JP2004034752A - Suspension unit for automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a low-cost suspension unit easy to assemble for an automobile capable of obtaining high rigidity without using a stay for reinforcement, etc. <P>SOLUTION: In this unit, a tube material is bent into almost a U-shape or a channel-shape to form an arm member 11, a bearing 12 for journaling a vehicle body is fixed at the end part, a comparatively thick steel plate supporting plate 13 having a channel-shape in cross section is disposed to cover the vicinity 11a of a distal end of the arm member 11, and the plate 13 is welded 14 to the arm member 11. The unit can be manufactured to be far lighter at a lower cost as compared with a forged or cast unit. The unit can be manufactured at a far lower cost as compared with a steel plate press formed article divided into upper and lower sides and has higher rigidity. By bending the tube material into almost the U-shape or the channel-shape to form the arm member as compared with a preceding example, high rigidity can be obtained without using the stay, etc. to provide the suspension unit for the automobile having the easy assembling and the low cost. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a vehicle suspension unit.
[0002]
[Prior art]
For example, in a double wishbone type suspension device used for a passenger car or the like, as shown in FIG. 4, a forked upper arm 2 pivotally supported on a vehicle body 1 so as to be rotatable in the vertical direction of the vehicle, and the same as the arm 2 A knuckle arm 5 is rotatably supported in the front-rear direction of the vehicle between the ends of both arms 2, 4 of the lower arm 4, which is also bifurcated and supported by the cross member 3, and the wheel 6 is supported by the arm 5. ing. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 7 denotes a coil spring, and 8 denotes a shock absorber, which is suspended between supports 9 and 10 fixed to the vehicle body 1 and the lower arm 4, respectively.
[0003]
With this configuration, in the double wishbone type suspension apparatus, the vehicle body 1 is suspended by the coil spring 7 and the shock absorber 8, and the up and down movement of the wheel 6 and the turning of the wheel in the left and right directions, that is, the steering operation can be performed.
[0004]
In the double wishbone type suspension device, the upper arm 2 and the lower arm 4 as the suspension units are conventionally manufactured by forging or casting in order to secure rigidity necessary for responding to an impact during traveling of a vehicle and freedom of shape forming. However, this not only requires a great deal of labor and effort, but also increases weight and costs.
[0005]
In order to solve this problem, the upper arm 2 and the lower arm 4 are made of a steel sheet press-formed product which is divided into upper and lower parts instead of forging or casting, and the upper and lower parts are welded together. Since there are many steps, the productivity is low, the cost is increased, the reliability of welding is difficult to be secured, and the split welding position is liable to be a high stress portion.
[0006]
Therefore, as shown in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-76827, in a double wishbone type suspension device, a lower arm is formed using a pipe material, and a bracket made of a sheet metal material is fitted into the lower arm from above. And a shock absorber mounting shaft fixed to the lower arm via the bracket.
[0007]
With such a configuration, in the suspension device disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. H10-209, the suspension device can be manufactured at low cost without resorting to forging or casting that requires a great deal of labor and labor, and the shock absorber mounting shaft and its support rigidity are increased. It is going to be.
[0008]
However, in the structure disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. HEI 9-260, two pipe members having joints fixed to both ends are arranged in a "C" shape to constitute a lower arm, and the two members are attached to the bracket and the stay (round bar?). The rigidity of the lower arm alone has to be reduced because it is connected with something that looks like it. Further, it takes time and effort to weld the stay and the like to the pipe material, so that the weight may be reduced to some extent and the cost may not be reduced as expected.
[0009]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a low-cost automobile suspension unit that can achieve high rigidity without using the stay or the like and that is easy to assemble.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
An automobile suspension unit according to the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problems comprises an arm member formed by bending a pipe material into a substantially U-shape or a U-shape, and a body support bearing is fixed to an end of the arm member. A relatively thick steel support plate made of a steel sheet having a U-shaped cross section is disposed so as to cover the vicinity of the tip of the arm member, and this is welded to the arm member.
[0011]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In an automobile suspension unit of the present invention, an arm member 11 is formed by bending a tube into a substantially U-shape or a U-shape, and an end portion thereof is formed. A relatively thick-walled U-shaped steel plate supporting plate 13 is disposed so as to cover the vicinity 11 a of the tip of the arm member 11, and to weld it to the arm member 11. 14
[0012]
The embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described in more detail.
FIGS. 1 and 2 show an upper arm as an automobile suspension unit. As a pipe material used for the arm member 11, a square pipe such as a drawn steel pipe, a round pipe or a deformed pipe, or a deformed pipe obtained by pressing a round pipe or the like is used. (Shown as a square tube) is formed into a slightly open U-shape as shown in FIG. 1, and a vehicle body bearing 12 is fixed to the end.
[0013]
The deformed pipe is, for example, as shown by reference numeral 15 in FIG. 3. In this example, in order to avoid interference with other parts P, a portion corresponding to the outer lower surface when bent into a U-shape is formed as a slope 15a. It was done. When a deformed pipe is used as a suspension unit for an automobile, its cross-sectional shape can be various depending on the arrangement of surrounding devices and parts, and the cross-section can be changed according to the input state of force to the suspension unit. The weight can be reduced by selecting the shape.
[0014]
The support plate 13 is made of a relatively thick steel plate, has a U-shaped cross section having a flange 13 a, and a mountain shape in plan view, and matches the base end portion 13 b with the tip end portion 11 a of the arm member 11. . A hole 13c for mounting the knuckle arm or the like is formed on the upper surface near the tip of the support plate 13.
[0015]
When the upper arm as a suspension unit for an automobile of the present invention is formed, for example, a square pipe is bent into a predetermined shape and dimensions, and a body support bearing 12 is fixed to an end thereof by welding or the like to form an arm member 11. Then, the vicinity 13b of the base end of the support plate 11 is fitted from above onto the vicinity 11a of the tip of the arm member 11 so as to cover it, and the portion indicated by 14 in FIGS. 1 and 2 is welded.
[0016]
As a result, the arm member 11 and the support plate 13 are firmly connected and integrated, and can be sufficiently used as a highly rigid automobile suspension unit for a double wishbone type suspension device.
When a round tube is used as the tube material of the arm member 11, the shape of the inner surface (lower surface) near the base end 13b of the support plate 13 is naturally made to match the round tube. In the above embodiment, the upper arm has been described as an example of the arm member 11. However, the present invention is sufficiently applicable to a lower arm.
[0017]
【The invention's effect】
The vehicle suspension unit of the present invention is configured such that a pipe member is bent into a substantially U-shape or a U-shape to form an arm member, and a body support bearing is fixed to an end of the arm member, and the vicinity of the tip of the arm member is covered. A relatively thick-walled U-shaped steel plate supporting plate is provided and welded to the arm member, so that a tube is used for the arm member, so that it is manufactured by forging or casting. It can be manufactured at a much lower cost and at a much lower cost than that of a steel plate. Compared to the one described in Kaihei, by forming the arm member by bending the tube material into a substantially U-shape or a U-shape, high rigidity can be obtained without using the stay or the like, and a low-profile structure that is easy to assemble. Cost of car There is an effect of providing a scan pension unit.
[0018]
Furthermore, when a deformed pipe is used as the pipe material, it can be made to have a shape capable of avoiding interference with peripheral devices and parts while maintaining strength and rigidity, as well as weight reduction. There is also an effect that the cross-sectional shape can be selected according to the input state to reduce the weight.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an embodiment of the automotive suspension unit of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of FIG. 1; FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic front view of a double wishbone type suspension unit to which the automotive suspension unit of the present invention is applied.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Body 2 Upper arm 3 Cross member 4 Lower arm 5 Knuckle arm 6 Wheel 7 Coil spring 8 Shock absorber 9, 10 Supporting device 11 Arm member 12 Body bearing support 13 Support plate 14 Welding 15 Deformed pipe.

Claims (4)

An arm member is formed by bending a tube material into a substantially U-shape or a U-shape, and a body support bearing is fixed to an end of the arm member, and a relatively thick U-shaped cross section is formed so as to cover the vicinity of the tip of the arm member. A suspension unit for an automobile, comprising: a support plate made of a steel sheet according to any one of claims 1 to 3, and the support plate is welded to the arm member. The automotive suspension unit according to claim 1, wherein the tubular member has a circular cross section. The suspension unit for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein the pipe has a rectangular cross section. 2. The suspension unit for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein the pipe has an irregular cross section.

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