JPH03153410A - Suspension for steering wheel of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To efficiently suppress the displacement of wheels in the longitudinal direction and in the vehicle width direction at the time of steering by constituting a lower link system or an upper link system with a pair of front and rear arms, and setting the distance between outer ends of a pair of arms smaller than the distance between inner ends. CONSTITUTION:A knuckle arm 3 protruded backward is formed on a knuckle 2 rotatably supporting a wheel 1, and the outer end of a tie rod 4 is fitted at the rear end of the knuckle arm 3. A lower link system, constituted of a lateral arm 6 arranged nearly in the vehicle width direction between the lower section of the knuckle 2 and a vehicle body and a compression arm 7 located behind it, is provided. A ball point B pivotally fitting the arm 6 and the knuckle 2 is arranged on the outside and front in the vehicle width direction of a ball joint F pivotally fitting the arm 7 and the knuckle 2 so that the line segment connecting B and F is set backward and inward with respect to the running direction. The joint B is arranged nearer to the center of the wheel than the joint F.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to improvements in suspensions for steered wheels used in vehicles such as automobiles.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, as a suspension for steered wheels of a vehicle, one disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 58-42042 is known.

In this conventional example, the lower link that supports the knuckle, which rotatably supports the wheel, on the vehicle body is composed of a pair of front and rear arms, respectively. A virtual kingpin axis of the suspension is defined by a straight line connecting the specified instantaneous center point of the lower link and the center of the upper mount of the strut, and the virtual kingpin axis is set on the wheel center side. (7) In this conventional example, both arms are arranged so that the line connecting the ball joints provided at the outer ends of the two arms is inclined vertically and diagonally in the same direction as the virtual kingpin axis when viewed from the side of the vehicle body. By arranging the ball joint, displacement of the wheels in the vehicle width direction during steering is suppressed, thereby preventing an increase in the steering force.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, the conventional method described above is essentially a method of suppressing the displacement of the wheels in the vehicle width direction during steering by setting the distance between the outer ends of the two arms small. However, it was not possible to efficiently suppress the longitudinal displacement of the wheels during steering. For this reason, in the conventional example above, the wheel house of the vehicle body must be set larger than that of a general vehicle in which the virtual kingpin axis is fixedly set, which reduces the space efficiency of the entire vehicle and There was a problem with sexual deterioration.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention has been devised to solve the above problems, and includes an alignment unit consisting of a pair of front and rear arms between a knuckle that rotatably supports a wheel and a vehicle body. <In a suspension for steered wheels of a vehicle provided with a link system or a lower link system, the pair of arms have inner ends pivoted to the vehicle body, outer ends pivoted to the knuckle, and a distance between the outer ends. It is set smaller than the distance between the inner ends, and
In the straight-ahead position of the wheel, one arm is arranged substantially in the vehicle width direction when viewed from above the vehicle body, and the other arm is arranged at an angle to the vehicle width direction, and a line segment connects the outer ends of both arms. Both arms are arranged so that the arm is inclined in the direction in which the other arm is inclined with respect to the vehicle width direction, and the outer end of the - side arm is closer to the wheel than the outer end of the other arm when viewed from above the vehicle body. A suspension for a steering axle of a vehicle, characterized in that the suspension is disposed near the central axis of the vehicle.

(Function) According to the present invention, the upper link system or the lower link system is composed of a pair of front and rear arms, and the inner end of the pair of arms is pivotally connected to the vehicle body side, and the outer end is pivotally connected to the knuckle. Since the distance between the outer ends is set smaller than the distance between the inner ends, the virtual kingpin axis is approximately defined by the intersection (instantaneous center point) of the extension lines of both arms as seen from above the vehicle body. .

Particularly in the present invention, when viewed from above the vehicle body in the straight-ahead position of the wheels, one arm is disposed substantially in the vehicle width direction, and the other arm is disposed at an angle with respect to the vehicle width direction, and both arms Both arms are arranged so that the line segment connecting the outer ends of the two arms is inclined in the direction in which the other arm is inclined with respect to the vehicle width direction. The swing of the arm is extremely small. When viewed from above the vehicle body, the outer end of one arm is located closer to the center axis of the wheel than the outer end of the other arm, and because the displacement of the outer end of this one arm is small, the front and rear inversions of the vehicle are prevented. This reduces the movement of the wheels in the vehicle width direction.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described in detail based on the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a steering wheel suspension according to the present invention, and as shown in FIG.
is rotatably supported. A knuckle arm 3 that protrudes rearward is formed on the knuckle 2, and the outer end of a tie rod 4 is pivotally connected to the rear end of the knuckle arm 3 via a ball joint H, and the tie rod 4 is connected to a steering gear box (not shown). is connected to the output section of the motor via a joint T. Therefore, the steering output of the steering gear box is input to the knuckle 2 via the tie rod 4.

Between the lower part of the knuckle 2 and the vehicle body, there is a lateral arm 6 arranged substantially in the vehicle width direction, and a compression arm 7 located behind the lateral arm 6 and extending rearward and inward from the knuckle 2 side. A lower link system is provided. The outer end of the compression arm 7 is pivotally connected to the lower part of the knuckle 2 via a ball joint F,
Also, the inner end of the compression arm 7 is equipped with a rubber bushing G.
It is pivotally connected to the vehicle body via. On the other hand, the outer end of the lateral arm 6 is pivotally connected to the lower part of the knuckle 2 via a ball joint (B), and this ball joint (B) is arranged forward and outward in the vehicle width direction from the pole joint (F). There is. The inner end of the lateral arm 6 is pivotally connected to the vehicle body via a rubber pusher LA, and the spring constant of the rubber bush is set to be larger than that of the rubber bush G.

The upper part of the knuckle 2 is fixed to the lower part of the strut 8,
The upper end of this strut 8 is supported by the vehicle body. Note that an axle is connected to the center of the knuckle 2 so that driving force input from the engine is transmitted to the wheels l.

Figure 2 schematically shows the plan view of Figure 1.
Here, FIG. 2 corresponds to the left suspension, contrary to FIG. 1. 3 and 4 are a rear view and a side view corresponding to FIG. 2, respectively.

As shown in Figure 2, in the lower link system, pole join) B is located outward and forward in the vehicle width direction from pole join) F when viewed from above the vehicle body, and pole joins) B and F are The connecting line segments are set to point backward and inward with respect to the running direction. In other words, the arrangement is such that the line segment connecting pole joins B and F is inclined in the same direction as the suspension arm 7 with respect to the vehicle width direction. Also, pole join)
B is placed at a longitudinal position that approximately corresponds to the longitudinal position of the wheel center O when viewed from the vehicle body - L, and pole joint (F) is placed at the rear and inward of the vehicle body from the ball joint B, so that Pole join in both the vehicle width direction) B is more pole join) Wheel center O than F
They are located nearby.

On the other hand, in the lower link system, the instantaneous center point K, which is the intersection of the extension lines of the lateral arm 6 and the compression arm 7, which becomes the instantaneous rotation center of the link system and approximately defines the virtual kingpin axis, is from the center 0 of the wheel l. It is located slightly inward in the vehicle width direction. A virtual kingpin axis is set by a straight line connecting this momentary center point and the center of the vehicle body support point of the upper end C of the strut 8 described above. This allows the virtual kingpin axis to be set closer to the wheel center than in a normal strut suspension, making it possible to reduce the kingpin offset at the wheel center.

In the above description, the definition of the virtual kingpin axis has been described approximately, but the virtual kingpin axis is more accurately defined at both end points A of the lateral arm 6.

An extension of the triangular plane defined by connecting B and the center point C of the upper end of the strut 8, and an extension of the triangular plane defined by connecting the end points F and G of the compression arm 7 and the center point C of the upper end of the strut 8. Defined by the line of intersection with the surface. In the case of the above embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the lateral arm 6, the compression arm 7,
and pole join) B and F are arranged at substantially the same height, so the approximate description above allows a substantially accurate virtual kingpin axis to be known.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained.

First, to explain the basic action of the above suspension, the lower link system is composed of the lateral arm 6 and the compression arm 7, so the longitudinal force acting on the wheel 1 is supported by the compression arm 7, and the lateral force acting on the wheel 1 is The force is supported by the lateral arm 6, and the force applied to the wheel 1 can be efficiently distributed and supported by each arm. Since the spring constant of the rubber bush A provided on the lateral arm 6 is set larger than the spring constant of the rubber bush G provided on the compression arm 7, the rigidity against lateral force is high and stable steering stability is ensured. At the same time, since the rigidity against longitudinal force is set relatively low, the riding comfort when riding over a protrusion is improved.

In addition, since the virtual kingpin axis is set by the instantaneous center point K of the lower link system, the kingpin offset at the wheel center 0 can be reduced compared to a numerical strut type suspension, and the kingpin offset at the wheel center 0 can be reduced.
The moment force acting around the virtual kingpin axis is reduced by the driving force and engine braking force acting on the steering wheel, and it is possible to suppress changes in the steering force or steering force in response to changes in the driving and braking forces.

In addition, the lateral arm 6 and the suspension arm 7
Ball joint B provided at the outer end of.

Since F is arranged at the same height position, the lower link support part of knuckle 2 can be contiguously and compactly assembled, and the machining accuracy and manufacturing ease of the lower link support part can be achieved. This is also advantageous in terms of securing strength and rigidity.

Next, the effect when the wheel is steered will be explained based on FIG. The state will be as shown by the broken line in the figure. In other words, the pole join) F is largely displaced toward the rear and outside of the vehicle (F
However, the ball joint) B is only slightly displaced (bout) to the rear of the vehicle body. Further, when the wheel 1 becomes the inner wheel of the turn (in the illustrated case, the wheel 1 is steered to the left), the lower link system is in the state shown by the dashed line in FIG. 2. i.e. pole join)F
is largely displaced (Fin) toward the front and inward of the vehicle,
Ball joint B is extremely slightly displaced toward the rear of the vehicle (B
in) only.

The displacement of pole join B, which is located closer to the wheel center O than pole join F, will have a large effect on the displacement of wheel 1, but as mentioned above, the displacement of pole join B when steering the wheels Since the displacement in the width direction hardly occurs, the displacement in the vehicle width direction at the wheel center 0 (Oout, O
in) is suppressed to a very small extent, and an increase in steering force can be efficiently suppressed. In addition, since the longitudinal displacement of the pole join) B is suppressed to a small value, the longitudinal displacement of the wheel center 0 (Oout, Oin) is also relatively small, which makes it possible to suppress the expansion of the vehicle's wheel house. ing.

Furthermore, as is clear from the above description, the angular displacement of the lateral arm 6 during steering is small, and the angular displacement of the compression arm 7 during steering is large;
The pusher xA provided at the inner end of the lateral arm 6, which has a small angular displacement, is set to be hard, and the pusher 5B, which is provided at the inner end of the compression arm 7, which has a large angular displacement, is set to be soft, thereby ensuring ride comfort while ensuring vehicle handling stability. This ensures smooth steering operation while maintaining good steering performance.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment in any way; for example, the present invention can be implemented by a combination of a lateral arm and a tension arm (a form in which the front and rear directions of the above-mentioned embodiment are reversed). It can also be used as a lower arm system or an upper arm system of a double wishbone suspension. In any case, it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above in detail together with the embodiments, according to the present invention, a pair of arms configures a lower link system or an upper link system to set a virtual kingpin axis during steering, thereby providing greater freedom in design. A steering wheel for a vehicle that can efficiently suppress the displacement of the wheel in the longitudinal direction and the vehicle width direction during steering while increasing the amount of force, thereby suppressing the expansion of the wheel house and suppressing the increase in steering force. This has the effect of providing a suspension for use.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a schematic rear view of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a schematic side view of FIG. 2. l...wheel, 2...knuckle. 6...Lateral arm. 7...Simpression arm

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a suspension for steering wheels of a vehicle, an upper link system or a lower link system consisting of a pair of front and rear arms is provided between a knuckle that rotatably supports the wheel and the vehicle body, and the pair of arms have their inner ends facing the vehicle body. The outer end is pivotally connected to the knuckle, and the distance between the outer ends is set smaller than the distance between the inner ends, and when the wheel is in a straight-ahead position, one arm is pivoted to the knuckle. is arranged substantially in the vehicle width direction, and the other arm is arranged at an angle with respect to the vehicle width direction, and the line segment connecting the outer ends of both arms is the direction in which the other arm is inclined with respect to the vehicle width direction. A vehicle characterized in that both arms are arranged so as to be inclined at an angle of 100 degrees, and the outer end of the one arm is arranged closer to the central axis of the wheel than the outer end of the other arm when viewed from above the vehicle body. Steering wheel suspension