JP5614245B2 - Standard cylinder length adjustment method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a standard cylinder length adjusting method for adjusting a standard cylinder length of a cylinder device that functions as a colloidal damper by containing a working fluid and a porous body therein.

  The cylinder device described in the following patent document contains a colloidal solution in which a porous material such as hydrophobized porous silica gel and a working fluid are mixed, and operates on the pores of the porous material. It is configured to expand and contract as the liquid flows in and out. Since the hydraulic fluid flows into the pores against the surface tension, the cylinder pressure, which is the pressure in the cylinder device, increases as the hydraulic fluid flows into the pores. ing. Further, the hydraulic fluid repeatedly flows in and out of the pores against the surface tension, thereby dissipating energy applied from the outside and functioning as a damper. A cylinder device that contains a colloidal solution therein is called a colloidal damper and has the characteristics described above.

JP 2004-44732 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-510351 JP 2008-309250 A

  A cylinder device (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a “colloidal damper”) that houses a colloidal solution has a function as a damper, and is therefore mounted on a vehicle as a shock absorber that constitutes a suspension device of the vehicle. It is considered. As described above, the colloidal damper is configured such that the cylinder pressure increases as the hydraulic fluid flows into the pores of the porous body. For this reason, when the colloidal damper is mounted on the vehicle as a shock absorber, the colloidal damper can support the vehicle body by the cylinder pressure in a state where the working fluid flows into the pores of the porous body. However, since colloidal dampers have variations in the particle size, pore diameter, etc. of the porous body, the relationship between the cylinder pressure and the amount of hydraulic fluid flowing into the pores of the porous body, that is, the cylinder pressure and the colloidal The relationship between the damper stroke amount and the designed one may be different. If a colloidal damper having a different relationship from that designed is mounted on the vehicle, the distance between the vehicle body and the wheel, that is, the vehicle height may be different from the designed vehicle height. For this reason, it is necessary to set the total length of the colloidal damper, that is, the standard length of the cylinder length, which is the length of the cylinder device, to a specific length. The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a method capable of adjusting the standard cylinder length so that the standard cylinder length, which is the standard cylinder length, becomes a specific length. To do.

In order to solve the above problem, the standard cylinder length adjusting method of the present invention is:
A standard cylinder length adjustment method for adjusting a standard cylinder length of a cylinder device which is disposed between a vehicle body and a wheel and contains a working fluid and a porous body and functions as a colloidal damper,
The cylinder device is
A housing connected to one of a wheel holding member for rotatably holding the wheel and the vehicle body;
(a) a piston main body slidably disposed in the housing; (b) one end connected to the piston main body, and the other end extending from the housing, the wheel holding member and the vehicle body; A piston having a piston rod coupled to the other of
(A) a shaft hole formed in the piston so as to extend in the axial direction of the piston rod and opening at an end of the piston located in the housing; and (B) the interior of the shaft hole is closed. A blocking member provided in this manner, and (C) a blocking member moving mechanism that moves the blocking member in the axial direction, and a volume changing mechanism that can change the volume in the cylinder device;
With
The standard cylinder length is defined as the cylinder length when the cylinder pressure is a set standard pressure,
The standard cylinder length adjustment method is
A measuring step for measuring one of a deviation from a design length required for the design of the standard cylinder length and a deviation of the cylinder pressure from the standard pressure when the cylinder length is the design length;
A change step of changing the volume in the cylinder device by the volume change mechanism so that the standard cylinder length becomes the design length based on one of the deviations;
It is comprised so that it may contain .
Another standard cylinder length adjusting method of the present invention is as follows.
A standard cylinder length adjustment method for adjusting a standard cylinder length of a cylinder device which is disposed between a vehicle body and a wheel and contains a working fluid and a porous body and functions as a colloidal damper,
The hydraulic fluid is
The first working fluid mixed with the porous body and a second working fluid that is a different working fluid from the first working fluid,
The cylinder device is
A sealing member that is flexible and forms a sealed space in the cylinder device and seals the porous body and the first hydraulic fluid in a mixed state in the sealed space; Is configured to contain the second hydraulic fluid outside,
Furthermore, the cylinder device comprises:
A housing that is connected to one of a wheel holding member that rotatably holds the wheel and the vehicle body, and that contains the second hydraulic fluid;
A piston connected to the other of the wheel holding member and the vehicle body and slidable in the housing;
The sealing member is provided inside, the sealing space is formed by the sealing member, and the outside of the sealing space communicates with the inside of the housing in which the second hydraulic fluid is accommodated. A sealing case removably attached to the housing;
With
The standard cylinder length is defined as the cylinder length when the cylinder pressure is a set standard pressure,
The standard cylinder length adjustment method is
Separately from the sealed case, a sealed case preparing step of preparing one or more sealed cases having different amounts of the first hydraulic fluid sealed in the sealed space;
A measuring step for measuring one of a deviation from a design length required for the design of the standard cylinder length and a deviation of the cylinder pressure from the standard pressure when the cylinder length is the design length;
Based on one of these deviations, one sealing case is selected from the one or more sealing cases prepared in the sealing case preparation step so that the standard cylinder length becomes the design length, and is attached to the housing Changing the amount of the first hydraulic fluid by changing the sealed case to the selected one sealed case; and
It is comprised so that it may contain.

In the standard cylinder length adjustment method of the present invention, the volume in the cylinder device is based on the deviation from the design length of the standard cylinder length or the deviation from the standard pressure of the cylinder pressure when the cylinder length is the design length. When, to change any of the amount of hydraulic fluid. Therefore, according to the standard cylinder length adjusting method of the present invention, the standard cylinder length is adjusted such that at least one of the cylinder pressure and the cylinder length changes according to the deviation, and the standard cylinder length becomes the design length.

Aspects of the Invention

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

In the following items, the combination of items (1) , (2), and (3) corresponds to claim 1, and items (1), (4), (5), ( The combination of items 6) and (7) corresponds to claim 2 .

(1) A standard cylinder length adjusting method for adjusting a standard cylinder length of a cylinder device which is disposed between a vehicle body and a wheel and which contains a working fluid and a porous body and functions as a colloidal damper.
The standard cylinder length is defined as the cylinder length when the cylinder pressure is a set standard pressure,
The standard cylinder length adjustment method is
A measuring step for measuring one of a deviation from a design length required for the design of the standard cylinder length and a deviation of the cylinder pressure from the standard pressure when the cylinder length is the design length;
One of the volume in the cylinder device, the amount of the hydraulic fluid, and the length of the piston rod included in the cylinder device so that the standard cylinder length becomes the design length based on one of the deviations. A standard cylinder length adjusting method including a changing step for changing.

  The cylinder device that contains the working fluid and the porous body inside is called a colloidal damper, and the working fluid repeatedly flows in and out against the pores of the porous body against the surface tension. It is configured to dissipate energy applied from. That is, a cylinder device (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a “colloidal damper”) that contains the working fluid and the porous body therein has a function as a shock absorber. Further, the colloidal damper is configured such that the cylinder pressure increases as the hydraulic fluid flows into the pores of the porous body, and the vehicle body is moved by the cylinder pressure when the hydraulic fluid flows into the porous body. It is possible to support. That is, the colloidal damper also has a function as a suspension spring.

  However, since colloidal dampers have variations in the particle size, pore diameter, etc. of the porous body, the relationship between the cylinder pressure and the amount of hydraulic fluid flowing into the pores of the porous body, that is, the cylinder pressure and the colloidal The relationship between the damper stroke amount and the designed one may be different. In such a case, there is a possibility that the distance between the wheel provided with the colloidal damper and the vehicle body, that is, the vehicle height may deviate from the designed vehicle height. For this reason, it is necessary to set the total length of the colloidal damper, that is, the standard length of the cylinder length, which is the length of the cylinder device, to a design length required in design.

  Therefore, in the standard cylinder length adjustment method described in this section, the cylinder length when the cylinder pressure is the set standard pressure is defined as the standard cylinder length, and the deviation from the design length of the standard cylinder length, or Based on the deviation of the cylinder pressure from the standard pressure when the cylinder length is the design length, the volume in the cylinder device, the amount of hydraulic fluid, and the cylinder device are provided so that the standard cylinder length becomes the design length. Any one of the lengths of the piston rod is changed. According to such a configuration, at least one of the cylinder pressure and the cylinder length is shifted by changing any one of the volume in the cylinder device, the amount of hydraulic fluid, and the length of the piston rod included in the cylinder device. The standard cylinder length is adjusted so that the standard cylinder length becomes the design length.

  The “cylinder length” described in this section is the length in the axial direction of the cylinder device, and may be, for example, the distance between one end and the other end of the cylinder device, and the wheel can be rotated. It may be a distance between the connecting portion of the cylinder device to the wheel holding member to be held and the connecting portion of the cylinder device to the vehicle body. In addition, the “standard pressure” described in this section is set at a specific height, and considering that the cylinder apparatus described in this section supports the vehicle body, the cylinder apparatus It is desirable that the pressure at a height corresponding to the shared load of the vehicle body to be handled by the wheel provided with the wheel, specifically, the divided load divided by the pressure receiving area of the cylinder device.

  As the “porous body” described in this section, μm (micrometer) order granular materials (microparticles) having pores of nm (nanometer) order can be adopted, for example, having lyophobic properties. Thus, it is possible to employ one in which the working fluid is not easily bonded or one that is coated with a lyophobic substance. Specifically, for example, silica gel, aerogel, ceramics, zeolite, porous glass, porous polystyrene, or the like can be adopted as the porous body. In addition, for example, water, a mixed solution of water and an antifreezing agent (ethanol, ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, glycerin, etc.), mercury, molten metal, or the like can be used as the “working fluid” described in this section. . Since water has a relatively large surface tension, when water is used as the working fluid, a large force is generated by the large surface tension when water flows into and out of the pores of the porous body. A colloidal damper is realized. When water is used for the hydraulic fluid, it is desirable to use a porous material having low hydrophilicity or a hydrophobic material.

  (2) The standard cylinder length adjusting method according to (1), wherein the changing step is a step of changing a volume in the cylinder device.

(3) The cylinder device is
A housing connected to one of a wheel holding member for rotatably holding the wheel and the vehicle body;
(a) a piston main body slidably disposed in the housing; (b) one end connected to the piston main body, and the other end extending from the housing, the wheel holding member and the vehicle body; A piston having the piston rod coupled to the other of
(A) a shaft hole formed in the piston so as to extend in the axial direction of the piston rod and opening at an end of the piston located in the housing; and (B) the interior of the shaft hole is closed. A closing member provided in this way, and (C) a closing member moving mechanism that moves the closing member in the axial direction, and a volume changing mechanism that can change the volume in the cylinder device,
The standard cylinder length adjusting method according to (1) or (2), wherein the changing step is a step of changing a volume in the cylinder device by the volume changing mechanism.

  The standard cylinder length adjustment method described in the above two sections does not change the volume as the cylinder device expands and contracts, but by a mechanism that can change the volume in the cylinder device without expanding and contracting the cylinder device. The volume is changed. By changing the volume in the cylinder device, at least one of the cylinder length and the cylinder pressure changes, and the standard cylinder length can be easily adjusted. The mode described in the latter section is a mode in which the mechanism is specifically limited. The configuration of the “closing member moving mechanism” described in the latter section is not particularly limited, and the closing member may be manually moved using a tool or the like. In this case, the closing member may be moved.

  (4) The standard cylinder length adjusting method according to item (1), wherein the changing step is a step of changing the amount of the hydraulic fluid.

  In the aspect described in this section, by changing the amount of the hydraulic fluid in the cylinder device, at least one of the cylinder length and the cylinder pressure changes, and the standard cylinder length can be easily adjusted.

(5) The hydraulic fluid is
The first working fluid mixed with the porous body and a second working fluid that is a different working fluid from the first working fluid,
The cylinder device is
A sealing member that is flexible and forms a sealed space in the cylinder device and seals the porous body and the first hydraulic fluid in a mixed state in the sealed space; The standard cylinder length adjusting method according to item (4), wherein the second hydraulic fluid is accommodated outside the cylinder.

  When the porous body is directly accommodated in the cylinder device, the housing, the piston and the like may be worn by the porous body. Wear of the housing, piston, etc. may lead to liquid leakage from the cylinder device. In the aspect described in this section, the porous body and the first working fluid are sealed in the sealed space, and the second working fluid is accommodated outside the sealed space. Therefore, according to the aspect described in this section, it is possible to prevent the housing, the piston, and the like from being worn by the porous body.

  (6) The standard cylinder length adjusting method according to (5), wherein the changing step is a step of changing the amount of the first hydraulic fluid.

  The mode described in this section is a mode in which the amount of the first working fluid mixed with the porous body is changed. In the aspect described in this section, only the amount of the first working fluid may be changed, or the amount of the porous body may be changed together with the first working fluid. That is, the amount of the colloidal solution in which the porous body and the first working fluid are mixed may be changed. However, since the characteristics as the colloidal damper may change when the amount of the porous body accommodated in the cylinder device changes, it is desirable to change only the amount of the first hydraulic fluid.

(7) The cylinder device is
A housing that is connected to one of a wheel holding member that rotatably holds the wheel and the vehicle body, and that contains the second hydraulic fluid;
A piston connected to the other of the wheel holding member and the vehicle body and slidable in the housing;
The sealing member is provided inside, the sealing space is formed by the sealing member, and the outside of the sealing space communicates with the inside of the housing in which the second hydraulic fluid is accommodated. A sealing case removably attached to the housing,
The standard cylinder length adjustment method is
Apart from the sealing case, including a sealing case preparation step of preparing one or more sealing cases with different amounts of the first hydraulic fluid sealed in the sealed space,
The changing step is
By selecting one sealing case from the one or more sealing cases prepared in the sealing case preparation step, and changing the sealing case attached to the housing to the selected one sealing case. The method for adjusting the standard cylinder length according to (5) or (6), which is a step of changing the amount of the first hydraulic fluid.

  It is difficult to change the amount of the first working fluid mixed with the porous body, and in particular, the first working fluid from the colloidal solution in which the porous body filled in the sealed space and the first working fluid are mixed. It is difficult for the liquid to flow out of the cylinder device. In the aspect described in this section, the first hydraulic fluid is selected from a plurality of sealing cases having different amounts of the first hydraulic fluid according to the deviation, and the selected sealing case is attached to the cylinder device. ing. Therefore, according to the aspect described in this section, the amount of the first hydraulic fluid can be easily changed, and the standard cylinder length can be easily adjusted.

  (8) The standard cylinder length adjusting method according to (5), wherein the changing step is a step of changing the amount of the second hydraulic fluid.

  In the embodiment described in this section, the standard cylinder length is not changed by changing the amount of the second hydraulic fluid existing outside the sealed space, instead of changing the amount of the first hydraulic fluid mixed with the porous body. Adjusted. Therefore, according to the aspect described in this section, the second hydraulic fluid accommodated in the cylinder device can be easily flowed in and out, and the standard cylinder length can be easily adjusted. .

  (9) The standard cylinder length adjusting method according to (1), wherein the changing step is a step of changing the length of the piston rod.

(10) The cylinder device is
A housing connected to one of a wheel holding member for rotatably holding the wheel and the vehicle body;
(a) a piston main body slidably disposed in the housing; (b) one end connected to the piston main body, and the other end extending from the housing, the wheel holding member and the vehicle body; A standard cylinder length adjusting method according to item (9), further comprising: a piston having the piston rod coupled to the other of the piston rod and

  The piston rod greatly affects the cylinder length, and since one end portion extends from the housing, an operator can easily work on the piston rod. Therefore, according to the aspects described in the above two items, it is possible to easily adjust the standard cylinder length. The “piston rod” described in the above two sections may be any structure that can change the length in the axial direction thereof. For example, the piston rod itself can be expanded and contracted and can be fixed to an arbitrary length. Alternatively, at least a part of the piston rod, specifically, a part extending from the housing may be replaceable.

(11) The piston rod is
A piston rod main body connected to the piston main body and extending from the housing; and a rod head detachably attached to an end of the piston rod main body extending from the housing and attached coaxially to the axis of the piston rod main body. Have
The standard cylinder length adjustment method is
Apart from the rod head, including a rod head preparation step of preparing one or more rod heads having different lengths,
The changing step is
One rod head is selected from the one or more rod heads prepared in the rod head preparation step, and the rod head attached to the piston rod body is changed to the selected one rod head. Thus, the standard cylinder length adjusting method according to item (10), which is a step of changing the length of the piston rod.

  In the embodiment in this section, the structure of the piston rod and the changing process are specifically limited. According to the aspect described in this section, it is possible to change the cylinder length only by exchanging the rod head, and it is possible to easily adjust the standard cylinder length.

(12) The cylinder device is
The pressure in the cylinder device in a state in which a part of the hydraulic fluid flows into the porous body is configured to support the shared load of the vehicle body that the wheel corresponding to itself is responsible for (1). The standard cylinder length adjusting method according to any one of items (11) to (11).

(13) The cylinder device is
Any one of the items (1) to (12) configured to attenuate the relative movement between the vehicle body and the wheel by allowing a part of the hydraulic fluid to flow into and out of the porous body. Standard cylinder length adjustment method described in 1.

  The modes described in the above two items are modes in which the characteristics of the colloidal damper are specifically limited. According to the aspect described in the former section, the colloidal damper can support the vehicle body weight (so-called 1 W) that the wheel corresponding to itself supports, and the colloidal damper can function as a suspension spring. It becomes. Further, according to the aspect described in the latter section, the externally applied energy is dissipated by repeatedly flowing in and out of the working fluid against the surface tension against the pores of the porous body. It is possible to attenuate the relative motion between the vehicle body and the wheel suitably due to the dissipation of energy.

  (14) The standard cylinder length adjusting method according to any one of (1) to (13), wherein the porous body is a lyophobic porous body that has been subjected to a lyophobic treatment.

  The aspect described in this section is an aspect in which the structure of the porous body is limited. As described above, the characteristics as a colloidal damper greatly influence the surface tension of the working fluid, and it is desirable that the surface tension is large to some extent. Therefore, according to the aspect described in this section, the characteristics of the colloidal damper can be made favorable.

(21) a housing connected to one of the wheel holding member and the vehicle body for rotatably holding the wheel;
(a) a piston main body slidably disposed in the housing; (b) one end connected to the piston main body, and the other end extending from the housing, the wheel holding member and the vehicle body; A piston rod having a piston rod coupled to the other of
A cylinder device in which the lyophobic porous body that has been subjected to the lyophobic treatment and the hydraulic fluid are housed and function as a colloidal damper,
The cylinder device is
(A) a shaft hole formed in the piston so as to extend in the axial direction of the piston rod and opening at an end of the piston located in the housing; and (B) the interior of the shaft hole is closed. A cylinder device comprising a closing member provided in this manner, and (C) a closing member moving mechanism that moves the closing member in the axial direction, and having a volume changing mechanism capable of changing the volume in the cylinder device.

  The aspect described in this section is an aspect of the claimable invention in which the category is a cylinder device. According to the cylinder device described in this section, as described above, by changing the volume in the cylinder device, at least one of the cylinder length and the cylinder pressure changes, and the standard cylinder length is easily adjusted. It becomes possible.

It is a figure which shows the suspension apparatus by which the cylinder apparatus adjusted with the standard cylinder length adjustment method which is an Example of claimable invention was arrange | positioned. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the cylinder apparatus with which the suspension apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is provided. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the porous body which comprises the colloidal solution shown in FIG. It is an expanded sectional view which shows the cylinder apparatus shown in FIG. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the cylinder apparatus of the simple structure conventionally known. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the stroke of the cylinder apparatus shown in FIG. 5, and the pressure in a cylinder apparatus. It is a figure which shows the relationship between the stroke of the cylinder apparatus shown in FIG. 2, and the pressure in a cylinder apparatus. It is a figure which shows what was designed beforehand and the actual thing regarding the relationship between the stroke of the cylinder apparatus shown in FIG. 2, and the pressure in a cylinder apparatus. It is an expanded sectional view which shows the cylinder apparatus adjusted with the standard cylinder length adjustment method of 2nd Example. It is a figure which shows roughly the cylinder length adjustment apparatus which can adjust the cylinder length of the cylinder apparatus shown in FIG. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the cylinder apparatus shown in FIG. 9 to which the cylinder length adjustment apparatus shown in FIG. 10 was attached. It is a figure which shows what was designed beforehand and the actual thing regarding the relationship between the stroke of the cylinder apparatus of the modification shown in FIG. 9, and the pressure in a cylinder apparatus. It is an expanded sectional view which shows the cylinder apparatus adjusted with the standard cylinder length adjustment method of 3rd Example. It is sectional drawing which shows the cylinder apparatus adjusted with the standard cylinder length adjustment method of 4th Example.

  Several embodiments of the claimable invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition to the embodiments described below, the present invention can be claimed in various aspects including various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, including the aspects described in the above [Aspect of the Invention] section. Can be implemented.

<Configuration of suspension device>
FIG. 1 shows a cylinder device 10 adjusted by the standard cylinder length adjusting method of the claimable invention. The cylinder device 10 is a component of the vehicle suspension device. The vehicle suspension device is an independent suspension type provided corresponding to each of the wheels 12 of the vehicle, and is a multi-link suspension device. The suspension device includes a first upper arm 20, a second upper arm 22, a first lower arm 24, a second lower arm 26, and a toe control arm 28, each of which is a suspension arm. One end of each of the five arms 20, 22, 24, 26, 28 is pivotally connected to the vehicle body, and the other end is pivotable to an axle carrier 30 that rotatably holds the wheel 12. It is connected. By these five arms 20, 22, 24, 26, and 28, the axle carrier 30 is allowed to move up and down along a certain locus with respect to the vehicle body. The cylinder device 10 is disposed between a mount portion 32 provided in a tire housing which is a part of the vehicle body and a second lower arm 26 as a wheel holding member.

  FIG. 2 is a front sectional view of the cylinder device 10. The cylinder device 10 includes a generally cylindrical housing 40 and a piston 44 slidably disposed with respect to the housing 40. The piston 44 has a piston main body 46, and the piston main body 46 divides the interior of the housing 40 into an upper chamber 48 and a lower chamber 50, which are two chambers, sandwiching itself. The piston 44 further includes a piston rod 52, which is connected to the piston main body 46 at the lower end portion and extends from a lid portion provided at the upper end portion of the housing 40. The piston rod 52 is connected to the mount portion 32 through an upper support 56 including an anti-vibration rubber 54 at the extended upper end portion.

  The cylinder device 10 includes a covered cylindrical cover tube 60, and the cover tube 60 accommodates the upper portion of the housing 40 in a state where the piston rod 52 is inserted. A through hole is formed in the cover portion of the cover tube 60, and the piston rod 52 is inserted into the through hole, and the piston rod 52 and the cover tube 60 are fixed in the through hole. And the upper end part of the housing 40 is inserted from the lower end part of the cover tube 60, and the cover tube 60 and the housing 40 can be moved relatively. The housing 40 is connected to the second lower arm 26 via a bushing 62 at the lower end thereof.

  A rubber bellows 70 is fixed to the bottom of the housing 40 and is accommodated in the lower chamber 50. The inner space of the bellows 70 functioning as a sealed space is sealed in a state filled with a colloidal solution 76 in which a hydrophobic porous silica gel 72 as a lyophobic porous body and water 74 as a first working liquid are mixed. Has been. That is, the colloid solution sealing body 78 includes the colloid solution 76 and the bellows 70 functioning as a sealing member. FIG. 3 schematically shows a cross-sectional view of one particle of the hydrophobized porous silica gel 72. Hydrophobized porous silica gel particles 80 have spherical silica gel particles whose outer diameter D is on the order of several μm to several tens of μm and whose inner diameter d of the pores 82 is on the order of several nm to several tens of nm. (Including the inside) is hydrophobized with a hydrophobic substance.

  The lower chamber 50 is filled with the mineral oil 90 as the second working fluid in a state where the colloidal solution sealing body 78 is accommodated, and the upper chamber 48 is also filled with the mineral oil 90. As shown in FIG. 4, the piston body 46 described above is provided with a plurality of communication passages 92 that pass through the piston body 46 in the axial direction and allow the upper chamber 48 and the lower chamber 50 to communicate with each other. That is, when the volumes of the upper chamber 48 and the lower chamber 50 change as the piston 44 slides with respect to the housing 40, the mineral oil 90 is transferred between the upper chamber 48 and the lower chamber 50 by the communication passage 92. Distribution is allowed. Incidentally, as will be described in detail later, since the inside of the housing 40 has a high pressure, the lid of the upper end of the housing 40 has four high-pressure seals 100, 102, 104, in order to prevent the mineral oil 90 from leaking. 106 is provided. In particular, grease is sealed between the two high-pressure seals 100 and 102 provided on the outer peripheral surface of the piston rod 52, and the sealing performance is enhanced. A high-pressure seal 108 is also provided on the lid at the lower end of the housing 40.

  The cylinder device 10 includes a volume changing mechanism 110 that can change the internal volume of the cylinder device 10 inside the piston rod 52. The volume changing mechanism 110 has a shaft hole 112 penetrating the piston rod 52 in the axial direction thereof, an adjustment piston 114 slidably provided in the shaft hole 112, and a lower end portion fixed to the adjustment piston 114. The upper end portion is constituted by the adjustment rod 116 extending to the upper end portion of the shaft hole 112. Two O-rings 120 and 122 are provided on the outer peripheral surface of the adjustment piston 114, and the inside of the shaft hole 112 is closed by the adjustment piston 114. A threaded portion 117 having a male screw formed on the outer peripheral surface is fixedly provided at the center of the adjusting rod 116 fixed to the adjusting piston 114, and the male screw of the threaded portion 117 is inside the shaft hole 112. It is screwed into a female screw 118 formed at the center in the axial direction of the peripheral surface. An O-ring 124 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the upper end portion of the adjustment rod 116, and a groove 126 is formed on the upper end surface so as to extend in the radial direction.

  By adjusting the closing member moving mechanism constituted by the adjusting rod 116, the threaded portion 117, and the female screw 118, the position of the adjusting piston 114 as the closing member in the shaft hole 112 is adjusted, and the inside of the cylinder device 10 is adjusted. It is possible to change the volume. Specifically, a tool such as a screwdriver is engaged with the groove 126 of the adjustment rod 116, and the adjustment rod 116 is rotated around its axis by the tool, thereby adjusting the position of the adjustment piston 114 in the shaft hole 112. . Then, the internal volume of the cylinder device 10 is changed as the adjustment piston 114 moves in the axial direction.

  The cylinder device 10 has a mechanism for restricting the approaching and separating operation between the vehicle body and the wheel, a so-called bound stopper and a rebound stopper. Specifically, the bound stopper is configured to include an annular buffer rubber 128 attached to the inside of the lid portion of the cover tube 60, and the upper end portion of the housing 40 is connected to the cover tube 60 via the buffer rubber 128. It is comprised so that it may contact | abut to a cover part. The rebound stopper includes an annular cushioning rubber 130 attached to the lower surface of the lid portion on the upper end side of the housing 40, and the upper surface of the piston body 46 and the lid portion on the upper end side of the housing 40 are connected to each other. Further, it is configured to come into contact with each other through the buffer rubber 130.

<Characteristics as colloidal damper>
i) Characteristics of General Colloidal Damper As described above, the present suspension device is configured mainly with the cylinder device 10. The characteristics of the cylinder device 10 will be described in detail below. First, before describing the cylinder device 10, the general characteristics of the colloidal damper will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 6, taking the cylinder device 150 having a simple configuration shown in FIG. 5 as an example. The cylinder device 150 includes a housing 152 and a piston 154 that slides inside the housing 152. A chamber 158 formed by the housing 152 and the piston 154 is filled with a colloidal solution 164 in which the porous body 160 and the working fluid 162 are mixed.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the relationship between the relative movement amount S (stroke of the cylinder device 150) between the housing 152 and the piston 154 and the internal pressure P of the chamber 158. In the cylinder device 150, when a force for contracting the cylinder device 150 is applied from the outside, first, the hydraulic pressure of the working fluid 162 in the chamber 158 increases greatly (with a steep gradient) (range (I) in FIG. 6). ). When the hydraulic pressure of the hydraulic fluid 162 rises to a certain height, the hydraulic fluid 162 starts to flow into the pores of the porous body 160 against the surface tension of the hydraulic fluid 162, and the magnitude of the applied force is increased. The hydraulic fluid 162 flows in by a corresponding amount (range (II) in FIG. 6). Due to the inflow of the working fluid 162 into the porous body 160, the volume of the colloid solution 164 decreases, and the cylinder device 150 is stroked to contract. That is, the inflow amount of the hydraulic fluid 162 and the volume change of the chamber 158 are equal, and it can be said that the inflow amount of the hydraulic fluid 162 and the stroke of the cylinder device 150 have a linear relationship. Further, as the inflow amount of the hydraulic fluid 162 increases, the internal pressure of the chamber 158 also increases. That is, as shown in the range of (II) in FIG. 6, the stroke S of the cylinder device 150 and the internal pressure P of the chamber 158 have a linear relationship. Then, when the hydraulic fluid 162 flows into the porous body 160 to the vicinity where the hydraulic fluid can flow, the hydraulic pressure of the hydraulic fluid 162 starts to increase greatly (range (III) in FIG. 6).

  Next, when the force applied to the cylinder device 150 is removed, the hydraulic pressure of the hydraulic fluid 162 decreases (range (IV) in FIG. 6). Thereafter, when the hydraulic pressure of the hydraulic fluid 162 decreases, the hydraulic fluid 162 flows out from the pores of the porous body 160 (range (V) in FIG. 6). By the outflow of the working fluid 162 from the porous body 160, the volume of the colloidal solution 164 increases, and the cylinder device 150 is stroked to extend. In the case where the hydraulic fluid 162 shown in the range of (V) in FIG. 6 flows out, the stroke S of the cylinder device 150 and the internal pressure P of the chamber 158 are linear as in the case where the hydraulic fluid 162 flows in. It has become a relationship.

  Since the contact angle when the hydraulic fluid 162 flows into the porous body 160 and the contact angle when the hydraulic fluid 162 flows out of the porous body 160 are different, as shown in FIG. There is a difference between the internal pressure of the chamber 158 at the time of inflow (contraction) and the internal pressure of the chamber 158 at the time of hydraulic fluid outflow (extension). That is, as shown in FIG. 6, hysteresis occurs in the change in the internal pressure P of the chamber 158 with respect to the change in the stroke S of the cylinder device 150. As a result, the cylinder device 150 is configured to dissipate energy and attenuate the relative movement of two relatively moving objects. That is, with such a configuration, the cylinder device 150 that accommodates the colloidal solution 164 functions as a colloidal damper. Incidentally, the area surrounded by the hysteresis in FIG. 6 corresponds to the dissipated energy.

ii) Characteristics of the Cylinder Device as a Colloidal Damper In the cylinder device 10, the colloidal solution 76 is sealed in the bellows 70, but the force applied to the cylinder device 10 is a mineral oil 90 as a second working fluid. Is transmitted to the colloidal solution sealing body 78. Then, when a force is applied to the colloidal solution sealing body 78, the hydraulic pressure of the water 74 that is the first working fluid contained in the bellows 70 increases. When the hydraulic pressure of the water 74 rises to a certain height, the water 74 flows into the pores 82 of the hydrophobic porous silica gel particles 80 against the surface tension. Along with this, the bellows 70 is contracted, and the volume of the colloid solution sealing body 78 is reduced. On the other hand, when the force applied to the colloidal solution sealing body 78 is lost, the hydraulic pressure of the water 74 decreases, and the water 74 flows out from the pores 82 of the hydrophobic porous silica gel particles 80. Along with this, the bellows 70 expands, and the volume of the colloid solution sealing body 78 increases. That is, this cylinder device 10 also has the same characteristics as the cylinder device 150 described above, and functions as a colloidal damper. In FIG. 7, the stroke S of the cylinder device 10 and the internal pressure P of the lower chamber 50 (which is also the internal pressure of the upper chamber 48. )).

<Function of this cylinder device>
i) Function as Suspension Spring As described above, the cylinder device 10 is a main component of the suspension device. First, the cylinder device 10 has a function as a suspension spring. When a certain amount of force is applied to the cylinder device 10 from the outside, the cylinder pressure P rises to a level corresponding to the force of the size, and the force generated by the cylinder device 10 is applied from the outside. It will be balanced with the power that is. Therefore, the cylinder device 10 applies the load of the vehicle body (so-called 1 W) that the wheel 12 on which the cylinder device 10 is provided takes charge to the amount of water 74 in the pores 82 of the hydrophobic porous silica gel 80. The cylinder is supported by the cylinder pressure generated in the inflow state.

  As shown in FIG. 7, when the cylinder device 10 is stroked so that the volume of the lower chamber 50 in which the colloidal solution sealing body 78 is accommodated is reduced, the cylinder device 10 can be said to be flat. The cylinder pressure P is configured to be proportional to the amount of water 74 flowing into the pores 82 of the hydrophobized porous silica gel particles 80 when the stroke is performed so as to contract. In other words, the cylinder device 10 is configured so that all the water 74 does not flow out from the pores 82 of the hydrophobic porous silica gel particles 80 within a range in which the cylinder device 10 strokes, and the hydrophobic porous silica gel particles 80. The amount of water 74 flowing into the pores 82 is configured not to reach a limit value at which it can flow. That is, the cylinder device 10 can be considered to generate a force that supports 1 W in the entire stroke range of the cylinder device 10.

Incidentally, in the present cylinder device 10, the colloidal solution is sealed so that the cylinder device 10 strokes within a range in which the cylinder pressure P is proportional to the amount of water 74 flowing into the pores 82 of the hydrophobic porous silica gel particles 80. The amount (volume) of the hydrophobized porous silica gel 72 accommodated in the body 78 and the amount (volume) of the water 74 are determined. First, in the cylinder device 10, from the neutral position in the standard state (for example, the state where no one is on the vehicle, nothing is loaded, and the vehicle is stopped on the horizontal plane), the bound direction stroke S _b, when to allow the stroke S _r rebound direction, the volume change in the cylinder device 10, i.e., volume change ΔV a combination of the upper chamber 48 and lower chamber 50, and when fully bound at the full rebound Thus, the following equation is obtained.
ΔV = A · (S _b + S _r )
Here, A is a pressure receiving area that is an area where the pressure in the cylinder device 10 acts on the piston 44, and corresponds to a cross-sectional area of the piston rod 52.

An amount of hydraulic fluid equal to the volume change ΔV needs to be able to flow into the hydrophobic porous silica gel 72. In other words, if the ratio of the limit value at which the hydraulic fluid of the hydrophobic porous silica gel 72 can flow into the volume of the hydrophobic porous silica gel 72 is η, the required minimum amount (volume) of the hydrophobic porous silica gel 72 V _Smin Is determined by the following equation.
V _Smin = ΔV / η
Incidentally, the actual amount (volume) V _S of the hydrophobized porous silica gel 72 is larger than the necessary minimum amount V _Smin in order to cope with the adjustment of the length of the cylinder device described in detail later. Since the amount V _{F of the} water 74 only needs to be ΔV or more with respect to the amount V _S of the hydrophobic porous silica gel 72, in this cylinder device 10, V _F = V _S.

ii) Function as Shock Absorber If the change in internal pressure in one cycle of operation from the neutral position is shown in relation to the stroke S of the cylinder device 10, this cylinder device 10 is as shown by a two-dot chain line shown in FIG. Become. As in the cylinder device 150 described above, the cylinder device 10 has a difference between the cylinder pressure when the hydraulic fluid flows (when contracted) and the cylinder pressure when the hydraulic fluid flows (when extended) and is shown in FIG. Thus, hysteresis occurs in the change in the cylinder pressure P with respect to the change in the stroke S of the cylinder device 10. The area surrounded by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 7 corresponds to the energy dissipated in one cycle of operation. That is, the cylinder device 10 attenuates the relative motion between the vehicle body and the wheel, and functions as a shock absorber.

<Adjustment of cylinder device length>
As described above, the cylinder device 10 has not only a function as a shock absorber but also a function as a suspension spring. For this reason, it is not necessary to provide a suspension spring, and the vehicle suspension apparatus using the cylinder apparatus 10 has a simple configuration. As described above, the cylinder device 10 is configured to support the shared load of the vehicle body that the wheel 12 on which it is provided bears by the cylinder pressure, and the cylinder pressure is determined by the hydrophobic porous silica gel particles 80. It is because it is comprised so that it may become a magnitude | size proportional to the inflow amount of the water 74 to the pore 82 of this. However, since the hydrophobized porous silica gel particles 80 have variations in the particle diameter, the diameter of the pores 82, the degree of hydrophobization treatment, etc., the relationship between the cylinder pressure and the amount of water 74 flowing into the pores 82 May differ from what was designed. That is, the characteristics to be exhibited by the cylinder device 10, specifically, the relationship between the preset cylinder pressure and the stroke of the cylinder device 10 is the relationship between the actual cylinder pressure and the stroke of the cylinder device 10. And may be different.

  FIG. 8 shows the relationship between the preset cylinder pressure and the stroke of the cylinder device 10 (solid line) and the relationship between the actual cylinder pressure and the stroke of the cylinder device 10 (dotted line). As can be seen from the drawing, the cylinder pressure of the actual cylinder device 10 is generally lower than that set in advance. That is, when the cylinder device 10 is mounted on a vehicle, the shared load of the vehicle body that the wheel 12 on which the cylinder device 10 is provided is fixed is constant, so the actual cylinder device 10 is set in advance. Thus, the stroke is made in the bound direction (contracting direction). For this reason, the distance between the wheel provided with the cylinder device 10 and the vehicle body, that is, the vehicle height, becomes lower than that set in advance. Therefore, in the cylinder device 10, the vehicle height is set in advance by adjusting the cylinder length, which is the length between the connecting portion of the cylinder device 10 to the mount portion 32 and the connecting portion to the second lower arm 26. I am trying to change it to something.

In detail, firstly, the cylinder device 10, it standard pressure P _H is capable of supporting pressures shared load of the vehicle body so that the wheels 12 disposed responsible added, when the standard pressure P _H is applied The standard cylinder length L _H which is the cylinder length is measured. The cylinder length to be realized when the standard pressure P _H is applied, that is, the standard cylinder length L _H from the design length L _S that is the cylinder length for realizing the vehicle height required in the design. The amount of deviation ΔL is measured (measurement process). The volume changing mechanism 110 changes the volume in the cylinder device 10 in order to adjust the standard cylinder length L _H according to the measured deviation ΔL, that is, the cylinder length deviation ΔL.

Specifically, first, the volume change ΔV in the cylinder device 10 to be realized when the cylinder length is to be changed by the cylinder length deviation ΔL is calculated according to the following equation.
ΔV = ΔL · A
Here, A is the cross-sectional area of the piston rod 52 as described above. Then, it calculates the movement amount S _P output regulating piston 114 for realizing the calculated volume change ΔV by the volume change mechanism 110 according to the following equation.
S _P = ΔV / B
Here, B is a cross-sectional area of the adjustment piston 114. Then, by moving the adjustment piston 114 by the movement amount S _P calculated as described above and the adjustment rod 116, the standard cylinder length L _H can be set as the design length L _S (changing step). That is, by performing the standard cylinder length adjustment method including the measurement process and the change process described above, as shown in FIG. 8, the relationship between the cylinder pressure before adjustment of the standard cylinder length L _H and the stroke of the cylinder device 10 ( the dotted line), and change the relationship between the stroke of the cylinder pressure and the cylinder device 10 after the adjustment of the standard cylinder length L _H (dashed line), the vehicle height when the cylinder device 10 is mounted on the vehicle, a preset It is possible to set the vehicle height.

Incidentally, in this cylinder device 10, as described above, the amount (volume) V _S of the hydrophobized porous silica gel 72 enclosed in the colloidal solution sealing body 78 can allow the stroke of the cylinder device 10. The necessary minimum amount V _Smin is increased. For this reason, even if the standard cylinder length L _H is adjusted, the limit that allows the water 74 to flow into the hydrophobized porous silica gel 72 is not reached within the range in which the cylinder device 10 strokes. On the other hand, when the required minimum amount V _Smin of hydrophobic porous silica gel 72 is sealed in the colloidal solution sealing body 78, the standard cylinder length L _H is adjusted as indicated by a two-dot chain line shown in FIG. As a result, the water 74 reaches the limit at which it can flow into the hydrophobic porous silica gel 72 within the range in which the cylinder device 10 strokes. That is, before the stroke of the cylinder device 10 is regulated by the bound stopper, the colloidal solution sealing body 78 hardly contracts, and the characteristics as the colloidal damper are suddenly changed. Accordingly, in this cylinder device 10, without sudden change characteristics as colloidal damper, it is possible to adjust the standard cylinder length L _H.

  The cylinder device adjusted by the standard cylinder length adjusting method of the present embodiment has the same configuration as the cylinder device 10 of the previous embodiment except for the internal structure of the piston rod. Therefore, an enlarged cross-sectional view of the piston rod 172 included in the cylinder device 170 is shown in FIG. 9, and the entire drawing is omitted. Further, the description will focus on the internal structure of the piston rod 172, and the components having the same functions will be omitted or simplified using the same reference numerals. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the cylinder device 170 in a state where the cylinder device 170 is most extended, that is, in a full rebound state.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the piston rod 172 of the cylinder device 170 is formed with a through hole 174 penetrating in the axial direction thereof. The through hole 174 opens into the lower chamber 50 in the cylinder device 170. ing. The through hole 174 includes a small diameter portion 176 that opens to the lower chamber 50 and a large diameter portion 178 that extends above the small diameter portion 176. The small diameter portion 176 and the large diameter portion 178 of the through hole 174 A stepped surface 180 is formed at the boundary portion. An adjustment rod 182 is inserted into the large diameter portion 178 of the through hole 174 from the upper end portion of the piston rod 172. The lower end portion of the adjustment rod 182 is a conical portion 184 formed in a conical shape, and the tip end portion of the conical portion 184 can enter the small diameter portion 176. The outer diameter of the adjustment rod 182 is made larger than the inner diameter of the small diameter portion 176. As the conical portion 184 enters the small diameter portion 176, the conical portion 184 contacts the step surface 180, so that the small diameter portion 176 It is supposed to be blocked. The large-diameter portion 178 of the through hole 174 is continuous with the first large-diameter portion 186 that is continuous with the small-diameter portion 176, and the first large-diameter portion 186. 2 large-diameter portions 188 and a third large-diameter portion 190 that is continuous above the second large-diameter portion 188 and has an inner diameter smaller than that of the second large-diameter portion 188. An O-ring 192 is provided between the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface of the adjustment rod 182. With such a structure, the hydraulic fluid in the cylinder device 170 is prevented from flowing out above the through hole 174.

  In addition, a screw portion 200 having a male screw formed on the outer peripheral surface is fixedly provided at an intermediate portion of the adjustment rod 182, and the male screw of the screw portion 200 is connected to the second large diameter portion 188 of the through hole 174. It is screwed into a female screw 202 formed on the inner peripheral surface. A groove 204 is formed on the upper end surface of the adjustment rod 182 so as to extend in the radial direction. With such a structure, it is possible to cause the hydraulic fluid in the cylinder device 170 to flow out above the through hole 174 by moving the adjustment rod 182 upward. Specifically, a tool such as a screwdriver is engaged with the groove 204 of the adjustment rod 182, and the adjustment rod 182 is moved upward by rotating the adjustment rod 182 around its axis by the tool. Due to the upward movement of the adjusting rod 182, the conical portion 184 of the adjusting rod 182 is separated from the step surface 180 and is positioned between the inner peripheral surface of the first large diameter portion 186 and the outer peripheral surface of the adjusting rod 182. The O-ring 192 moves to the second large diameter portion 188. As a result, the hydraulic fluid in the cylinder device 170 flows out above the through hole 174. Incidentally, an O-ring 206 is provided between the inner peripheral surface of the third large diameter portion 190 and the outer peripheral surface of the adjustment rod 182, and the piston rod 172 has the third large diameter portion 190 of the through hole 174. A lateral hole 208 is formed at the lower end. For this reason, the hydraulic fluid that flows out above the through hole 174 flows out from the lateral hole 208. In other words, the hydraulic fluid can also flow into the cylinder device 170 from the lateral hole 208. That is, in the cylinder device 170, the amount of hydraulic fluid in the cylinder device can be changed by flowing the hydraulic fluid in the cylinder device 170 or flowing the hydraulic fluid into the cylinder device 170. ing. Note that a slit 210 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the screw portion 200 located below the opening of the lateral hole 208 into the through hole 174 so as not to hinder the flow of the hydraulic fluid.

  The working fluid flows into and out of the cylinder device 170 by a standard cylinder length adjusting device 220 shown in FIG. The standard cylinder length adjusting device 220 holds the cylinder device 170 and can change the load applied to the held cylinder device 170, and the operation to the cylinder device 170 held by the load changing device 222. And a hydraulic fluid inflow / outflow device 224 for flowing in / out of the liquid. The load changing device 222 is disposed above the machine base 226, the rod holder 228 that holds the upper end of the cylinder device 170, that is, the upper end of the piston rod 172, and the rod holder 228. An arm 230 that is supported above the table 226, a load changing mechanism 232 that is disposed on the machine table 226, holds the lower end of the cylinder device 170 and changes the load on the cylinder device 170, and is held. And a cylinder length measuring sensor 234 for measuring the cylinder length.

  The hydraulic fluid inflow / outflow device 224 includes a rod union 236 attached to the piston rod 172 of the cylinder device 170, a main passage 238 connected to the rod union 236, a pressure increasing / decreasing device 240 for increasing / decreasing the hydraulic fluid, The first branch passage 242 connected to the pressure increasing / decreasing device 240, the vacuum pump 244, the second branch passage 246 connected to the vacuum pump 244, and the main passage 238 are the first branch passage 242 and the second branch passage 246. A switching valve 248 for switching which of them is connected, a pressure regulating valve 250 provided in the first branch passage 242 for adjusting the hydraulic pressure of the hydraulic fluid flowing in the main passage 238, and an on-off valve provided in the second branch passage 246 252. The pressure increasing / decreasing device 240 includes a hydraulic pump (not shown) and a reservoir (not shown), pressurizing the hydraulic fluid by pumping the hydraulic fluid from the reservoir by the hydraulic pump, and flowing the hydraulic fluid to the reservoir. Therefore, the hydraulic fluid is decompressed.

  As shown in FIG. 11, the rod union 236 has a generally short cylindrical shape, and is fitted into a portion above the piston rod 172 of the cylinder device 170. The rod union 236 is formed with a connection passage 260 penetrating in the radial direction, and the connection passage 260 communicates with the main passage 238. In a state where the rod union 236 is mounted on the piston rod 172, the connection passage 260 communicates with the lateral hole 208 formed in the piston rod 172, and the main passage 238 passes through the connection passage 260 and the lateral hole 208. The piston rod 172 communicates with the through hole 174. Seals 262 and 264 are provided on the inner peripheral surface of the rod union 236 to prevent liquid leakage from between the piston rod 172 and the rod union 236.

  With such a structure, the standard cylinder length adjusting device 220 can inject hydraulic fluid into the cylinder device 170 and adjust the cylinder length. Specifically, first, the air in the cylinder device 170 is evacuated by the vacuum pump 244 in order to inject the working fluid into the cylinder device 170. Specifically, the vacuum pump 244 is operated to open the on-off valve 252 and the switching valve 248 is switched so as to connect the main passage 238 and the second branch passage 246. Then, after the air in the cylinder device 170 is extracted, the switching valve 248 is switched so as to connect the main passage 238 and the first branch passage 242 and the hydraulic pump of the pressure increasing / decreasing device 240 is operated. As a result, hydraulic fluid is injected into the cylinder device 170.

Next, in order to adjust the cylinder length of the cylinder device 170 which hydraulic fluid is injected, so that the pressure applied to the cylinder device 170 is a standard pressure P _H as described above, the load changes a load applied to the cylinder device 170 Change by mechanism 232. Then, the standard cylinder length L _H that is the cylinder length at the standard pressure P _H is measured by the cylinder length measurement sensor 234. When the measured standard cylinder length L _H is different from the design length L _S to be realized when the standard pressure P _H is applied, the standard cylinder length L _H is set as the design length L _S. Therefore, the cylinder length is adjusted. For example, the relationship between the standard pressure P _H and the design length L _S is shown by the solid line in FIG. 12, and the relationship between the standard pressure P _H and the measured cylinder length, that is, the standard cylinder length L _H is shown in FIG. The case where it is shown by 12 dotted lines will be described in detail.

In the cylinder device 10 of the previous embodiment, the cylinder length is adjusted based on the displacement of the cylinder length, but in the present cylinder device 170, the cylinder length is adjusted based on the displacement of the cylinder pressure. Specifically, first, the cylinder pressure P ₁ when the cylinder length of the cylinder device 170 is the design length L _S is measured. As the cylinder length is designed length L _S, changes the load on the cylinder device 170 by the load changing mechanism 232, cylinder pressure based on the load on the cylinder device 170 when the cylinder length is designed length L _S P ₁ is calculated. The cylinder pressure P ₁ is higher than the standard pressure P _{H as} shown in FIG. Therefore, the cylinder pressure difference ΔP min is the difference between the cylinder pressure P ₁ and the standard pressure P _H, lower the cylinder pressure by the hydraulic fluid inflow and outflow device 224.

Before the cylinder pressure is adjusted by the hydraulic fluid inflow / outflow device 224, the cylinder device 170 is first set to a full rebound state. This is because it is difficult to adjust the cylinder pressure when the cylinder pressure is high. Then, the adjustment valve 250 is adjusted so that the cylinder pressure is reduced by the cylinder pressure difference ΔP, and the switching valve 248 is switched so as to connect the main passage 238 and the first branch passage 242. By thus adjusting the cylinder pressure, as shown in FIG. 12, the relationship between the stroke of a standard cylinder length L _H before adjustment cylinder pressure and the cylinder device 170 of the (dashed), the adjustment of the standard cylinder length L _H It becomes possible to adjust the standard cylinder length L _H to the design length L _S by changing the relationship between the cylinder pressure after that and the stroke of the cylinder device 170 (one-dot chain line).

  The cylinder device adjusted by the standard cylinder length adjusting method of the present embodiment has the same configuration as the cylinder device 10 of the previous embodiment except for the piston rod. Therefore, an enlarged cross-sectional view of the piston rod 272 included in the cylinder device 270 is shown in FIG. 13, and the entire drawing is omitted. The description will focus on the piston rod 272, and the same reference numerals are used for the components having similar functions, and the description is omitted or simplified.

  The piston rod 272 of the cylinder device 270 has a piston rod body 274 coupled to the piston body 46 and a rod head 276 attached to the upper end portion of the piston rod body. The piston rod body 274 is connected to the piston body 46 at the lower end portion and extends from a lid portion provided at the upper end portion of the housing 40. A screw hole 278 is formed in the upper end surface from which the piston rod body 274 extends. On the other hand, a screw portion 280 is provided at the lower end portion of the rod head 276, and the screw portion 280 is fastened to the screw hole 278 of the piston rod main body 274. With such a structure, the rod head 276 can be attached to and detached from the piston rod body 274.

  The rod head 276 is prepared with three types of rod heads 282, 284, 286 having different lengths (rod head preparation step). The rod head 282 is the shortest, the rod head 286 is the longest, and the rod head 284 has an intermediate length between the two rod heads 282 and 286. These three types of rod heads 282, 284, and 286 can be selectively attached to the piston rod body 272, and the length of the piston rod 272 can be changed in accordance with the selected rod head. It has become. That is, the cylinder length can be adjusted by changing the rod head.

Specifically, for example, when the rod head 284 of intermediate length on the piston rod body 274 is attached to measure the standard cylinder length L _H is a cylinder length when the standard pressure P _H, is the measurement When the standard cylinder length L _H is shorter than the design length L _S , the cylinder length can be increased by replacing the rod head 284 having an intermediate length with the longest rod head 286. Conversely, when the measured standard cylinder length L _H is longer than the design length L _S , the cylinder length can be shortened by replacing the rod head 284 having an intermediate length with the shortest rod head 284. It becomes possible. In this cylinder device 270, three types of rod heads 276 are prepared. However, by preparing more types of rod heads 276, the cylinder length can be finely adjusted.

  FIG. 14 shows a cylinder device 300 adjusted by the standard cylinder length adjusting method of this embodiment. The cylinder device 300 has substantially the same configuration as the cylinder device 10 of the previous embodiment except for the sealed space in which the colloidal solution 76 is sealed. Therefore, the description will focus on the sealed space and the configuration of the same function. Explanation of elements will be omitted or simplified using the same reference numerals.

  In the present cylinder device 300, unlike the cylinder device 10 of the previous embodiment, a sealed space in which the colloidal solution is sealed is provided outside the housing 40. Specifically, the cylinder device 300 includes a colloidal solution sealing case (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as “sealing case”) 304 that accommodates the colloidal solution 76 therein. It is attached to a case attaching portion 306 fixedly provided on the outer wall of 40. A screw hole 308 is formed in the case attachment portion 306, and a screw portion 309 provided in the sealing case 304 is tightened in the screw hole 308.

  The sealing case 304 includes a spherical case outer member 310 and a diaphragm 314 that divides the inside of the case outer member 310 into a first chamber 311 and a second chamber 312. In a state where the sealing case 304 is attached to the housing 40, the first chamber 311 and the lower chamber 50 in the housing 40 communicate with each other, and the mineral oil 90 as the second working fluid flows into the first chamber 311. doing. On the other hand, the second chamber 312 functions as a sealed space, and water 74 as the first liquid chamber and hydrophobic porous silica gel 72 as the lyophobic porous body are mixed in the second chamber 312. A colloidal solution 76 is filled.

  The diaphragm 314 as a sealing member has flexibility, and bends toward the second chamber 312 when the cylinder pressure rises, and the water 74 flows into the hydrophobic porous silica gel 72 against the surface tension. . When the cylinder pressure decreases, water 74 flows out of the hydrophobic porous silica gel 72, and accordingly, the diaphragm 314 is bent toward the first chamber 311. That is, as the cylinder device 300 expands and contracts, the volume of the second chamber as a sealed space increases and decreases, and the water 74 flows into and out of the hydrophobic porous silica gel 72 against the surface tension. With this structure, the cylinder device 300 also functions as a colloidal damper, like the cylinder device 10 of the previous embodiment.

  The sealing case 304 of the cylinder device 300 is attached to the housing 40 by screwing the screw part 309 thereof into the screw hole 308 of the case attaching part 306 fixedly provided on the outer wall of the housing 40. It is possible. In addition, as the sealing case 304, three types of sealing cases 320, 322, and 324 having different amounts of the colloidal solution 76 filled in the second chamber 312 are prepared (sealing case preparation step). The sealed case 320 is filled with the smallest amount of colloidal solution 76, and the sealed case 324 is filled with the largest amount of colloidal solution 76. The sealed case 322 is filled with an intermediate amount of colloidal solution 76. These three types of sealing cases 320, 322, and 324 can be selectively attached to the housing 40, and the cylinder pressure can be changed according to the selected sealing case. That is, by changing the sealing case, the cylinder length can be adjusted similarly to the cylinder device 170 of the previous embodiment. The colloidal solution 76 filled in the three kinds of sealed cases 320, 322, and 324 differs only in the amount of water 74, and the amount of the hydrophobized porous silica gel 72 is the same.

Specifically, for example, when the sealing case 322 intermediate amount of colloidal solution 76 is filled in the housing 40 is mounted to measure the standard cylinder length L _H is a cylinder length when the standard pressure P _H When the measured standard cylinder length L _H is shorter than the design length L _S , the sealed case 322 in which the largest amount of colloidal solution 76 is filled is used to increase the cylinder pressure. Replace with 324. This makes it possible to increase the cylinder length. Conversely, when the measured standard cylinder length L _H is longer than the design length L _S , the smallest amount of colloidal solution 76 is filled in the sealed case 322 to reduce the cylinder pressure. Replace with sealed case 320. Thereby, the cylinder length can be shortened. In this cylinder device 300, there are three types of sealing cases 304 to be prepared, but by preparing more types of sealing cases 304, the cylinder length can be finely adjusted.

    DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10: Cylinder apparatus (colloidal damper) 12: Wheel 26: 2nd lower arm (wheel holding member) 32: Mount part (a part of vehicle body) 40: Housing 44: Piston 46: Piston main body 52: Piston rod 70: Bellows (sealing) 74) Water (working fluid) (first working fluid) 80: Hydrophobized porous silica gel particles (porous body) (lyophobic porous body) 90: Mineral oil (second working fluid) 110: Volume change mechanism 112: Shaft hole 114: Adjustment piston (closing member) 116: Adjustment rod (closing member moving mechanism) 117: Screw portion (closing member moving mechanism) 118: Female screw (closing member moving mechanism) 170: Cylinder device (colloidal damper) 172 : Piston rod 270: Cylinder device (colloidal damper) 272: Piston rod 274: Piston rod body 276, 282, 284, 286: Rod head 300: Cylinder device (colloidal damper) 304, 320, 322, 324: Colloid solution sealed case (sealed case) 312: Second chamber (sealed space) 314 : Diaphragm (sealing member)

Claims (2)

A standard cylinder length adjustment method for adjusting a standard cylinder length of a cylinder device which is disposed between a vehicle body and a wheel and contains a working fluid and a porous body and functions as a colloidal damper,
The cylinder device is
A housing connected to one of a wheel holding member for rotatably holding the wheel and the vehicle body;
(a) a piston main body slidably disposed in the housing; (b) one end connected to the piston main body, and the other end extending from the housing, the wheel holding member and the vehicle body; A piston having a piston rod coupled to the other of
(A) a shaft hole formed in the piston so as to extend in the axial direction of the piston rod and opening at an end of the piston located in the housing; and (B) the interior of the shaft hole is closed. A blocking member provided in this manner, and (C) a blocking member moving mechanism that moves the blocking member in the axial direction, and a volume changing mechanism that can change the volume in the cylinder device;
With
The standard cylinder length is defined as the cylinder length when the cylinder pressure is a set standard pressure,
The standard cylinder length adjustment method is
A measuring step for measuring one of a deviation from a design length required for the design of the standard cylinder length and a deviation of the cylinder pressure from the standard pressure when the cylinder length is the design length;
A standard cylinder length adjustment method including a changing step of changing a volume in the cylinder device by the volume changing mechanism so that the standard cylinder length becomes the design length based on one of the deviations. A standard cylinder length adjustment method for adjusting a standard cylinder length of a cylinder device which is disposed between a vehicle body and a wheel and contains a working fluid and a porous body and functions as a colloidal damper,
The hydraulic fluid is
The first working fluid mixed with the porous body and a second working fluid that is a different working fluid from the first working fluid,
The cylinder device is
A sealing member that is flexible and forms a sealed space in the cylinder device and seals the porous body and the first hydraulic fluid in a mixed state in the sealed space; Is configured to contain the second hydraulic fluid outside,
Furthermore, the cylinder device comprises:
A housing that is connected to one of a wheel holding member that rotatably holds the wheel and the vehicle body, and that contains the second hydraulic fluid;
A piston connected to the other of the wheel holding member and the vehicle body and slidable in the housing;
The sealing member is provided inside, the sealing space is formed by the sealing member, and the outside of the sealing space communicates with the inside of the housing in which the second hydraulic fluid is accommodated. A sealing case removably attached to the housing;
With
The standard cylinder length is defined as the cylinder length when the cylinder pressure is a set standard pressure,
The standard cylinder length adjustment method is
Separately from the sealed case, a sealed case preparing step of preparing one or more sealed cases having different amounts of the first hydraulic fluid sealed in the sealed space;
A measuring step for measuring one of a deviation from a design length required for the design of the standard cylinder length and a deviation of the cylinder pressure from the standard pressure when the cylinder length is the design length;
Based on one of these deviations, one sealing case is selected from the one or more sealing cases prepared in the sealing case preparation step so that the standard cylinder length becomes the design length, and is attached to the housing And changing the amount of the first hydraulic fluid by changing the sealed case to the selected one of the sealed cases .

Images