JP2002316665A - Car body side mounting structure of shock absorber - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reliably and effectively suppress the deformation of a car body member without increasing a weight by devising a car body member shape at a region whereto an upper end of a shock absorber is fixed. SOLUTION: In this car body side mounting structure of a shock absorber, the car body member 18 is interposed between an upper side vibration control body 50 and a lower side vibration control body 32 which are engaged with an upper end of a rod 16 of the shock absorber 10. A portion whereto an upward load acts from the body 32 of the member 18 forms a protrusion 26 protruding upward to a flat part 24 around the portion. The protrusion 26 is formed of a conic part 26A and a flat part 26B. The area of a load transfer region from the body 50 to the member 18 is smaller than that from the body 32 to the member 18.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a shock absorber incorporated in a suspension of a vehicle such as an automobile, and more particularly, to a structure for mounting a shock absorber on a vehicle body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a vehicle such as an automobile, generally, a shock absorber is attached to a vehicle body via a vibration isolator at an upper end, and is pivotally connected to a suspension member such as a suspension arm at a lower end. I have. As one of the mounting structures of the shock absorber on the vehicle body side, for example, as described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-95262, an annular upper vibration isolator arranged to be fitted to the upper end of the shock absorber 2. Description of the Related Art A vehicle-body-side mounting structure in which a vehicle body member is sandwiched between a vehicle body and a lower vibration isolator is conventionally known.

According to such a mounting structure, for example, the upper end of the shock absorber is inserted from below into the lower vibration isolator, the vehicle body member, and the upper vibration isolator, and a nut is screwed into the upper end of the shock absorber and tightened. Since the upper end of the shock absorber can be attached to the vehicle body member via two vibration insulators, a bush device (upper support) is attached to the upper end of the shock absorber, and the bush device is mounted on the vehicle body with a plurality of bolts and nuts. The upper end of the shock absorber can be easily and efficiently attached to the vehicle body member as compared with the case where the structure is fixed to the member.

[0004]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional mounting structure of the shock absorber on the vehicle body, the upper end of the shock absorber is mounted via an upper vibration isolator and a lower vibration isolator or a bush device. Since the mounting area of the vehicle body member is flat, the axial force of the shock absorber accompanying the bounce and rebound of the wheel is input to the vehicle body member through the lower vibration isolator and the like, so that the vehicle body member is easily deformed. There is.

In order to prevent the deformation of the vehicle body member, it is conceivable to increase the thickness of the vehicle body member or to reinforce the vehicle body member with a reinforcing member. Can be done, but it increases the weight of the vehicle,
Further, deformation of the vehicle body member cannot always be effectively prevented.

The present invention relates to a conventional shock absorber-side mounting structure in which a vehicle body member is sandwiched between an upper vibration isolator and a lower vibration isolator disposed at the upper end of a shock absorber. The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and a main object of the present invention is to improve the shape of a vehicle body member in a region where an upper end of a shock absorber is attached, thereby preventing an increase in weight. An object is to reliably and effectively reduce deformation of a vehicle body member.

[0007]

According to the present invention, the main object described above is the structure of claim 1, namely, the upper vibration isolator and the lower vibration isolator arranged at the upper end of the shock absorber. A structure in which the shock absorber is mounted on the vehicle body side between which the vehicle body member is clamped, and a portion of the vehicle body member receiving a load from the lower vibration isolator has a convex portion protruding upward with respect to the periphery thereof. Wherein the area of a load transmission area from the upper vibration isolator to the vehicle body member is smaller than the area of a load transmission area from the lower vibration isolator to the vehicle body member. Achieved by

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the portion of the vehicle body member receiving the load from the lower vibration isolator has a convex portion protruding upward with respect to the periphery thereof. The deformation of the vehicle body member due to the axial force of the shock absorber is reduced as compared with the case where the mounting area of the vehicle body member to which is mounted is flat, and is given to the vehicle body member via the upper vibration isolator from the upper end of the shock absorber. Corresponding to the load being smaller than the load applied to the vehicle body member via the lower vibration isolator, the area of the load transmission area from the upper vibration isolator to the vehicle body member extends from the lower vibration isolator to the vehicle body member Since the area is smaller than the area of the load transmitting area, the size of the upper vibration isolator can be reduced as compared with the case where the areas of these load transmitting areas are substantially the same.

According to the present invention, in order to effectively achieve the above-mentioned main object, in the structure of the first aspect, the upper end of the convex portion of the vehicle body member is substantially flat. The vehicle body member is configured to receive a load from the upper vibration isolator at the flat upper end (the configuration of claim 2).

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the upper end of the convex portion of the vehicle body member is substantially flat, and the vehicle body member receives a load from the upper vibration isolator at the flat upper end. The area of the load transmission area from the upper vibration isolator to the vehicle body member is reduced from the lower vibration isolator to the vehicle body member while the deformation is efficiently transmitted from the body to the convex portion of the vehicle body member while reliably reducing the deformation of the vehicle body member. Thus, it is possible to surely make the area smaller than the area of the load transmitting region.

[0011]

According to a preferred aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the first aspect, the convex portion of the vehicle body member is configured to be conical (preferred aspect 1).

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, in the configuration of the preferred embodiment 1, the conical convex portion is substantially formed when the wheel is at the neutral position in the bounding and rebounding directions. It is configured to extend along the axis of the shock absorber (preferred embodiment 2).

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, in the configuration of the above preferred embodiment 1 or 2, a support member for the upper vibration isolator is provided between the upper vibration isolator and the convex portion of the vehicle body member. Are arranged, and a load is transmitted from the upper vibration isolator to the convex portion via the support member (preferred embodiment 3).

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, in the configuration of the above-described preferred embodiment 3, the support member is configured to form an upwardly open conical shape (preferred embodiment 4).

According to another preferred aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of claim 2, a support member for the upper vibration isolator is disposed between the upper vibration isolator and the projection. The lower end of the support member is configured to be flat (preferred embodiment 5).

According to another preferred embodiment of the present invention, in the configuration of the above-mentioned preferred embodiment 5, the flat portion at the upper end of the projection and the flat portion of the support member have substantially the same size. (Preferred embodiment 6).

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing one embodiment of a structure for mounting a shock absorber on a vehicle body side according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an explanatory view schematically showing the relationship between the shock absorber and the vehicle body member of the embodiment shown in FIG. In FIG. 1, hatching indicating the cross section of the member is omitted for the purpose of simplifying the illustration. The phantom line in FIG. 1 indicates the vehicle body member in the conventional mounting structure in which the upper end of the shock absorber is mounted on the vehicle body member by a plurality of bolts and nuts via a bush device.

In these figures, reference numeral 10 denotes a shock absorber extending along an axis 12, and the shock absorber 10 includes a cylinder 14 and a piston (not shown) which reciprocally fits in the cylinder. The rod portion 16 of the piston extends upward with respect to the cylinder 14. As shown schematically in FIG. 2, the shock absorber 10 is disposed below the vehicle body member 18, is attached to the vehicle body member 18 at the upper end of the rod portion 16 by the mounting structure of the present invention, and is mounted at the lower end. Connected to a wheel support member, not shown, or pivotally attached to a suspension arm.

The vehicle body member 18 has a convex portion 26 projecting upward with respect to the surrounding flat portion 24. The convex portion 26 has a conical portion 26A.
And a flat portion 26B integral with the tip of the conical portion and perpendicular to the axis of the conical portion. The flat portion 26B is provided with a hole for receiving the upper end of the rod portion 16 through a cylindrical collar 28. I have. The cone 26A extends along the axis 12 of the shock absorber 10 when a wheel (not shown) is in a neutral position in the bounding and rebounding directions.

An upper retainer 30 for a lower vibration isolator having a hole for receiving the collar 28 in a loosely fitted state in the conical portion 26A and the flat portion 26B is brought into contact with the lower surfaces of the conical portion 26A and the flat portion 26B. The lower end of the upper retainer 30 is fixed by welding, and has a substantially cylindrical shape extending downward. On the lower surface of the retainer 30, the upper end of a lower vibration isolator 32 made of rubber or a rubber-like product is fixed by vulcanization bonding or the like.

The rod portion 16 has an enlarged diameter portion 34, and a lower retainer 36 for the lower vibration isolator 32 is fitted to the rod portion 16 above the enlarged diameter portion 34. The lower retainer 36 is sandwiched between the enlarged diameter portion 34 and the lower end of the collar 28 at the inner peripheral portion, and abuts on the lower peripheral portion of the lower vibration isolator 32 at the upper surface. A gap is set between the lower retainer 36 and the outer periphery of the lower end of the lower vibration isolator 32. A contact member 38 provided on the upper end of the cylinder 14 is provided on the lower surface of the lower retainer 36.
The upper end of the bound stopper 40 cooperating with the above is fixed by vulcanization bonding or the like.

A flange portion 42A at the upper end of the dust boot 42 is fixed to the lower surface of the flat portion 24 of the vehicle body member 18 by vulcanization bonding or the like, and the dust boot 42 is positioned around the bound stopper 40 from the upper end of the cylinder 14. Also extend down. The cylinder 14 has a spring seat 44
Are fixed by welding, and a suspension spring 46 extending substantially along the axis 12 is elastically mounted between the spring seat 44 and the flange portion 42A of the dust boot 42.

A lower retainer 48 for the upper vibration isolator is disposed above the convex portion 26 of the vehicle body member 18 and is loosely fitted to the rod portion 16. In the illustrated embodiment, the lower retainer 48 has an upwardly open conical portion and a flat portion that is integral with the lower end of the conical portion.
8 is fixed by welding or the like in a state of contact with the flat portion 26B. In the illustrated embodiment, the lower retainer 4
The diameter of the flat portion 8 is set substantially equal to the diameter of the flat portion 26B. The lower surface of an upper vibration isolator 50 made of rubber or a rubber-like product is fixed to the upper surface of the lower retainer 48 by vulcanization bonding or the like, and the upper vibration isolator 50 is fitted to the collar 28.

The upper end of the rod portion 16 is fitted with an upper retainer 52 having a substantially annular plate shape.
8 and the upper surface of the upper vibration isolator 50. A nut 54 is screwed into the upper end of the rod portion 16 above the upper retainer 52, and the upper retainer 52 is clamped between the nut 54 and the collar 28 at an inner peripheral portion thereof, whereby the collar 28 is attached to the upper retainer. 52 and the lower retainer 36.

In the illustrated embodiment, the vehicle body 18
Is fitted in a hole 58 provided in a vehicle body member 56 defining a wheel house, extends around the hole 58 in a state of being overlapped with the vehicle body member 56, and is fixed to the vehicle body member 56 by welding. I have. Thus, the conical portion 26A of the vehicle body member 18
Is reinforced by the upper retainer 30, and the flat portion 26B is reinforced by the upper retainer 30 and the lower retainer 48. The flat portion 24 around the conical portion 26A is reinforced by the vehicle body member 56, and the flange portion 4 of the dust boot 42
By receiving the upper end of the suspension spring 46 via 2A, it functions as an upper spring seat.

On the inboard side of the lower end of the body member 56, a side member 60 extending in the vehicle front-rear direction is provided. In particular, in the illustrated embodiment, the side member 60
Is an inboard side member 62 having a U-shaped cross section opened in the outboard direction, and a flat outboard side member 6 fixed to the flange portion of the inboard side member 62 by welding.
4 and the lower end of the body member 56 is
Is fixed to the upper edge of the outboard side member 64 by welding.

A substantially plate-shaped reinforcing member 66 is provided on the inboard side of the portion 56A of the vehicle body member 56 extending substantially in the vertical direction. The reinforcing member 66 is welded at the upper end to the upper edge of the portion 56A of the vehicle body member 56, and is welded at the lower end to the upper edge of the inboard-side wall of the inboard-side member 62. Seen in section, portion 56A, upper side of inboard side member 62, reinforcing member 6
6 cooperate with each other to form a triangle. Reinforcing member 6
6 may be provided with corrugated plate-shaped protrusions or depressions extending vertically.

When the upper end of the shock absorber 10 is mounted on the vehicle body member 18 by the vehicle body mounting structure according to the present invention configured as described above, first, the lower retainer 3 is mounted.
The lower retainer 36 and the bound stopper 40 fixed to the lower retainer 36 are fitted to the rod portion 16 such that the inner peripheral portion of the rod 6 contacts the enlarged diameter portion 34 of the rod portion 16, and the lower retainer 36 is loosely fitted to the shock absorber 10. In this state, the suspension spring 46 is placed on the spring seat 44.

Next, the collar 28 is inserted into the holes of the upper vibration isolator 50, the vehicle body member 18, and the lower vibration isolator 32,
6 is inserted into the collar 28 from below, and the upper end of the suspension spring 46 contacts the flange 42A of the dust boot 42 until the inner periphery of the lower end of the lower vibration isolator 32 contacts the upper surface of the lower retainer 36. At the same time, the suspension spring 46 is compressed and deformed between the flange portion 42A and the spring seat 44.

Next, the upper surface of the upper vibration isolator 50 and the collar 2
8 so that the upper retainer 52 is in contact with the upper end of the rod portion 1.
6 and a nut 54
Is screwed in, and the nut 54 is tightened with a predetermined tightening torque, whereby the flat portion 26 </ b> B of the convex portion 26 of the vehicle body member 18 is clamped between the retainers 48 and 30.

As is well known, an upward axial force acts on the shock absorber 10 when a wheel (not shown) bounces, so that the convex portion 26 of the vehicle body member 18 has a retainer 36 lower than the rod portion 16, An upward force acts via the lower vibration isolator 32 and the upper retainer 30,
An upward force acts on the flat portion 24 of the vehicle body member 18 via the suspension spring 46 and the flange portion 42A of the dust boot 42.

When a wheel (not shown) rebounds, a downward axial force acts on the shock absorber 10, so that an upward force acting on the flat portion 24 by the suspension spring 46 decreases, and the rod portion 16 A downward force acts on the convex portion 26 of the vehicle body member 18 via the upper retainer 52, the upper vibration isolator 50, and the lower retainer 48. Generally, the downward axial force acting on the shock absorber 10 when the wheel rebounds is lower than the upward axial force acting on the shock absorber 10 when the wheel bounces.

According to the illustrated embodiment, the upper vibration isolator 50
The vehicle body member 18 that supports the upper end of the rod portion 16 of the shock absorber 10 via the lower vibration isolator 32 has a convex portion 26 that protrudes upward in a conical shape with respect to the surrounding flat portion 24. Since the conical portion 26A and the flat portion 26B carry the upward force received from the shock absorber 10, the vehicle body member to which the upper end of the shock absorber is connected is compared as shown by the phantom line in FIG. In comparison with the conventional shock absorber body-side mounting structure having a wide and flat mounting area, the amount of deformation of the body member 18, particularly the convex portion 26, due to the axial force of the shock absorber 10 is reduced, whereby the wheel The vertical displacement of the upper end of the shock absorber 10 due to the bounce and the rebound can be reduced, and the steering stability of the vehicle can be improved.

According to the illustrated embodiment, the downward force received from the shock absorber 10 is applied to the upper retainer 5.
2, the convex portion 2 via the upper vibration isolator 50 and the lower retainer 48
6 is transmitted to the flat portion 26B.
For example, the area of the load transmission area from the upper vibration isolator 50 to the vehicle body member 18 is reduced in comparison with the case where the downward force received from the shock absorber 10 is also transmitted to the conical portion 26A of the projection 26. The area of the load transmission region extending from the vibration body 32 to the vehicle body member 18 can be made smaller, so that the upper vibration isolator 50 located above the vehicle body member 18 can be formed.
Can be reduced in size (diameter).

When the convex portion is provided on the vehicle body member 18 so as to protrude downward, the height of the flat portion of the vehicle body member 18 corresponding to the flat portion 24 must be increased. According to the embodiment, the convex portion 26 of the vehicle body member 18 is provided.
Projecting upward, the flat portion 24 can be set low, and the vehicle interior space can be enlarged accordingly.

In particular, according to the illustrated embodiment, the lower retainer 48 of the upper vibration isolator 50 has a dish shape that is open upward, so that the upper vibration isolator 50 that is sufficient to ensure vibration isolation is provided. While ensuring the size, the lower retainer 4 for the convex portion 26 is formed.
8 can be reduced, thereby reducing the size of the flat portion 26B of the convex portion 26 and reducing the size of the flat portion 26B.
Can be reduced.

According to the illustrated embodiment, the upper retainer 30 for the lower vibration isolator 32 extends along the lower surface of the convex portion 26 and is welded to the lower portion, thereby forming the convex portion 26.
Are reinforced by the upper retainer 30, and the flat portion of the lower retainer 48 of the upper vibration isolator 50 extends along the flat portion 26B of the convex portion 26 and is welded to the flat portion 26B. Is reinforced by the flat portion of the lower retainer 48, whereby the upper retainer 30 is
Alternatively, the deformation of the projection 26 can be effectively reduced as compared with the case where the lower retainer 48 is not fixed to the projection 26.

According to the illustrated embodiment, the vehicle body member 5
6, a substantially plate-like reinforcing member 66 is provided on the inboard side of the portion 56A extending substantially in the vertical direction, and the reinforcing member 64 is provided at the upper end with the portion 56A of the vehicle body member 56.
And the lower end is welded to the upper edge of the inboard-side wall portion of the inboard-side member 62, so that the shock absorber 10 has a lower strength than when the reinforcing member 66 is not provided. It is possible to reduce the inclination deformation of the body members 18 and 56 due to the axial force and the amount of movement of the upper end of the shock absorber 10 in the vertical and horizontal directions due to the axial force, thereby also improving the steering stability of the vehicle. it can.

Further, as shown in FIG.
In the case of the conventional reinforcing structure in which the thick reinforcing member 68 is fixed to the lower surfaces of the body members 56 and 56, the inclination deformation of the body members 18 and 56 cannot be effectively reduced in spite of the increase in weight. On the other hand, according to the illustrated embodiment, when viewed in a vertical cross section along the vehicle lateral direction, the portion 56A, the inboard side member 6
The upper side 2 and the reinforcing member 66 cooperate with each other to form a triangle and form a kind of truss structure. Therefore, it is possible to effectively reduce the inclination deformation of the body members 18 and 56 while suppressing an increase in weight. Can be.

In the above, the present invention has been described in detail with respect to a specific embodiment. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various other embodiments are included in the scope of the present invention. It will be clear to those skilled in the art that is possible.

For example, in the above embodiment, the diameter of the flat portion of the lower retainer 48 for the upper vibration isolator 50 is set to be substantially the same as the diameter of the flat portion 26B of the convex portion 26. However, these diameters may be different from each other,
In particular, the diameter of the flat portion of the lower retainer 48 may be set to be larger than the diameter of the flat portion 26B of the convex portion 26.

In the above-described embodiment, the lower retainer 48 for the upper vibration isolator 50 has a dish shape that is open upward, but the lower retainer 48 has a flat portion 26B and at least a conical portion. It is formed so as to extend along the upper end portion of 26A, whereby the downward force from the shock absorber 10 is applied to the flat portion 26B of the convex portion 26 and the conical portion 26A via the retainer 48 below the upper vibration isolator 50. It may be configured to be transmitted to a part.

Further, in the above embodiment, the lower retainer 48 for the upper vibration isolator 50 and the upper retainer 30 for the lower vibration isolator 32 are fixed to the projection 26 by welding. At least one of the side retainer 48 and the upper retainer 30 may be configured to contact the convex portion 26 without being welded.

[0045]

As is apparent from the above description, according to the structure of the first aspect of the present invention, the shock absorber is provided with a flat area in which the upper end of the shock absorber is mounted. The deformation of the vehicle body member due to the axial force of the vehicle body is surely reduced, whereby the vertical movement of the upper end of the shock absorber due to the deformation of the vehicle body member can be reduced, and the steering stability of the vehicle can be improved. The area of the load transmission area from the body to the vehicle body member is smaller than the area of the load transmission area from the lower vibration isolator to the vehicle body member, so that the area of these load transmission areas is substantially the same. The size of the upper vibration isolator can be reduced by applying a load applied to the vehicle body member via the upper vibration isolator from the upper end of the shock absorber and applied to the vehicle body member via the lower vibration isolator. Can be set small size of the upper isolator in response to the magnitude relation of the load applied.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the upper end of the convex portion of the vehicle body member is substantially flat, and the vehicle body member receives a load from the upper vibration isolator at the flat upper end. It is possible to efficiently transmit the vibration from the vibration body to the convex portion of the vehicle body member, and to reduce the deformation of the vehicle body member while increasing the area of the load transmission area from the upper vibration isolator to the vehicle body member from the lower vibration isolator. It is possible to surely make the area smaller than the area of the load transmission area reaching the vehicle body member.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing one embodiment of a structure for mounting a shock absorber on a vehicle body side according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory view schematically showing a relationship of a shock absorber to a vehicle body member of the embodiment shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view schematically showing a relationship of a shock absorber to a vehicle body member in a conventional structure for mounting a shock absorber on a vehicle body side.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Shock absorber 16 ... Rod 18 ... Body member 26 ... Convex part 30 ... Upper retainer 32 ... Lower vibration isolator 36 ... Lower retainer 46 ... Suspension spring 48 ... Lower retainer 50 ... Upper vibration isolator 52 ... Upper retainer 60 ... side member 66 ... reinforcement member

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A shock absorber having a vehicle body-side mounting structure in which a vehicle body member is sandwiched between an upper vibration isolator and a lower vibration isolator disposed at an upper end of the shock absorber. The portion receiving the load from the side vibration isolator has a convex portion protruding upward with respect to the periphery thereof, and the area of the load transmission area from the upper vibration isolator to the vehicle body member is smaller than the lower vibration isolator. The shock absorber is mounted on the vehicle body side, the area being smaller than the area of the load transmission area extending to the vehicle body member. 2. The vehicle body member according to claim 1, wherein an upper end of the convex portion of the vehicle body member is substantially flat, and the vehicle body member receives a load from the upper vibration isolator at the flat upper end. The mounting structure of the shock absorber on the vehicle body side.