JPH03220014A - Vehicle height adjusting device and method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To perform uniform vehicle height adjustment regardless of the difference in pipe resistance between a drive cylinder unit and individual shock absorber main bodies or jack mechanisms by providing the drive cylinder unit having multiple cylinders feeding or discharging the operating oil between the drive cylinder unit and the shock absorber main bodies or the jack mechanisms. CONSTITUTION:Hydraulic shock absorbers 5 each constituted of a cylinder 6, a jack cylinder 8 fitted at the upper end of its piston rod 7 and a suspension spring 11 are provided between the front and rear right and left wheels 1a, 2a and 1b, 2b, and a drive cylinder unit 13 is arranged nearly at the center of a car body. The unit 13 is integrally formed with the front and rear left cylinders 14a, 14b and right cylinders 15a, 15b and a drive cylinder 16, and piston rods 21a, 21b, 22a, 22b, 23 are connected by a connecting plate 24. The cylinders 14a-15b are connected to jack cylinders 8 of individual shock absorbers 5, and the drive cylinder 16 is freely connected to an accumulator 27 or a reser voir tank 33.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a vehicle height adjustment device and method for adjusting the vehicle height of a vehicle.

(Prior Art) Recently, an increasing number of vehicles such as racing machines and general commercial vehicles are equipped with active suspensions and vehicle height adjustment devices. As a conventional vehicle height adjustment device,
A jack cylinder is provided in the hydraulic shock absorber, a jack piston is slidably fitted into the jack cylinder, one end of the suspension spring is supported by the jack piston, and the pump is driven by an external motor. Some vehicles are designed to adjust the vehicle height by supplying hydraulic oil into the jack cylinder or returning hydraulic oil from the jack cylinder.

(Problem to be solved by the invention) By the way, when installing a vehicle height adjustment device in a passenger car, etc., if the vehicle height adjustment device is attached to each shock absorber completely unrelated, the mechanism will become complicated and the weight will increase. In addition, it becomes difficult to balance the left and right shock absorbers.

Therefore, it is conceivable to attach a drive cylinder unit to the vehicle body separately from the shock absorber and connect the inside of the cylinder of this drive cylinder unit to the jack cylinders of the left and right shock absorbers. However, even with this configuration, if the resistance of the pipes connecting the cylinders of the drive cylinder unit and each jack cylinder differs, the amount of hydraulic oil supplied to the left and right jack cylinders will differ, making it difficult to adjust the vehicle height equally on both sides. become unable to do so.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to solve the above problems, the present invention supplies hydraulic oil from the outside to a shock absorber body or a jack mechanism attached to the shock absorber, and supplies hydraulic oil from the shock absorber body or jack mechanism to the outside. A shock absorber body or Connected to jack mechanism.

(Function) Every time an instruction to raise the vehicle height is given, hydraulic oil is supplied from the drive cylinder unit to the shock absorber body or the jacking mechanism attached to the shock absorber to raise the vehicle height, and every time an instruction to lower the vehicle height is given. Return the hydraulic oil to the drive cylinder unit and lower the vehicle height.

(Example) Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle height adjustment device according to the present invention viewed from the front, FIG. 2 is a plan configuration diagram of the vehicle height adjustment device, and FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the device.

In the figure (Fig. 2), la and 2a are front left and right wheels,
lb and 2b are rear left and right wheels, and hydraulic shock absorbers 5 are provided between the axle 3.4 that supports these wheels and the vehicle body.
is interposed.

The hydraulic shock absorber 5 has a piston rod 7 inserted into the cylinder 6, a piston (not shown) that slides on the inner peripheral surface of the cylinder 6 fixed to the lower end of the piston rod 7, and a jack cylinder 8 attached to the upper end of the piston rod 7. A jack piston 9 is slidably fitted into the jack cylinder 8, and a suspension spring is installed between the jack piston 9 and a spring seat 10 screwed onto the cylinder 6 so that its vertical position can be adjusted. 11 is provided so that the vehicle height can be changed by moving the jack piston 9 up and down.

Further, a drive cylinder unit (13) is arranged approximately in the middle of the vehicle body. The drive cylinder unit 13 includes front and rear left cylinders 14a and 14b.

The front and rear right cylinders 15a, 15b and the drive cylinder 16 are integrally formed, and the left cylinder 14a, 1
4b has left pistons 17a, 17b, and right cylinders 15a, 15b have right pistons 18a, 18b.
In addition, the drive cylinder 16 has a drive piston 1
9 are slidably fitted into each piston 17a, 1.
The piston rods 21a, 21b, 22a, 22b, and 23 equipped with piston rods 7b, 18a, 18b, and 19 are connected by a connecting plate 24, and the front left cylinder 14a is the cylinder of the hydraulic shock absorber 5 of the front left wheel 1a. Connected within 8,
The left cylinder 14b on the rear side communicates with the jack cylinder 8 of the hydraulic shock absorber 5 of the left wheel 1b on the rear side, and the right cylinder 15a on the front side communicates with the cylinder cylinder 8 of the hydraulic shock absorber 5 of the right wheel 2a on the front side. The rear light cylinder 15b communicates with the inside of the hydraulic shock absorber 5 of the rear right wheel 2b.

Furthermore, a displacement sensor 26 is attached to the connecting plate 24.

This displacement sensor 26 is the piston 17a.

A position signal corresponding to the amount of displacement of 17b, 18a, 18b, and 19 is output.

Further, an accumulator 27 is provided on the vehicle body. This accumulator 27 has a piston 29 inside the cylinder 28.
is slidably fitted to define a gas chamber S1 and an oil chamber S2, and the oil chamber S2 is filled with a volume of hydraulic oil that can operate the jack piston 9 a predetermined number of times, and the gas chamber S1 is filled with gas that can operate the piston 29 a predetermined number of times.

Then, the inside of the drive cylinder 16 and the accumulator 2
7 through a solenoid valve 31, and a solenoid valve 32 inside the drive cylinder 16.
It communicates with the reservoir tank 33 via.

The up switch 35 and the down switch 36 are vehicle height adjustment instructing means, and the up switch 35 outputs an instruction signal for instructing to raise the vehicle height, and the down switch 36 outputs an instruction signal for instructing to lower the vehicle height. Microcomputer (CPU
) 37 is supplied with power from the battery 38, and the up switch 3
When a vehicle height increase instruction signal is input from 5, the solenoid valve 31 is driven to an open state, and the displacement sensor 26
When the piston 19 moves by a predetermined amount based on the position signal from the down switch 36, the solenoid valve 31 is closed, and when a vehicle height lowering instruction signal is input from the down switch 36, the solenoid valve 32 is driven and opened. The piston 1 is moved by a predetermined amount based on the position signal from the displacement sensor 26.
When 9 moves, the solenoid valve 32 is closed.

The operation of the vehicle height adjusting device configured as above will be explained below.

First, when the up switch 35 is actuated to input a vehicle height increase command signal, the solenoid valve 31 is opened by the drive signal from the CPU 37, so hydraulic oil flows from the oil chamber S2 of the accumulator 27 into the drive cylinder 16. When the piston 19 is supplied, the piston 19 moves downward, and the pistons 17a, 17 move simultaneously with the downward movement of the piston 19.
b, 18a, 18b also move downward, so the hydraulic oil in the cylinders 14a, 14b, 15a, 15b is supplied to the jack cylinder 8 of each hydraulic shock absorber 5, and the jack piston 9 moves down, so the suspension spring 11 The reaction force increases, causing the vehicle height to rise as shown by the solid line in Figure 2.

The amount of increase in vehicle height is detected as the amount of displacement of the piston 19 by the displacement sensor 26, and when the piston 19 has descended by a predetermined amount based on the position signal from the displacement sensor 26, the CPU 37 closes the solenoid valve 31. Therefore, the supply of hydraulic oil to the drive cylinder 16 is stopped, and the vehicle height stops rising.

Furthermore, when the down switch 36 is operated and a vehicle height lowering instruction signal is input, the solenoid valve 32 is opened by the drive signal from the CPU 37, so the jack cylinder 9 moves upward due to the reaction force of the suspension spring 11. The hydraulic oil in the jack cylinder 8 is transferred to the cylinders 14a, 14.
b, 15a, 15b and the pistons 17a, 17b, 18a.

18b moves upward, the piston 19 also moves upward, and the hydraulic oil in the drive cylinder 16 is returned to the reservoir tank 33 via the solenoid valve 32. As the jack piston 9 of each hydraulic shock absorber 5 rises, the suspension spring 11 The reaction force decreases and the vehicle height decreases.

The amount of decrease in vehicle height is detected as the amount of displacement of the piston 19 by the displacement sensor 26, and when the piston 19 has risen by a predetermined amount based on the position signal from the displacement sensor 26, the CPtJ37 closes the solenoid valve 32. Therefore, the return of hydraulic oil from the jack cylinder 8 to the drive cylinder 16 is stopped, and the vehicle height is stopped from being lowered.

FIG. 4 is a diagram similar to FIG. 1 showing a separate actual flow side, and the same members as in the previous embodiment are given the same numbers. Compared to the previous embodiment, this embodiment omits the reservoir tank 33 to further reduce weight.

The operation begins with a setup state. To set up the set-up state, open the valve 30 and seal any waste into the gas chamber S1 of the chamber 27 from the outside.
Hydraulic oil is supplied into the drive cylinder 16 through the drive cylinder 16 to move the piston 19 downward, and as the piston 19 moves downward, the pistons 17a, 17b, 18a, 18b also move downward, so that the cylinders 14a, 14b move downward. , 15a, 15b is supplied to the jack cylinder 8 of each hydraulic shock absorber 5, and the jack piston 9 descends, so the reaction force of the suspension spring 11 increases and the vehicle height increases. After setting the vehicle height to a desired state, the valve 30 is opened to remove the gas in the gas chamber S1 of the chamber 27 and release it to the atmosphere, completing the setup.

Next, when lowering the vehicle height, use the down switch 36
By operating C and inputting the vehicle height lowering instruction signal, C
The solenoid valve 31 is activated by the drive signal from the PU37.
is in the open state, the jack piston 9 moves upward due to the reaction force of the suspension spring 11, and the hydraulic oil in the jack cylinder 8 flows into the cylinders 14a, 14b, 15a,
15 b, screws 17a, 17b, 18a
, 18b move upward, and the piston 19 also moves upward, and the hydraulic oil in the drive cylinder 16 is returned to the chamber 27 via the solenoid valve 31, and the jack pistons 9, 9 of each hydraulic shock absorber 5 rise, causing the suspension. The reaction force of the spring 11 is reduced and the vehicle height is lowered.

The amount of decrease in vehicle height is detected as the amount of displacement of the piston 19 by the displacement sensor 26, and the piston 19 is moved by a predetermined amount based on the position signal from the displacement sensor 26.
Since the CPU 37 opens the solenoid valve 31 when the vehicle is raised, the return of hydraulic oil from the jack cylinder 8 to the drive cylinder 16 is stopped, and the vehicle height is stopped or lowered. Therefore, each time the town switch 36 is activated, the vehicle height is displaced by a predetermined amount, as shown in FIG.

FIG. 6 shows another actual flow side of the hydraulic shock absorber 5 applied to the present invention, and this hydraulic shock absorber does not have a jack cylinder mechanism, and the piston rod 7 inserted into the cylinder 6 is hollow. , piston 7a via this piston rod 7
The oil chamber S3 formed between the free piston 7b and the inside of each cylinder of the drive cylinder unit 13 is communicated with each other, and the vehicle height is adjusted by directly supplying and discharging hydraulic oil to and from the oil chamber S3. ing.

7 and 8 are sectional views showing separate actual flow sides of the l/live cylinder unit, and in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, a motor 40 is installed in the unit 13 instead of omitting the accumulator. A nut member 42 fixed to the connecting plate 24 is screwed onto a screw shaft 41 rotated by the motor 40, and the piston is caused to slide relative to the cylinder by driving the motor 40.

Furthermore, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the embodiment shown in FIG.
14b, 15a, and 15b are arranged in parallel, whereas in this embodiment, each cylinder is arranged in series.

That is, the cylinder 14 is connected to one end opening of the drive cylinder 16.
a to one end of the cylinder 14a, and the cylinder 14b to the opening at one end of the cylinder 14a.
A cylinder 15a is connected to one end opening of the cylinder 14b, and a cylinder 15a is connected to one end opening of the cylinder 15a, although not shown.
5b, each cylinder 16.14a.

14b, 15a Pistons 17a, 17b inside 15b
, 18a, 18b, and 19 are slidably fitted, and the piston rods of each piston are continuously screwed together, so that when the piston 19 slides, the other pistons also slide integrally. . Even with this configuration, the same effect as described above is exhibited.

In the embodiment, all the shock absorbers are shown to be capable of adjusting the vehicle height, but only the shock absorbers corresponding to the two front left and right wheels or the rear left and right two wheels are provided with a vehicle height adjustment function. You can. Also, each piston 17a, 17b, 18a, 18b
For example, the pressure receiving areas of the pistons 17a18a inserted into the front cylinders 14a and 15a do not have to be equal.
The vehicle height may be adjusted by making the pressure receiving areas of the pistons 17b and 18b inserted in the pistons 17b and 18b different from each other.

(Effects) As explained above, according to the present invention, a plurality of cylinders are provided in the drive cylinder unit that supplies and discharges hydraulic oil between the shock absorber main body or the jacking mechanism, and each cylinder is connected to a corresponding shock absorber. Since it is connected independently to the main body or the jacking mechanism, even if the conduit resistance between the drive cylinder unit and the shock absorber main body or the jacking mechanism differs between the left and right or front and rear wheels, the vehicle height can be adjusted evenly.

Furthermore, if an accumulator is used as a power source for supplying and discharging hydraulic oil, the power source becomes unnecessary and the weight can be reduced.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram of a vehicle height adjustment device according to the present invention viewed from the front, Fig. 2 is a plan configuration diagram of the vehicle height adjustment device, Fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the device, and Fig. 4 The figure is a diagram similar to FIG. 1 showing another embodiment, FIG. 5 is a line diagram for explaining the operation of the embodiment shown in FIG. 4, and FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the shock absorber. FIGS. 7 and 8 are cross-sectional views showing another embodiment of the drive cylinder unit. In addition, in the drawing, 1a, lb, 2a, 2b are wheels, 5 is a hydraulic shock absorber, 8 is a shirt link, 9 is a jack piston,
11 is a suspension spring, 13 is a drive cylinder unit, 1
4a, 14b, 15a, 15b, 16 are cylinders, 17
a, 17b, 18a. 18b, 19 are pistons 27 are accumulators, 31
32 is a solenoid valve, 3S is an up switch, 36
is a down switch.

Claims (6)

[Claims] (1) Equipped with a drive cylinder unit that supplies hydraulic oil from the outside to the shock absorber body or a jack mechanism attached to the shock absorber, and discharges hydraulic oil from the shock absorber body or jack mechanism to the outside. It has two cylinders corresponding to the two left and right wheels or the two rear left and right wheels, or four cylinders corresponding to the two front left and right wheels and the two rear left and right wheels, and each of these cylinders is located between the corresponding wheel and the vehicle body. A vehicle height adjustment device characterized in that it is independently connected to a shock absorber body or a jack mechanism. (2) The vehicle height adjusting device according to claim 1, wherein the pistons inserted into each of the cylinders are simultaneously slid within the cylinders by a single driving means. (3) The vehicle height adjustment device according to claim 1, wherein the cylinders are arranged in parallel or in series. (4) A claim characterized in that, among the pistons inserted into each of the cylinders, the pressure-receiving areas of the pistons inserted into at least two cylinders corresponding to the front left and right wheels or the rear left and right axles are made the same. The vehicle height adjustment device according to item 1. (5) A vehicle height adjustment method in which a jack piston is slidably fitted into a jack cylinder provided in a shock absorber, and the vehicle height is adjusted by supplying hydraulic oil into the jack cylinder. A vehicle height adjustment method characterized by lowering the vehicle height by returning hydraulic oil to the oil chamber of the chamber every time an instruction is given. (6) A vehicle height adjustment method in which a jack piston is slidably fitted into a jack cylinder provided in a shock absorber, and the vehicle height is adjusted by supplying hydraulic oil into the jack cylinder. A vehicle characterized by supplying hydraulic oil from an accumulator to raise the vehicle height each time a command to raise the vehicle is given, and returning the hydraulic fluid to a reservoir tank to lower the vehicle height each time a command to lower the vehicle height is given. High adjustment method.