JP6687311B2 - Rear suspension reinforcement structure - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a rear suspension reinforcing structure for suspending left and right rear wheels of a vehicle on a vehicle body.

  BACKGROUND ART Vehicles such as automobiles are provided with suspensions for suspending wheels on a vehicle body. For example, as a rear suspension that suspends the left and right rear wheels on the vehicle body, it is provided with left and right suspension arms extending in the vehicle front-rear direction, the front end portion of the suspension arm is attached to the vehicle body side through a bracket, and the rear end portion is attached to the wheel side. A suspension having a fixed structure (for example, a trailing arm type suspension) is known.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a lower vehicle body structure of an automobile in which a front end portion of a trailing arm (suspension arm) is swingably supported by support brackets attached to left and right rear side members. In the lower vehicle body structure described in Patent Document 1, a connecting bar 18 extending in the vehicle width direction is provided between the left and right support brackets 3 (particularly, paragraphs [0019] to [0021] of Patent Document 1, 1 and 2). The flat plate portions 18b at both ends of the connecting bar 18 are fixed to the inner side wall portion 3b of the support bracket 3 with bolts, whereby the left and right supporting brackets 3 are integrally connected by the connecting bar 18. When viewed from the side of the vehicle, the connecting bar 18 is arranged so as to extend obliquely downward from the flat plate portion 18b and then pass below the rear end portion 9a of the fuel tank 9.

JP, 2016-120765, A

  In the rear suspension, when the vehicle turns, an input (lateral force) in the vehicle width direction acts from the wheels to displace the suspension arm in the left-right direction, and a load is input to the inner wall of the bracket that supports the front end of the suspension arm. . For example, when turning left, a leftward lateral force acts on the left and right rear wheels to displace the suspension arm in the left direction, and the front end of the right suspension arm on the outer wheel side presses the inner wall portion of the bracket. A load is input to the right bracket inward in the vehicle width direction. Further, when the vehicle turns, a roll occurs and the left and right suspension arms move up and down in opposite phases. Specifically, the outer wheel side strokes downward and the inner wheel side strokes upward. Therefore, when the vehicle turns, not only the load in the vehicle width direction is input from the suspension arm to the bracket, but also the load in the vertical direction is input. Depending on the load input when the vehicle is turning, the steering stability may be deteriorated, such as the bracket deforming and opening. Therefore, from the viewpoint of improving the steering stability, it is desired to suppress the deformation of the bracket with respect to the load input when the vehicle turns.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a reinforcement structure for a rear suspension that can effectively suppress the deformation of the bracket with respect to a load input when the vehicle turns.

  Patent Document 1 proposes to suppress deformation of the bracket due to load input in the vehicle width direction by disposing a connecting bar as a reinforcing member between the left and right brackets and connecting both brackets by the connecting bar. . The present inventors have found that by devising the shape of the reinforcing member attached between the left and right brackets, the deformation of the bracket can be more effectively suppressed with respect to the load input when the vehicle turns.

  The present inventors pay attention to the input direction of the load acting on the reinforcing member when the vehicle turns, and propose to set the shape of the reinforcing member based on the load input direction when the vehicle turns. As described above, when the vehicle turns, the load in the vehicle width direction and the load in the vertical direction can be input. The present inventors earnestly studied the load input direction when turning the vehicle, and obtained the following findings. Strictly speaking, the load input direction in the vehicle width direction is not parallel to the vehicle width direction and is inclined inward in the vehicle width direction toward the rear of the vehicle in a plan view. On the other hand, strictly speaking, the load input direction in the up-down direction is inclined in the rear view. Then, both ends of the reinforcing member are bent to form inclined portions so as to coincide with the load input directions when the vehicle turns, so that it is possible to correspond to the respective load input directions. As a result, the rigidity of the reinforcing member against the load input when turning the vehicle can be further increased, and the deformation of the bracket can be effectively suppressed.

  The present invention has been made based on the above findings. The present invention will be described below.

The reinforcement structure of the rear suspension according to one aspect of the present invention is
A rear suspension reinforcement structure that suspends the left and right rear wheels of the vehicle from the vehicle body,
Left and right suspension arms extending in the vehicle front-rear direction,
Left and right brackets that are attached to the lower portion of the vehicle body and have an inner wall portion and an outer wall portion that sandwich and support the front end portion of each suspension arm from the inside and outside in the vehicle width direction,
A reinforcing member attached so as to be bridged between the both brackets,
The reinforcing member is
Both ends connected to each of the brackets,
An intermediate portion arranged in the vehicle rear side and above the both end portions and extending in the vehicle width direction,
Positioned between the both end portions and the intermediate portion, and having an inclined portion that inclines inward in the vehicle width direction toward the vehicle rear from the both end portions and inclines obliquely upward,
The inclination angle of each of the inclined portions is set to an angle range that matches the load input direction when the vehicle turns.

  The reinforcing structure of the rear suspension includes a reinforcing member between the left and right brackets, and in the reinforcing member, an intermediate portion is arranged rearward and upward of the vehicle with respect to both end portions, and is inclined between the both end portions and the intermediate portion. The part inclines inward in the vehicle width direction from both ends toward the rear of the vehicle and inclines obliquely upward. Then, the inclination angle of the inclined portion is set to an angle range that matches the load input direction when the vehicle turns. That is, when the load is input when the vehicle turns, the inclined portion is inclined so as to match the load input direction in the vehicle width direction and the vertical direction, and can receive the load input in each direction substantially vertically. is there. Therefore, since the reinforcing member has the inclined portion that is inclined in the specific direction, the rigidity of the reinforcing member against the load input when the vehicle turns can be significantly increased. Therefore, according to the reinforcing structure of the rear suspension, the reinforcing member can effectively suppress the deformation of the bracket with respect to the load input when the vehicle turns. As a result, opening of the bracket can be effectively suppressed, and steering stability can be improved. The opening of the opening of the bracket means that the inner wall portion of the bracket is deformed inward in the vehicle width direction so that the opening formed between the inner wall portion and the outer wall portion is opened.

  Further, according to the reinforcing structure of the rear suspension, the rigidity of the reinforcing member against the load input when the vehicle turns can be increased, so that the material of the reinforcing member can be made low in strength and inexpensive, and the thickness of the reinforcing member ( It is possible to reduce the cost and the weight of the reinforcing member, such as reducing the diameter.

1 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of a rear suspension to which a reinforcement structure for a rear suspension according to Embodiment 1 is applied. 1 is a schematic partial plan view of a main part of a reinforcement structure for a rear suspension according to a first embodiment as viewed from above a vehicle. FIG. 3 is a schematic partial rear view of a main part of the reinforcement structure for the rear suspension according to the first embodiment as viewed from the rear of the vehicle. 1A and 1B show the entire reinforcing member included in the reinforcing structure for a rear suspension according to the first embodiment, FIG. 1A being a schematic plan view seen from above, and FIG.

  A reinforcement structure for a rear suspension according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The same reference numerals in the drawings indicate the same names. In the following description, “front”, “rear”, “top”, “bottom”, “left”, “right” means the direction in which the front of the vehicle is “front” and this is the reference. In the figure, arrow FR is the front side in the vehicle front-rear direction, arrow RR is the rear side, arrow LH is the left side in the vehicle left-right direction (vehicle width direction), arrow RH is the right side, arrow UP is the upper side in the vehicle up-down direction, arrow LWR. Indicates the lower side.

[Embodiment 1]
A reinforcing structure for a rear suspension according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. In the first embodiment, an example in which this reinforcing structure is applied to the rear suspension 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 will be described. The rear suspension 10 is arranged on the lower rear side of the vehicle body 2 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) and suspends the left and right rear wheels 3 on the vehicle body 2. The rear suspension 10 includes left and right suspension arms 11 extending in the vehicle front-rear direction. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a front end portion 110 of each suspension arm 11 has left and right brackets 20 attached to a lower portion of the vehicle body 2. It is swingably supported via. One of the features of the reinforcing structure of the first embodiment is that, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the reinforcing member 30 is attached so as to be bridged between the left and right brackets 20, and the reinforcing member 30 has a specific structure. It has a shape. Since the lower structure of the vehicle body 2 to which the rear suspension 10 is attached is substantially a symmetrical structure, only the right side portion is shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and the left side portion is omitted.

(Rear suspension)
The rear suspension 10 shown in FIG. 1 is a trailing arm type suspension, and includes left and right suspension arms 11 extending in the vehicle front-rear direction, and a torsion beam 12 extending in the vehicle width direction and connecting the left and right suspension arms 11. The torsion beam 12 is provided so as to connect the intermediate portions of the left and right suspension arms 11 to each other. The front end portions 110 of the left and right suspension arms 11 are formed in a tubular shape, and a bush 111 having a shaft hole is press-fitted therein. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the front end portion 110 of each suspension arm 11 is inserted into the left and right brackets 20 attached to the lower portion of the vehicle body 2, and the bolts 25 are inserted into the axial holes (see FIG. 1) of the bush 111. By being inserted through and fastened to the bracket 20, it is swingably connected to the bracket 20. A wheel mounting portion 13 is provided at a rear end portion of the suspension arm 11, the rear wheel 3 is mounted thereon, and a shock absorber such as a shock absorber 14 or a coil spring 15 is mounted. In this example, as the rear suspension 10, the structure having the torsion beam 12 is exemplified, but the structure is not particularly limited as long as the suspension arm 11 is structured to be swingably attached to the vehicle body 2.

(Substructure of the car body)
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the vehicle body 2 includes left and right rear side members 4 extending in the vehicle front-rear direction, and a bracket 20 is attached below each rear side member 4. A rear floor panel 5 (see FIG. 3) is arranged above the rear side members 4. A rocker 6 is arranged outside each rear side member 4 in the vehicle width direction, and the rocker 6 is fixed to the outer side surface of the rear side member 4 by welding.

(bracket)
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the bracket 20 is a member that swingably supports the front end 110 of the suspension arm 11, and supports the front end 110 of the suspension arm 11 by sandwiching the front end 110 from inside and outside in the vehicle width direction. It has an inner wall portion 21 and an outer wall portion 22. The lower side and the rear side of the bracket 20 are open between the inner wall portion 21 and the outer wall portion 22 so that the front end portion 110 of the suspension arm 11 can be inserted.

  The inner wall portion 21 and the outer wall portion 22 are formed by processing a plate material made of steel, for example. An upper wall portion 21u is formed at the upper end portion of the inner wall portion 21 by bending outward in the vehicle width direction, and a flange portion 21f is formed at the lower end portion of the inner wall portion 21 by bending inward in the vehicle width direction. . On the other hand, an upper wall portion 22u is formed at the upper end portion of the outer wall portion 22 by being bent inward in the vehicle width direction, and a flange portion 22f is formed at the lower end portion of the outer wall portion 22 by being bent outward in the vehicle width direction. ing. The bracket 20 is fixed by welding the upper wall portions 21u and 22u of the inner wall portion 21 and the outer wall portion 22 to the lower surface of the rear side member 4.

(Reinforcing member)
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the reinforcing member 30 is mounted so as to be bridged between the left and right brackets 20 and has both end portions 31 connected to the brackets 20 and an intermediate portion 32 extending in the vehicle width direction. , And an inclined portion 33 located between both end portions 31 and the intermediate portion 32 (see also FIG. 4). The reinforcing member 30 is formed, for example, by processing a steel pipe material, and as shown in FIG. 4, the intermediate portion 32 bulges toward the vehicle rear side in plan view (see FIG. 4A), and In a rear view (see FIG. 4B), the intermediate portion 32 is formed so as to bulge toward the vehicle upper side. In this example, the reinforcing member 30 is formed of a pipe material, but the reinforcing member 30 may be a plate material or a bar material.

  Both end portions 31 are formed in a flat plate shape by press working or the like, are arranged below each bracket 20, and are fixed to the lower end portions of the inner wall portion 21 and the outer wall portion 22 via braces 40 described later. The intermediate portion 32 is arranged rearward and upward of the vehicle with respect to both end portions 31, and the inclined portion 33 is inclined inward in the vehicle width direction from both end portions 31 toward the vehicle rear and is inclined obliquely upward.

  The inclination angle of each inclined portion 33 is set to an angle range that matches the load input direction when the vehicle turns. The load input direction at the time of vehicle turning means the load input direction at the time of average load by obtaining the average value (average load) of the loads acting on the reinforcing member 30 at the time of vehicle turning. The load input direction when the vehicle turns will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. In FIG. 2, the bold arrow indicates the turning direction (counterclockwise turning). For example, when turning left, a leftward lateral force is input to the left and right rear wheels 3 (see FIG. 1), and the front end 110 of the suspension arm 11 presses the inner wall portion 21 of the bracket 20 on the right side which is the outer wheel side. Thus, the load is input inward in the vehicle width direction. The load input direction in the vehicle width direction at this time is, as shown by the white arrow in FIG. 2, inclined inward in the vehicle width direction toward the rear of the vehicle in a plan view, and the inclination angle a with respect to the vehicle width direction is 5 ° or more. It is 15 ° or less, and more specifically around 10 °. In addition, when the vehicle makes a left turn, a roll is generated, and the right side, which is the outer ring side, makes a downward stroke, so that the load is input downward. The load input direction in the vertical direction at this time is, as shown by the white arrow in FIG. 3, obliquely inclined in the rear view, and the inclination angle b with respect to the vehicle width direction is 5 ° or more and 15 ° or less, more specifically. Is around 10 °. It should be noted that when turning right, the directions of the load input direction in the vehicle width direction and the vertical direction are opposite.

  The inclined portion 33 is inclined so as to correspond to the load input direction in the vehicle width direction and the vertical direction. Specifically, in plan view (see FIG. 4 (A)), the angle α of the inclined portion 33 with respect to the virtual straight line L1 parallel to the vehicle width direction toward the vehicle rear side toward the vehicle rear side is 5 ° or more. The angle is set to 15 ° or less, preferably about 10 °. Further, in the rear view (see FIG. 4B), the upwardly inclined angle β of the inclined portion 33 with respect to the virtual straight line L2 parallel to the vehicle width direction is set to 5 ° or more and 15 ° or less, preferably about 10 °. Has been done.

(Brace)
In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, a brace 40 that connects the left and right brackets 20 and the left and right rear side members 4 is provided. The brace 40 is provided on each of the left and right brackets 20. The brace 40 is provided so as to extend from the brackets 20 toward the front of the vehicle, and has a rear end portion 41 that is coupled to the bracket 20 and a front end portion 42 (see FIG. 2) that is coupled to the rear side member 4. The brace 40 is formed by processing a plate material made of steel, for example.

  In this example, as shown in FIG. 3, the rear end portion 41 of the brace 40 is disposed so as to straddle the lower opening of the bracket 20, and the flange portions 21f and 22f of the inner wall portion 21 and the outer wall portion 22 are bolted 45. By being fastened, they are fixed to the lower end portions of the inner wall portion 21 and the outer wall portion 22. The rear end 41 is interposed between the bracket 20 and the end 31 of the reinforcing member 30, and the end 31 of the reinforcing member 30 is fastened to the lower surface of the rear end 41 with a bolt 35. That is, both ends 31 of the reinforcing member 30 are fixed to the lower ends of the inner wall portion 21 and the outer wall portion 22 so as to straddle the lower opening of the bracket 20 via the brace 40.

  Further, in this example, as shown in FIG. 2, the front end portion 42 of the brace 40 is bifurcated in the vehicle width direction, one of which is fixed to the lower surface of the rear side member 4 by a bolt 46 and the other of which is a rear cross member. It is fixed to the lower surface of 7 with bolts 47.

<Effect>
The reinforcing structure of Embodiment 1 described above has the following effects.
(1) Since the reinforcing member 30 is provided between the left and right brackets 20 and the both brackets 20 are connected by the reinforcing member 30, the reinforcing member 30 receives the load input at the time of turning the vehicle. The deformation of the bracket 20 can be suppressed. In particular, since the reinforcing member 30 has the inclined portion 33 that inclines in a specific direction, and the inclination angle of the inclined portion 33 is set to an angle range that matches the load input direction, the load input is received substantially vertically. be able to. Therefore, the rigidity of the reinforcing member 30 against a load input when the vehicle turns can be significantly increased, and the deformation of the bracket 20 can be effectively suppressed. As a result, it is possible to effectively suppress opening of the bracket 20 such that the opening formed on the lower side of the bracket 20 expands, and it is possible to improve steering stability. Further, since the rigidity of the reinforcing member 30 against a load input when the vehicle is turning can be increased, the material of the reinforcing member 30 can be inexpensive and low in strength, and the thickness (diameter) of the reinforcing member 30 can be reduced. As a result, the cost and weight of the reinforcing member 30 can be reduced.

  (2) The brace 40 is attached to each of the left and right brackets 20, and the bracket 20 is joined to the rear side member 4 by the brace 40. Therefore, the load input acting on the bracket 20 from the suspension arm 11 can be efficiently transmitted to the rear side member 4 via the brace 40, and the load input from the suspension arm 11 can be received by the rear side member 4. As a result, the rigidity of the bracket 20 with respect to the load input can be increased and the deformation of the bracket 20 can be suppressed more effectively than in the case of the bracket 20 alone, so that the steering stability can be further improved.

  (3) Further, since the rear end portion 41 of the brace 40 is fixed to the lower end portions of the inner wall portion 21 and the outer wall portion 22 so as to straddle the lower opening of the bracket 20, the opening of the bracket 20 is more effective. Can be suppressed. Further, since the front end portion 42 of the brace 40 is bifurcated in the vehicle width direction and is fixed to the lower portion of the vehicle body 2 (the rear side member 4 and the rear cross member 7 in this example), the load in the vehicle width direction is formed. The rigidity with respect to the input can be further increased.

  The present invention is not limited to these examples, but is defined by the claims, and is intended to include meanings equivalent to the claims and all modifications within the scope.

  For example, in the above-described first embodiment, the case where the both end portions 31 of the reinforcing member 30 are fixed so as to straddle the lower opening of the bracket 20 via the brace 40 has been described as an example. However, the brace 40 may not be provided. When the brace 40 is not provided, both end portions 31 of the reinforcing member 30 are arranged so as to straddle the lower openings of the left and right brackets 20 and fastened with the bolts 45 to the flange portions 21f and 22f of the inner wall portion 21 and the outer wall portion 22. By doing so, fixing to the lower ends of the inner wall portion 21 and the outer wall portion 22 can be mentioned. As a result, the end 31 of the reinforcing member 30 is fixed so as to straddle the lower opening of the bracket 20, so that opening of the bracket 20 can be effectively suppressed. Further, the rear end 41 of the brace 40 and the end 31 of the reinforcing member 30 may be fixed so as to straddle the lower opening of the bracket 20, respectively, and in this case, the opening of the bracket 20 is suppressed more effectively. it can.

2 Car body 3 Rear wheel 4 Rear side member 5 Rear floor panel 6 Rocker 7 Rear cross member 10 Rear suspension (Trailing arm type suspension)
11 Suspension arm (trailing arm)
110 Front End Part 111 Bushing 12 Torsion Beam 13 Wheel Attachment Part 14 Shock Absorber 15 Coil Spring 20 Bracket 21 Inner Wall Part 21u Upper Wall Part 21f Flange Part 22 Outer Wall Part 22u Upper Wall Part 22f Flange Part 25 Bolt 30 Reinforcing Member 31 End Part 32 Middle Part 33 inclined part 35 bolt 40 brace 41 rear end part 42 front end part 45, 46, 47 bolt

Claims (1)

A rear suspension reinforcement structure that suspends the left and right rear wheels of the vehicle from the vehicle body,
Left and right suspension arms extending in the vehicle front-rear direction,
Left and right brackets that are attached to the lower portion of the vehicle body and have an inner wall portion and an outer wall portion that sandwich and support the front end portion of each suspension arm from the inside and outside in the vehicle width direction,
A reinforcing member attached so as to be bridged between the both brackets,
The reinforcing member is
Both ends connected to each of the brackets,
An intermediate portion arranged in the vehicle rear side and above the both end portions and extending in the vehicle width direction,
Positioned between the both end portions and the intermediate portion, and having an inclined portion that inclines inward in the vehicle width direction toward the vehicle rear from the both end portions and inclines obliquely upward,
The inclination angle of each of the inclined portions is set to an angle range that matches the load input direction when the vehicle turns ,
The both end portions are fixed to the lower end portions of the inner wall portion and the outer wall portion so as to straddle the lower opening of each bracket,
A rear suspension reinforcement structure in which a direction in which the both ends cross the lower opening of each bracket and a direction in which the respective inclined parts extend from the both ends are set in a straight line when viewed from above the vehicle .

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