MXPA98002649A

MXPA98002649A - Suspens system

Info

Publication number: MXPA98002649A
Application number: MXPA/A/1998/002649A
Authority: MX
Inventors: D Cruise Phillip; c rich James
Original assignee: Chrysler Corporation
Priority date: 1995-10-06
Filing date: 1998-04-03
Publication date: 1998-11-12

Abstract

A car is described which includes a plastic body and a steel frame one to the plastic body. The rear suspension system of the car includes a suspension arm coupled to a rear wheel. An arm shaft extends transversely into the arm and is embedded in a rubber cartridge pressurized in the frame, thereby attenuating the movement of the suspension arm. A longitudinally mounted shock absorber, mounted horizontally, also joins the suspension arm and the frame. This orientation of the shock absorber prevents the transfer of the loads from the suspension system to the plastic body.

Description

SUSPENSION SYSTEM Description of the Invention The present invention relates in general to vehicle suspension systems and more particularly to suspension systems for lightweight motorized vehicles. As is well known, consumers demand a choice among many different models of vehicles. Depending on the circumstance, some consumers may want a simple and still effective car, the main and certainly dominant consideration is the cost. With this in mind, the present invention recognizes that it is possible to provide an effective and useful automobile, the cost of which can be to be minimized by minimizing the weight of the automobile and by using the new structure described herein More specifically, the present invention recognizes that a light, inexpensive, useful automobile can be provided, which has a molded plastic body consisting essentially of one side of the left half mold Unitarily attached to one side of the right half unitarily molded It will be readily appreciated that a molded plastic body is light, compared to automotive and non-expensive automotive bodies compared to fiberglass automobile bodies As is further recognized By the present invention when manufacturing a lightweight molded plastic automotive body, the weight bearing components such as suspension springs can be simplified against the weight bearing components of heavier steel body cars REF: 27208 Consequently, The overall cost of the light automobile can be reduced even further in relation to heavier automobiles. However, it happens that the present invention still recognizes that in the manufacture of a plastic automotive body additional changes must be made beyond simplification to the system of suspension n the automobile in relation to existing suspension systems For example, in existing automotive suspension systems, elongated shock absorbers are mounted vertically between the suspension springs and the body of the car, the body provides load support for the shock absorbers invention recognizes that automotive plastic bodies can not unfortunately easily provide sufficient load support for the shock absorbers. Certainly, as recognized herein, the load of the shock absorbers on the plastic body, wherein the shock absorbers to be connectors directly to the bodywork, they could crack and otherwise damage the body The simple reinforcement of the plastic body to support the load of the shock absorber would tend to undesirably increase the cost of the car and would not necessarily be effective in preventing damage Thus, it is an attempt of the present invention to support the shock absorbers of the suspension system with a structure different from the body of the automobile. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a suspension system for a lightweight automobile incorporating a relatively simple design Another object of the present invention is to provide a suspension system for a lightweight automobile that is effective to stabilize the automobile Still another object of the present invention is to provide a suspension system for a lightweight automobile in which the shock absorbers are not attached directly to the body of the automobile Still another object of the present invention is to provide a suspension system for a lightweight automobile which is easy to use and cost effective to be manufactured. suspension system for a motor vehicle that has a frame and a rear wheel includes a rigid hollow frame beam that attaches to the frame A resilient cartridge, preferably of rubber or rubber, is arranged in the beam of the frame and a rigid suspension arm has a first end coupled to the rear wheel. In addition, an arm axis is attached to the suspension arm and is separated from the first end of the arm. suspension arm, the arm shaft is embedded in the resilient cartridge By this, the relative movement between the shaft and the cartridge is substantially prevented to consistently attenuate the rotational movement of the arm shaft in relation to the cartridge Preferably, the beam of the frame extends transversely through the motor vehicle In a presently preferred embodiment, the resilient cartridge defines a hexagonal cross section having a distance between the opposite sides of about 8 9 cm (3 5 inches) To firmly attach the arm shaft to the suspension arm, the arm shaft is fixed by key to the suspension arm To firmly attach the cartridge to the beam the frame, the cartridge is snapped to the frame beam. Still further, the arm shaft is adhered to the resilient cartridge by vulcanization. Preferably, the arm shaft extends through the cartridge. In another aspect of the present invention, a Apparatus includes a car comprising a molded plastic body, a rear wheel and a frame. The apparatus also includes a suspension system that engages the rear wheel to the frame and the suspension system includes a torque absorbing element, not metallic, resilient In yet another aspect, a method of coupling a car frame to a rear wheel of the automobile is provided, which includes attaching a beam of the rigid hollow frame to the frame and arranging a resilient cartridge to the beam of the frame. end of an elongated, rigid suspension arm, is attached to the rear wheel In addition, the method includes joining an axle of the b The arm is suspended from the suspension arm in such a way that the arm axis is separated from the first end of the suspension arm. Then the arm shaft is embedded in the resilient cartridge to substantially prevent relative movement between them, thereby attenuating the rotational movement of the arm axis in relation to the cartridge The details of the present invention, in terms of its structure and operation, can be better understood with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the like reference numbers refer to like parts and in the Figure 1 is a perspective view of a car incorporating the new suspension system of the present invention, the frame is shown in dashed lines, Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of the plastic body and the frame steel, with the suspension system separated by clarity, Figure 3 is a perspective view of the components of the Left side of the suspension system of the present invention, in engagement with the frame, with the portions cut in for clarity, Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view, as seen along line 4-4 of the figure 3, and Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view as seen along the line 5-5 of Figure 3 With reference micially to Figures 1 and 2, there is shown an automotive body 10 attached to a frame 12. automotive steel, for inclusion in a car, designated generally with the number 100, having an engine 102 operatively coupled thereto. Preferably, the automotive body 10 is made of a plastic composite material by injection molding. a particularly preferred embodiment, the automotive body 10 is made of polyethylene plastic (PET) reinforced with glass fiber, such as the material available from Hoechst-Celanese under the trade name Celstran PET-15 ue has 15% fiberglass by weight As fully described in the US patent applications referred to above and best shown in Figure 2, in the currently preferred embodiment, the body 10 is made of four molded parts. Specifically the body 10 is made of left and right, internal, unitarily molded panels, 14, 16 which are joined together. Also, the body 10 is made of panels. left and right externally molded 18, 20 which are joined to their respective internal panels 14, 16 As proposed by the present invention, the left internal and external panels 14, 18 establish a relatively rigid molded left cover, while internal and external right panels 16, 20 establish a relatively rigid molded right cover. Each of the outer panels 16, 20 is formed with a respective respective lower coupling flange 22, 24 and as shown more clearly below each flange 22, 24 it is adhesively bonded to the frame 12 In addition to attaching the body 10 to the frame 12, the adhesive also reduces The transmission of undesired noise from the frame 12 to the body 10 In addition, a plurality of steel-preventing, preferably six, bolts 26a, b, 28a, b, 30a, b retain the body 10 next to the frame 12 by coupling in the respective threaded receptacles 32-36 in the frame 12, to prevent the body 10 from separating from the frame 12 While Figure 2 shows a four-piece body 10, it will be understood that the present invention can be incorporated into automobiles having plastic body configured differently from the body 10 Referring now to Figure 3, a left rear wheel 38 of the automobile 100 is shown, by reference, in cooperation with the frame 12 A steel suspension arm 40, rigid, elongated it is coupled to the wheel 38 and the frame 12, as more fully described below. A suspension arm (not shown) which in all s the essential aspects is identical to the suspension arm 40, shown in figure 3, is coupled to the right rear wheel of the automobile 100 to the frame 12 In the specific embodiment shown, the suspension arm 40 has a rear end segment 42 formed integrally with or welded to a bracket or bracket 44 of the generally parallelepiped, flat arm and the bracket or bracket 44 of the arm is bolted to a bracket or bracket 46 of the wheel, configured in a complementary manner (shown in broken lines) to its instead, the bracket or bracket 46 of the wheel is downwardly dependent on and fixedly attached to or integrally formed with a hub 48 of the wheel (also shown in dashed lines) which circumscribes a rear axle 50 of the automobile 100. It will be understood that hub 48 of the wheel does not rotate with wheel 38 Instead, hub 38 of the wheel engages a spindle (not shown) by elements well known in the auto technique motor, to prevent rotational movement of the hub 48. As shown, the suspension arm 40 is elongated and extends longitudinally forwardly relative to the automobile 100 (that is, in the direction indicated by arrow 52) to terminate in a segment. 54 of the front end As shown, the suspension arm 40 may not be configured as a bar in the form of a straight parallelepiped, but may instead be configured with a segment 56 of slight upward curvature, if necessary, for avoid interference with other components of the automobile 100 However, it will be understood that the suspension arm of the present invention, in an elementary embodiment, is a rigid, elongated, longitudinally arranged suspension arm, apart from the incidental configurations which may be necessary, depending on the car model 100, to clear the interference with other automotive components. Thus, as proposed by the present invention, the suspension arm 40 is different from the current suspension springs., which have material resilience, in such a way that they can flex under load. In contrast, the suspension arm 40 substantially does not flex. Figure 3 shows that a shaft 58 of the solid steel suspension arm is fixedly coupled to the suspension arm 40 in a perpendicular relationship thereto. In other words, the shaft 58 joins the suspension arm 40 and extends transversely away from it. To couple the shaft 58 with the arm 40, a arm segment 58a of the shaft 58 is grooved or grooved, that is, the segment 58a of the arm is not round.

Referring to Figures 3, 4 and 5, the segment 58a of the arm is somewhat square in cross section (with respect to the axis 58), the vertices of the square are moderately rounded, although other configurations of grooves may be used. In either case, the suspension arm 40 is formed with a receptacle cavity 60 (best shown in Figure 5) which is configured to closely receive the rib arm arm segment 58a of the arm shaft 58 therein. Additionally, a pressure bolt 62 can be threadably engaged with the suspension arm 40 and rotated to be driven strongly against the segment 58a of the arm, to additionally engage the segment 58a of the arm with the suspension arm 40. Referring again to Figures 3 and 4, the frame 12 includes a rigid steel longitudinal beam 64 and a rigid hollow steel cross beam 66.

As can be seen with reference to Figure 3, the beams 64, 66 of the frame 12 are fixedly coupled together, for example by welding the beams together. An elongate resilient rubber cartridge 68 is press fit into the cross beam 66. In accordance with the present invention, the cartridge 68 establishes a non-metallic, resilient torque absorbing element. In a preferred embodiment herein, the cartridge 68 is manufactured from a natural rubber of specification M4AA624A13D13F17Z1 of the ASTM, manufactured by Goodyear Tire Company In the embodiment shown, the cartridge 68 is formed hexagonally in cross section (with respect to the cartridge 68) Thus, the cross beam 66 is formed with a channel 70 formed hexagonally to closely receive the cartridge 68 therein, while the outer surface of the transverse beam 66 is square. If desired, the outer surface of the cross beam 66 can also be hexagonally formed. However, it will be understood that other forms of the cartridge can be used Figure 4 shows the dimensions of the cartridge 68 As shown the cartridge 68 has a length of "L" of approximately 356 cm (14 inches) Also the distance "W" between the opposite faces of the cartridge 68 is approximately 89 cm (35 inches) As shown in Figures 3 and 4, a segment 58b of cylindrical cartridge , solid, of the axis 58 of the arm is embedded in and extends centrally through the cartridge 68 Effectively, the segment 58b of the cartridge rotatably couples the suspension arm 40 with the cartridge 68 To strongly attach the segment 58b of the cartridge to the cartridge 68, the segment 58b of the cartridge is vulcanized to the cartridge 68. In the currently preferred embodiment, the segment 58b of the cartridge has a diameter "D" of about 38 cm (15 inches). With the foregoing description in mind, it can now be appreciated that the relative rotational movement between the axis 58 of the arm and the cartridge 68 is prevented. It can be further appreciated that when the wheel 38 moves up and down in relation to the automobile 100 (that is, in the ections indicated by arrow 72), as normally present during driving, this movement is transferred via suspension arm 40 to arm shaft 58. In turn, segment 58b of arm shaft cartridge 58 is driven to rotate, but due to the vulcanized connection between the segment 58b and the resilient cartridge 68 and the material resilience of the cartridge 68, the rotational movement of the arm shaft 58 is attenuated (and hence also the upward and downward movement of the suspension arm 40). and the wheel 38) If desired, the lateral movement of the suspension arm 40 (that is, in the direction indicated by the arrow 74) can be limited by a mechanical retention element. In the embodiment shown in Figure 3, a face of the left end 76 establishes such mechanical retaining element, to limit the lateral movement inwards of the suspension arm 40 However, another structure can be used to carry out the same function, depending on the particular configuration of the frame 12 For example, a mechanical retaining element (not shown) can be welded to the frame 12 to limit lateral movement of the suspension arm 40 The lateral outward movement of the suspension arm 40 can similarly be limited by a mechanical retaining element. Figure 3 shows better than a bracket or impact or impact bracket 78 is integrally formed with or welded to the segment 54 of the front end of the arm. Suspension 40 As shown, the impact or shock bracket 78 preferably includes two bracket or bracket rails 78a, 78b? N, elongated, longitudinally oriented, pneumatic, automotive shock absorber 80 (with respect to the automobile 100) having a pillar rear 82 attached to the bracket or bracket 78 of shock or impact, by means of elements well known in the art. a specific embodiment shown, the rear post 82 of the shock absorber 80 is established by a rod or rod 84 of the shock absorber 80 and the rod 84 is coupled with a bolt 86, which in turn is coupled to the rails 78a, b of the bracket or shock or impact angle 78, by means of elements well known in the art Adiaonally, a cylinder 88 of the shock absorber 80 establishes a front pillar of the shock absorber 80 which is attached to the frame 12 by connection elements well known in the art, in such a manner that the shock absorber 80 is mounted substantially horizontally on the automobile 100 In the embodiment shown, a threaded shaft 90 extends forwardly from the cylinder 88 and through a bracket or bracket 92 of the frame that is fixed, such as by welding, to the longitudinal beam 64 of the frame 12 A nut 94 engages the shaft 90 and is pressed against the bracket or bracket 92 of the frame to engage the shock absorber 80 ai frame 12 Thus, as shown, the damper 80 of the present invention is not oriented substantially vertically in relation to the automobile 100, nor is the damper 80 attached to the body 10 of the automobile 100, in contrast to the arrangements of conventional damper Instead, the damper 80 is oriented substantially longitudinally and horizontally relative to the automobile 100 and is attached directly to the frame 12 instead of the body 10 of the vehicle. Consequently, the force load of the shock absorber 80 is distributed to the frame 12 and by this the tension to the plastic body 10 induced by the suspension system of the automobile 100 is avoided. Furthermore, the interior space in the automobile 100 is maximized by the arrangement described. In the embodiment shown, the shock absorber 80 is tilted slightly downward and inward from its rear pillar to its front pillar to avoid interference with other components of the automobile 100. It will be understood that other slight variations in the orientation of the shock absorber 80 can be made to avoid interference. However, the shock absorber 80 of the present invention is mounted substantially longitudinally relative to the automobile 100 and is attached to the frame 12. In a presently preferred embodiment, the shock absorber 80 is a Monroe shock absorber type X68565. It is noted that in relation to this date the best method known by the soliant to implement said invention is that which is clear from the present description of the invention. Having described the invention as above, property is claimed as contained in the following

Claims

Claims 1. A suspension system for a motor vehicle, having a frame and a rear wheel, characterized in that it comprises: a frame beam, hollow, rigid, attached to the frame; a resilient cartridge disposed in the beam of the frame; a rigid suspension arm having a first end coupled to the rear wheel; an arm shaft attached to the suspension arm and separated from the first end of the suspension arm, the arm shaft is embedded in the resilient cartridge and engages therewith to substantially prevent relative movement therebetween, thereby attenuating the rotational movement of the arm axis in relation to the cartridge.
2. The suspension system according to claim 1, characterized in that the beam of the frame extends transversely through the engine of the vehicle.
3. The suspension system according to claim 2, characterized in that the resilient cartridge defines a hexagonal cross section having a distance between the opposite sides of approximately 8.9 cm (3.5 inch), the cartridge is made of rubber.
4. The suspension system according to claim 3, characterized in that the axis of the arm is fixed to the suspension arm.
5. The suspension system according to claim 4, characterized in that the resilient cartridge is press fit to the frame beam.
6. The suspension system according to claim 5, characterized in that the arm shaft is adhered to the resilient cartridge by vulcanization.
7. The suspension system according to claim 5, characterized in that the axis of the arm extends through the cartridge.
8. An apparatus characterized in that it comprises: a car including a molded plastic body, a rear wheel and a frame; and a suspension system that couples the rear wheel to the frame, the suspension system includes a non-metallic, resilient element that absorbs the torque.
9. The apparatus according to claim 8, characterized in that the frame includes a beam of the hollow frame and the non-metallic, resilient, torque absorbing element is a resilient cartridge disposed in the beam of the frame.
10. The apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that the suspension system comprises: an elongated, rigid suspension arm, having a first end coupled to the rear wheel; an arm shaft attached to the suspension arm and separated from the first end of the suspension arm, the arm shaft is embedded in the resilient cartridge and engages therewith to substantially prevent relative movement therebetween, thereby attenuating the rotational movement of the arm axis in relation to the cartridge.
11. The apparatus according to claim 10, characterized in that the beam of the frame extends transversely through the motor vehicle and the axis of the arm is fixed to the suspension arm and is attached to the resilient cartridge by vulcanization, the axis of the arm extends to through the cartridge.
12. The apparatus according to claim 11, characterized in that the resilient cartridge defines a hexagonal cross section with opposite sides separated by approximately 8.9 cm (3.5 inches) the cartridge is made of rubber and press fit to the frame beam.
13. A method of coupling a frame of an automobile to a rear wheel of the automobile, characterized in that it comprises: attaching a frame beam, hollow, rigid to the frame; dispose a resilient cartridge in the beam of the frame; coupling a first end of an elongated suspension arm, rigid to the rear wheel; attaching an arm shaft to the suspension arm, such that the arm shaft is separated from the first end of the suspension arm; and embedding the arm shaft in the resilient cartridge, to substantially prevent relative movement therebetween, to thereby attenuate the rotational movement of the arm shaft relative to the cartridge.