JPH04297313A - Suspension for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a vehicle suspension capable of being incorporated in a narrow space part of a vehicle without limitations on layout by making its configuration compact. CONSTITUTION:An L-shaped FRP arm A having a horizontal part 1a and a vertical part 1b is formed, the upper end part of the vertical part 1b of the FRP arm A is fixed to the frame 4 of a car body, and an axle member is provided through a connecting fitting 7 to the tip part of the horizontal part 1a.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle suspension system used in a suspension system for a vehicle such as an automobile.

0002

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Conventional vehicle suspension systems, such as MacPherson strut and double wishbone suspension systems, support a hub carrier in a vertically movable manner by means of an arm having a link structure extending in the width direction of the vehicle. The sprung weight of each wheel is elastically supported by a separately provided suspension spring such as a coil spring.

However, in recent years, with the shift to front-wheel drive (front engine, front-wheel drive) and four-wheel drive vehicles, as well as the desire for cars with lower front noses, suspension springs have been installed in the lower parts of the engine compartment. It has become difficult to secure sufficient installation space for.

In view of the above, the present inventors developed a cantilever type FRP arm a that also serves as a spring as shown in FIG. 10 as a member to replace the conventional suspension spring.
One end of the RP arm a is fixed to the frame b of the vehicle body, and an axle member c such as a hub carrier is attached to the other end to suspend the vehicle.

[0005]

[Problem to be solved by the invention] Such a spring F
On the front side of the vehicle, the RP arm a needs to be installed in a space that avoids the area where the tires are cut and where the engine is located, and on the rear side, it is necessary to install it in a space that avoids the trunk room and the location where the gas tank is located. However, since this FRP arm a that also serves as a spring has a shape that extends in one almost horizontal direction, its length L is large.
Therefore, depending on the vehicle type, it may be difficult to apply this method due to layout problems.

[0006] The present invention has been made with attention to these points, and its purpose is to have a compact structure that can be easily incorporated into a narrow space of a vehicle by easing layout constraints. The object of the present invention is to provide a suspension system for a vehicle that makes it possible.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention forms an L-shaped FRP arm having a horizontal part and a vertical part, and the upper end of the vertical part of this FRP arm is Either the horizontal part is fixed to the vehicle body, or the horizontal part is rotatably supported around a horizontal axis by a rotation support mechanism provided on the vehicle body, and the upper end of the vertical part is slid onto an end support mechanism provided on the vehicle body. The FRP arm is supported by freely contacting with each other, and an axle-side member is provided at the tip of the horizontal portion of such an FRP arm.

[0008]

[Function] The FRP arm is formed in an L shape, which shortens the length of the FRP arm in plan view, which alleviates layout constraints and allows it to be incorporated into narrow spaces in vehicles. .

[0009]

Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 9.

A first embodiment is shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, and reference numeral A denotes an FRP arm that also serves as a suspension spring.
The arm A has a horizontal part 1a and a horizontal part 1a made of matrix resin and continuous reinforcing fibers along the longitudinal direction of the arm.
It is formed into an L-shape having a vertical portion 1b extending substantially perpendicularly upward from one end of the cylindrical portion a. Note that this FRP arm A may have the same width and thickness over its entire length, or may have a tapered shape where the thickness gradually decreases, but in this example, it has equal width and thickness over its entire length. The thickness is equal.

The FRP arm A is arranged, for example, along the width direction of the vehicle, and the upper end portion 2 of the vertical portion 1b on the vehicle body side is fixed to the frame 4 of the vehicle body via a bracket 3. The area between the horizontal part 1a and the vertical part 1b in the FRP arm A is curved in an arc shape, and the center P of the radius of curvature of the arc is located at almost the same horizontal position as the lower edge of the bracket 3, as shown in FIG. It is placed.

A hub carrier 6 is provided as an axle-side member at the axle-side end 5 of the horizontal portion 1a of the FRP arm A. This hub carrier 6 is rotatably supported by a connecting fitting 7 attached to the axle side end 5 via a ball joint 8, and is supported by an axle 10 which is the center of rotation of the wheel 9 and vibrations in the vertical direction. A shock absorber 11 and the like are provided to attenuate displacement.

FIG. 3 shows an L-shaped FRP in this example.
A comparison is shown between arm A and a prior art FRP arm a that extends substantially horizontally as a whole. And these FRP
The following Table 1 shows a comparison of the required dimensions of each part when the same load is applied to the axle side ends 5 of arms A and a.

[0014]

[Table 1]

As is clear from Table 1, the length L of the FRP arm A of the present embodiment in plan view can be shortened to approximately 4/5 compared to the FRP arm a of the prior art, and therefore the vehicle On the front side, it can be installed in a narrow space that avoids the area where the tires are cut or where the engine is located, and on the rear side, it can be installed in a narrow space that avoids the trunk room or the location where the gasoline tank is located.

Furthermore, in the arm A of this embodiment, when an upward load is applied to the axle side end 5, a force is applied that pushes the vehicle body side end 2 inward of the bracket 3. There is an advantage that detachment of the FRP arm A from the bracket 3 can be reliably prevented.

[0017] In this embodiment, the FRP arm A
were made to have equal width and equal thickness, and the thickness was changed to the horizontal part 1a.
By forming a tapered shape that gradually becomes thicker from the tip of the vertical portion 1b toward the upper end of the vertical portion 1b, the length L in a plan view can be further shortened.

A second embodiment is shown in FIGS. 4 to 9, and in this second embodiment, an FRP formed in an L shape is
A horizontal portion 1a of the arm A is rotatably supported by the frame 4 of the vehicle body by a rotation support mechanism 15.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the rotation support mechanism 15 includes a pivot bracket 16 and a movable bracket 1.
7, and a pivot bracket 16 is fixed to the frame 4 of the vehicle body.

A support shaft 18 is installed horizontally on the support bracket 16, and a movable bracket 17 is rotatably supported on the lower end side of the support bracket 16 via the support shaft 18 in a direction around a horizontal axis. . A dry bearing 19 is provided on the outer periphery of the support shaft 18 to allow the movable bracket 17 to rotate smoothly.

The movable bracket 17 is formed into a substantially U-shape, integrally having side wall portions 17b, 17b on both sides of a bottom wall portion 17a. A clamping plate 20 is provided inside the movable bracket 17 so as to substantially face the bottom wall portion 17a, and a retaining plate 21 is further provided above and facing the clamping plate 20. The horizontal portion 1a of the FRP arm A is inserted between the clamping plate 20 and the holding plate 21, and liners 22, 22 are attached to the upper and lower surfaces of the horizontal portion 1a at this insertion portion, respectively.

The holding plate 21 is fixed to the movable bracket 17 by welding or the like, and the clamping plate 20 is attached to the movable bracket 17 so as to be movable up and down. Further, the bottom wall portion 17a of the movable bracket 17 is inclined with respect to the horizontal plane, and the bottom wall portion 17a and the clamping plate 20 are
A wedge member 24 is disposed between the wedge member 2 and
4 are penetrated by screws 25, 25, and by rotating these screws 25, 25, the wedge member 24 slides on the upper surface of the bottom wall portion 17a of the movable bracket 17. Now, by tightening the screws 25, 25, the clamping plate 20 is pressed upward through the wedge member 24, and this pressing force causes the horizontal portion 1a of the FRP arm A to move against the clamping plate 20.
0 and the holding plate 21, and as a result, the FRP
Arm A is fastened to a movable bracket 17.

The vehicle body side end 2 of the FRP arm A is supported by the vehicle body frame 4 via a support bracket 31 serving as an end support mechanism 30. As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the support bracket 31 as the end support mechanism 30 is
It is formed into a U-shaped cross section with an opening at the lower end.

This support bracket 31 is fixed to the frame 4 of the vehicle body, and the upper end portion of the vertical portion 1a of the FRP arm A, that is, the vehicle body side end portion 2, is inserted into the inside of this support bracket 31 through the opening at the lower end, and the vehicle body side end portion 2 is inserted into the support bracket 31. The side end portion 2 is slidably in contact with the inner surface of the support bracket 31 along its longitudinal direction. And this body side end 2
Slide plates 32, 32 are attached to both sides of the slide plate 32 for smooth sliding movement. In addition, FR
A hub carrier 6 as an axle-side member is provided at the axle-side end portion 4 of the P arm A, as in the first embodiment.

In such a configuration, when a load is applied to the axle side end 5 of the FRP arm A, the FRP arm A is elastically bent between the axle side end 5 and the movable bracket 17, and the movable bracket 17 and rotates around the support shaft 18, and this rotation causes the vehicle body side end 2 to be attached to the bracket 3.
Slide on the inner surface of 1.

Therefore, the axle side end 5 of the FRP arm A
The load applied to the rotation support mechanism 15 and the end support mechanism 30 are distributed and applied to the frame 4 of the vehicle body, and therefore, an unreasonable force is applied to the frame 4 of the vehicle body and the rotation support mechanism 15. It has the advantage of not costing anything. Moreover, the support by the rotation support mechanism 15 also makes it possible to increase the strength against the force applied in the width direction of the FRP arm A.

Of course, also in this second embodiment, the FR
Since the P arm A is formed in an L shape, the length L in plan view is shortened as in the first embodiment, and therefore layout constraints can be relaxed and it can be incorporated into a narrow space. Become.

[0028]

[Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, the FR
The length of the P-arm in plan view can be shortened, which has the advantage of easing layout constraints and making it possible to fully incorporate it into a narrow space in a vehicle.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle suspension system according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side view of the vehicle suspension system.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing a comparison between the FRP arm according to the first embodiment of the present invention and the FRP arm according to the prior art.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a vehicle suspension system according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the vehicle suspension system.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the rotation support mechanism in the vehicle suspension system.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view of the rotation support mechanism.

FIG. 8 is a side view of the end support mechanism in the vehicle suspension system.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the end support mechanism.

FIG. 10 is a side view of a vehicle suspension system according to the prior art of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

A...FRP arm 1a...Horizontal part 1b...Vertical part 4...Vehicle frame 6...Hub carrier (axle side member) 15...Rotation support mechanism 30... End support mechanism

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. An L-shaped FRP arm having a horizontal part and a vertical part is formed, the upper end of the vertical part of this FRP arm is fixed to the vehicle body, and an axle-side member is attached to the tip of the horizontal part. A vehicle suspension system characterized by being provided with a suspension system for a vehicle. [Claim 2] An L-shaped FRP arm is formed that integrally has a horizontal portion and a vertical portion, and the horizontal portion of the FRP arm is supported rotatably around a horizontal axis by a rotation support mechanism provided on the vehicle body. In addition, the vehicle is characterized in that the upper end of the vertical portion is slidably contacted and supported by an end support mechanism provided on the vehicle body, and in this state, an axle side member is provided at the tip of the horizontal portion. suspension system.