JP4329646B2 - Strut mount - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a strut mount that supports an upper end portion of a suspension strut mounted on a vehicle on a vehicle body.

  An upper end portion of a suspension strut mounted on the vehicle is supported by a strut tower of the vehicle body via a strut mount. The strut mount includes a casing fixed to the vehicle body via bolts, an inner cylinder to which the upper end portion of the suspension strut is connected, and a rubber spring that elastically supports the inner cylinder in the casing. Axial and axial vibrations and impact loads input from the upper end of the suspension strut to the vehicle body are suppressed by expansion and contraction of the rubber spring.

  As this type of strut mount, a strut mount (upper support) in which the spring constant of the rubber spring (elastic body) in the axial direction and the axial direction of the suspension strut (shock absorber) can be respectively tuned is generally known ( Patent Document 1).

Here, in Patent Document 1, as a means for tuning the spring constant of an elastic body, a plate is placed over the inner cylinder and fixed to the upper end of a shock absorber (suspension strut), and is spread obliquely upward from the periphery of the plate. A structure is disclosed in which an upright portion that is erected in diameter is brought into close contact with an inner peripheral surface of an elastic body.
JP-A-11-201215 (FIG. 1)

  By the way, in the upper support (strut mount) described in Patent Document 1, since the standing portion of the plate is in close contact with the inner peripheral surface of the elastic body, the spring characteristics are lowered to make the riding comfort of the vehicle more comfortable. There are difficulties to do. In addition, when the vehicle body side that is outside the turn sinks during turning of the vehicle, a gap is opened between the standing part of the plate and the inner peripheral surface of the elastic body. The characteristics may be inadvertently deteriorated and adversely affect the vehicle handling stability.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a strut mount that can ensure a more comfortable riding comfort and steering stability of a vehicle.

A strut mount according to the present invention is a strut mount that supports the upper end of a suspension strut on a vehicle body, a casing fixed to the vehicle body, an inner cylinder to which the upper end of the suspension strut is connected, and the inner cylinder as a casing. A rubber spring that is elastically supported inside, and a stopper that is supported in the casing so as to be able to abut against the rubber spring. The stopper has a rubber that opens a clearance in the axial direction and the axial direction of the suspension strut. the spring has been facing, characterized in that the rubber spring is elastically deformed to the sea urchin by its spring constant is high in contact with the stopper structure beyond the clearance.

  In the strut mount according to the present invention, vibrations and impact loads in the axial direction and the axial direction that are input from the upper end of the suspension strut to the vehicle body as the vehicle travels are suppressed by expansion and contraction of the rubber spring. At that time, in the range where the vibration input from the upper end of the suspension strut is small and the rubber spring expands and contracts within the clearance between the stopper, the spring constant of the rubber spring becomes the smallest value originally. The spring characteristics become so-called soft characteristics, and a more comfortable ride of the vehicle is secured. On the other hand, in the range where the vibration and impact load input from the upper end of the suspension strut increases and the rubber spring expands and contracts beyond the clearance with the stopper, the rubber spring contacts the stopper and its spring constant increases. Therefore, the spring characteristic of the strut mount becomes a so-called hard characteristic, and the steering stability of the vehicle is ensured.

  The stopper which comprises the strut mount of this invention can be supported by a casing so that contact / separation with respect to a rubber spring is possible so that increase / decrease adjustment of the clearance between rubber springs can be carried out. In this case, the spring characteristic of the strut mount is changed by adjusting the clearance between the stopper and the rubber spring to increase or decrease the clearance between the stopper and the rubber spring.

  Further, the rubber spring constituting the strut mount of the present invention has a ring shape that holds the inner cylinder at the center portion, and has a shape in which concave and convex portions facing each other so as to be able to contact the stopper are formed on both upper and lower surfaces. Can do. In this case, the concave and convex portions on the upper and lower surfaces of the rubber spring can be formed concentrically.

  Furthermore, the stoppers constituting the strut mount of the present invention are disposed at locations corresponding to the front and rear portions of the rubber spring in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body and the left and right portions of the vehicle body in the left-right direction. The concavo-convex portion facing each other so as to come into contact can be formed. In addition, the rubber spring is disposed at a position corresponding to either the front-rear part of the vehicle body in the front-rear direction or the left-right part of the vehicle body left-right direction, and each stopper has a convex part that fits into the concave part of the rubber spring. Can be formed.

  According to the strut mount of the present invention, the spring constant of the rubber spring becomes the original minimum value within a range where the input vibration is small and the rubber spring expands and contracts within the clearance between the stopper and the strut mount. The so-called soft characteristic of the spring characteristic makes it possible to ensure a more comfortable ride of the vehicle. On the other hand, in the range where the input vibration and impact load increase and the rubber spring expands and contracts beyond the clearance with the stopper, the rubber spring contacts the stopper and its spring constant increases, so the spring of the strut mount It is possible to secure vehicle handling stability by setting the characteristics as so-called hard characteristics.

  Embodiments of a strut mount according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings to be referred to, FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing the overall structure of the strut mount according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the rubber spring shown in FIG.

  The strut mount (upper support) according to the first embodiment is a strut mount that supports an upper end portion of a suspension strut constituting a strut-type suspension device mounted on a vehicle (not shown) on a vehicle body. As shown in FIG. 1, the strut mount includes a casing 1 fixed to a vehicle body (not shown) via a bolt B, an inner cylinder 2 to which an upper end portion of a suspension strut (not shown) is connected, and the inner cylinder 2 And a plurality of stoppers 4 fixed in the casing 1 so as to be able to come into contact with the rubber spring 3.

  The casing 1 has a shell structure in which a pair of upper and lower half members 1B, 1B having flanges 1A, 1A projecting around the opening of a circular recess are joined by spot welding of the flanges 1A, 1A. Is formed so that the space by the circular recess accommodates the inner cylinder 2, the rubber spring 3 and the stopper 4. Insertion holes 1C and 1C through which upper ends of suspension struts (not shown) are inserted are formed in the central portions of the half members 1B and 1B constituting the casing 1. In the casing 1, flanges 1A and 1A are fixed to a vehicle body (not shown) via bolts B.

  The inner cylinder 2 includes a short-shaft cylindrical portion 2A that is inserted through an upper end portion of a suspension strut (not shown) and fastened with a nut (not shown), and a flange portion 2B that protrudes from the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 2A. Have. The inner cylinder 2 is integrated with the rubber spring 3 by embedding the brim portion 2 </ b> B in the rubber spring 3.

  The rubber spring 3 is formed in a thick ring shape, and an outer peripheral portion thereof is fixed to an inner peripheral surface forming an internal space of the casing 1. The flange portion 2B of the inner cylinder 2 is embedded in the inner peripheral portion of the rubber spring 3, so that the cylindrical portion 2A of the inner cylinder 2 is held at the center portion of the rubber spring 3.

  Here, on the upper and lower surfaces of the rubber spring 3, concave and convex portions are formed so as to face each other so as to come into contact with a stopper 4 described later. As shown in FIG. 2, the concavo-convex portion is composed of small-diameter ridge portions 3A, small-diameter groove portions 3B, large-diameter ridge portions 3C, and large-diameter groove portions 3D that are alternately formed in a concentric ring shape. The cross-sectional shape is a trapezoidal tooth shape (see FIG. 1).

  As shown in FIG. 3, the plurality of stoppers 4 are formed in fan-shaped plate pieces corresponding to the ring-shaped planar shape of the rubber spring 3. Each stopper 4 is made of an appropriate synthetic resin or steel plate that is much harder than the rubber spring 3, and is provided on the front, rear, left, left and right sides of the rubber spring 3 in the front-rear and left-right directions of the vehicle body. It is fixed to the inner surfaces of the half members 1B, 1B of the casing 1 by adhesion or welding so as to face each other (see FIG. 1).

  Here, as shown in FIG. 1, on the surface of each stopper 4 facing the rubber spring 3, an uneven portion that faces the uneven portion on both the upper and lower surfaces of the rubber spring 3 is formed. The concavo-convex portion is composed of small-diameter ridge portions 4A, concave groove portions 4B, and large-diameter ridge portions 4C that are alternately formed concentrically (see FIG. 3), and the cross-sectional shape thereof is the concavo-convex portion of the rubber spring 3. It is a trapezoidal tooth shape corresponding to. The concave and convex portions of each stopper 4 face the concave and convex portions of the rubber spring 3 by opening a predetermined clearance in the axial direction and the axial direction of the suspension strut.

  In the strut mount of the first embodiment configured as described above, the vibration and impact load in the axial direction and the axial direction input to the inner cylinder 2 from the upper end portion of the suspension strut (not shown) as the vehicle travels are rubber. It is suppressed by the expansion and contraction of the spring 3. At that time, the vibration input to the inner cylinder 2 from the upper end of the suspension strut is small, and the rubber spring 3 is within a predetermined clearance between the concave and convex portions on the upper and lower surfaces of the rubber spring 3 and the concave and convex portions of the stoppers 4. In the range of expansion and contraction, the spring constant of the rubber spring 3 is the original minimum value. For this reason, the spring characteristic of the strut mount is a soft characteristic as shown by the straight line range having a small inclination in the vertical load-displacement characteristic graph of FIG. 4 and the front-rear (left-right) load-displacement characteristic graph of FIG. A more comfortable ride is secured.

  On the other hand, the vibration and impact load input to the inner cylinder 2 from the upper end of the suspension strut increases, exceeding the predetermined clearance between the concave and convex portions on the upper and lower surfaces of the rubber spring 3 and the concave and convex portions of the stoppers 4. In a range where the rubber spring 3 expands and contracts, the rubber spring 3 comes into contact with each stopper 4 and its spring constant increases. For this reason, the spring characteristics of the strut mount are hard as shown in the vertical load-displacement characteristics graph of FIG. 4 and the front-rear (left-right) load-displacement characteristics graph of FIG. Stability is ensured.

  As described above, according to the strut mount of the first embodiment, the rubber spring 3 is within a range in which the vibration input to the inner cylinder 2 is small and the rubber spring 3 expands and contracts within a predetermined clearance between the stoppers 4. Therefore, the spring characteristic of the strut mount can be set to a so-called soft characteristic, so that a more comfortable ride of the vehicle can be secured. On the other hand, in the range where the vibration or impact load input to the inner cylinder 2 increases and the rubber spring 3 expands and contracts beyond a predetermined clearance between the stoppers 4, the rubber spring 3 contacts the stoppers 4. Since the spring constant becomes high, it is possible to secure the steering stability of the vehicle by making the spring characteristics of the strut mount so-called hard characteristics.

  In the strut mount according to the first embodiment, the clearance between the concavo-convex portion on the upper surface of the rubber spring 3 and the concavo-convex portion of each upper stopper 4 facing the rubber spring 3 is as shown in FIG. You may make it become gradually large toward the inner peripheral side. In this case, since the uneven portion on the upper surface side of the rubber spring 3 comes into contact with the uneven portion of each stopper 4 on the upper side in proportion to the displacement amount of the suspension strut, the variable range of the spring characteristics of the strut mount is widened.

  Next, a strut mount according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The strut mount of the second embodiment is obtained by changing the support structure of each stopper 4 in the strut mount of the first embodiment, and the other structural parts are configured substantially the same as the strut mount of the first embodiment. . Therefore, the same components as those of the first embodiment of the strut mount are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  In the strut mount according to the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, a support bar 4 </ b> D protrudes on the surface opposite to the surface on which the uneven portion of each stopper 4 is formed. A screw portion (not shown) that penetrates the half members 1B, 1B of the casing 1 is formed at the tip of each support bar 4D, and a pair of nuts N, N attached to the screw portions are half members. Each stopper 4 is supported by the casing 1 by clamping 1B and 1B. Then, by adjusting the mounting position of the nuts N, N sandwiching the half members 1B, 1B, the concave and convex portions of each stopper 4 approach or separate from the concave and convex portions of the rubber spring 3, and thus between the two. The clearance is adjusted up or down.

  In the strut mount of the second embodiment configured as described above, the same operational effects as the strut mount of the first embodiment can be obtained, and the following specific operational effects can be obtained. That is, by adjusting the mounting positions of the nuts N and N that are mounted on the threaded portions (not shown) of the support rods 4D protruding from the stoppers 4 and sandwich the half members 1B and 1B, Since the clearance between the concavo-convex portion and the concavo-convex portion of the rubber spring 3 can be adjusted up and down, the spring characteristics of the strut mount can be changed.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 7, by reducing the clearance between the concavo-convex part of each stopper 4 and the concavo-convex part of the rubber spring 3, the spring characteristic of the strut mount is represented by a solid line in the load-displacement characteristic graph of FIG. As a characteristic that is shown, that is, a hard characteristic that has a small amount of displacement with respect to the load, it is possible to sufficiently ensure the steering stability of the vehicle. Also, as shown in FIG. 9, by increasing the clearance between the concavo-convex portions of the stoppers 4 and the concavo-convex portions of the rubber spring 3, the spring characteristics of the strut mount are represented by broken lines in the load-displacement characteristic graph of FIG. As a characteristic that is shown, that is, a soft characteristic that has a large amount of displacement with respect to the load, the ride comfort of the vehicle can be sufficiently ensured.

  As described above, according to the strut mount of the second embodiment, by adjusting the clearance between the uneven portions of the stoppers 4 and the uneven portions of the rubber spring 3, the spring characteristics of the strut mount are emphasized on the ride comfort of the vehicle. The so-called soft characteristics and the so-called hard characteristics emphasizing the steering stability of the vehicle can be continuously changed.

  The strut mount according to the present invention is not limited to the first embodiment or the second embodiment described above. For example, by removing the stoppers 4 facing the upper and lower surfaces of the front and rear portions of the rubber spring 3 from among the plurality of stoppers 4 shown in FIG. The strut mount may exhibit a soft spring characteristic in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body even in a large range. Further, by removing the stoppers 4 facing the upper and lower surfaces of the right and left portions of the rubber spring 3, the strut mount is soft in the lateral direction of the vehicle body even in the range where the vibration and impact load input to the inner cylinder 2 are large. You may make it exhibit a spring characteristic.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 10, the large-diameter ridge portion 4 </ b> C of each stopper 4 shown in FIG. 1 may be removed, and only the small-diameter ridge portion 4 </ b> A may be fitted into the small-diameter groove portion 3 </ b> B of the rubber spring 3. . In this case, the spring characteristics of the strut mount shown in FIG. 10 are compared with the spring characteristics of the strut mount shown in FIG. 1, and the vertical load-displacement characteristic graph of FIG. As shown by the broken line in the graph, the amount of displacement with respect to the load is large, and the vehicle has a soft characteristic that emphasizes the ride comfort of the vehicle.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 11, the small-diameter ridges 4 </ b> A of each stopper 4 shown in FIG. 1 are removed, and only the large-diameter ridges 4 </ b> C are fitted into the large-diameter groove 3 </ b> D of the rubber spring 3. Good. In this case, the spring characteristics of the strut mount shown in FIG. 11 are compared with the spring characteristics of the strut mount shown in FIG. 10, and the vertical load-displacement characteristic graph of FIG. 12 and the front-rear (left-right) load-displacement characteristics of FIG. As shown by the broken line in the graph, the amount of displacement with respect to the load is large, and the vehicle has a soft characteristic that emphasizes the ride comfort of the vehicle.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 14, the small-diameter ridges 4 </ b> A and the large-diameter ridges 4 </ b> C of each stopper 4 are removed. In addition to forming the radial ridge portion 4D, the large-diameter large groove portion 3E into which the large-diameter ridge portion 4D is fitted may be formed only on the upper surface of the rubber spring 3. In this case, the spring characteristics of the strut mount shown in FIG. 14 are as shown in the graph of vertical load-displacement characteristics in FIG. 15 and the graph of front-rear (left-right) load-displacement characteristics in FIG.

  Here, the spring characteristics in the front / rear (left / right) direction of the strut mount are as shown by a solid line in FIG. 16 when an upward load is input to the inner cylinder 2, and when a downward load is input. As shown in FIG. In other words, the spring characteristics in the front / rear (left / right) direction of the strut mount when a downward load is input are larger than the spring characteristics when the upward load is input, and the amount of displacement with respect to the load is large. The emphasis is on soft characteristics.

  In the strut mount shown in FIGS. 1, 6, 7, 10, 11, and 14, the concavity and convexity portions formed concentrically on the upper and lower surfaces of the rubber spring 3 are formed in concentric arcs. May be. In this case, the concentric arc-shaped uneven portions are formed on the front and rear, left and right portions of the rubber spring 3, or the front and rear portions or the left and right portions.

It is sectional drawing which shows the whole strut mount structure concerning 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view of the rubber spring shown in FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the arrangement | positioning condition of each stopper with respect to the rubber spring shown in FIG. It is a graph which shows the up-and-down load-displacement characteristic of the strut mount concerning a 1st embodiment. It is a graph which shows the front-back (left-right) load-displacement characteristic of the strut mount which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the modification of the clearance between the uneven | corrugated | grooved part of each stopper of the strut mount shown in FIG. 1, and the uneven | corrugated | grooved part of a rubber spring. It is sectional drawing which shows the whole structure of the strut mount which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a graph which shows the load-displacement characteristic of the strut mount which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which increased the clearance between the uneven part of each stopper of the strut mount shown in FIG. 7, and the uneven part of a rubber spring. It is sectional drawing which shows the 1st modification of the uneven | corrugated | grooved part of each stopper of the strut mount shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the 2nd modification of the uneven | corrugated | grooved part of each stopper of the strut mount shown in FIG. It is a graph which shows the up-down load-displacement characteristic of the strut mount shown in FIG. 10 and FIG. 12 is a graph showing front-rear (left-right) load-displacement characteristics of the strut mount shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. It is sectional drawing which shows the 3rd modification of the uneven | corrugated | grooved part of each stopper of the strut mount shown in FIG. It is a graph which shows the up-down load-displacement characteristic of the strut mount shown in FIG. It is a graph which shows the front-back (left-right) load-displacement characteristic of the strut mount shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Casing 1A Flange 1B Half member 1C Insertion hole 2 Inner cylinder 2A Cylindrical part 2B Collar part 3 Rubber spring 3A Small diameter convex part 3B Small diameter concave groove part 3C Large diameter convex part 3D Large diameter concave part 4 Stopper 4A Small diameter convex part 4B Concave groove 4C Large-diameter ridge 4D Support rod

Claims (6)

A strut mount for supporting the upper end portion of a suspension strut on a vehicle body, a casing fixed to the vehicle body, an inner cylinder connected to the upper end portion of a suspension strut, and the inner cylinder elastically supporting the inner cylinder in the casing. A rubber spring and a stopper supported in the casing so as to be able to contact the rubber spring;
The stopper is opened clearance in the axial direction and the direction perpendicular to the axis of the suspension strut is facing the rubber spring, high its spring constant of the rubber spring is come into contact with the stopper to elastically deform beyond clearance strut mount, characterized in that I have been sea urchin configuration made. 2. The strut mount according to claim 1 , wherein the rubber spring has a ring shape that holds the inner cylinder at a central portion, and concave and convex portions that face the stopper so as to contact the stopper are formed on both upper and lower surfaces thereof. Strut mount characterized by that. It is a strut mount of Claim 2 , Comprising: The said uneven | corrugated | grooved part is formed in concentric form, The strut mount characterized by the above-mentioned.   A strut mount for supporting the upper end portion of a suspension strut on a vehicle body, a casing fixed to the vehicle body, an inner cylinder to which the upper end portion of a suspension strut is connected, and elastically supporting the inner cylinder in the casing. A rubber spring and a stopper supported in the casing so as to be able to contact the rubber spring;
  The stopper is configured to open the clearance in the axial direction and the axial direction of the suspension strut to face the rubber spring, and is configured to contact the stopper when the rubber spring elastically deforms beyond the clearance,
  The strut mount is characterized in that the stopper is supported by the casing so as to be able to contact and separate from the rubber spring so that the clearance can be increased or decreased.   A strut mount for supporting the upper end portion of a suspension strut on a vehicle body, a casing fixed to the vehicle body, an inner cylinder to which the upper end portion of a suspension strut is connected, and elastically supporting the inner cylinder in the casing. A rubber spring and a stopper supported in the casing so as to be able to contact the rubber spring;
  The stopper is configured to open the clearance in the axial direction and the axial direction of the suspension strut to face the rubber spring, and is configured to contact the stopper when the rubber spring elastically deforms beyond the clearance,
  The rubber spring has a ring shape that holds the inner cylinder at the center, and upper and lower surfaces are formed with concave and convex portions that face the stopper so as to be in contact with each other.
  The uneven portions are formed concentrically,
  The stoppers are disposed at locations corresponding to the front and rear portions of the rubber spring in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body and the left and right portions of the vehicle body in the lateral direction of the vehicle body. The strut mount is characterized in that an uneven portion is formed.   A strut mount for supporting the upper end portion of a suspension strut on a vehicle body, a casing fixed to the vehicle body, an inner cylinder to which the upper end portion of a suspension strut is connected, and elastically supporting the inner cylinder in the casing. A rubber spring and a stopper supported in the casing so as to be able to contact the rubber spring;
  The stopper is configured to open the clearance in the axial direction and the axial direction of the suspension strut to face the rubber spring, and is configured to contact the stopper when the rubber spring elastically deforms beyond the clearance,
  The rubber spring has a ring shape that holds the inner cylinder at the center, and upper and lower surfaces are formed with concave and convex portions that face the stopper so as to be in contact with each other.
  The uneven portions are formed concentrically,
  The stopper is disposed at a position corresponding to either the front / rear portion of the rubber spring in the front / rear direction of the vehicle body or the left / right portion of the vehicle body in the left / right direction, and each stopper can contact the recess of the rubber spring. A strut mount, characterized in that a convex portion is formed to fit into the strut mount.

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