JP3999213B2 - Vehicle wheel suspension - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle wheel suspension device capable of absorbing and mitigating shocks and vibrations in the vertical direction and the front-rear direction.

A general vehicle wheel suspension will be described by taking the case of the drive wheel shown in FIG. 26 of Patent Document 1 as an example. An output shaft is connected to the rotational drive system of the vehicle by a universal joint or the like, and a wheel is connected to the tip of the output shaft. Disc is fixed. And the bearing member which supports this output shaft rotatably is supported via the suspension element and suspension arm which are arrange | positioned from the wheel to the vehicle side.
The suspension element is arranged in a substantially upright state and absorbs impacts and vibrations in the vertical direction.

  On the other hand, the present applicant has developed a suspension device shown in FIGS. More specifically, this suspension device comprises a plurality of, for example 12 short suspension elements. The disk and rim of the wheel are made up of independent parts, and the disk is connected to a rotational drive system and has a short support cylinder on its periphery. The suspension elements are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction between the outer periphery of the support tube portion and the inner periphery of the rim.

According to the above configuration, the rotation of the disk is transmitted to the rim and the tire mounted on the rim via the 12 suspension elements. In addition, when the tire is subjected to an impact in the vertical direction or the front-rear direction (the front-rear direction of the vehicle or the front-rear direction along the traveling direction of the vehicle, the same applies hereinafter) due to road surface unevenness, the suspension in the standing state or the horizontal state among these suspension elements The element works to absorb impacts in the vertical and longitudinal directions.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-370503 (FIGS. 1, 2 and 26)

The suspension device shown in FIG. 26 of the above publication can absorb and mitigate only the impact and vibration in the vertical direction, and cannot absorb and mitigate the shock and vibration in the front-rear direction.
In the vehicle wheel assembly shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 of the above publication, the center of the disk is forced to be displaced slightly below the center of the rim due to the vehicle weight. Therefore, even if there is no unevenness on the road surface, the fluid damper of the suspension element repeatedly contracts every time the wheel rotates once while the vehicle is running, causing energy loss and shortening the life of the fluid damper. It will be. In addition, there is a drawback that the stroke of the suspension element between the rim and the support cylinder portion of the disk cannot be lengthened.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and the gist of the present invention is that the first and second suspension elements are erected, and these suspension elements are inclined in different directions forward and backward with respect to the vertical line. There is a vehicle wheel suspension.

  According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a support member that includes first and second suspension elements in a standing state, the upper ends of the first and second suspension elements are connected to the vehicle body, and the lower ends are rotatably supported by the wheel. The vehicle wheel is characterized in that these first and second suspension elements are inclined in different directions in the front-rear direction with respect to the vertical line, and are arranged so that the distance between the first and second suspension elements decreases toward the lower end. It is a suspension device.

  According to the structure of the said invention, the impact and vibration of an up-down direction and the front-back direction can be absorbed and relieved. Further, since the suspension element is not contracted with the rotation of the vehicle wheel, the energy loss is small and the life of the suspension mechanism can be extended. Furthermore, the suspension element can also have a long stroke.

  Still further, the gist of the invention is as follows: (a) a first support member provided on the vehicle body side and extending radially inward of the rim of the wheel; (b) a central axis of the wheel centered on the wheel on the radially inner side of the rim. A second support member that is rotatably connected to the first rim, and (c) a first support member and a second support member that are disposed in an upright state between the first support member and the second support member on a radially inner side of the rim. And a suspension element, wherein the first and second suspension elements are inclined in different directions forward and backward with respect to a vertical line.

  According to the above configuration, the same effects as those of the first invention can be obtained, and the suspension element is built in the wheel, so that the space for disposing the suspension element outside the wheel can be omitted.

  Preferably, the first support member includes a shaft extending in the direction of the central axis of the wheel, and a first bracket provided at a tip portion of the shaft, and the second support member is disposed on the wheel disc on the center of the wheel. Including a second bracket rotatably connected about an axis, the first and second brackets having receiving portions facing each other in the vertical direction across the central portion of the wheel, The first and second suspension elements are connected, and one end portions of the first and second suspension elements are close to each other.

  According to this configuration, a long suspension element can be efficiently incorporated in a limited space of the rim.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to absorb and mitigate shocks and vibrations in the vertical direction and the front-rear direction. Since the suspension element does not contract with the rotation of the wheel, energy loss is small and the life of the suspension element can be extended. Furthermore, it is possible to lengthen the stroke of this suspension element.

  Hereinafter, a vehicle wheel suspension for a lightweight electric vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the suspension device for the wheel 10 includes a rotating member 20, a spring mechanism 30, a lateral force support mechanism 40 (thrust load support mechanism), a first support member 50, and a second support member. 60 and a suspension element 70.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the wheel 10 includes a rim 11 on which a tire (not shown) is mounted on the outer periphery, and a disc 12 fixed to an edge of the rim 11 on the outer side in the axial direction (the opposite side of the vehicle). have. The disk 12 has a working hole 12a at the center and a decorative hole 12b around it. A short support cylinder portion 12c protruding inward in the axial direction (vehicle side) is formed at the periphery of the work hole 12a.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the rotating member 20 has an annular shape and is arranged on the inner side in the radial direction of the rim 11, and a disc portion 21 having a hole 21 a in the center, and an outer peripheral edge of the disc portion 21 is pivoted. It has a short support cylinder part 22 protruding inward in the direction and a short support cylinder part 23 protruding outward in the axial direction from the disk part 21. The support cylinder portion 23 has a smaller diameter than the support cylinder portion 22. The disk portion 21 is fixed to a terminal member (not shown) of a rotational drive system of a vehicle using an electric motor as a drive source by a screw 25, and rotates with the rotation of the motor.

  The spring mechanism 30 and the lateral force support mechanism 40 are accommodated between the inner periphery of the rim 11 of the wheel 10 and the outer periphery of the rotating member 20. The spring mechanism 30 is disposed closest to the vehicle in the rim 11, and the lateral force support mechanism 40 is disposed next to the spring mechanism 30.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the spring mechanism 30 includes an outer spring receiving ring 31, an inner spring receiving ring 32, and ten (a plurality) compression coil springs 35 (spring elements) of the same standard. ing. The outer spring receiving ring 31 is fixed to the inner peripheral surface of the rim 11, and has five (a plurality of) spring receiving portions 31a (first spring receiving portions) protruding in the radial direction and the inner direction. These spring receiving portions 31a are arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. Washers 33 are fixed to both circumferential surfaces of the spring receiving portion 31a. Further, the inner spring receiving ring 32 is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the support cylindrical portion 22 of the rotating member 20, and includes five (plural) spring receiving portions 32a (second spring receiving portions) protruding in the radial direction and the outer direction. Have. These spring receiving portions 32a are also arranged at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. Washers 34 are fixed to both circumferential surfaces of the spring receiving portion 32a. The compression coil spring 35 is interposed between the washer 33 of the spring receiving portion 31a on the rim 11 side and the washer 34 of the spring receiving portion 32a on the rotating member 20 side.

  The arrangement of the coil spring 35 will be described in detail. The five spring receiving portions 31a on the rim 11 side are arranged at corners of a regular pentagon (indicated by reference numeral 39 in FIG. 2) centering on the center line of the rim 11, and two springs adjacent in the circumferential direction are arranged. One spring receiving portion 32a on the inner spring receiving ring 32 side is disposed between the receiving portions 31a, and two coil springs 35 interposed between the spring receiving portions 31a and 32a are arranged in a straight line to form a pair. There is no. Each pair of coil springs 35 is disposed on each side of the regular pentagon 39.

  The lateral force support mechanism 40 includes five single-row balls 43 (double-row is also possible), and connects the rim 11 and the rotary member 20 so that they cannot be displaced relative to each other in the axial direction but can be displaced relative to each other in the radial and circumferential directions. Thus, the wheel 10 is allowed to relatively displace on the vertical plane perpendicular to the center axis of the wheel 10 with respect to the vehicle body, and is prohibited from relative displacement in the direction of the center axis. Lateral force from the wheel 10 can be received by the rotating member 20.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the first support member 50 includes a shaft 51 extending from the vehicle body side and a bracket 52 (first bracket). The shaft 51 passes through the rotary member 20 along the central axis of the wheel 10, and the tip thereof is located at the approximate center in the width direction of the rim 11. The lower end of the bracket 52 is fixed to the tip of the shaft 51 so as not to rotate by a screw 55 and extends upward. An arc-shaped boss portion 52a (receiving portion) that protrudes outward in the axial direction (opposite the vehicle) is formed at the wide upper end portion of the bracket 52.

  On the other hand, the second support member 60 is configured as one bracket (second bracket), has a ring shape, and a radial bearing 80 (between the inner periphery of the second support member 60 and the outer periphery of the support cylinder portion 12c of the disk 12 of the wheel 10). The second support member 60 is connected to the wheel 10 so as to be rotatable about the central axis of the wheel 10. A pair of leg portions 61 that are separated to the left and right are formed on the lower side of the second support member 60. A boss portion 61a (receiving portion) is formed at the lower end of the leg portion 61 so as to protrude inward in the axial direction (vehicle side).

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, between the first support member 50 and the second support member 60, the two suspension elements 70 in an upright state are inclined so as to narrow the distance from each other upward. Are connected. That is, the two suspension elements 70 (first and second suspension elements) are inclined in different directions in the front-rear direction with respect to the vertical line. More specifically, the front suspension element 70 is inclined backward with respect to the vertical line, and the rear suspension element 70 is inclined forward. The suspension element 70 includes a fluid damper 71 (damper, shock absorber) and a compression coil spring 76 as a return spring. The fluid damper 71 includes a cylinder 72 that contains a fluid such as oil, a piston (not shown) that is accommodated in the cylinder 72 so as to be movable in the axial direction, a base end is fixed to the piston, and a distal end projects from the cylinder 72. And a rod 73 extending upward. The lower end of the cylinder 72 is rotatably connected to the boss portion 61a of the leg portion 61 of the second support member 60 via the rubber bush 74 or the like, and the tip of the rod 73 is the first support via the rubber bush 75 or the like. The left and right ends of the boss portion 52a of the member 50 are rotatably connected. The upper end portions (one end portions) of the two suspension elements 70 are close to each other.

  A cylindrical spring receiving member 77 is fixed to the lower surface of the rubber bush 75. Although the spring receiving member 77 covers the upper end of the cylinder 72, both can be relatively displaced in the axial direction. An annular spring receiving member 78 is also fixed to the lower outer periphery of the cylinder 72. A compression coil spring 76 is interposed between the spring receiving members 77 and 78.

  The suspension device is incorporated in the wheel 10 in advance except for the shaft 51 of the first support member 50. The wheel assembly including the wheel 10 and the built-in suspension device is finally attached to the vehicle body by fixing the bracket 52 of the first support member 50 to the tip of the shaft 51 with the screw 55. It has become.

  In the vehicle wheel assembly, the suspension element 70, the spring mechanism 30 and the lateral force support mechanism 40 attached to the suspension element 70 are incorporated inside the rim 11 in the radial direction, and a space for the suspension element 70 is not required outside. .

  Next, the operation of the suspension device having the above configuration will be described. The weight of the vehicle is supported by a tire attached to the rim 11 of the wheel 10 via the first support member 50, the compression coil spring 76 of the suspension element 70, the second support member 60, the radial bearing 80, and the disk 12.

  When the vehicle travels, the rotational torque from the vehicle motor is transmitted to the rotating member 22 through the rotational drive system in the vehicle. Then, the rotation of the rotating member 22 is transmitted to the wheel 10 via the compression coil spring 35. The first support member 50, the second support member 60, and the suspension element 70 do not rotate, and the standing posture of the suspension element 70 does not change. The radial bearing 80 between the wheel 10 and the second support member 60 allows the wheel 10 to rotate.

  When the vehicle travels on an uneven road surface, impact loads in the vertical direction and front and rear are applied to the wheel 10 through the tire. At this time, the lateral force support mechanism 40 allows relative displacement in the vertical direction and the front-rear direction of the wheel 10 with respect to the shaft 51 and the rotating member 20. The impact load in the vertical direction is absorbed by the compression coil spring 76 and the fluid damper 72 of the suspension element 70 via the radial bearing 80 and the second support member 60, and the impact and vibration transmitted to the vehicle body via the first support member 50 are greatly increased. Can be relaxed. Further, since the suspension element 70 is inclined in the front-rear direction, it can absorb and mitigate shocks and vibrations in the front-rear direction.

  Further, the spring mechanism 30 is interposed between the rotating member 20 and the wheel 10, and the axes of the ten coil springs 35 of the spring mechanism 30 are arranged in the vertical direction, the front-rear direction, and the tilt direction, respectively. The impact and vibration in the vertical direction and the front-rear direction from the wheel 10 to the rotating member 20 can also be absorbed and reduced.

  In the vehicle wheel suspension device of the present embodiment, the suspension element 70 is independent of the spring mechanism 30, and the compression coil spring 76 and the fluid damper 71 are disposed substantially upright, and the impact load from the tire is maintained while maintaining the posture. Only to absorb. Since the compression coil spring 76 and the damper 71 do not repeatedly expand and contract with the rotation of the wheel 11 as in the prior art, the life of the compression coil spring 76 and the damper 71 can be extended.

  The above embodiment is an embodiment when the wheel 10 is a driving wheel, but the present invention can also be applied when the wheel is a driven wheel. In this case, the rotating member 20 is rotatably supported by the shaft 51 via a bearing (supported on the vehicle side). Further, the rotating member 20 may be a brake drum with a built-in brake mechanism. In this case, the brake drum is rotatably supported by the shaft 51 when the brake is not operated, and is fixed to the shaft 51 when the brake is operated.

  The lateral force support mechanism may have any structure and arrangement as long as it allows the wheel to move in the vertical and longitudinal directions with respect to the vehicle body and prohibits the wheel from moving in the axial direction. For example, it may be provided between the rim and the first support member, or may be provided between the first support member and the second support member. When provided between the first and second support members, the lateral force support mechanism can be a link mechanism. For example, the link mechanism includes: first and second links; an angular bearing that connects the first link to the first support member; an angular bearing that connects the second link to the second support member; And an angular bearing connecting the second link. A rubber bush can be used instead of these angular bearings.

  Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Two suspension elements 70 configured in the same manner as in the first embodiment are arranged outside the wheel 10 and adjacent to the vehicle side of the wheel 10. The upper ends of the suspension elements 70 are rotatably connected to the vehicle body 90, and the lower ends are rotatably connected to a support member 95 that supports the wheel 10 so as to be directly or indirectly rotatable. These suspension elements 70 are inclined in different directions in the front-rear direction with respect to the vertical line, and are arranged so that the distance between the suspension elements 70 decreases toward the lower end. In the figure, the means for rotatably connecting the suspension element 70 is omitted, but it has the same configuration as that of the first embodiment.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the vehicle wheel suspension apparatus concerning one Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which looked at the suspension measure from the II direction in FIG. 1, ie, an axial direction inner side. It is the figure which looked at the suspension apparatus from the III direction in FIG. It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of the vehicle wheel suspension apparatus concerning other embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Wheel 11 Rim 12 Disc 20 Rotating member 30 Spring mechanism 31a, 32a Spring receiving part 35 Compression coil spring (spring element)
40 Lateral force support mechanism 50 First support member 51 Shaft 52 First bracket 60 Second support member (second bracket)
70 Suspension element 71 Fluid damper (damper, shock absorber)
76 Compression coil spring (return spring)

Claims (2)

(A) a first support member provided on the vehicle body side and extending radially inward of the wheel rim;
(B) a second support member coupled to the wheel so as to be rotatable about the central axis of the wheel on the radially inner side of the rim;
(C) First and second suspension elements that are provided in a standing state between the first support member and the second support member on the radially inner side of the rim and are disposed forward and backward along the traveling direction of the vehicle. When,
With
The vehicle wheel suspension apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first and second suspension elements are inclined in different directions forward and backward with respect to a vertical line. The first support member includes a shaft extending in the central axis direction of the wheel, and a first bracket provided at a tip portion of the shaft, and the second support member is centered on the central axis of the wheel on the disk of the wheel. The first and second brackets have receiving portions that face each other in the vertical direction across the center of the wheel, and the first and second brackets are interposed between the receiving portions. together with the second suspension element is connected, these first vehicle wheel suspension system according to claim 1, one end portions of the second suspension element is characterized in that in proximity to each other.

Images