JP2005254952A - Suspension device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance the degree of design versatility of the length and the position of a supporting point of a knuckle, a lower arm, an upper arm, a control arm, and a connection link of a suspension device. <P>SOLUTION: An upper arm 15 is connected to an upper end of a connection link 16 via upper supporting points 25 and 26, an intermediate portion of a lower arm 13 is pivotably supported by a lower end of the connect link 16 via lower supporting points 23 and 24, and the upper arm 15 and a vehicle body 18 are connected to each other via a control arm 28. When a lower arm 13 connected to a knuckle 11 and the upper arm 15 are vertically moved, the upper arm 15 and the control arm 28 are relatively bent, and the length of each member and the position of the supporting point thereof can be arbitrarily set, and the degree of design versatility of a suspension device can be enhanced. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention includes a knuckle that rotatably supports a wheel, a lower arm that connects a lower part of the knuckle to the vehicle body, an upper arm that is connected to the upper part of the knuckle and is disposed between the vehicle body, and a lower end that is an intermediate part of the lower arm And a connecting link that is pivotally supported at the inner end of an upper arm via an upper fulcrum.

A lower arm 50, 60 made of an A-shaped arm formed in a bifurcated shape, an upper arm 40 made of a rod-shaped I-shaped arm, and a bifurcated fork member 26 integrally provided at the lower portion of the shock absorber 20 are provided. A suspension in which the lower end of the fork member 26 is pivotally supported by an intermediate portion of the lower arms 50 and 60 via a rubber bush joint, and an upper end of the fork member 26 is pivotally supported by an intermediate portion of the upper arm 40 via a connecting rod 41. An apparatus is known from US Pat.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-169938

  By the way, the above-mentioned conventional one is integrated with the shock absorber 20 when the lower arms 50, 60 and the upper arm 40 swing vertically around the rubber bush joint which is a pivot point on the vehicle body side as the knuckle moves up and down. The distance between the lower end and the upper end of the provided fork member 26, that is, the distance between the rubber bush joint provided at the intermediate portion of the lower arms 50 and 60 and the connecting rod 41 provided at the intermediate portion of the upper arm 40 is substantially constant. When the distance variation exceeds the amount allowed by the bending of each rubber bush joint, smooth vertical movement of the lower arms 50 and 60 and the upper arm 40 is hindered. There was a problem that the degree of freedom was greatly limited.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to increase the design flexibility of the lengths and fulcrum positions of the knuckle, lower arm, upper arm, control arm, and connect link of the suspension device.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a knuckle that rotatably supports a wheel, a lower arm that connects a lower portion of the knuckle to the vehicle body, a vehicle body that is connected to the upper portion of the knuckle, An upper arm disposed between the upper arm and the lower link pivotally connected to the middle of the lower arm via the lower fulcrum, and the upper end pivoted to the inner end of the upper arm via the upper fulcrum. In the suspension apparatus, there is proposed a suspension apparatus including a control arm for connecting the upper arm and the vehicle body.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the knuckle that rotatably supports the wheel, the lower arm that connects the lower part of the knuckle to the vehicle body, and the upper that is connected between the upper part of the knuckle and the vehicle body. In the suspension device comprising: an arm; and a connect link having a lower end pivotally supported by an intermediate portion of the lower arm via a lower fulcrum and an upper end pivoted by an inner end of the upper arm via an upper fulcrum. A suspension device is proposed that includes a control arm that connects the vehicle and the vehicle body.

  According to the invention described in claim 3, in addition to the structure of claim 1 or 2, the lower fulcrum is constituted by two joints spaced in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, and the upper fulcrum is formed in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. A suspension device is proposed which is composed of two joints spaced in the direction.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first or second aspect, a damper unit having an upper end connected to the vehicle body and a lower end connected to the connect link is provided. A suspension device is proposed.

  According to the invention described in claim 5, in addition to the configuration of claim 4, the connect link includes a front link and a rear link spaced apart in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and the damper unit is provided between the front link and the rear link. A suspension device is proposed, which is characterized by holding the lower end of the suspension.

  The rubber bush joints 25 and 26 of the embodiment correspond to the upper fulcrum of the present invention, and the rubber bush joints 23 and 24 of the embodiment correspond to the lower fulcrum of the present invention.

  According to the configuration of the first aspect, the inner end of the upper arm is pivotally supported on the upper end of the connect link via the upper fulcrum, and the middle portion of the lower arm is pivotally supported on the lower end of the connect link via the lower fulcrum. Since the arm and the vehicle body are connected via the control arm, when the lower arm and the upper arm connected to the knuckle move up and down, the upper arm and the control arm bend relatively, so that the knuckle, the lower arm and the upper arm In addition, it becomes possible to arbitrarily set the lengths of the control arm and the connect link and the positions of their fulcrums, and the design freedom of the suspension device is greatly improved.

  According to the configuration of claim 2, the inner end of the upper arm is pivotally supported on the upper end of the connect link via the upper fulcrum, and the middle portion of the lower arm is pivotally supported on the lower end of the connect link via the lower fulcrum. Since the link and the vehicle body are connected via the control arm, when the lower arm and upper arm connected to the knuckle move up and down, the upper arm and the control arm bend relatively, so that the knuckle, the lower arm and the upper arm In addition, it becomes possible to arbitrarily set the lengths of the control arm and the connect link and the positions of their fulcrums, and the design freedom of the suspension device is greatly improved.

  According to the configuration of the third aspect, the lower fulcrum pivotally supporting the lower end of the connect link is constituted by two joints spaced in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, and the upper fulcrum pivoting the upper end of the connect link to the upper arm is the vehicle body. Since it is composed of two joints separated in the front-rear direction, the caster rigidity of the wheel can be effectively increased by the connect link.

  According to the configuration of claim 4, since the lower end of the damper unit whose upper end is connected to the vehicle body is connected to the connect link, the damper unit drives the wheel as compared with the case where the lower end of the damper unit is connected to the lower arm. It is possible to make it difficult to interfere with other members such as a shaft.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the connect link includes the front link and the rear link that are separated in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, and the lower end of the damper unit is sandwiched between the front link and the rear link. The caster rigidity of the wheel can be increased by increasing the rigidity.

  DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below based on examples of the present invention shown in the accompanying drawings.

  1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a left front wheel suspension device, FIG. 2 is a partially exploded perspective view of a left front wheel suspension device, and FIG. It is a corresponding skeleton diagram.

  A suspension device S for a left front wheel of a vehicle includes a knuckle 11 that rotatably supports a wheel W, and a lower arm 13 that is supported by a lower arm attachment portion 11a at the lower end of the knuckle 11 via a ball joint 12 at the outer end in the vehicle width direction. The upper arm 15 supported at the outer end in the vehicle width direction via the ball joint 14 on the upper arm mounting portion 11b at the upper end of the knuckle 11, the connect link 16 connecting the lower arm 13 and the upper arm 15, and the connect link 16 A damper unit 17 connected to the vehicle body 18 and a control arm 28 connecting the upper arm 15 to the vehicle body 18 are provided. A tie rod (not shown) is connected to the tie rod mounting portion 11 c that protrudes rearward from the knuckle 11.

  The lower arm 13 is a so-called A-type arm whose inner end in the vehicle width direction is bifurcated, and its front arm 13f is elastically supported by the vehicle body 18 via a rubber bush joint 19, and its rear arm 13r is attached to the vehicle body 18. It is elastically supported through the rubber bush joint 20. The upper arm 15 is an A-type arm, and the rear portion of the widened inner end in the vehicle width direction is connected to the outer end in the vehicle width direction of the control arm 28 via the rubber bush joint 21. The inner end in the direction is connected to the vehicle body 18 via a rubber bush joint 22.

  The connect link 16 is divided into a front link 16f and a rear link 16r. The lower ends of the front link 16f and the rear link 16r are arranged at the intermediate portion of the lower arm 13 by a pair of rubber bush joints 23 and 24 arranged coaxially. The upper ends of the rear link 16r and the front link 16f are connected to the outer ends in the vehicle width direction of the upper arm 15 by a pair of coaxially arranged rubber bush joints 25 and 26, respectively, and coaxially connected thereto. A rubber bush joint 21 at the outer end in the vehicle width direction of the control arm 28 is connected. The lower end of the damper unit 17 is connected to the intermediate portion of the connect link 16 via the rubber bush joint 27. The front link 16f and the rear link 16r are integrated via a mounting portion at the lower end of the damper unit 17.

  As is clear from FIG. 2, the inner cylinder 21a of the rubber bush joint 21 at the outer end in the vehicle width direction of the control arm 28 abuts on the inner cylinder 25a of the rubber bush joint 25 at the upper end of the rear link 16r of the connect link 16, Further, since the inner cylinder 25a of the rubber bush joint 25 abuts on the rear end of the upper arm 15 and is fastened by the bolt 29 and the nut 30, the control arm 28 is connected to the upper arm 15 via the rubber bush joint 21. become.

  When a load in the vertical direction is input from the wheel W to the knuckle 11, the lower arm 13 moves up and down with the rubber bush joints 19 and 20 on the vehicle body 18 as fulcrums, and the upper arm 15 and the control arm 28 move in the vehicle body. The knuckle 11 is allowed to move up and down by moving up and down using the 18 side rubber bush joint 22 as a fulcrum.

  At this time, if the upper arm 15 is directly connected to the vehicle body 18 without passing through the control arm 28, the rubber bush joints 23, 24 provided at the intermediate portion of the lower arm 13 by the swinging of the lower arm 13 and the upper arm 15 are assumed. And the distance D between the rubber bush joint 21 provided in the middle portion of the upper arm 15 may change. In practice, however, the distance D is determined by the vertical length of the connection link 16. , The distance D is not allowed to change.

  If the amount of change in the distance D exceeds the amount absorbed by the bending of each rubber bush joint 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, the lower arm 13, the upper arm 15 and the connecting link 16 are excessive. A large load may interfere with smooth swinging and damage may occur. This means that the degree of freedom in designing a five-joint link mechanism including the knuckle 11, the lower arm 13, the upper arm 15, the connect link 16, and the vehicle body 18 is greatly limited.

  On the other hand, since the upper arm 15 of the present embodiment is connected to the vehicle body 18 via the control arm 28, when the lower arm 13 and the upper arm 15 move up and down, the angles of the upper arm 15 and the control arm 28 are changed. By relatively changing, the distance D between the rubber bush joints 23 and 24 provided in the middle portion of the lower arm 13 and the rubber bush joint 21 provided between the upper arm 15 and the control arm 28 is always constant. be able to. As a result, the length of each part of the six-joint link mechanism including the knuckle 11, the lower arm 13, the upper arm 15, the control arm 28, the connect link 16 and the vehicle body 18 and the degree of freedom in designing the position of the fulcrum are greatly increased. , These components can be prevented from being damaged under excessive load.

  Also, when a vehicle body longitudinal direction load is input from the wheel W to the knuckle 11, the vehicle body longitudinal direction load can be supported by the lower arm 13 having a front arm 13f and a rear arm 13r and formed in a bifurcated shape.

  By the way, when the wheel W is braked and the moment indicated by the arrow M acts on the knuckle 11, it is necessary to prevent the knuckle 11 from rotating and to increase the caster rigidity of the wheel W. At this time, if the upper arm 15 is a rod-shaped I-arm, the upper arm 15 pushed by the upper arm support portion 11b of the rotating knuckle 11 easily moves forward, and the caster rigidity of the wheel W is increased. There is a problem that decreases.

  However, the upper arm 15 of this embodiment is an A-type arm whose inner end in the vehicle width direction is wide, and the rear link of the connect link 16 is composed of a pair of rubber bush joints 25 and 26 whose wide portions are separated in the front-rear direction. 16r and the front link 16f are connected to the upper ends, and the front link 16f and the rear link 16r of the connect link 16 are connected to the lower arm 13 by a pair of rubber bush joints 23 and 24 spaced in the front-rear direction. The knuckle 11, the lower arm 13, the connect link 16, and the upper arm 15 have a highly rigid box structure, and can obtain high caster rigidity that opposes the moment indicated by the arrow M.

  In the conventional suspension device, the upper part of the knuckle is extended upward in order to increase the caster rigidity, and the upper arm is connected to the upper end of the knuckle. Therefore, the upper arm becomes larger and the weight is increased or the layout is lowered. Although there was a problem, according to the present embodiment, the caster rigidity can be increased without extending the upper part of the knuckle 11 upward, so that the above problem can be solved.

  Furthermore, since the lower end of the damper unit 17 is not directly connected to the lower arm 13 but is connected to the middle portion of the connect link 16, the wheel W passing between the front link 16f and the rear link 16r of the connect link 16 is connected. The drive shaft (not shown) does not interfere with the lower end of the damper unit 17 and the design freedom of the suspension device S can be further increased. In addition, the connect link 16 is a highly rigid structure in which the front link 16f and the rear link 16r are coupled to each other at the lower end of the damper unit 17 so that the upper arm 15 can be moved in the front-rear direction. Therefore, the caster rigidity of the wheel W can be increased.

  FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. 2 and 4, in the first embodiment shown in FIG. 2, the outer end of the control arm 28 in the vehicle width direction and the inner end of the upper arm in the vehicle width direction are the inner cylinder of the rubber bush joint 21. 21a and an inner cylinder 25a of the rubber bush joint 25, but in the second embodiment shown in FIG. 4, the outer end in the vehicle width direction of the control arm 28 and the rear link 16r of the connect link 16 are extended upward. The upper end of the upper arm connecting portion 16u is connected via a ball joint 21 '. Further, by connecting the front link 16f and the rear link 16r of the connect link 16 with a connecting plate 16c and integrating them into an H shape, the rigidity of the connect link 16 is further enhanced.

  As described above, even when the control arm 28 is connected to the connect link 16, it is possible to achieve the same effect as when the control arm 28 is connected to the upper arm 15.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various design changes can be made without departing from the present invention described in the claims. It is.

The perspective view of the suspension device of the left front wheel concerning 1st Example Similarly, a partially exploded perspective view of the suspension device for the left front wheel Skeleton diagram corresponding to FIG. Partially exploded perspective view of suspension device for left front wheel according to second embodiment

Explanation of symbols

11 Knuckle 13 Lower arm 15 Upper arm 16 Connect link 16f Front link 16r Rear link 17 Damper unit 18 Car body 23 Rubber bush joint (upper fulcrum)
24 Rubber bush joint (lower fulcrum)
25 Rubber bush joint (lower fulcrum)
26 Rubber bush joint (upper fulcrum)
28 Control Arm W Wheel

Claims (5)

A knuckle (11) for rotatably supporting the wheel (W);
A lower arm (13) for connecting the lower part of the knuckle (11) to the vehicle body (18);
An upper arm (15) connected to the upper portion of the knuckle (11) and disposed between the vehicle body (18),
The lower end is pivotally supported by the middle part of the lower arm (13) via the lower fulcrum (23, 24) and the upper end is pivoted by the inner end of the upper arm (15) via the upper fulcrum (25, 26). Connect link (16),
In a suspension device comprising:
A suspension device comprising a control arm (28) for connecting the upper arm (15) and the vehicle body (18). A knuckle (11) for rotatably supporting the wheel (W);
A lower arm (13) for connecting the lower part of the knuckle (11) to the vehicle body (18);
An upper arm (15) connected to the upper portion of the knuckle (11) and disposed between the vehicle body (18),
The lower end is pivotally supported by the middle part of the lower arm (13) via the lower fulcrum (23, 24) and the upper end is pivoted by the inner end of the upper arm (15) via the upper fulcrum (25, 26). Connect link (16),
In a suspension device comprising:
A suspension device comprising a control arm (28) for connecting the connect link (16) and the vehicle body (18).   The lower fulcrum (23, 24) is composed of two joints spaced in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, and the upper fulcrum (25, 26) is composed of two joints spaced in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. The suspension device according to claim 1 or 2.   The suspension device according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a damper unit (17) having an upper end connected to the vehicle body (18) and a lower end connected to the connect link (16). The connect link (16) includes a front link (16f) and a rear link (16r) that are separated from each other in the vehicle longitudinal direction, and a lower end of the damper unit (17) is sandwiched between the front link (16f) and the rear link (16r). The suspension device according to claim 4, wherein

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