JPH0451050Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a rear suspension of an automobile.

(Prior art) One of the independent rear suspensions for automobiles is
There is something called a trailing arm type.

This type of rear suspension has a trailing arm arranged in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, and the base end of the arm can be rotated toward the vehicle body, that is, the arm can move vertically around the base end of the vehicle body. The arms are connected so as to be swingable, the tip of the arm is fixed to a wheel support that rotatably supports the rear wheel, and a shock absorber is disposed between the tip of the arm and the vehicle body side above it. .

This type of rear suspension has a simple structure and can be lightweight, but since the lateral load acting on the rear wheel is supported by the trailing arm itself, the lateral rigidity of the arm is reduced. It is necessary to design the arm to be sufficiently large, which causes problems such as an increase in the size and weight of the arm.

A structure that solves these problems was developed in 1983.
It is disclosed in Publication No. 62205. This disclosed structure includes, in addition to the trailing arm disposed between the vehicle body side and the rear wheel support as described above, two lateral arms located above and below the vehicle body disposed in the lateral direction of the vehicle body. The outer ends of both lateral links are rotatably connected to the tip of the trailing arm, and the inner ends of both lateral links are rotatably connected to the vehicle body. Since the rear suspension of this structure has two lateral links, there is no need to increase the lateral rigidity of the trailing arm, and the camber angle can be easily adjusted by adjusting the mounting position of the inner ends of both lateral links to the vehicle body. On the other hand, if the rear wheel moves vertically relative to the vehicle body, the rear wheel will be forced to adjust in the toe-out direction, both when moving upward (i.e., bumps) and downward (i.e., rebounding). As a result, there is a problem in that running instability such as oversteer occurs while driving on a curved road.

Therefore, the present applicant has previously filed an application for a rear suspension structure that also solves this problem. The rear suspension according to this application includes a swing arm disposed in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body and three lateral links disposed in the lateral direction of the vehicle body, and the base end of the swing arm rotates toward the vehicle body side. A wheel support that is movably connected (swivelable in the vertical direction of the vehicle body in a vertical plane in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body around an axis in the lateral direction of the vehicle body at the base end), and whose tip rotatably supports the rear wheel. For example, the swing arm is configured to receive rotational force and longitudinal force from the wheel support by being fixedly connected to the wheel support, and each inner end of the lateral link is connected to three points spaced apart from each other on the vehicle body side. and each outer end is rotatably connected to three mutually spaced points on the wheel support.

A rear suspension with this structure has a swing arm (equivalent to a conventional trailing arm) because the lateral link receives a lateral load, similar to the conventional rear suspension comprising two lateral links arranged above and below. In addition to the advantage that the lateral rigidity of the rear wheel is not required as much (as shown in FIG.

This is because, according to this configuration, the wheel support, and therefore the posture of the rear wheel, is regulated only by the three lateral links, and the arrangement of the three lateral links, that is, the position of each lateral link, is restricted by the three lateral links. By appropriately determining the vertical and longitudinal inclination angle, length, mounting position to the wheel support, and lateral rigidity at the mounting position, lateral force and longitudinal force on the rear wheel can be reduced during bumps, rebounds, and rear wheel bumps. This is because it becomes possible to suppress both the toe change and the camber angle change of the rear wheel to a desirable tendency when a force is applied.

Of course, in this configuration, as mentioned above, the three lateral links bear the lateral load, and the swing arm bears the force in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body and the rotational force in the rotational direction of the rear wheels. It is sufficient to have the strength and rigidity to transmit these two forces, and it is desirable that no restrictions be placed on the rear wheel attitude control by the three lateral links. In other words, during bumps and rebounds, the rear wheels move up and down in an arc in a vertical plane in the lateral direction of the vehicle, centering on the connection point of the lateral link on the vehicle body. Therefore, it is desirable that the swing arm does not impose any restraints on the lateral movement of the rear wheel.To do this, for example, the swing arm should be designed with a vertical cross section that is large in height relative to its thickness. It is necessary to construct the swing arm from a plate material to allow the swing arm to flex in the lateral direction, or to attach the base end of the swing arm to the vehicle body via a rubber bushing.

One aspect of applying a rear suspension consisting of a swing arm and three lateral links as described above to an actual automobile is to use at least a pair of left and right vertical members disposed approximately in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. 1 to connect the left and right vertical members to each other
a subframe that is connected and supported by the vehicle body and constitutes a part of the vehicle body, and each inner end of the three lateral links is connected to this subframe, for example, to a vertical member. There are several possible ways.

However, when adopting such an aspect, the inner ends of the three lateral links to be connected to the vertical member are not necessarily located within the range where the vertical member portion exists. In other words, the positions of the connecting ends of the three lateral links on the vehicle body side are subject to certain restrictions in order to control toe changes and camber angle changes of the rear wheels, as described above, and on the other hand, the vertical members of the subframe are placed on the vehicle body side. Certain restrictions are imposed due to the layout of the structure, etc., and therefore, the subframe vertical member portion is not necessarily located where the vehicle body side connection end of each lateral link is desired (desired connection point position). The point position may be offset by a predetermined length from the subframe vertical member in the vertical direction of the vehicle body.

In such a case, for example, a support bracket extending to the desired connection point position is prepared, one end of this support bracket is joined to the vertical member part, and a lateral link is attached to the other end extending to the desired connection point position. A method of connecting the inner ends can be adopted.

However, such a support bracket, which is disposed upward or downward from the vertical member, has one end fixed to the vertical member in the form of a cantilever, and the other end is connected via a lateral link. A force in the lateral direction of the vehicle body (a force perpendicular to the axis of the support bracket forming the cantilever beam) acts, and as a result, a very large bending moment acts on the fixed end of the support bracket on the vertical member side. A problem arises in that the lateral rigidity (fixing strength to the vertical member portion) of the support bracket must be set sufficiently large.

Note that there is a system in which a lateral link is connected to a subframe, as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 121908/1983.

(Purpose of the invention) In view of the above-mentioned circumstances, the object of the invention is to provide a rear suspension for an automobile of a type in which the inner end of the lateral link is connected to a vertical member of a subframe via a support bracket fixed to the vertical member. In the pension, the lateral rigidity of the support bracket, especially the strength of attachment to the subframe, is improved so that the support bracket can sufficiently support the force in the lateral direction of the vehicle body input through the lateral link. The purpose is to provide suspension.

(Structure of the invention) The rear suspension of an automobile according to the invention is
In order to achieve the above purpose, the vehicle is equipped with a swing arm disposed in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, three lateral links disposed in the lateral direction of the vehicle body, and a subframe forming a part of the vehicle body side. The sub-frame is composed of at least a pair of left and right vertical member portions disposed approximately in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, and one horizontal member that interconnects the left and right vertical member portions, and at least one of the three lateral links One is an offset lateral link connected to the vertical member at a position offset from the vertical member by a predetermined length in the vehicle body vertical direction and near the horizontal member;
The offset lateral link is connected to the vertical member via a support bracket arranged in the vertical direction of the vehicle body, and the support bracket has a first surface extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle body and a first surface connected to the first surface. a second surface extending substantially perpendicularly to the first surface in the vertical direction of the vehicle body; and a third surface connected to one end of the first surface and the second surface in the vertical direction and extending substantially perpendicularly to the first surface and the second surface. The other end portions of the first surface and the second surface in the vertical direction are joined to the vertical member portion, and the second surface is connected to the vertical member portion.
A side end of the surface and a side end of the third surface are joined to the horizontal member.

(Effect of the invention) As described above, in the automobile rear suspension according to the invention, the inner end of the lateral link, which is offset in the vertical direction of the vehicle body with respect to the vertical member of the subframe, is connected to the vertical member. A support bracket extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle body is individually attached to the vertical member portion at one end in the vertical direction of the vehicle body, and is also fixed to the lateral member portions at the side portions.

Therefore, the support bracket extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle body is fixed to the subframe (vertical member portion and horizontal member portion) at least at one end in the vertical direction of the vehicle body and a side portion separated by a predetermined length from the one end in the vertical direction of the vehicle body. As a result, it is possible to avoid the cantilever shape that would occur if only one end of the support bracket is fixed to the vertical member, and it is possible to improve the lateral rigidity of the support bracket (strength of attachment to the subframe). Furthermore, the improved lateral rigidity has the effect of reducing vibration and noise.

Furthermore, the support bracket is not only connected to the vertical member portion and the horizontal member portion at one end in the vertical direction and the side portion, but also includes the first, second, and third surfaces as described above, and has the first, second, and third surfaces as described above. The other end of the second surface in the vertical direction is joined to the vertical member, and the second
Since the side edges of the surface and the side edges of the third surface are joined to the horizontal member, the support bracket, together with the vertical and horizontal members, is exactly the vehicle body of the hexahedron. It has a box-like shape with one side open in the lateral direction, and therefore has high rigidity and is difficult to deform against forces input from the offset lateral link in the vehicle body lateral direction.As a result, alignment such as toe angle etc. This has the effect of being able to prevent changes in the structure and ensuring high maneuverability, and also that this effect can be achieved by using only a support bracket with a simple shape as described above without causing an increase in cost and weight.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

1 to 3 are diagrams showing one embodiment of the rear suspension of an automobile according to the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a plan view (only the right half from the center line C is shown. The left half (not shown) is the right half. (appears symmetrically with half), second
The figure is a view viewed from the direction of arrow A in Figure 1 (however, the lateral member portion and the connecting end of each lateral link to the subframe are omitted), and Figure 3 is a view viewed from the direction of arrow D in Figure 1. Figure (However, swing arm,
(The wheel support and the connecting end of each lateral link to the wheel support are not shown).

In this embodiment, as shown in the figure, a rear wheel 10 is rotatably supported by a wheel support 12 and connected to a vehicle body side 16 via a suspension device 14. The suspension device 14 includes a swing arm 18, a first lateral link 20, a second lateral link 22, a third lateral link 24, and a shock absorber 26. The swing arm 18 has a wide upper and lower plate shape and extends in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, and its base end 18a is attached to a vertical member portion 30 (described later) of a subframe 28 that constitutes a part of the vehicle body side around a horizontal axis 32 in the lateral direction of the vehicle body. It is rotatably attached, and the tip 18b is fixed to the wheel support 12 using a bolt or the like, so that the swing arm 18 can swing up and down within a vertical plane in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, centering on its base end 18a. . The base end 18a of the swing arm is attached to the vertical member portion 30 using a rubber bushing 3 consisting of a cylindrical rubber, an outer cylinder fixed to the outer circumference of the rubber, and an inner cylinder fixed to the inner circumference.
This is done through 4. That is, the swing arm base end 18a is fixed to a rubber bushing outer cylinder, and the rubber bushing inner cylinder is rotatable about a horizontal horizontal shaft 32 provided on a mounting bracket fixed to a vertical member portion 30, and slidable in the axial direction thereof. is fitted in.

First, second and third lateral links 20, 2
2 and 24 each extend substantially in the lateral direction of the vehicle body,
Each outer end is connected to three mutually spaced points of the wheel support 12 via a ball joint or via a rubber bushing (20a, 22a, 24
a indicates the connection point of each lateral link outer end to the wheel support), and each connection point 20a, 22
a and 24a are positioned so that they are not lined up in a straight line in a vertical plane in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body.

Each inner end of the lateral links 20, 22, 24 is connected to a subframe 2, which is a part of the vehicle body side 16.
8. Particularly, the vertical member 30 is connected to three points separated from each other via rubber bushes 20c, 22c, and 24c so as to be rotatable around a horizontal axis in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body (20b, 22b, and 24b are connected to each other in each lateral link). (indicates the connection point to the vehicle body side).
The manner in which the rubber bushes 20c, 22c, and 24c are connected is the same as that of the rubber bush 34 described above.

The subframe 28 includes a pair of left and right vertical member portions 30 arranged substantially in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, and a first horizontal member portion 36 that interconnects the rear ends of both vertical member portions.
and a second member which is disposed on the front side of the vehicle body than the first horizontal member part 36 and which also connects both longitudinal member parts to each other.
A horizontal member portion 38 and a vertical member portion 30 are provided.
Due to the layout of the vehicle body structure, the front end portion 30a is formed in a substantially step-like shape as shown in the figure, and is disposed such that the front end portion 30a is located lower than the rear end portion 30b in the vertical direction of the vehicle body. The subframe 28 is connected and supported to the vehicle body via rubber bushings 30c and 30d at the front end 30a and rear end 30b of the vertical member, and constitutes a part of the vehicle body side 16.

The shock absorber 26 is a combination of a known coil spring and a damper, and extends in the vertical direction.The lower end is attached to the wheel support 12 so as to be rotatable around a horizontal axis in the lateral direction of the vehicle body, and the upper end is attached to the vehicle body. It is mounted on side 16 for rotational displacement.

The connection of the inner end of each said lateral link 20, 22, 24 to the longitudinal member part 30 is effected via a support bracket 40, 42, 44 fixed to the longitudinal member part 30, as shown in particular in FIG. ing.

Among these support brackets, the support bracket 40 that supports the first lateral link 20 is configured such that when the connection point 20a of the first lateral link on the vehicle body side is offset downward in the vertical direction of the vehicle body from the position where the vertical member portion 30 is present, the support bracket 40 supports the first lateral link 20. Because it is located near the second horizontal member 38, it is arranged to extend from the vertical member 30 toward the lower end in the vertical direction of the vehicle body, and both the vertical member 30 and the second horizontal member 38 are welded by spot welding, etc. are joined with. That is, FIG. 3 and FIG. 4, which shows a cross section taken along the line - in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5, which is a perspective view of the support bracket (the support bracket shown in FIG. As shown in (corresponding to what is seen), the support bracket 40 has a first surface 40d extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle body, and a first surface 40d connected to the first surface and extending at a substantially right angle to the first surface in the vertical direction of the vehicle body. 2 sides 40
e, and a third portion connected to one end of the first surface and the second surface in the vertical direction and extending substantially perpendicularly to the first surface and the second surface.
A joining flange 40a is provided at the other end in the vertical direction of the first and second surfaces, a joining flange 40b is provided at the side end of the second surface, and a joining flange 40b is provided at the side end of the third surface. A joining flange 40c is formed at the end, and the upper panel 3 having a substantially hat-shaped cross section that constitutes the second horizontal member portion 38 is formed at the end thereof.
8a and the lower panel 38b of the lower panel 38b.
is extended outward in the lateral direction of the vehicle body and wrapped around the underside of the vertical member portion 30, as shown in FIG. 4, and the support bracket 40 is disposed under the vertical member portion 30,
The upper end joining flange 40a is joined to the lower surface of the vertical member part 30, and the side joining flange 40b is joined to the rear wall surface 38d of the downwardly extending part 38c of the vertical member part 30 of the second horizontal member lower panel,
Further, a lower joining flange 40c is joined to the lower surface of the lower panel extension 38c.

The support bracket 40 incorporates a rubber bush 20c to which the inner end of the first lateral link 20 is fixed, as shown in FIG. It is supported by a shaft hole 46 formed in the front wall surface 38d of the second transverse member lower panel extension portion to which the side joining flange 40b of the support bracket is joined.

The rear suspension of an automobile according to the present invention is
As described above, the subframe is provided with at least the left and right vertical member portions and one horizontal member portion (the second horizontal member portion in the above embodiment) that interconnects both vertical member portions, and the inner end of the lateral link is The connection point to the vertical member is in the vertical direction of the vehicle body (in the above example, lower in the vertical direction) than the position where the vertical member exists.
In the case where the horizontal member is offset by a predetermined length and there is a horizontal member near the connection point, a support bracket is prepared to be disposed in the vertical direction of the vehicle body, and at least one vertical end of the bracket (the upper end in the above embodiment) is vertically aligned. The bracket side portion is joined to the member portion, and the side portion of the bracket is joined to the lateral member portion, and the inner end of the lateral link is connected to the support bracket.

Therefore, the support bracket is joined to the subframe at two points (the upper end and the side) separated by at least a predetermined distance in the vertical direction of the vehicle body, thereby avoiding cantilevering, and the side joints are connected. Since it is closer to the point 20a, the amount of offset between the connection point 20a and the bracket joint location is also reduced, and furthermore, the direction of the force input via the lateral link (lateral direction of the vehicle body) and the direction of extension of the lateral member are approximately equal. The external input is sufficiently supported, and as a result, the lateral rigidity of the support bracket can be sufficiently improved, and thereby vibrations and noise can also be reduced.

Furthermore, the support bracket is not only connected to the vertical member portion and the horizontal member portion at one end in the vertical direction and the side portion, but also includes the first, second, and third surfaces as described above, and has the first, second, and third surfaces as described above. The other end of the second surface in the vertical direction is joined to the vertical member, and the second
Since the side edges of the surface and the side edges of the third surface are joined to the horizontal member, the support bracket, together with the vertical and horizontal members, is exactly the vehicle body of the hexahedron. It has a box-like shape with one side open in the lateral direction, and therefore has high rigidity and is difficult to deform against forces input from the offset lateral link in the vehicle body lateral direction.As a result, alignment such as toe angle etc. This has the effect of being able to prevent changes in the structure and ensuring high maneuverability, and also that this effect can be achieved by using only a support bracket with a simple shape as described above without causing an increase in cost and weight.

Note that in the above description, words such as the vehicle body longitudinal direction, lateral direction, or horizontal direction are not limited to the vehicle body longitudinal direction in a strict sense, but also include cases where the vehicle body is generally oriented in that direction.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 3 are diagrams showing an embodiment of the rear suspension of an automobile according to the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a plan view (only the right half is shown), and FIG. 2 is an arrow shown in FIG. 1. Fig. 3 is an elevational view seen from direction A, Fig. 3 is an elevational view taken from the direction of arrow D in Fig. 1, Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken along the - line in Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the support bracket. be. 10...Rear wheel, 12...Wheel support, 1
6...Vehicle side, 18...Swing arm, 20,
22, 24... Lateral link, 28... Subframe, 30... Vertical member portion, 38... Horizontal member portion, 40... Support bracket.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] A wheel support that rotatably supports a rear wheel; and a wheel support disposed in the longitudinal direction of a vehicle body, with a base end facing the vehicle body and a distal end attached to the wheel support, with the base end being the center. a swing arm whose tip is swingable in the vertical direction of the vehicle body and which receives rotational force and longitudinal force from the rear wheel; three lateral links connected to three points, each inner end of which is connected to three mutually spaced points on the vehicle body side; a pair of left and right vertical members disposed at least in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body; a subframe that is supported by the vehicle body and constitutes a part of the vehicle body side, and to which the inner ends of the three lateral links are connected; At least one of the three lateral links has an inner end connection point to the subframe offset from the longitudinal member portion by a predetermined length in the vehicle body vertical direction and located near the lateral member portion. the offset lateral link is connected to the vertical member portion via a support bracket extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle body, and the support bracket has a first surface extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle body; a second surface connected to the first surface and extending substantially perpendicularly to the first surface in the vertical direction of the vehicle; and a third surface extending at right angles,
The other end portions of the first surface and the second surface in the vertical direction are joined to the vertical member portion, and the side end portions of the second surface and the side end portions of the third surface are joined to the horizontal member portion. An automobile rear suspension characterized by a