JPS6061372A - Toe angle adjusting unit and its method - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To eliminate the need for adjusting a toe angle after assembly and improve productivity by providing a toe angle adjusting unit that adjusts the toe angle in an assembly line and adjusting the toe angle while a car is being assembled. CONSTITUTION:A sub-frame 67 that can be moved up and down by a cylinder 63 is provided on a truck 41 that can be moved along a rail 43 which is stretched along an assembly line. Guide rods 69 and 70 are erected on both upper and lower surfaces of the sub-frame 67 and a guide post 73 is fit around the guide rod 69. An air cylinder 75 is stuck on a block 71 in parallel to the post 73. A reference level that adjusts a toe angle is provided on protrusions 72 and 74 provided on the block 71. Based on this level, a tilt angle of a knucle 31 on a car side is determined and the toe angle of a knucle 31 on a car is determined and the toe angle is adjusted.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Application of the Invention) The present invention relates to a toe angle adjusting device and method, and more particularly to a toe angle adjusting device and method suitable for adjusting the toe angle of a MacPherson type rear suspension.

(Background of the Invention) FIGS. 1 and 2 show a conventional example of a portion that connects one of two suspension arms of a MacPherson type rear suspension to a vehicle body side connecting portion. In the figure, reference numeral 1 indicates a vehicle body, and the vehicle body 1 has a pair of brackets 5a having elongated holes 3.

5b is fixed. Cam guides 7a, 7b are fixed to the outer surfaces of the brackets 5a, 5b.

A boss 11 is fixed to the end of the suspension arm 9, and a cam 13 is provided passing through the brackets 5a, 5b and the post 11. The cam 13 has a cylindrical portion 13a inserted into the boss 11, and a cam head 13b that is eccentrically fixed to the end of the cylindrical portion 13a and has a bolt hole coaxial with the cylindrical portion 13a. By inserting the bolt 15 into the cam 13 and fastening it with the nut 17, the suspension arm 9 can be attached to the bracket 5a.
, 5b. The mounting position relative to the elongated hole 3 is adjusted by rotating the cam head 13b along the cam guides 7a, 7b, thereby adjusting the toe angle.

Since it is not necessary to adjust the position of the other suspension arm (not shown) in the longitudinal direction, such a cam or elongated hole is not provided.

With such a conventional suspension arm coupling structure, it is not possible to adjust the toe angle during an assembly process in which vehicles are continuously transported along an assembly line while being suspended from a nogger. Therefore, after the vehicle is completed, a worker uses a toe angle measuring device called a toe tester to adjust the toe angle without rotating the cam in the pit.

However, such toe angle adjustment (two-way angle,
The cam mW at the connection part of the suspension arm is complicated)
This is a factor that increases costs.

Furthermore, the suspension arm, which has been assembled once in the assembly process, must be toe-adjusted again in the bit when the vehicle is completed, so there is room for shortening the process.

(Object of the Invention) The first object of the present invention is to provide a toe angle adjusting device that can adjust the toe angle during vehicle assembly. To propose a toe angle adjustment method using

(Structure of the Invention) The first invention includes a first actuator that supports a vehicle in a vertically movable manner, and a first actuator that is positioned at a specific position relative to the vehicle when the vehicle is supported by the actuator. With the main body to hold.

a toe angle adjusting mechanism mounted on the main body so as to be vertically movable, a second actuator outputting a force F; A first distribution device installed on the output side of the second actuator that distributes and transmits the force F by F/2, and a first and second toe angle adjustment surface inclined at a specific angle with the main body are formed. and the reaction force F of the second actuator is
The present invention is characterized in that it includes a toe angle adjustment mechanism having a second distribution device that distributes F' to F'/2 and transmits the divided signals to the wheel side members of the vehicle.

The second invention includes a first suspension arm extending on the axis of the rear wheel rotation axis, a second suspension arm extending parallel to the suspension arm, and a rear wheel rotation axis, the first and second suspension arms. A knuckle is provided with a second suspension arm attachment portion, and first and second reference planes are provided on the same plane in the vicinity of the attachment portions of the first and second suspension arms, which are orthogonal to the axis. ,
A third reference plane perpendicular to the above-mentioned axis is provided, and a third reference plane perpendicular to the above-mentioned axis is provided. A MacPherson type rear body having a fourth reference plane on the same plane as the second suspension arm, and a second body attachment part connected to the body side connection part so as to be adjustable in the longitudinal position of the second suspension arm. A first actuator that supports the vehicle in a vertically movable manner to adjust the toe angle of the suspension; a main body that holds the first actuator so that the first actuator is at a specific position relative to the vehicle when the vehicle is supported by the actuator; a toe angle adjusting mechanism attached to the main body so as to be movable up and down; a second actuator that outputs a force F; A first distribution device that distributes and transmits the force F by F/2 is provided on the output side of the main body, and first and second toe angle adjustment surfaces are formed that are inclined at a specific angle with the main body, Reaction force F′ of the second actuator
When adjusting the toe angle with a toe angle adjusting device equipped with a toe angle adjusting mechanism having a second distribution device that distributes F'/2 and transmits it to the wheel side member of the vehicle, the vehicle is on the assembly line. When the first actuator reaches a predetermined position, the first actuator is extended to support the vehicle, and the toe angle adjustment mechanism is adjusted such that the first distribution device is capable of abutting against the third and fourth reference surfaces;
and raising the second distribution device to a position where it can come into contact with the first and second reference surfaces, and extending the second actuator to bring the first distribution device into contact with the third and fourth reference surfaces. , by bringing the second distribution device into contact with the first and second reference surfaces, the connection position of the second suspension arm to the vehicle body side connection portion is determined and fixed. , and then retracting the second actuator.

(Effects of the Invention) According to the first invention, there is provided a toe angle adjusting device that can adjust the toe angle of a MacPherson type rear suspension during an assembly line.

According to the second invention, the toe angle is also adjusted when the suspension is assembled without being transported along the assembly twin, so there is no need to adjust the toe angle after assembly, unlike in the past. It also improves productivity and lowers costs.

Further, according to the second invention, the mounting angle of the knuckle can be determined by applying equal loads to the first and second reference planes of the second suspension arm and the third and fourth reference planes of the knuckle. Therefore, when the load is removed after the second suspension arm is fastened to the vehicle body side connecting portion with bolts and nuts, changes in the toe angle due to the influence of elastic deformation of each part can be reduced.

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

FIG. 3 is a bottom view of a vehicle having a MacPherson type rear suspension, and FIG. 4 is a view of the vehicle as seen from the line ■-■. Here, the first suspension arm 21 extends on the axis 23a of the rear wheel 23, and is rotatably attached to brackets 25a and 25b whose one end is fixed to the vehicle body through a boss 21a and a bolt 27 and a nut. p-linked by 29,
The other end is rotatably connected to the knuckle 31 by a bolt 27 and a nut 29. The second suspension arm 33 is connected to the first suspension arm 21 on the rear side of the vehicle.
(a platen that extends parallel to the vehicle body and has one end fixed to the vehicle body)
35a and 35b are rotatably connected to a bolt 27 and a nut 29 via a boss 33a, and the other end is connected to a knuckle 31.
are rotatably connected to each other by a bolt 27 and a nut 29. As shown in FIG. 4, an elongated hole 37 in the longitudinal direction of the suspension arm 33 is bored in each of the platen plates 35a and a5b, so that the connecting position of the end of the suspension arm 33 on the vehicle body side can be adjusted.

Knuckle 31 (= means rear wheel 230 rotating shaft 31a.

A mounting portion 3lb of the first suspension arm 21, a mounting portion 31C of the second suspension arm 33,
A first reference surface 31d near the first mounting portion 31b that is orthogonal to the rear wheel rotation axis 23a, and a second reference surface 31C near the second mounting portion 31C that is orthogonal to the rear wheel rotation axis 23a. are formed respectively. The rear wheel 23 is attached to the rotating shaft 31a via a bearing 39.

Next, a device for adjusting the toe angle of the sun pension constructed in this manner will be described.

FIG. 5 is a front view of the toe angle adjusting device as seen from the rear of the vehicle, and FIG. 6 is a plan view of the toe angle adjusting device as seen from the line ■-■.

In the figure, the toe angle adjusting device has a truck 41, and a bearing support 45 is fixed to the upper center of the two trucks 41, which are movable along rails 43 extending along the assembly line. The shaft 4 is fixed to the main body 47.
9 is pivotally supported by a bearing 51. A pair of guide posts 53 are erected in the center of the main body 47.
An air cylinder 57 is attached between the pair of guide posts 530 via a bracket 55. At the tip of the air cylinder 570 rod 59, there are two protrusions 60a and 6Q.
A block 60 with b is fixed. On the other hand, two guide rods 61 are fixed to the block 60 so that they can be retracted into the pair of guide posts 53.

An air cylinder 63 is attached to both ends of the main body 470 (only one end is shown in FIG. 5), and a guide post 65 having a hole parallel to the direction of expansion and contraction of the rod 64 of the cylinder 63 is provided.

A subframe 67 is connected to the tip of the cylinder rod 64. The guide rod 69 of the sub-frame 67 is inserted into the guide post 65 of the main body 47, and the sub-frame 67 can move up and down along the guide post 65 in accordance with the drive of the cylinder 63.

The side frame 67 (2) is provided with a toe angle adjustment mechanism which will be described later. That is, the upper both sides of the sub-frame 67 (= means that the guide rods 69 and 70, which are perpendicular to the traveling direction of the truck 41, are A guide rod 69 is installed coaxially and is fitted with a guide rod 73 that protrudes from a block 71.Block 71ζ
Second, an air cylinder 75 is fixed in parallel to the guide post 73.

At the top of the block 71, two protrusions 72 and 74 are provided as shown in FIG.
74 is formed with reference surfaces 72a and 74a that correspond to the knuckle 310 reference surfaces 31d and 31e shown in FIG. The angle α with respect to the reference line t is set to a value corresponding to a desired toe angle.

The air cylinder 75 is disposed passing through the side frame 67, and a sub-block 81 having a guide post 79 fitted to the guide rod 70 is connected to the tip of the cylinder rod 77.

The sub-block 81 pivots in the vertical direction (=shaft 85 of the block 83) perpendicular to its sliding direction.

The block 83 has two protrusions 86, 87 corresponding to the posts 21a, 33a in FIG.

Guide rod 6 of block 71 and sub-block 81
The rotation around 9,70 is as shown in Fig. 6ζ2,
They are prevented by bins 88 and 89, respectively.

A method of adjusting the toe angle using the toe angle adjusting device configured as described above will be explained.

In FIG. 5, the vehicle body 1 is suspended and continuously transported by an overhead conveyor (not shown).

Further, in the figure, all the air cylinders are extended, but they are all retracted when the toe angle is not adjusted.

When the vehicle body 1q\' is transported to a predetermined position, the air cylinder 57 is extended, the protrusions 60a and 60b engage with a predetermined portion of the vehicle body 1, and the toe angle adjustment device moves along the rail 43 together with the vehicle body 1. do. The protrusions 60a and 60b are the vehicle body 1
After engaging with the air cylinder 63, the air cylinder 63 is extended and the protrusion 72
．． 74 can come into contact with the reference surfaces 31d and 31e of the knuckle 31, and the protrusions 86 and 87 can contact the suspension arms 21 and 31e.
The subframe 67 is raised to a height where it can come into contact with the bosses 21a and 33a of 33. Next, the air cylinder 75 is extended, and the projections 72 and 74 are aligned with the reference surface 31 of the knuckle 31.
d and 31e, and the projections 86 and 87 are brought into contact with the bosses 21a and 33a of the suspension arms 21 and 33.

Here, as shown in FIG. 6, a plane P shared by the reference surfaces 72al 748 where the protrusions 72 and 74 abut against the knuckle 31 corresponds to a desired toe angle with respect to a predetermined reference line t of the main body 47. It is tilted at an angle α. Further, one end of the suspension arm 33 is connected to the elongated hole 37 of the bracket 35.
The connecting position of the suspension arm 33 on the main body side can be adjusted. Further, the block 83 provided with projections 86 and 87 can be rotated about an axis 85 according to the connection position of the suspension arm 33. Furthermore, the output F of the cylinder 75
And the reaction force F' is between the knuckle 31 and the bosses 21a and 33a.
It is designed to be transmitted to

According to such a configuration, the air cylinder 75 expands, and the protrusions 72, 74, 86.87 abut the reference surfaces 31d, 31e of the knuckle 31 and the boss 21ar 33a, respectively, causing the air cylinder 75 to further expand. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, the output F of the air cylinder 75 is
F/2 is distributed to 1a and 33a, and air cylinder 75
The reaction force F' is the reference surface 31 d of the knuckle 31, 31
The air cylinder 75 is extended until the air is distributed in increments of elJ''/2, and the inclination angle of the knuckle 31 is determined at that position.

In this state, the fastening bolt 27 on the main body side of the suspension arm 33 is tightened to fix the position of the knuckle 31. After that, the air cylinder 75 is deflated. At this time, since the loads acting on each part of the air cylinder 75 are all equal, changes in the position of the knuckle 31 due to the influence of elastic deformation of each part when the load is removed can be reduced.

Next, the air cylinders 63 and 57 are contracted +1 to lower the sub-frame 67 and the block 60, and then the toe angle adjustment is performed by returning the trolley 41 to the initial position using a drive means (not shown). If you attach a connector etc., 8
The automatic tightening of the suspension arm mounting bolts is facilitated, and the tightening time can be shortened. The tightening torque for this mounting bolt is approximately 900#m.
Relatively long working hours were required.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a sectional view showing a connecting part of a suspension arm having a conventional toe angle adjustment mechanism, Fig. 2 is a side view of the connecting part of Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a McFarhn type adjusted by the method of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a bottom view showing an example of the configuration of the rear suspension arm, FIG. 4 is a side view showing the connection part on the vehicle body side, and FIG.
The figure is a front view showing an example of the configuration of the toe angle adjusting device of the present invention.
The figure is a partially enlarged view, and FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the transmission points of the output F of the air cylinder and its reaction force F'. 21.33...Suspension arm, 21a. 33 a-=boss, 31...knuckle, 31 d,
31 e...Reference surface, 41...Dolly, 47...Main body, 57, 63.75...Nib cylinder, 67...
Subframe, 71...Block, 79...Subblock, 83-°F. rock. Agent Tatsuyuki Unuma (and 1 other person) Figure 1 Figure 3 Figure 4 Figure 5 Figure 6

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A first actuator that supports a vehicle in a vertically movable manner, a main body that holds the first actuator so that it is at a specific position relative to the vehicle when the vehicle is supported by the actuator, and the main body a toe angle adjusting mechanism attached to the main body so as to be movable up and down, a second actuator outputting a force F; A first distribution device provided on the output side of the actuator that distributes and transmits the force F in increments of F'/2, and first and second toe angle adjustment surfaces inclined at a specific angle with respect to the main body. and a toe angle adjustment mechanism having a second distribution device that distributes the reaction force F' of the second actuator into F'/2 and transmits it to the wheel side member of the vehicle. Toe angle adjustment device. (2) a first suspension arm extending on the axis of the rear wheel rotation axis; a second suspension arm extending parallel to the suspension arm; and the rear wheel rotation axis;
Attachment portions for the first and second suspension arms are provided, and first and second references are provided on the same plane in the vicinity of the attachment portions for the first and second suspension arms, respectively, perpendicular to the axis. A knuckle provided with a surface and a third reference surface perpendicular to the axis,
a first vehicle body mounting portion of the first suspension arm connected to the vehicle body side connecting portion; and a fourth reference plane perpendicular to the axis and on the same plane as the third reference plane; and a second vehicle body mounting portion connected to the vehicle body side connection portion such that the longitudinal position of the second suspension arm can be adjusted.The toe angle of the Matsu Furso Type 7 rear suspension is supported so that the vehicle can be moved up and down. a first actuator that holds the first actuator in a specific position relative to the vehicle when the actuator supports the vehicle; a toe angle adjustment mechanism mounted on the main body to be able to move up and down; a second actuator that outputs the force F; and a toe angle adjustment mechanism that is installed on the output side of the second actuator. A first distribution device that distributes and transmits the force F by F/2, and first and second toe angle adjustment surfaces that are inclined at a specific angle with the main body are formed, and the second actuator Each force F′ is F/
When the vehicle is at a predetermined position on the assembly line, the vehicle is adjusted by the toe angle adjusting device equipped with a toe angle adjusting mechanism having a second distribution device that distributes the divided information into z+2 and transmits the information to the wheel side members of the vehicle. The first actuator is extended to support the vehicle when the toe angle adjustment mechanism reaches the toe angle adjustment mechanism, and the first distribution device is capable of contacting the third and fourth reference surfaces; , the second distribution device is raised to a position where it can come into contact with the first and second reference surfaces, and the second actuator is extended to cause the first distribution device to contact the third and fourth reference surfaces. By bringing the second distribution device into contact with the first and second reference surfaces, the connection position of the second umbrella connection portion of the second suspension arm with respect to the vehicle body side connection portion is determined. A method for adjusting a toe angle, comprising determining and fixing the toe angle, and then contracting the second actuator.