JPS61193906A - Control valve for suspension device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To obtain a small and compact control valve by coupling one valve body to an operating member while the other valve body to the suspension system thereby expanding/contracting the suspension unit by the amount corresponding with the operating amount of the operating member. CONSTITUTION:The right and left suspension 14, 14 are provided with a telescoping member 24 of hydraulic operator comprised of a piston 2l2 and a cylinder 23 at the upper section where the upper end of said member 24 is pivoted through a bracket to the chassis while the lower end of the suspension 14 is fixed through a pivot 16 to the intermediate section of lower beam 4. Supply/ discharge of working oil against the cylinder 23 is controlled through a rotary valve 26 responsive to the slide shaft 13. Said valve 26 is fed with the working oil pressurized through a pump 27 to be driven through an engine.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a suspension device provided between a wheel and a vehicle body of a vehicle such as an automobile or a tricycle, and particularly to a suspension device that expands and contracts by supplying and discharging fluid. The present invention relates to a suspension device.

L button 1 In vehicles such as automobiles, it is conventional to use a suspension device that expands and contracts by supplying and discharging fluid pressure from a separate system in order to selectively adjust the vehicle height to high or low depending on driving conditions. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 57-3301
No. 0 discloses such a suspension device or vehicle height adjustment device.

Such extendable suspension devices are also used in tricycles, four-wheeled vehicles, etc., to tilt the vehicle body inward, that is, toward the center of the turn, in response to steering operations when turning, so that the vehicle can experience the same steering sensation as a two-wheeled vehicle. can also be used. That is, the above-mentioned extendable suspension devices are installed between the left and right wheels and the vehicle body, and when turning, fluid is supplied to the suspension device on the opposite side of the turning center of the vehicle to activate the suspension device. By extending the suspension device and shortening the suspension device by discharging fluid from the suspension device on the side of the turning center, the vehicle height on the side opposite to the turning center becomes higher and the vehicle height on the side of the turning center becomes lower. is tilted toward the turning center, allowing lean turning similar to that of a two-wheeled vehicle.

The present invention controls the fluid supplied to and discharged from the suspension device when expanding and contracting the above-mentioned extensible suspension device according to its purpose, so that the device is controlled by an amount corresponding to the operation of an operating member. The object of the present invention is to obtain a control valve that can be expanded and contracted and has a small and simple structure suitable for being placed near a suspension device.

The control valve according to the present invention has inner and outer valve bodies each consisting of a rotating body closely fitted to each other so as to be relatively rotatable about the same axis, and an outer periphery of the outer valve body surrounding the valve body. and a housing rotatably in close contact with the valve body, and each of the valve bodies has a supply port and a discharge port that open to the contact surface between the valve bodies, and the supply ports of both the valve bodies are aligned with each other. The rotational position where the discharge ports align with each other is different from the rotational position where the discharge ports align with each other, and one valve body is connected to the operating member, and the other valve body is connected to the suspension device.

According to the present invention, when the operating member is operated to expand or contract the suspension device, one valve body rotates relative to the other valve body in response to the operation, and the one valve body rotates depending on the direction of rotation. The inlet of the valve body is aligned with the inlet of the other valve body, or the outlet of said one valve body is aligned with the outlet of the other valve body. When the supply ports of both valve bodies are aligned, fluid is sent from an external source through the supply ports to the suspension device, the suspension device is extended, and when the discharge ports are aligned, , the fluid within the suspension device is discharged to the outside through the outlet, and the suspension device contracts.

At the same time, the other valve body rotates in the same direction as the one valve body according to the expansion and contraction of the suspension device to perform a feedback operation, so that the suspension device only extends in length according to the amount of operation of the operating member. expand or contract.

Friendship 1 Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in which the vehicle body is tilted toward the center of turning when sewing.
An embodiment will be described in which the present invention is applied to an extendable suspension device provided between the left and right wheels and the vehicle body, respectively.

Figures 1 and 2 are front views of a pair of left and right extendable suspension devices installed on the front wheels of a tricycle with two front wheels and one rear wheel, as seen from the front. FIG. 2 shows the state when turning to the right, and the hydraulic system is not shown. Note that in the following description, right or left refers to right or left as seen from the driver. 1 is the front wheel and 2 is the vehicle body. A knuckle 3 is provided on each of the left and right front wheels 1.1 integrally with the axle, and a lower arm 4 is connected to the lower end of each of these knuckles 3 via a ball joint 5. An upper arm 6 is connected via a ball joint 7. The other end of the lower arm 4 is pivotally connected to the vehicle body 2 via a bracket 8, and the other end of the upper arm 6 is pivotally connected to the vehicle body 2 via a bracket 9, forming a so-called wishbone suspension. .

A knuckle arm 10 is provided on the knuckle 3 and protrudes diagonally in the tangential direction. A tie 12 is connected to this knuckle arm 10 via a ball joint 11, and the other end of the tie 12 slides. It is pivotally attached to the end of the shaft 13. The slide shaft 13 is slidably supported by the vehicle body 2 by a bearing 21. Slide shaft 1
A rack 17 is provided in the center of the rack 1, and a pinion 18 provided on the steering shaft 19 is connected to the rack 1.
It meshes with 7. 20 is a steering wheel.

The left and right suspension devices [14, 14] are each equipped with a hydraulically operated telescopic member 24 consisting of a piston 22 and a cylinder 23 at the upper part, and the upper end of the telescopic member 24 is pivotally connected to the vehicle body 2 via a blanket 15. The lower end of the suspension device 14 is attached to the intermediate portion of the lower arm 4 via a pivot 16.

When the vehicle is traveling straight, the pinion 18 meshes with the rack 17 at its center position, as shown in FIG.
is rotated counterclockwise in the figure as shown by arrow a in FIG. Then, due to the rotation of the pinion 18, the slide shaft 13 slides to the left as indicated by the arrow, thereby deflecting the front wheel 1 to the right. At this time, as shown in Figure 3 and below,
As will be described in detail later, pressure oil is supplied to the cylinder 23 of the suspension device 14 on the left side (right side in the figure).
Hydraulic oil is discharged from the cylinder 23 of the right suspension Qllj14. The coil spring 25 of the suspension device 14 has high rigidity and practically does not expand or contract, so the left cylinder 23 is moved upward by the hydraulic pressure acting between it and the piston 22, increasing the overall length of the suspension device f14. On the other hand, in the suspension device 14 on the right side, the cylinder 23 moves downward and the overall length becomes shorter.

As a result, the left suspension device 14 pushes down the lower arm 4 relative to the vehicle body 2, and the right suspension device 14 pulls up the right lower arm 4 relative to the vehicle body 2. At this time, each upper arm 6 follows the movement of each lower arm 4.

However, since the front wheels 1 are always in contact with the ground, when each member moves as described above, the vehicle body 2 eventually tilts to the right, that is, toward the center of turning, as shown in FIG. (also tilts), resulting in a lean turn similar to that of a motorcycle. I have described the case of right turn above,
The same applies to left turns.

FIG. 3 shows a hydraulic system for supplying and discharging hydraulic oil to the cylinder 23 as described above during turning. The supply of hydraulic oil to the cylinder 23 and the discharge of hydraulic oil from the cylinder 23 are as follows:
It is controlled by a tA'llJ valve or rotary pulp 26 according to the invention which responds to the slide shaft 13 as an operating member, and is supplied with hydraulic oil pressurized by a pump 27. pump 2
7 is driven by the engine of the vehicle, and when the engine starts, the hydraulic oil in the reservoir tank 28 is sent by the pump 27 to the supply pipe 31 via the cut-off pulp 29 and the one-way pulp 30, and the rotary valve 26
When the pressure reaches 1, a part of the pressure is sent to the accumulator 32 and accumulated therein. When the pressure inside the supply pipe 31 reaches a specified value, the piston 33 of the cut-off valve 29 moves to the right in the figure against the spring 34, and the supply is completed!
31 from the pump 21, and the pump 27h1
The discharged oil is circulated to the suction side through the bypass pipe 35. The one-way pulp 30a provided in the supply pipe 31 allows the pressure generated on the suspension side to be transferred to the accumulator 3.
Prevent escape to 2.

As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the rotary valve 26 includes a cylindrical valve body, that is, an inner pulp 36, and another cylindrical valve fitted in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the inner pulp so as to be relatively rotatable. The inner pulp 36 has an oil supply passage 40 communicating with the supply pipe 31 through an inlet 39, and a return pipe 42 (through an outlet 41). (see FIG. 3) is provided. As can be seen from FIGS. 6 and 7, these oil supply passages 40 and oil drainage passages 43 open on the circumferential surface of the inner pulp 36 at positions shifted from each other in the circumferential direction and the axial direction. It communicates with an oil supply port 44 and an oil drain port 45, respectively.

The outer pulp 37 has the oil supply port 4 in the axial direction.
4 and the oil filler port 4 at the positions that match the oil drain port 45, respectively.
6 and an oil drain port 47 are provided, and both of these 046
．． 47 is arranged on the same generatrix of the cylinder. That is, it is arranged within one plane that includes the rotational axis of the outer pulp 37. An oil passage 48 is provided in the housing 38 facing the oil supply port 46 and the oil drain port 41, and the oil passage 48 is connected to the telescopic member 24 via a cut-off valve 49.
It communicates with the cylinder 23 of.

The cut-off valve 49 includes a piston 51 biased by a spring 50, and when the engine is stopped and there is no oil pressure in the supply pipe 31, the oil passage 48 is opened as shown in FIG.
is shut off from the cylinder 23 to prevent the vehicle body 2 from sinking due to oil leaking from the cylinder 23. When the engine operates and oil pressure is generated in the supply pipe 31, the piston 51 compresses the spring 50 and is displaced by this oil pressure, thereby communicating the oil passage 48 with the cylinder 23.

As shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 8, which will be described later, the inner valve 36 is connected to an operating member, that is, the slide shaft 13, via a lever piece 52, and rotates in response to the reciprocating movement of the slide shaft 13. do.

Further, the outer valve 37 is connected to the piston 22 side of the telescoping member 24 via a lever piece 53.
(movement relative to the vehicle body; the same applies hereinafter), that is, in response to expansion and contraction of the suspension device, the inner valve 36 rotates relative to the inner valve 36 to perform a feedback operation.

The return pipe 42 connected to the outlet 41 of the rotary valve 26 is connected to the reservoir tank 28, as shown in FIG. 3, and between the supply pipe 31 and the return pipe 42,
A safety valve 54 is provided to release oil in the supply pipe 31 to the reservoir tank 28. FIG. 3 shows the same state as in FIG. 1 when the rotary pulp 26 is traveling straight, and the rotary pulp 26 has the oil supply port 46 and the oil drain port 47 of the outer valve 37 aligned with the oil supply port 44 and the oil drain port 45 of the inner valve 36 in the circumferential direction. It is in a neutral state between. Incidentally, the above-mentioned FIG. 7 also shows such a neutral state.

FIG. 4 shows the state of the left suspension device 14 (right side in the figure) and the rotary pulp 26 when the vehicle turns to the right. When turning to the right, the slide shaft 13 moves to the left as indicated by the arrow, and the inner valve 3 is connected to the slide shaft 13 via a lever piece 52.
6 rotates clockwise in the figure. Therefore, in the straight-ahead state, the fuel filler port 44, which was separated from the fuel filler port 46, becomes the fuel filler port 46.
The pressure oil in the supply pipe 31 is supplied to the cylinder 23 and pushes down the piston 22. As the piston 22 moves, the outer valve 31 connected to it via a lever piece 53 rotates clockwise, and the oil filler port 46 separates from the oil filler port 44, but the slide shaft 13 does not move. Since the oil filler port 44 also rotates clockwise,
The alignment between the fuel filler port 46 and the fuel filler port 44 is maintained, and the piston 22 continues to move. That is, the telescopic member 24 expands, and the total length of the suspension device 14 increases continuously.

When the slide shaft 13 stops moving, the fifth
As shown in the figure, the fuel filler port 46 is separated from the fuel filler port 44, the extension of the telescopic member 24 also stops, and the overall length of the suspension 1ill14 is maintained at a length corresponding to the amount of movement of the slide shaft 13, that is, the amount of steering. be done.

At the same time, in the rotary pulp 26 on the right side, the oil drain port 45 and the oil drain port 41 are aligned, and the oil in the cylinder 23 is discharged to the return pipe 42 through the oil drain path 43 and the outlet 41.
The elastic member 24 contracts. Then, in the same manner as described above, the total length of the suspension system fi14 is shortened to a length corresponding to the steering control 1, and is maintained at this length.

As a result, as previously explained with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2, the vehicle body leans to the right, that is, toward the turning center, resulting in a lean state similar to that of a motorcycle.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing more practically the structure of the V4 valves described above, and each member is given the same reference numeral as in each of the previous figures.

Pump 27 and reservoir tank 28 attached to it
(not shown in FIG. 8) is the rotary pulp 26
It is disposed at a lower position, and the oil discharged from the rotary pal 726 is returned to the reservoir tank 28 via the return pipe 42 by gravity. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the outlet 41 has a larger diameter than the λ port 39, and the return v142 is also made of a pipe material with a larger diameter than the supply pipe 31. There is.

9 and 10 show other embodiments of the control valve of the present invention. Similar to the rotary pulp 26 described above, the control valve 60 includes inner and outer valve bodies, that is, an inner pull 61 and an outer pulp 62, which are fitted to each other so as to be relatively rotatable around the same axis, and these valve bodies. 61 and a housing 63 surrounding the supply pipe 31.
An oil supply passage 64 communicating with the inner valve 61 and an oil drainage passage 65 communicating with the return pipe 42 are provided at both ends of the inner valve 61 to face each other in the axial direction. An oil supply port 66 communicating with the oil supply path 64 and an oil drain port 67 communicating with the oil drain path 65 are opened at different angular positions on the outer peripheral surface of the inner valve 61, as shown in FIG. There is.

On the other hand, the outer valve 62 is provided with an oil fill port 68 and an oil drain port 69 at positions corresponding to the oil fill port 66 and the oil drain port 67 in the axial direction, respectively. They are arranged in the same plane including the axis. The oil supply port 68 and the oil drain port 69 are communicated with each other by an oil passage 70, and the oil passage 70 is connected to the connecting lower 1
It is connected to the cylinder 23 of the above-mentioned telescopic member 24 via.

An arm piece 72 extends radially from the inner valve 61 through the outer valve 62 and the housing 63, and this arm piece 12 is connected to the slide shaft via the lever piece 52, as in the previous embodiment. It is connected to 13. Further, an arm piece 73 extends in the radial direction from the housing 63 from the outer valve 62, and the arm piece 73 is connected to the piston 22 side of the suspension device W14 via the lever piece 53. The operation of this control valve 60 is substantially the same as that of the rotary valve 26 of the previous embodiment.

In addition, in each of the above embodiments, the inner valve 36.6
1 is connected to the supply pipe 31 and the return pipe 42, and the outer valve 37.62 is connected to the cylinder 23. However, the inner valve 36.61 side is connected to the cylinder 23, and the outer valve 37.62 side is connected to the supply pipe 31 and the return pipe 42. It goes without saying that it is also possible to connect to the tube 42 and that many other modifications are possible within the scope of the invention.

Further, although an example has been described in which the control valve of the present invention is attached to an extendable suspension device for tilting the vehicle body, it is of course possible to attach the control valve of the present invention to an extendable suspension device for adjusting the vehicle body.

As described above, the control valve according to the present invention has inner and outer valve bodies each consisting of a rotating body closely fitted to each other so as to be relatively rotatable around the same axis, and a valve body surrounding these valve bodies. and a housing that is relatively rotatably close to the outer circumferential surface of the outer valve body, and each of the valve bodies has a supply port and a discharge port that open to the contact surface between the valve bodies. The rotational position where the supply ports of both valve bodies align with each other is different from the rotational position where the discharge pipes align with each other, and one valve body is connected to an operating member and the other valve body is connected to a suspension device. Therefore, the fluid supplied to and discharged from the expandable and retractable suspension device can be controlled by fluid pressure, and the suspension device can be expanded and contracted by an amount corresponding to the amount of operation of the operating member. It is small and has a simple structure, making it suitable for placement near the suspension device.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Figures 1 and 2 are front views of the extendable suspension device installed on the front wheel of a tricycle, as seen from the front. Figure 1 shows the state when going straight, and Figure 2 shows the state when turning to the right. show,
In both cases, illustration of the hydraulic system is omitted. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the hydraulic system when traveling straight, Figs. 4 and 5 are drawings showing part of the hydraulic system when turning, Fig. 6 is a horizontal cross-sectional view of the control valve, and Fig. 7 is a diagram showing the hydraulic system when turning. 8 is a perspective view showing the specific structure of the suspension device, FIG. 9 is an axial sectional view showing another embodiment of the control valve of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along the line XX in FIG. 9. FIG. 1... Front wheel, 2... Vehicle body, 3... Knuckle, 4...
...Lower arm, 5...Ball joint, 6...
Upper arm, 7...Ball joint, 8.9...
・Bracket, 10...Knuckle arm, 11...
Ball joint, 12... tie, 13...
Slide shaft (operating member), 14... Suspension device, 15... Bracket, 16... Pivot, 17... Rack, 18... Pionin, 19...
Steering shaft, 20... Steering wheel, 21... Bearing, 22... Piston, 23...
Cylinder, 24... Telescopic member, 25... Coil spring, 26... Rotary valve (control valve), 27...
... Pump, 28... Reservoir tank, 29... Cut-off valve, 30... One-way valve, 31...
... Supply pipe, 32... Accumulator, 33... Piston, 34... Spring, 35... Bypass pipe, 3G... Inner valve (valve body), 37... Outer valve (valve body), 38...Housing, 39...Inlet, 40...Oil supply path, 41...Output Figure 5 Atsushi Figure 7 Figure 9 Tail Figure 10

Claims (1)

[Claims] A control valve that is attached to a suspension device that expands and contracts by supplying and discharging fluid and controls the fluid,
Inner and outer valve bodies are made up of rotating bodies closely fitted to each other so that they can rotate relatively around the same axis, and the valve body that surrounds these valve bodies and is rotatable relative to the outer peripheral surface of the outer valve body. and a housing that is in close contact with the valve body, and a housing that is in close contact with the valve body.
The supply port and the discharge port that open to the contact surface between the valve bodies are provided such that the rotational position where the supply ports of both valve bodies are aligned with each other is different from the rotational position where the discharge ports are aligned with each other, and A control valve characterized in that one valve element is connected to an operating member, and the other valve element is connected to the suspension device.