JP2005106256A - Suspension - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a suspension easily adjusting vehicle height while utilizing the conventional screw adjustment type shock absorber as it is. <P>SOLUTION: A cylindrical facing member 11 to form a cylindrical space portion C whose upper part is opened, is attached to the periphery of a shock absorber 1 by screw joining, and a cylindrical piston 17 is mounted in the cylindrical space portion C. The lower end of a coil spring 4 is supported by the piston 17. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a suspension device for a vehicle.

Conventionally, a vehicle suspension device 44 having a structure as shown in FIG. 7 has been used. That is, a threaded portion 33 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder case (tube) 32 of the shock absorber (shock absorber) 31, and a spring lower tray 35 and a lock nut 36 that hold the coil spring 34 are screwed to the threaded portion 33. Was. The upper end of the rod portion 37 of the shock absorber 31 has a bearing portion 38 and a mounting plate 39, and the mounting plate 39 is mounted on the vehicle body side, while the lower end of the cylinder case (tube) 32 is mounted on the axle side. Have
The lower receiving tray 35 is configured to adjust the vehicle height by screwing back and forth with respect to the screw portion 33 of the cylinder case 32.

However, in the suspension device 44 having the structure shown in FIG. 7, in order to adjust the vehicle height, the vehicle is jacked up, the tire is removed, and the lower tray 35 is screwed back and forth (rotated) with a dedicated tool. The vertical position had to be adjusted, which required very troublesome work.
Therefore, the present inventors have proposed a suspension device as shown in FIG. 8 (see Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2).

That is, as shown in FIG. 8, the shock absorber 31 connects the vehicle body 41 and the axle 42, and the coil spring 34 and the air spring 43 are arranged in series to supply air to the air spring 43. The present inventors have already proposed a suspension device that can adjust the vehicle height by discharging.
JP 2001-1730 A JP 2001-121936 A

In the case of the suspension device as shown in FIG. 8 above, the compressed air generated by the compressor or the like is stored in the air tank, the valves are switched, and the compressed air is supplied to the air spring 43 or discharged. The garage can be easily adjusted.
However, as can be seen from FIG. 8, the air spring 43 and the coil spring 34 are arranged in series, and the rod portion 37 of the shock absorber (shock absorber) 31 penetrates the inside of the air spring 43. It is necessary to specially design a rod portion 37 having a particularly long dimension. Furthermore, the structure of the air spring 43 becomes complicated and the cost of the device increases because the air is sealed by the sliding surfaces of the upper and lower plate portions of the air spring 43 and the rod portion 37 that passes through the upper and lower plate portions. There are problems such as inevitable.

In the structure shown in FIG. 8, the coil spring 34 must be shortened in order to secure a space for mounting the air spring 43. However, if the coil spring 34 is too short, the stroke of the coil spring 34 is lost, and the suspension device during traveling is removed. When an excessive external force is applied to the coil spring, the coil springs 34 are brought into close contact with each other, thereby deteriorating riding comfort and generating abnormal noise.
Therefore, the present invention solves many problems of the prior art, makes it easy to adjust the vehicle height, and does not require a special long rod portion as a shock absorber (shock absorber). An object of the present invention is to provide a suspension device that can be mounted at a low cost with a simple structure by using a standard shock absorber (shock absorber) as it is.

In the suspension device according to the present invention, a cylindrical jacket member that forms a cylindrical space portion having an upper opening is provided on the outer peripheral side of the shock absorber, and the cylindrical space portion is hermetically sealed with a sealing material. An annular piston is mounted so as to be slidable in the vertical direction, and a fluid storage cavity is formed below the piston in the cylindrical space.
In addition, a coil spring is arranged in series above the piston.
In addition, the air is accommodated in the fluid accommodation space to constitute an air cylinder, and the vehicle height is adjusted by taking in and out the air. Alternatively, the vehicle height is adjusted by putting oil into and out of the fluid housing empty space.

The present invention has the following remarkable effects.
The vehicle height can be adjusted very easily (compared to the conventional suspension system as shown in FIG. 7). In addition, it does not require a specially designed shock absorber for the rod portion 37 (compared to the conventional suspension layer as shown in FIG. 8), and can be attached to a standard shock absorber for versatility. It is excellent and can be manufactured at low cost.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on the illustrated embodiment.
1 (A), 2 and 4 show an embodiment of a suspension device used in a vehicle (automobile). Reference numeral 1 denotes a shock absorber having a cylinder case (cylinder tube) 2 and a rod portion 7. FIG. In addition, the cylinder case 2 has a threaded portion 3 formed on the outer peripheral surface, a mounting portion 10 for mounting on the axle side (not shown) at the lower end, and the upper end of the rod portion 7 For example, an attachment plate (upper mantle portion) 9 that is attached to the vehicle body side (not shown) is attached via the spherical bearing portion 8.
Then, a cylindrical jacket member 11 for forming a cylindrical space C having an upper opening is provided on the outer peripheral side of the shock absorber 1.

  Specifically, the cylindrical outer cover member 11 has a substantially cylindrical shape as a whole, and has an inner cylindrical portion 13 having a screw portion 12 on the inner peripheral surface, and substantially the same vertical dimension as the inner cylindrical portion 13. An outer cylindrical portion 14 having a flat plate-like annular bottom wall portion 15 is formed to form a cylindrical space portion C having an upper opening. The screw portion 12 of the inner cylinder portion 13 is screwed into the screw portion 3 of the cylinder case 2 of the shock absorber 1, and the screw portion 12 and the screw portion 3 are made to rotate by rotating the entire cylindrical outer cover member 11. The cylindrical jacket member 11 advances and retracts by screwing up and screwing down, and the mounting position of the cylindrical jacket member 11 with respect to the cylinder case 2 can be adjusted. Reference numeral 16 denotes a lock nut, which is locked so that the cylindrical jacket member 11 does not rotate unexpectedly and the mounting position does not fluctuate.

  Reference numeral 17 denotes an annular piston, which is slidable in the upper and lower cylindrical space C of the cylindrical outer cover member 11 and is mounted in a sealed manner via sealing materials 18, 18, and 19. Is done. In this way, the annular piston 17 is mounted in the cylindrical space C, and a fluid storage space for storing fluid such as air or oil in a sealed manner in the cylindrical space C below the piston 17. A chamber E is formed.

  FIG. 3 shows an example of the piston 17 in a sectional view. The piston body 17a has two concave circumferential grooves 20 and 20 on the inner circumferential surface, and a sealing material such as an O-ring or U packing is provided in the concave circumferential groove 20. 18 is attached, and the gap between the cylindrical outer cover member 11 and the inner cylindrical portion 13 is sealed. Further, the piston body 17a has one concave circumferential groove 21 on the outer peripheral surface, and a sealing material 19 such as an O-ring or U packing is attached to the concave circumferential groove 21, and the outer cylinder of the cylindrical outer cover member 11 is attached. The gap with the part 14 is sealed. In this way, the fluid storage space E between the piston 17 and the bottom wall 15 is sealed so that fluid does not leak upward.

The annular piston 17 has a shallow concave groove 22 formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof, and a sliding bearing member 23 (having a bias cut) is fitted on this, and the inner surface of the outer cylindrical portion 14 is slid vertically. It serves to guide the piston 17 so as to slide up and down smoothly while reducing the frictional resistance.
Reference numeral 24 denotes a stopper (head portion) that prevents the piston 17 from being detached, and is fixed to the upper end of the outer cylinder portion 14 by screwing or a bolt (not shown).

Reference numeral 4 denotes a coil spring, the upper end abutting on the spherical bearing portion 8 (directly or indirectly), and the lower end abutting on the upper surface (upper side) of the piston 17 (directly or indirectly). That is, the coil spring 4 is arranged in series above the piston 17.
In the present invention, “in series” means that transmission of force is always transmitted through both. That is, “in series” refers to an arrangement in which, if an external force (compression force) acts on one side, the same external force (compression force) is transmitted to the other side.

  25 is a pipe, and 26 is a pipe joint. A hole is formed in the bottom wall portion 15 of the cylindrical outer cover member 11 to which the shock absorber 1 is fixed as a cover, and the pipe joint 26 is fixed to the hole. Then, a fluid such as air or oil is supplied to the fluid storage empty chamber E via the pipe 25 and is discharged from the empty chamber E in reverse. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 4, the vehicle height can be increased by supplying air in the direction of the arrow G into the fluid housing empty space E. Conversely, if air is discharged in the direction opposite to arrow G, the vehicle height can be reduced. In addition, when air is stored in the fluid storage space E, the air cylinder 27 is configured by the cylindrical outer cover member 11, the annular piston 17, and the like.

  In this way, the coil spring 4 and the air cylinder 27 (fluid storage space E) are arranged in series. Although not shown, pressurized air is supplied to the air cylinder 27 from the compressor through a dryer, an air tank, a solenoid valve, a regulator, etc., and by opening and closing the solenoid valve with a switch on the driver's seat, Alternatively, pressurized air is taken into and out of the air cylinder 27 by a mechanical switching valve. The compressor power is supplied from a battery.

The generated force F of the air cylinder 27 has the following relationship between the internal pressure P of the air cylinder 27 and the effective pressure receiving area S of the air cylinder 27.
F = P × S
Therefore, since the generated force F is proportional to the air pressure (internal pressure P), it can be easily converted into a numerical value and reliably changed to a predetermined vehicle height.

  In addition, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. Oil is supplied as an incompressible fluid through a piping 25 or the like to a vehicle-mounted hydraulic pump (not shown) and a hydraulic valve (not shown) in the fluid housing empty space E. It is also possible to easily adjust the vehicle height by supplying and raising / lowering the piston 17. 1 to 4, the basic vehicle height can be set by screwing back and forth of the threaded portion 12 of the cylindrical casing member 11 and the threaded portion 3 of the cylinder case 2. The solenoid valve and the manual switching valve are opened and closed (switched) by a switch, lever, etc., and the pressurized oil from the hydraulic pump is supplied in the direction of arrow G to increase the vehicle height. The vehicle height can be lowered (easily) by returning the oil in the part E to the tank.

Incidentally, in FIG. 1, FIG. 1B is a commonly used suspension device 44 itself already explained in FIG. 7, and from this general suspension device 44, for example, a lower tray 35 is provided. Instead, the cylindrical jacket member 11 incorporating the piston 17 is attached by screwing its screw portion 12 to the screw portion 33 of the shock absorber 31, and connecting the pipe joint 26 to the pipe 25, etc. 2), the structure can be easily changed to the structure shown in FIG.
Accordingly, in FIGS. 1A and 1B, reference numerals 1 and 31, reference numerals 9 and 39, reference numerals 8 and 38, reference numerals 4 and 34, reference numerals 7 and 37, reference numerals 3 and 33, reference numeral 16 and 36, reference numerals 2 and 32, and reference numerals 10 and 40 are the same (can be shared).
In other words, according to the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 4 of the present invention, the screw adjustment shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 1 (B) in general, without specially designed as a shock absorber (shock absorber). The shock absorber 31 of the type can be used (shared), which indicates that the present invention is excellent in versatility and can be manufactured at low cost.

  Next, FIG. 5 shows another embodiment of the present invention. The difference from the embodiment described with reference to FIG. 1A and FIGS. 2 to 4 is that the screw portion 3 of the cylindrical outer cover member 11 is omitted, and the inner peripheral surface of the inner tube portion 13 is simply a shock absorber. 1 is externally fitted to the threaded portion 12 of the cylinder case 2, and instead, the cylindrical outer cover member 11 is received via the lower receiving tray 35 and the lock nut 36 shown in FIG. ing. In the case of FIG. 5 as well, the general suspension device 44 shown in FIGS. 1B and 7 can be diverted (shared) almost as it is, and is excellent in versatility and can be suppressed with little cost increase. Here, the configuration indicated by the same reference numeral is the same as the configuration shown in FIGS.

  Next, FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of the present invention. The difference from the embodiment described with reference to FIG. 1A and FIGS. 2 to 4 is mainly the shape of the cylindrical jacket member 11 and the fixing method (structure) thereof. That is, as shown in FIG. 6, the cylindrical jacket member 11 composed of the outer cylinder portion 14 and the bottom wall portion 15 is fixed to the cylinder case 2 of the shock absorber 1 by welding (or another fixing means), The inner peripheral surface of the annular piston 17 is in sealing contact with the outer peripheral surface of the cylinder case 2 that has been processed smoothly so as to be vertically slidable.

  Therefore, the cylindrical space portion C and the vacant space portion E having an upper opening shape are formed between the outer peripheral surface of the silidan case 2 and the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylindrical portion 14 of the cylindrical jacket member 11. ing. If configured in this way, there is an advantage that the outer diameter of the outer cylindrical casing member 11 can be reduced and the size can be reduced. Here, the configuration indicated by the same reference numeral is the same as the configuration shown in FIGS.

  The present invention is not limited to the illustrated embodiment described above, and can be freely changed in design. An annular ridge for accurately receiving the coil spring 4 is provided on the upper surface of the annular piston (ring-shaped member) 17. A circular stepped portion is formed, or a sliding bearing member 23 is also provided on the inner peripheral surface side of the piston 17, or the material of the piston 17 itself is made of a material that has low frictional resistance and is easily slid, or the piston 17 It is also free to coat the outer peripheral surface / inner peripheral surface.

  As described above, in the suspension device according to the present invention, the cylindrical jacket member 11 that forms the cylindrical space C having the upper opening is attached to the outer peripheral side of the shock absorber 1, and the cylindrical space C An annular piston 17 is mounted in a sealed manner through the seal members 18 and 19 so as to be vertically slidable, and in the cylindrical space C, there is a fluid storage chamber E below the piston 17. Therefore, it is easy to share the general-purpose shock absorber 1 without requiring a particularly long rod portion as the shock absorber 1. The fluid can be easily extended and shortened by supplying and discharging the fluid to and from the fluid housing empty space E, and the vehicle height can be easily adjusted during traveling.

Further, since the coil spring 4 is arranged in series above the piston 17, the spring characteristics and the vehicle height can be easily and reliably adjusted by raising and lowering the piston 17.
Further, since air is stored in the fluid storage space E to form the air cylinder 27 and the vehicle height is adjusted by taking the air in and out, the overall spring constant is reduced and the ride comfort is reduced. Can be improved. In addition, by changing the internal pressure of the air cylinder 27, it is possible to change the overall spring constant and enjoy various riding comforts.
In addition, since the vehicle height is adjusted by putting oil into and out of the fluid housing empty space E, the vehicle height can be easily adjusted even while the vehicle is running while maintaining the same characteristics as in the conventional FIG. Can be done.

It is a front view for demonstrating sharing of components etc. with the conventional general suspension apparatus while showing one Embodiment of this invention. It is a partial cross section front view which shows a shortened state. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of an annular piston. It is a partial cross section front view which shows an expansion | extension state. It is a partial cross section front view which shows other embodiment. It is a partial cross section front view which shows another embodiment. It is a front view which shows a prior art example. It is a front view which shows another prior art example.

Explanation of symbols

1 Shock absorber (shock absorber)
4 Coil spring
11 Cylindrical jacket member
17 Toroidal piston
18, 19 Sealing material
27 Air cylinder C Cylindrical space E Fluid storage space

Claims (4)

  A cylindrical jacket member (11) that forms a cylindrical space portion (C) having an upper opening is provided on the outer peripheral side of the shock absorber (1), and a sealing material (18) is provided in the cylindrical space portion (C). ) An annular piston (17) is mounted in a sealed manner and slidable up and down via (19), and fluid is stored in the cylindrical space (C) below the piston (17). A suspension device characterized by forming a chamber (E).   The suspension device according to claim 1, wherein a coil spring (4) is arranged in series above the piston (17).   The suspension device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein air is housed in the fluid housing space (E) to constitute an air cylinder (27), and the vehicle height is adjusted by taking in and out the air.   The suspension device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the vehicle height is adjusted by putting oil into and out of the fluid housing empty space (E).

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