JP2012111305A - Suspension device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a suspension device having high utility.SOLUTION: The suspension device 10 includes: a turning arm 50 in which a base end is rotatably connected to a vehicle body and also a tip end is rotatably connected to a steering knuckle 18; a first rod 66 in which the base end is rotatably connected to the vehicle body; a second rod, which is supported by the turning arm while being arranged with the turning arm and allowed in displacement in the extending direction of the turning arm, and in which the base end is rotatably connected with the tip end of the first rod; and a third rod in which the base end is turnably connected to the tip end of an intermediate rod, and the tip end is rotatably connected to the steering knuckle 18. An interval in the vertical direction between the turning arm and the second rod is reduced more than the interval in the vertical direction between the base end of the turning arm and the base end of the first rod, and the interval in the vertical direction between the tip end of the turning arm and the tip end of the third rod.

Description

  The present invention relates to a suspension device provided in a vehicle.

  Conventionally, as a suspension device, there is a double wishbone type having a plurality of arms as introduced in, for example, Patent Document 1 below. The double wishbone type suspension device has an advantage that the vertical displacement between the vehicle body and the wheel can be allowed without substantially changing the alignment of the wheel.

JP-A-1-215610

  In the double wishbone type suspension device, generally, a plurality of arms are respectively connected to a carrier and a vehicle body at different positions in the vertical direction. That is, a suspension device having a plurality of arms, such as a double wishbone type, has a problem that a relatively large space is required in the vertical direction for its own installation. Starting with this problem, there are some problems in the suspension device using a plurality of arms, and there is still much room for improvement. Therefore, it is considered that the practicality of such a suspension device is improved by making various improvements. This invention is made | formed in view of such a situation, and makes it a subject to provide a highly practical suspension apparatus.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, a suspension device according to the present invention includes an arm having a base end portion rotatably connected to a vehicle body and a tip end portion rotatably connected to a carrier. The intermediate rod supported by the arm and the proximal end portion are rotatably connected to the vehicle body, and the distal end portion is rotatably connected to the proximal end portion of the intermediate rod in a state where displacement in the extending direction of the arm is allowed. A vehicle-side rod, and a carrier-side rod whose base end is rotatably connected to the tip of the intermediate rod and whose tip is rotatably connected to the carrier, and the vertical distance between the arm and the intermediate rod. Is smaller than the vertical distance between the base end of the arm and the base end of the vehicle body side rod and the vertical distance between the tip of the arm and the front end of the carrier side rod. That.

  In the suspension device of the present invention, it can be considered that the second arm is constituted by the vehicle body side rod, the intermediate rod, and the carrier side rod that are connected to each other. In that case, in the present suspension device, the vertical distance between the second arm and the arm is relatively small in the intermediate rod portion. Therefore, since the vertical space required for installation of the suspension apparatus is relatively small, the suspension apparatus does not require a relatively large space when mounted on its own vehicle. In that sense, the suspension device of the present invention is highly practical.

Aspects of the Invention

  In the following, some aspects of the invention that can be claimed in the present application (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “claimable invention”) will be exemplified and described. As with the claims, each aspect is divided into sections, each section is numbered, and is described in a form that cites the numbers of other sections as necessary. This is merely for the purpose of facilitating the understanding of the claimable inventions, and is not intended to limit the combinations of the constituent elements constituting those inventions to those described in the following sections. In other words, the claimable invention should be construed in consideration of the description accompanying each section, the description of the embodiments, etc., and as long as the interpretation is followed, another aspect is added to the form of each section. In addition, an aspect in which some constituent elements are deleted from the aspect of each item can be an aspect of the claimable invention.

  In each of the following terms, (1) corresponds to claim 1, (2) corresponds to claim 2, (3) corresponds to claim 3, (4) corresponds to claim 4, (5) corresponds to claim 5, (6) corresponds to claim 6, and (7) corresponds to claim 7.

(1) The base end portion is rotatably connected to the vehicle body, and the distal end portion is rotatably connected to a carrier that rotatably holds the wheel, so that the carrier can swing vertically with respect to the vehicle body. Arm to do,
An intermediate rod supported by the arm in a state where the arm is aligned with the arm and displacement in the extending direction of the arm is allowed;
A vehicle body side rod having a base end portion rotatably connected to the vehicle body at a position spaced vertically from the base end portion of the arm, and a tip end portion rotatably connected to the base end portion of the intermediate rod When,
A carrier-side rod having a proximal end portion rotatably connected to a distal end portion of the intermediate rod, and a distal end portion rotatably connected to the carrier at a position spaced apart from the distal end portion of the arm in the vertical direction. And
The vertical distance between the arm and the intermediate rod is determined by the distance between the proximal end of the arm and the proximal end of the vehicle body side rod and the distance between the distal end of the arm and the distal end of the carrier side rod. Suspension device is also made smaller.

  In the present suspension device, when the arm is considered as the first arm, it can be considered that the second arm is constituted by the vehicle body side rod, the intermediate rod, and the carrier side rod that are connected to each other. When considered in this way, the present suspension device can be considered as an improvement of a double wishbone suspension device constituted by two arms.

  Along with the relative displacement of the vehicle body and the wheel in the vertical direction, the arm rotates around the base end, and the vehicle body side rod, the intermediate rod, and the carrier side rod are in the direction in which the arm of the intermediate rod extends. These three are integrated and rotate around the base end of the vehicle body side rod. At that time, the carrier connected to the tip of the arm and the tip of the carrier-side rod, like the carrier connected to the double wishbone suspension device, can suppress the change in the alignment of the wheel at the bounce and rebound. it can. Also, this suspension device is necessary for its own installation because the distance between the two arms in the vertical direction, more specifically, the distance between the arm and the intermediate rod is smaller than that of a normal double wishbone suspension device. Space is relatively small in the vertical direction. Therefore, a vehicle equipped with this suspension device can use a relatively large space for purposes other than the installation of the suspension device. Therefore, the suspension device of the present invention is highly practical.

  The “carrier” in the aspect of this section is a component that rotatably holds a wheel, and is a concept including a steering knuckle when the wheel is a steered wheel. The “arm”, “intermediate rod”, “vehicle body side rod”, and “carrier side rod” constitute a suspension link that determines the trajectory of the vertical movement of the wheel relative to the vehicle body. In view of the function of the suspension link, when the vehicle is considered to be on a horizontal plane, the arm rotates only about a generally horizontal axis (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “arm rotation axis”). It is desirable that the base end is connected to the vehicle body. On the other hand, the base end of the vehicle body and the rod on the vehicle side, the tip of the carrier and the arm, the tip of the carrier and the rod on the carrier side, the base end of the carrier side rod and the tip of the intermediate rod, and the tip and the middle of the body side rod The base end portions of the rods may not be connected to each other in a state where an allowable relative rotation direction is limited to one direction, and may be connected so as to realize the function as the suspension link. . When the carrier is a steering knuckle, as will be described later, the kingpin axis is defined by the connection location between the carrier and the tip of the arm and the connection location between the carrier and the tip of the carrier side rod. Thus, the tip of the arm and the tip of the carrier side rod may be connected to the carrier.

  The “arm extending direction (hereinafter sometimes referred to as“ arm axial direction ”)” is not particularly limited. It may be a front-rear direction, a left-right direction, or an intermediate direction between these directions, that is, an oblique direction. The shape of the arm in plan view is not particularly limited. Like a so-called A-type arm, the base end portion may have a shape that is widened to some extent, or may be a simple rod-like shape. The arm axis direction is, for example, a straight line that is perpendicular to the rotation axis of the base end, that is, a straight line that is perpendicular to the arm rotation axis and passes through the distal end (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “arm axis”). It can be considered as the extending direction.

  “The intermediate rod is aligned with the arm” does not necessarily mean that the direction in which the intermediate rod extends (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “intermediate rod axial direction”) and the arm axial direction are parallel to each other. It is a concept that includes a state where one direction is slightly inclined. Further, “displacement in the extending direction of the arm” does not mean only a state in which the intermediate rod is allowed to be displaced only in the arm axial direction. In addition to the displacement, it also means a state in which some displacement is allowed in the direction intersecting the arm axis direction. Specifically, for example, the intermediate rod may be held by the arm so as to be slidable in the arm axis direction or in a direction slightly inclined with respect to the arm axis direction, and the first portion of the arm and the intermediate rod The first portion of the arm and the second portion of the arm and the second portion of the intermediate rod are connected by a link rod, respectively, and the quadrilateral is formed by the intermediate rod, the arm and the two link rods. The intermediate rod may be held by the arm so that a link is formed.

  Regarding the positional relationship between the intermediate rod and the arm, “the distance between the arm and the intermediate rod in the vertical direction” refers to a line connecting the arm axis and the distal end and the proximal end of the intermediate rod (hereinafter referred to as “intermediate rod axis ”), And the distance when viewed from the side. Similarly, “the vertical distance between the base end of the arm and the base end of the vehicle body side rod (hereinafter sometimes referred to as“ base end interval ”)”, “the front end of the arm and the front end of the carrier side rod The interval in the vertical direction with respect to the portion (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “tip portion interval”) ”also means the interval when viewed from the side. Note that the vertical distance between the arm and the intermediate rod may be almost zero. Specifically, for example, the intermediate rod may be held by the arm in a state in which the arm is in a rod shape, and the arm and the intermediate rod are arranged almost horizontally.

  “The distance between the arm and the intermediate rod in the vertical direction is smaller than the distance between the proximal end and the distal end” means that at least the distance between the proximal end of the intermediate rod and the arm is smaller than the distance between the proximal ends, and The distance between the tip of the intermediate rod and the arm may be smaller than the distance between the tips. From the viewpoint of making the distance between the arm and the intermediate rod as small as possible, the distance between the proximal end of the intermediate rod and the arm is smaller than the distance between the proximal ends and the distance between the distal ends, and It is desirable that the distance between the distal end of the intermediate rod and the arm is smaller than the distance between the proximal ends and the distance between the distal ends. Furthermore, the larger of the distance between the proximal end of the intermediate rod and the arm and the distance between the distal end of the intermediate rod and the arm is 1/2 or less of the smaller of the smaller of the distance between the proximal end and the distal end. It is desirable that it is 1/3 or less and 1/4 or less.

  (2) The suspension device according to (1), further including a spring that applies an elastic reaction force to a displacement in the extending direction of the intermediate rod with respect to the arm.

  In the present suspension device, when the arm is rotated by the relative displacement in the vertical direction between the wheel and the vehicle body, the arm and the intermediate rod are relatively displaced in the extending direction of the arm. This suspension device can apply an elastic reaction force to a relative displacement in the vertical direction between the wheel and the vehicle body by applying an elastic reaction force to the relative displacement between the arm and the intermediate rod. ing.

  Therefore, if the suspension device is configured to apply an elastic reaction force to the relative displacement in the direction in which the wheel and the vehicle body approach each other, the suspension device generates an elastic reaction force for sharing the load of the vehicle body. It will be. For example, if the tip of the carrier side rod is located above the tip of the arm and the tip of the body side rod is located above the base end of the arm, the intermediate rod It is only necessary to apply an elastic reaction force in the direction of displacement toward the base end of the arm. If the tip of the carrier side rod is positioned below the tip of the arm and the tip of the body side rod is positioned below the base end of the arm, the intermediate rod is What is necessary is just to give an elastic reaction force in the direction displaced toward the front-end | tip part. In addition, if the said spring can bear all the vehicle body shared loads which a wheel should bear, this suspension apparatus does not require another suspension spring, and that becomes an advantage of this apparatus.

  (3) The suspension device according to item (2), wherein the spring is disposed between a part of the intermediate rod and a part of the arm.

  In this suspension apparatus, since the spring is disposed between the arm and the intermediate rod, the suspension apparatus can be made relatively compact. Specifically, for example, a bracket for supporting a spring (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “support bracket”) is provided at a specific location of the intermediate rod, and a support bracket is provided at a specific location of the arm. A compression or tension spring may be disposed between the brackets.

  (4) The suspension device according to any one of (1) to (3), further including a damper that applies a damping force to the displacement of the intermediate rod with respect to the arm in the extending direction of the arm. .

  The suspension device can apply a damping force to the relative displacement in the vertical direction between the wheel and the vehicle body by applying a damping force to the relative displacement between the arm and the intermediate rod. That is, the damper can function as a so-called shock absorber. In addition, if this suspension apparatus is provided with the said spring with the said damper, the function as a suspension apparatus will be enriched.

  (5) The suspension device according to (4), wherein the damper is disposed between a part of the intermediate rod and a part of the arm.

  In the present suspension device, since the damper is disposed between the arm and the intermediate rod, the suspension device can be made relatively compact. Specifically, similarly to the above-described spring, for example, a support bracket may be provided at each of the specific position of the intermediate rod and the specific position of the arm, and a cylinder-shaped damper may be disposed between the two support brackets. . When the damper is provided together with the spring, if the bracket is shared with the spring and the damper and the spring are arranged coaxially, the structure is simple and the suspension device is sufficiently compact.

  (6) A turning power imparting device that is provided on the vehicle body and that imparts a turning force that is a force for rotating one of the arm and the vehicle body side rod around one base end portion thereof is further provided ( The suspension device according to any one of items 1) to (5).

  This suspension device can positively displace the carrier up and down with respect to the vehicle body by applying a turning force. That is, in a vehicle equipped with this suspension device, the relative position in the vertical direction between the vehicle body and the wheels can be adjusted. Therefore, in such a vehicle, for example, roll suppression of the vehicle body, pitch suppression, lean (inclination), intentional squat, nose dive, vehicle height adjustment, and the like are possible. The specific configuration of the “rotation power applying device” is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a motor or the like as a main component. In addition, it is desirable that the turning power applying device has a structure capable of applying turning power without hindering the vertical movement of the wheel by external input as much as possible. Specifically, it is desirable to have a structure with low reverse efficiency.

(7) The suspension device further includes a control device that controls the turning force applying device,
When the front collision of the vehicle is predicted, the control device controls the turning power applying device so that the turning power is applied in a direction in which the front side portion of the vehicle body is lifted with respect to the rear side portion. The suspension device according to item (6) configured as described above.

  According to the present suspension device, the vehicle body is squat when a vehicle front collision is predicted. Accordingly, the seat on which the occupant is seated also tilts backward, so that the occupant is prevented from jumping forward in the event of a vehicle forward collision. In order to squat the vehicle body, for example, when the suspension device is provided with respect to the front wheel, the wheel and the vehicle body are moved up and down so that the distance between the wheel and the vehicle body increases, that is, rebounds. What is necessary is just to carry out relative displacement in a direction. When the suspension device is provided for the rear wheel, the wheel and the vehicle body may be relatively displaced in the vertical direction so as to reduce the distance between the wheel and the vehicle body, that is, to bounce. . The “prediction of vehicle forward collision” may be performed by a device mounted on the vehicle, such as a system for realizing a so-called pre-crash safety function, and the turning force applying device is controlled based on a signal from the device. Thus, the control device may be configured.

  (8) The suspension device according to any one of (1) to (7), wherein the carrier in which the tip of the arm and the tip of the carrier-side rod are connected functions as a steering knuckle.

  According to the present suspension device, for example, the kingpin axis of the steering knuckle can be defined by the location where the tip of the arm and the tip of the carrier side rod are connected to the carrier. For the reasons described above, the suspension device does not change much in the angle of the kingpin shaft with respect to the road surface when the wheel and the vehicle body are relatively displaced during bounce and rebound.

  (9) The suspension device according to any one of (1) to (8), wherein the arm functions as a leading arm extending in the front-rear direction.

  In the present suspension device, the arm extends in the front-rear direction, so that the arm can be made relatively long. By adopting a relatively long arm, the amount of rotation of the arm can be made relatively small even if the relative movement amount between the wheel and the vehicle body is relatively large. Therefore, for example, in the case of a suspension device including the above-described turning force applying device, the carrier can be displaced relatively with respect to the vehicle body even if the amount of operation of the turning force applying device is relatively small. That is, when the carrier is positively displaced with respect to the vehicle body, it can be displaced relatively quickly.

  (10) The suspension device according to any one of (1) to (8), wherein the suspension device is a device for a front wheel.

  This suspension apparatus is suitable when the arm is the leading arm. That is, when the arm is a leading arm, the distal end portion of the arm is positioned in front of the base end portion, so that the arm is arranged to extend rearward from the front wheel. Therefore, the arm can be disposed between the front wheel and the rear wheel.

(11) a pair of left and right wheels;
A vehicle comprising a pair of suspension devices that are provided corresponding to the wheels, each of which is the suspension device according to any one of items (1) to (10).

  The vehicle according to the aspect of this aspect has the various advantages described for the suspension device according to each aspect described above in the pair of left and right wheels.

(12) The pair of wheels is a pair of front wheels,
The arms of each of the pair of suspension devices are
The vehicle according to item (11), wherein the vehicle is a leading arm arranged to extend in the front-rear direction below the passenger seat in a side view of the vehicle.

  In the vehicle according to this aspect, since the arm extends in the front-rear direction below the passenger seat, the arm can be made relatively long by using the space below the passenger seat. Moreover, although the arm is disposed below the occupant seat, according to the present suspension device, a relatively large space can be provided at the foot of the occupant. For example, if the suspension device is arranged in the vehicle so that the intermediate rod is located at the foot of the occupant, the distance between the arm and the intermediate rod is relatively small in this suspension device, so that a relatively large space is provided at the foot of the occupant. Can be provided. Alternatively, in a vehicle in which the suspension device is arranged so that the occupant gets on and off the arm, the occupant can get on and off relatively easily if the suspension device is arranged on the vehicle so as to get on and off at the place where the intermediate rod is located. .

(13) The vehicle is
The vehicle according to item (12), having a single rear wheel located in the middle of the pair of front wheels in the vehicle width direction and located behind the pair of front wheels.

  This vehicle is suitable for a relatively small vehicle such as a single-seat vehicle described later.

It is the figure which looked at the vehicle carrying the suspension apparatus which is an Example of claimable invention from the side. It is the figure which looked at the vehicle shown in FIG. 1 from upper direction. FIG. 2 is a view showing a portion where two rods are connected to each other in the suspension device mounted on the vehicle shown in FIG. 1. It is a figure which shows the spring and damper of a suspension apparatus which were mounted in the vehicle shown in FIG. It is a figure of the cross section of DD view in FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a change in the suspension device mounted on the vehicle shown in FIG. 1 due to relative fluctuation between wheels and a vehicle body. It is a figure for demonstrating the behavior of the vehicle body and a passenger | crew when the vehicle shown in FIG. 1 is likely to collide ahead. It is a figure which shows the part in which the spring and damper are located in the suspension apparatus which is a modification of claimable invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the claimable invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The claimable invention is not limited to the following examples and modifications, and can be implemented in various modes with various changes and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

≪Configuration of vehicle with suspension device≫
1 and 2 schematically show a vehicle on which a pair of suspension devices 10 according to the embodiment are mounted. This vehicle is a single-seat vehicle, and only one passenger seat 12 is provided at the approximate center of the vehicle. In the present vehicle, as a front wheel, a pair of wheels 14 are arranged on the left and right in the vehicle width direction at the front portion of the vehicle. Moreover, the single wheel 16 is arrange | positioned in the vehicle width direction center in the rear part of a vehicle as a rear wheel. That is, the vehicle is a vehicle that travels on three wheels.

  Each of the front wheels 14 is rotatably held by a steering knuckle 18. Each of the steering knuckles 18 is connected to a steering device 20 for changing the direction of the front wheels 14. The steering device 20 is connected to an operation device 22 operated by a driver. The operating device 22 includes a steering wheel 24 that is operated by a driver, and an operating shaft 26 that is rotated by the operation. Further, the steering device 20 includes a housing 27 fixed to the vehicle body, a pinion shaft 28 rotatably held by the housing 27, and a rolling device held by the housing 27 while being allowed to move in the vehicle width direction. The steering rod 30 includes a pair of link rods 32 having one end connected to the steering rod 30 and the other end connected to the steering knuckle 18 via a ball joint 31. The pinion shaft 28 is formed with a pinion at one end located inside the housing 27, and the steered rod 30 is formed with a rack that meshes with the pinion. The other end of the pinion shaft 28 is connected to the operation shaft 26 of the operating device 22 via a plurality of joints and a plurality of shafts. Therefore, when the steering wheel 24 is operated by the driver, the steered rod 30 is moved left and right, and the front wheels 14 are turned. That is, the front wheel 14 is a steered wheel in the vehicle.

  The rear wheel 16 is rotatably held by a rear wheel support member 34 rotatably held on the vehicle body. The vehicle has an electromagnetic motor 36 as a drive source, and a drive sprocket 38 is fixed to the motor shaft of the motor 36. A driven sprocket 40 is fixed to the rear wheel 16, and the driven sprocket 40 can rotate together with the rear wheel 16. An annular chain 42 is bridged between the drive sprocket 38 and the driven sprocket 40. Therefore, when the drive sprocket 38 is rotated by the operation of the motor 36, the rear wheel 16 is rotated together with the driven sprocket 40 via the chain 42. That is, the rear wheel 16 is a driving wheel in the vehicle. Although not described in detail, a spring and a damper are provided between the rear wheel support member 34 and the vehicle body. The spring can apply an elastic force to the relative displacement between the rear wheel 16 and the vehicle body, and the damper can apply a damping force. The front wheels 14 and the rear wheels 16 are each provided with a brake device, and the rotation of each wheel is braked according to the driver's brake operation.

≪Configuration of suspension device≫
In the pair of suspension devices 10, one structure thereof and the other structure are symmetrical. Therefore, the components such as the suspension device 10 and the front wheel 14 are represented by common names that do not distinguish between left and right. In the following description, when each component including them is represented separately on the left and right, “L” is assigned to those located on the left side, and “R” is assigned to those located on the right side. I will do it.

  The suspension device 10 rotates the pivot arm 50 rotatably held by the vehicle body at the base end portion, the rod Assy 52 rotatably held by the vehicle body at the base end portion, and the rotary arm 50. And an actuator 54 for generating the following force. Note that the rod Assy 52 and the rotating arm 50 are arranged side by side in the vertical direction. Therefore, in FIG. 2, in order to depict the structure of the rotating arm 50 and the structure of the rod Assy 52 in detail, the suspension device 10L located on the left side mainly shows the state of the rod Assy 52 viewed from above (in FIG. 1). The suspension device 10 </ b> R located on the right side is mainly drawn in a state where the rotating arm 50 is viewed from above (a state seen from BB in FIG. 1). Yes. The pivot arm 50 is mainly composed of an arm body portion 60 extending in the front-rear direction and a shaft portion 62 that is a base end portion of the pivot arm 50 and is fixed so as to be orthogonal to the arm body portion 60. ing. One end portion of the shaft portion 62 is rotatably held by a cage 64 fixed to the vehicle body, and the other end portion is connected to an actuator 54 fixed to the vehicle body. That is, the shaft portion 62 can be rotated with respect to the vehicle body by the cage 64 and the actuator 54, and the arm main body portion 60 can move relative to the vehicle body with the axis of the shaft portion 62 as a rotation axis. It can be turned. The arm body portion 60 has a distal end portion bent toward the outside of the vehicle body, and the distal end portion is coupled to a lower portion of the steering knuckle 18 via a ball joint 66.

  The rod Assy 52 is roughly configured to include three rods. More specifically, a first rod 66 whose base end is connected to the vehicle body, a second rod 68 whose base end is connected to the tip of the first rod 66, and a tip of the second rod 68. And a third rod 70 having a base end portion connected to the portion and a tip end portion rotatably connected to the steering knuckle 18. A joint 72 is provided between the first rod 66 and the second rod 68, and the first rod 66 and the second rod 68 are connected to each other via the joint 72. A joint 72 is also provided between the second rod 68 and the third rod 70, and the second rod 68 and the third rod 70 are connected to each other via the joint 72. The first rod 66 has a rod main body portion 74 extending in the front-rear direction and a shaft portion that is fixed at a base end portion of the first rod 66 so as to be orthogonal to the rod main body portion 74 and extends horizontally in the vehicle width direction. 76. Both end portions of the shaft portion 76 are rotatably held by cages 78 fixed to the vehicle body. That is, the shaft portion 76 can be rotated with respect to the vehicle body by the cage 78, and the rod main body portion 74 can be rotated with respect to the vehicle body using the shaft portion 76 as a rotation axis. . Further, the tip of the third rod 70 is bent outward from the vehicle body. The tip is connected to the upper part of the steering knuckle 18 via a ball joint 80.

  3A is a plan view of a joint 72 that connects the first rod 66 and the second rod 68, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in FIG. 3A. It is. A cylindrical bush 82 is fixed to the distal end portion of the first rod 66, while a yoke 84 shaped to sandwich both ends of the bush 82 is fixed to the proximal end portion of the second rod 68. ing. The bush 82 includes a cylindrical outer cylinder 86 fixed to the second rod 68, an inner cylinder 88 disposed coaxially with the outer cylinder 86 inside the outer cylinder 86, and the outer cylinder 86 and the inner cylinder 86. A rubber elastic member 90 disposed between the cylinder 88 and the cylinder 88 is provided. A shaft 92 is inserted through the bush 82 and the yoke 84 along the axis of the bush 82. A screw thread is formed at the tip of the shaft 92, and the shaft 92 is screwed to the yoke 84 by a nut 94. With the joint 72 configured in this manner, the first rod 66 and the second rod 68 can rotate with respect to each other about the axis of the shaft 92. The joint 72 that connects the second rod 68 and the third rod 70 also has the same structure, and the second rod 68 and the third rod 70 rotate around each other about the axis of the shaft 86. It is possible.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the suspension device 10 has two rod supports 100 for the rotation arm 50 to support the second rod 68. The two rod supports 100 are respectively fixed to the rotating arm 50 with a space therebetween, and hold the second rod 68 upward. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the rod support 100 in the DD view of FIG. Each of the rod supports 100 has a plate 106 provided with two holes 102 and 104. The arm body 60 of the rotating arm 50 is inserted through the hole 102, and the rod supports 100 are fixed to the arm body 60 by welding at the positions shown in FIG. The inner diameter of the hole 104 is larger than the inner diameter of the hole 102, and the second rod 68 is inserted through the hole 104. Between the inner peripheral surface of the hole 104 and the outer peripheral surface of the second rod 68, a rubber elastic member 108 having a cylindrical shape and a sleeve 110 made of steel pipe are disposed. By the two rod supports 100 configured as described above, the second rod 68 slides on the inner peripheral surface of the sleeve 110 while extending the second rod 68, that is, the arm main body 60 of the rotating arm 50. It is possible to displace in the extending direction.

  Furthermore, the suspension device 10 includes a spring 120 that generates an elastic reaction force and a cylinder-type damper 122 that generates a damping force at a position where the second rod 68 is located. The damper 122 is configured to include a rod-shaped rod 124 and a cylinder 126 that is provided coaxially with the rod 124 and into which the rod 124 can enter and exit. Although detailed description is omitted, the damper 122 generates a damping force with respect to the rod 124 entering and exiting the cylinder 126. Supporters 128 and 130 for holding the spring 120 which is a compression coil spring in a compressed state are fixed to both ends of the damper 122, respectively. In the damper 122, a supporter 128 fixed to the rod 124 is rotatably connected to a bracket 132 provided on the second rod 68, and a supporter 130 fixed to the cylinder 126 is connected to the arm main body 60 of the rotating arm 50. It is arrange | positioned in the state connected rotatably with the bracket 134 provided in this.

  Although a detailed description of the actuator 54 connected to the shaft portion 62 of the rotating arm 50 is omitted, the actuator 54 is mainly composed of a motor, and rotatably holds the shaft portion 62 of the rotating arm 50. However, the shaft portion 62 can be rotated by the force generated by the motor. Further, the reverse efficiency of the actuator 54 is relatively small. Therefore, when an external force is applied to the shaft portion 62 in a state where no electric power is supplied to the motor and the shaft portion 62 is to be rotated, the actuator 54 is resistant to the rotation. However, it is relatively small.

  By the way, this vehicle has a vehicle collision prediction function for avoiding a collision with an obstacle in front of the vehicle or another vehicle, a so-called pre-crash safety function. With this function, when there is a risk of a frontal collision, preventive measures such as warning to the occupant, winding of the seat belt, operation of the brake device, etc. are executed. For this reason, the vehicle is provided with a speed sensor 140 for detecting the speed of the vehicle and a millimeter wave radar 142 for detecting a distance from an obstacle in front of the vehicle or another vehicle. In addition, each of the speed sensor 140 and the millimeter wave radar 142 is connected to a pre-crash safety electronic control unit (pre-crash safety ECU) 144 that performs various controls for executing each preventive measure of the pre-crash safety function. . The pre-crash safety ECU 144 can predict the risk of collision based on the speed of the vehicle and the distance to the obstacle or vehicle that may collide. The pre-crash safety ECU 144 is connected to an actuator electronic control unit (actuator ECU) 146 that controls the operation of the actuator 54, and the pre-crash safety ECU 144 sends a signal for operating the actuator 54 to the actuator ECU 146. Output is possible.

≪Operation of suspension system≫
In the suspension device 10 configured as described above, the rotation arm 50 can rotate with the axis of the shaft portion 62 as the arm rotation axis. The rotation arm 50 is perpendicular to the arm axis, that is, the rotation axis of the shaft 62 at the base end, and a straight line passing through the tip extends in the vehicle front-rear direction. In other words, the arm axis direction, which is the direction in which the arm axis extends, is the front-rear direction. Therefore, it can be considered that the rotating arm 50 functions as a leading arm. The second rod 68 is an intermediate rod whose displacement in the arm axis direction is allowed, and the first rod 66 connected to the intermediate rod is a vehicle body side rod whose base end portion is rotatably connected to the vehicle body. Can be considered. If the steering knuckle 18 is considered as a carrier, the third rod 70 connected to the intermediate rod can be considered as a carrier-side rod whose tip is connected to the steering knuckle 18. Further, in the steering knuckle 18, a kingpin axis in turning of the front wheel 14 is defined by the ball joint 66 at the tip of the rotating arm 50 and the ball joint 80 at the tip of the third rod 70. Therefore, when the steering wheel 24 is operated and the steered rod 32 moves to the left and right, the front wheel 14 turns with the kingpin axis as the rotation axis. Further, in the steering knuckle 18 supported by the vehicle body in this way, the rod Assy 52 can be considered as the second arm. Therefore, the suspension device 10 can be considered as an improvement of the double wishbone suspension device including two arms, that is, the rotating arm 50 and the rod Assy 52.

  Further, in the rotating arm 50 and the rod Assy 52 of the suspension device 10, the vertical distance between the base end of the second rod 68 and the rotating arm 50 is the base end interval, that is, the base end of the rotating arm 50. And the distance between the base end portion of the first rod 66 in the vertical direction. The vertical distance between the tip of the second rod 68 and the turning arm 50 is smaller than the distance between the tips, that is, the distance between the tip of the turning arm 50 and the tip of the third rod 70 in the vertical direction. It has become. The vertical distance between the proximal end of the second rod 68 and the rotating arm 50 is smaller than the distance between the distal ends, and the vertical distance between the distal end of the second rod 68 and the rotating arm 50 is vertical. The interval is smaller than the base end interval. That is, as shown in FIG. 1, the rod Assy 52 has a relatively small vertical distance between itself and the rotating arm 50 in the second rod 68. By the way, the base end portion interval and the tip end portion interval are substantially the same size, and the interval between the base end portion of the second rod 68 and the rotating arm 50 or the second rod with respect to these intervals. The distance between the tip end portion 68 and the rotating arm 50 is ½ or less.

  In a state where the suspension device 10 is mounted on the vehicle, the pivot arm 50 and the rod Assy 52 extend in the front-rear direction on the left and right sides below the passenger seat 12 as shown in FIG. Therefore, the occupant must get on and off the vehicle across the rotating arm 50 and the rod Assy 52. In this vehicle, the second rod 68 is located at such a place where the occupant gets on and off, and the vertical distance between the second rod 68 and the rotating arm 50 is relatively small. Therefore, the occupant can get on and off the vehicle relatively easily across the turning arm 50 and the rod Assy 52.

  Further, when an external force is applied to the front wheel 14, the rotating arm 50 is rotated so that the front wheel 14 is displaced together with the steering knuckle 18 with respect to the vehicle body. Further, with the rotation, in the rod Assy 52, the angle between the first rod 66 and the second rod 68 and the angle between the second rod 68 and the third rod 70 respectively change. FIG. 7 shows changes in the relative position between the front wheel 14 and the vehicle body and the angle between the rods as the rotating arm 50 rotates. When the relative position between the front wheel 14 and the vehicle body changes in the bound direction from the state shown in FIG. 7A, the turning arm 50 turns upward as shown in FIG. 7B. . At this time, the second rod 68 is displaced toward the tip in the arm axial direction of the rotating arm 50. When the relative position of the front wheel 14 and the vehicle body changes in the rebound direction from the state shown in FIG. 7A, the turning arm 50 turns downward as shown in FIG. 7C. It becomes. At this time, the second rod 68 is displaced toward the base end in the arm axial direction of the rotating rod 50.

  As described above, since the second rod 68 is displaced in the arm axial direction, if the distance between the bracket 132 fixed to the rotating arm 50 and the bracket 134 fixed to the second rod 68 is L, The interval L changes as the rotating arm 50 rotates. Therefore, the length of the spring 120 changes as the turning arm 50 rotates, and the elastic reaction force generated by the spring 120 changes. In addition, since the length of the damper 122 also changes, the rod 124 enters and exits the cylinder 126, and a damping force is generated in the damper 122. Therefore, the spring 120 as the suspension spring generates an elastic reaction force having a magnitude corresponding to the relative position between the front wheel 14 and the vehicle body, and the damper 122 as the shock absorber is a relative position between the front wheel 14 and the vehicle body. A damping force corresponding to the changing speed is generated. As described above, since the reverse efficiency of the actuator 54 is relatively small, even when a force for rotating the rotating arm 50 is generated by an external force acting on the front wheel 14, the actuator 54 is generated. The resistance force that prevents the rotation is relatively small. Therefore, in a state where electric power is not supplied to the actuator 54, the turning arm 50 can turn relatively smoothly with respect to the external force acting on the front wheel 14. If the actuator 54 generates a force by supplying electric power and the rotating arm 50 is positively rotated, the roll restraint of the vehicle body, the pitch restraint, the lean (tilt), the intentional squat, the nose dive, the vehicle High adjustment and the like can be performed. That is, in the suspension device 10, the actuator 54 is a turning force applying device that applies turning force to the rotating arm 50.

  Even when the present suspension device 10 operates as described above, the angle of the kingpin shaft with respect to the road surface of the steering knuckle 18 hardly changes as indicated by the one-dot chain line in FIG. That is, in this vehicle, the relative position of each rod of the rod Assy 52 is changed, so that the front wheel 14 and the vehicle body can be relatively moved in the vertical direction with almost no change in the angle of the kingpin shaft.

≪Operation when collision risk occurs≫
In the present suspension device 10, when the pre-crash safety ECU 144 predicts that there is a risk of a collision, a signal is output from the pre-crash safety ECU 144 to the actuator ECU 146. When the signal is input, the actuator ECU 146 outputs a signal for rotating the rotating arm 50 downward with the maximum force to the actuator 54. Therefore, the vehicle body is changed from the state shown in FIG. 8A to the state shown in FIG. That is, the vehicle body is squat and the front of the seat surface of the passenger seat 12 is lifted. Therefore, the posture of the occupant is changed so as to fall backward. The suspension device 10 operates in such a manner as to change the posture of the occupant when there is a risk of a collision, so that the brake operation by the driver or the operation of the brake device by the pre-crash safety function is performed. Thus, even if a relatively large braking force is generated, it is possible to suppress the occupant from jumping forward.

Modified example

  FIG. 8 is a view showing a part of a suspension device 200L according to a modification. The suspension device 200 is roughly configured in the same manner as the suspension device 10 of the embodiment, and thus the description thereof will be omitted except for portions different from the suspension device 10. FIG. 8A is a side view of the suspension device 200L, and FIG. 8B is a plan view of the suspension device 200L. As shown in these drawings, in the suspension device 200, the second rod 68 and the rotating arm 50 are arranged side by side in the vehicle width direction. That is, the vertical distance between the base end of the second rod 68 and the rotating arm 50 and the vertical distance between the distal end of the second rod 68 and the rotating arm 50 are both zero. . In addition, two brackets 202 are fixed to the rotating arm 50 before and after the spring 120 and the damper 122, respectively. The two brackets 202 are also fixed to the second rod 68 so as to face the bracket 202 fixed to the rotating arm 50. The end portions of the rod-shaped link rod 204 are rotatably connected to the two brackets 202 facing each other. Therefore, in the suspension device 200, the two link rods 204, the rotating arm 50, and the second rod 68 constitute a quadrilateral link.

  With the suspension device 200 configured as described above, the front wheel 14 and the vehicle body can be relatively moved in the vertical direction while the second rod 68 is displaced in the arm axis direction, similarly to the suspension device 10 of the embodiment. it can. In the suspension device 200, the vertical distance between the second rod 68 and the rotating arm 50 is zero. Therefore, when compared with a vehicle equipped with the suspension device 10 of the embodiment, the suspension device 200 is more compact in the vertical direction.

  10: Suspension device 14: Front wheel 16: Rear wheel 18: Steering knuckle 50: Rotating arm (arm) 54: Actuator (rotation force applying device) 66: First rod (vehicle body side rod) 68: Second rod (intermediate rod) 70: Third rod (carrier side rod) 200: Suspension device

Claims (7)

The base end portion is rotatably connected to the vehicle body, and the tip end portion is rotatably connected to a carrier that rotatably holds the wheel, to allow the carrier to swing vertically with respect to the vehicle body. Arm,
An intermediate rod supported by the arm in a state where the arm is aligned with the arm and displacement in the extending direction of the arm is allowed;
A vehicle body side rod having a base end portion rotatably connected to the vehicle body at a position spaced vertically from the base end portion of the arm, and a tip end portion rotatably connected to the base end portion of the intermediate rod When,
A carrier-side rod having a proximal end portion rotatably connected to a distal end portion of the intermediate rod, and a distal end portion rotatably connected to the carrier at a position spaced apart from the distal end portion of the arm in the vertical direction. And
The vertical distance between the arm and the intermediate rod is determined by the distance between the proximal end of the arm and the proximal end of the vehicle body side rod and the distance between the distal end of the arm and the distal end of the carrier side rod. Suspension device is also made smaller.   The suspension device according to claim 1, further comprising a spring that applies an elastic reaction force to a displacement of the intermediate rod with respect to the arm in the extending direction of the arm.   The suspension device according to claim 2, wherein the spring is disposed between a portion of the intermediate rod and a portion of the arm.   The suspension device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a damper that applies a damping force to the displacement of the intermediate rod with respect to the arm in the extending direction of the arm.   The suspension device according to claim 4, wherein the damper is disposed between a part of the intermediate rod and a part of the arm.   6. A turning power applying device that is provided on a vehicle body and that applies a turning force that is a force for rotating around one base end of the arm and the vehicle body side rod. The suspension device according to any one of the above. The suspension device further includes a control device for controlling the turning force applying device,
When the front collision of the vehicle is predicted, the control device controls the turning power applying device so that the turning power is applied in a direction in which the front side portion of the vehicle body is lifted with respect to the rear side portion. The suspension device according to claim 6 configured as described above.

Images