JP3105065B2 - Vehicle suspension device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle suspension system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as a vehicle suspension device, a strut type and a double wishbone type are generally well known, and are often used in actual vehicles.

However, in the strut type suspension device, the virtual kingpin axis, which is the steering rotation axis of the wheel, is a straight line connecting the connection point between the upper end of the damper device and the vehicle body and the connection point between the lower arm and the wheel support member. However, this virtual kingpin axis is not desirable in terms of vehicle performance. In other words, from the viewpoint of vehicle performance, the virtual kingpin axis is
Ideally, the wheel slightly passes through the inside of the vehicle body than the center line in the width direction of the wheel on the rotation center line of the wheel, and passes slightly outside the vehicle body from the center line in the width direction of the wheel so as to have a slight negative kingpin offset on the ground contact surface of the wheel. However, this is because the virtual kingpin axis of the strut-type suspension device is inclined more inwardly than the ideal virtual kingpin axis.

On the other hand, in a double wishbone type suspension device, the virtual kingpin axis is
A straight line connecting the connection point between the upper arm and the wheel support member and the connection point between the lower arm and the wheel support member can be brought closer to the ideal virtual kingpin axis by appropriately setting the two connection points. However, in the case of the double wishbone type, two connection points of the upper arm and the lower arm with the vehicle body are required to counter the horizontal load acting on the wheels, etc., and the arrangement setting of other parts Is limited. In particular, when this double wishbone type suspension device is used as a front wheel suspension device for an FF type vehicle, this layout limitation becomes an important problem. In addition, in the strut type suspension device,
Since there is no upper arm, there is no layout problem.

[0005] In order to combine the advantages of the conventional strut type and the double wishbone type and to eliminate the disadvantages, a number of suspension devices have been proposed. Conventional example will be described with reference to a gazette.

A first conventional example is disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2-220904.
This is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. This conventional example basically belongs to the improved type of the double wishbone type, in which the upper arm is constituted by one link member, and the lower end of the damper device is connected to the lower arm to act on the wheels. The load is also supported by the damper device. According to this conventional example, since there is only one connection point between the upper arm and the vehicle body, the degree of freedom in layout can be increased accordingly.

A second conventional example is disclosed in DE 3839463A1.
It is disclosed in a gazette. In this conventional example, as in the first conventional example, the upper arm is formed by one link member, while the lower end of the damper device is connected to the wheel support member. It has the advantage that the degree can be increased.

A third conventional example is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-136804.
This is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. This conventional example also basically belongs to the improved type of the double wishbone type, in which an intermediate member is provided between the wheel support member and the upper arm, and the lower end of the damper member is connected to the intermediate member. Further, the wheel supporting member is pivotally connected to the intermediate member via a ball joint, and the upper arm is pivotally connected only around the longitudinal axis.

[0009]

However, the above-described first to third conventional examples also have the following disadvantages. That is, in the first conventional example, since the lower end of the damper device is connected to the middle portion of the lower arm in the vehicle width direction, the damper device does not respond to the vertical external force acting on the wheel at the time of bump rebound of the wheel. Must be increased by an amount corresponding to the lever ratio. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the size of the damper device and the lower arm connected thereto, which causes an increase in weight.
In the case of the FF type vehicle, the drive shaft is arranged to extend in the vehicle width direction on the rotational center line of the wheel. In order to avoid interference between the drive shaft and a damper device connected to the lower arm, a lower end of the damper device is provided. It is necessary to provide a forked connecting member for passing the drive shaft between the lower arm and the lower arm. Since this connecting member receives all the forces generated by the damper device, it must have a large rigidity, and it becomes large. This also has the disadvantage of further increasing the weight.

In the second conventional example, since the wheel supporting member must also form an arm for connecting to the damper device, there is a disadvantage that the shape is complicated and the weight increases. Further, since the lower end of the damper device extends below the rotation center line of the wheel, in the case of an FF type vehicle, it is necessary to avoid interference between the damper device and the drive shaft, and the layout is accordingly free. The degree decreases. Further, there is a disadvantage that the virtual kingpin axis is considerably inclined upward and inward of the vehicle body, which is far from the ideal one.

In the third conventional example, since the wheel supporting member and the intermediate member are connected by the ball joint, the horizontal load (lateral force, longitudinal force) acting on the wheel cannot be received by the damper device. . For this reason, the connection point of the upper arm with the vehicle body is 2
Points are required, and the degree of freedom in layout cannot be increased.

[0012] Also, in the case of a double wishbone type suspension device in which a front wheel, which is a steering wheel, is suspended from a vehicle body, among the four wheels of the vehicle, it is desired that the length of the upper arm and the lower arm in the vehicle width direction be as long as possible. There is a request. This request is based on the following reasons. That is, the base end of the tie rod of the steering device is usually provided with a body side pivot of the upper arm and the lower arm in order to prevent the wheel from receiving an external force from the tie rod and changing the toe angle of the wheel when the wheel is pumped and rebounded. It is set on a straight line connecting the attachment parts. Therefore, if the length of the upper arm and the lower arm in the vehicle width direction is shortened, the length of the tie rod is also shortened.However, when the length of the tie rod is short, when the wheel is largely steered from the neutral position to one side. The angle of the connection point between the tie rod and the knuckle member that is the wheel support member is a conceivable point (about 180 degrees).
It is because it will change to near.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned points, and an object of the present invention is to improve the performance by bringing the virtual kingpin shaft closer to an ideal one like the double wishbone type while improving the performance. It is necessary to provide a suspension device for a vehicle that can reduce the size and weight and improve the degree of freedom in layout and increase the apparent length of the upper arm in the vehicle width direction to sufficiently secure the length of the tie rod. Is what you do.

[0014]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a suspension apparatus for a vehicle, comprising: a wheel support member for rotatably supporting a wheel; and a lower end provided at one end of the wheel support member. A lower arm pivotally attached to the vehicle body at the other end so as to be vertically swingable, a damper device having an upper end pivotally attached to the vehicle body and absorbing vertical vibration of the wheel, and one end pivotally attached to the vehicle body at one point. An upper arm having the other end pivotally attached to the lower end of the damper device so as to be rotatable only around the longitudinal axis, and one end pivotally attached to the upper end of the wheel support member so as to be rotatable only around the vertical axis, A connection member whose end is pivotally attached to the damper device at a position above a pivot point of the upper arm and the damper device so as to be rotatable only around the longitudinal axis.

The inventions of claims 2 to 7 are all dependent on the invention of claim 1 and more specifically show them.

That is, according to the second aspect of the present invention, in order to make the virtual kingpin axis closer to the ideal one, the lower arm is composed of two front and rear link members, and one end of each link member is connected to the wheel support member. At the lower end, the other end is pivotally attached to the vehicle body, and the two link members are arranged such that their axes intersect outside the vehicle body from the pivotal connection point with the wheel support members.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a pair of branch portions sandwiching the dambar device are provided at the pivotally connected end of the upper arm with the damper device, and the ends of the two branch portions are respectively pivotally connected to the dambar device. Configuration.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the vertical axis of the pivotal connection between the connecting member and the wheel supporting member is provided so as to be inclined with respect to the vertical direction in plan view when viewed from the side of the vehicle.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the vertical axis of the pivotal connection between the connecting member and the wheel supporting member is provided so as to be inclined with respect to the vertical direction in plan view when viewed in the vehicle longitudinal direction.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, the front-rear axis of the pivot between the connecting member and the damper device and the front-rear axis of the pivot between the upper arm and the damper device are parallel to each other and viewed from the side of the vehicle body. It is provided to be inclined with respect to the horizontal direction in a plan view.

Furthermore, the invention according to claim 7 is characterized in that the longitudinal axis of the pivot between the connecting member and the damper device and the longitudinal axis of the pivot between the upper arm and the damper device are parallel to each other and from above the vehicle body. It is configured so as to be inclined with respect to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body in a plan view.

[0022]

According to the above-mentioned structure, according to the first aspect of the present invention,
Since the lower end of the damper device is connected to the upper arm and does not extend downward to near the center of rotation of the wheel, the FF
Even in the case of a model car, the damper device and the drive shaft do not interfere with each other, and it is not necessary to adopt a special structure for avoiding the interference. Also, the vertical load acting on the wheels is
Since the input is performed at a ratio of approximately 1 to the damper device, it is not necessary to particularly increase the size of the damper device and the like. Further, since the upper arm is connected to the vehicle body at only one point, the degree of freedom in layout is increased accordingly.

In addition, the camber change characteristic can be set to be equal to or higher than that of the double wishbone type suspension device, which is equal to or greater than the strut type suspension device. In addition, the apparent length of the upper arm in the vehicle width direction at the time of bump rebound of the wheel is longer than the actual length thereof, so that the length of the tie rod can be increased.

In the case of the second aspect of the invention, when the wheel is steered, the instantaneous center of rotation of the wheel support member or the upper side of the wheel is determined by the vertical axis of the pivotal connection between the wheel support member and the connecting member. The upper and lower shafts are rotated around a straight line connecting the vehicle body connection point at the upper end of the damper device and the vehicle body connection point of the upper arm. The intersection point of the extension line and the straight line is located at a position closer to the center line side of the wheel in the vehicle width direction. On the other hand, the instantaneous rotation center point on the lower side of the wheel support member is the intersection of the axes of the two link members constituting the lower arm. Therefore, the virtual kingpin axis is
Although the straight line passes through the two instantaneous rotation center points, the virtual kingpin axis is closer to the center line side in the vehicle width direction of the wheel, and is closer to an ideal one than a double wishbone type suspension device.

Further, in the invention according to claim 4 or 5,
Since the vertical axis is inclined with respect to the vertical direction, the caster angle of the wheel changes as the wheel supporting member rotates around the vertical axis during steering of the wheel.

In the invention according to claim 6 or 7, since the longitudinal axis is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction or the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, the upper end of the connecting member or the wheel supporting member is raised when the wheel rebounds. With the rotation around the axis, the caster angle of the wheel changes.

[0027]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIGS. 1 to 4 show an embodiment of the present invention.
1 shows a suspension device for a front wheel of an F-type vehicle, wherein 1 is a knuckle member as a wheel support member for rotatably supporting a wheel (front wheel) 2.
An insertion port 3 through which a drive shaft (not shown) is inserted is formed. 4 is a lower arm connecting the lower end of the knuckle member 1 to the vehicle body side, 5 is an upper arm connecting the upper end of the knuckle member 1 to the vehicle body side, and 6 is a damper device comprising a shock absorber for buffering the vertical movement of the wheels 2. .

The lower arm 4 comprises two front and rear ring members 11 and 12, and the front link member 11 extends substantially linearly along the vehicle width direction. And the other end of the link member 11 can swing up and down with respect to a cross member 14 as a vehicle body strength member via a rubber bush 15 whose axis extends in the vehicle front-rear direction. It is connected to. The rear link member 12 is formed in a curved shape, and one end of the link member 12 is connected to the link member 11 at the lower end of the knuckle member 1.
At a position close to the rear side of the pivot point (the center of the ball joint 13) via the ball joint 16,
The other end of the link member 12 is connected to the cross member 14 at a position far away from the link member 11 via a rubber bush 17 so as to be vertically swingable. Therefore, the axes of the link members 11 and 12 are pivotally connected to the knuckle member 1 (the ball joints 13 and 12).
16 center) at a point O1 outside the vehicle body.

The knuckle member 1 is integrally formed with an arm portion 1a extending rearward from the vicinity of the insertion opening 3, and a tie rod 20 of a steering device is attached to the tip of the arm portion 1a.
Are connected. One end of a connecting member 21 is attached to an upper end of the knuckle member 1, and the other end of the connecting member 21 is connected to the damper device 6.

The upper end of the knuckle member 1 and the connecting member 21
As shown in detail in FIG. 5, a vertical shaft 23 extending vertically is attached to the upper end of the knuckle member 1, and a sleeve member 24 is fitted on the outer periphery of the vertical shaft 23. . On the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve member 24, a cylindrical surface 24a, an upper conical surface 24b which is continuous with the upper end of the cylindrical surface 24a and gradually expands in diameter as going upward, and which is continuous with and lower than the lower end of the cylindrical surface 24a. A lower conical surface 24c that gradually increases in diameter toward the side is formed, and a first boss portion 21a of the connecting member 21 is rotatably fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the connecting member 21 via a bush 25 made of resin. ing. On the inner peripheral surface of the first boss portion 21a, a cylindrical surface 21b, an upper conical surface 21c, and an upper conical surface which face the cylindrical surface 24a, the upper conical surface 24b, and the lower conical surface 24c of the sleeve member 24 at a predetermined distance, respectively. The surface 21d is formed. Therefore, the connecting member 21 is provided so as to be rotatable only about the vertical shaft 23 with respect to the upper end of the knuckle member 1, and the sleeve member 24 is provided for a rotational force about an axis orthogonal to the vertical shaft 23. And the inner peripheral surface of the first boss portion 21a.

The upper end of the damper device 6 is elastically supported by the vehicle body 7 via a rubber mount 36, and a coil spring 37 is disposed on the outer periphery of the upper portion of the damper device 6. On the other hand, a bracket 38 is fitted to a lower portion of the damper device 6, and a pair of arms 38 a, 38 a extending in a forked shape from a fitting portion with the damper device 6 are formed on the bracket 38.
The other end of the connecting member 21 is pivotally attached to the damper device 6 via the bracket 38 by supporting the other end of the connecting member 21 with the a and 38a.

At the pivotal connection between the connecting member 21 and the damper device 6 (specifically, the arm 38a of the bracket 38), as shown in detail in FIG. And a single front-rear shaft 39 which is supported by the two shafts.
A sleeve member 40 is fitted on the outer circumference of the bracket 9 so as to be sandwiched between the distal ends of the two arm portions 38a, 38a of the bracket 38. On the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve member 40,
A cylindrical surface 40a, a front conical surface 40b that is continuous with the front end of the cylindrical surface 40a and gradually expands in diameter toward the front side, and that is continuous with the rear end of the cylindrical surface 40a and gradually expands in diameter toward the rear side. A side conical surface 40c is formed, and a second boss portion 21e of the connecting member 21 is rotatably fitted on the outer peripheral surface of the connecting member 21 via a bush 41 made of resin. On the inner peripheral surface of the second boss portion 21e, a cylindrical surface 21 facing the cylindrical surface 40a, the front conical surface 40b, and the rear conical surface 40c of the sleeve member 40 at a predetermined distance from each other.
f, a front conical surface 21g and a rear conical surface 21h are formed. Therefore, the connecting member 21 is connected to the damper device 6.
On the other hand, it is connected so as to be rotatable only about the front-rear shaft 39 (up and down swingable).

Further, one end (inside end of the vehicle body) of the upper arm 5 can swing up and down at one point with respect to a bracket 31 mounted on the cross member 14 via a rubber bush 32 whose axis extends in the vehicle longitudinal direction. While the other end of the upper arm 5 (outside end of the vehicle body)
A pair of branch portions 5a, 5a are formed in the fork so as to sandwich the lower end of the damper device 6 from both front and rear sides.
The tip of each of the branch portions 5a is supported by a boss 38b formed on the bracket 38 via a front-rear shaft 69, so that one end of the upper arm 5 is connected to the bracket 38.
And is pivotally connected to the lower end of the damper device 6 via the
The pivotal connection between the connecting member 21 and the damper device 6 (the front-rear shaft 39 at the center) is located a predetermined distance above the pivotal connection between the upper arm 5 and the damper device 6 (the front-rear shaft 69 at the center). And the front and rear shafts 39, 6 of the two pivots.
Reference numerals 9 extend in the vehicle longitudinal direction in parallel with each other.

At the pivotal connection between the upper arm 5 and the damper device 6, as shown in FIG.
A single front-rear shaft 69 is provided which penetrates the distal ends of the two branch portions 5a, 5a and is supported by the two branch portions 5a, 5a.
The sleeve member 60 is provided on the outer periphery of the arm 9 with the arms 5a, 5a.
5a is fitted in a state of being sandwiched between the tip portions. On the outer peripheral surface of the sleeve member 60, a cylindrical surface 60a, a front conical surface 60b continuous with the front end of the cylindrical surface 60a and gradually increasing in diameter toward the front side, and continuous with the rear end of the cylindrical surface 60a and A rear conical surface 60c whose diameter gradually increases toward the rear side is formed, and the boss portion 38 of the bracket 38 is formed on the outer peripheral surface thereof via a bush 61 made of resin.
b is rotatably fitted. On the inner peripheral surface of the boss portion 38b, a cylindrical surface 38f, a front conical surface 38g, and a rear conical surface opposing the cylindrical surface 60a, the front conical surface 60b, and the rear conical surface 60c of the sleeve member 60 at a predetermined distance, respectively. 38h are formed. Therefore, the upper arm 21 is connected to the damper device 6 so as to be rotatable only around the front-rear shaft 69.

Next, the operation and effect of the above embodiment will be described. When the wheel 2 is steered left and right by receiving the steering force from the tie rod 20 via the knuckle member 1, the lower end of the knuckle member 1 That is, the instantaneous rotation center point on the lower arm 4 side corresponds to the two link members 1 constituting the lower arm 4.
This is the intersection O1 between the axes 1 and 12. The instantaneous rotation center point on the upper end side of the knuckle member 1 is
Is rotated about a vertical axis 23 which is a connection shaft with the connection member 21, and a structure including the damper device 6, the connection member 21 and the upper arm 5 is connected to a vehicle body connection point at the upper end of the damper device 6 (the center point of the rubber mount 36). ) And the vehicle body connecting point of the upper arm 5 (the center point of the rubber bush 32).
An intersection O2 between the axis extension line L2 of No. 3 and the straight line L1 is obtained.
Therefore, the virtual kingpin axis is defined by the two intersections O1 and O2.
2 is a straight line L3 passing through the virtual kingpin axis L3.
Is raised almost vertically toward the center line L4 in the width direction of the wheel 2 and slightly inside the vehicle body with respect to the center line L4 in the width direction of the wheel 2 on the rotation center line L5 of the wheel 2. On the ground contact surface, the wheel becomes closer to an ideal one passing slightly outside the vehicle body than the center line L4 in the width direction of the wheel 2 so as to have a slight negative kingpin offset (−Δ).
Suspension performance can be improved.

When the wheel 2 bumps and rebounds, each component of the suspension device moves as shown in FIG. FIG. 8 shows each component of the suspension apparatus as a straight line when viewed from the front of the vehicle body, and
Is shown by a solid line, a broken line is shown when the wheel 2 is bumped, and a virtual line is shown when the wheel 2 is rebounded. As can be seen from this figure, at the time of bump / rebound of the wheel 2, the included angle α between the knuckle member 1 and the damper device 6 increases (α1 <α2, α1 <α3), and the angle between the upper arm 5 and the damper device 6 increases. The distance h between the pivot point and the knuckle member 1 also increases (h1 <h2, h1 <h3). Due to the increase in the distance h, the upper end side of the knuckle member 1 (the side of the pivotal joint 39 with the damper device 6) is displaced relatively to the outside of the vehicle body than the lower end side thereof (the side of the pivotal joint 13 with the lower arm 4). I will be. This is equivalent to increasing the length of the upper arm 5 in the vehicle width direction and reducing the displacement of the upper end of the knuckle member 1 connected to the upper arm 5 toward the inside of the vehicle body during bump rebound.・
The apparent length of the upper arm 5 at the time of rebound becomes longer than the actual length. Accordingly, in order to prevent the wheel 2 from receiving an external force from the tie rod and changing the toe angle of the wheel 2 when the wheel 2 is pumped and rebounded, the base end (universal joint portion) of the tie rod 20 is connected to the upper arm 5. In addition, even when the upper arm 5 is set on a straight line connecting between the lower arm 4 and the vehicle body-side pivoted portion, the length of the tie rod 20 can be increased by the apparent length of the upper arm 5. For this reason, when the wheel 2 is largely steered outward from the neutral position as a turning inner wheel, the tie rod 20 and the knuckle member 1 (arm 1
The angle of the connection point with a) does not change close to the conceivable point (about 180 degrees), and steering can be performed smoothly.

In addition, since the lower end of the damper device 6 is connected to the end of the upper arm 5 on the vehicle body side and does not extend downward near the rotation center line L5 of the wheels 2, the damper device 6 and the drive shaft are connected. There is no interference. Therefore, it is not necessary to adopt a special structure for avoiding the interference, and the structure can be simplified, and the device can be reduced in size and weight. Further, since the vertical load acting on the wheel 2 is input to the damper device 6 at a ratio of substantially the lever ratio 1, the damper device 6 is particularly required from the viewpoint of generating a damping force corresponding to the vertical load. There is no need to increase the size, and the size and weight can be further reduced.

Furthermore, since the upper arm 5 is connected to the vehicle body at only one point, the degree of freedom in layout can be increased accordingly.

Next, the connecting member 21 and the knuckle member 1
When the vertical axis 23 of the pivot portion of the connecting member 21 is inclined with respect to the vertical direction (vertical direction), the longitudinal axis 39 of the pivot portion of the connecting member 21 and the damper device 6 and the upper arm 5 and the damper device 9 to 16 when the front-rear axis 69 of the pivotal joint with the vehicle 6 is inclined with respect to the horizontal direction or the vehicle front-rear direction,
This will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 9A, the vertical shaft 23
Is inclined rearward with respect to the vertical direction when viewed from the side of the vehicle body, the upper end side of the wheel 2 rotates around the vertical shaft 23 when the wheel 2 is steered. The caster angle increases (see FIG. 9B). Further, the camber angle of the wheel 2 changes in the negative direction as the caster angle increases.

As shown in FIG. 10A, the vertical shaft 2
3 is inclined forward in the vertical direction when viewed from the side of the vehicle body, the upper end of the wheel 2 rotates around the vertical shaft 23 when the wheel 2 is steered.
(See FIG. 10B). Also,
As the caster angle decreases, the camber angle of the wheel 2 changes in the positive direction.

As shown in FIG. 11, when the upper and lower shafts 23 are inclined inward of the vehicle body with respect to the vertical direction when viewed in a plan view in the vehicle longitudinal direction, the upper end of the wheel 2 is It rotates around the vertical shaft 23. For this reason, in the wheel 2 on the inner side of the turn, a change similar to the case where the above-described vertical shaft 23 is inclined rearward with respect to the up-down direction when viewed from the side of the vehicle body occurs (see FIG. 9B). While the caster angle of the wheel 2 increases, in the wheel 2 on the outer side of the turn, the same change occurs as in the case where the above-described vertical shaft 23 is inclined forward with respect to the vertical direction in plan view when viewed from the side of the vehicle body. (FIG. 10 (b)
), The caster angle of the wheel 2 decreases.

As shown in FIG. 12, when the upper and lower shafts 23 are inclined outwardly of the vehicle body with respect to the vertical direction when viewed in a plan view in the vehicle longitudinal direction, the upper end of the wheel 2 is Since the upper and lower shafts 23 rotate about the upper and lower shafts 23, the upper and lower shafts 23 are inclined inwardly of the vehicle body with respect to the vertical direction in a plan view when viewed in the vehicle front-rear direction. While the caster angle of the wheel 2 decreases, the caster angle of the wheel 2 increases on the wheel 2 on the outer side of the turn.

As shown in FIG. 13 (a), when both the front and rear shafts 39, 69 are inclined forward and upward with respect to the horizontal direction in a plan view viewed from the side of the vehicle body, Since the upper end side of the wheel 2 rotates around the front and rear shafts 39 and 69, the caster angle of the wheel 2 decreases (see FIG. 13B). The caster angle of the wheel 2 also decreases when the wheel 2 rebounds.

As shown in FIG. 14 (a), when both the front and rear shafts 39, 69 are inclined forward and downward with respect to the horizontal direction in a plan view viewed from the side of the vehicle body, Since the upper end side of the wheel 2 rotates around the front and rear shafts 39 and 69, the caster angle of the wheel 2 increases (see FIG. 14B). Also, when the wheel 2 rebounds, the caster angle of the wheel 2 increases.

As shown in FIG. 15 (a), when both the front and rear shafts 39 and 69 are inclined forward and inward with respect to the vehicle front-rear direction when viewed from above the vehicle body, when the wheels 2 are bumped, Since the upper end of the wheel 2 rotates around the front and rear shafts 39 and 69, the caster angle of the wheel 2 decreases (see FIG. 15B). The caster angle of the wheel 2 also decreases when the wheel 2 rebounds.

As shown in FIG. 16 (a), when both of the front and rear shafts 39 and 69 are inclined forward and outward with respect to the front and rear direction of the vehicle body in plan view when viewed from above the vehicle body, Since the upper end of the wheel 2 rotates around the front and rear shafts 39 and 69, the caster angle of the wheel 2 increases (see FIG. 16B). Also, when the wheel 2 rebounds, the caster angle of the wheel 2 increases.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but includes various other modifications.
For example, in the above embodiment, a sleeve member 24 and a resin bush 25 are used to connect the connecting member 21 to the upper end of the knuckle member 1 so as to be rotatable only around the vertical axis 23 (see FIG. 5). However, according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 17, the first connecting member 21 is mounted on the outer periphery of the vertical shaft 23 attached to the knuckle member 1 via bearings 71 and 72.
You may comprise so that the boss | hub part 21a may be fitted.

In the above-described embodiment, the front and rear shafts 69 are simply supported by the distal ends of the two branch portions 5a of the upper arm 5 at the pivotal connection between the upper arm 5 and the damper device 6. For example, as shown in FIG. 18, an inner cylinder 81 is provided at the distal ends of the two branch portions 5a, 5a.
a and the intermediate cylinder 81b and between the intermediate cylinder 81b and the outer cylinder 81c, a rubber bush 81 filled with bushes 81d, 81d is provided, and the rubber bush 81 supports the front-rear shaft 69. Is also good. With this configuration, an effect is obtained that transmission of wheel vibration to the vehicle body via the upper arm 5 can be reduced.

Further, in the above embodiment, the present invention
The case where the present invention is applied to a suspension device for a front wheel of a model car has been described.

[0052]

As described above, according to the vehicle suspension device of the present invention, the damper device and the drive shaft do not interfere with each other, and it is not necessary to adopt a special structure for avoiding the interference. Since it is not necessary to increase the magnitude of the damping force of the damper device against the vertical load acting on the device, the size and weight of the device can be reduced. Further, since the connection point of the upper arm with the vehicle body is only one point, the degree of freedom in layout can be increased accordingly. Further, since the camber change characteristics can be set to be equal to or more than the strut type and to the double wishbone type, the suspension performance can be improved. In addition, the apparent length of the upper arm in the vehicle width direction at the time of bump and rebound of the wheel can be made longer than the actual length, so that the change in the toe angle of the wheel due to the tie rod can be prevented, and The length can be increased, and steering can be smoothly performed.

In particular, in the second aspect of the invention, the instantaneous rotational center points on the upper side and the lower side of the wheel support member are shifted to the center line in the vehicle width direction of the wheel, and the virtual kingpin axis is aligned with the rotational center line of the wheel. Since it can pass closer to the ideal one passing slightly outside the vehicle than the center line in the width direction of the wheel so that it passes slightly inside the vehicle body than the center line in the width direction of the wheel and slightly negative kingpin offset on the ground contact surface of the wheel, Suspension performance can be further improved.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, by connecting the upper arm to the damper device at two points,
The connection strength can be increased.

According to the invention described in claim 4 or 5, the caster angle of the wheel can be changed at the time of steering the wheel, which can contribute to the improvement of the vehicle performance.

According to the invention of claim 6 or 7, the caster angle of the wheel can be changed at the time of bump rebound of the wheel, which can contribute to improvement of vehicle performance.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a suspension device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view in which a part is also cut away when viewed from the front of the vehicle body.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the same.

FIG. 4 is a side view of the same.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a connection structure between a knuckle member and a connection member.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a connection structure between a connection member and a damper device.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a connection structure between an upper arm and a damper device.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram for explaining the movement of each component of the suspension device at the time of bump / rebound of the wheel.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an effect of a tilt of a vertical axis on a wheel alignment of a wheel.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the same.

FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram of the same.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram of the same.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram for explaining an effect of a tilt of a front-rear axis on a wheel alignment of a wheel.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of the same.

FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram of the same.

FIG. 16 is an explanatory view of the same.

FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view showing a modification of the connection structure between the knuckle member and the connection member.

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view showing a modification of the connection structure between the upper arm and the damper device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Knuckle member (wheel supporting member) 2 Wheel (front wheel) 4 Lower arm 5 Upper arm 5a Branch part 6 Damper device 11,12 Link member 21 Connecting member 23 Vertical axis 39,69 Front and rear axis

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-60-22509 (JP, A) JP-A-1-136804 (JP, A) JP-A-4-193616 (JP, A) JP-A 57- 209408 (JP, A) Japanese Utility Model Application Hei 1-93107 (JP, U) Japanese Utility Model Application 58-192107 (JP, U) European Patent Application Publication 401547 (EP, A1) European Patent Application Publication 370217 (EP, A2) French Patent Application Publication 2675431 (FR, A1) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B60G 3/00-3/28

Claims (7)

(57) [Claims] 1. A wheel support member rotatably supporting a wheel, a lower arm having one end pivotally attached to a lower end of the wheel support member and the other end pivotally attached to a vehicle body so as to be vertically swingable, A damper device pivotally mounted on the vehicle and damping the vertical vibration of the wheel; an upper arm having one end pivotally attached to the vehicle body at one point and the other end pivotally attached to the lower end of the damper device so as to be rotatable only around the longitudinal axis. One end is pivotally attached to the upper end of the wheel support member so as to be rotatable only around the vertical axis, and the other end is located at a position above the pivot point between the upper arm and the damper device with respect to the damper device. A suspension device for a vehicle, comprising: a connecting member pivotally mounted so as to be rotatable only around an axis. 2. The lower arm comprises two front and rear link members, one end of each of which is pivotally connected to the lower end of a wheel support member and the other end of which is pivotally connected to a vehicle body. 2. The vehicle suspension device according to claim 1, wherein the axes are arranged such that their axes intersect at a position outside the vehicle body with respect to a pivotal connection point with the wheel support members. 3. The upper arm has a pair of branch portions sandwiching the dambar device at an end of the upper arm pivotally connected to the damper device. The vehicle suspension device according to claim 1. 4. The vehicle suspension according to claim 1, wherein a vertical axis of a pivot portion between the connecting member and the wheel supporting member is provided to be inclined with respect to a vertical direction in a plan view as viewed from a side of the vehicle body. apparatus. 5. The vehicle suspension according to claim 1, wherein a vertical axis of a pivot portion between the connecting member and the wheel supporting member is inclined with respect to the vertical direction in a plan view as viewed in the vehicle longitudinal direction. apparatus. 6. A front-rear axis of a pivot portion between the connecting member and the damper device and a front-rear axis of a pivot portion between the upper arm and the damper device are parallel to each other and are horizontal in a plan view when viewed from the side of the vehicle body. The vehicle suspension device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle suspension device is provided to be inclined with respect to the vehicle. 7. A front-rear axis of a pivot portion of the connecting member and the damper device and a front-rear axis of a pivot portion of the upper arm and the damper device are parallel to each other and are longitudinal directions of the vehicle body when viewed from above the vehicle body. The vehicle suspension device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle suspension device is provided to be inclined with respect to the vehicle.