JP6636479B2 - Vehicle suspension - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle suspension.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a vehicle suspension provided between a wheel-side member and a vehicle body in which a spring rate of a coil spring can be changed (for example, Patent Document 1). In Patent Literature 1, a spiral adjusting sheet that regulates the bending of the coil spring is provided between the winding portions of a single coil spring, and the position of the adjusting sheet is changed to change the effective number of turns of the coil spring as a spring. And the spring rate is variable. The adjust sheet is fixed to a tube passed through the inner peripheral portion of the coil spring with bolts.

JP-A-2006-214453

However, in the above-mentioned conventional vehicle suspension, the adjust seat has a complicated shape, and when the spring rate is changed, the position of the fixed adjust seat needs to be changed, and the structure is complicated.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and has as its object to make it possible to change the spring rate with a simple structure in a vehicle suspension.

The present invention relates to a vehicle suspension including a coil spring (61, 62, 362) compressed between a member (12) on a wheel (3) side and a vehicle body (F). 362), a plurality of the coil springs (61, 62, 362) are connected in series, and a plurality of the coil springs (61) are provided between the plurality of coil springs (61, 62, 362). , 62, 362) at least one spacer (70) interposed therebetween, and a stopper for restricting the movement of the spacer (70) due to the compression of the coil spring (61, 62, 362) to a predetermined amount. The stopper member (75, 475) includes one end (61a) of one of the coil springs (61). Engagement spacers (75, 475) provided at positions between the other ends (61b); the spacers (70) move in the compression direction of the coil springs (61, 62) to engage the engagement springs; An engagement recess (71a, 71b) engaging with the projection (75, 475) is provided, and the spacer (70) is rotatable around an axis (54a) of the coil spring (61). wherein the engaging recess (71a, 71b), a plurality is provided in a circumferential direction of the tubular portion (71), the depth of the plurality of the engaging recess (71a, 71b) different from each other, said engagement convex The portion (75, 475) selectively engages with any of the plurality of engaging concave portions (71a, 71b), and the engaging convex portion (75, 475) reduces the stroke amount of the vehicle suspension. In the state of 0, the engagement recesses (71a, 1b) and engages with the engagement recesses (71a, 71b) with a gap between the bottom of the engagement projections (75, 475) and the tip (75a) of the engagement projections (75, 475). When the stroke amount increases, at least one of the plurality of engaging concave portions (71a, 71b) abuts on the tip (75a) of the engaging convex portion (75, 475). It is characterized by doing.

Further, in the above invention, the coil spring (61,62,36 2) includes a first coil spring (61), said first coil spring (61) total length than longer second coil spring (62, 362 ) may be connected in series, and the stopper member (75, 475 ) may be provided on the side of the first coil spring (61 ) .
Further, in the above invention, the pitch (P1) of the winding portion of the first coil spring (61) is smaller than the pitch (P2) of the winding portion of the second coil spring (62, 362 ). It is good.

In the above invention, the second coil spring (362) includes a small pitch portion (362c) in which a pitch (P3) of a winding portion is smaller than other portions of the second coil spring (362). Is also good.
Further, in the above invention, the engagement recesses (71a, 71b) are formed with a first engagement recess (71a) and a second engagement recess having a depth smaller than that of the first engagement recess (71a). (71b) are provided, and in a state where the engaging projections (75) are set in the first engaging recesses (71a), a combination of spring rates of the plurality of coil springs (61, 62) is combined. Banere TMG, Ri constant der over the entire stroke range of the suspension the vehicle, in the state in which the engagement convex portion (75) is set to the second engagement recess (71b), the synthetic spring rate it may be used as the configuration ing in multiple stages.

Further, in the above invention may be provided with adjustable preload adjustment mechanism (64) a preload applied to the coil spring (61,62,36 2).
Further, in the above invention, a cylinder (50) and a piston rod (52) for supporting a piston (51) sliding inside the cylinder (50) are provided, and the coil springs (61, 62, 362) are provided. The stopper member (75) may be wound around the cylinder (50) and the piston rod (52), and may be provided on an outer peripheral side of the cylinder (50).

In the above invention, the comprising a damping mechanism for damping the operation of the coil springs (61,62,36 2) (6 0), the damping mechanism (6 0), adjustable attenuation characteristic attenuation characteristic adjusting section comprising a (560a), the damping characteristic adjusting section (560a), said stopper member (75,47 5) by a configuration may be adopted which is adjustable in synchronism with the restricted state of movement of the spacer (7 0).

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to the vehicle suspension which concerns on this invention, a vehicle suspension is provided with the coil spring compressed between a member by the side of a wheel, and a vehicle body, a plurality of coil springs are provided, and a plurality of coil springs are connected in series. At least one spacer receiving the reaction force of the plurality of coil springs is interposed between the plurality of coil springs, and a stopper member for restricting the movement of the spacer due to the compression of the coil spring to a predetermined amount is provided. Thus, when the suspension for the vehicle strokes and the coil spring is compressed, the spacer moves in the compression direction of the coil spring together with the coil spring. In a state where a plurality of series coil springs make a stroke, the spring rate of the vehicle suspension is obtained by combining the spring rates of the plurality of coil springs in series. When the movement of the spacer is regulated to a predetermined amount by the stopper member, one of the plurality of coil springs does not perform any more stroke, and the spring rate of the vehicle suspension becomes the spring rate of the other coil spring. . Therefore, the spring rate of the vehicle suspension can be changed with a simple structure.

Further, in the above invention, the stopper member is an engagement protrusion provided at a position between one end and the other end of one coil spring, and the spacer moves in the compression direction of the coil spring to engage the protrusion. May be provided. According to this configuration, the spring rate can be changed with a simple structure in which the engaging convex portion and the engaging concave portion are engaged. Further, the spring rate can be changed in conjunction with the stroke of the vehicle suspension.
Further, in the above invention, the spacer includes a tubular portion rotatable around the axis of the coil spring, and a plurality of engaging recesses are provided in a circumferential direction of the tubular portion, and the depths of the plurality of engaging recesses are different from each other. It may be. According to this configuration, by changing the cylindrical portion of the spacer and engaging the engagement protrusion with any of the plurality of engagement recesses having different depths, the change characteristic of the spring rate can be changed.

Further, in the above invention, the coil spring includes a first coil spring and a second coil spring having an overall length longer than the first coil spring, which are connected in series, and the stopper member is provided on the side of the first coil spring. May be provided. According to this configuration, the stroke amount of the first coil spring having a shorter overall length than the second coil spring can be restricted by the stopper member to change the spring rate, and the stroke amount of the second coil spring having a longer overall length can be increased. Can be secured.
In the above invention, the pitch of the winding portion of the first coil spring may be smaller than the pitch of the winding portion of the second coil spring. According to this configuration, when the stroke of the vehicle suspension increases, the winding portions of the first coil spring come into close contact with each other before the second coil spring. When the first coil spring reaches the close contact length, the first coil spring does not move any further, so that the spring rate of the vehicle suspension becomes the spring rate of the second coil spring. Therefore, the spring rate can be changed with a simple structure.

Further, in the above invention, the second coil spring may include a small pitch portion in which the pitch of the winding portion is smaller than other portions of the second coil spring. According to this configuration, the winding rate of the small pitch portion of the second coil spring is brought into close contact with the increase in the stroke of the vehicle suspension, so that the spring rate can be changed.
Further, in the above invention, the combined spring rate obtained by combining the spring rates of the plurality of coil springs may be constant over the entire stroke range of the vehicle suspension. According to this configuration, the spring rate of the vehicle suspension having a constant spring rate can be changed to a multi-step spring rate.

Further, in the above invention, a preload adjusting mechanism capable of adjusting a preload applied to the coil spring is provided. Thereby, not only the spring rate but also the preload of the coil spring can be changed.
Further, in the above invention, a cylinder (50) and a piston rod (52) for supporting a piston (51) sliding inside the cylinder (50) are provided, and the coil springs (61, 62, 362) are provided. The stopper member (75) may be wound around the cylinder (50) and the piston rod (52), and may be provided on an outer peripheral side of the cylinder (50).
According to this configuration, a cylinder and a piston rod that supports a piston that slides inside the cylinder are provided, the coil spring is wound around the cylinder and the piston rod, and the stopper member is provided on the outer peripheral side of the cylinder. Provided. This makes it possible to easily provide the stopper member using the space on the outer peripheral side of the cylinder.

Further, in the above invention, a damping mechanism for damping the operation of the coil spring is provided, and the damping mechanism is provided with a damping characteristic adjusting unit capable of adjusting the damping characteristic, and the damping characteristic adjusting unit is in a state in which the stopper member restricts the movement of the spacer. May be adjustable in synchronization with According to this configuration, appropriate damping characteristics can be obtained in accordance with the change in the spring rate.
Further, in the above invention, the stopper member may be an air jack. According to this configuration, the movement of the spacer can be regulated with a simple structure, and the spring rate can be changed.

FIG. 2 is a right side view of the motorcycle according to the first embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view of a rear suspension. It is the figure which looked at the spacer from the flange part side in the axial direction of the coil spring. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a state in which the rear suspension has stroked from the state of FIG. 2 to an intermediate position. 5 is a table showing a relationship between a stroke amount of a rear suspension and a reaction force of a coil spring. It is a figure showing the state where an engaging convex part was set to the 2nd engaging concave part. It is a figure showing the state where an engaging convex part was set to the 3rd engaging concave part. 9 is a table showing a relationship between a stroke amount of a rear suspension and a reaction force of a coil spring in a second embodiment. It is a side view of the rear suspension in a 3rd embodiment. 14 is a table showing a relationship between a stroke amount of a rear suspension and a reaction force of a coil spring according to a third embodiment. It is a side view of the rear suspension in a 4th embodiment. It is a side view of the rear suspension in a 5th embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the internal structure of an air jack. 6 is a chart showing adjustment of a damping force by a damping characteristic adjustment unit.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the description, directions such as front and rear, left and right, and up and down are the same as directions with respect to the vehicle body unless otherwise specified. In addition, the reference numeral FR shown in each drawing indicates the front of the vehicle, the reference UP indicates the upper part of the vehicle, and the reference LH indicates the left of the vehicle.
[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a right side view of the motorcycle according to the first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, only the right one is provided as a pair provided on the left and right, and the left one is not shown including the reference numeral.
In the motorcycle 1 (vehicle), an engine 10 as a power unit is supported on a body frame F (vehicle body), a steering system 11 for steering the front wheels 2 is supported at the front end of the body frame F so as to be steerable, and rear wheels are provided. This is a vehicle in which a swing arm 12 (wheel-side member) supporting 3 (wheels) is provided on the rear side of the body frame F. The motorcycle 1 is a saddle-ride type vehicle in which a seat 13 on which an occupant sits so as to straddle is provided above a rear portion of a body frame F.

The body frame F includes a head pipe 14 provided at a front end thereof, a main frame 15 extending rearward and downward from a rear portion of the head pipe 14, a down frame 16 extending rearward and downward from a rear portion of the head pipe 14, and a main frame 15. , A pair of left and right seat frames 18, 18 extending rearward from the upper rear portion of the main frame 15 to the rear end of the vehicle, and a seat frame 18 extending rearward from the pivot frame 17. 18 and a pair of left and right sub-frames 19, 19 connected to the rear portion.
The main frame 15 includes a main frame front portion 15a extending rearward and downward from the head pipe 14, and a center frame portion 15b bent downward at the rear end of the main frame front portion 15a and extending to the pivot frame 17.

The steering system 11 includes a pair of left and right front forks 20, 20 provided to be steerable via a steering shaft (not shown) supported by the head pipe 14, and a handle 21 provided above the front forks 20, 20. Is provided. The front wheel 2 is supported by a front wheel axle 2a at the lower end of the front forks 20,20.
The pivot frame 17 is provided with a pivot shaft 22 that penetrates the pivot frame 17 in the vehicle width direction. The swing arm 12 has its front end pivotally supported by the pivot shaft 22. The swing arm 12 includes arms 12a, 12a extending in a pair on the left and right from the pivot shaft 22 side, and the rear wheel 3 is supported by a rear wheel axle 3a extending between the rear ends of the arms 12a, 12a.
A pair of left and right rear suspensions 24, 24 (vehicle suspensions) are bridged between the rear portions of the arms 12a, 12a and the seat frames 18, 18.

The engine 10 includes a crankcase 31 that accommodates a crankshaft 30 that extends in the vehicle width direction, and a cylinder portion 32 that extends upward from a front portion of the crankcase 31. A transmission (not shown) is built in a rear portion of the crankcase 31.
The exhaust pipe 33 of the engine 10 extends rearward and downward from the front surface of the cylinder portion 32, extends rearward below the engine 10, and is connected to a muffler 34 disposed on the right side of the swing arm 12.

  The transmission of the engine 10 includes an output shaft (not shown) projecting leftward from a rear portion of the crankcase 31. The output of the engine 10 is transmitted to the rear wheel 3 by a drive chain (not shown) bridged between the output shaft and the rear wheel 3. The drive chain is covered by a chain case 36 provided along an arm portion 12a (not shown) on one side (left side) in the left-right direction.

The fuel tank 39 is supported by the main frame front part 15a. The seat 13 is supported by the seat frames 18, 18 and extends to the rear end of the motorcycle 1 continuously from the fuel tank 39. The seat 13 integrally includes a front seat 13a for the driver and a rear seat 13b for the fellow passenger.
On the left and right sides of the lower part of the rear part of the crankcase 31, a pair of left and right steps 40, 40 on which the driver puts his / her feet are provided.

The motorcycle 1 includes, as body covers, a front cover 41 that covers the upper portions of the front forks 20, 20 from the front, and a pair of left and right side covers 42, 42 that cover the portion below the front seat 13a behind the engine 10 from the side. And a rear cover 43 that covers the rear portions of the seat frames 18, 18. A front fender 44 is provided above the front wheel 2.
When the motorcycle 1 is parked, a side stand 45 that supports the motorcycle 1 in a posture inclined in the vehicle width direction is fixed to a lower portion of the body frame F.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the rear suspension 24.
The rear suspension 24 is compressed between the seat frame 18 and the swing arm 12 by swinging the swing arm 12 up and down about the pivot shaft 22, and absorbs impact from the road surface by stroke up and down. .

The rear suspension 24 includes a cylindrical cylinder 50 filled with damping hydraulic oil, a piston 51 sliding inside the cylinder 50, a piston rod 52 supporting the piston 51 at one end thereof, and a piston rod 52. It includes a rod support member 53 that supports the other end, and a coil spring 54 that is wound around the piston rod 52 and the cylinder 50 and urges the piston rod 52 in the extension direction.
The cylinder 50, the piston 51, and the piston rod 52 constitute a damping mechanism 60 for damping the operation of the coil spring 54.

The rear suspension 24 includes a rod-side receiving member 55 provided on the rod support member 53 and receiving one end (upper end) of the coil spring 54 and a rod-side receiving member 55 provided on the cylinder 50 side. And a receiving member 56 for receiving the cylinder.
The coil spring 54 includes a plurality of coil springs connected in series. Here, the coil spring 54 includes a first coil spring 61 and a second coil spring 62 connected in series with the first coil spring 61.
Further, the rear suspension 24 includes a spacer 70 interposed between the first coil spring 61 and the second coil spring 62.

  The piston rod 52 is inserted coaxially with the cylinder 50 and makes a stroke in the axial direction of the cylinder 50. A piston 51 is provided at one end of a piston rod 52 located in the cylinder 50. An oil passage (not shown) through which hydraulic oil passes is formed in the piston 51. The piston rod 52 is provided coaxially with the axis 54 a of the coil spring 54. The axis 54a of the coil spring 54 coincides with the axis of the rear suspension 24.

The rod support member 53 includes a disc-shaped receiving plate portion 57 that receives one end of the coil spring 54 via a rod-side receiving member 55, and a vehicle body connecting portion 58 that is connected to the seat frame 18 side.
The other end of the piston rod 52 is screwed into a screw hole at the center of the lower surface of the receiving plate portion 57, and is fixed to the receiving plate portion 57 with a lock nut (not shown). A cylindrical bump rubber 59 is attached to the lower surface of the receiving plate portion 57.
The vehicle body connecting portion 58 is coupled to the upper surface of the receiving plate portion 57. One end (upper end) of the rear suspension 24 is connected to the seat frame 18 by a shaft member 58a that is inserted into the vehicle body connecting portion 58 in the vehicle width direction.
The vehicle body connecting portion 58 may be connected to a member on the engine side as a vehicle body.

The rod-side receiving member 55 includes a cylindrical portion 55a surrounding the piston rod 52 from the periphery, and a flange portion 55b extending radially outward from an upper end of the cylindrical portion 55a.
The rod-side receiving member 55 is brought into contact with the receiving plate portion 57 of the rod supporting member 53 by passing the cylindrical portion 55 a through the inner peripheral portion of the coil spring 54 and pressing the flange portion 55 b by one end of the coil spring 54. Have been allowed.
The upper end of the cylinder 50 is inserted inside the lower end of the cylindrical portion 55a. This prevents the piston rod 52 from being exposed to the outside.

A wheel-side connecting portion 63 connected to the swing arm 12 is connected to a lower surface of the cylinder 50.
The other end (lower end) of the rear suspension 24 is connected to a rear portion of the swing arm 12 by a shaft member 63a inserted in the vehicle width direction with respect to the wheel-side connecting portion 63.

The cylinder-side receiving member 56 includes a cylindrical portion 56a fitted to the outer peripheral portion of the cylinder 50, and a flange portion 56b extending radially outward from the outer peripheral portion of the cylindrical portion 56a.
At the lower edge of the tubular portion 56a, a plurality of concave portions 56c arranged in the circumferential direction of the tubular portion 56a are formed. The concave portion 56c is formed on the slope of the lower edge of the cylindrical portion 56a, and is formed in a step shape whose height changes in the circumferential direction.
On the outer peripheral portion of the cylinder 50, a convex portion 50a that engages with the concave portion 56c of the cylinder-side receiving member 56 is formed.

The cylinder-side receiving member 56 receives the other end (lower end) of the coil spring 54 by the flange portion 56b. The reaction force of the compression of the coil spring 54 is received by the convex portion 50 a engaging with the concave portion 56 c of the cylinder-side receiving member 56.
By rotating the cylinder-side receiving member 56 with respect to the cylinder 50, the convex portion 50a can be engaged with an arbitrary concave portion 56c, whereby the flange portion 56b of the cylinder-side receiving member 56 The position in the direction is changed. Therefore, by rotating the cylinder-side receiving member 56, the preload (initial load) applied to the coil spring 54 is changed. That is, the cylinder-side receiving member 56 and the protrusion 50a constitute the preload adjusting mechanism 64.

FIG. 3 is a view of the spacer 70 as viewed in the axial direction of the coil spring 54 from the flange portion 56b side.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the spacer 70 includes an inner cylindrical portion 71 (cylindrical portion) that covers the cylindrical portion 56 a of the cylinder-side receiving member 56 and the cylinder 50 from the outer peripheral side, and a spacer 70 that controls the inner cylindrical portion 71 from the outer peripheral side. An outer tubular portion 72 to be covered, and a spring receiving portion 73 that radially connects one axial end of the inner tubular portion 71 and one axial end of the outer tubular portion 72 are provided.

The outer cylindrical portion 72 is formed in a cylindrical shape having a larger diameter than the coil spring 54, and is provided coaxially with the axis 54a.
The inner tubular portion 71 is located inside the outer tubular portion 72 and is provided coaxially with the outer tubular portion 72. The inner tubular portion 71 is formed shorter in the axial direction than the outer tubular portion 72, and is hidden inside the outer tubular portion 72. The inner tubular portion 71 is fitted on the outer peripheral portion of the tubular portion 56a.
The spring receiving portion 73 is an annular plate portion that radially connects one end of the inner cylindrical portion 71 and one end of the outer cylindrical portion 72, and closes the gap between the inner cylindrical portion 71 and the outer cylindrical portion 72.
A spring accommodating portion 74, which is an annular space, is formed between the inner periphery of the outer tubular portion 72 and the outer periphery of the inner tubular portion 71. The spring receiving portion 73 forms the bottom of the spring receiving portion 74.

The inner cylindrical portion 71 includes a first engaging concave portion 71a, a second engaging concave portion 71b, and a third engaging concave portion 71c provided so as to cut out the inner cylindrical portion 71 in the axial direction from the other end. .
The first engaging concave portion 71a, the second engaging concave portion 71b, and the third engaging concave portion 71c are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction of the inner cylindrical portion 71.
The first engagement concave portions 71a are a pair of concave portions facing each other at a distance of 180 ° on the circumference of the inner cylindrical portion 71. The second engagement concave portions 71b are a pair of concave portions facing each other at a distance of 180 ° on the circumference of the inner cylindrical portion 71. The third engagement concave portion 71c is a pair of concave portions facing each other at an interval of 180 ° on the circumference of the inner cylindrical portion 71.
The depths of the first engaging recess 71a, the second engaging recess 71b, and the third engaging recess 71c are different from each other. More specifically, the first engaging recess 71a is deepest, the second engaging recess 71b is shallower than the first engaging recess 71a, and the third engaging recess 71c is the second engaging recess 71c. It is shallower than 71b.

An engagement projection 75 (stopper member) that protrudes in the radial direction is formed on the outer peripheral portion of the cylindrical portion 56a of the cylinder-side receiving member 56. The engaging projection 75 is provided on the opposite side of the recess 56c with the flange 56b interposed therebetween. The engaging projection 75 extends in the compression direction of the coil spring 54 along the axis 54 a of the coil spring 54. The engagement protrusions 75 are a pair of protrusions arranged on the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion 56a at a distance of 180 ° from each other in the circumferential direction.
The engagement projection 75 selectively engages with any one of the first engagement recess 71a, the second engagement recess 71b, and the third engagement recess 71c.

One end 61a of the first coil spring 61 is accommodated in the spring accommodating portion 74 of the spacer 70, and one end 61a is received in contact with the spring receiving portion 73.
The other end 61b of the first coil spring 61 is received in contact with the flange portion 56b of the cylinder-side receiving member 56.
One end 62a of the second coil spring 62 is received in contact with the flange portion 55b of the rod-side receiving member 55.
The other end 62 b of the second coil spring 62 is received in contact with the spring receiving portion 73 of the spacer 70 from the side opposite to the first coil spring 61.

The spacer 70 is interposed between one end 61a of the first coil spring 61 and the other end 62b of the second coil spring 62, and the reaction force of the first coil spring 61 and the second coil spring 62. Receive.
That is, the first coil spring 61 and the second coil spring 62 are connected in series via the spacer 70.
The spacer 70 moves in the axial direction of the coil spring 54 with the compression of the first coil spring 61 and the second coil spring 62 due to the stroke of the rear suspension 24.

The first coil spring 61 and the second coil spring 62 are coil springs in which the material of the coil, the wire diameter of the coil, and the diameter D of the winding portion of the coil are the same.
In the first embodiment, the first coil spring 61 and the second coil spring 62 have a configuration in which the material of the coil, the wire diameter of the coil, and the diameter D of the winding portion of the coil are the same. As described above, the material of the coil, the wire diameter of the coil, and the diameter D of the winding portion of the coil may be different between the first coil spring 61 and the second coil spring 62.
The pitch P1 of the winding portion of the first coil spring 61 is smaller than the pitch P2 of the winding portion of the second coil spring 62. That is, the first coil spring 61 is a coil spring wound more densely than the second coil spring 62.
The first coil spring 61 is formed at a pitch P1 over its entire length. The second coil spring 62 is formed at a pitch P2 over its entire length.

FIG. 2 shows a state in which only the preload is applied to the rear suspension 24 as a load, and the engagement projection 75 is set in the first engagement recess 71a.
In the state of FIG. 2, only the leading end of the engaging protrusion 75 is engaged with the first engaging recess 71 a of the spacer 70, and the leading end 75 a of the engaging protrusion 75 and the first engaging recess 71 a A gap is formed between the base and the bottom. In this state, the rotation of the spacer 70 is regulated by the engagement projection 75.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a state in which the rear suspension 24 has stroked from the state of FIG. In FIG. 2, a part of the rear suspension 24 is shown in cross section.
When the rear suspension 24 strokes, both the first coil spring 61 and the second coil spring 62 are compressed and shrunk, and the distance between the spacer 70 and the flange portion 56b of the cylinder-side receiving member 56 gradually decreases. As a result, when the rear suspension 24 strokes in the compression direction, the engagement projection 75 moves to the bottom side of the first engagement recess 71a.

In the coil spring 54, since the material of the coils of the first coil spring 61 and the second coil spring 62, the wire diameter of the coil, and the diameter D of the winding portion are the same, all the winding portions bend uniformly. For this reason, when the rear suspension 24 strokes by a predetermined amount, the first coil spring 61 having a small pitch P1 has a close contact length in which the winding portions are in close contact with each other, as shown in FIG.
That is, in the state of FIG. 4, the first coil spring 61 is in a state in which the first coil spring 61 does not bend any more when it reaches the close contact length. Therefore, when the rear suspension 24 further strokes in the compression direction from the state shown in FIG. 4, only the second coil spring 62 is bent while the first coil spring 61 remains in the close contact length.
Here, in the state of FIG. 4, a gap remains between the tip 75a of the engaging projection 75 and the bottom of the first engaging recess 71a, and the movement of the spacer 70 in the axial direction is caused by the close contact length. Are regulated by the first coil spring 61.

FIG. 5 is a table showing the relationship between the stroke amount of the rear suspension 24 and the reaction force of the coil spring 54.
Here, in FIG. 5, the change characteristic of the spring rate (spring constant) of the coil spring 54 when the engaging projection 75 is set in the first engaging recess 71a is indicated by a line L1.
As shown in FIG. 5, when the stroke amount is 0, the rear suspension 24 generates a reaction force F0 for the preload. The reaction force of the rear suspension 24 increases linearly as the stroke amount increases. Here, the inclination of the line L1 indicates the spring rate of the coil spring 54.

FIG. 4 shows a state in which the rear suspension 24 has stroked to the stroke amount S1 (see FIG. 5).
The spring rate K3 of the coil spring 54 until the stroke amount of the rear suspension 24 increases from 0 to S1 is the spring rate (not shown) of the first coil spring 61 alone and the spring rate K2 of the second coil spring 62 alone. This is a value synthesized in series.
When the rear suspension 24 strokes to the stroke amount S1, the first coil spring 61 has a close contact length and does not bend any more. Therefore, in a region where the stroke amount is larger than S1, the spring rate of the coil spring 54 is set to the second value. The spring rate of the coil spring 62 becomes K2.

That is, in the region where the stroke amount is larger than S1, the effective number of turns of the coil spring 54 as a spring decreases, and the spring rate increases.
The rear suspension 24 has a spring rate K3 in the first half of the stroke, and has a spring rate K2 larger than the spring rate K3 in the second half of the stroke. That is, the rear suspension 24 has a two-stage spring rate.
As described above, by increasing the spring rate in the latter half of the stroke, it is possible to achieve a spring rate suitable for single-seater use in the first half of the stroke, and a large spring rate suitable for two-seater use or luggage loading in the latter half of the stroke.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a state in which the engagement projection 75 is set in the second engagement recess 71b. Here, in FIG. 6, only the preload is applied to the rear suspension 24 as a load.
When the spacer 70 is rotated by about 45 ° against the reaction force of the coil spring 54 from the state of FIG. 2, the engaging projection 75 is engaged with the second engaging recess 71b.
In the state of FIG. 6, only the leading end of the engaging convex portion 75 is engaged with the second engaging concave portion 71b of the spacer 70, and the distal end 75a of the engaging convex portion 75 and the second engaging concave portion 71b are A gap of a predetermined amount G is formed between the base and the bottom. In this state, the rotation of the spacer 70 is regulated by the engagement projection 75.

When the rear suspension 24 strokes in the compression direction from the state of FIG. 6, the engaging projection 75 relatively moves by a predetermined amount G and contacts the bottom of the second engaging recess 71b. As a result, the movement of the spacer 70 in the direction of contracting the first coil spring 61 is restricted by the engagement convex portion 75, and the first coil spring 61 does not bend further.
That is, the engagement protrusion 75 regulates the deformation of the first coil spring 61 in the compression direction via the spacer 70, so that the effective number of turns of the coil spring 54 as a spring is reduced.
Here, since the second engaging concave portion 71b is shallower than the first engaging concave portion 71a, the engaging convex portion 75 moves to the second engaging spring 75 before the first coil spring 61 reaches the close contact length (see FIG. 4). Abuts on the bottom of the engaging recess 71b.

In FIG. 5, a line L2 indicates a change characteristic of the spring rate of the coil spring 54 when the engagement projection 75 is set in the second engagement recess 71b.
When the engaging projection 75 is set in the second engaging recess 71b, the movement of the spacer 70 in the compression direction of the first coil spring 61 is restricted by the stroke amount S2 smaller than the stroke amount S1. .
Accordingly, the spring rate of the coil spring 54 becomes the spring rate K3 when the stroke amount is from 0 to S2, and becomes the spring rate K2 when the stroke amount is larger than S2.
In other words, by changing the set position of the engagement protrusion 75 from the first engagement recess 71a to the second engagement recess 71b, the stroke amount at which the spring rate changes from the spring rate K3 to the spring rate K2 is reduced. .

In this way, by changing the position of the starting point where the spring rate changes to the large spring rate K2 to a smaller stroke amount, the reaction force of the coil spring 54 can be increased from a region where the stroke amount is small, and it is more suitable for two-seaters and loading of luggage. Can respond.
Although the spring rate cannot be changed even if the preload is changed by the preload adjusting mechanism 64, the starting point at which the spring rate changes to the spring rate K2 can be changed by operating the spacer 70, and the change characteristic of the spring rate can be changed. Therefore, the spring rate can be changed according to the occupant's preference.

Further, by changing the position of the starting point at which the spring rate K2 changes to a large value to a smaller stroke amount as in the characteristics of the line L2, the maximum reaction force F1 can be increased, and a larger load can be accommodated. For example, when trying to obtain a reaction force equivalent to the maximum reaction force F1 of the line L2 in the characteristics of the line L1, the spring rate needs to be changed from the spring rate K2 to the spring rate K2 ′, and the spring rate of the second coil spring 62 is It gets bigger. If the spring rate of the second coil spring 62 becomes too large, the rear suspension 24 becomes hard and affects the ride comfort.
On the other hand, according to the characteristics of the line L2 of the first embodiment, since the maximum reaction force F1 is obtained by changing the spring amount K2 from the small stroke amount S2, both the maximum reaction force and the riding comfort can be improved.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a state in which the engagement convex portion 75 is set in the third engagement concave portion 71c. Here, in FIG. 7, only the preload is applied to the rear suspension 24 as a load.
When the spacer 70 is rotated by about 90 ° against the reaction force of the coil spring 54 from the state shown in FIG. 2, the engagement projection 75 is engaged with the third engagement recess 71c.
In the state of FIG. 7, the tip 75a of the engaging projection 75 is in contact with the bottom of the third engaging recess 71c. For this reason, the movement of the spacer 70 in the direction of contracting the first coil spring 61 is restricted by the engaging projection 75, and the first coil spring 61 cannot bend in the compression direction. The engagement projection 75 regulates the movable amount of the spacer 70 to 0 (predetermined amount).
That is, in the rear suspension 24 of FIG. 7, in the initial state where only the preload is applied, the deformation of the first coil spring 61 in the compression direction is restricted by the engagement convex portion 75, and the coil spring 54 functions as a spring. The effective number of turns has been reduced.

In FIG. 5, the line L3 shows the change characteristic of the spring rate of the coil spring 54 when the engagement projection 75 is set in the third engagement recess 71c.
When the engagement projection 75 is set in the third engagement recess 71c, the spring rate of the coil spring 54 becomes the spring rate K2 over the entire stroke of the rear suspension 24.
That is, by changing the set position of the engaging projection 75 from the first engaging recess 71a to the third engaging recess 71c, there is no region where the spring rate becomes the spring rate K3, and the spring rate is linear over the entire stroke. Of the spring rate K2. The characteristic that the reaction force changes linearly with the stroke is preferred in sports running such as circuit running.

When the spacer 70 is engaged with any one of the first engaging concave portion 71a, the second engaging concave portion 71b, and the third engaging concave portion 71c, the rotation operation is performed by the resistance due to the reaction force of the coil spring 54. It is done manually in opposition.
Here, in a state where the motorcycle 1 is parked by the side stand 45 (FIG. 1), a part of the weight of the motorcycle 1 is received by the side stand 45, so that the rear suspension 24 extends more than during normal running, and the coil spring 54 The reaction force becomes smaller. Further, the engagement convex portion 75 is arranged at a position where the force required for rotating the spacer 70 is minimized when the motorcycle 1 is parked on the side stand 45.
Therefore, by rotating the spacer 70 while the motorcycle 1 is parked by the side stand 45, the operating force can be reduced, and the spring rate can be easily changed.
When a main stand (not shown) for parking the motorcycle 1 in an upright state is provided, the engagement convex portion 75 generates a force required for rotating the spacer 70 when the motorcycle 1 is parked on the main stand. You may arrange | position at the position which becomes the smallest.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment to which the present invention is applied, the rear suspension 24 includes a plurality of first coil springs 61 compressed between the swing arm 12 and the vehicle body frame F and a plurality of first coil springs 61. The first coil spring 61 and the second coil spring 62 are connected in series, and a first coil spring 62 is provided between the first coil spring 61 and the second coil spring 62. A spacer 70 receiving the reaction force of the spring 61 and the second coil spring 62 is interposed. The rear suspension 24 includes an engagement protrusion 75 as a stopper member for restricting the movement of the spacer 70 caused by the compression of the first coil spring 61 and the second coil spring 62 to a predetermined amount. As a result, when the rear suspension 24 is stroked and the first coil spring 61 and the second coil spring 62 are compressed, the spacer 70 is moved together with the first coil spring 61 and the second coil spring 62 together with the first coil spring 61. The spring 61 and the second coil spring 62 move in the compression direction. In a state where the plurality of serially arranged first coil springs 61 and second coil springs 62 are in a stroke, the spring rate of the rear suspension 24 is the spring rate of the first coil spring 61 and the spring rate K2 of the second coil spring 62. It is the one synthesized in series. When the movement of the spacer 70 is regulated to a predetermined amount by the engagement convex portion 75, the first coil spring 61 does not perform any more stroke, and the spring rate of the rear suspension 24 becomes equal to the spring rate K2 of the second coil spring 62. Become. Therefore, the spring rate of the rear suspension 24 can be changed with a simple structure.

The stopper member is an engagement protrusion 75 provided between the one end 61a and the other end 61b of the first coil spring 61, and the spacer 70 moves in the compression direction of the first coil spring 61. A first engaging concave portion 71a, a second engaging concave portion 71b, and a third engaging concave portion 71c that engage with the engaging convex portion 75. Thereby, the spring rate can be changed with a simple structure in which the engaging projection 75 and the first engaging recess 71a, the second engaging recess 71b, and the third engaging recess 71c are engaged. Further, the spring rate can be changed in conjunction with the stroke of the rear suspension 24.
Further, the spacer 70 includes an inner cylindrical portion 71 rotatable around the axis 54a of the first coil spring 61 and the second coil spring 62, and includes a first engagement recess 71a, a second engagement recess 71b, A plurality of third engaging concave portions 71c are provided in the circumferential direction of the inner cylindrical portion 71, and the depths of the first engaging concave portion 71a, the second engaging concave portion 71b, and the third engaging concave portion 71c are different from each other. . Accordingly, the inner cylindrical portion 71 of the spacer 70 is rotated to engage with any one of the plurality of first engagement recesses 71a, second engagement recesses 71b, and third engagement recesses 71c having different depths. By engaging the convex portion 75, the change characteristic of the spring rate can be changed.

Further, the first coil spring 61 and a second coil spring 62 having a longer overall length than the first coil spring 61 are connected in series, and the engaging projection 75 is provided on the first coil spring 61 side. Have been. Accordingly, the stroke amount of the first coil spring 61 having a shorter overall length than the second coil spring 62 can be regulated by the engagement projection 75 to change the spring rate, and the stroke of the second coil spring 62 having a longer overall length can be changed. A large amount can be secured.
Further, the pitch P1 of the winding portion of the first coil spring 61 is smaller than the pitch P2 of the winding portion of the second coil spring 62. Thus, when the stroke of the rear suspension 24 increases, the winding portions of the first coil spring 61 come into close contact with each other before the second coil spring 62. Since the first coil spring 61 does not move any further when the contact length is reached, the spring rate of the rear suspension 24 is the spring rate K2 of the second coil spring 62. Therefore, the spring rate can be changed with a simple structure.

Further, the rear suspension 24 includes a preload adjusting mechanism 64 that can adjust the preload applied to the first coil spring 61 and the second coil spring 62. Thereby, not only the spring rate but also the preload can be changed.
The rear suspension 24 includes a cylinder 50 and a piston rod 52 that supports a piston 51 that slides inside the cylinder 50. The first coil spring 61 and the second coil spring 62 The engaging projection 75 is wound around the rod 52 and is provided on the outer peripheral side of the cylinder 50. Thus, the engagement convex portion 75 can be easily provided by utilizing the space on the outer peripheral side of the cylinder 50.
In the case where the cylindrical portion 56a is not provided, the engagement convex portion 75 may be provided on the outer peripheral portion of the cylinder 50.

[Second embodiment]
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. In the second embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.
The second embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the basic setting of the spring rate of the coil spring 54 is linear.

FIG. 8 is a chart showing the relationship between the stroke amount of the rear suspension 24 and the reaction force of the coil spring 54 in the second embodiment.
Here, in FIG. 8, a line L4 indicates a change characteristic of the spring rate of the coil spring 54 when the engaging projection 75 is set in the first engaging recess 71a (see FIG. 2). In FIG. 8, the line L5 indicates the change characteristic of the spring rate of the coil spring 54 when the engaging projection 75 is set in the second engaging recess 71b (see FIG. 6).

  As shown in FIG. 8, according to the characteristics of the line L4, the rear suspension 24 is a combination of the spring rate of the first coil spring 61 alone (not shown) and the spring rate K2 of the second coil spring 62 alone in series. The spring rate K4 is set to be a straight line over the entire stroke of the rear suspension 24.

  Referring to FIG. 6, when the stroke amount becomes S2 (see FIG. 8) in a state where the engagement convex portion 75 is set in the second engagement concave portion 71b, the tip 75a of the engagement convex portion 75 is moved to the second engagement position. The first coil spring 61 abuts on the bottom of the mating concave portion 71b and no longer strokes. As a result, the spring rate of the rear suspension 24 becomes K2 in a region where the stroke amount is larger than S2.

As described above, according to the second embodiment to which the present invention is applied, the combined spring rate K4, which is the combination of the spring rate of the first coil spring 61 and the spring rate K2 of the second coil spring 62, The stroke is constant over the entire stroke range of the suspension 24. By operating the spacer 70 to regulate the stroke of the first coil spring 61, the spring rate of the rear suspension 24 having a constant (one-step) spring rate can be changed to a multi-step (two-step) spring rate.
That is, in normal times, a linear synthetic spring rate K4 suitable for sports running is set, and if necessary, the spring rate can be changed to a multi-step spring rate suitable for two-seater or the like.

[Third Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a third embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIGS. In the third embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.
The third embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the second coil spring 362 includes a small pitch portion 362c.

FIG. 9 is a side view of a rear suspension 324 according to the third embodiment.
The rear suspension 324 includes a coil spring 354 including the first coil spring 61 and the second coil spring 362.
The second coil spring 362 includes a small pitch portion 362c formed at a pitch P3 in which the pitch of the winding portion is smaller than the pitch P2, at the end on the rod support member 53 side. The pitch P3 is larger than the pitch P1 of the first coil spring 61.

FIG. 10 is a chart showing the relationship between the stroke amount of the rear suspension 24 and the reaction force of the coil spring 354 in the third embodiment.
Here, in FIG. 10, a line L6 shows a change characteristic of the spring rate of the coil spring 354 when the engagement convex portion 75 is set in the first engagement concave portion 71a (see FIG. 9). Further, in FIG. 10, a line L7 indicates a change characteristic of the spring rate of the coil spring 354 when the engaging projection 75 is set in the third engaging recess 71c (see FIG. 7).

When the rear suspension 324 strokes in the compression direction from the state of FIG. 9, all winding portions of the coil spring 354 bend uniformly.
When the stroke amount of the rear suspension 324 changes from 0 to S3, the first coil spring 61 has a close contact length. When the rear suspension 324 further strokes from this state and the stroke amount becomes S4, the winding portions of the small pitch portions 362c of the second coil spring 362 come into close contact with each other and have a close contact length. When the rear suspension 324 further strokes in the compression direction from here, only the portion of the second coil spring 362 having the pitch P2 bends in the compression direction.

The spring rate K5 of the coil spring 354 until the stroke amount increases from 0 to S3 is obtained by combining the spring rate of the first coil spring 61 alone (not shown) and the spring rate K6 of the second coil spring 362 alone in series. Value.
The spring rate of the coil spring 354 until the stroke amount increases from S3 to S4 is the spring rate K6 of the second coil spring 362 because the first coil spring 61 does not bend.
In a region where the stroke amount is larger than S4, the spring rate K7 of the coil spring 354 is a size obtained only from the pitch P2, and is larger than the spring rate K6.
That is, the coil spring 354 has three levels of spring rates when the engagement projection 75 is set in the first engagement recess 71a.

When the engagement projection 75 is set to the third engagement recess 71c from the state of FIG. 9 (see FIG. 7), the movement of the spacer 70 is regulated by the engagement projection 75, and the first coil spring 61 Cannot bend in the compression direction.
Accordingly, the starting point of the start of the spring rate K6 which was at the stroke amount S3 in the characteristic of the line L6 in FIG. 10 is shifted to the stroke amount 0 in the characteristic of the line L7.
That is, by controlling the stroke of the first coil spring 61 by operating the spacer 70, the spring rate of the rear suspension 324 having three spring rates can be changed to the two-stage spring rate.

[Fourth Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a fourth embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIG. In the fourth embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.
The fourth embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that a spacer 70 is provided on the rod support member 53 side.

FIG. 11 is a side view of a rear suspension 424 according to the fourth embodiment.
In the rear suspension 424, the first coil spring 61 is provided on the rod support member 53 side, and the second coil spring 62 is provided on the cylinder 50 side.
The spacer 70 is interposed between the first coil spring 61 and the second coil spring 62.

More specifically, one end 61a of the first coil spring 61 contacts the spring receiving portion 73 of the spacer 70, and the other end 61b of the first coil spring 61 contacts the flange portion 55b of the rod-side receiving member 55.
One end 62a of the second coil spring 62 contacts the flange portion 56b of the cylinder-side receiving member 56, and the other end 62b of the second coil spring 62 contacts the spring receiving portion 73 of the spacer 70.

The spacer 70 is fitted to the outer peripheral portion of the cylindrical portion 55a of the rod-side receiving member 55.
The outer peripheral portion of the cylindrical portion 55a of the rod-side receiving member 55 is selectively provided with any one of the first engaging concave portion 71a, the second engaging concave portion 71b, and the third engaging concave portion 71c of the spacer 70. An engaging projection 475 to be engaged is provided.
Changing the movable amount of the spacer 70 by engaging the engaging protrusion 475 with any one of the first engaging recess 71a, the second engaging recess 71b, and the third engaging recess 71c. Thus, the characteristics of the spring rate of the rear suspension 424 can be changed.

[Fifth Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a fifth embodiment to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIGS. In the fifth embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.
The fifth embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the air jack 580 regulates the movement of the spacer 570, and that the fifth embodiment includes an attenuation characteristic adjusting unit 560a.

FIG. 12 is a side view of a rear suspension 524 according to the fifth embodiment.
The rear suspension 524 includes a cylindrical cylinder 550 filled with hydraulic oil for damping, a piston 551 sliding inside the cylinder 550, a piston rod 552 supporting the piston 551 at one end thereof, and a piston rod 552. It includes a rod support member 553 supporting the other end, and a coil spring 554 wound around the piston rod 552 and the cylinder 550 to urge the piston rod 552 in the extension direction.

The rear suspension 524 includes a rod-side receiving member 555 provided on the rod support member 553 and receiving one end (lower end) of the coil spring 554, and a second end (upper end) of the coil spring 554 provided on the cylinder 550. And a receiving member 556 for receiving the cylinder.
The cylinder 550, the piston 551, the piston rod 552, and the rod support member 553 constitute a damping mechanism 560 for damping the operation of the coil spring 554.
The coil spring 554 includes a plurality of coil springs connected in series. Here, the coil spring 554 includes a first coil spring 561 and a second coil spring 562 connected in series to the first coil spring 561.
Further, the rear suspension 524 includes a spacer 570 interposed between the first coil spring 561 and the second coil spring 562, and an air jack 580 for regulating the stroke of the first coil spring 61 in the compression direction. (Stopper member).
The rear suspension 524 may include a preload adjusting mechanism similar to the preload adjusting mechanism 64 (FIG. 2) near the rod-side receiving member 555 or near the cylinder-side receiving member 556.

  The piston rod 552 is inserted coaxially with the cylinder 550 and strokes in the axial direction of the cylinder 550. A piston 551 is provided at one end of a piston rod 552 located in the cylinder 550. An oil passage (not shown) through which hydraulic oil passes is formed in the piston 551. The piston rod 552 is provided coaxially with the axis 554a of the coil spring 554. The axis 554a coincides with the axis of the rear suspension 524.

The other end of the piston rod 552 is connected to the upper surface of the rod support member 553. The rod support member 553 receives one end of the coil spring 554 via a disk-shaped rod-side receiving member 555 provided on the upper surface thereof.
The rod support member 553 includes an oil chamber 553a communicating with the inside of the cylinder 550 via the hollow portion 552a of the piston rod 552, and a wheel-side connection portion 563 connected to the swing arm 12.

Further, the rod support member 553 includes a damping characteristic adjustment unit 560a that can adjust the damping characteristic of the damping mechanism 560. The damping characteristic adjustment unit 560a changes the area of the oil passage by changing the opening of the valve of the oil chamber 553a, for example, and adjusts the damping characteristic. The opening of the valve is controlled by an electric motor such as a stepping motor driven by a control unit 65 (FIG. 1) of the motorcycle 1. The valve may be driven by a solenoid or manually.
The wheel-side connecting portion 563 is connected to a rear portion of the swing arm 12 by a shaft member 63a.

The cylinder-side receiving member 556 is formed in a cylindrical shape provided coaxially with the cylinder 550, and is fitted and fixed to the outer peripheral portion of the cylinder 550.
A vehicle body connecting portion 558 is connected to an upper end of the cylinder 550. The vehicle body connecting portion 558 is connected to the seat frame 18 by a shaft member 58a.

  The air jack 580 includes a base member 581 supported by the rod-side receiving member 555, and a movable member 582 movable in the stroke direction of the rear suspension 524 with respect to the base member 581. The first coil spring 561 is compressed between the base member 581 and the movable member 582.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view showing the internal structure of the air jack 580.
Referring to FIGS. 12 and 13, base member 581 includes an annular base plate 581a supported in contact with rod-side receiving member 555, and a cylinder extending in the stroke direction of rear suspension 524 from the center of base plate 581a. And a shaft portion 581b.

The movable member 582 includes a cylindrical portion 582a that is slidably fitted on the outer peripheral portion of the shaft portion 581b of the base member 581. The spacer 570 is formed in a flange shape extending radially outward from one end of the cylindrical portion 582a. The spacer 570 faces the base plate 581a.
The piston rod 552 (FIG. 12) is passed through the cylinder of the base member 581 and the movable member 582.

The air jack 580 includes an air chamber 583 formed between an inner peripheral portion of the cylindrical portion 582a and an outer peripheral portion of the shaft portion 581b. The air chamber 583 is sealed by a pair of seal members 583a and 583b provided between the cylindrical portion 582a and the shaft portion 581b.
The base member 581 includes an air passage 584 for communicating the air chamber 583 with the outside atmosphere, and a valve 585 for opening and closing the air passage 584.
One end 584a of the air passage 584 is provided on the outer periphery of the shaft portion 581b, and communicates with the air chamber 583. The other end 584b of the air passage 584 is provided on the base plate 581a. The air passage 584 is connected from one end 584a to the other end 584b through the inside of the shaft portion 581b and the inside of the base plate 581a.

The valve 585 opens and closes the other end 584b of the air passage 584.
When the valve 585 is opened, air can freely enter and exit between the air chamber 583 and the outside (atmosphere side) via the air passage 584.
When the valve 585 is closed, the air in the air chamber 583 cannot go outside.
The valve 585 is opened and closed by a drive unit such as a motor or a solenoid that is electrically controlled by the control unit 65 of the motorcycle 1. The control unit 65 drives the valve 585, for example, when detecting a driver's input operation to an operation unit provided on the steering wheel 21. The valve 585 may be configured to be manually opened and closed by a driver or the like at a desired timing.

The first coil spring 561 is wound around the cylindrical portion 582a and the shaft portion 581b. The first coil spring 561 has one end 561a in contact with the flange portion 570a of the spacer 570 and the other end 561b in contact with the base plate 581a, and is compressed between the spacer 570 and the base plate 581a.
The second coil spring 562 is compressed between the cylinder-side receiving member 556 and the spacer 570.
The pitch P1 of the winding portion of the first coil spring 561 is smaller than the pitch P2 of the winding portion of the second coil spring 562.

Here, the relationship between the operation of the air jack 580 and the spring rate of the coil spring 554 will be described.
When the valve 585 is opened, the movable member 582 can move in the compression direction of the first coil spring 561. Therefore, with the stroke of the rear suspension 524 in the compression direction, the spacer 570 also moves in the compression direction, and both the first coil spring 561 and the second coil spring 562 bend.

In a state where the valve 585 is opened, referring to FIG. 5, the spring rate K3 of the coil spring 54 until the stroke amount of the rear suspension 524 increases from 0 to S1 is the spring rate of the first coil spring 561 alone (not shown). ) And the spring rate K2 of the second coil spring 562 alone are combined in series.
When the rear suspension 524 strokes up to the stroke amount S1, the first coil spring 561 has a close contact length and does not bend any more. Therefore, in a region where the stroke amount is larger than S1, the spring rate of the coil spring 554 becomes the second rate. The spring rate of the coil spring 562 becomes K2.

  When the valve 585 is closed, the air in the air chamber 583 cannot escape from the other end 584b of the air passage 584, and the movable member 582 cannot stroke in the compression direction of the first coil spring 561. That is, when the valve 585 is closed, the movement of the spacer 570 in the compression direction of the first coil spring 561 is restricted by the air jack 580. Here, the air jack 580 regulates the movable amount of the spacer 570 to 0 which is a predetermined amount.

  When the valve 585 is closed, the first coil spring 561 cannot be compressed, and only the second coil spring 562 bends in the compression direction with the stroke of the rear suspension 524. Therefore, as shown by the line L3 in FIG. 5, the spring rate of the coil spring 554 becomes the spring rate K2 of the second coil spring 562 over the entire stroke amount.

FIG. 14 is a table showing the adjustment of the damping force by the damping characteristic adjustment unit 560a. In FIG. 14, the horizontal axis shows the stroke speed of the rear suspension 524, and the vertical axis shows the damping force on the extension side and the compression side. The compression-side damping force is a damping force generated when the rear suspension 524 strokes in the compression direction, and the extension-side damping force is a damping force generated when the rear suspension 524 extends in the stroke direction.
The extension-side damping force and the compression-side damping force increase as the stroke speed increases.

The control unit 65 of the motorcycle 1 drives the damping characteristic adjustment unit 560a to adjust the damping force in conjunction with the change in the spring rate of the coil spring 554 by opening and closing the valve 585 of the air jack 580. That is, the damping characteristic adjustment unit 560a is adjusted in synchronization with the state where the movement of the spacer 570 by the air jack 580 is restricted.
Here, the control unit 65 determines the restricted state of the movement of the spacer 570 based on the open / closed state of the valve 585. However, the control unit 65 detects the position of the spacer 570 by a sensor (not shown) provided on the rear suspension 524 so that the spacer 570 The movement restriction state may be determined.

When the valve 585 is opened, the control unit 65 adjusts the extension-side damping force to the characteristic R1 and the compression-side damping force to the characteristic C1 by adjusting the damping characteristic adjustment unit 560a.
When the valve 585 is closed, the control unit 65 adjusts the damping characteristic adjustment unit 560a so that the expansion-side damping force is set to the characteristic R2 higher than the characteristic R1, and the compression-side damping force is set to a characteristic higher than the characteristic C1. Change to C2.
That is, when the valve 585 is closed and the spring rate of the second coil spring 562 increases, the control unit 65 operates the damping characteristic adjustment unit 560a to increase the extension-side damping force and the compression-side damping force. Therefore, a damping force according to the magnitude of the spring rate can be obtained, and the stroke of the rear suspension 524 can be appropriately damped.

As described above, according to the fifth embodiment to which the present invention is applied, the rear suspension 524 moves the spacer 570 by a predetermined amount due to the compression of the first coil spring 561 and the second coil spring 562. An air jack 580 is provided as a stopper member for regulating the air pressure. Thereby, the spring rate can be changed with a simple structure using an air jack. Further, the air jack 580 also functions as an air spring that bends minutely with the compression of the first coil spring 561 and the second coil spring 562, so that the vibration of the engine 10 and the vibration caused by the road surface are reduced by the air jack. 580 can also alleviate this. Note that a hydraulic jack may be used instead of the air jack 580.
Further, the rear suspension 524 includes a damping mechanism 560 that dampens the operation of the first coil spring 561 and the second coil spring 562, and the damping mechanism 560 includes a damping characteristic adjustment unit 560a that can adjust the damping characteristic. The damping characteristic adjustment unit 560a can be adjusted in synchronization with the state of restriction of the movement of the spacer 570 by the air jack 580. Thereby, appropriate damping characteristics can be obtained in accordance with the change in the spring rate of the rear suspension 524.

Note that the first to fifth embodiments show one aspect to which the present invention is applied, and the present invention is not limited to the first to fifth embodiments.
In the first embodiment, the coil spring 54 has been described as including the first coil spring 61 and the second coil spring 62, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, referring to FIG. 2, a third coil spring (not shown) is provided between the second coil spring 62 and the rod-side receiving member 55, and the second coil spring 62 and the third coil spring In between, a second spacer may be interposed in a manner like the spacer 70 in FIG. In this configuration, the movement of the second spacer is restricted by the engagement protrusion (corresponding to the engagement protrusion 475 in FIG. 11) provided on the rod-side receiving member 55. Thus, a second spacer may be provided in addition to the spacer 70. The movement of the second spacer is regulated by a stroke larger than the stroke by which the movement of the spacer 70 is regulated. It is sufficient that at least one spacer is interposed between a plurality of coil springs provided in series.
Further, in the first embodiment, the engagement convex portion 75 has been described as an example of the stopper member, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in FIG. 2, when the rear suspension 24 reaches a predetermined stroke without providing the engagement convex portion 75, the lower end of the spacer 70 is configured to contact the flange portion 56 b of the cylinder-side receiving member 56, May be restricted. In this case, the flange portion 56b is a stopper member.
In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, it is assumed that the first coil spring 61 has a close contact length when the engaging projection 75 is set in the first engaging recess 71a. Although described, the invention is not so limited. For example, a configuration may be employed in which the engaging projection 75 regulates the movement of the spacer 70 before the first coil spring 61 reaches the close contact length. In this case, close contact between the winding portions of the first coil spring 61 can be avoided.
Further, the damping mechanism 560 and the damping characteristic adjusting unit 560a of the fifth embodiment may be provided in the rear suspension of the first to fourth embodiments.
Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the motorcycle 1 is described as an example of a vehicle, but the present invention is not limited to this. The present invention relates to a three-wheel saddle having two front wheels or two rear wheels. The present invention is applicable to a riding type vehicle, a saddle riding type vehicle having four or more wheels, and a saddle riding type vehicle such as a scooter.

1 motorcycles (vehicles)
3 Rear wheel (wheel)
24, 324, 424, 524 Rear suspension (vehicle suspension)
12 Swing arm (wheel side member)
50 Cylinder 51 Piston 52 Piston rod 54a Axis 60,560 Damping mechanism 61,561 First coil spring 61a One end 61b Other end 62,362,562 Second coil spring 64 Preload adjustment mechanism 70,570 Spacer 71 Inner cylinder ( Tube)
71a First engagement concave portion 71b Second engagement concave portion 71c Third engagement concave portion 75,475 Engagement convexity Engagement convexity (stopper member)
362c Small pitch section 560a Attenuation characteristic adjustment section 580 Air jack (stopper member)
F Body frame (body)
K4 Synthetic spring rate P1 pitch P2 pitch P3 pitch

Claims (8)

In a vehicle suspension including a coil spring (61, 62, 362) compressed between a member (12) on a wheel (3) side and a vehicle body (F),
A plurality of the coil springs (61, 62, 362) are provided, and a plurality of the coil springs (61, 62, 362) are connected in series.
At least one spacer (70) receiving a reaction force of the plurality of coil springs (61, 62, 362) is interposed between the plurality of coil springs (61, 62, 362),
A stopper member (75, 475) for restricting movement of the spacer (70) due to compression of the coil spring (61, 62, 362) to a predetermined amount;
The stopper member (75, 475) is an engagement protrusion (75, 475) provided at a position between one end (61a) and the other end (61b) of one coil spring (61).
The spacer (70) includes an engagement recess (71a, 71b) that moves in a compression direction of the coil spring (61, 62) and engages with the engagement protrusion (75, 475).
The spacer (70) includes a cylindrical portion (71) rotatable around an axis (54a) of the coil spring (61),
A plurality of the engagement concave portions (71a, 71b) are provided in a circumferential direction of the cylindrical portion (71),
The depths of the plurality of engaging recesses (71a, 71b) are different from each other,
The engagement protrusions (75, 475) selectively engage with any of the plurality of engagement recesses (71a, 71b),
When the stroke of the vehicle suspension is 0, the engagement protrusions (75, 475) and the bottom of the engagement recesses (71a, 71b) and the tips (75, 475) of the engagement protrusions (75, 475). 75a) and engages with the engaging recesses (71a, 71b) in a state where a gap is opened between them , restricts rotation of the spacer (70) ,
At least one of the plurality of engaging concave portions (71a, 71b) is characterized in that, when the stroke amount increases, the bottom portion comes into contact with the tip (75a) of the engaging convex portion (75, 475). Vehicle suspension. The coil spring (61, 62, 362) includes a first coil spring (61) and a second coil spring (62, 362) having a longer overall length than the first coil spring (61). Connected
The vehicle suspension according to claim 1, wherein the stopper member (75, 475) is provided on a side of the first coil spring (61).   The pitch (P1) of the winding part of the first coil spring (61) is smaller than the pitch (P2) of the winding part of the second coil spring (62, 362). Suspension for vehicles.   The said 2nd coil spring (362) is provided with the small pitch part (362c) whose pitch (P3) of a winding part is smaller than the other part of the said 2nd coil spring (362). 4. The vehicle suspension according to 2 or 3. The engagement recesses (71a, 71b) are provided with a first engagement recess (71a) and a second engagement recess (71b) having a depth smaller than that of the first engagement recess (71a). And
When the engagement projection (75) is set in the first engagement recess (71a), the combined spring rate of the plurality of coil springs (61, 62) is equal to the combined spring rate of the vehicle suspension. Constant throughout the stroke range,
2. The vehicle suspension according to claim 1, wherein the combined spring rate is multi-step when the engagement projection (75) is set in the second engagement recess (71 b). 3.   The vehicle suspension according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a preload adjusting mechanism (64) capable of adjusting a preload applied to the coil spring (61, 62, 362). A cylinder (50); a piston rod (52) for supporting a piston (51) sliding inside the cylinder (50); and the coil springs (61, 62, 362) are provided on the cylinder (50). And wound around the piston rod (52),
The vehicle suspension according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the stopper member (75) is provided on an outer peripheral side of the cylinder (50). A damping mechanism (60) for damping the operation of the coil springs (61, 62, 362); the damping mechanism (60) includes a damping characteristic adjusting unit (560a) capable of adjusting a damping characteristic;
The said damping characteristic adjustment part (560a) can adjust synchronizing with the restriction | limiting state of the movement of the said spacer (70) by the said stopper member (75,475), The Claim 1 characterized by the above-mentioned. A vehicle suspension according to claim 1.

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