JP5662185B2 - Stabilizer bar support structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a stabilizer bar support structure in a stabilizer device of a vehicle such as an automobile, and particularly relates to a structure in which the support rigidity of a stabilizer bar is increased in accordance with an increase in input.

  A vehicle such as an automobile is provided with a stabilizer device that generates a reaction force corresponding to a stroke difference between the left and right suspensions in order to improve roll stability and improve steering stability. Such a stabilizer device is configured by connecting both ends of a stabilizer bar having an intermediate portion that functions as a torsion bar extending in the vehicle width direction to so-called unsprung parts such as a suspension arm and a strut via a ball joint and a link. It is configured.

The intermediate portion of the stabilizer bar allows torsion and relaxes the transmission of vibration from the suspension device to the vehicle body. For example, a relatively rigid member such as a cross member of the vehicle body via an elastic body bush such as a rubber-based material is used. Attached to tall structural members.
Such an elastic body bush is held by a clamp (bracket) member made of sheet metal, for example.
Generally, the clamp is often formed in a so-called hat shape by providing fixing portions used for fastening to the vehicle body side at both ends of a holding portion having a U-shaped cross section that holds the bush.

In the stabilizer bar support structure as described above, when the vertical load acting on the bush from the stabilizer bar becomes large, for example, when turning around the limit, the bush is attached to the stabilizer bar along with the vertical displacement of the stabilizer bar. There is a case where the stabilizer bar is deformed so as to escape in the axial direction and the support rigidity of the stabilizer bar is lowered.
In this case, there is a concern that the stabilizer reaction force with respect to the left-right relative vertical stroke of the suspension does not have a linear characteristic, and the steering stability is lowered.

  As a prior art related to a support structure for a stabilizer bar, for example, in Patent Document 1, an outer peripheral surface of a bush is formed as a convex curved surface, and a concave curved surface is formed in a bracket holding the bush, thereby restricting the axial protrusion due to compression of the bush. It is described to do.

Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 7-2116

In the above-described prior art, it is possible to somewhat suppress a decrease in the support rigidity of the stabilizer bar in the limit region, but the support rigidity of the stabilizer bar is not improved in accordance with an increase in input.
On the other hand, when considering both the ride comfort of the vehicle and the handling stability, the stabilizer bar support rigidity is lowered to improve the ride comfort in the normal use area of relatively small input, and in the limit area of relatively large input, etc. It is desirable to improve the steering stability by increasing the support rigidity of the stabilizer bar.
In view of the above-described problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a stabilizer bar support structure capable of increasing the support rigidity of the stabilizer bar in accordance with an increase in input.

The present invention solves the above-described problems by the following means.
The invention according to claim 1 is a stabilizer bar support structure that has an intermediate portion that extends substantially along the vehicle width direction and supports the intermediate portion of the stabilizer bar that receives a torsional input corresponding to the stroke difference between the left and right suspension devices. A bush having an opening into which the intermediate portion of the stabilizer bar is inserted, and a fixed portion provided in a part of the vehicle body while holding the bush. The bush has a protruding portion protruding from an end surface in the axial direction of the stabilizer bar and into which the stabilizer bar is inserted, and the clamp has a radial displacement of the stabilizer bar less than a predetermined value In the region facing the projection with a gap, and in the region where the radial displacement is a predetermined value or more, the projection Have a contact with abutment surface and said clamp includes a first member and a second member disposed on opposite sides of said bushing, said first member and said second member, said bushing It has flange surface portions that contact both end surfaces in the vehicle width direction, and the contact surface portion is formed on at least one of the first member and the second member, and the contact surface portion includes the first member and the second member. The stabilizer bar support structure is formed at an end portion of at least one of the flange surface portions of the second member .
According to this, in the normal area where the input is relatively small, the protrusion of the bush and the contact surface of the clamp are separated from each other, so the protrusion does not contribute to the support rigidity of the stabilizer bar, and the support rigidity is low. Become.
On the other hand, in the limit region where the input is relatively large, the protruding portion of the bush and the contact surface portion of the clamp are in contact, and the protruding portion contributes to the supporting rigidity of the stabilizer bar, so that the supporting rigidity can be increased.
According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the riding comfort by lowering the support rigidity of the stabilizer bar in the normal area, and to improve the driving stability in the limit area by increasing the support rigidity of the stabilizer bar.

In addition , by restraining the both end faces of the bush by the flange face portion, it is possible to prevent the bush from escaping in the axial direction due to the radial compressive load of the stabilizer bar, and to reduce the support rigidity of the stabilizer bar. Can be further enhanced.

Furthermore , by giving a plurality of functions to the flange surface portion, a high effect can be obtained with a simple configuration.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a stabilizer bar support structure that can increase the support rigidity of the stabilizer bar in accordance with an increase in input.

It is a disassembled perspective view which shows the structure of the stabilizer apparatus for motor vehicles based on a prior art. It is an external appearance perspective view of the Example of the stabilizer bar support structure to which this invention is applied. It is a disassembled perspective view of the stabilizer bar support structure of an Example. It is the side view and sectional drawing of the stabilizer bar support structure of an Example. It is a graph which shows the correlation of the suspension left-right relative stroke and stabilizer reaction force in the stabilizer bar support structure of an Example.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a stabilizer bar support structure capable of increasing the support rigidity of the stabilizer bar in accordance with an increase in input. The problem has been solved by providing the abutting surface part in contact with the clamp.

Embodiments of a stabilizer bar support structure to which the present invention is applied will be described below.
First, prior to the description of the embodiments, the configuration of an example of a stabilizer for an automobile according to the related art will be described.
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a prior art stabilizer device.
The vehicle provided with this stabilizer device is an automobile such as a passenger car, for example, and the front suspension device is of the McPherson strut type.

The front suspension device includes a housing 10, a strut assembly 20, and a lower arm 30, and the lower arm 30 is attached to a vehicle body (not shown) via a cross member 40.
Further, the front suspension device includes a stabilizer device 100.

  The housing 10 accommodates a hub bearing that rotatably supports a front wheel (not shown), and is formed, for example, by performing predetermined machining on a steel casting.

The strut assembly 20 is an assembly of a strut 21, a spring 22, and an upper mount 23.
The strut 21 includes a shock absorber (damper) that is a hydraulic shock absorber, and is disposed in a state where a piston rod protrudes above the shell case. A housing bracket 21a to which the upper end of the housing 10 is fixed is provided at the lower end of the shell case. In addition, a spring seat 21 b is formed on the upper portion of the shell case so as to project from the outer peripheral surface of the shell case in a brim shape and hold the lower end portion of the spring 22.
Further, a stabilizer bracket 21c is provided below the spring seat 21b of the strut 21. The stabilizer bracket 21c is formed so as to protrude from the outer peripheral surface to the vehicle body rear side and to which a stabilizer link 120 described later is attached.

The spring 22 is a coil spring made of spring steel, for example, and the upper portion of the strut 21 is inserted into the inner diameter side of the spring 22. The spring 22 has a lower end held by the spring seat 21 b of the strut 21 and an upper end held by the spring seat of the upper mount 23.
The upper mount 23 is fixed to the vehicle body and holds the upper end portion of the piston rod of the strut 21 and the upper end portion of the spring 22, and the strut 21 and the spring 22 can be rotated around the kingpin axis together with the housing 10 when steering the front wheel. Rolling bearings are provided.

  The lower arm 30 is an L-shaped lower arm formed by, for example, a steel press, and is connected to the lower end of the housing 10 via a ball joint 31. On the vehicle body side, a cross member 40, a front bush 32, a rear bush 33 is connected. The lower arm 30 is supported so as to be swingable with respect to the cross member 40 about a central axis substantially coincident with a straight line connecting the center portions of the front bush 32 and the rear bush 33.

  The cross member 40 is a structural member serving as a base portion to which the lower arm 30 and the stabilizer device 100 are attached. For example, the cross member 40 is provided below the main frame (not shown) extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle along both sides of the engine room (not shown). Fixed.

The stabilizer device 100 is an anti-roll device that improves the roll rigidity of the vehicle by using the spring reaction force of the stabilizer bar that connects the left and right suspensions.
The stabilizer device 100 includes a stabilizer bar 110, a stabilizer link 120, a stabilizer bush 130, and a clamp 140.

The stabilizer bar 110 is integrally formed, for example, by bending a spring steel wire, and includes an intermediate portion 111 and an arm portion 112.
The intermediate part 111 is a part extending substantially along the vehicle width direction.
The arm portion 112 is a portion formed to project obliquely forward from both end portions of the intermediate portion 111, and is curved to prevent interference with each member of the suspension device.

  The stabilizer link 120 is a rod-shaped member that connects the distal end portion of the arm portion 112 of the stabilizer bar 110 and the stabilizer bracket 21c of the strut 21 and is disposed so as to extend substantially in the vertical direction. The stabilizer link 120 is provided with a pair of ball joints at both ends, and can swing with respect to the stabilizer bar 110 and the strut 21. When the stabilizer device 100 is in operation, the direction connecting the swing center points of the pair of ball joints is the input direction from the suspension to the stabilizer bar 110.

  The stabilizer bush 130 supports the intermediate portion 111 of the stabilizer bar 110 and is fixed to the upper surface portion of the cross member 40 by a clamp 140. The stabilizer bush 130 is made of, for example, a high-loss rubber material such as an SBR type in which the attenuation (loss) characteristic has a strong frequency dependency.

  The clamp 140 fixes the stabilizer bush 130 to the upper surface portion of the cross member 40. The clamp 140 is formed of, for example, a sheet metal, and has a U-shape with a lower side opened when viewed from the vehicle width direction. Etc. are adapted to the shape of the front, upper and rear surfaces of the stabilizer bush 130. Further, a flange portion is formed having a bolt hole protruding from the opening end portion (lower end portion) in the front-rear direction of the vehicle and into which a bolt for fastening the clamp 140 to the cross member 40 is inserted.

  In the stabilizer device having the above-described configuration, when the difference between the left and right suspension strokes is large and a large input is applied to the stabilizer bar, the stabilizer bush 110 is pressed between the outer peripheral surface of the stabilizer bar 110 and the inner surface of the clamp 140. When the portion escapes in the axial direction (vehicle width direction) of the stabilizer bar 110, there is a problem that the support rigidity of the stabilizer bar 110 is lowered.

The stabilizer bar support structure of the embodiment can solve the above-described problems and further increase the support rigidity of the stabilizer bar at the time of a large input such as a limit region.
The stabilizer bar support structure of the embodiment includes a stabilizer bush 210, an upper clamp 220, and a lower clamp 230, which will be described below, instead of the stabilizer bush 130 and the clamp 140 described above.
In addition, the stabilizer bar support structure of the example is derived from the shape of a cross member (not shown) to which the stabilizer bar is attached, and the rear fastening portion is raised stepwise with respect to the front fastening portion. It is not limited to this.

FIG. 2 is an external perspective view in a state where the stabilizer bush 210, the upper clamp 220, and the lower clamp 230 of the embodiment are assembled.
FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the stabilizer bush 210, the upper clamp 220, and the lower clamp 230 of the embodiment.
4 is a view showing a state in which the stabilizer bush 210, the upper clamp 220, and the lower clamp 230 of the embodiment are assembled, and FIG. 4 (a) is a side view as seen from the vehicle width direction. (B) is a bb part arrow directional cross-sectional view of Fig.4 (a). FIG. 4C is a diagram showing a state in which a large upward load is input from the stabilizer bar to the stabilizer bush in the same cross section as FIG. 4B.

As shown in FIG. 3, the stabilizer bush 210 has an opening 211 into which the stabilizer bar 110 is inserted at the center.
The upper surface portion 212 of the opening 211 is formed in a cylindrical outer surface curved surface substantially concentric with the opening 211.
Moreover, the front surface part 213, the rear surface part 214, and the lower surface part 215 of the stabilizer bush 210 are formed substantially flat.
The front surface portion 213 is raised substantially vertically from the front end portion of the lower surface portion 215. The upper end portion of the front surface portion 213 is connected to the front end portion of the upper surface portion 212.
The rear surface portion 214 is raised from the rear end portion of the lower surface portion 215, and is inclined and disposed so that the upper end portion is retracted from the lower end portion. The upper end portion of the rear surface portion 214 is connected to the rear end portion of the upper surface portion 212.
Further, the end surface portion 216 in the axial direction of the stabilizer bush 210 is formed in a planar shape orthogonal to the central axis of the opening 211.

In addition, the stabilizer bush 210 includes a protruding portion 217 that protrudes from the end surface portion 216 in the axial direction of the stabilizer bar 110.
The protruding portion 217 is an intermediate portion in the vertical direction of the end surface portion 216, and is formed by projecting a region including the opening 211 in a step shape.

The protrusion 217 includes a front projecting portion 217 a projecting forward from the front surface portion 213 of the stabilizer bush 210 and a rear projecting portion 217 b projecting rearward from the rear surface portion 214.
The front projecting portion 217a is disposed so as to cover almost the entire end portion of a front surface portion 222 to be described later in the upper clamp 220.
As shown in FIG. 4 (a), the rear overhanging portion 217b is formed in a tapered protrusion shape when viewed from the axial direction of the stabilizer bar 110, and the protruding end portion is a rear fixing of the lower clamp 230 described later. It is disposed in the vicinity of the side portion of the front end portion of the portion 234.

The upper clamp 220 includes an upper surface portion 221 and a front surface portion 222 that hold the upper surface portion 212 and the front surface portion 213 of the stabilizer bush 210, respectively.
The upper surface portion 221 is formed in a curved shape along the upper surface portion 212 of the stabilizer bush 210.
The front surface portion 222 extends downward from the end of the upper surface portion 221 and is formed in a planar shape along the front surface portion 213 of the stabilizer bush 210.
Note that the upper surface portion 221 and the front surface portion 222 of the upper clamp 220 are formed on the upper surface portion 212 of the stabilizer bush 210 in order to compress the stabilizer bush 210 and generate the preload in a state where the stabilizer device 100 is assembled to the cross member 40. In some cases, it may be formed in a shape having a smaller diameter than the front surface portion 213.

The upper clamp 220 includes a front fixing part 223 and a rear fixing part 224.
The front fixing portion 223 is a flat plate portion extending forward from the lower end portion of the front surface portion 222.
The rear fixing portion 224 is a flat plate portion extending backward from the rear end portion of the upper surface portion 221.
The front fixing portion 223 and the rear fixing portion 224 are portions used when the cross member 40 is fixed to the upper surface, and bolt holes 223a and 224a into which fastening bolts are inserted are formed.
The upper surface portion 221, the front surface portion 222, the front fixing portion 223, and the rear fixing portion 224 described above are integrally formed, for example, by pressing a steel plate.

Further, the upper clamp 220 includes a flange surface portion 225.
The flange surface portion 225 is formed so as to protrude from both ends of the upper surface portion 221 in the vehicle width direction (axial direction of the stabilizer bar) to the inner diameter side (lower side / stabilizer bar side).
The flange surface portion 225 is in contact with the end surface portion 216 of the stabilizer bush 210.
The lower end portion of the flange surface portion 225 is disposed to face the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate portion 111 of the stabilizer bar 110 with a space therebetween.
For example, the flange surface portion 225 is configured by welding a steel plate having a thickness larger than that of the steel plate constituting the other part of the upper clamp 220.

The lower surface portion of the flange surface portion 225 is an abutting surface portion 225 a that is disposed to face the upper surface portion of the protruding portion 217 of the stabilizer bush 210.
The contact surface portion 225a is disposed to face the upper surface portion of the projecting portion 217 with a gap in the normal region where the input from the stabilizer bar 110 to the stabilizer bush 210 is relatively small. When an upward input to 210 increases, the protrusion 217 comes into contact.

The lower clamp 230 includes a rear surface portion 231 and a lower surface portion 232 that hold the rear surface portion 214 and the lower surface portion 215 of the stabilizer bush 210, respectively.
The rear surface portion 231 and the lower surface portion 232 are formed in a planar shape along the rear surface portion 214 and the lower surface portion 215 of the stabilizer bush 210.
In order to generate preload by compressing the stabilizer bush 210 with the stabilizer device 100 assembled to the cross member 40, the lower surface portion 232 and the rear surface portion 231 of the lower clamp 230 are the lower surface portion of the stabilizer bush 210. 215 and the rear surface portion 214 may be formed in a shape having a smaller diameter.

The lower clamp 230 includes a front fixing part 233 and a rear fixing part 234.
The front fixing part 233 is a flat part extending forward from the lower end part of the lower surface part 232.
The rear fixing portion 234 is a flat plate portion extending rearward from the rear end portion of the rear surface portion 231.
The front fixing portion 233 and the rear fixing portion 234 are portions used when the cross member 40 is fixed to the upper surface, and are formed with bolt holes 233a and 234a into which fastening bolts are inserted.
The front fixing part 233 and the rear fixing part 234 are clamped together by a common bolt-nut while being sandwiched between the front fixing part 223 and the rear fixing part 224 of the upper clamp 220 and the upper surface of the cross member 40. The

Further, the lower clamp 230 includes a flange surface portion 235.
The flange surface portion 235 is formed to protrude from both end portions of the lower surface portion 232 in the vehicle width direction (axial direction of the stabilizer bar) to the inner diameter side (upper side / stabilizer bar side).
The flange surface portion 235 is in contact with the end surface portion 216 of the stabilizer bush 210.
The upper end portion of the flange surface portion 235 is disposed to face the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate portion 111 of the stabilizer bar 110 with a space therebetween.
The rear surface portion 231, the lower surface portion 232, the front fixing portion 233, the rear fixing portion 234, and the flange surface portion 235 described above are integrally formed, for example, by pressing a steel plate.

  The stabilizer bar support structure of the embodiment is configured such that the middle portion 111 of the stabilizer bar 110 is passed through the opening 211 of the stabilizer bush 210 and the stabilizer bush 210 is sandwiched between the upper clamp 220 and the lower clamp 230 from above and below, and the upper clamp 220. It is configured by fastening the lower clamp 230 to the upper surface of the cross member 40.

Hereinafter, effects of the above-described embodiment will be described.
FIG. 5 is a graph showing a correlation between a suspension left-right relative stroke and a stabilizer reaction force in the stabilizer bar support structure of the example.
In FIG. 5, the horizontal axis represents the left and right relative stroke of the suspension, and the vertical axis represents the stabilizer reaction force.
In the embodiment, in the normal region where the vertical force acting on the stabilizer bush 210 from the intermediate portion 111 of the stabilizer bar 110 is less than a predetermined value, the protruding portion 217 of the stabilizer bush 210 and the contact surface portion 225a of the upper clamp 220 are Therefore, the protrusion 217 does not contribute to the support rigidity of the stabilizer bar 110. For this reason, the support rigidity of the stabilizer bar 110 is relatively low.

On the other hand, in the limit region where the vertical force acting on the stabilizer bush 210 from the intermediate portion 111 of the stabilizer bar 110 becomes a predetermined value or more, the protruding portion 217 of the stabilizer bush 210 and the contact surface portion 225a of the upper clamp 220 are The stabilizer bars 110 are relatively closely attached to each other and contribute to the support rigidity of the stabilizer bar 110, so that the support bar 110 has a relatively high support rigidity.
For this reason, in the present embodiment, the support rigidity of the stabilizer bar 110 is lowered to improve the ride comfort in the normal area, and the support rigidity of the stabilizer bar 110 is increased in the limit area to improve the steering stability. Can do.
In the embodiment, the abutting surface portion 225a is provided only on the upper clamp 220 side. However, in the stabilizer device, when a left / right suspension stroke difference occurs, either the left / right stabilizer bar support portion is provided. Since an upward load always acts, even with such a configuration, the above-described effects can be obtained.

  In addition, when the end face portions 216 on both sides of the stabilizer bush 210 are constrained by the flange face portion 225 of the upper clamp 220 and the flange face portion 235 of the lower clamp 230, when a vertical compressive load acts on the stabilizer bush 210, It can be prevented that the stabilizer bushing 210 escapes in the axial direction and the support rigidity of the stabilizer bar 110 is lowered.

  Furthermore, since the above-described effects can be obtained only by the stabilizer bush 210, the upper clamp 220, and the lower clamp 230 without providing a specific shape to the cross member 40 that is the attached portion, it can be applied to an existing vehicle type. It is easy, and it is also easy to make a separate vehicle between the vehicle having the stabilizer bar support structure of the embodiment and the vehicle having the existing stabilizer bar support structure.

(Modification)
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and changes are possible, and these are also within the technical scope of the present invention.
(1) The configuration of the stabilizer device to which the present invention is applied and the suspension device provided with the stabilizer device are not limited to those of the above-described embodiments.
For example, the suspension of the embodiment is a front suspension, but the present invention can also be applied to a rear suspension. The suspension type is not limited to a strut type, and other types such as a multi-link type and a double wishbone type can be used. Also good.
Further, the stabilizer link may be connected to the suspension arm or the housing.
(2) In the embodiment, the clamp is attached to the upper surface of the cross member that is substantially horizontal, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the clamp is attached to the lower surface of the cross member, the frame, etc. It is good also as a structure to attach.
(3) The shape, structure, manufacturing method, material, and the like of the first member, the second member, and the stabilizer bush of the clamp are not limited to those of the examples, and can be changed as appropriate.
(4) In the embodiment, the flange surface portion is arranged only in a partial region on the circumference of the bush, but the flange surface portion may be provided over the entire circumference of the bush.
(5) In the embodiment, the contact surface portion is provided only on the upper side of the stabilizer bar. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the contact surface portion is provided on the lower side or the contact surface portion is provided on both the upper and lower sides. Also good.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Housing 20 Strut assembly 21 Strut 22 Spring 23 Upper mount 30 Lower arm 31 Ball joint 32 Front bush 33 Rear bush 40 Cross member 100 Stabilizer device 110 Stabilizer bar 111 Intermediate part 112 Arm part 120 Stabilizer link 130 Stabilizer bush 140 Clamp 210 Stabilizer bush 140 Opening 212 Upper surface portion 213 Front surface portion 214 Rear surface portion 215 Lower surface portion 216 End surface portion 217 Projection portion 217a Front side overhanging portion 217b Rear side overhanging portion 220 Upper side clamp 221 Upper surface portion 222 Front surface portion 223 Front fixing portion 223a Bolt hole 224 Rear fixing portion 224a Bolt hole 225 Flange surface portion 225a Contact surface portion 230 Lower clamp 231 Rear surface portion 23 2 Lower surface portion 233 Front fixing portion 233a Bolt hole 234 Rear fixing portion 234a Bolt hole 235 Flange surface portion

Claims (1)

A stabilizer bar support structure for supporting the intermediate portion of the stabilizer bar having an intermediate portion extending substantially along the vehicle width direction and receiving a torsional input corresponding to a stroke difference between the left and right suspension devices,
A bush having an opening into which the intermediate portion of the stabilizer bar is inserted and formed into a cylindrical shape by an elastic material;
A clamp attached to a fixed portion provided in a part of the vehicle body while holding the bush,
The bush has a protrusion protruding from an end surface in the axial direction of the stabilizer bar and into which the stabilizer bar is inserted,
The clamp is opposed to the protruding portion with a gap in a region where the radial displacement of the stabilizer bar is less than a predetermined value, and is in contact with the protruding portion in a region where the radial displacement is a predetermined value or more. It has a face,
The clamp has a first member and a second member that are arranged to face each other with the bush interposed therebetween,
The first member and the second member each have a flange surface portion that comes into contact with both end surfaces of the bush in the vehicle width direction,
The contact surface portion is formed on at least one of the first member and the second member,
The stabilizer bar support structure , wherein the contact surface portion is formed at an end portion of at least one of the flange surface portions of the first member and the second member .

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