JPH0563322B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] (Industrial application field) The present invention relates to a front wheel suspension system for a four-wheel drive vehicle.

(Prior Art and Problems to be Solved by the Invention) In recent years, needs for vehicles have diversified, and for example, demand for four-wheel drive vehicles for sports purposes is increasing. For this type of vehicle, it is necessary to reduce the weight and improve the rigidity.

The present invention was made in view of the above circumstances, and it is possible to reduce weight and improve rigidity at the same time, protect the drive shaft and effectively utilize dead space, and furthermore avoid interference between the drive shaft and the front suspension. At the same time, it not only improves the cooling performance by improving the blowing of outside air to the front suspension, but also reduces the change in the contact surface of the front wheel even when the front wheel strokes, giving it a wide stroke range and preventing mud from forming on the drive shaft. To provide a front wheel suspension system for a four-wheel drive vehicle that does not become clogged with grass, grass, etc.

(Means for Solving the Problems) A front wheel suspension system for a four-wheel drive vehicle according to the present invention to achieve the above object includes upper arms on the left and right sides of the front part of the vehicle body frame, and lower arms that are substantially parallel to the upper arms. The base end of the swing arm is pivoted vertically to form a double-wiss bone type swing arm.
The tips of these upper and lower arms that protrude to the sides of the vehicle body are connected to the front wheel nuticles, the lower frame that supports the engine is extended forward, and the front wheel drive differential device is supported on the extensions. , a reinforcing member connecting the upper frame and the lower frame is provided between the engine and the differential device, and a reinforcing member is provided between the upper arm and the lower arm in side view. A drive shaft extending from a frontal device is housed and arranged, and lower ends of left and right front suspensions whose upper ends are connected near the center of the vehicle body frame are connected to the left and right upper arms, and further A steering shaft is disposed above the differential device, and a tie rod connected to the steering shaft via a lever is provided in front of the supply member and behind the left and right intermediate axles that swing together with the swing arm. It is characterized by the fact that

(Function) The upper arm and the base end of the lower arm that is substantially parallel to the upper arm are pivotably supported on the front part of the vehicle body frame so as to be able to swing vertically, thereby forming a double-wissbone type swing arm. A drive shaft extending from a differential device for front wheel drive is housed between the upper arm and the lower arm, the lower end of the front suspension is connected to the upper arm, and the upper end of the front suspension is connected to the upper arm. The section was connected near the center of the vehicle frame. Further, a steering shaft is disposed above the differential device, and a tie rod connected to the steering shaft via a lever is connected to the left and right intermediate axles that swing together with the swing arm in front of the reinforcing member. It was placed at the rear.

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

FIG. 1 is a side view of a four-wheel drive vehicle to which a front wheel suspension system according to the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof.
In Fig. 1, numeral 1 denotes a vehicle body frame made of a pipe, which consists of an upper frame 2 constituting the upper front part of the vehicle body, and a rear frame 3 connected to the rear part of this upper frame 2 and constituting the upper rear part of the vehicle body.
and a lower frame 4 constituting the lower part of the vehicle body.

The front part of the upper frame 2 is joined to the upper part of the head pipe 5. The lower part of the head pipe 5 and the rear part of the upper frame 2 are connected to vertical members 6, respectively.
and 7 to the lower frame 4. The rear half of the lower frame 4 is curved upward and joined to the rear part of the rear frame 3.

As shown in FIG. 2, the base ends of the upper arm 8a and the lower arm 8b, which are approximately triangular in plan view, are attached to parallel shafts 8 on the left and right sides of the front part of the vehicle body frame 1, respectively.
It is pivotably supported vertically via pins c and 8d. The tips of the upper arm 8a and the lower arm 8b that protrude to the side of the vehicle body are connected to the knuckles 9 of the left and right front wheels 11 via pins, forming a double wishbone type swing arm 8 forming a parallelogram link. It consists of

The lower ends of the left and right front suspensions 10, whose upper ends are connected to the center of the vehicle body frame 1, are connected to the left and right upper arms 8a.
The left and right front wheels 11 attached to the Natsukuru 9 are
The vehicle body frame 1 is swingably supported by a swing arm 8 in an independent suspension system. Furthermore, the parallelogram link of the swing arm 8 allows the left and right front wheels 11 to swing vertically in parallel without changing the mounting angle.

Further, the left and right front wheels 11 are pivotally supported so as to be rotatable left and right about a king pin 12 of the knuckle 9. The left and right king pins 12 are connected to each other via levers 13 and tie rods 14. A tie rod 14 is connected to a lever 1 fixed to the lower end of a steering shaft 15 passing through a head pipe 5.
6 and the front vertical member (reinforcing member)
It is located in front of 6. The steering shaft 15 is arranged above the differential device 62. And steering shaft 1
By rotating a handle 17 fixed to the upper end of the vehicle 5, the left and right front wheels 11 can be freely steered.

The rear part of the vehicle body frame 1 is supported via a single rear suspension 20 by a rear axle 19 that connects left and right rear wheels 18 to each other. A two-cylinder engine 40 with a shallow V angle is mounted on the lower frame 4 at approximately the center of the vehicle body frame 1 in the longitudinal direction.
However, the output shaft 44 of the transmission, which will be described later, is oriented in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body frame 1 and is mounted horizontally.

FIGS. 3 and 4 are diagrams showing the shaft arrangement of a drive device driven by this engine 40. FIG. An input shaft 42 and a counter shaft 4 that constitute a transmission are connected to a crankshaft 41 of an engine 40.
3. The output shaft 44 and the reverse shaft 45 are all arranged parallel to each other. Each of the shafts 41 to 45 is housed in a transmission case formed as a pair with the crankcase 46 of the engine 40.

A drive gear 47 of the crankshaft 41 is meshed with a driven gear 49 of a clutch 48. Driven gear 49 transmits rotation to transmission input shaft 42 via clutch 48 . The gears of the transmission gear train 50 of the input shaft 42 selectively mesh with the gears of the transmission gear train 51 of the counter shaft 43 .

The drive gear 52 of the counter shaft 43 is meshed with the driven gear 53 of the output shaft 44. The rotation of the crankshaft 41 is controlled by the output shaft 44 at a necessary reduction ratio.
is transmitted to. Reverse gear 5 of reverse shaft 45
4 intervenes between the counter shaft 43 and the output shaft 44, the rotational direction of the output shaft 44 is reversed.

Furthermore, the crankshaft 41 and starter motor 55 are
They are connected via a two-stage reduction starter motor gear group 56, and the starter motor 55 gives starting rotation to the crankshaft 41. Pulley 5 of crankshaft 41
7 and the belt 5 on the pulley 59 of the oil pump 60.
8 is wound, and the oil pump 60 is driven by the rotation of the crankshaft 41.

A front propeller shaft 61 is spline-coupled to the front end of an output shaft 44 of a transmission that is horizontally arranged in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body frame 1 . The front end of the front propeller shaft 61 is coupled to a differential device 62 for driving left and right front wheels 11 supported and fixed to the front upper surface of the lower frame 4. The differential device 62 is supported by the front extension of the lower frame 4. Also, the front vertical member 6
is provided between the engine 40 and the differential device 62 so as to connect the upper frame 5 and the lower frame 4.

Drive shafts 62a and 62b extending left and right from the differential device 62 are housed between the upper arm 8a and the lower arm 8b when viewed from the side. The extending ends of the left and right drive shafts 62a, 62b are
The swing arm 8 is connected to the swing arm 8 through a universal joint (not shown) protected by the boot 63.
It is connected to the inner ends of left and right intermediate axles 64 that swing together. A tie rod 14 connected to the steering shaft 15 via a lever 16 is disposed behind the left and right intermediate axles 64. The outer end of each intermediate axle 64 is connected to left and right front axles 67 via a spherical joint 66 protected by a boot 65.

In this way, the driving force of the output shaft 44 is transmitted to the left and right front wheels 11, and the differential movement of the left and right front wheels 11 during turning, vertical rocking due to unevenness of the road surface, and left and right steering are allowed. There is.

The rear end of the output shaft 44 is connected to the front end of a rear propeller shaft 69 via a universal joint (not shown) protected by a boot 68. The rear end of the rear propeller shaft 69 is connected to the left and right rear wheels 18 that are not equipped with a differential device.
The vehicle is connected to the rear axle 19 via a bevel gear device 70 for driving the vehicle.

The reason why a differential device is not provided on the rear axle 19 is that even if the purpose of the vehicle is to drive on rough terrain and the ground resistance of the left and right rear wheels 18 is extremely different, driving force is not provided to the left and right rear wheels 18 at the same time. This is to provide the following characteristics and to simplify the structure.

A brake mechanism 21 is provided on the rear axle 19. This brake mechanism 21 is connected to the lower frame 4
Right foot operated brake pedal 2 attached to
2.

Changing the gears of the transmission is performed by a left foot-operated speed change pedal 23 provided near the transmission.

1 and 2, reference numeral 24 is a step, 25 is an exhaust pipe, 26 is a muffler, 27 is a fuel tank, 28 is a seat, and 29 is a tire house.

As described above, the engine 40 is mounted on the lower frame 4 at approximately the center of the vehicle body frame 1 in the longitudinal direction, and the output shaft 44
The front propeller shaft 61 is arranged horizontally and in the front-rear direction, and the front propeller shaft 61 is connected to a differential device 62 for driving the front wheels.

Therefore, since the differential device 62 does not swing relative to the output shaft 44, the front propeller shaft 61 does not require a pair of conventional universal joints and a telescopic shaft therebetween.

Further, the rear propeller shaft 69 is connected to the rear end of the output shaft 44 via a universal joint in the boot 68, and together with the front propeller shaft 61 is located on the front-rear extension line of the output shaft 44, so that the three are almost in a straight line. Eggplant. The rear axle 19, which is driven by a bevel gear device 70 at the rear end of the rear propeller shaft 69, is connected to the vehicle body frame 1 by a rear suspension 20, using a universal joint at the front end of the rear propeller shaft 69 as a joint. Supported in a swingable manner. Therefore, also in the rear propeller shaft 69, there is no need for a pair of universal joints and a telescopic shaft between them as in the conventional art.

In this way, by reducing the number of universal joints and eliminating the need for telescopic shafts, it is possible to reduce power loss consumed by universal joints and telescopic shafts in the drive system, and reduce vehicle weight. It became.

The vehicle described as an example uses a pipe frame, direct steering of the front wheels with a bar handle,
Omission of rear axle differential device, and 1
By simplifying the structure and reducing weight as much as possible, including point support, it has become possible to create a four-wheel drive vehicle that has the nimbleness and sportiness of a motocross motorcycle.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the present invention, since the shapes of the upper arm and the lower arm are substantially triangular in plan view, weight reduction and rigidity increase can be achieved at the same time.

Further, since the drive shaft extending from the front wheel drive differential device is housed between the upper arm and the lower arm, the drive shaft can be protected and dead space can be effectively utilized. At the same time, the drive shaft does not come close to other members and is not clogged with mud, grass, etc.

In addition, the lower end of the front suspension is connected to the upper arm of a double-width bone type swing arm in which the upper arm and lower arm are approximately parallel to each other, and the upper end of the front suspension is located near the center of the vehicle body frame. Since the front wheels are connected, even if the front wheels move substantially parallel to the vertical direction of the vehicle body and the front wheels make a stroke, there is little change in the ground contact surface of the front wheels, and the stroke range thereof is widened.

Therefore, a front wheel suspension system suitable for use in off-road buggies and the like equipped with drive wheels can be obtained.

Furthermore, since the lower end of the front suspension is supported by the upper arm, interference with the drive shaft can be avoided, and since outside air can be better blown onto the front suspension, cooling performance is improved. This improved cooling performance stabilizes the properties of the liquid (oil) in the hydraulic equipment surrounding the front suspension, preventing its deterioration.

In addition, a steering shaft is disposed above the differential device, and a tie rod connected to the steering shaft via a lever is disposed behind the left and right intermediate axles that swing together with the swing arm. The space above the shear device and behind the intermediate axle can be used effectively, and the vehicle body can be made smaller. In addition, a reinforcing member is provided between the engine and the differential device to connect the atsupa frame and the lower frame, so the front extension of the lower frame that supports the heavy differential device is provided. The supporting rigidity of the section can be improved. Furthermore, since the tie rod is disposed in front of the reinforcing member, the overall length of the tie rod can be made shorter than when the tie rod is disposed behind the reinforcing member.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a side view of a four-wheel drive vehicle to which the front wheel suspension system according to the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the same, and FIG. 3 is a shaft arrangement of the drive device. FIG. 4 is a front view showing A- in FIG. 3.
It is a developed view taken along the line B-C. 1...Vehicle frame, 4...Lower frame, 5
...Atsupa frame, 6...Vertical member (reinforcing member), 8...Swing arm, 8a...Upper arm, 8b...Lower arm, 9...Natsukuru, 10
...Front suspension, 11 ...Front wheel, 1
2...Kingpin, 14...Tailod, 15...
...Steering shaft, 16...Lever, 40
... Engine, 62 ... Differential device, 62a, 62b ... Drive shaft, 64 ... Intermediate axle.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 Upper arms 8 on the left and right of the front of the vehicle body frame 1
a, and the base end portion of a lower arm 8b that is substantially parallel to the upper arm 8a, are pivotably supported to be vertically swingable to constitute a double wishbone type swing arm 8, and these upper arm 8a and lower arm 8b The lower frame 4, which supports the engine 40, is extended forward by connecting the tip end protruding to the side of the vehicle body to the nutcle 9 of the front wheel 11, and the extended part supports a differential device 62 for front wheel drive. , a reinforcing member 6 connecting the upper frame 5 and the lower frame 4 is provided between the engine 40 and the differential device 62, and the upper arm 8a and the lower arm 8b are connected in side view. Drive shafts 62a and 62b extending from a differential device 62 for front wheel drive are housed between the two.
The lower ends of left and right front suspensions 10 whose upper ends are connected to the center of the vehicle body frame 1 are connected to the left and right upper arms 8a, and a steering shaft is connected above the differential device 62. 15, and a tie rod 14 connected to the steering shaft 15 via a lever 16 is arranged in front of the reinforcing member 6 and behind the left and right intermediate axles 64 that swing together with the swing arm 8. A front wheel suspension system for four-wheel drive vehicles featuring: