JPH01190511A - Vehicle suspension device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent the camber angle and the toe-in angle from varying, by providing a first wheel support member having a knuckle arm and a second wheel support arm coupled to the first wheel support member so as to be soft in the longitudinal direction but is hard in the transverse direction and having a steering wheel attaching part. CONSTITUTION:A knuckle 1 as a vehicle support member is divided in two upper and lower split knuckles 1A, 1B. A spindle 9 is projected from the lower end part of the lower split knuckle 1B, and is attached thereto with a rotatable steering wheel 10. A knuckle arm is projected from the lower end part of the upper knuckle 1A, and is connected thereto with a tie-rod 13 through the intermediary of a ball joint 7. The vehicle-widthwise outer end part of an upper suspension arm 2 is coupled to the upper end part of the upper knuckle 1A through the intermediary of a ball joint 7 while the vehicle-widthwise outer end part of a lower suspension arm 3 is connected to the lower end part of the lower knuckle 1B through a ball joint 8. In this arrangement, the upper knuckle 1A is set so as to be soft in the longitudinal direction but hard in the transverse direction.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a vehicle suspension device for supporting steered wheels.

(Prior art) A suspension device for supporting a steered wheel has a knuckle as a wheel support part supported by a suspension arm on the vehicle body so as to be movable up and down and steerable, and the knuckle is attached to the knuckle for supporting the steered wheel. is installed. The knuckle further includes a knuckle arm, and the steered wheels are steered by inputting a steering force to the knuckle arm. In terms of safety and ride comfort, it is desirable that the heavy wheels be able to move relatively easily in the longitudinal direction when subjected to longitudinal force, and conversely, the wheels do not move on their own when subjected to lateral force. It is desirable to do so. This is also required when the wheels are steered wheels.

From the point of view mentioned above, U.S. Pat.
82.065 has been proposed. In each of the above-mentioned U.S. patent specifications, the knuckle is divided into two parts, an upper divided knuckle and an upper divided knuckle, and the one-door divided knuckle is divided in the front and back direction by using an elastic member. More specifically, US Patent Specification yI4. l 55
.

566, the lower split knuckle is provided with a spindle (steering wheel attachment part) and a knuckle arm,
A connecting shaft extending inward in the vehicle width direction is formed, and the lower end of the upper split knuckle is rotatably connected to this connecting shaft. Then, the above [[
A support tube is integrally formed so as to surround the end portion of the eight-divided knuckle, and an elastic member is interposed between the support tube and the upper divided knuckle. As a result, the split knuckle can easily swing around the connecting shaft within the range of elastic deformation of the elastic member, while the upper split knuckle can oscillate at an angle of ψ with respect to the axis of the connecting shaft. It is becoming less likely to occur. In other words, the fact that the upper split knuckle is likely to swing about the connecting shaft means that the steered wheel can easily move forward and backward when subjected to longitudinal force, and the upper split knuckle is also likely to swing around the connecting shaft. The fact that the steering wheel is tilted slightly relative to the steering wheel means that the lateral movement of the steered wheels when subjected to lateral force is restricted.

Further, in the above-mentioned US Patent Specification No. 12.882.065, the upper split knuckle is divided into two parts, a 1-split knuckle and a lower split knuckle, and a spindle and a knuckle arm are provided for the lower split knuckle. Additionally, it has a connecting shaft that extends inward in the vehicle width direction. The lower end of the L-divided knuckle is rotatably connected to the connecting shaft, and a supporting portion is provided to surround the lower split knuckle from at least the front and rear directions, and the lower end portion of the L-divided knuckle is connected to the supporting portion. Elastic members are interposed between the upper splitter and the sole, that is, on both sides of the E-divided knuckle.

Thereby, U.S. Patent Specification a4. ] Similar to Nos. 55 and 566, the relative change in the lateral direction is restricted while allowing the F-divided knuckle to swing with respect to the lower-divided knuckle.

In the two U.S. patent specifications, the upper knuckles are connected to the small body through seven suspension arms, and the lower knuckles are connected to the vehicle body through the lower suspension arms.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) However, the above-mentioned conventional suspension poses a problem in that the suspension geometry, particularly the camber and toe, tend to change easily, and some kind of countermeasure is desired in this regard. A detailed explanation of these problems is as follows.2 First, the camber change will be considered. Therefore, the connection point between the upper split knuckle and the upper suspension arm is called the upper connection point, and the connection point between the lower split knuckle and the lower suspension arm is called the lower connection point. Under such a premise, when a longitudinal force acts on the steered wheel, the mounting portion (spindle) of the steered wheel is displaced so as to be offset with respect to the virtual kingpin axis connecting the upper and lower connection points. In short, such displacement causes the vertical distance between the upper and lower connecting points to become relatively small (especially the upper connecting point tends to move downward), resulting in a camber change.

Next, considering the point of toe change, when receiving a force of one order of magnitude, the lower divided knuckle with the knuckle arm will swing around the lower connection point (the offset of the subundle with respect to the virtual kingpin axis) (equivalent to the movement caused). This type of rocking ultimately results in vertical displacement of the connecting part between the knuckle arm and the tie rod, which is effectively the same result as steering, and causes a change in gear. Become.

Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to improve the suspension geometry by forming a wheel support member into two parts and connecting the two divided wheel support members so that they are soft in the longitudinal direction and hard in the lateral direction. In particular, it is an object of the present invention to provide a suspension device for a vehicle that can prevent changes in camber and toe as much as possible.

(Means and operations for solving the problems) In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention has the following configuration. That is, a first wheel support member is connected to the vehicle body via at least one pair of lower suspension arms and has a knuckle arm; and a second vehicle support member coupled thereto and having a steering wheel mounting portion.

In this way, since the first wheel support member is supported by the vehicle body by the lower F pair of suspension arms, the above-mentioned change in the vertical distance between the upper and lower connection points does not occur in fact, and camber changes are prevented. can do.

Further, since the first wheel support member is provided with a knuckle arm, the knuckle arm is prevented from swinging due to the movement of the steered wheel in the front-rear direction, and as a result, toe change is prevented. It turns out.

(Example) Examples of the present invention will be described below based on the attached drawings.

Brush "two-pronged" [Example in Figures 1 and 2. l is knuckle, this is the first
The knuckle is divided into two parts: a divided knuckle IA and a first divided knuckle IB. Of course, the knuckle 1 serves as a wheel support member, the first split knuckle serves as a first vehicle support member, and the second split knuckle serves as a second wheel support member. Further, 2 is an upper suspension arm, 3 is a lower suspension arm, and both 2 and 3 are so-called type 1 arms that extend in the vehicle width direction. An axis i! whose inner end in the river width direction extends in the front-rear direction via the elastic bush 4 or 5! , 1 or 2 is rotatably connected to the vehicle body 6.

The first split knuckle IA extends long in the vertical direction, and the outer end of the upper suspension arm 2 in the vehicle width direction connects to the first split knuckle IA via a ball joint 7 serving as an L connection point.
The lower suspension arm 3 is connected to the upper end portion and
The outer end in the vehicle width direction is connected to the lower end of the first split knuckle IA via a ball joint 8 serving as a lower connection point. In this way, the first split knuckle 1A is positioned by the pair of upper and lower suspension arms 2 and 3 so that its movement follows a predetermined trajectory against a large external force.

On the other hand, the second knuckle IB has a sufficiently short length in the vertical direction and is disposed outside the first divided knuckle 1Δ in the vehicle width direction. For such upper split knuckle IB,
A spindle 9 is provided to protrude outward in the narrow width direction, and a steered wheel 10 as a front wheel is rotatably mounted around the spindle 9 as a center of rotation.

In the embodiment, the case where the steered wheel 10 is a driven wheel is shown.

As shown in FIG. 2, the first divided knuckle IA has a knuckle arm 11 projecting forward and extending at its lower end. A tie rod 13, which constitutes a part of the mechanism, is connected.

The first divided knuckle IA and the second divided knuckle IB are connected through a connecting means 14 using an elastic member so as to be soft in the front-rear direction and hard in the lateral direction. Both side knuckles IA and I including this coupling means I4
Details of the bonding portion with B will be described below.

First, the first divided knuckle IB is the first divided knuckle IA.
It has a pair of mounting bracket parts 41 that sandwich approximately the middle part in the vertical direction from the front and back directions. The distance between the pair of bracket parts 4I in the front and back direction is set so that the pair of bracket parts 4I can move sufficiently in the front and rear directions with respect to the first split knuckle IA. Also,
The first split knuckle 1 has upper and lower ends extending in the front and rear direction at the portion where the bracket part 41 marked F is located.
It has a pair of mounting holes 42 . A bolt 43 is slidably passed through the mounting hole 42 without rattling in the radial direction.
and the nut 44, the pair of bladders and the lid 41 can move back and forth by a predetermined distance β relative to the first knuckle IA. Further, between the first split knuckle IA and each bracket part 41, a bolt 4 is provided.
An elastic material 45 made of rubber or the like is interposed between the holes 3 and 3.

Thereby, the first divided knuckle IB is set to be able to move relatively easily only in the front-rear direction with respect to the first divided knuckle IA within the range of elastic deformation of the second elastic member 45.

Note that the configuration that only allows movement of the second divided knuckle IB in the front-rear direction is the one described in the above-mentioned US patent specification, etc.
It goes without saying that any suitable structure may be adopted.

In the above configuration, when a longitudinal force (particularly an external force from the front) is input to the steered wheel 10, the second split knuckle IB changes the range of elastic deformation of the elastic member 45 with respect to the first split knuckle lΔ. This movement effectively buffers longitudinal forces and ensures riding comfort. Even if the second divided knuckle IB moves in the longitudinal direction relative to the first divided knuckle IA, Knuckle IA
Since the position remains fixed by the upper and lower suspension arms 2.3, it is difficult for the movement to change. Furthermore, since the knuckle arm 1] is formed on the first divided knuckle IA that is firmly positioned in this way, toe change due to the movement of the second divided knuckle IB in the front-rear direction is also prevented.

11. FIG. 3 shows another embodiment of the present invention, and the same components as in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals. The same applies to

In this embodiment, first, the upper and lower suspension arms 2.
3 is called. A pair of front and rear plate springs 51 is used as a coupling means to allow the second divided knuckle IB to easily move only in the front and back direction with respect to the first divided knuckle IA. It's Nishide. More specifically, the inner ends of the pair of handling springs 51 in the vehicle width direction are secured to the bolts 52 at two locations above and below with respect to the first split knuckle IA.
It is combined using . Further, the outer ends of the pair of leaf springs 51 in the vehicle width direction are connected to the second divided knuckle IB at two locations indicated by (2) above using bolts 53. And, both side knuckles IA and IB are the extraction springs 51
In the connected state, there is a slight gap in the width direction.

In the case of this embodiment, the second split knuckle IB is set so that the thickness direction is the front-rear direction by utilizing the characteristic that the release spring 51 is easy to bend in the thickness direction. This means that it can elastically move only in the front-back direction with respect to the split knuckle IA.

EXAMPLE FIG. 4 shows a third embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a strut 55 is used instead of the I-shaped arm as the upper suspension arm 2 in the embodiment shown in FIG. That is, the strut tube 5
The mounting bracket 56 integrated into the
While functioning as a split knuckle IA,
Coupling means 14 of substantially the same construction as shown in the figures.
The second split knuckle I is attached to the mounting bracket 56 via the
B is connected so that it can move only in the front and rear directions.

As is known, the strut 55 is configured to include at least a hydraulic shock absorber, and the upper end of the piston rod 55b is attached to the vehicle body 6 via a bracket 58 that includes a bearing 57. (absorbs the rotation of the strut 55 due to steering of the steering wheel 10). Incidentally, since such a strut 55 itself is well known, further detailed explanation will be omitted.

Figure 5 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, a strut 55 as shown in FIG. 4 is used as the upper suspension arm of the one shown in FIG. 3. Since the configuration of this embodiment is already clear from the description of FIGS. 3 and 4, further detailed description will be omitted.

Although the embodiments have been described above, the present invention can be similarly applied even when the rear wheels are the steering wheels (for example, in the case of a four-wheel operating device) or when the steering shaft is the drive wheel. .

(Effects of the Invention) As is clear from the above description, the present invention improves ride comfort by effectively dissipating the longitudinal force input to the steering shaft, while changing suspension geometry, especially camber and toe changes. can be prevented.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

1 and 2 show a first embodiment of the present invention, with FIG. 1 being a front view and FIG. 2 being a side view. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a second embodiment of the invention. FIG. 4 is a front view showing a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a front view showing a fourth embodiment of the present invention. 1: Knuckle (wheel support member) IA: 1st divided knuckle (first wheel support member) 1B: 2nd divided knuckle (second wheel support member) 2: Upper suspension arm 3: Lower suspension arm 55 Ni strut (upper suspension arm ) 6: Vehicle body 7. 8: Ball joint 9 Nisbisitor (steering wheel attachment part) 10: Steering shaft 14: Coupling means 4I: Mounting bracket part 42: Mounting hole 43: Bolt 44: Nut 45: Elastic material 51: Leaf spring (Elastic material) 52.53: Bolt Figure 2 Figure 4

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A first wheel support member that is connected to the vehicle body via at least a pair of upper and lower suspension arms and has a knuckle arm; and a first wheel support member that is coupled to the wheel support member so as to be soft in the longitudinal direction and hard in the lateral direction. A suspension device for a vehicle, comprising: a second wheel support member having a steering wheel mounting portion;