JP2004204859A - Damping force adjusting device for hydraulic shock absorber - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make an adjusting rod capable of adjusting an opening area of a bypass passage in a shock absorber to be operated to move freely forward and backward with a simple constitution and to adjust damping force gradually with operation feeling having moderation feeling in a damping force adjusting device for a hydraulic shock absorber. <P>SOLUTION: The damping force adjusting device 40 makes damping force adjustable by means of an adjuster device 50. An adjuster knob 52 is rotatably supported in a through-hole 51 provided on an installation member 14 by the adjuster device 50, and an external thread part 52A provided on part of an outer periphery of the adjuster knob 52 is screw-fitted in an internal thread part 51A provided on part of the through-hole 51. A spindle-shaped part 54 formed on a tip part of the adjuster knob 52 is brought into contact with a base end 42B of the adjusting rod 42, and resilient repulsive balls 60 loaded on the side of a mounting member 14 are allowed to be engaged with engaging parts 59 provided on a plurality of positions in a peripheral direction of the other part of the outer periphery of the adjuster knob 52 with rotation of the adjuster knob 52 by turns. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a damping force adjusting device for a hydraulic shock absorber.
[0002]
[Prior art]
As a damping force adjusting device for a hydraulic shock absorber, there is a device that makes it possible to adjust a damping force by an adjuster device as described in Patent Document 1. The adjuster device of Patent Document 1 is provided with a cap on a mounting member fixed to the shock absorber, rotatably supports the adjuster knob in a through hole provided in the cap, and includes a cam that rotates by engaging with the adjuster knob. The cam comes into contact with the proximal end of the adjusting rod so that the distal needle portion of the adjusting rod can adjust the opening area of the bypass passage in the shock absorber. In addition, the cap is provided with a plurality of pin insertion holes in which the resilient balls loaded in the adjuster knob are sequentially engaged, so that the adjuster knob can be set to any of the rotation operation positions with a sense of click accompanied by a click sound. .
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-9-14325 ([0024]-[0031], FIG. 8)
[0004]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the damping force adjusting device for a hydraulic shock absorber disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to provide a cap and a cam, so that the structure is complicated and the number of parts is large.
[0005]
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a damping force adjusting device for a hydraulic shock absorber, in which an adjusting rod that can adjust an opening area of a bypass flow passage in the shock absorber can be operated forward and backward with a simple configuration, and has a modest operation. The purpose is to adjust the damping force step by step.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a damping force adjusting device for a hydraulic shock absorber in which a damping force can be adjusted by an adjuster device, wherein the adjuster device rotatably supports the adjuster knob in a through hole provided in the mounting member. A male screw part provided on a part of the outer periphery of the adjusting screw is screwed into a female screw part provided on a part of the through-hole, and a conical part formed at the distal end of the adjuster knob contacts the base end of the adjustment rod, The spring ball loaded on the mounting member side can be sequentially engaged with the engagement portions provided at a plurality of other circumferential positions of another part of the outer periphery of the adjuster knob as the adjuster knob is rotated. is there.
[0007]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, an oil chamber is defined in a shock absorber by a piston supported by a hollow rod inserted into an inverted single-cylinder shock absorber, and the hollow rod can communicate with oil chambers on both sides of the piston. A mounting member fixed to the outer end of the hollow rod by forming a flow path, providing an adjusting rod in the hollow rod so as to be able to advance and retreat in the axial direction, enabling the opening area of the bypass flow path to be adjustable at the tip of the adjusting rod. And an adjuster device that abuts a base end of the adjustment rod and moves the adjustment rod in the axial direction. The damping force of the hydraulic shock absorber that enables the opening area of the bypass passage to be adjusted by the adjuster device In the adjusting device, the adjuster device rotatably supports the adjuster knob in a through hole provided in the mounting member, and a female screw provided in a part of the through hole with a male screw portion provided on a part of the outer periphery of the adjuster knob. Screwed into the adjuster knob, the conical portion formed at the distal end of the adjuster knob abuts the base end of the adjustment rod, and the engaging portion provided at a plurality of other circumferential positions of another part of the outer periphery of the adjuster knob, The spring ball loaded on the side of the mounting member can be sequentially engaged with the rotation of the adjuster knob.
[0008]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, each engaging portion provided on the outer periphery of the adjuster knob extends in the axial direction of the adjuster knob.
[0009]
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the outer periphery of the adjuster knob provided with each engagement portion is rotatably supported in a through hole of the mounting member. It is.
[0010]
[Action]
{Circle around (1)} The adjuster device has a simple configuration using an adjuster knob and a resilient ball, so that the damping force can be adjusted step by step with a sense of moderation.
(2) The above-mentioned (1) can be realized by an inverted single cylinder type shock absorber.
[0011]
(3) Since the engaging portion provided on the outer periphery of the adjuster knob for the resilient ball is extended in the axial direction of the adjuster knob, the engaging portion is always engaged even if the adjuster knob is moved in the axial direction by the rotation operation. The part can be engaged with a resilient ball.
[0012]
{Circle around (4)} The outer periphery of the adjuster knob provided with each engaging portion is rotatably supported in the through hole of the mounting member. Therefore, there is no need to provide a supported portion for rotation in the axial direction of the adjuster knob separately from the position where each engaging portion is provided, and the adjuster knob can be smoothly rotated while keeping the adjuster knob short and lightweight.
[0013]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
1 is a schematic diagram showing a hydraulic shock absorber, FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a damping force adjusting device, FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing an adjuster knob, FIG. 4 is an end view of FIG. 3, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing an example, and FIG. 6 is an end view of FIG.
[0014]
As shown in FIG. 1, the hydraulic shock absorber 10 is an inverted single-cylinder type, in which a cylinder 11 is arranged at an upper part, a piston rod 12 (hollow rod) is arranged at a lower part, and a piston rod 12 inserted into the cylinder 11 is provided. A piston-side oil chamber S1 and a rod-side oil chamber S2 are defined in the cylinder 11 by a piston 13 fixed to the insertion end.
[0015]
The cylinder 11 includes a vehicle body-side mounting member (not shown), and the piston rod 12 includes a wheel-side mounting member 14. A suspension spring (not shown) is interposed between the outer peripheral portion of the cylinder 11 and the outer peripheral portion of the piston rod 12 to absorb the impact force that the vehicle receives from the road surface.
[0016]
The cylinder 11 includes a rod guide 15 through which a piston rod 12 passes. The rod guide 15 includes an oil seal, a dust seal, and the like. The cylinder 11 has a compression-side bumper 16 outside the rod guide 15 and a bumper stopper 17 on the side of the piston rod 12, and regulates the maximum compression stroke by abutment between the compression-side bumper 16 and the bumper stopper 17. The cylinder 11 regulates the maximum extension stroke by abutment between the rod stopper 15 and the valve stopper 30A on the piston 13 side. A protection cylinder 18 extending to the outer periphery of the cylinder 11 is attached to the wheel-side mounting member 14 on the side of the piston rod 12.
[0017]
A free piston 21 is mounted on the side of the cylinder 11 on the side of the oil chamber S1. The free piston 21 is slidable in a liquid-tight manner on the inner periphery of the cylinder 11, and partitions the oil chamber S1 from the gas chamber S3. The gas chamber S3 is filled with gas from a gas supply hole closed by the plug 22.
[0018]
The hydraulic shock absorber 10 has a piston valve device 30. The damping force generated by the piston valve device 30 suppresses the expansion and contraction vibration of the hydraulic shock absorber 10 (the cylinder 11 and the piston rod 12) due to the absorption of the impact force by the suspension spring.
[0019]
The piston valve device 30 enables the piston 13 to slidably contact the cylinder 11 in a fluid-tight manner, and forms a pressure side flow path 31 (not shown) and an expansion side flow path 32 communicating the oil chamber S1 and the oil chamber S2 in the piston 13. The compression side flow path 31 (not shown) is provided with a compression side disk valve 31A, and the expansion side flow path 32 is provided with an expansion side disk valve 32A. When the hydraulic shock absorber 10 is compressed, a compression-side damping force is generated based on the bending deformation of the compression-side disk valve 31A, and when the hydraulic shock absorber 10 is extended, an expansion-side damping force is generated based on the bending deformation of the expansion-side disk valve 32A.
[0020]
The piston valve device 30 has a damping force adjusting device 40. The damping force adjusting device 40 forms a bypass flow passage 41 in the hollow portion of the piston rod 12 so that the oil chambers S1 and S2 on both sides of the piston 13 can communicate with each other. The adjusting rod 42 is inserted into the hollow portion of the piston rod 12 so as to be able to advance and retreat in the axial direction and in a liquid-tight manner via the O-ring 43, and the opening area of the bypass flow passage 41 can be adjusted with the tip needle 42 </ b> A in the adjusting rod 42. I do.
[0021]
In the piston valve device 30, an adjuster device 50 is installed on the above-described mounting member 14 fixed to the outer end of the piston rod 12. The adjuster device 50 comes into contact with the base end portion 42B of the adjustment rod 42 projecting from the hollow portion of the piston rod 12, moves the adjustment rod 42 in the axial direction, and reduces the opening area of the bypass flow passage 41 by the distal needle portion 42A. adjust. The adjusting rod 42 obtains an axial pressing force by the hydraulic pressure inside the cylinder 11 and comes into contact with an adjuster knob 52 of the adjuster device 50 which will be described later.
[0022]
As shown in FIG. 2, the adjuster device 50 has a through hole 51 (a hole crossing the hollow portion of the piston rod 12) provided in the mounting member 14 and a base end side of the outer periphery of the adjuster knob 52 (FIGS. 3 and 4). The supported part 53 provided in a part is rotatably supported, and the male screw part 52A provided in a part of the outer peripheral end of the adjuster knob 52 is provided in the female screw part 51A provided in a part of the through hole 51. A conical portion 54 formed at the distal end of the adjuster knob 52 is screwed into contact with the proximal end 42 </ b> B of the adjustment rod 42. In the present embodiment, the weight portion 54 forms a conical surface around the central axis of the adjuster knob 52, but is not limited to a linear cross-section including the central axis, but may be formed into a curved shape such as a hyperbolic shape. What you do.
[0023]
The adjuster device 50 includes a dial 55 at an end protruding outward from the through hole 51 of the adjuster knob 52, and the dial 55 is fixed with a set screw 56. An O-ring 57 is mounted on the outer periphery of the adjuster knob 52 adjacent to the supported portion 53 on the outer side, and the adjuster knob 52 slides in the through hole 51 through the O-ring 57 in a liquid-tight manner. A spring pin 58 protrudes from the inner periphery of the opening of the through hole 51 in the mounting member 14. Accordingly, the adjuster device 50 is screwed into the female screw portion 51A of the through hole 51 by a rotation operation applied to the dial 55, and spirally moves forward from the reference position regulated by the stopper 58 to move forward. 54 is pressed against the base end portion 42B of the adjustment rod 42, and the adjustment rod 42 is advanced and retracted in the axial direction.
[0024]
The adjuster device 50 includes a resilient spring loaded on the side of the mounting member 14 on a part of the outer periphery of the adjuster knob 52, in this embodiment, on engaging portions 59 provided at a plurality of circumferential positions of a portion where the supported portion 53 is provided. The balls 60 can be sequentially engaged with the rotation of the adjuster knob 52. In the adjuster device 50, a portion of the adjuster knob 52 where the supported portion 53 is provided is formed in a cylindrical shape, and the cylindrical outer peripheral surface is a supported portion 53 fitted into the through hole 51. The groove formed at the position is referred to as an engaging portion 59. In the adjuster knob 52, the supported portion 53 and the engaging portion 59 extend in the axial direction of the adjuster knob 52, and the length range in the axial direction is such that the male screw portion 52A of the adjuster knob 52 is formed by the female screw portion 51A of the through hole 51. Over the maximum movement length in the axial direction that is screwed in
[0025]
The resilient ball 60 is loaded in a hole 61 intersecting the through hole 51 provided in the mounting member 14, and is supported on the back by a spring pin 64 press-fitted into the hole 61 via a set spring 62 and an intermediate ball 63. It comes into contact with the cylindrical outer peripheral surface of the adjuster knob 52, and falls into and engages with the groove of the engaging portion 59 provided at a plurality of positions in the circumferential direction.
[0026]
In the adjuster device 50, the outer periphery of the adjuster knob 52 on which the engaging portions 59 are provided is a supported portion 53 rotatably supported in the through hole 51 of the mounting member 14.
[0027]
In the adjuster device 50, when the adjuster knob 52 is rotated clockwise to move forward, the weight 54 of the adjuster knob 52 pushes the base end portion 42B of the adjustment rod 42, and the distal end needle portion 42A of the adjustment rod 42 Reduces the opening area of the bypass flow passage 41 and increases the damping force. Conversely, when the adjuster knob 52 is rotated counterclockwise and retracted, the weight 54 of the adjuster knob 52 lowers the base end 42B of the adjustment rod 42, and the distal end needle 42A of the adjustment rod 42 To increase the opening area and decrease the damping force.
[0028]
In the adjuster device 50, in the process of the above-described rotation operation of the adjuster knob 52, the resilient ball 60 is sequentially pushed into each of the plurality of engaging portions 59 of the adjuster knob 52 in a state of being repelled by the set spring 62. Engages with a sense of moderation accompanied by a click sound. Thus, by setting the adjuster knob 52 to one of the rotational operation positions and setting the distal needle portion 42A of the adjustment rod 42 to a position corresponding to the rotational operation position, the bypass flow path 41 narrowed by the distal needle portion 42A The damping force based on the opening area of the opening can be adjusted stepwise.
[0029]
According to the present embodiment, the following operational effects can be obtained.
(1) The adjuster device 50 has a simple configuration using the adjuster knob 52 and the resilient ball 60, so that the damping force can be adjusted step by step with a sense of moderation.
(2) The above-mentioned (1) can be realized by the inverted single-cylinder shock absorber 10.
[0030]
(3) Since the engaging portion 59 for the resilient ball 60 provided on the outer periphery of the adjuster knob 52 extends in the axial direction of the adjuster knob 52, even if the adjuster knob 52 is moved in the axial direction by a rotation operation. At all times, the resilient ball 60 can be engaged with the engaging portion 59.
[0031]
{Circle around (4)} The outer periphery of the adjuster knob 52 on which the engaging portions 59 are provided is rotatably supported in the through hole 51 of the mounting member 14. Therefore, there is no need to provide the supported portion 53 for rotation in the axial direction of the adjuster knob 52 separately from the position where each engaging portion 60 is provided, and the adjuster knob 52 can be smoothly rotated while keeping the adjuster knob 52 short and light. .
[0032]
5 and 6 show modified examples of the adjuster knob 52. FIG. The difference between the adjuster knob 52 of this modification and the above-described adjuster knob 52 is that the portion where the supported portion 53 of the adjuster knob 52 is provided has a prismatic shape (a hexagonal prism shape in the present embodiment), and each of the outer peripheral surfaces of the prismatic shape has The corner portion (apex) is a supported portion 53 that is rotatably supported by being fitted into the through hole 51, and each surface (in the present embodiment, a flat surface) of the prismatic outer peripheral surface is a member for the resilient ball 60. The joining portion was 59. The supported portion 53 and the engaging portion 59 extend in the axial direction of the adjuster knob 52.
[0033]
In the course of the rotating operation of the adjuster knob 52, the resilient ball 60 sequentially engages with each of the plurality of engaging portions 59 of the adjuster knob 52 while being repelled by the set spring 62. Thus, by setting the adjuster knob 52 to one of the rotation operation positions and setting the distal needle portion 42A of the adjustment rod 42 to a position corresponding to the rotational operation position, the bypass flow passage 41 narrowed by the distal needle portion 42A is set. The damping force based on the opening area of the opening can be adjusted stepwise.
[0034]
The present invention can be applied to, for example, a damping force adjusting device for an upright double-cylinder hydraulic shock absorber.
[0035]
As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration of the present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and there may be a design change or the like without departing from the gist of the present invention. This is also included in the present invention.
[0036]
【The invention's effect】
ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, in the damping force adjustment apparatus of a hydraulic shock absorber, the adjustment rod which can adjust the opening area of the bypass flow path in the shock absorber can be advanced and retracted with a simple configuration, and the operation with a sense of moderation The damping force can be adjusted step by step.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a hydraulic shock absorber.
FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a damping force adjusting device.
FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing an adjuster knob.
FIG. 4 is an end view of FIG. 3;
FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing another example of the adjuster knob.
FIG. 6 is an end view of FIG. 5;
[Explanation of symbols]
10 hydraulic shock absorber 11 cylinder 12 piston rod (hollow rod)
13 Piston 14 Mounting Member 40 Damping Force Adjuster 41 Bypass Channel 42 Adjusting Rod 42A Tip Needle 42B Base End 51 Through Hole 52 Adjuster Knob 53 Supported Portion 54 Plummet 59 Engagement Ball 60 Resilient Ball

Claims (4)

In the damping force adjustment device of the hydraulic shock absorber that can adjust the damping force by the adjuster device,
An adjuster device rotatably supports the adjuster knob in a through hole provided in the mounting member, and screws an external thread provided on a part of the outer periphery of the adjuster knob into a female thread provided on a part of the through hole. The conical portion formed at the distal end of the adjuster knob abuts on the base end of the adjusting rod, and at the engaging portion provided at a plurality of circumferential positions on the other part of the outer periphery of the adjuster knob, on the side of the mounting member. A damping force adjusting device for a hydraulic shock absorber, wherein a loaded elastic ball can be sequentially engaged with rotation of the adjuster knob. An oil chamber is defined in the shock absorber by a piston supported by a hollow rod inserted in an inverted single-cylinder shock absorber,
Form a bypass flow passage that allows the oil chamber on both sides of the piston to communicate with the hollow rod,
An adjustment rod is provided in the hollow rod so as to be able to advance and retreat in the axial direction, and the opening area of the bypass flow passage can be adjusted at the tip of the adjustment rod,
An adjusting device is provided on a mounting member fixed to the outer end of the hollow rod, abuts against a base end of the adjusting rod, and moves the adjusting rod in the axial direction. The opening area of the bypass flow passage is adjusted by the adjusting device. In the damping force adjustment device of the hydraulic shock absorber that makes it possible to adjust
An adjuster device rotatably supports the adjuster knob in a through hole provided in the mounting member, and screws an external thread provided on a part of the outer periphery of the adjuster knob into a female thread provided on a part of the through hole. The conical portion formed at the distal end of the adjuster knob abuts on the base end of the adjusting rod, and at the engaging portion provided at a plurality of circumferential positions on the other part of the outer periphery of the adjuster knob, on the side of the mounting member. A damping force adjusting device for a hydraulic shock absorber, wherein a loaded elastic ball can be sequentially engaged with rotation of the adjuster knob. The damping force adjusting device for a hydraulic shock absorber according to claim 1 or 2, wherein each engagement portion provided on an outer periphery of the adjuster knob extends in an axial direction of the adjuster knob. The damping force adjusting device for a hydraulic shock absorber according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein an outer periphery of the adjuster knob provided with each engagement portion is rotatably supported in a through hole of the mounting member.

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