JP4630757B2 - Valve structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an improved valve structure.

  Conventionally, this type of valve structure is embodied in, for example, a piston portion of a shock absorber for a vehicle or the like, and a recess called a window communicating with each port is formed at an outlet end of a port provided in the piston portion. And what is opening and closing a port by making an annular leaf valve detach and seat on a valve seat formed in the perimeter side of this crevice is known.

  In particular, in a valve structure in which the leaf valve is separated from the valve seat by fixing and supporting the inner periphery of the leaf valve and bending the outer periphery, the damping force in the medium to high speed region increases and the riding comfort in the vehicle increases. In order to eliminate this, as shown in FIG. 4, the inner periphery of the leaf valve L is not fixedly supported, and the inner periphery of the leaf valve L is fixed to the piston rod R or the piston rod R as shown in FIG. A valve structure has been proposed in which the back surface of the leaf valve L is urged by a spring S in sliding contact with the outer periphery of a guide tube disposed on the outer periphery (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In this valve structure, as shown in the figure, when the piston speed when the piston P moves downward is in the low speed region, the outer peripheral side of the leaf valve L bends with the urging position of the spring S as a fulcrum. Exerts substantially the same damping characteristics as the valve structure in which the valve is fixedly supported, and when the piston speed reaches the middle-high speed range, the pressure of the hydraulic oil passing through the port Po acts on the leaf valve L, and the spring S is attached. Since the entire leaf valve L lifts and retracts from the piston P in the axial direction against the force, the flow passage area becomes larger than the valve structure in which the inner periphery is fixedly supported, and the damping force is excessive. The ride comfort in the vehicle can be improved.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-291196 (FIG. 1)

  However, in the proposed valve structure as described above, although it is a useful technique in terms of improving riding comfort in a vehicle, it may be pointed out that there are the following problems.

  This is because, as described above, when the piston speed when the piston P moves downward in the drawing reaches the medium-high speed region, the leaf valve L moves backward from the piston P in the axial direction, and lifts from there. When the moving direction reverses and starts to move upward in the figure, the force that has pushed up the leaf valve L by the hydraulic oil until then decreases or disappears, so the leaf valve L tries to return to the position where it abuts against the piston P. At this time, the inner periphery of the lifted leaf valve L may be caught by the piston rod R or the outer peripheral surface of the guide cylinder, and the return to the position where the leaf valve L contacts the piston P may be delayed.

  When a delay occurs in the return of the leaf valve L, it takes an extra time until the leaf valve L comes into contact with the piston P and closes the port Po. The hydraulic oil will freely pass through the port from the upper side to the lower side.

  Then, during the time until the closing, the difference between the pressures of the upper and lower working chambers defined by the piston P does not occur, so that the shock absorber can no longer generate a sufficient damping force. .

  Therefore, the present invention was devised to improve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a valve structure that does not cause a delay in returning the leaf valve to a position where it abuts on the valve body. That is.

In order to solve the above-described object, the problem solving means in the present invention includes a cylinder filled with hydraulic oil, and a piston that moves in the cylinder while dividing the cylinder into an upper chamber and a lower chamber. in the valve structure arranged shock absorber, a valve body which hydraulic fluid port to pass is formed, the valve together with the rod projecting from the axial portion of the valve body, when the rod is inserted into the inner peripheral side an annular leaf valve for closing the port when being laminated to the body seated on the valve seat of the valve body, a biasing means for biasing the leaf valve in a direction for closing the port, of the leaf valve with periphery and the leaf valve is interposed between the outer periphery of the rod becomes and a intermediate member movable axially relative to the rod, the interposed A cylinder part is inserted between the inner periphery of the leaf valve and the outer periphery of the rod, and is transmitted from the outer periphery of one end of the cylinder part to the leaf valve under the urging force of the urging means. When the pressure on the counter-biasing means side of the valve body is increased by the movement of the piston, and the piston speed is in the low speed region, the outer peripheral edge of the leaf valve is outside the flange. When the piston speed is in the middle / high speed region, the leaf valve is retracted from the valve body integrally with the interposition member to open the port. Opening and providing resistance when the working fluid passes through the port to generate a predetermined damping force in the shock absorber.

  According to the valve structure of the present invention, the leaf valve advances and retracts more smoothly than the conventional valve structure, so that there is no delay in the return to the position where the leaf valve contacts the valve body.

  Therefore, there is no delay in the return to the position where the leaf valve contacts the valve body, so the time until the leaf valve contacts the valve body and closes the port is shortened. The response of the generation of damping force can be improved.

In particular, in a situation where the expansion / contraction direction of the shock absorber is reversed, that is, in a situation where the shock absorber is switched from the expansion stroke to the compression stroke or from the compression side stroke to the expansion side stroke, the leaf valve is quickly ported with good response. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the time for the hydraulic oil to freely pass through the port, and to generate a sufficient damping force in the shock absorber from the beginning of the compression stroke. .
Moreover, it becomes possible to prevent that a leaf valve falls off from an interposed member because the said cylindrical member is provided with a collar part.
Furthermore, the fulcrum of bending of the leaf valve can be changed by setting the outer diameter of the collar portion, and even if the urging means is eccentric with respect to the leaf valve, the fulcrum of bending does not shift.

  The valve structure of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a part of a piston portion of a shock absorber in which a valve structure according to an embodiment is embodied. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of an intervention member in a modification of the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of an interposed member according to another modification of the embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the valve structure in one embodiment is embodied as an extension-side damping valve of a piston portion of a shock absorber, and includes a piston 1 as a valve body in which a port 2 is formed, and a shaft of the piston 1. A rod 5 protruding from the center, an annular leaf valve 10 that is stacked on the piston 1 and closes the port 2 when the rod 5 is inserted on the inner peripheral side, and the leaf valve in a direction to close the port 2 A spring member 15 as an urging means for urging 10 and an interposed member that is interposed between the inner periphery of the leaf valve 10 and the outer periphery of the rod 5 and is movable in the axial direction with respect to the rod 5 together with the leaf valve 10. 20.
The interposition member 20 includes a cylindrical portion 21 interposed between the inner periphery of the leaf valve 10 and the outer periphery of the rod 5, and an urging force of the spring member 15 extending from one end outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 21. And a flange portion 22 that transmits to the leaf valve 10.

  On the other hand, a shock absorber in which this valve structure is embodied is well known and will not be described in detail, but specifically, for example, a cylinder 40 and a head member (not shown) that seals the upper end of the cylinder 40. ), The rod 5 slidably passing through the head member (not shown), the piston 1 provided at the end of the rod 5, the upper chamber 41 defined by the piston 1 in the cylinder 40, and the lower The chamber 42 and a sealing member (not shown) for sealing the lower end of the cylinder 40 are provided, and the cylinder 40 is filled with hydraulic oil.

  When the piston 1 moves downward in FIG. 1 with respect to the cylinder 40, the valve structure is operated via the port 2 from the lower chamber 42 to the upper chamber 41 when the pressure in the lower chamber 42 increases. When the oil moves, the leaf valve 10 provides resistance to the movement of the hydraulic oil to cause a predetermined pressure loss, thereby functioning as a damping force generating element that generates a predetermined damping force in the shock absorber.

  Hereinafter, the valve structure will be described in detail. The piston 1 serving as a valve body is formed in a disc shape having an insertion hole 1 a through which a shock absorber rod 5 is inserted in the shaft center portion, and communicates with the port 2 and the port 2. And a valve seat 4 formed on the outer peripheral side of the window 3 serving as an outlet end of the port 2.

  A rod 5 is inserted into the insertion hole 1 a of the piston 1, and the tip of the rod 5 protrudes upward in FIG. 1 of the piston 1. Although not shown, the outer diameter of the tip of the rod 5 is set to be smaller than the outer diameter of the lower side (not shown), and a step portion (not shown) is formed at a portion where the outer diameters of the lower side and the tip are different. ing.

  Then, the piston 1 is inserted into the guide cylinder 6 and the stopper 25 by screwing the piston nut 30 to the tip of the rod 5 from above the guide cylinder 6 and the stopper 25 in FIG. The rod 5 is sandwiched between the stepped portion and the guide tube 6 and fixed to the rod 5.

The guide cylinder 6 is provided for the purpose of fixing the piston 1 to the rod 5 .

  In the present embodiment, the insertion hole 1a is provided in the piston 1 and the tip of the rod 5 is inserted so that the rod 5 protrudes. However, the rod integral with the piston 1 serving as the valve body is connected to the piston. You may make it provide in the axial center part of 1. FIG.

  Subsequently, the stopper 25 includes a plate 26 that is sandwiched and fixed at the tip of the rod 5 by the upper end of the guide cylinder 6 and the piston nut 30, and a cylinder that is suspended from the outer periphery of the plate 26 toward the leaf valve 10. 27 and a through hole 26 a provided in the plate 26. The shape of the through hole 26a may be any shape, and the number thereof is also arbitrary.

  Further, an interposed member 20 is slidably mounted on the outer periphery of the guide tube 6, and the interposed member 20 includes a tube portion 21 that is in sliding contact with the outer periphery of the guide tube 6, and one end of the tube portion 21. 1 and a flange 22 extending from the outer periphery of the upper end in FIG. 1, and a spring member 15 as an urging means is interposed between the flange 22 and the plate 26 of the stopper 25. The flange portion 22 is adapted to receive an urging force of the spring member 15.

  In turn, the annular leaf valve 10 is composed of a plurality of annular plates 11, and is laminated on the piston 1 so that the annular plate 11 located at the lowest position in FIG. The cylindrical portion 21 of the interposition member 20 is inserted on the inner peripheral side of the leaf valve 10.

Accordingly, the cylindrical portion 21 of the interposing member 20 is interposed between the inner periphery of the leaf valve 10 and the outer periphery of the rod 5, and also to the lower end of the cylindrical portion 21 in FIG. 1 and the lower end of the flange portion 22. Is equal to the axial length of the leaf valve 10 so that the urging force of the spring member 15 acts on the leaf valve 10 via the flange portion 22, or the annular plate 11 is dropped from the cylindrical portion 21. Therefore, the length is set to be short within the range of the axial length of the annular plate 11. 1 is set to such a length that the inner periphery thereof is not caught by the outer peripheral surface of the guide tube 6. In order to further prevent the above-mentioned galling, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, when the guide tube 6 or the guide tube 6 is omitted from the inner periphery of the upper and lower ends of the tube portion 21 in the drawing, the direction away from the rod 5 is used. Alternatively, a tapered surface 23 or a saddle curved surface 24 may be provided.

  That is, the leaf valve 10 is always urged in the direction of closing the port 2 by the spring member 15, and when the difference between the pressure in the lower chamber 42 and the pressure in the upper chamber 41 becomes a predetermined value or more, The spring member 15 is compressed against the force, and the entire leaf valve 10 is retracted in the axial direction from the piston 1, that is, lifted upward in FIG. The leaf valve 10 is finally retracted until it comes into contact with the lower end of the cylindrical body 27 of the stopper 25 in FIG. 1, and the stopper 25 regulates the retracting amount of the leaf valve 10. Act on.

  In the above description, the urging means is a spring member 15 that is a coil spring in the figure, but a predetermined urging force may be applied to the leaf valve 10, and this may be applied to, for example, a disc spring or a leaf spring. Or an elastic body such as rubber.

  The number of the annular plates 11 in the leaf valve 10 may be arbitrarily determined depending on the damping characteristic realized by the present valve structure. For example, the leaf valve 10 may be configured by one piece, and each annular plate 11 may be formed. Each of the outer diameters can be arbitrarily set.

Further , by providing the flange portion 22 that once receives the urging force of the spring member 15 and transmits it to the leaf valve 10 , the leaf valve 10 compresses the spring member 15 and moves backward from the piston 1 in FIG. Each annular plate 11 can be prevented from falling off from the interposed member 20. Further , by receiving the urging force of the spring member 15 at the flange portion 22, each annular plate 11 is also returned when the leaf valve 10 moves back upward in FIG. Can be reliably prevented from falling off from the interposition member 20, and further, the fulcrum of bending of the leaf valve 10 can be changed without changing the diameter of the spring member 15 by setting the outer diameter of the flange portion 22. There is an advantage that even if the spring member 15 is eccentric with respect to the leaf valve 10, the fulcrum of deflection does not shift.

  Further, the interposition member 20 is configured only by the cylindrical portion 20 so that the inner periphery of the leaf valve 10 is fixed to the cylindrical portion 22, and the leaf valve 10 is prevented from falling off from the interposition member 20. Although it is possible to prevent the leaf valve 10 from falling off by providing the flange 22, it is easier to process and lower the processing cost if the flange 22 is provided. There are also advantages.

  Next, the operation of the valve structure will be described. As described above, when the piston 1 moves downward in FIG. 1 with respect to the cylinder 40, the pressure in the lower chamber 42 increases, and the hydraulic oil in the lower chamber 42 increases. It tries to move into the upper chamber 41 through the port 2.

  When the piston speed is in the low speed region, the leaf valve 10 is urged by the spring member 15 and pressed so as to close the port 2, so that the outer peripheral edge of the leaf valve 10 is the flange 22 of the leaf valve 10. The hydraulic oil passes through a gap between the leaf valve 10 and the valve seat 4, which is formed by the leaf valve 10 being separated from the valve seat 4.

  On the other hand, when the speed of the piston 1 is high and the difference between the pressure in the lower chamber 42 and the pressure in the upper chamber 41 exceeds a predetermined value, the force that pushes the leaf valve 10 upward in FIG. The urging force of the spring member 15 is overcome, and the entire leaf valve 10 is retreated in the axial direction from the piston 1, that is, moved upward in FIG.

At this time, the leaf valve 10 retreats in the axial direction together with the interposed member 20 due to the presence of the flange portion 22 , but the cylindrical portion 21 of the interposed member 20 is in sliding contact with the outer periphery of the guide cylinder 6. Therefore, the inner peripheral side of each annular plate 11 having a very short axial length of the leaf valve 10 is not caught by the outer peripheral surface of the guide cylinder 6, and the leaf valve 10 can be smoothly retracted from the piston 1. .

  In addition, since the retraction amount of the leaf valve 10 is regulated by the cylindrical body 27 of the stopper 25, the maximum gap formed between the leaf valve 10 and the piston 1 can be adjusted, and the maximum gap is larger than necessary. It is possible to prevent the damping force from becoming excessively small.

  When the piston speed decreases from that state and the difference between the pressure in the lower chamber 42 and the pressure in the upper chamber 41 becomes smaller than a predetermined value, this time, the force of the spring member 15 is increased by the force pushing the leaf valve 10 upward. The biasing force wins and the leaf valve 10 is pushed down in the direction in which the leaf valve 10 comes into contact with the piston 1. The leaf plate 10 can be smoothly moved in the direction of the piston 1 without the inner peripheral side of each annular plate 11 having a very short axial length 10 being caught by the outer peripheral surface of the guide tube 6.

  Even if the leaf valve 10 contacts the cylinder 27 of the stopper 25 and the lower end of the cylinder 27 of the stopper 25 in FIG. 1 is closed by the leaf valve 10, the inside of the stopper 25 is isolated by the presence of the through hole 26a. This prevents the return time of the leaf valve 10 from being affected. As described above, the through hole 26a is provided in order to prevent the stopper 25 from being completely sealed by the leaf valve 10. Therefore, the through hole 26a may be provided anywhere on the stopper 25. You may make it provide a groove | channel in a lower end and let this groove | channel be a through-hole. If the groove provided in the lower end of the cylindrical body 27 is formed as a through hole in this way, a situation where the cylindrical body 27 and the leaf valve 10 stick together can be avoided, and the return responsiveness of the leaf valve 10 is reliably deteriorated. Can be prevented.

  That is, according to the above description, in the valve structure according to this embodiment, the leaf valve 10 moves back and forth with respect to the piston 1 more smoothly than the conventional valve structure. There is no delay in the return to the position where it abuts.

  Accordingly, there is no delay in the return to the position where the leaf valve 10 contacts the piston 1, so the time until the leaf valve 10 contacts the piston 1 and closes the port 2 is shortened. Responsiveness of the damping force generation of the shock absorber can be improved.

  In particular, in the aspect where the moving direction of the piston 1 is reversed, that is, in the case of this embodiment, the leaf valve 10 closes the port 2 quickly with good responsiveness when the shock absorber is switched from the expansion stroke to the compression stroke. Therefore, the time for the hydraulic oil to freely pass from the upper chamber 41 to the lower chamber 42 via the port 2 can be reduced, and a sufficient damping force can be applied to the shock absorber from the beginning of the compression stroke. It can be generated.

  Further, since the urging force of the spring member 15 is received by the flange portion 22 of the interposition member 20, when the leaf valve 10 moves back from the piston 1 and returns to a position where it abuts on the piston 1, the interposition member 20 and The leaf valve 10 moves integrally, the outer periphery of the tube portion 21 is not squeezed by the inner periphery of each annular plate 11, there is no risk of contamination, and each annular plate 11 is formed in the tube portion. No drop off from 21.

  And the intervention member 20 is interposed between the leaf valve 10 and the rod 5, and the cylinder portion 21 is in sliding contact with the rod 5 when the outer periphery of the guide cylinder 6 or the guide cylinder 6 is omitted. Therefore, there is no possibility that the inner periphery of the leaf valve 10 will be worn by the outer periphery of the guide tube 6 or the rod 5, and there is no risk of contamination.

  Further, when the tapered surface 23 and the curved surface 24 are formed on the inner periphery of the upper and lower ends of the cylindrical portion 21 of the intervention member 20, the leaf valve 10 can be moved more smoothly. The return time can be further shortened, and the response of the damping force generation of the shock absorber can be further improved.

  This is the end of the description of the embodiment of the valve structure, but the valve structure of the present invention can be embodied in the compression side damping valve of the piston portion of the shock absorber, or in the base valve portion. Of course, the present invention can be applied to a damping valve that functions as a damping force generating element that generates a damping force.

 It should be noted that the scope of the present invention is not limited to the details shown or described.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view in a part of piston part of the shock absorber in which the valve structure in one embodiment was embodied. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the intervention member in the modification of one Embodiment. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the intervention member in the other modification of one Embodiment. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the conventional valve structure.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Piston 1a which is a valve body 2 Insertion hole 2 Port 3 Window 4 Valve seat 5 Rod 6 Guide cylinder 10 Leaf valve 11 Annular plate 15 Spring member 20 which is urging means Stopper 26 Plate 26a Through hole 27 Cylindrical body 30 Piston nut 40 Cylinder 41 Upper chamber 42 Lower chamber

Claims (4)

In a valve structure provided in a shock absorber having a cylinder filled with hydraulic oil and a piston that moves in the cylinder while dividing the cylinder into an upper chamber and a lower chamber, a port through which the hydraulic oil passes is formed. The valve body, a rod projecting from the axial center of the valve body, the rod being inserted into the inner peripheral side, and being stacked on the valve body and seated on the valve seat of the valve body an annular leaf valve for closing and a biasing means for biasing the leaf valve in a direction for closing the port, together with the leaf valve is interposed between the outer periphery of the inner periphery and the rod of the leaf valve it and a intermediate member movable axially relative to the rod, interposed is between the outer periphery of the inner periphery and the rod the intermediate member is the leaf valve And a flange that extends from the outer periphery of one end of the cylinder and receives the urging force of the urging means and transmits the urging force to the leaf valve. When the piston pressure is in the low speed region, the outer peripheral edge of the leaf valve bends with the contact portion of the outer peripheral edge of the flange as a fulcrum to open the port, while the piston speed increases. Is in the middle / high speed region, the leaf valve is retracted from the valve body integrally with the interposition member to open the port, and when the working fluid passes through the port, resistance is given to the shock absorber. A valve structure characterized by generating a damping force . 2. The valve structure according to claim 1, wherein the cylindrical portion has a tapered surface or a curved surface inclined in a direction away from the rod on the inner periphery of the upper and lower ends . Valve structure according to claim 1 or claim 2, characterized in that the leaf valve is provided with a stopper for restricting the retraction amount of retraction from the valve body against the biasing force of the biasing means. The stopper includes a plate fixed to the tip of the rod, it is provided from the outer periphery of the plate and the cylindrical body which is suspended toward the leaf valve side, to either or both of the plate and the cylinder hole The valve structure according to claim 3 , further comprising:

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