JP2008308098A - Vehicle suspension system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent an impact load input from road surface unevenness from adversely affecting the durability of an actuator that actively moves a suspension arm up and down.
An output rotation shaft of an actuator 27 is connected to a suspension arm via a connection arm 24, and the suspension arm is moved up and down by a driving force of the output rotation shaft. The actuator 27 is moved in the direction of the axis L of the output rotation shaft. Since it is floatingly supported by the mounting bracket 29 via the elastic support member 33 so as to be movable in the direction perpendicular to the axis L, the impact load input from the road surface is buffered by the elastic support member 33 and is not directly transmitted to the actuator 27. Thus, the durability of the actuator 27 can be enhanced. At this time, the torsional portion 24a of the connecting arm 24 is twisted and deformed, so that the durability of the actuator 27 can be further enhanced in combination with the buffer action by the elastic deformation of the elastic support member 33.
[Selection] Figure 4

Description

  According to the present invention, a suspension arm for suspending a wheel and an output rotation shaft of an actuator supported on a vehicle body are connected via a connection arm, and the suspension arm is moved up and down via the connection arm by a driving force of the output rotation shaft. The present invention relates to a vehicle suspension device.

The drive arm is fixed to the output shaft of the actuator that decelerates the rotation of the motor with the planetary gear mechanism, the tip of the drive arm and the suspension arm are connected by a link, and the suspension arm is actively moved up and down by the driving force of the actuator. A device that enhances the riding comfort performance and steering stability performance of a vehicle is known from Patent Document 1 below.
JP 2001-328414 A

  By the way, the above-mentioned conventional one has a connecting portion for connecting one end of the link to a drive arm of the actuator in order to prevent an impact load input through the wheels from being uneven on the road surface from being transmitted to the actuator. An elastic member is interposed between the other end of the link and a connecting portion that connects the suspension arm.

  However, it is difficult to completely protect the actuator from an impact load only by interposing the elastic members at both ends of the link. If the elastic member is enlarged in order to improve shock absorption performance, the link is added to the suspension device. There is a problem that it is difficult to secure a space for layout.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and is intended to prevent the impact load input from the unevenness of the road surface from adversely affecting the durability of the actuator that actively moves the suspension arm up and down. Objective.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the first aspect of the present invention, a suspension arm for suspending a wheel and an output rotation shaft of an actuator supported on a vehicle body are connected via a connection arm, and the output rotation shaft is connected. In the vehicle suspension apparatus in which the suspension arm is moved up and down via the connecting arm with a driving force of the actuator, the actuator is interposed via an elastic support member so that the actuator can move in the axial direction and the direction perpendicular to the axis. A vehicle suspension device is proposed that is floatingly supported by the vehicle body.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in addition to the configuration of the first aspect, the actuator is coupled to the vehicle body via an elastic detent member so as to restrict rotation around the output rotation shaft. There is proposed a vehicle suspension apparatus characterized by this.

  According to the invention described in claim 3, in addition to the configuration of claim 1 or claim 2, the connecting arm integrally includes an arm portion extending in the vehicle body front-rear direction and a torsion portion extending in the vehicle width direction. A suspension apparatus for a vehicle, wherein the tip of the arm portion is connected to the suspension arm, and the tip of the torsion portion is connected to the output rotation shaft of the actuator. Is proposed.

  According to a fourth aspect of the invention, in addition to the configuration of the third aspect, the output rotation shaft of the actuator is disposed in the vehicle width direction and is coaxially connected to the tip of the torsion portion. A vehicle suspension device is proposed.

  The first lower arm 14 of the embodiment corresponds to the suspension arm of the present invention, and the rubber bush joint 30 of the embodiment corresponds to the elastic detent member of the present invention.

  According to the configuration of the first aspect, the output rotating shaft of the actuator is connected to the suspension arm via the connecting arm, and the suspension arm is moved up and down by the driving force of the output rotating shaft. Since it is floating supported on the vehicle body via the elastic support member so that it can move in the direction perpendicular to the axis, shock loads input from the road surface are buffered by the elastic support member so that it is not directly transmitted to the actuator. Durability can be increased.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, since the actuator is connected to the vehicle body via the elastic detent member, an impact load from the road surface is generated while restraining the actuator from rotating about its own output rotation axis. Transmission to the actuator can be prevented by the buffering action of the elastic detent member.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the connecting arm formed in a substantially L shape integrally including the arm portion extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body and the torsion portion extending in the vehicle width direction has the tip of the arm portion at the suspension arm. Since the tip of the torsion part is connected to the output rotation shaft of the actuator, the torsion part of the connecting arm is twisted by driving the actuator, and the suspension part is moved up and down by swinging the arm part up and down. be able to. In addition, the torsion part is twisted and deformed, so that shock load input from the road surface is buffered so that it is not directly transmitted to the actuator, and the durability of the actuator is enhanced in combination with the buffering action by the elastic deformation of the elastic support member. it can.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the output rotation shaft of the actuator is arranged in the vehicle width direction and coaxially connected to the tip of the torsion portion of the connecting arm, the driving force of the actuator can be efficiently transmitted to the connecting arm. Instead, the connecting arm and the actuator can be arranged in a compact manner by utilizing the space for arranging the existing stabilizer.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  1 to 7 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a vehicle suspension device, FIG. 2 is a view taken in the direction of the arrow 2 in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a line 3-3 in FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of part 4 of FIG. 1, FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 3, FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line 6-6 of FIG. FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the automobile suspension device includes a knuckle 11 that rotatably supports a wheel W, and the upper portion of the knuckle 11 has a ball on the outer end in the vehicle width direction of an A-type upper arm 12. The knuckle 11 is pivotally supported via a joint 13, the lower part of the knuckle 11 is pivotally supported by the outer end in the vehicle width direction of the I-type first lower arm 14 via a ball joint 15, and the lower part of the knuckle 11 is an I-type second The lower arm 16 is elastically supported at the outer end in the vehicle width direction via a rubber bush joint 17. Further, the lower end of the hydraulic damper 18 is elastically supported on the upper portion of the knuckle 11 via a rubber bush joint 19, and the lower end of the coil spring 20 separated from the hydraulic damper 18 is a spring seat 14 a provided in the middle portion of the first lower arm 14. Supported on the top surface. The inner end of the upper arm 12 in the vehicle width direction, the inner end of the first lower arm 14 in the vehicle width direction, and the inner end of the second lower arm 16 in the vehicle width direction are respectively connected via rubber bush joints 21, 21; And elastically supported by the vehicle body B. Further, both ends of the lateral link 36 are connected to the front portion of the knuckle 11 and the vehicle body B via rubber bush joints 37 and 38.

  The connecting arm 24 in which the bar is bent in an L shape includes a torsion portion 24a extending in the vehicle width direction and an arm portion 24b extending forward from the vehicle width direction outer end of the torsion portion 24a. The lower end of the link 40 is connected to the first lower arm 14 at a position near the outer end in the vehicle width direction via a rubber bush joint 39. The upper end of the link 40 and the front end of the arm portion 24b of the connecting arm 24 are connected to the ball joint. 41. The outer end in the vehicle width direction of the torsion portion 24a of the connecting arm 24 is supported by the vehicle body B via the bearing portion 26, and the inner end in the vehicle width direction of the torsion portion 24a is connected to the actuator 27 supported by the vehicle body B.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 5, the bearing portion 26 has a rubber bush 42 fitted to the outer periphery of the torsion portion 24 a of the connecting arm 24 and a rubber bush 42 sandwiched between the vehicle body B and fixed. The mounting bracket 44 is fixed to the vehicle body B by two bolts 43 and 43. The torsion part 24 a of the connecting arm 24 can be twisted and deformed by slipping with respect to the rubber bush 42.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, 6, and 7, the actuator 27 is a substantially cylindrical member having an axis L, and an electric motor and a speed reducer are incorporated therein, and the output of the speed reducer The rotating shaft 27a (see FIG. 3) extends in the axis L direction. Two annular grooves 27b, 27b are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the actuator 27, and two pairs of two plate-like mounting plates 27c ... forming a pair have a phase difference of about 180 ° in the radial direction. Project outward.

  On the other hand, the mounting bracket 29 fixed to the vehicle body B with the bolts 28 ... supports the plate-shaped mounting portion 29a, the partial arc-shaped actuator supporting portion 29b protruding from the mounting portion 29a, and the rubber bush joints 30, 30. Two rubber bush joint support portions 29c and 29c are provided, and both ends of the partial arc-shaped holder 31 can be fixed by two bolts 32 and 32 to a pair of end surfaces of the actuator support portion 29b.

  Between the annular grooves 27b and 27b formed on the outer peripheral surface of the actuator 27 and the arc groove 29d formed on the inner surface of the actuator support portion 29b of the mounting bracket 29, an elastic support member 33 made of rubber formed in an annular shape is disposed. Is done. Accordingly, the actuator 27 having the elastic support member 33 mounted in the annular grooves 27b and 27b is sandwiched between the arc groove 29d and the holder 31 of the actuator support portion 29b and fastened by the two bolts 32 and 32, whereby the actuator 27 is The mounting bracket 29 is floatingly supported in the direction of the axis L and the direction (radial direction) perpendicular to the axis L via the elastic support member 33. It is possible to reliably prevent the elastic support member 33 from being displaced or dropped by the action of the annular grooves 27b and 27b of the actuator 27 and the arc groove 29d of the mounting bracket 29.

  Further, the outer cylinders of the rubber bush joints 30 and 30 are press-fitted into the two rubber bush joint support portions 29c and 29 of the mounting bracket 29, and the rubber bush joints 30 and 30 are sandwiched between two pairs of mounting plates 27c of the actuator 27. The nuts 35 and 35 are fastened to the two bolts 34 and 34 penetrating the mounting plates 27c and the inner cylinders of the rubber bush joints 30 and 30, respectively. The actuator 27 can be floatingly supported on the mounting bracket 29 while preventing the actuator 27 from rotating around the axis L by the two rubber bushes 30, 30.

  Thus, since the torsion part 24a of the connecting arm 24 and the output rotation shaft 27a of the actuator 27 are directly connected coaxially on the axis L, the transmission efficiency of the driving force from the actuator 27 to the connecting arm 24 is improved. The left and right actuators 27 and 27 are coaxially and back-to-back on the axis L. Therefore, the left and right connecting arms 24 and 24 and the left and right actuators 27 and 27 can be compactly placed in a space where a normal stabilizer is disposed. Can be placed.

  Next, the operation of the embodiment of the present invention having the above configuration will be described.

  When the actuator 27 is driven, the torsion part 24a of the connecting arm 24 directly connected coaxially to the output rotation shaft 27a is twisted, and the arm part 24b swings up and down with the bearing part 26 as a fulcrum. The wheel W can be arbitrarily moved up and down via the knuckle 11 by the first lower arm 14 connected through the upper and lower rocks.

  Therefore, if the left and right actuators 27, 27 are driven and the left and right wheels W, W are moved up and down in the same phase, the function of suppressing the rolling of the vehicle body, that is, the function of the stabilizer can be exhibited to enhance the riding comfort. it can. Further, when the vehicle is turning, if the wheel 27 is lowered by driving the actuator 27 of the turning outer wheel in one direction and the wheel 27 is raised by driving the actuator 27 of the turning inner wheel in the other direction, the outer side in the turning direction of the vehicle body by centrifugal force The steering stability can be improved by suppressing the falling to the side.

  By the way, when the wheel W rides on the unevenness of the road surface, an impact load is input from the wheel W to the actuator 27 via the knuckle 11, the first lower arm 14, the link 40 and the connecting arm 24. There is a possibility of adversely affecting the durability of the reduction gear and electric motor.

  However, according to the present embodiment, when the load is transmitted via the connecting arm 24, the torsion portion 24a is twisted and deformed to prevent a large load from being input to the actuator 27. it can. In addition, since the actuator 27 is floatingly supported by the mounting bracket 29 via the elastic support member 33 so as to be movable in the direction of the axis L and in the direction perpendicular to the axis L, the load is absorbed by elastic deformation of the elastic support member 33. Further, the durability of the actuator 27 can be further enhanced, and the elastic support member 33 can suppress the operating sound of the actuator 27 from being transmitted to the vehicle body B, thereby improving the quietness of the passenger compartment.

  When the output rotation shaft 27a of the actuator 27 is rotationally driven, the actuator 27 tries to rotate about its own axis L by the reaction force, but the rotation of the actuator 27 is restricted by the pair of rubber bush joints 30 and 30. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the actuator 27 itself from rotating and adversely affecting the operation response.

  The spring of the torsion part 24a of the connecting arm 24 also functions as a suspension spring. In addition to the spring constant of the torsion part 24a, the spring constant and damping of the elastic support member 33 are tuned to adjust the suspension device. The adjustment range of spring characteristics and damping characteristics can be expanded. In particular, the spring constant can be tuned by easily changing the length of the torsion part 24a of the connecting arm 24 only by moving the position of the actuator 27 in the vehicle width direction.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, various design changes can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  For example, in the embodiment, the first lower arm 14 is exemplified as the suspension arm, but the present invention can be applied to any other suspension arm.

Perspective view of vehicle suspension device 2 direction view of FIG. 3-3 line view of FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of part 4 of FIG. Sectional view along line 5-5 in FIG. 6-6 sectional view of FIG. 7 enlarged view of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

14 First lower arm (suspension arm)
24 connecting arm 24a torsion part 24b arm part 27 actuator 27a output rotating shaft 30 rubber bush joint (elastic detent member)
33 elastic support member B vehicle body L axis W wheel

Claims (4)

A suspension arm (14) for suspending a wheel (W) and an output rotation shaft (27a) of an actuator (27) supported by the vehicle body (B) are connected via a connection arm (24), and the output rotation shaft (27a In the vehicle suspension apparatus, the suspension arm (14) is moved up and down via the connecting arm (24) with a driving force of
The actuator (27) is floatingly supported on the vehicle body (B) via an elastic support member (33) so as to move in the direction of the axis (L) and the direction perpendicular to the axis (L) of the output rotation shaft (27a). A suspension system for a vehicle, characterized in that:   The actuator (27) is connected to the vehicle body (B) via an elastic detent member (30) so as to restrict rotation about the output rotation shaft (27a). The vehicle suspension apparatus described.   The connecting arm (24) is integrally formed with an arm portion (24b) extending in the vehicle longitudinal direction and a torsion portion (24a) extending in the vehicle width direction, and is formed in a substantially L shape. The front end is connected to the suspension arm (14), and the front end of the torsion part (24a) is connected to the output rotation shaft (27a) of the actuator (27). Item 3. The vehicle suspension device according to Item 2.   The vehicle suspension device according to claim 3, wherein an output rotation shaft (27a) of the actuator (27) is arranged in a vehicle width direction and is coaxially connected to a tip of the torsion part (24a). .

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