JPS6330831Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] The present invention relates to a suspension of a vehicle such as an automobile, and more particularly to a bound stopper incorporated into the suspension.

The bound stopper is made of a rubber-like elastic body such as anti-vibration rubber, and is fixed to the suspension member at one end, and when the suspension bounces, the other end contacts another suspension member to elastically deform itself. This prevents excessive deformation of the springs and excessive movement of the wheels when the suspension bounces, thereby alleviating the shock to the suspension.

In a vehicle equipped with such a bounce stopper, the rigidity of the bounce stopper is high when the amount of suspension bounce is relatively large and regulation of wheel movement is important, such as when the vehicle is driving on a rough road. On the other hand, when the amount of bounce of the suspension is relatively small and the ride comfort of the vehicle is important, such as when the vehicle is running at medium to low speeds, it is desirable that the bounce stopper has low rigidity.

However, conventional bound stoppers have spring characteristics that are close to linear characteristics, and their rigidity remains essentially constant regardless of the vehicle's driving conditions. It is not possible to achieve both maneuverability and ride comfort.

In view of the above-mentioned problems with conventional bound stoppers, the present invention aims to provide a bound stopper that is improved so that the rigidity of the bound stopper can be arbitrarily changed according to the driving conditions of the vehicle. The purpose is

This object is achieved, according to the invention, by a bound stopper which is made of a rubber-like elastic material and has a chamber space that communicates with the outside through passage means and into which a controlled fluid pressure is introduced.

According to this configuration, by changing the fluid pressure introduced into the chamber space through the passage means, it is possible to appropriately change the rigidity of the bound stopper according to the driving conditions even when the vehicle is running. This improves the ride comfort of the vehicle when driving at low to medium speeds, while effectively regulating excessive movement of the vehicle when driving on rough roads, improving vehicle handling. can be done.

The fluid introduced into the chamber space of the bound stopper according to the present invention may be either a compressible fluid such as compressed air or an incompressible fluid such as oil. The spring characteristics of the bound stopper can be changed to significantly nonlinear spring characteristics by simply blocking the communication between the chamber space and the fluid supply source without changing the fluid pressure in the chamber space. In addition, when the fluid introduced into the chamber space is an incompressible fluid such as oil, the elastic deformation of the bound stopper causes the fluid in the chamber space to move in and out of the chamber space through the passage means. The generated flow resistance attenuates the high frequency vibrations input to the bound stopper, so it is possible to suppress the high frequency vibrations from being transmitted to the body etc. via the bound stopper.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing one embodiment of a bound stopper according to the present invention incorporated into a shock absorber. In the figure, 1 and 2 indicate the main body of the shock absorber and the absorber rod, respectively. The upper end 3 of the absorber rod 2 is connected to the vehicle body (not shown) by an upper support 4. The upper end 3 of the absorber rod 2 is provided with a male thread 5 and a shoulder portion 6, and a lock nut 7 is screwed into the male thread 5. Between the lock nut 7 and the shoulder 6 are a bearing 8 that rotatably supports the absorber rod 2, a spacer 9, and the inner periphery of a spring seat 10 that supports one end of a suspension spring (not shown). It is fixed in a state where the parts are interposed.

One end 13 of a bound stopper 12 according to the present invention is bonded to the lower surface 11 of the spring seat 10. The bound stopper 12 has a hollow cylindrical shape made of anti-vibration rubber and has a hole 14 through which the absorber rod 2 is inserted. A dust cover 15 is integrally formed to prevent dust and muddy water from entering joints and the like.

A hollow bag 16 made of rubber and capable of expanding and contracting is embedded inside the bound stopper 12, and a chamber space 18 extending in an annular shape around an axis 17 is defined by the hollow bag.
6 is fixed by a clamp 20 to one end of a nozzle 19 which is partly fixed to the spring seat 10, and the chamber space 18 is communicated with the outside of the bound stopper by the nozzle 19. One end of a hose 22 is connected and fixed to the other end of the nozzle 19 by a clamp 21. The other end of the hose 22 is connected and communicated with a compressed air supply source via a pressure control valve or the like (not shown in the figure), whereby the chamber space 18 is
It is possible to introduce a controlled air pressure into the spring seat 8. A retainer 23 is fixed by welding to the lower surface 11 of the spring seat 10, which prevents the bound stopper 12 from expanding radially outwardly perpendicular to the axis 17. Incidentally, embedding the hollow bag 16 in the bound stopper 12 may be achieved by filling the hollow bag with oil or the like, arranging it at a predetermined position in a mold for molding the bound stopper, and molding the bound stopper as an insert mold.

Thus, according to the illustrated embodiment, by changing the air pressure within the chamber space 18, the rigidity of the bound stopper can be changed steplessly.
Thereby, the rigidity of the bound stopper can be changed as appropriate depending on the driving conditions of the vehicle and the like. In particular, in the illustrated embodiment, cylindrical walls 2 located radially inwardly and outwardly of the chamber space 18
4 and 25 have a small wall thickness,
By changing the air pressure in the chamber space 18, the bound stopper 1 can be expanded along the axis 17 as the air pressure in the chamber space 18 increases.
2 can be changed, thereby making it possible to change the distance between the other end 26 of the bounce stopper 12 and the upper end 27 of the shock absorber main body 1 with which it comes into contact when the suspension bounces. .

FIG. 2 is a partial longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the main parts of another embodiment of the bound stopper according to the present invention. In FIG. 2, parts that are substantially the same as those shown in FIG. 1 are designated by the same reference numerals.

In this embodiment, the bound stopper 12
consists of a first part 28 glued to the spring seat 10 at one end 13 and a second part 29 integrally formed with the dust cover 15, and the first and second parts are connected to the joint surface 30. and 31 are bonded to each other. Grooves 32 and 33 each having a U-shaped cross section and extending annularly around the axis 17 are formed in the joint surfaces 30 and 31, and these grooves cooperate with each other to extend annularly around the axis 17. The room space 34 in which the room is located is defined. The chamber space 34 is communicated with the outside of the bound stopper 12 by a passage 35 formed in the first portion 28 and a hole 36 formed in the spring seat 10 in alignment with the passage. Spring seat 10 has base 1
9 is fixed by welding at a position aligned with the hole 36. The embodiment shown in FIG. 2 is otherwise constructed like the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and is adapted to function similarly.

FIG. 3 is a partial longitudinal cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 2 showing the essential parts of yet another embodiment of the bound stopper according to the present invention. In FIG. 3, parts that are substantially the same as those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are designated by the same reference numerals.

In this embodiment, the chamber space 37 is defined by the spring seat 10 and a U-shaped groove 38 formed in one end 13 of the bound stopper 12 and extending annularly around the axis 17. Base 1
9 is a vent pipe. The embodiment shown in FIG. 3 is otherwise constructed and adapted to function similarly to the embodiment shown in FIG. 2.

Although the present invention has been described above in detail with respect to several embodiments incorporated into a shock absorber, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications may be made within the scope of the present invention. It will be clear to those skilled in the art that embodiments are possible. For example, the chamber space may extend in a C-shape around the axis, or a plurality of chambers may be provided spaced apart from each other around the axis, and the bound stopper according to the present invention may be fixed to the frame of the vehicle, etc. It will be appreciated that it may also be configured as a bound stopper.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing one embodiment of the bound stopper according to the present invention incorporated into a shock absorber, and Fig. 2 is a portion showing the main parts of another embodiment of the bound stopper according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a partial vertical sectional view similar to FIG. 2, showing the essential parts of yet another embodiment of the bound stopper according to the present invention. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Body of shock absorber, 2... Absorber rod, 3... Upper end, 4... Upper support, 5... Male thread, 6... Shoulder, 7... Lock nut, 8... Bearing, 9... ...Spacer, 10...
Spring seat, 11... Bottom surface, 12... Bound stopper, 13... One end, 14... Hole, 1
5...Dust cover, 16...Hollow bag body, 17...
... Axis line, 18 ... Chamber space, 19 ... Base, 20,
21... Clamp, 22... Hose, 23... Retainer, 24, 25... Wall, 26... Other end, 2
7... Upper end, 28... First part, 29... Second part, 30, 31... Joint surface, 32, 33...
Groove, 34...room space, 35...passage, 36...
Hole, 37...chamber space, 38...groove.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A bound stopper that is made of a rubber-like elastic body and has a chamber space that communicates with the outside through passage means and into which controlled fluid pressure is introduced.