JPS641124Y2 - - 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 shock absorbing connection structure for rod-shaped suspension members such as a shock absorber or a strut bar.

A rod-shaped suspension member such as a shock absorber or a strut bar is generally connected at one end to the vehicle body through a shock absorbing connection structure, and at the other end to a suspension arm such as a control arm. The system incorporates a rubber bushing that allows a small relative displacement between one end of the suspension member and the vehicle body, thereby controlling the transmission of vibrations from the suspension system to the vehicle body and the vehicle interior.

One such shock-absorbing connection structure is a shock-absorbing connection structure in which one end of a suspension member is inserted into a hole bored in a plate-shaped body member of a vehicle and is connected thereto in a cushioning manner. first and second retainers spaced apart on opposite sides of the suspension member and carried on one end of the suspension member;
A first bushing of a rubber-like elastic body inserted through one end of the suspension member and interposed between the first retainer and the body member, and a second bush inserted through one end of the suspension member and interposed between the second retainer and the body member. A shock-absorbing connection structure is known which has a second bushing of rubber-like elastic body interposed therebetween.

The rubber bushings incorporated in such a shock-absorbing connection structure are required to have low rigidity and low compliance in order to reduce the transmission of vibrations to the vehicle body and cabin compared to the suspension system, and to improve vehicle ride comfort. It is desirable that the stiffness is high, and in order to improve the handling stability and handling feeling of the vehicle when the vehicle is running at high speed or when turning, it is desirable that the rigidity is high. In order to meet such demands, conventional efforts have been made to make the spring characteristics of the bush nonlinear by appropriately selecting the shape of the rubber bush or embedding a metal insert in the bush.

However, in the conventional shock absorbing connection structure as described above, the bush incorporated therein is entirely composed of a solid rubber-like elastic body, and once the shape of the bush is specified, its spring characteristics can also be determined. Since the rigidity of the bushings is determined unambiguously, if the stiffness of the bushings is lowered with emphasis on the vehicle's ride comfort and vibration damping performance, the handling sensation of the vehicle will be impaired; If the stiffness of the bushings is set as a high priority, the ride comfort of the vehicle and the damping performance of the bushings will deteriorate.In order to change the spring characteristics of the bushings as desired, it is necessary to set the bushings with other types of stiffness and shape. It is difficult to meet the conflicting demands as mentioned above.

Furthermore, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, it has already been proposed to provide a chamber space in which the first and second bushes communicate with each other and with the outside, as described in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 57-127007. It has been proposed,
Furthermore, as described in, for example, Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 57-205432, it is already known to provide a chamber space communicating with the outside in either the first or second bush.

However, in the former structure, since the two chamber spaces communicate with each other, the rigidity of the first and second bushings cannot be controlled independently of each other.
Furthermore, in the latter structure, only the rigidity of the bushing on the side where the chamber space is provided can be changed;
There is a problem in that the stiffness of the two bushes cannot be varied in a desired manner.

In view of the above-mentioned defects in the conventional shock-absorbing connection structure of rod-shaped suspension members, the present invention has been developed to arbitrarily adjust the spring characteristics of the bushes incorporated in the shock-absorbing connection structure in a desired manner according to the running conditions of the vehicle, etc. It is an object of the present invention to provide a shock-absorbing connection structure for a rod-shaped suspension member that is improved so as to be able to change the structure.

According to the present invention, this object is achieved by providing a shock-absorbing connection structure in which one end of a rod-like suspension member is inserted into a hole bored in a plate-like body member of a vehicle and is connected thereto in a shock-absorbing manner. first and second retainers spaced apart from each other on opposite sides of the member and carried by the one end of the suspension member; the first retainer and the body inserted through the one end of the suspension member; a first bush of a rubber-like elastic body interposed between the member and the rubber-like elastic body inserted through the one end of the suspension member and interposed between the second retainer and the body member; a second bushing of the body, each of the first and second bushings having a mutually independent chamber space, each of the chamber spaces extending annularly around the suspension member and being mutually independent. This is accomplished by a damping connection structure configured to communicate with the outside through passage means and to introduce controlled fluid pressure.

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 stiffness of the bushing incorporated in the shock absorbing connection structure even when the vehicle is running. Therefore, by lowering the fluid pressure in the indoor space and reducing the stiffness of the bushing, it is possible to improve the ride comfort of the vehicle and the vibration damping performance of the shock absorbing structure. By increasing the height and increasing the stiffness of the bushing, it is possible to improve the vehicle's handling stability and driving feeling.

Further, according to the present invention, the first and second bushes are provided with mutually independent chamber spaces, and each chamber space is communicated with the outside through the passage means and controlled fluid pressure is introduced thereinto. As a result, the stiffness of the first and second bushings can be controlled in any manner independently of each other and in relation to the other stiffnesses.

In the buffer connection structure according to the present invention, the fluid introduced into the chamber space of the bush incorporated therein may be either a compressible fluid such as air or an incompressible fluid such as oil. If the fluid is compressible, the spring characteristics of the bushings 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 within the chamber space. In addition, if the fluid introduced into the chamber space is an incompressible fluid, this occurs when the fluid in the chamber space is moved in and out of the chamber space through the passage means due to the elastic deformation of the bushing. The high-frequency vibrations input to the bushing are attenuated by the flow resistance, so it is possible to suppress the high-frequency vibrations from being transmitted to the body or the like via the buffer connection structure.

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 the shock absorbing connection structure according to the present invention, which is configured as an upper support of a shock absorber. In the figure,
1 to 3 indicate the main body, dust cover, and absorber rod of the shock absorber, respectively. Although not shown in the drawings, the shock absorber main body 1 is connected at its other end to a suspension arm via a rubber bushing. One end 4 of the absorber rod 3 is inserted into a hole 7 formed in a plate-shaped body member 6 of the vehicle and connected thereto in a cushioning manner by an upper support 5 incorporating a cushioning connection structure according to the present invention. has been done.

The upper support 5 is in contact with a nut 9 that is screwed into a male thread 8 cut in one end 4 of the absorber rod 3, and is connected to a first retainer 10 spaced apart from the body member 6 and one end 4 of the absorber rod 3. The body member 6 comes into contact with the fixed absorber stud 11.
a second retainer 12 spaced apart from each other; and a first retainer 1 inserted through one end 4 of the absorber rod 3.
A first bushing 13 made of anti-vibration rubber is interposed between 0 and the body member 6, and a second retainer 12 inserted through the one end 4 of the absorber rod 3 is interposed between the body member 6. The second bushing 14 is made of anti-vibration rubber.

In the illustrated embodiment, retainers 15 and 16 are interposed between the first bushing 13 and the body member 6 and between the second bushing 14 and the body member 6, respectively. The retainers 15 and 16 have curved portions 17 and 18 that engage the side outer peripheral surfaces of the first and second bushes 13 and 14, respectively. In the illustrated embodiment, the first bushing 13 is comprised of a first portion 19 vulcanized to the first retainer 10 and a second portion 20 abutting the retainer 15. The first and second parts are adhered to each other at joint surfaces 21 and 22. The joint surfaces 21 and 22 each have a groove 24 having a semicircular cross section and extending in an annular shape around the axis 23.
and 25 are formed. These grooves 24 and 25 cooperate with each other to define a chamber space 26 that extends annularly around the axis 23.

Similarly, the second bush 14 is attached to the second retainer 1.
It consists of a first part 27 that is vulcanized and bonded to the retainer 16, and a second part 28 that abuts the retainer 16, and the first and second parts are bonded to each other at joint surfaces 29 and 30. . Grooves 31 and 32 are formed in the joint surfaces 29 and 30, respectively, and have semicircular cross sections and extend annularly around the axis 23. These grooves 31 and 32 cooperate with each other to define a chamber space 33 that extends annularly around the axis 23.

The chamber space 26 is communicated with the outside of the first bushing 13 by a passage 34 formed in the first portion 19 of the first bushing 13 and a hole 35 formed in the first retainer 10 aligned with the passage. There is. A cap 36 is fixed to the first retainer 10 by welding at a position aligned with the hole 35, and a hose 38 is connected and fixed to this cap by a clamp 37. Although the other end of the hose 38 is not shown in the figure, it is connected to a compressed air supply source via a pressure control valve or the like, so that compressed air at a controlled pressure can be introduced into the chamber space 26, and Room space 2
The air pressure inside 6 can be controlled arbitrarily.

Similarly, the chamber space 33 includes a passage 39 formed in the first portion 27 of the second bushing 14 and a hole 40 formed in the second retainer 12 aligned with this passage.
communicates with the outside of the second bushing.
A cap 41 is fixed to the second retainer 12 by welding at a position aligned with the hole 40, and a hose 43 is connected and fixed to this cap by a clamp 42. Although the other end of the hose 43 is not shown in the figure, it is connected to a compressed air supply source via a pressure control valve or the like, so that compressed air at a controlled pressure can be introduced into the chamber space 33. ,
The air pressure in the chamber space 33 can be arbitrarily controlled independently of the air pressure in the chamber space 26.

Thus, according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the rigidity of the bushes 13, 14 can be varied steplessly by changing the air pressure in the chamber space 26 and/or the chamber space 33. Even when the vehicle is running, the spring characteristics of each bushing can be arbitrarily changed independently of each other depending on the running conditions.

Further, since the first bush 13 and the second bush 14 are provided with chamber spaces 26 and 33, respectively, by appropriately controlling the air pressure in these chamber spaces, the absorber rods for the body member 6 can be reduced. 3 can be varied along the axis 23 of the absorber rod. In particular, as shown in phantom in FIG.
By increasing the sizes of and 18, the rigidity in the direction perpendicular to the axis 23 of the upper support can also be changed.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view similar to FIG. 1, showing another embodiment of the shock absorbing connection structure according to the present invention, which is configured as an upper support of a shock absorber. 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 chamber space 26 is connected to the first bush 1.
The chamber space 33 is defined by the first retainer 10 and a groove 45 having a U-shaped cross section and extending annularly around the axis 23 and formed in the joint surface 44 of the third retainer 10 with the first retainer 10. The axis 23 is formed on the joint surface 46 of the second bush 14 with the second retainer 12.
It is constructed and functions similarly to the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, except that it is defined by a groove 47 extending annularly around the second retainer 12. It's getting old.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view similar to FIGS. 1 and 2, showing still another embodiment of the shock absorbing connection structure according to the present invention, which is configured as an upper support of a shock absorber. In FIG. 3, parts that are substantially the same as those shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are given the same reference numerals.

In this embodiment, the chamber space 26 is defined by a retractable hollow bag 48 embedded in the first bush 13 and made of rubber, and the chamber space 33 is defined by the second bush 14. It is defined by a retractable hollow bag 49 embedded therein and made of rubber. The hollow bags 48 and 49 are connected to the base 3 by clamps 37a and 42a at their parts, respectively.
It is connected and fixed to the other ends of 6 and 41. Incidentally, embedding the hollow bags 48 and 49 in the bush means filling the hollow bags with oil or the like, placing it at a predetermined position in a mold for molding the bush, and molding the bush in a cast-in type. This can be achieved by This embodiment is otherwise constructed and adapted to function similarly to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is a plan sectional view showing one embodiment of the shock-absorbing connection structure according to the present invention, which is configured as a shock-absorbing connection structure for strut bars. In the figure, 51 and 52 each indicate a strut bar and one end thereof, and the other end of the strut bar is connected and fixed to the control arm by a bolt and a nut, although not shown in the figure. One end 52 of the strut bar 51 has a buffer connection structure 53 according to the present invention.
It is inserted into a hole 55 formed in a plate-shaped body member 54 of the vehicle and connected thereto in a cushioning manner.

The buffer connection structure 53 has a nut 5 screwed into a male thread 56 cut in one end 52 of the strut bar 51.
first and second retainers 61 and 62 spaced apart from each other on both sides of body member 54 and carried on one end 52 by spring washers 59 and collars 60; and one end 5 of strut bar 51;
2 is inserted into the first retainer 61 and the body member 5
A first bush 63 made of anti-vibration rubber is inserted between the second retainer 62 and the body member 54, which is inserted through one end 52 of the strut bar 51. The second bushing 64 is similar to the second bushing 64. The first and second retainers 61 and 62 have peripheral edges 65 and 66 that are curved toward the body member 54, respectively, and the body member 54 projects toward the first and second retainers 61 and 62. It has ridges 68 and 69 that extend annularly around the axis 67.

In the illustrated embodiment, the first bushing 63 has a first portion 70 that is vulcanized to the first retainer 61 and a second portion 7 that abuts the body member 54.
1, and the first and second parts are bonded to each other at joint surfaces 72 and 73. The joint surfaces 72 and 73 have grooves 74 and 75 each having a U-shaped cross section and extending annularly around the axis 67.
is formed. These grooves 74 and 75 cooperate with each other to define a chamber space 76 that extends annularly around the axis 67.

Similarly, the second bush 64 is connected to the second retainer 6.
The first part 77 is vulcanized and bonded to the body member 54, and the second part 78 is in contact with the body member 54, and the first and second parts are bonded to each other at joint surfaces 79 and 80. There is. Grooves 81 and 82 are formed in the joint surfaces 79 and 80, respectively, and have a U-shaped cross section and extend annularly around the axis 67. These grooves 81 and 82 cooperate with each other to define a chamber space 83 that extends annularly around the axis 67.

The chamber spaces 76 each include a passage 84 formed in the first portion 70 of the first bushing 63 and a hole 8 formed in the first retainer 61 aligned with the passage.
5 communicates with the outside of the first bush.
A cap 86 is fixed to the retainer 61 by welding at a position aligned with the hole 85, and a hose 88 is connected and fixed to this cap by a clamp 87. Although the other end of the hose 88 is not shown in the figure, it is connected to a compressed air supply source via a pressure control valve or the like, so that compressed air at a controlled pressure can be introduced into the chamber space 76, and The air pressure inside the room can be controlled arbitrarily.

Similarly, the chamber space 83 includes a passage 89 formed in the first portion 77 of the second bushing 64 and a hole 90 formed in the second retainer 62 aligned with the passage.
communicates with the outside of the second bushing.
A cap 91 is fixed to the second retainer 62 by welding at a position aligned with the hole 90, and a hose 93 is connected and fixed to this cap by a clamp 92. Although the other end of the hose 93 is not shown in the figure, it is connected to a compressed air supply source via a pressure control valve, etc., so that compressed air at a controlled pressure can be introduced into the chamber space 83. ,
The air pressure in the chamber space 83 can be controlled arbitrarily and independently of the air pressure in the chamber space 76.

Thus, according to the illustrated embodiment, the stiffness of the bushes 63, 64 can be varied steplessly by changing the air pressure in the chamber space 76 and/or the chamber space 83, thereby making it possible to change the rigidity of the bushes 63, 64 steplessly when the vehicle is running. However, the spring characteristics of the bushings can be arbitrarily changed independently of each other depending on the running conditions and the like.

Further, since chamber spaces 76 and 83 are provided in each of the first bush 63 and the second bush 64, the strut bar 51 can be moved against the body member 54 by appropriately controlling the air pressure in those chamber spaces. The position can be varied along the axis 67 of the strut bar. Also, as shown in phantom lines in FIG. 4, first and second bushings 63 and 64 are attached to the body member 54.
If sleeves 94 and 95 are provided that engage with the side outer peripheral surfaces of the first and second bushes 63 and 64,
The rigidity in the direction perpendicular to the axis 67 can be changed more clearly.

In this embodiment, as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 64 second retainer 6
2 and a groove extending annularly around the axis 67 and the first and second retainers 61 and 6.
2, or, as in the embodiment shown in FIG. .

Although the present invention has been described above in detail with reference to several embodiments, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various embodiments are possible within the scope of the present invention. This will be clear to those skilled in the art.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view showing one embodiment of the buffer connection structure according to the present invention configured as an upper support of a shock absorber, and Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of the buffer connection structure according to the present invention configured as an upper support of a shock absorber. FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view similar to FIG. 1 showing another embodiment of the structure, and FIG. FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view similar to FIGS. 2 and 2, and FIG. 4 is a plan cross-sectional view showing one embodiment of the shock-absorbing connection structure according to the present invention, which is constructed as a shock-absorbing connection structure for strut bars. 1...Shock absorber body, 2...Dust cover, 3...Absorber rod, 4...One end,
5...Upper support, 6...Body member, 7
...Hole, 8...Male thread, 9...Nut, 10...
First retainer, 11...absorber stud,
12... Second retainer, 13... First bushing, 14... Second bushing, 15, 16... Retainer, 17, 18... Curved portion, 19... First part, 20... Second portion, 21, 22... joint surface, 23... axis, 24, 25... groove, 26...
Chamber space, 27... first part, 28... second part, 29, 30... joint surface, 31, 32... groove,
33... Room space, 34... Passage, 35... Hole, 3
6...cap, 37...clamp, 38...hose, 39...passage, 40...hole, 41...cap,
42...Clamp, 43...Hose, 44...Joint surface, 45...Groove, 46...Joint surface, 47...
Groove, 48, 49...Hollow bag body, 51...Strut bar, 52...One end, 53...Buffer connection structure,
54... Body member, 55... Hole, 56... Male thread, 57, 58... Nut, 59... Spring washer, 60... Collar, 61... First retainer,
62... Second retainer, 63... First bushing, 64... Second bushing, 65, 66... Peripheral portion, 67... Axis line, 68, 69... Ridge portion, 70
...First part, 71...Second part, 72,7
3... Joint surface, 74, 75... Groove, 76... Chamber space, 77... First part, 78... Second part, 79, 80... Joint surface, 81, 82... Groove ,
83... Room space, 84... Passage, 85... Hole, 8
6...cap, 87...clamp, 88...hose, 89...passage, 90...hole, 91...cap,
92...Clamp, 93...Hose, 94,95
……sleeve.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] One end of the rod-shaped suspension member is inserted into a hole bored in a plate-shaped body member of a vehicle and is connected to the same in a buffering manner, and the rod-shaped suspension member is provided with a shock-absorbing connection structure, and the rod-shaped suspension member is spaced apart from this on both sides of the body member. first and second retainers arranged and supported on the one end of the suspension member; rubber inserted through the one end of the suspension member and interposed between the first retainer and the body member; a first bushing made of a rubber-like elastic body, and a second bushing made of a rubber-like elastic body inserted through the one end of the suspension member and interposed between the second retainer and the body member. , the first and second bushings each have independent chamber spaces, each chamber extending annularly around the suspension member and communicating with the outside through passage means and being controlled independently of each other. a damping connection structure configured to introduce fluid pressure;