JPH02283509A - Macpherson strut type suspension - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable erbitral variation in a camper angle according to a slide amount so as to enable arbitral setting of lightness or heaviness of steering as well as straight running in a macpharson strut typo suspension for front suspension of vehicle by providing at an upper end of strut a sliding mechanism sliding in the left and right directions of car body, and allowing its arbitral sliding. CONSTITUTION:Hydraulic oil is actuated to hydraulic power cylinder to push a car body to the outward so that a rod 3 of a strut power 6 pushes a strut 1 through a pillow ball 2. The strut 1 then slides to the outside of the car body together with a casing along a side rail 8 while compressing a resilient body 11. Consequently, the inclination angle of the strut 1 varies and also the camper of front wheel changes to zero camper and further to positive camper from negative camper. It is thus possible to provide optimum camper and caster in accordance with road conditions, running conditions, preference and the like.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a MacPherson strut type suspension applied to the front suspension of a vehicle, and in particular to a MacPherson strut type suspension that actively changes camber or caster by sliding the upper end of the strut. Regarding type suspension.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, front-wheel drive vehicles have become mainstream, especially in small passenger cars, which have a monocoque body and employ strut-type suspensions on the front wheels. This front suspension is generally called a MacPherson strut type suspension, and as shown in Figure 3, it uses a strut 1' with a built-in shock absorber as part of the suspension link, and a sliding pillar that also serves as a steering kingpin. It is a combination of a transverse link and a transverse link, and has a simple structure, is lightweight, and is advantageous in terms of space.

Incidentally, since the front suspension is also connected to a steering device that determines the direction of travel of the vehicle, it has a close relationship not only with ride comfort but also with driving stability and steering characteristics. For this reason, a certain relationship is required when installing the front wheel, and the angular relationship between the front wheel and the vehicle body and other related parts, such as camber, caster, toe and kingpin angles, has great significance, and these are collectively referred to as This is called wheel alignment. And in the MacPherson strut type suspension,
As shown in FIGS. 4 to 7, a strut 1' whose upper end is fixed with a nut or the like maintains the wheel alignment at an appropriate value.

For example, when the front wheel is viewed from the front side of the vehicle body, the angle α between the wheel center ICT and the vertical IL, that is, the camber, is the inverted V-shaped state (Fig. 4) in which the upper part of the tire is tilted toward the outside of the vehicle body. This is called positive camber, and although the steering becomes lighter, the straightness decreases. However, when the top of the tire is tilted toward the inside of the vehicle (engine side) in a V-shape (Figure 6), this condition is called negative camber, and it improves straight-line performance and provides better footing when turning. Instead, the steering becomes heavier.

Please note that the wheel center [state B where CT and vertical line coincide]
(Fig. 5) is called zero camber, and its characteristics are intermediate between positive camber and negative camber. In addition, as shown in Fig. 7, the angle β between the strut center line C8 and the vertical line when the front wheel is viewed from the side of the vehicle body.
is called caster, and the larger the caster, the stronger the straightness and heavier the steering.

On the other hand, the smaller the caster, the lighter the steering and the weaker the straightness.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention As mentioned above, camber and caster, which have a large effect on driving stability and steering characteristics, change depending on the load conditions, but since the upper end of the strut is fixed, they remain constant, so there are no conflicting effects. It was difficult to achieve both of these characteristics at a high level. In particular, MacPherson strut type suspension has more ground camber than double wishbone type suspension, and when cornering, the suspension on the bump side becomes positive camber, weakening the pedal effort, so cornering performance tends to be poor. As a countermeasure to this problem, the roll rigidity of the suspension has been increased and negative camber has been adopted in advance, but these have had the disadvantage of worsening ride comfort, sudden changes in steering stability, and causing uneven tire wear.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a MacPherson strut type suspension that is optimal according to driving conditions by applying an input to the upper end of the strut to cause it to slide and actively changing the camber or caster.

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention solves the above problems, and provides a MacPherson strut type suspension in which the upper part of the strut containing a built-in shock absorber is fixed to the vehicle body and used as a part of the suspension link. an input means for lateral direction of the vehicle body connected to the upper end of the strut;
a slide mechanism that supports the strut in a slidable manner in the left-right direction of the vehicle; the upper end of the strut receiving input from the input means is guided by the slide mechanism and slides in the left-right direction of the vehicle; This is a MacPherson strut type suspension characterized by a structure in which the camber changes to an arbitrary angle depending on the amount of slide.

According to the above-described means, the upper end of the strut that receives input is guided by the slide mechanism and slides in the left-right direction or the front-back direction of the vehicle body, thereby changing the angle.

Therefore, when the strut slides to the left and right of the vehicle body, the camber also changes, and when the strut slides to the front and rear of the vehicle body, the caster also changes. etc.

Embodiment An embodiment of the MacPherson strut type suspension according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. A rod 3 is connected to the strut 1, and a slide mechanism 5 provided on a strut upper support 4 supports the strut 1 so as to be slidable in the left-right direction of the vehicle body. The rod 3 serving as the input means may be slid in conjunction with, for example, a hydraulic power cylinder (not shown), and the input to the upper end of the strut l is adjusted by hydraulic control using a relief valve or an actuator. In this embodiment, the strut tower par 6 is used as an outer case, and a hydraulic power cylinder is provided inside. However, there are many MacPherson strut type suspensions without the strut tower bar 6, and the present invention is not limited thereto. next,
As the slide mechanism 5, the strut upper support 4
A rectangular strut through hole 7 is provided in the strut through hole 7, and a pair of slide rails 8 facing the side walls of the strut through hole 7 are formed. On the other hand, on the strut 1 side, a cylindrical bearing 9 is provided to smoothly support the rotation of the strut l due to steering.
and slide together as one. Furthermore, an elastic body 11 such as rubber or a spring is attached to the strut through hole 7 at a position to receive and stop the strut l that slides in response to the input from the rod 3. It is configured to push back the strut l. Note that 12 is a coil spring, 13 is a spring seat, and 14 is a bolt hole for mounting on the vehicle body.

According to the above-mentioned MacPherson strut type suspension, when hydraulic pressure is applied to the hydraulic power cylinder (not shown) and the rod 3 is pushed outward toward the vehicle body, the rod 3 is moved to the bellow ball 2.
The strut l is pushed through the elastic body 1.
1 is compressed and guided along the slide rail 8 together with the casing 10 to slide toward the outside of the vehicle body. Therefore, at the same time as the inclination angle of the strut l changes, the camber of the front wheels also changes from negative camber to zero camber and positive camber, and the steering becomes lighter, resulting in a light steering feeling.

Furthermore, when the hydraulic pressure acting on the hydraulic power cylinder is reduced, the rod 3 and strut 1 are pushed back by the elastic body 11 and slide inward of the vehicle body, changing from positive camber to zero camber and negative camber. Therefore, although the steering becomes heavier, straight-line performance is improved, making the suspension suitable for high-speed driving. In this way, by making camber variable, which has contradictory effects on steering and straight-line performance, it becomes possible to change suspension settings depending on driving conditions and driver preference. The suspension can be slid to create a suspension with high straightness, and when driving at normal medium to low speeds, it can be set to zero camber or positive camber to give priority to light steering. Alternatively, since camber also changes depending on the load conditions acting on the suspension, a computer processes data input from various sensors such as a vehicle speed sensor to control oil pressure. It will also be possible to create a sliding suspension that improves handling while also ensuring ride comfort.

Furthermore, by changing the sliding direction of the upper end of the strut l from the left-right direction of the vehicle body to the front-rear direction, caster becomes variable instead of camber. Therefore, when driving straight, the oil pressure is lowered and the strut l is tilted backwards to improve straight-line stability as a high caster, and when cornering, the oil pressure is increased to bring the strut l closer to vertical, and as a low caster, the steering is lightened and turning performance is improved. It can also be improved.

Note that the input means and slide mechanism can be configured by combining electric actuators, gears, etc. instead of hydraulic pressure, the rod 3, the slide rail 8, etc., and therefore the rotation of the strut 1 during steering and the angle change when sliding. Other structures having the same function may be adopted depending on the pillow ball 26 input means and slide mechanism adopted for the purpose of accommodating the above.

Effects of the Invention According to the above-mentioned invention, a MacPherson strut type suspension with variable camber or caster by sliding the struts is created, and the straightness, steering weight, etc. can be changed according to road surface conditions, driving conditions, driver preference, etc. becomes possible. Or again,
Since MacPherson strut type suspension is an independent suspension system, the camber changes depending on the load conditions, but by controlling the amount of sliding of the struts, it is possible to maintain a constant angle at all times. The use of a slide mechanism that allows the strut and bearing to slide together and the use of a pillow ball has the effect of making it possible to change camber or caster with a simple structure without interfering with strut rotation during steering operation.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the upper part of the strut showing an embodiment of the MacPherson strut type suspension according to the present invention, Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken along the line ■-■ in Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a conventional MacPherson strut type suspension. A perspective view showing an overview of the suspension. Figures 4 to 6 are diagrams for explaining camber. Figure 4 is a diagram showing positive camber, Figure 5 is a diagram showing zero camber, and Figure 6 is a diagram showing negative camber. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the caster. 1. Strut, 2. Pillow ball, 3. Rod, 4. Strut upper support, 5. Slide mechanism, 6. Strut tower bar 7. Strut through hole, 8. Slide rail, 9.・Bearing, 10・
-Casing, 11...Elastic body. (1 other person) Figure 2 Figure 4 Figure Figure Figure Figure Figure

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. In a MacPherson strut type suspension in which the upper part of a strut containing a built-in shock absorber is fixed to the vehicle body and used as a part of the suspension link, input means in the left-right direction of the vehicle body is connected to the upper end of the strut. and a slide mechanism that supports the strut so as to be slidable in the left-right direction of the vehicle body, and an upper end portion of the strut that receives input from the input means is guided by the slide mechanism and slides in the left-right direction of the vehicle body, A MacPherson strut type suspension characterized by a structure in which the camber changes to an arbitrary angle depending on the amount of sliding of the strut. 2. Claim 1 characterized in that the input direction of the input means and the sliding direction of the slide mechanism are in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, and the caster is configured to change to an arbitrary angle by sliding the upper end of the strut in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. MacPherson strut type suspension as described. 3. A slide rail that is arranged opposite to the strut through hole provided in the strut support and that engages with the casing of the bearing that rotatably supports the strut and guides the upper end of the strut in the input direction, and a slide rail that is pushed into the input means. and an elastic member that receives and compresses the upper end of the strut, and is configured such that the strut connected to the input means via a pillow ball slides in the input direction while being rotatable. The slide mechanism according to claims 1 and 2.