JP2010090989A - Air spring - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an air spring capable of suppressing the coming-off of a diaphragm. <P>SOLUTION: In the outer peripheral face of a connected part 20B, a recessed groove 26 is formed as shown in Fig.2. The recessed groove 26 consists of a first outer diameter portion 22 and a second outer diameter portion 24 to form grooves different in depth. The outer diameter of the first outer diameter 22 is an outer diameter A1, and the outer diameter of the second outer diameter portion 24 is an outer diameter A2 larger than the outer diameter A1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an air spring that generates an elastic reaction force against an input load using air pressure and supports the input load by the reaction force.

  As an air spring used for a vehicle suspension or the like, for example, one described in Patent Document 1 is known. The air spring described in Patent Document 1 includes a chamber, a piston, and a diaphragm. The diaphragm is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and an intermediate portion is inverted inside and outside, one end and the other end are connected to a chamber and a piston, respectively, and a chamber chamber is formed inside.

  When the air spring having the above configuration is applied to a vehicle, the chamber is fixed to the vehicle body side, the piston is connected and fixed to the suspension arm, and the diaphragm can extend and contract along the swinging direction between the vehicle body and the suspension arm. Arranged in a state. As a result, when the suspension arm swings toward the vehicle body side (bound direction) due to the load from the road surface side, the air in the chamber chamber in the diaphragm is compressed and the air pressure rises. The load input from is supported. At this time, it is possible to adjust the position of the suspension arm in the neutral position by adjusting the pressure of the air filled in the chamber chamber.

By the way, the diaphragm of the air spring disclosed in Patent Document 1 is attached to the piston and the chamber by caulking and fastening with fastening bands 24A and 24B, respectively. When the air pressure in the chamber rises, a force is applied in a direction in which the diaphragm and the fastening bands 24A and 24B come off. Therefore, it is considered that the fastening of the diaphragm by the fastening bands 24A and 24B is loosened.
JP 2006-144940 A

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above facts, and an object of the present invention is to provide an air spring capable of suppressing the escape of the diaphragm with a simple configuration.

  In order to achieve the above object, an air spring according to a first aspect of the present invention is an air spring disposed between a first moving body and a second moving body that move relative to each other, and is on the first moving body side. A piston member attached to the second moving body, a cylindrical member having a larger diameter than the piston member, one end of which is extrapolated to the chamber member, and the other end to the piston member A diaphragm that is externally inserted and has a chamber chamber formed therein, an annular ring that is extrapolated to the chamber member, and a ring that sandwiches the diaphragm between the chamber member and an annular ring A second ring that is extrapolated to the piston member and sandwiches the diaphragm between the piston member and at least one of the chamber member and the piston member A concave groove is formed in the circumference, and a first outer diameter portion is formed on the chamber chamber side in the concave groove, and an outer diameter of the first outer diameter portion on the opposite side to the chamber chamber is the first outer diameter portion. A second outer diameter portion having a larger diameter than the outer diameter portion is configured, and the first ring corresponding to the chamber member and the piston member including the first outer diameter portion and the second outer diameter portion, and A first inner diameter portion and a second inner diameter portion having inner diameters respectively corresponding to the first outer diameter portion and the second outer diameter portion are formed on the inner periphery of the second ring.

  In the air spring having the above configuration, the diaphragm is fixed to the chamber member by the first ring and fixed to the piston member by the second ring. A groove is formed on the outer periphery of at least one of the chamber member and the piston member, and a first outer diameter portion and a second outer diameter portion are formed in the groove. One end of the diaphragm is sandwiched between the first ring and the chamber member, and the other end of the diaphragm is sandwiched between the piston member and the second ring. Since the first ring and the second ring have a first inner diameter portion and a second inner diameter portion corresponding to the first outer diameter portion and the second outer diameter portion, the first outer diameter portion and the second inner diameter portion in the concave groove Due to the stepped portion between the two outer diameter portions, movement in the outer direction is restricted, and the sandwiched diaphragm can be prevented from coming off.

  In an air spring according to a second aspect of the present invention, the outer diameter of the chamber member on the chamber chamber side is smaller than the outer diameter outside the second outer diameter portion than the first outer diameter portion of the chamber member. It is characterized by this.

  One end of the diaphragm is extrapolated from the chamber chamber side to the chamber member and fixed by a first ring. In order to suppress the detachment of the diaphragm, the inner diameter of the diaphragm end on the chamber member side is required to be an inner diameter corresponding to the first outer diameter portion, but in order to extrapolate the diaphragm from the chamber chamber side, It is necessary to expand the diameter once.

  Therefore, in the present invention, the outer diameter of the chamber member on the side into which the diaphragm is inserted, that is, the outer diameter on the chamber chamber side with respect to the first outer diameter portion is set outside the second outer diameter portion (the opposite side to the chamber chamber). ) Was smaller than the outer diameter. Thereby, the extrapolation to the chamber member of a diaphragm can be performed easily.

  The air spring according to claim 3 of the present invention is characterized in that a seal groove is formed in the circumferential direction on the outer surface of the first outer diameter portion and the second outer diameter portion.

  In this way, by configuring the seal groove, it is possible to increase the sliding resistance of the diaphragm and to effectively suppress the separation.

  As described above, according to the air spring of the present invention, the diaphragm can be prevented from coming off with a simple configuration.

  Hereinafter, an air spring according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 schematically shows a suspension to which an air spring according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. The air spring of this embodiment is disposed between the vehicle body as the first moving body and the suspension arm as the second moving body. FIG. 1 shows a state in which the air spring is filled with internal pressure.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the suspension 12 includes an air spring 10 formed in a drum shape as a whole and a suspension arm 14 formed in a beam shape. Cylindrical bush holders 16 and 18 are disposed on the suspension arm 14 at the proximal end and the distal end along the longitudinal direction, respectively. In FIG. 1, the suspension arm 14 is disposed at a neutral position.

  The suspension arm 14 is connected to a vehicle body 15 side via a rubber bush (not shown) so that a base end side bush holder 16 is swingable, and a distal end side bush holder 18 is connected to a wheel hub (not shown). (Omitted) It is rotatably connected to the side. Thus, the suspension arm 14 is supported by the vehicle body 15 so as to be swingable in the vertical direction around the bush holder 16 on the base end side.

  The air spring 10 includes a chamber member 20, a piston member 30, and a diaphragm 40.

  The piston member 30 is attached to the suspension arm 14 side, and the chamber member 20 is attached to the vehicle body 15 side. The chamber member 20 is fixed at a position facing the piston member 30 on the vehicle body 15 side. Thereby, the air spring 10 is interposed between the suspension arm 14 and the vehicle body 15.

  One end of a pressure pipe 19 is connected to the top plate portion of the chamber member 20. The other end of the pressure pipe 19 is connected to a compressed air supply source (not shown) such as an air pump or an accumulator mounted on the vehicle body 15 side, and the compressed air supply source communicates with a chamber chamber 48 described later. I am letting. The pressure air supply source supplies compressed air having an air pressure corresponding to the traveling state of the vehicle and the loaded load into the chamber chamber 48 through the pressure pipe 19.

  The piston member 30 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape with a bottom, and a cylindrical connected portion 32 whose inner and outer diameters are reduced with respect to the lower end side is integrally formed at the upper end portion thereof. A mount member 13 is mounted on the suspension arm 14, and the piston member 30 is fixed to the suspension arm 14 on the bottom plate lower surface side through the mount member 13.

  The chamber member 20 has a bottomed cylindrical shape and is fixed to the vehicle body 15 such that the bottom portion 20A is an upper surface. In the chamber member 20, a cylindrical connected portion 20B is bent and formed so as to protrude downward from the outer peripheral end portion of the bottom portion 20A.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a concave groove 26 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the coupled portion 20B. The concave groove 26 includes a first outer diameter portion 22 and a second outer diameter portion 24 that constitute grooves having different depths. The outer diameter of the first outer diameter portion 22 is an outer diameter A1, and the outer diameter of the second outer diameter portion 24 is an outer diameter A2 that is larger than the outer diameter A1. The first outer diameter portion 22 is disposed below the concave groove 26 (a chamber chamber 48 side described later), and the second outer diameter portion 24 is disposed above the concave groove 26 (the bottom portion 20A side).

  The outer diameter of the chamber end 21 disposed below the first outer diameter portion 22 of the connected portion 20B is smaller than the outer diameter above the second outer diameter portion 24. In the present embodiment, the outer diameter of the chamber end 21 is A2 having the same diameter as the outer diameter of the second outer diameter portion 24.

  A plurality of seal grooves 28 are formed on the surfaces of the first outer diameter portion 22 and the second outer diameter portion 24 in the circumferential direction.

  The diaphragm 40 is formed of an elastic film and has a thin cylindrical shape having a larger diameter than the piston member 30. The diaphragm 40 has one end 42 connected to the connected portion 20 </ b> B of the chamber member 20 and the other end 44 connected to the connected portion 32 of the piston member 30. The diaphragm 40 can be made of an elastically deformable material such as a rubber film. The diaphragm 40 has one end 42 having a larger diameter than the other end 44, and the other end 44 is folded back so as to enter the cylinder of the diaphragm 40. The inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface are inverted. . One end portion 42 of the diaphragm 40 is extrapolated to the connected portion 20 </ b> B of the chamber member 20.

  The first ring 50 is extrapolated outside the one end portion 42 of the diaphragm 40 at a position corresponding to the concave groove 26 on the outer periphery of the coupled portion 20B.

  The first ring 50 has an annular shape, and a first inner diameter portion 52 and a second inner diameter portion 54 having different inner diameters are formed on the inner periphery. The first inner diameter portion 52 is disposed on the chamber chamber 48 side corresponding to the first outer diameter portion 22 and has an inner diameter B1. The second inner diameter portion 54 is disposed on the side corresponding to the second outer diameter portion 24 and has an inner diameter B2. The inner diameter B1 is smaller than the inner diameter B2. The first inner diameter portion 52 and the second inner diameter portion 54 are respectively disposed at positions facing the first outer diameter portion 22 and the second outer diameter portion 24 of the chamber member 20, and the one end portion 42 of the diaphragm 40 is connected to the chamber member 20. It is caulked and fastened so that it can be pinched between. As the first ring 50, a ring having a sufficiently large diameter can be used before caulking and the inner diameters B1 and B2 can be set by caulking. Thereby, the chamber member 20 and the one end part 42 of the diaphragm 40 are connected so as to be in an airtight state. The inner diameter B1 and the inner diameter B2 are sizes corresponding to the outer diameter A1 and outer diameter A2 of the chamber member 20 and the thickness of the diaphragm 40.

  The other end 44 of the diaphragm 40 is extrapolated to the coupled portion 32 so as to cover the outer periphery of the coupled portion 32 of the piston member 30. A second ring 56 is extrapolated on the outer peripheral side of the other end portion 44 and is fastened by caulking so that the other end portion 44 of the diaphragm 40 is sandwiched between the piston member 30. Thereby, the piston member 30 and the other end portion 44 of the diaphragm 40 are connected so as to be in an airtight state.

  By connecting the diaphragm 40 to the chamber member 20 and the piston member 30 as described above, a substantially cylindrical chamber chamber 48 in an airtight state is formed in the cylinder of the diaphragm 40. Compressed air having an air pressure corresponding to the traveling state of the vehicle and the loaded load is supplied into the chamber chamber 48 through the pressure pipe 19.

  Next, the operation of the air spring 10 according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be described.

  The air spring 10 is interposed between the vehicle body 15 and the suspension arm 14, thereby applying a spring reaction force corresponding to the air pressure in the chamber chamber 48 to the suspension arm 14. The spring reaction force supports a load input to the suspension arm 14 from the road surface side. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, when the suspension arm 14 swings to the vehicle body side (bound direction X) due to a load from the road surface side, the air in the chamber chamber 48 is compressed by the piston member 30 and the air pressure rises. This air pressure supports a load input from the road surface side via the suspension arm 14.

  In the air spring 10 of this embodiment that operates as described above, when the air pressure in the chamber chamber 48 increases, the first ring 50 has a shoulder K of the diaphragm 40 (one end 42 sandwiched between the first rings 50). Is applied to the chamber member 20 in the direction of coming out of the chamber member 20. Even in this case, the movement of the first inner diameter portion 52 in the same direction (the direction of exiting from the chamber member 20) is restricted by the step portion formed between the first outer diameter portion 22 and the second outer diameter portion 24. , Loosening and omission of the first ring 50 can be suppressed.

  Further, the one end portion 42 of the diaphragm 40 is caulked and fastened to the concave groove 26 that constitutes a two-stage groove having a small diameter on the chamber chamber 48 side, so that movement in the removal direction can be suppressed. it can.

  In the present embodiment, the outer diameter of the chamber end 21 disposed at the lower end of the connected portion 20B is smaller than the outer diameter above the second outer diameter portion 24, so that one end of the diaphragm 40 The part 42 can be easily extrapolated to the connected part 20B.

  In the present embodiment, the example in which the first outer diameter portion 22 and the second outer diameter portion 24 are configured only for the connection portion between the chamber member 20 and the diaphragm 40 has been described. However, as shown in FIG. A similar configuration can also be applied to the connecting portion J between the member 30 and the diaphragm 40. In this case, as shown in FIG. 5, the outer diameter of the connected portion 32 of the piston member 30 is larger than the first outer diameter portion 34 (chamber chamber 48 side) and the first outer diameter portion 34. A second outer diameter portion 36 is configured, and a first inner diameter portion 57 having an inner diameter corresponding to the first outer diameter portion 34 and a second inner diameter corresponding to the second outer diameter portion 36 are formed inside the second ring 56. An inner diameter portion 58 is configured. Then, the other end 44 of the diaphragm 40 may be caulked and fastened by the second ring 56. In this way, the disconnection of the other end 44 of the diaphragm 40 connected to the piston member 30 can be suppressed.

It is a sectional side view showing the composition of the suspension to which the air spring concerning the embodiment of the present invention was applied. It is an expanded sectional view of the attachment part of the chamber member and diaphragm of the air spring which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a sectional side view of the air spring which concerns on embodiment of this invention when a suspension arm is rock | fluctuated to the bound direction. It is a sectional side view which shows the modification of the suspension to which the air spring which concerns on this embodiment was applied. It is an expanded sectional view of the chamber member and the attachment part of a diaphragm of the modification of the air spring which concerns on this embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

10 Air spring 14 Suspension arm 15 Car body 20 Chamber member 20B Connected portion 21 Chamber end 22 First outer diameter portion 24 Second outer diameter portion 26 Concave groove 28 Seal groove 30 Piston member 32 Connected portion 34 First outer diameter portion 36 Second outer diameter portion 40 Diaphragm 42 One end portion 44 Other end portion 48 Chamber chamber 50 First ring 52 First inner diameter portion 54 Second inner diameter portion 56 Second ring 57 First inner diameter portion 58 Second inner diameter portion

Claims (3)

An air spring disposed between a first moving body and a second moving body that move relative to each other,
A piston member attached to the first moving body;
A chamber member attached to the second movable body side;
A diaphragm having a larger diameter than the piston member, one end being extrapolated to the chamber member and the other end being extrapolated to the piston member, and a chamber in which a chamber chamber is configured;
A first ring that is annular and is extrapolated to the chamber member and sandwiches the diaphragm with the chamber member;
A second ring that is annular and is extrapolated to the piston member to sandwich the diaphragm with the piston member;
With
A concave groove is formed on an outer periphery of at least one of the chamber member and the piston member, a first outer diameter portion is formed on the chamber chamber side in the concave groove, and the chamber of the first outer diameter portion is formed. A second outer diameter portion having an outer diameter larger than the first outer diameter portion is configured on the opposite side of the chamber,
An inner periphery of the first ring and the second ring corresponding to the chamber member and the piston member formed of the first outer diameter portion and the second outer diameter portion is provided with the first outer diameter portion and the second outer periphery. An air spring in which a first inner diameter portion and a second inner diameter portion corresponding to the outer diameter portion are configured.   The outer diameter of the chamber member closer to the chamber chamber than the first outer diameter portion is smaller than the outer diameter of the chamber member outside the second outer diameter portion. The air spring according to 1.   The air spring according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a seal groove is formed in a circumferential direction on outer surfaces of the first outer diameter portion and the second outer diameter portion.

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