JP6009928B2 - Vehicle suspension - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle suspension including a pair of left and right suspension arms and a cross member that is installed on the left and right arms and mainly serves as a stabilizer when the vehicle turns.

  Conventionally, there is a suspension of the vehicle described in Patent Document 1 below. According to this publication, the suspension of the vehicle extends in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body, and each front end portion is supported on the vehicle body by the pivotal support so that each rear end portion can support the wheel and swing up and down. It has a pair of left and right suspension arms that are pivotally supported, and a cross member that spans the left and right arms and connects the two arms.

  When the cross member is elastically torsionally deformed and a torsional stress (shearing stress) is generated in the crossmember while the vehicle is running, the crossmember acts as a stabilizer, so that the vehicle can stably turn. In addition, by acting as a torsion bar, the impact force from the wheel side during traveling of the vehicle is absorbed, and the operability of the vehicle is improved.

JP 2006-182141 A

  By the way, in the above-described conventional technique, each arm and the cross member are separated from each other in the cross member, so that the number of parts of the suspension increases and the configuration tends to be complicated.

  In the conventional technique, the cross member has an inverted U-shaped cross section in the longitudinal direction, and the cross member having this cross-sectional structure tends to have high torsional rigidity. For this reason, according to this cross member, if it is intended to achieve the desired function as a stabilizer due to torsional stress caused by torsional deformation, it becomes difficult to obtain the desired function as a torsion bar due to elastic torsional deformation. Adjustment may be complicated.

  The present invention has been made paying attention to the above situation, and an object of the present invention is to make it possible to simplify the configuration of the suspension in the vehicle, and to apply external force such as impact force from the wheel side during traveling of the vehicle. When given to the cross member of the suspension, the function of the stabilizer and the function of the torsion bar can be obtained in a balanced manner at a low production cost.

The invention of claim 1, as illustrated in all the drawings, extends in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body 2, and each front part pivots so that each rear part supports the wheels 4, 5 and can swing up and down. There is provided a suspension frame 9 having a pair of left and right suspension arms 10 and 11 pivotally supported by the vehicle body 2 by means of a tool 13 and a cross member 14 that spans the left and right arms 10 and 11 and couples the arms 10 and 11 together. Vehicle suspension,
Each of the left and right arms 10 and 11 is formed by a belt-shaped plate 18 whose longitudinal section is long in the longitudinal direction,
The vehicle suspension is characterized in that the cross member 14 is formed by integrally extending the front end portion and / or the rear end portion of each of the arms 10 and 11 in the width direction of the vehicle body.

  In the second aspect of the invention, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 to 3, the cross member 14 is formed in an X shape in a plan view of the vehicle body 2 (FIGS. 1 and 3). 2. The vehicle suspension according to claim 1, wherein front and rear end portions of each side portion are coupled to front and rear end portions of the corresponding arms 10 and 11, respectively.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the invention of claim 3 is provided with a reinforcing plate 27 that covers the crossing portion in the X shape of the cross member 14 from the outside and is coupled to the crossing portion. The vehicle suspension according to claim 2, wherein the suspension is a vehicle suspension.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the invention of claim 4 is provided with shock absorbers 15 and 16, one end of which is supported by the reinforcing plate 27 and the other end connected to the vehicle body 2 side. The vehicle suspension according to claim 3, wherein the suspension is a vehicle suspension.

  In addition, in this section, the reference numerals and drawing numbers appended to the above terms are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention to the “Example” section and the contents of the drawings described later.

  The effects of the present invention are as follows.

The invention according to claim 1 is a pair of left and right suspensions that extend in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body, and that each front part is pivotally supported on the vehicle body by a pivotal support so that each rear part supports a wheel and can swing up and down. In a suspension of a vehicle including a suspension frame having an arm and a cross member that is erected on the left and right arms and connects both the arms,
Each of the left and right arms is formed by a band-shaped plate whose longitudinal section is long in the longitudinal direction,
The cross member is formed by integrally extending the front end portion and / or the rear end portion of each arm in the width direction of the vehicle body.

  For this reason, the number of parts of the suspension can be reduced by the amount that the arms and the cross member are integrally formed. Therefore, the structure of this suspension can be simplified.

  Further, as described above, since the arms and the cross member formed by the band-shaped plate are integrally formed, the cross member is also formed by the band-shaped plate.

  Here, the belt-shaped plate forming the cross member strongly opposes the external force in the vertical direction, but the belt-shaped plate is easily elastically deformed with respect to the external force from the thickness direction. In addition, this belt-shaped plate has a simple structure and can be easily formed, and has a high degree of freedom in selecting the number, plate thickness, and longitudinal length of the cross section.

  For this reason, when the cross member is used as a stabilizer or a torsion bar, the torsional rigidity can be easily adjusted with a simple configuration. Therefore, according to the cross member, the function as the stabilizer and the function as the torsion bar can be obtained in a balanced manner at a low production cost.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, the cross member is formed in an X shape in a plan view of the vehicle body, and the front and rear end portions on the left and right sides of the cross member are arranged in front of the corresponding arm. , Is connected to the rear end side.

  Here, when the vehicle turns, a large bending moment may be given to each arm due to an external force from the wheel side toward the width direction of the vehicle body. However, according to the present invention, after the external force is transmitted as an axial force mainly from the left and right rear end portions on the wheel side of the X-shaped cross member to the left and right front end portions, Supported by the vehicle body. Therefore, as compared with the case where the external force from the wheel side acts as a bending moment on each arm, each arm strongly counters the external force with sufficient rigidity.

  Further, as described above, the strong opposition of each arm against the external force applied to each arm from the wheel side can be achieved by forming the cross member in a simple X shape, It is not necessary to increase the cross-sectional area of each arm or cross member, or to apply a material with high rigidity. Therefore, the suspension can be made smaller and lighter, and the production cost can be reduced, even when the arms can firmly counteract the external force applied to the arms from the wheel side when the vehicle turns. Can do.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a reinforcing plate that covers the crossing portion in the X shape of the cross member from the outside and is coupled to the crossing portion.

  Here, when the left and right arms are relatively displaced in the vertical direction and the cross member is torsionally deformed when the vehicle turns, stress concentration occurs at the intersection of the X-shaped cross member in a plan view of the vehicle body. Tend to.

  However, in the present invention, since the cross member in the X shape of the cross member is covered from the outside and a reinforcing plate coupled to the cross portion is provided, the cross member has the cross portion at the cross portion. It is possible to prevent stress concentration from being reinforced with the reinforcing plate. Therefore, the life of the suspension is improved.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an impact absorbing body having one end supported by the reinforcing plate and the other end connected to the vehicle body side.

  For this reason, the configuration of the suspension can be simplified because the reinforcing plate is used to support the shock absorber.

  The reinforcing plate is for reinforcing the intersecting portion of the cross member and has sufficient rigidity. For this reason, the shock absorber is firmly and stably supported by the reinforcing plate. According to the shock absorber supported in this way, when an impact force is applied from the wheel side to the vehicle body side when the vehicle is traveling, the impact force is absorbed and the energy is more reliably absorbed. Therefore, the maneuverability of the vehicle is improved.

Example 1 is shown and is a plan view. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment and corresponds to FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating Example 3 and corresponding to FIG. 1.

  The suspension of the vehicle according to the present invention allows the configuration of the suspension in the vehicle to be simplified, and when an external force is applied to the suspension cross member from the wheel side during traveling of the vehicle, the cross member functions as a stabilizer. In order to realize the object of obtaining a good balance between the function as a torsion bar at a low production cost, a mode for carrying out the present invention is as follows.

  That is, the suspension of the vehicle extends in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body, and a pair of left and right suspensions in which each front part is pivotally supported on the vehicle body by a pivotal support so that each rear part supports the wheel and can swing up and down. A suspension frame is provided that includes an arm and a cross member that spans the left and right arms and connects the arms. Each of the left and right arms is formed of a strip-shaped plate whose longitudinal section is long in the vertical direction. Further, the front end portion and / or the rear end portion of each arm is extended integrally in the width direction of the vehicle body to form the cross member.

  In order to describe the present invention in more detail, the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 in the drawing is a vehicle exemplified by an automobile, and an arrow Fr indicates the front in the traveling direction of the vehicle 1. The left and right described below refer to the width direction of the vehicle body 2 of the vehicle 1 toward the front. In addition, the below-mentioned connection means a connection by welding unless otherwise specified.

  The vehicle 1 includes a pair of left and right rear wheels 4 and 5 suspended by a suspension 3 at a rear portion of the vehicle body 2, and the vehicle body is constituted by the suspension 3, the rear wheels 4 and 5, and a pair of left and right front wheels (not shown). 2 is supported on the traveling road surface 6. The vehicle body 2, the suspension 3, and the left and right wheels 4 and 5 are symmetric with respect to a vehicle body center line 7 that passes through the center of the vehicle body 2 in the width direction.

  The suspension 3 includes a metal suspension frame 9. The suspension frame 9 is fixed to a pair of left and right suspension arms 10 and 11 that are separated from each other in the width direction of the vehicle body 2 and extend in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body 2 and the rear end portions of the arms 10 and 11, respectively. A wheel support 12 that rotatably supports the wheels 4 and 5 and a rear portion of the arms 10 and 11 support the wheels 4 and 5 by the wheel support 12 and can swing up and down. A pivotal support 13 for pivotally supporting the front part of each arm 10, 11 to the vehicle body 2, and a cross member 14 that is installed on the left and right arms 10, 11 and couples both the arms 10, 11. .

  The suspension 3 includes a coil spring 15 and a shock absorber 16 that are interposed between the vehicle body 2 and the suspension frame 9 and are shock absorbers whose axial centers extend in the vertical direction. Each of the coil spring 15 and the shock absorber 16 has an axial center extending in the vertical direction, a lower end which is one end thereof is supported by the suspension frame 9, and an upper end which is the other end is connected to the vehicle body 2 side. Is done.

  Each of the arms 10 and 11 is formed of a rectangular band-shaped plate (flat bar) 18 whose cross section in the longitudinal direction is long in the vertical direction. Each of the arms 10 and 11 has the same shape and the same cross section, and is made of the same material and made of metal (steel) having a certain degree of elasticity. The wheel support body 12 has a pedestal portion coupled to the rear end portions of the arms 10 and 11 by fastening or the like, and an axle portion that protrudes from the pedestal portion and rotatably supports the wheels 4 and 5. ing.

  Each pivot support 13 is coupled to a front end portion of each arm 10, 11, and a cylindrical body 20 that inclines toward the vehicle body centerline 7 as the axial center moves toward the front of the vehicle body 2, and the cylindrical body 20. Is located between the cylindrical body 20 and the pivot shaft 21, and is interposed between the tubular body 20 and the pivot shaft 21. The rubber bush 22 is vulcanized and bonded to these 20 and 21 to elastically connect the 20 and 21 to each other. Note that the axial direction of the cylindrical body 20 and the pivot shaft 21 may be any of the front and rear, the left and right, the top and bottom, and the tilt direction of the vehicle body 2.

  The cross member 14 includes first and second members 25 and 26 that intersect to form an X shape in a plan view of the vehicle body 2 (FIG. 1), and an intersection of the first and second members 25 and 26. It has a pair of upper and lower reinforcing plates 27 and 27 that cover from the outside and are coupled to the intersection to reinforce the intersection. The reinforcing plates 27 and 27 may be provided with only one of the upper and lower sides.

  The first and second members 25 and 26 are each formed of a rectangular strip 18 that extends linearly and has a cross section of each part in the longitudinal direction that is long in the longitudinal direction. The first and second members 25 and 26 have the same shape and the same size in cross section, and are made of the same material and made of metal (steel) having a certain degree of elasticity. The first and second members 25 and 26 have the same shape and the same cross section in the arms 10 and 11 and the same material.

  As shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 2, a notch 30 is formed in the lower portion of the first member 25 at the intersection of the first and second members 25 and 26, and another cut is formed in the upper portion of the second member 26. A notch 31 is formed. The first and second members 25 and 26 are crossed with each other by fitting the notches 30 and 31 to each other. The first and second members 25 and 26 are joined to each other with the upper and lower surfaces of the intersections being flush with each other. The pair of upper and lower reinforcing plates 27 and 27 are firmly coupled to each other with the intersecting portion of the first and second members 25 and 26 sandwiched from above and below. The reinforcing plate 27 supports the lower end of the coil spring 15.

  In the left and right side portions of the cross member 14, the front end portions of the first and second members 25 and 26 corresponding to the front end portions are the front end portions of the corresponding arms 10 and 11, respectively. It is coupled to the tubular body 20 of the pivotal support 13. On the other hand, on the left and right side portions of the cross member 14, the rear end portions of the first and second members 25 and 26 corresponding to the rear end portions thereof are rearward of the corresponding arms 10 and 11, respectively. It is integrally formed at the end and is coupled to the rear end of each of the arms 10 and 11.

  That is, the left arm 10 and the second member 26 of the cross member 14 are integrally formed by bending a single band-shaped plate 18. The right arm 11 and the first member 25 of the cross member 14 are integrally formed by bending a single band-shaped plate 18. The integral joint portion of the arms 10 and 11 and the first and second members 25 and 26 by the band-shaped plate 18 is a U-shape that opens toward the inside of the vehicle body 2 in a plan view of the vehicle body 2. Shaped. The wheel support 12 is fixed to the outer surface of the joint portion formed by the band-shaped plate 18. In addition, a lower end, which is one end of the shock absorber 16, is disposed in the internal space of the joint portion formed by the belt-shaped plate 18, and the lower end portion of the shock absorber 16 is configured so as to face each other in the joint portion. It is pivotally supported so as to straddle both parts. On the other hand, the upper end which is the other end of the shock absorber 16 is connected to the vehicle body 2 side.

  Each band-shaped plate 18 may have a larger (or smaller) cross-sectional shape as it goes in one longitudinal direction. Further, the front end portions of the first and second members 25 and 26 may be directly coupled to the front end portions of the corresponding arms 10 and 11 without using the pivotal support 13. Further, the left arm 10 and the first member 25 of the cross member 14 are integrally formed, and the right arm 11 and the second member 26 of the cross member 14 are integrally formed. The rear end portions of the second members 25 and 26 may be coupled directly to the rear end portions of the corresponding arms 10 and 11 or indirectly through the wheel support 12. Further, instead of the coil spring 15, the lower end portion which is one end portion of the shock absorber 16 may be supported by the reinforcing plate 27 together with the coil spring 15.

  Further, the first and second members 25 and 26 of the cross member 14 have a pair of front and rear band-shaped plates 18 and 18, respectively, and these band-shaped plates 18 and 18 are slightly separated from each other in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body 2. You may make it face and extend mutually parallel.

  When the vehicle 1 is traveling, when an impact force is to be applied to the vehicle body 2 side from the uneven portions of the traveling road surface 6 via the wheels 4 and 5 and the suspension frame 9, the wheels 4 and 5 The energy based on the impact force is absorbed by the shock absorbers of the coil spring 15 and the shock absorber 16 that swing up and down together with the frame 9, and the impact force is mitigated. Good safety is maintained.

  Further, when the vehicle 1 turns, the left and right arms 10 and 11 of the suspension frame 9 are relatively displaced in the vertical direction, and the cross member 14 installed on the left and right arms 10 and 11 is elastically twisted and deformed. When a torsional stress is generated in the cross member 14, the cross member 14 functions not only as a stabilizer but also as a torsion bar, so that the vehicle 1 can be stably turned and the operability of the vehicle 1 is improved. .

According to the above configuration, the left and right arms 10 and 11 are each formed by the belt-shaped plate 18 whose longitudinal section is long in the longitudinal direction,
The cross member 14 is formed by integrally extending the front end portion and / or the rear end portion of each of the arms 10 and 11 in the width direction of the vehicle body.

  For this reason, the number of parts of the suspension 3 can be reduced by the amount that the arms 10 and 11 and the cross member 14 are integrally formed. Therefore, the configuration of the suspension 3 can be simplified.

  Further, as described above, since the arms 10 and 11 formed by the band-shaped plate 18 and the cross member 14 are integrally formed, the cross member 14 is also formed by the band-shaped plate 18.

  Here, the band-shaped plate 18 forming the cross member 14 strongly counters the external force in the vertical direction, but the band-shaped plate 18 is elastic to the external force from the thickness direction. The band-shaped plate 18 is easily deformed and can be easily formed, and has a high degree of freedom in selecting the number, thickness, and longitudinal length of the cross section.

  For this reason, when the cross member 14 is used as a stabilizer or a torsion bar, the torsional rigidity can be easily adjusted with a simple configuration. Therefore, according to the cross member 14, the function as the stabilizer and the function as the torsion bar can be obtained in a balanced manner at a low production cost.

  When the vehicle 1 turns, the arms 10 and 11 may be given a large bending moment due to an external force from the wheels 4 and 5 toward the vehicle body 2 in the width direction. As described above, the X-shaped cross member 14 is supported by the vehicle body 2 after being transmitted mainly as an axial force from the left and right rear end portions on the wheels 4 and 5 side to the left and right front end portions. The Therefore, as compared with the case where the external force from the wheels 4 and 5 side acts as a bending moment on each of the arms 10 and 11, each of the arms 10 and 11 strongly counters the external force with sufficient rigidity.

  Further, as described above, the fact that the arms 10 and 11 strongly counteract the external force applied to the arms 10 and 11 from the wheels 4 and 5 side forms the cross member 14 in a simple X shape. This can be achieved, and it is not necessary to increase the cross-sectional area of each part of the arms 10 and 11 or the cross member 14 or to apply a material having a high rigidity. Therefore, even when the arms 10 and 11 can be strongly opposed to the external force applied to the arms 10 and 11 from the wheels 4 and 5 when the vehicle 1 turns, the suspension 3 is small and lightweight. And the production cost can be reduced.

  Moreover, as described above, the crossing portion of the cross member 14 in the X shape is covered from the outside, and the reinforcing plate 27 coupled to the crossing portion is provided.

  Here, when the left and right arms 10 and 11 are relatively displaced in the vertical direction and the cross member 14 is torsionally deformed when the vehicle 1 is turning, the X-shaped cross is viewed in plan view of the vehicle body 2 (FIG. 1). Stress concentration tends to occur at the intersection of the member 14 by the first and second members 25 and 26.

  However, according to the above configuration, since the crossing portion in the X shape of the cross member 14 is covered from the outside and the reinforcing plate 27 coupled to the crossing portion is provided, the crossing portion of the cross member 14 is provided at the crossing portion. Since the intersection is reinforced by the reinforcing plate 27, stress concentration is prevented from occurring. Therefore, the life of the suspension 3 is improved.

  Further, as described above, the shock absorbers 15 and 16 are provided that have one end supported by the reinforcing plate 27 and the other end connected to the vehicle body 2 side.

  For this reason, the configuration of the suspension 3 can be simplified because the reinforcing plate 27 is used to support the shock absorbers 15 and 16.

  The reinforcing plate 27 reinforces the crossing portion of the cross member 14 and has sufficient rigidity. For this reason, the shock absorbers 15 and 16 are firmly and stably supported by the reinforcing plate 27. According to the shock absorbers 15 and 16 supported in this way, when an impact force is applied from the wheels 4 and 5 side to the vehicle body 2 side when the vehicle 1 is traveling, the impact force is energy. Is more reliably absorbed and mitigated, so that the operability of the vehicle 1 is improved.

  3 and 4 below show Examples 2 and 3. Each of these Examples 2 and 3 is common in many respects to the configuration and operational effects of Example 1. Therefore, regarding these common items, common reference numerals are attached to the drawings, and redundant description thereof is omitted, and different points are mainly described. In addition, the configurations of the respective parts in each of these embodiments may be variously combined in light of the object and the effect of the present invention.

  In order to describe the present invention in more detail, the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

  In FIG. 3, of the left and right arms 10 and 11 of the suspension frame 9 and the first and second members 25 and 26 in the first embodiment, the left arm 10 and the left sides of the first and second members 25 and 26 respectively. The right arm 11 and the right side portions of the first and second members 25 and 26 are integrally formed by the belt-shaped plate 18. The left and right ends of the first and second members 25 and 26 are alternately overlapped and joined.

  Further, the left side portion of the first member 25 and the right side portion of the second member 26 are bent so as to form a circular arc shape toward the rear of the vehicle body 2 as a whole, and the right side portion of the first member 25 and the right side portion of the first member 25 are The left side portion of the two member 26 is bent so as to have an arc convex shape as a whole toward the front of the vehicle body 2.

  According to the above-described configuration, the components of the suspension frame 9 are integrally formed, so that the number of parts of the suspension frame 9 can be reduced, and the configuration can be simplified. Therefore, the production cost of the suspension 3 can be reduced. .

  In order to explain the present invention in more detail, Example 3 will be described with reference to FIG.

  In FIG. 4, the left and right arms 10 and 11 of the suspension frame 9 are formed by a band-shaped plate 18. The cross member 14 is formed by extending the front end portion and the rear end portion of each of the arms 10 and 11 integrally in the width direction of the vehicle body 2. In this case, the extending portions from the front end portion and the rear end portion of the arms 10 and 11 are coupled to each other in a state of surface contact with each other. The cross member 14 extends linearly in the width direction of the vehicle body 2 and is constituted by front and rear members 35 and 36 formed by two overlapping strip-shaped plates 18 and 18, respectively.

  It should be noted that only one of the front end portion and the rear end portion of each of the arms 10 and 11 is extended to form the cross member 14, and this cross member 14 is composed of the front member 35 and the rear member 36. , It may be configured by only one of them.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Vehicle 2 Car body 3 Suspension 4 Wheel 5 Wheel 6 Running road surface 7 Car body centerline 9 Suspension frame 10 Arm 11 Arm 12 Wheel support 13 Pivoting tool 14 Cross member 15 Coil spring 16 Shock absorber 18 Band-shaped board 25 1st member 26 Second member 27 Reinforcement plate 35 Front member 36 Rear member

Claims (4)

A pair of left and right suspension arms that extend in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body, and each front part is pivotally supported on the vehicle body by a pivotal support so that each rear part can support a wheel and swing up and down, and these left and right arms In a suspension of a vehicle provided with a suspension frame having a cross member that is installed and connects these arms,
Each of the left and right arms is formed by a band-shaped plate whose longitudinal section is long in the longitudinal direction,
A suspension for a vehicle, wherein the cross member is formed by integrally extending a front end portion and / or a rear end portion of each arm in the width direction of the vehicle body.   The cross member is formed in an X shape in a plan view of the vehicle body, and the front and rear end portions on the left and right sides of the cross member are coupled to the front and rear end sides of the corresponding arm. The vehicle suspension according to claim 1, wherein the suspension is a vehicle suspension.   3. The vehicle suspension according to claim 2, further comprising a reinforcing plate that covers an X-shaped intersection of the cross member from the outside and is coupled to the intersection.   4. The vehicle suspension according to claim 3, wherein an impact absorber is provided with one end supported by the reinforcing plate and the other end connected to the vehicle body.

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