JP2007022248A - Suspension device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a suspension device for a vehicle for improving riding comfort. <P>SOLUTION: This suspension device for a vehicle comprises an arm 9 pivoted by a vehicle body 2 swingably A upward and downward, a hub 11 supported on a swing end of the arm 9 and supporting an axle 10, a damper 12 extending in a vertical direction and bridged on the vehicle body 2 side and the hub 11 side, and an elastic element 14 pivoting the top end 13 of the damper 12 to the vehicle body 2 so that the lower side of the damper 12 can swing B in an approximately horizontal direction. The damper 12 comprises a hydraulic cylindrical damper body 23, and a spring 24 elastically resisting a shrinkage action of the damper body 23. The hub 11 is connected with the damper body 23 via the other elastic element 40. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle suspension system including a shock absorber installed on a vehicle body and a hub that supports an axle.

  Conventionally, the above-described vehicle suspension device is disclosed in Patent Document 1 below. According to this publication, the vehicle suspension device is for front wheel suspension and is a McPherson strut suspension device.

  The suspension device includes an arm pivotally supported by the vehicle body so as to be swingable up and down, a hub that is supported by a swinging end portion of the arm and supports an axle for a front wheel, and the vehicle body that extends in a vertical direction. A shock absorber provided on the hub side and an elastic body for pivotally supporting the upper end portion of the shock absorber with respect to the vehicle body so that the lower side of the shock absorber can swing substantially horizontally. The shock absorber includes a shock absorber body having a hydraulic cylinder shape and a spring that elastically opposes the contraction operation of the shock absorber body.

  When the vehicle is running, if an impact force is applied from the running surface to the hub via the front wheel and the axle, first, the shock absorber body contracts together with the spring while resisting the elastic force of the spring by the impact force. Operate. Next, the shock absorber main body is extended by the elastic energy of the spring thus contracted. Thereafter, by repeating the above operations alternately, a damping force is generated in the shock absorber body, and the impact force is alleviated.

  Further, as described above, when an impact force is applied to the hub and the shock absorber main body repeatedly contracts and extends, the arm swings up and down together with the hub. Further, in conjunction with the swing of the hub, the lower side of the shock absorber swings in a substantially horizontal direction with the upper end portion as a center. In this case, the vibration of the shock absorber is allowed by the elastic deformation of the elastic body.

JP 2004-183869 A

  By the way, the shock absorber to which the impact force is applied during the traveling of the vehicle repeats the contraction and extension operations, but the operation speed is slow at the start of each operation. And, at this stage where the operation speed is low, the damping force is not sufficiently generated. In addition, since the elastic body supports the load of the vehicle body on the shock absorber, the elastic body has a certain degree of elastic modulus in order to ensure good maneuverability, that is, the elastic body has a certain degree of rigidity. It is secured. For this reason, it is difficult to generate a sufficient damping force in the elastic body.

  Therefore, when the shock absorber body contracts or extends due to the impact force, if the operation speed is low, such as at the start of the operation, the damping force is not sufficiently generated, and therefore the impact force cannot be relaxed. Tend to be enough. And this is not preferable because there is a risk of lowering the riding comfort of the vehicle.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above-described circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to improve the riding comfort of a vehicle.

The invention of claim 1 includes an arm 9 pivotally supported on the vehicle body 2 so as to be able to swing A up and down, a hub 11 supported on the swing end portion of the arm 9 and supporting the axle 10, and in the vertical direction. A shock absorber 12 extending on the vehicle body 2 and the hub 11 side, and an upper end portion 13 of the shock absorber 12 pivoted with respect to the vehicle body 2 so that the lower side of the shock absorber 12 can swing B in a substantially horizontal direction. In the vehicle suspension system, the elastic body 14 is supported, and the shock absorber 12 includes a shock absorber body 23 having a hydraulic cylinder shape and a spring 24 that elastically opposes the contraction operation of the shock absorber body 23. ,
The hub 11 side and the shock absorber body 23 are connected via another elastic body 40.

In addition to the invention of claim 1, the invention of claim 2 includes a cylinder tube 26 in which the shock absorber main body 23 extends in the vertical direction and its upper end is pivotally supported by the vehicle body 2 via the elastic body 14; A piston 29 fitted into the cylinder tube 26 and a piston rod 30 extending from the piston 29 and projecting downward from the lower end of the cylinder tube 26 are supported by the hub 11, and the cylinder tube 26. And an outer tube 35 that is fitted on the piston rod 30, and the spring 24 is installed on the cylinder tube 26 and the outer tube 35.
The extending end of the piston rod 30 and the outer tube 35 are connected via the other elastic body 40.

  In this section, the reference numerals appended to the above terms are not to be construed as limiting the technical scope of the present invention to the section “Example” described later or the contents of the drawings.

  The effects of the present invention are as follows.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an arm pivotally supported by the vehicle body so as to be swingable up and down, a hub supported by a swinging end portion of the arm and supporting an axle, and the vehicle body and the hub side extending in the vertical direction. And an elastic body that pivotally supports the upper end of the shock absorber with respect to the vehicle body so that the lower side of the shock absorber can swing in a substantially horizontal direction. In a vehicle suspension system including a cylinder-shaped shock absorber body and a spring that elastically opposes the contraction operation of the shock absorber body,
The hub side and the shock absorber body are connected via another elastic body.

  Here, the shock absorber applied with an impact force when the vehicle travels repeatedly contracts and expands, but at the start of these operations, the operation speed is slow. And, at this stage where the operation speed is low, the damping force is not sufficiently generated. In addition, since the elastic body supports the load of the vehicle body on the shock absorber, the elastic body has a certain degree of elastic modulus in order to ensure good maneuverability, that is, the elastic body has a certain degree of rigidity. It is secured. For this reason, it is difficult to generate a sufficient damping force in the elastic body.

  On the other hand, the external force applied to the other elastic body connecting the hub side and the shock absorber main body is substantially zero when traveling on a flat traveling surface. On the other hand, when the shock absorber body is contracted by receiving an impact force, the external force applied to the other elastic body is suppressed to be smaller than the impact force by the amount that the spring elastically resists the contraction operation. The For this reason, the elastic coefficient of the other elastic body can be made small (soft), and even in this way, the operability is not impaired. Therefore, the impact force that is about to be transmitted from one of the hub side and the shock absorber body to the other through the other elastic body can be effectively reduced by the other elastic body.

  As a result, when the shock absorber body contracts or extends due to the impact force, the damping force is not sufficiently generated when the operation speed is low, such as at the start of the operation. Impact force is effectively relieved by the body. For this reason, the riding comfort to the vehicle is improved.

  The other elastic body connects the hub side that supports the axle and the shock absorber body, and is located near the traveling surface. For this reason, the slight vibration of the wheel rolling on the running surface is effectively absorbed and mitigated by the other elastic body. Therefore, in-vehicle noise (road noise) can also be suppressed, and riding comfort in the vehicle is further improved.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a cylinder tube in which the shock absorber main body extends in the vertical direction and an upper end thereof is pivotally supported by the vehicle body via the elastic body, a piston fitted into the cylinder tube, and the piston. A piston rod that extends downward from the lower end of the cylinder tube, and is provided with an outer tube that is supported by the hub and that is externally fitted to the cylinder tube and the piston rod. In the vehicle suspension system in which the spring is installed in
The extended end of the piston rod and the outer tube are connected via the other elastic body.

  Here, if the shock absorber is bent even a little by the impact force, as the shock absorber body contracts and extends, the cylinder tube and the outer tube slide while twisting each other due to the impact force. There is a possibility that the frictional resistance between the two is increased.

  However, in this case, due to the elastic deformation of the other elastic body, the respective axial centers of the cylinder tube and the outer tube are automatically matched so that the sliding of both is smooth. Therefore, the damping force is more reliably generated by the above-described operations of the shock absorber body, and thus the riding comfort of the vehicle is more reliably improved.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention is as follows in order to achieve the object of improving the riding comfort of the vehicle with respect to the vehicle suspension device of the present invention.

  That is, the vehicle suspension device includes an arm that is pivotally supported by the vehicle body so as to be swingable up and down, a hub that is supported by the swinging end portion of the arm and that supports the axle, and the vehicle body and hub that extend in the vertical direction. And a resilient body that pivotally supports the upper end of the shock absorber with respect to the vehicle body so that the lower side of the shock absorber can swing in a substantially horizontal direction. The shock absorber includes a shock absorber body having a hydraulic cylinder shape and a spring that elastically opposes the contraction operation of the shock absorber body. The hub side and the shock absorber main body are connected via another elastic body.

  In order to describe the present invention in more detail, the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  1 and 2, reference numeral 1 denotes a vehicle exemplified by an automobile. The vehicle 1 includes a vehicle body 2 and a McPherson strut suspension device 4 that suspends a front wheel 3 on the vehicle body 2. The vehicle body 2 is supported on the traveling surface 5 via the wheels 3 and the suspension device 4.

  The suspension device 4 includes an arm 9 pivotally supported on the vehicle body 2 by a pivot shaft 8 so as to be swingable A up and down, and an axle 10 for the wheel 3 supported by a swing end portion of the arm 9. Of the shock absorber 12 so that the lower side of the shock absorber 12 can swing B in a substantially horizontal direction. A rubber elastic body 14 that pivotally supports the upper end portion 13 on the vehicle body 2 is provided.

  In the above case, the lower portion of the shock absorber 12 is supported by the support body 17 with respect to the hub 11, and this support body 17 constitutes a member on the hub 11 side. The hub 11 is connected to and supported by a swing joint of the arm 9 by a ball joint 18. On the other hand, the upper end 13 of the shock absorber 12 is supported by a bearing 20 with respect to the elastic body 14 so as to be rotatable around the axis 19 of the shock absorber 12.

  The hub 11 is linked to a steering operation device (not shown). When the steering operation is performed on the steering operation device, the axle 10, the hub 11, and the wheel 3 are integrally steered around an imaginary line that substantially connects the ball joint 18 and the bearing 20. Here, the hub 11 is also referred to as a steering knuckle.

  The shock absorber 12 includes a hydraulic cylinder-shaped shock absorber body 23 located on the shaft center 19 and a coil spring 24 that elastically opposes the contraction operation of the shock absorber body 23.

  The shock absorber main body 23 is positioned on the shaft center 19 and extends in the vertical direction, and an upper end portion of the shock absorber main body 23 is pivotally supported by the vehicle body 2 via the bearing 20 and the elastic body 14. A piston 29 is inserted into the tube 26 so as to be slidable in the axial direction. The piston 29 divides the inside of the cylinder tube 26 into upper and lower oil chambers 27, 28. The piston 29 extends from the piston 29 and extends downward from the lower end of the cylinder tube 26. And a piston rod 30 projecting from the front.

  The piston 29 is formed with an orifice (not shown) that allows the upper and lower oil chambers 27 and 28 to communicate with each other. A free piston 31 is fitted on the cylinder tube 26 so as to be slidable in the axial direction of the cylinder tube 26. The free piston 31 defines an upper end portion of the upper oil chamber 27. A gas chamber 32 in which a gas is sealed is formed between the upper end portion of the cylinder tube 26 and the free piston 31.

  The support body 17 includes an outer tube 35 supported by the hub 11 by a fastener 34. The outer tube 35 is located on the shaft center 19 and is fitted around the lower portion of the cylinder tube 26 and the piston rod 30 as a whole. In this case, the upper portion of the outer tube 35 is externally fitted in a dense state so as to be axially slidable with respect to the lower portion of the cylinder tube 26.

  The spring 24 is interposed between a spring receiving seat 36 supported on the upper end of the cylinder tube 26 and a spring receiving seat 37 supported on the outer tube 35 in an elastically compressed state, that is, The spring 24 is installed on the cylinder tube 26 and the outer tube 35.

  The hub 11 side and the shock absorber body 23 are connected to each other via another elastic body 40 made of rubber. Specifically, the extended end portion of the piston rod 30 and the lower portion of the outer tube 35 are connected to each other via the other elastic body 40.

  This will be described in more detail. An annular bracket 41 is fixed to the lower inner surface of the outer tube 35. The extending end of the piston rod 30 passes through the center hole of the bracket 41. Support seats 42 and 43 are positioned above and below the bracket 41 inside the lower portion of the outer tube 35, and these support seats 42 and 43 are extended from the piston rod 30 by a collar 44 and a fastener 45. It is fixed to the part. A pair of upper and lower elastic bodies 40 are interposed between the bracket 41 and the support seats 42 and 43 in an elastically compressed state. Thereby, as described above, the extending end portion of the piston rod 30 and the lower portion of the outer tube 35 are connected to each other via the other elastic body 40.

  If the nut of the fastener 45 is removed from the extending end of the piston rod 30, the other lower elastic body 40 of the other elastic bodies 40 will move together with the nut of the outer tube 35. The lower end portion is fitted so as to be detachable from below.

  An elastic rubber bump stop 47 is placed on the upper surface of the support seat 42, and the bump stop 47 is externally fitted to the piston rod 30. The bump stop 47 is configured to abut the lower end of the cylinder tube 26 when the cylinder tube 26 moves downward with respect to the outer tube 35 to a predetermined dimension or more to prevent further downward movement.

  When the vehicle 1 is traveling, when an impact force is applied from the traveling surface 5 to the hub 11 via the wheel 3 and the axle 10, the shock absorber main body is first countered by the impact force against the elastic force of the spring 24. 23 contracts together with the spring 24. Next, the shock absorber main body 23 extends by the elastic energy of the spring 24 thus contracted. Thereafter, by repeating the above operations alternately, the working oil flows through the orifice of the piston 29 from one of the upper oil chamber 27 and the lower oil chamber 28 toward the other, and the fluid at this time Due to the resistance, a damping force is generated in the shock absorber body 23, and the impact force is alleviated.

  Also, as described above, when an impact force is applied to the hub 11 and the shock absorber main body 23 repeatedly contracts and expands, the arm 9 swings up and down A together with the hub 11. In conjunction with the swing A of the hub 11, the lower side of the shock absorber 12 swings in a substantially horizontal direction about the upper end 13. In this case, the swing B of the shock absorber 12 is allowed by elastic deformation of the elastic body 14, and the shock absorber 12 is prevented from applying an unnecessary load to the vehicle body 2.

  According to the above configuration, the hub 11 side and the shock absorber body 23 are connected via the other elastic body 40.

  Here, the shock absorber 12 to which an impact force is applied when the vehicle 1 travels repeatedly contracts and expands, but at the start of these operations, the operation speed is slow. And, at this stage where the operation speed is low, the damping force is not sufficiently generated. Further, since the elastic body 14 is to support the load of the vehicle body 2 on the shock absorber 12, the elastic body 14 has a somewhat large elastic coefficient in order to ensure good operability. A certain degree of rigidity is ensured. For this reason, it is difficult to generate a sufficient damping force in the elastic body 14.

  On the other hand, the external force applied to the other elastic body 40 that connects the hub 11 side and the shock absorber body 23 is substantially zero when the flat traveling surface 5 travels. On the other hand, when the shock absorber body 23 is subjected to a contraction operation with an impact force applied, the external force applied to the other elastic body 40 is more than the impact force because the spring 24 elastically resists the contraction operation. Smallly suppressed. For this reason, the elastic modulus of the other elastic body 40 can be made small (soft), and even in this way, the operability is not impaired. Therefore, the impact force to be transmitted from any one of the hub 11 side and the shock absorber body 23 to the other through the other elastic body 40 is effectively reduced by the other elastic body 40. be able to.

  As a result, when the shock absorber main body 23 contracts and expands due to the impact force, the damping force is not sufficiently generated when the operation speed is low as at the start of the operation. The impact force is effectively relieved by the elastic body 40. For this reason, the riding comfort to the vehicle 1 is improved.

  The other elastic body 40 connects the hub 11 side that supports the axle 10 and the shock absorber body 23, and is located near the traveling surface 5. For this reason, the slight vibration of the wheel 3 rolling on the running surface 5 is effectively absorbed and mitigated by the other elastic body 40. Therefore, in-vehicle noise (road noise) can also be suppressed, and the riding comfort of the vehicle 1 is further improved.

  Further, as described above, the extending end portion of the piston rod 30 and the outer tube 35 are connected via the other elastic body 40.

  Here, if the shock absorber 12 bends even a little by the impact force, the cylinder tube 26 and the outer tube 35 slide while sliding against each other due to the impact force as the shock absorber body 23 contracts and extends. There is a risk that the frictional resistance of both of these will increase.

  However, in this case, due to the elastic deformation of the other elastic body 40, the axial centers 19 of the cylinder tube 26 and the outer tube 35 are automatically matched, and the sliding of the both 26, 35 is achieved. It is made smoothly. Therefore, the damping force is more reliably generated by the above-described operations of the shock absorber body 23, and thus the riding comfort on the vehicle 1 is more reliably improved.

  Further, as described above, the other elastic body 40 is fitted in the lower end portion of the outer tube 35 from below so as to be detachable.

  For this reason, the other elastic body 40 can be easily disassembled and assembled into the outer tube 35.

  Although the above is based on the illustrated example, the vehicle 1 may be a saddle type vehicle. Further, the suspension device 4 may be for a rear wheel.

  3 and 4 below show Examples 2 and 3. Each of these embodiments is common in many respects to the configuration and operational effects of the first embodiment. Therefore, regarding these common items, common reference numerals are attached to the drawings, and redundant description thereof is omitted, and different points are mainly described. In addition, the configurations of the respective parts in each of these embodiments may be variously combined in light of the object and the effect of the present invention.

  In order to describe the present invention in more detail, the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  In FIG. 3, another elastic body 40 fitted into the lower end portion of the outer tube 35 is detachably locked to the outer tube 35 by a circlip 49. A cover 50 is provided to close the lower end opening of the outer tube 35 so as to be opened and closed.

  If the nut of the fastener 45 is detached from the extending end portion of the piston rod 30 and the circlip 49 is detached from the lower end portion of the outer tube 35, the other elastic body 40 and the support seat 42 are provided. 43, the collar 44, and the bump stop 47 can be detached from the lower end portion of the outer tube 35 together with the nut and the circlip 49 (one point in FIG. 3). Contrary to this detachment, each of the members 40, 42-44, 47, 49 can be fitted and assembled to the lower end portion of the outer tube 35 from below.

  In order to explain the present invention in more detail, Example 3 will be described with reference to FIG.

  In FIG. 4, the other elastic body 40 and the bump stop 47 are integrally formed with each other. Other configurations are the same as those of the second embodiment.

  According to the said structure, the number of parts of the suspension apparatus 4 decreases, and the structure can be simplified.

1 is a partial front partial cross-sectional view of a vehicle, showing Embodiment 1. FIG. FIG. 2 is a partial enlarged cross-sectional view of the first embodiment shown in FIG. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating Example 2 and corresponding to FIG. 2. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating Example 3 and corresponding to FIG. 2.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle 2 Car body 3 Wheel 4 Suspension device 5 Running surface 8 Pivoting shaft 9 Arm 10 Axle 11 Hub 12 Shock absorber 13 Upper end 14 Elastic body 19 Shaft center 23 Shock absorber body 24 Spring 26 Cylinder tube 29 Piston 30 Piston rod 35 Outer Tube 40 Other elastic body 47 Bump stop A Swing B Swing

Claims (2)

An arm that is pivotally supported by the vehicle body so as to be able to swing vertically, a hub that supports the axle supported by the swinging end portion of the arm, and a shock absorber that extends in the vertical direction and is installed between the vehicle body and the hub side And an elastic body that pivotally supports the upper end of the shock absorber with respect to the vehicle body so that the lower side of the shock absorber can swing in a substantially horizontal direction, and the shock absorber includes a shock absorber body in the form of a hydraulic cylinder. In the suspension device for a vehicle provided with a spring that elastically opposes the contraction operation of the shock absorber body,
A suspension system for a vehicle, wherein the hub side and the shock absorber body are connected via another elastic body. The shock absorber main body extends in the vertical direction, and a cylinder tube whose upper end is pivotally supported by the vehicle body via the elastic body, a piston fitted into the cylinder tube, and extends from the piston, the cylinder tube A piston rod projecting downward from the lower end of the cylinder, and an outer tube supported by the hub and externally fitted to the cylinder tube and the piston rod is provided, and the spring is installed on the cylinder tube and the outer tube. Suspension system for
The suspension device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the extended end portion of the piston rod and the outer tube are connected via the other elastic body.

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