shaped depression 5a formed at the upper end. The lower half outer peripheral surface of the hub portion A1a of the brake disk A1 is seated in the depression 5a, and the disk portion A1b of the brake disk A1.
The outer surface of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction is brought into contact with the inner surface of the reference seat 5 in the vehicle width direction so that the brake disc A1 can be positioned three-dimensionally. Then, the position of the brake disc A1 with respect to the subframe A5 defined by the reference seat 5 is set at a position corresponding to a case where a slight load is applied to the suspension in the vertical direction, for example, a load of about 1/10 of the vehicle weight is applied. In addition, the rubber bush provided at the connecting portion A3b between the suspension arm A3 and the sub-frame A5 in the vehicle width direction is set at a position where it is slightly compressed inward in the vehicle width direction, and the disk portion A1b is formed by the compression reaction force of the rubber bush. And the side surfaces of the reference seat 5 are securely brought into close contact with each other, so that the positioning accuracy of the brake disc A1 by the reference seat 5 is ensured.

The clamp member 6 includes a fixed clamp piece 6a.
And a movable clamp piece 6c that is opened and closed by a cylinder 6b. A V-shaped grip 6d is formed on the movable clamp piece 6c, and the strut A4 is fixed to the fixed clamp piece 6a.
The movable clamp piece 6c is centered and can be gripped. On the swing frame 4, a swing arm 7 which is swung by a cylinder 7a about a support shaft 7b parallel to the support shaft 4a is erected, and a clamp member 6 is provided on an upper end of the swing arm 7. To allow the clamp member 6 to be movable between an inner operating position and an outer relief position in the vehicle width direction. When the brake disc A1 is at the position defined by the reference seat 5, the clamp member 6 is moved to the operating position. Thus, the strut A4 can be gripped by the clamp member 6.

The position of the support shaft 4a of the swing frame 4 is such that when the brake disk A1 is at the position defined by the reference seat 5, the axis of the support shaft 4a is a pivotal connection between the knuckle A2 and the suspension arm A3. It is set to be concentric with the ball joint A3a. Thus, according to the swing of the swing frame 4, the strut A4 is swung in the vehicle width direction around the ball joint A3a while being held by the clamp member 6, and the posture of the strut A4 changes. And
When the swing frame 4 is in the horizontal position, the strut A4 is in an incline position in which the strut A4 is inclined upward and inward in the vehicle width direction, and the swing frame 4 is inclined downward and outward in the vehicle width direction. When the posture is set, the strut A4 is set to a substantially vertical upright posture.

Referring to FIG. 3, the vehicle body is provided with a damper housing B2 having a lower edge coupled to a front side frame B1. The damper housing B2 is formed in an overhang shape in which the upper portion is offset inward in the vehicle width direction with respect to the lower portion. A strut positioning hole B2a is formed in the ceiling of the damper housing B2.
And a plurality of mounting holes around the strut A
A tapered guide cap A4b mounted on the upper end of 4 via a rubber bush is fitted into the positioning hole B2a, and a plurality of bolts A4c planted in the flange at the lower end of the guide cap A4b are inserted through the mounting hole. Like that.

When assembling the suspension assembly A to the vehicle body B, after placing the suspension assembly A on the pallet 1, first, the clamp member 6 is moved from the relief position shown in FIG. Then, the swing frame 4 is swung from the horizontal position to the inclined position to change the strut A4 to the upright position as shown in FIG. 3 (A). Raise as shown in B). And strut A
When the pallet 1 is lifted to a position where the upper half of the pallet 4 is inserted into the damper housing B2, the swing frame 4 is swung back to the horizontal posture, and the strut A4 is tilted inward as shown in FIG. With the posture, the guide gap A4b at the upper end of the strut A4 faces the position below the positioning hole B2a. Then, in this state, the pallet 1 is raised to the position shown in FIG. 3D where the tip of the guide cap A4b is inserted into the positioning hole B2a, where the strut A4 is released and the clamp member 6 is released. Go to
Thereafter, the pallet 1 is further raised as shown in FIG. 3 (E), and the sub-frame A5 is abutted against a sub-frame fixing portion (not shown) of the vehicle body. At this time, guide cap A
4b is guided by the tapered portion and fits into the positioning hole B2a, and the bolt A4c is also inserted through the mounting hole. And
In this state, the subframe A5 is bolted to the vehicle body, and a nut is fastened to the bolt A4c from above to fasten the guide cap A4b to the ceiling portion of the damper housing B2. Complete the work.

By the way, if the strut A4 is kept in an inclined position from the beginning of the lifting of the pallet 1, the upper part of the strut A4 interferes with the front side frame B1 located at the lower part of the damper housing B2, and the suspension assembly A is moved to the vehicle body B. However, by setting the strut A4 in the upright posture at first, interference of the strut A4 with the front side frame B1 can be avoided. Further, since the suspension assembly A is mounted on the vehicle body B while the brake disk A1 for mounting the wheels is held at a predetermined position defined by the reference seat 5, the mounting accuracy can be ensured.

[0016]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the present invention, the suspension assembly can be accurately and reliably assembled to the vehicle body by avoiding the interference of the strut with the damper housing and the vehicle body frame. it can.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view of a pallet of a device of the present invention as viewed from a vehicle length direction.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a swing frame portion of the pallet.

FIGS. 3A to 3E are process diagrams showing a procedure for assembling a suspension assembly to a vehicle body;

[Explanation of symbols]

A1 Brake disc (wheel mounting member) A2
Knuckle A3 Suspension arm A4
Strut A5 Subframe B2
Damper housing 1 Pallet 2
Supporting member 4 Swing frame 5
Reference seat 6 Clamp member

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A strut type suspension having a wheel mounting member, a knuckle for supporting the wheel mounting member, a suspension arm pivotally mounted on the knuckle, and a strut fixed to the knuckle, is connected to the subframe via the suspension arm. A device for assembling a suspension assembly comprising: a pallet on which a suspension assembly is mounted; and a support member for positioning and supporting a subframe on the pallet. A state in which a swing frame that is swingable around the axis of the wheel is mounted, a reference seat for receiving the wheel mounting member, and a clamp member for gripping the strut is provided on the swing frame, and the wheel mounting member is seated on the reference seat. So that the axis is concentric with the pivot between the knuckle and the suspension arm Assembling device of a strut type suspension, characterized in that.