JP5156592B2 - Suspension device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a suspension device, and more particularly to an improvement of a suspension device suitable for use in an ATV (All Terrain Vehicle all-terrain vehicle) and MC (Motorcycle Vehicle).

  As a suspension device suitable for use in ATV and MC, for example, there is a proposal disclosed in Patent Document 1, and in this proposal, the suspension device winds a suspension spring around a shock absorber body and integrates a sub tank. In addition, the sub tank is coaxially connected to the shock absorber body.

  That is, the suspension device according to the above proposal is for a rear wheel in a two-wheeled vehicle. In this suspension device, the shock absorber main body is set to an inverted type, and the cylinder body is connected to the vehicle body side. A rod body inserted into the cylinder body so as to be able to appear and retract is connected to the wheel side.

  The suspension spring wound around the shock absorber main body urges the shock absorber main body in the extending direction for projecting the rod body from the cylinder body, but the base end serving as the upper end of the cylinder main body constituting the shock absorber main body. It is connected to the cylinder body so as to be movable up and down while being positioned below the upper end as the bottom end.

  Further, the sub-tank has a housing in which the bladder is accommodated, and the housing is coaxially connected to the cylinder body in the shock absorber main body, for example, is integrally connected by casting, while the bladder is in the shock absorber main body. It expands and contracts during expansion and contraction, enabling the air spring force to be exerted.

Therefore, in the suspension device disclosed in Patent Document 1, it is possible to adjust the vehicle height by raising and lowering the base end position of the suspension spring, and to obtain the air spring effect exhibited by the sub tank. Furthermore, the subtank can be coaxially connected to the shock absorber main body so as to be integrally connected to the vehicle so that the mounting property on the vehicle can be improved.
JP 2007-203858 (abstract, claims, paragraphs 0008, 0010, 0015 to 0017, 0022, FIG. 2, FIG. 5 in the specification)

  However, in the proposal disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above, it is possible to adjust the height of the vehicle, obtain a predetermined air spring effect, and improve the mountability to the vehicle. In particular, although there is no problem, it may be pointed out that there is a minor defect in the implementation.

  That is, in the suspension device disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above, the sub-tank is coaxially connected to the shock absorber main body so as to be integrally connected, so that the base end that is the movable end of the suspension spring wound around the shock absorber main body The position is below the sub tank.

  As a result, when the housing is enlarged in the axial direction and the capacity of the sub tank is increased in order to enable the preferable air spring effect, there is a risk that the movable stroke at the base end of the suspension spring may be reduced. However, there is a problem that the desired vehicle height adjustment cannot be realized.

  When the capacity of the sub-tank is increased by extending the upper end of the sub-tank without changing the position of the lower end of the sub-tank with respect to the shock absorber main body, there is a concern that the on-board performance of the suspension device may be deteriorated.

  The present invention has been developed in view of such a current situation, and the object of the present invention is that there is no problem even if a preferable air spring effect is obtained by increasing the capacity of the sub-tank. It is possible to provide a suspension that is optimal for expecting an improvement in versatility by making it possible to provide a large degree of freedom in vehicle height adjustment by increasing the movable stroke of the base end.

In order to achieve the above object, one means of the present invention is that a housing in the sub-tank is connected to the bottom end portion of the cylinder body in the shock absorber main body connected to the vehicle body side and the wheel side. In the suspension device in which the cylinder body is integrally formed by using a core and a mold , the housing has an axis that is the longitudinal direction of the housing intersecting the axis that is the longitudinal direction of the cylinder body at a right angle Furthermore, an annular recess corresponding to the split position of the mold was formed in the housing, and a part of the cylinder body was protruded and integrated into a part of the annular recess. It is characterized by.

A shock absorber body that is inserted into a cylinder body connected to the vehicle body side so that the rod body connected to the wheel side can be inserted and retracted, and the base end position of the shock absorber body can be moved relative to the cylinder body by being wound around the shock absorber body. However, a suspension spring comprising a coil spring that urges the shock absorber body in the extending direction for projecting the rod body from the cylinder body, and a bladder in a housing connected to the bottom end of the cylinder body. A suspension tank in which the housing and the cylinder body in the subtank are integrally formed by using a core and a mold, and a base end of the suspension spring is a bottom of the cylinder body the a axis position determined ,, the housing head end nearer the longitudinal direction of the housing in the cylinder body from the end Crossed at right angles to the axis of the longitudinal direction of the cylinder body is arranged transversely to, is in normal state, not expansion and contraction is accommodated in the housing is further formed by the above core within the housing The peripheral wall portion of the bladder is not allowed to be present, and an annular recess corresponding to the split position of the mold is formed, and a part of the cylinder body is protruded and integrated with a part of the annular recess. And

  Therefore, in the invention of claim 1, the cylinder body in the shock absorber main body connected to the vehicle body side and the wheel side and the housing in the sub tank connected to the bottom end portion of the cylinder body are integrally formed. When the shock absorber body is vertically disposed, the subtank can be disposed horizontally or obliquely because the axial direction in which the housing is the longitudinal direction is orthogonal or oblique to the longitudinal direction in the cylinder body. Compared with the case where the subtank is vertically arranged coaxially with the cylinder body, the subtank can be enlarged in the axial direction to increase its capacity.

  And since a housing makes a part of cylinder body protrude in a part of annular recessed part formed in this housing, it can guarantee the internal diameter of the cylinder body in this protrusion part, and is accommodated in the cylinder body. It is easy to ensure the slidability of the piston body.

  In addition, since the cylinder body in which the sub-cylinders are continuously provided projects part of the connection part into the housing to form a part of the housing, the amount of material when the housing is integrally connected to the cylinder body is reduced. Is possible.

  Furthermore, in the invention of claim 2, since the sub tank is continuously provided in a direction orthogonal or oblique to the shock absorber main body, the sub tank is on the vehicle body side as compared with the case where the sub tank is arranged in the above-described coaxial arrangement. The base end position of the suspension spring wound around the shock absorber body connected to the wheel side can be positioned closer to the bottom end of the cylinder body in the shock absorber body, and the lift stroke of the base end of the suspension spring can be increased. It becomes possible.

  In the following, the present invention will be described based on the illustrated embodiment. The suspension device according to the present invention is suitable for use in, for example, ATV and MC, and as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. Further, the shock absorber main body 1 set in an inverted type, the suspension spring S (see FIG. 1), and the sub tank 10 are provided. Further, the damping portion 20 is provided between the shock absorber main body 1 and the sub tank 10. Do it.

  The shock absorber body 1 has a rod body 3 inserted into a cylinder body 2 so that the rod body 3 can protrude and retract. By doing so, it is connected to the vehicle body side.

  In the shock absorber main body 1, the rod body 3 is connected to the wheel side by connecting the eye 3a connected to the base end which is the lower end in the drawing to the wheel side of the vehicle (not shown). .

  In addition, in the shock absorber body 1, although not shown, the piston body held at the tip of the rod body 3 is slidably received in the cylinder body 2 filled with the working fluid. The piston body defines a rod-side chamber and a piston-side chamber (see symbol R in FIG. 3) in the cylinder body 2.

  The rod-side chamber and the piston-side chamber R can communicate with each other via a damping means provided in the piston body when the shock absorber body 1 in which the rod body 3 protrudes and retracts in the cylinder body 2 is operated, and the working fluid is attenuated. In passing through the means, a predetermined damping action is realized.

  On the other hand, the piston side chamber R defined by the piston body in the cylinder body 2 communicates with the sub tank 10 via a later-described damping section 20 (see FIG. 3), and the rod body 3 is placed in the cylinder body 2. An amount of working fluid corresponding to the intrusion rod volume surplus in the piston-side chamber R flows out to the sub tank 10 through the damping portion 20 when the shock absorber body 1 is retracted.

  Contrary to the above, when the shock absorber main body 1 from which the rod body 3 protrudes from the cylinder body 2 is extended, a working fluid in an amount corresponding to the retraction rod volume lacking in the piston side chamber R passes through the damping section 20. Then, it is replenished from the sub tank 10.

  Therefore, in the shock absorber body 1, at the time of the expansion / contraction operation, at least the damping means of the piston body accommodated in the cylinder body 2, and a desired damping action is realized by the damping section 20 described later. It becomes.

  The suspension spring S is composed of a coil spring as shown in the drawing, and a base end that is the upper end in FIG. 1 is locked to a spring receiver S1 that is screwed on the outer periphery of the cylinder body 1, and is a lower end in FIG. The distal end is carried by a spring receiver S2 integrally connected to the proximal end portion of the rod body 3.

  The spring receiver S1 screwed on the outer periphery of the cylinder body 2 is movable in the axial direction, which is the longitudinal direction of the cylinder body 2 in the drawing in the drawing, that is, can be moved up and down.

  Therefore, the suspension spring S is urged in the direction in which the rod body 3 protrudes from the cylinder body 2 by the urging force, that is, the shock absorber body 1 is urged in the extending direction, and from the vehicle body. The height of the vehicle body in the vehicle is guaranteed with a spring force that balances the load.

  As shown in the figure, the thread 2b on which the spring receiver S1 is screwed may be directly formed on the outer periphery of the cylinder body 2, and although not shown, a sleeve having the thread 2b on the outer periphery. Or the like may be integrally formed on the outer periphery of the cylinder body 2.

  On the other hand, in the present invention, the base end of the suspension spring S is positioned closer to the head end of the cylinder body 2 that is the lower end in FIG.

This is basically the same as that disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above, but in the present invention, the sub tank 10 described later is in a so-called horizontal direction with respect to the vertical shock absorber body 1. since provided continuously in sideways, as compared with the case where the sub-tank as disclosed in Patent Document 1 is provided continuously in the vertical as a coaxial with the shock absorber body, more cylinder base end position of the suspension spring S It is possible to position the body 2 closer to the bottom end, and accordingly, the stroke in which the base end of the suspension spring S moves up and down can be increased.

  Incidentally, the sub tank 10 integrally connected to the shock absorber main body 1 is integrally connected to the bottom end portion which is the upper end portion in FIG. 1 in the cylinder body 2 (FIG. 2). reference).

This is basically the same as that disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above, but in this invention, the axis line in which the housing 11 (see FIG. 3) constituting the sub tank 10 is in the longitudinal direction. a make crossing the perpendicular direction (see FIG. 3) the longitudinal direction of the cylinder body 2 and a direction to the axial direction (vertical direction in FIG. 1), i.e., when the shock absorber body 1 is vertically disposed, the sub-tank 10 is set to be horizontally arranged .

  As described above, the sub-tank 10 is connected to the shock absorber body 1 in a so-called lateral direction as described above. As compared with the proposal disclosed in Patent Document 1, the base end position of the suspension spring S is more It is possible to position the body 2 closer to the bottom end, and accordingly, the stroke in which the base end of the suspension spring S moves up and down can be increased.

In this suspension device, the sub tank 10 is connected in a direction perpendicular to the shock absorber main body 1, that is, in the drawing, the sub tank 10 is provided sideways with respect to the shock absorber main body 1 arranged vertically. Therefore, the sub-tank 10 can be moved in the axial direction without lowering the base end position of the suspension spring S as compared with the case where the sub-tank 10 is arranged coaxially with the shock absorber body 1. The capacity can be increased by increasing the direction.

Incidentally, in the drawing, the axial direction of the sub tank 10, that is, the housing 11 intersects the axial direction of the shock absorber main body 1, that is, the cylinder body 2, but from the viewpoint of increasing the volume of the sub tank 10. For example, it is a matter of course that the sub tank 10 may be substantially intersected with the shock absorber main body 1, that is, it may be slightly inclined .

  By the way, when the sub tank 10 is enlarged in the axial direction, there is a possibility that the vehicle mountability of the suspension device may be lowered. However, in actuality, as shown by the reference line b in FIG. When the substantially center position of the housing 11 constituting the center is the center position of the cylinder body 2 constituting the shock absorber body 1, the housing 11 that extends in the left-right direction in FIG. The so-called width does not become unnecessarily large, and there is no concern about the above-described deterioration of the on-vehicle performance.

  As described above, the sub-tank 10 connected to the shock absorber main body 1 in a so-called lateral direction is a partition body made of a rubber film in the housing 11 and capable of expanding and contracting as shown in a virtual diagram in FIG. A bladder 12 is provided, and an air chamber A and a fluid chamber R1 defined by the bladder 12 are provided.

  The fluid chamber R1 communicates with the piston-side chamber R defined by the piston body in the cylinder body 2 via the damping portion 20, and the air chamber A is supplied with an appropriate pressure supplied from the outside via the air valve 13. Fill the bottom with an inert gas.

  The air valve 13 is held by a cap 14 that fixedly connects the opening end that is the base end of the bladder 12, and the cap 14 is prevented from being detached from the housing 11 by using the C pin 15.

  The bladder 12 expands and contracts depending on the amount of the working fluid flowing into the fluid chamber R1, but the “in normal state” where the bladder 12 does not expand or contract is illustrated when the shock absorber body 1 is in the most extended state, or At this time, the peripheral wall portion of the bladder 12 is set so as not to interfere with the inner peripheral surface of the housing 11.

  By the way, the above-described “normal” bladder 12 that does not expand and contract is set so that its peripheral wall portion does not interfere with the inner peripheral surface of the housing 11 for the following reason.

  First, the housing 11 has an annular recess 11a that does not allow the peripheral wall portion of the above-described bladder 12 to be present, and a part of the cylinder body 2 protrudes from a part of the annular recess 11a, as will be described later. It is set.

  Therefore, when forming the housing 11, it is a matter of course that the annular recess 11 a can appear by using the core, but on the other hand, the shock absorber body 1 is configured as shown in the figure. Since the cylinder body 2 and the housing 11 constituting the sub tank 10 are integrally cast with an aluminum material, the annular recess 11a is made to appear by improving the mold removal while using the core.

  That is, when casting the cylinder body 2 and the housing 11 with an aluminum material, the inner periphery of the housing 11 is formed by using a core to eliminate the need for mold removal, while the outer periphery of the housing 11 is molded. As a device for improving the punching, the dividing line position for dividing the mold into the left and right is set to the reference line b position.

  That is, when the cylinder body 2 and the housing 11 are integrally formed using a mold, the cylinder body 2 and the housing 11 are viewed from the bottom end side in the axial direction of the cylinder body 2 (see FIG. 2), as shown in FIG. In addition, the position of the reference line b passing through the center of the cylinder body 2 while being orthogonal to the direction of the axis a of the housing 11 is set as the split position of the mold.

  Then, in order to improve mold splitting at the dividing line position, that is, die cutting, the outer periphery of the housing 11 has a draft angle of an appropriate angle. When the thickness of the ring is made uniform, the annular recess 11a appears.

  That is, the draft angle is a slope that the outer periphery of the housing 11 converges outside the housing 11 while being inclined with respect to the direction of the axis a, and the position of the reference line b serving as the dividing line is set to a so-called highest position. Yes.

  As described above, when the housing 11 is formed with a draft, when the thickness of the housing 11 is made uniform by using the core, an annular recess 11a appears inside the housing 11. Therefore, a part of the cylinder body 2 can be protruded into the annular recess 11a, and the peripheral wall portion of the bladder 12 can be prevented from interfering with the inner peripheral surface of the housing 11.

  On the other hand, when the housing 11 is connected to the cylinder body 2, as shown in FIG. 3, projecting a part 2 c of the cylinder body 2 into the annular recess 11 a in the housing 11 ensures the inner diameter of the cylinder body 2. Thus, for example, sliding of the piston body in the cylinder body 2 is ensured, and for example, a base valve portion or the like can be disposed in the bottom end portion of the cylinder body 2.

  Not only that, the part 2c of the cylinder body 2 becomes a part of the housing 11, but the point that the part 2c of the cylinder body 2 becomes a part of the housing 11 while being the part 1c of the cylinder body 2 is described above. This is also disclosed in

  However, the present invention differs from the proposal disclosed in Patent Document 1 in that the amount of material when the housing 11 is integrally connected to the cylinder body 2 by casting can be greatly reduced.

  That is, FIG. 4 shows the case where the housing H of the sub tank is connected coaxially to the cylinder body C of the shock absorber body, (A) shows a longitudinal section, and enlarges the transverse section at this time (B) (C) shows a modification thereof.

  According to the points shown in (A) and (B), the “combination” portion m referred to in Patent Document 1 is a hatched leaf-like or willow leaf-like portion, and its peripheral portion is the cylinder body C. Alternatively, it is the housing H, and in this state, the inner diameter of the cylinder body C is secured and the inner diameter of the housing H is secured (see (B) in FIG. 4).

  Incidentally, as shown in (C), when the “shared” portion is enlarged to ensure the mechanical strength, it can be proposed to make the “shared” portion into a straight strip m1. If the “combined” portion is formed into a straight belt-like m1, the cylinder body C has a different diameter portion C1 on the inner circumference, and the inner diameter of the cylinder body C is not guaranteed.

  According to this, as shown in (B), the “combination” portion m described in Patent Document 1 has a leaf-leaf shape or a willow-leaf shape and becomes extremely small, so that the mechanical strength in the “combination” portion m is ensured. In order to achieve this, or in order to improve die cutting, it is cast so as to have a so-called build-up portion m2, and this build-up portion m2 appears for the length of the housing H in the axial direction.

  On the other hand, in the suspension device according to the present invention, the cylindrical body is arranged to be connected in an orthogonal state. In the so-called transverse section at this time, as shown in FIG. A curved strip-shaped connecting portion that is a part 2c of the cylinder body 2 protruding to the surface appears.

  Appearance of the curved strip-shaped connecting portion makes it possible to ensure the inner diameter of the cylinder body 2 and also to ensure the mechanical strength of the connecting portion. Since the reference numeral m2 in (C) does not equal the length of the housing 11, the amount of material can be greatly reduced.

  As described above, the damping unit 20 allows the communication between the piston side chamber R in the cylinder body 2 and the fluid chamber R1 defined by the bladder 12 in the housing 11 in the sub tank 10 when the shock absorber body 1 is extended or contracted. A predetermined damping action is realized, and the casing 21 has damping means (not shown).

  Incidentally, although not shown in the figure, the damping means is, for example, a sheet member that is a partition member that defines the inside of the casing 21 on the cylinder body 2 side and the sub tank 10 side, and the cylinder member 2 side that is opened by this sheet member. A flow path that allows communication with the sub-tank 10 side, and a leaf valve that is disposed at the downstream end of the flow path and that can be detachably seated on the seat member to close the flow path so as to be openable. Thus, the leaf valve is bent to open the flow path, thereby realizing a predetermined damping action.

  For example, an adjuster 22 (see FIGS. 1 and 2) that protrudes to the outside of the casing 21 is provided, and the level of the damping action by the damping means can be adjusted by rotating the adjuster 22.

  Therefore, in this damping part 20, at least when the compression side damping action is realized at the time of contraction operation in the shock absorber body 1, the housing piston body is accommodated in the cylinder body 2 at the time of extension operation in the shock absorber body 1. It is possible to balance with the extension side damping action by the damping means.

  By the way, about the casing 21 which comprises this attenuation | damping part 20, in this invention, as shown in FIG. 3, the outer periphery of the casing 21 has a draft like the outer periphery in the housing 11 mentioned above.

  That is, the outer periphery of the casing 21 is inclined with respect to the axis a <b> 1 passing through the center of the cylinder body 2 while being parallel to the axis a of the housing 11.

  As a result, even if the damping part 20 is provided between the shock absorber main body 1 and the sub tank 10, it becomes possible to easily remove the mold from the position of the reference line b which is the above-mentioned dividing line. Since it is provided near the sub tank 10 and does not occupy the cylinder body 2 side, a space can be secured on the cylinder body 2 side, and the vicinity and arrangement of other parts can be made possible.

  Further, in the illustrated embodiment, the axis c of the casing 21 is inclined with respect to the axis a1, and at this time, the inclination angle is larger than the outer periphery of the casing 21 with respect to the axis a1, for example, with respect to the axis a1. When the outer peripheral angle of the casing 21 is approximately 4 degrees, the inclination angle of the axis c with respect to the axis a1 is approximately 6 degrees.

  As a result, the core is assumed to be used, but the thickness of the connecting portion between the casing 21 and the housing 11 can be made substantially equal to the thickness of the other portion of the housing 11 and the amount of material can be reduced.

  Therefore, in the cylinder body 2, the housing 11 and the casing 21 formed as described above, the cylinder 11 is connected to the cylinder body 2 in a so-called lateral direction, and the cylinder body 2 to which the housing 11 is connected is provided. Since the part 2c which is the continuous portion protrudes into the housing 11 and becomes a part of the housing 11, it is possible to reduce the amount of material when the housing 11 is integrally connected to the cylinder body 2, and The casing 21 connected to the housing 11 makes the thickness at the connecting portion with the housing 11 substantially the same as the thickness at the other portion of the housing 11 to reduce the amount of material.

  In the above description, the suspension device according to the present invention is formed by winding a suspension spring made of a coil spring around a shock absorber body. However, according to the intention of the present invention, the suspension spring made of a shock absorber body made of a coil spring. Of course, the shock absorber body may be urged in the extending direction with an air spring, for example.

  In addition, as described above, the suspension device according to the present invention is used for each wheel such as a three-wheel or four-wheel when used in, for example, an ATV. Of course, there is a motorcycle, and this suspension device may be used for a rear wheel in the motorcycle.

It is a front view which shows the suspension apparatus by this invention. It is a top view in the suspension apparatus of FIG. It is a cross-sectional view shown by the XX line position in FIG. It is the schematic which shows the case where a housing is coaxially connected to a cylinder body, (A) is a partial longitudinal cross-sectional view, (B) is an expanded cross-sectional view which shows a combined part, (C) is the modification. is there.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Buffer body 2, C Cylinder body 2a, 3a Eye 2b Thread 2c Part 3 Rod body 10 Sub tank 11, H housing 11a Recess 12 Bladder 13 Air valve 14 Cap 15 C pin 20 Attenuating part 21 Casing 22 Adjuster A Air chamber C1 Different diameter part R Piston side chamber R1 Fluid chamber S Suspension spring S1, S2 Spring receiver a, a1, c Axis b Reference line m Combined part m1 Strip part m2 Overlay part

Claims (4)

A housing in the sub-tank is connected to the bottom end portion of the cylinder body in the shock absorber main body connected to the vehicle body side and the wheel side, and the housing and the cylinder body are integrally formed by using a core and a mold. In this suspension apparatus, the housing is placed horizontally with the axis in the longitudinal direction of the housing intersecting at right angles to the axis in the longitudinal direction of the cylinder body, and the mold is divided into the housing. An annular recess corresponding to the position is formed, and a part of the cylinder body is protruded and integrated with a part of the annular recess . A shock absorber body that is inserted into a cylinder body connected to the vehicle body side so that the rod body connected to the wheel side can be inserted and retracted, and the base end position of the shock absorber body can be moved relative to the cylinder body by being wound around the shock absorber body. However, a suspension spring comprising a coil spring that urges the shock absorber body in the extending direction for projecting the rod body from the cylinder body, and a bladder in a housing connected to the bottom end of the cylinder body. A suspension tank in which the housing and the cylinder body in the subtank are integrally formed by using a core and a mold, and a base end of the suspension spring is a bottom of the cylinder body the a axis position determined ,, the housing head end nearer the longitudinal direction of the housing in the cylinder body from the end Crossed at right angles to the axis of the longitudinal direction of the cylinder body is arranged transversely to, is in normal state, not expansion and contraction is accommodated in the housing is further formed by the above core within the housing The peripheral wall portion of the bladder is not allowed to be present, and an annular recess corresponding to the split position of the mold is formed, and a part of the cylinder body is protruded and integrated with a part of the annular recess. Suspension device. When the housing and the cylinder body are viewed from the bottom end side in the axial direction of the cylinder body, a reference line that passes through the center of the cylinder body in the radial direction while being orthogonal to the horizontal axis of the housing. The suspension device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the position is a split position of the mold. The outer periphery of the housing corresponding to the concave portion forms a draft angle that converges outside the housing while being inclined with respect to the horizontal axis of the housing. Suspension device.

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