JPH0966720A - Vehicle suspension system - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [PROBLEMS] To satisfy the compliance in the front-rear direction, the swinging of a suspension arm in the vertical direction, and the securing of the necessary rigidity against an external force in the lateral direction. A suspension arm (10A) has a wheel (13) mounted on a carrier (1) by a ball joint (11) at an outer end thereof.
It is connected via 2 and is connected to the vehicle body 15 by elastic joints 14 and 20 at two positions in front and rear of the inner end. The elastic joint 20 includes an elastic member 23 between an outer cylinder 21 and an inner cylinder 22 made of metal, which are coaxially arranged with the vertical direction as an axis.
Is interposed. Intermediate plates 24, 24 are provided at a lateral position of the elastic member 23 in the vehicle lateral direction in order to ensure lateral rigidity, and the end faces of the intermediate plates 24, 24 are provided with elastic members in order to ensure the swing of the suspension arm 10A. It is made to project from the axial end face of 23. At the position of the elastic member 23 in the vehicle front-rear direction, gaps 23a, 23a penetrating in the axial direction are provided to ensure front-rear compliance.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle in which a suspension arm having wheels connected at outer ends via a carrier is connected to a vehicle body at elastically joints at two positions on the inner end of the suspension arm. Suspension system for automobiles.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, this type of apparatus is disclosed in
As disclosed in JP-A-106931, a metal outer cylinder and an inner cylinder in which one of elastic joints at two inner ends of a suspension arm is coaxially arranged with a vertical direction as an axis; The elastic member is interposed between the cylinder and the inner cylinder, and the deformation of the elastic member ensures compliance with an external force applied to the wheel in the front-rear direction.

[0003]

However, when the wheel bounces and rebounds, the suspension arm swings up and down around the longitudinal axis on the vehicle body mounting side. Therefore, the elastic joint must allow the suspension arm to swing. I have to. On the other hand, from the viewpoint of vehicle stability, the elastic joint requires a certain degree of rigidity, and in particular, a lateral external force applied to the wheel requires a high degree of rigidity. As described above, since the elastic joints located on the vehicle body side for ensuring the compliance with the external force applied to the wheels in the front-rear direction are required to have the contradictory properties of swinging the suspension arm and ensuring the rigidity, the conventional device is used. As described above, the elastic joint in which the rubber is simply interposed between the outer cylinder and the inner cylinder cannot sufficiently satisfy the above requirement.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle suspension device which satisfies the swing of the suspension arm and the required rigidity. Another object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle suspension device that secures particularly high rigidity in the lateral direction of the vehicle and more favorably secures compliance with an external force in the front-rear direction.

[0005]

In order to achieve the above object, the structural feature of the invention according to claim 1 is that one of two elastic joints at the front and rear of the inner end of the suspension arm is provided. , A metal outer cylinder and an inner cylinder coaxially arranged with the vertical direction as an axis, an elastic member interposed between the outer cylinder and the inner cylinder, and a plate surface in a radial direction intermediate portion of the elastic member. The intermediate plate has a high rigidity and has an axial end face projecting from the axial end face of the elastic member.

According to this, since the intermediate plate having high rigidity is interposed in the elastic member, the rigidity of the elastic joint can be increased. In addition, since the axial end surface of the intermediate plate projects from the axial end surface of the elastic member, the free length of the axial end surface of the elastic member becomes longer, and the elastic joint has the front-rear axis line on the vehicle body mounting side during wheel bouncing and rebounding. This makes it easier to allow the surrounding suspension arm to swing in the vertical direction, and is advantageous in terms of durability.

Further, the structural feature of the invention according to claim 2 is that the suspension arm is displaced in the front-rear direction at two locations in the front and rear of the inner end of the suspension arm to ensure compliance with an external force applied to the wheel in the front-rear direction. The vehicle suspension device according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate plate is arranged at a lateral position of the vehicle, and a pair of air gaps axially penetrate the radial intermediate portion of the elastic member at a vehicle front-rear position. Has been established.

According to this, the pair of voids ensures sufficient compliance with respect to the external force applied to the wheel in the front-rear direction, and the intermediate plate having high rigidity ensures sufficiently high rigidity applied to the wheel with respect to the external force applied in the lateral direction. Therefore, the riding comfort of the vehicle is improved and the maneuverability of the vehicle is also improved.

Further, the structural feature of the invention according to claim 3 is that a metal outer cylinder in which one of two elastic joints at the front and rear of the inner end of the suspension arm is coaxially arranged with the vertical direction as an axis. And an elastic member having an inner cylinder, a pair of through holes inserted between the outer cylinder and the inner cylinder and penetrating in the axial direction, and a stopper having higher rigidity than the elastic members respectively inserted in the pair of through holes. It is composed of a member.

According to this, since the rigidity of the stopper member is high, the rigidity of the elastic joint can be increased. Further, the elastic member and the stopper member are deformed independently and the elastic member around the through hole is easily deformed, and the elastic joint is provided in the vertical direction of the suspension arm around the front-rear axis on the vehicle body mounting side when the wheel is bound and rebounded. It is easy to allow the swing, and it is also advantageous in durability.

Further, the structural feature of the invention according to claim 4 is that the suspension arm rotates around the vertical axis of the other of the elastic joints to mainly ensure compliance with an external force applied to the wheels in the front-rear direction. In the vehicle suspension device according to the third aspect, the pair of through holes are arranged symmetrically with respect to the central axis of one of the elastic joints, and a straight line connecting the circumferential centers of the two through holes is formed. It lies in that the angle is within the range of 30 degrees rearward and 60 degrees forward with respect to the lateral direction of the vehicle with the center axis as the center.

According to this, the elastic member located between the through holes in the circumferential direction is easily deformed by the force in the circumferential direction,
Since rotation of the suspension arm around the vertical axis of the other of the elastic joints is allowed, sufficient compliance with respect to the external force applied to the wheels in the front-rear direction is ensured, and the ride comfort of the vehicle is improved. Further, the stopper member ensures sufficiently high rigidity against a large lateral force applied to the wheels, so that the steering stability of the vehicle is improved.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a vehicle suspension device according to the same embodiment.

This suspension device is equipped with a substantially A-shaped suspension arm 10A.
Is a carrier 12 with a ball joint 11 at the outer end
The wheels 13 are connected via. The suspension arm 10A is connected to the vehicle body 15 via elastic joints 14 and 20 at two locations on the inner end of the suspension arm 10A. The elastic joint 14 has an axis in the front-rear direction and is located in front of the ball joint 11. Elastic joint 2
0 is the vertical axis, and the ball joint 11
It is located further back. In the suspension device having such an arrangement, due to the relationship with the steer of the wheel 13, the compliance with respect to the external force applied to the wheel 13 in the front-rear direction is mainly the deformation of the both elastic joints 14 and 20 in the front-rear direction, that is, the inside of the suspension arm 10A. It is ensured by the displacement in the front-rear direction at the end (see the arrow in the drawing).

The elastic joint 14 is composed of an outer cylinder and an inner cylinder made of metal, which are coaxially arranged with an axis in the front-rear direction, and an elastic member such as rubber interposed between the outer cylinder and the inner cylinder. Has been done. The outer cylinder is fixed to the suspension arm 10A, and the inner cylinder is fixed to the vehicle body 15. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the elastic joint 20 is provided between the outer cylinder 21 and the inner cylinder 22 and the outer cylinder 21 and the inner cylinder 22 made of metal, which are coaxially arranged with the vertical direction as an axis. The elastic member 23 is made of rubber or the like and is interposed by vulcanization.

A pair of metal intermediate plates 24, 24 having high rigidity are interposed in the radial intermediate portion of the elastic member 23. The intermediate plates 24, 24 may be made of a highly rigid material such as resin. This intermediate plate 24,
As shown in FIGS. 4 (A) and 4 (B), the reference numeral 24 is formed by bending a flat plate into a substantially "V" shape, and the upper and lower sides of the elastic joint 20 are oriented with their respective inner side surfaces facing inward in the radial direction. They are arranged symmetrically with respect to the central axis of the direction and transversely of the vehicle. In addition, these intermediate plates 24, 24 are extended in the axial direction of the elastic member 23, and each end face thereof is elastic member 23.
Of the elastic member 23 so that the surface area of both end surfaces of the elastic member 23 is increased and the free length is increased. Elastic member 2
A pair of voids 23a, 23a, each having an elongated cross section and penetrating in the axial direction, are also formed in the radial middle portion of the No. 3. These voids 23a, 23a are formed by the elastic joint 2
The intermediate plates 24, 24 are arranged at symmetrical positions with respect to the center axis of 0 in the vertical direction, that is, in the vehicle front-rear direction. A protrusion 23b for fitting a jig is formed on one end surface of the elastic member 23, and a hole 24a is formed in the center of the intermediate plates 24, 24.
Are formed.

In the vehicle suspension device constructed as described above, the intermediate plates 24, 24 are provided in the elastic member 23.
Since the elastic joint 20 is interposed, the rigidity of the elastic joint 20 can be increased to some extent. In particular, since the intermediate plates 24, 24 are arranged in the lateral direction of the vehicle, the rigidity against the lateral external force applied to the wheels 13 is sufficiently high, and the steering stability of the vehicle is improved. The axial end faces of the intermediate plates 24, 24 are projected from the axial end face of the elastic member 23 so that the elastic member
Since the free length of the axial end surface of is increased, the elastic member 23 is easily deformed when the outer cylinder 21 is inclined with respect to the inner cylinder 22. As a result, the elastic joint 20 facilitates the vertical swing of the suspension arm 10A around the vehicle body mounting side front-rear axis when the wheel 13 bounces and rebounds, and is advantageous in terms of durability.

Further, since the intermediate plates 24, 24 are arranged to secure the rigidity in the lateral direction of the vehicle, the rigidity of the elastic member 23 can be lowered, and the suspension arm 10 can be made.
The vertical swing of A can be more easily tolerated, and the rigidity in the vehicle front-rear direction can be reduced. In particular, since the voids 23a, 23a are provided in the vehicle front-rear direction, the rigidity in the same direction can be reduced. As a result, the compliance with respect to the external force applied to the wheels 13 in the front-rear direction is sufficiently secured, so that the riding comfort of the vehicle is improved. Also, the elastic member 2
By reducing the rigidity of 3, the transmission of abnormal noise generated from the tires of the wheels 13 to the vehicle body 15 can be suppressed.

In the above embodiment, the intermediate plate 2
Two and four are provided, but the intermediate plate is especially 2
The number of sheets is not limited to one, and only one sheet may be provided at the vehicle lateral position. Further, at the vehicle lateral position, the intermediate plates 24, 24 may be divided into three or more pieces, or the intermediate plates 24, 24 may be arranged in parallel in the radial direction and provided with three or more pieces. Good.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view of a vehicle suspension device according to the same embodiment.

This suspension device is provided with a substantially L-shaped suspension arm 10B. Also in this embodiment, the suspension arm 10B is connected to the wheel 13 via the carrier 12 by the ball joint 11 at the outer end, and is also connected to the vehicle body via the elastic joints 14 and 30 at two positions before and after the inner end. It is connected to 15. The ball joint 11 and the elastic joint 14 are configured similarly to the first embodiment,
The elastic joint 30 is different from that of the first embodiment. The ball joint 11 is an elastic joint 1.
4, the rigidity of the elastic joint 14 is set higher than that of the first embodiment, and in this type of suspension device, in relation to the steer of the wheels 13, The compliance with respect to the external force applied to the wheel 13 in the front-rear direction is ensured mainly by the rotation of the suspension arm 10B around the vertical axis at the position of the elastic joint 14. Therefore, the suspension arm 10B
Is substantially arcuately displaced in the lateral direction of the vehicle at the position of the elastic joint 30 to ensure the compliance (see the arrow in the figure).

As shown in FIGS. 5 to 7, the elastic joint 30 is composed of an outer cylinder 31 and an inner cylinder 32, which are made of metal and are coaxially arranged with the vertical direction as an axis, and the outer cylinder 31 and the inner cylinder 32. An elastic member 33 such as rubber is interposed between the elastic member 33 and the elastic member 33. The elastic member 33 is formed with through holes 33 a, 33 a having an oval cross section and penetrating in the axial direction. These through holes 33a, 33a are formed symmetrically with respect to the vertical center axis O1 of the elastic joint 30, and a straight line L connecting the circumferential centers of both through holes 33a, 33a.
1 is set to fall within an angle range of 30 degrees rearward and 60 degrees forward with respect to the vehicle lateral direction about the center axis O1. The straight line L1 is preferably in a direction in which a lateral external force input to the wheel 13 acts on the elastic joint 30 via the suspension arm 10B. For example, the lateral direction of the vehicle and the vertical directions of the elastic joint 30 and the ball joint 11 are the same. It is preferable that the suspension arm 10B extends in the direction toward the central axis of the suspension arm 10B and extends toward the elastic joint 30.

A stopper member 40 is attached to the inner cylinder 32. As shown in FIG. 8, the stopper member 40 is integrally molded with a material having higher rigidity than the elastic member 33, such as rubber harder than the elastic member 33, rubber obtained by vulcanizing metal and resin, and the annular portion 41 and A pair of legs 42, 42
Consists of The inner diameter of the annular portion 41 is set to be substantially equal to the outer diameter of the inner cylinder 32, and the annular portion 41 is press-fitted and fixed onto the outer peripheral surface of the end portion of the inner cylinder 32. The leg portions 42, 42 extend axially from the positions of the annular portion 41 facing each other, and penetrate into the through holes 33 a, 33 a provided in the elastic member 33. A small gap is formed between the outer peripheral surfaces of the leg portions 42, 42 of the stopper member 40 and the inner peripheral surfaces of the through holes 33a, 33a of the elastic member 33. In addition, recesses 43, 43 for fitting a jig are formed on the end surface of the annular portion 41 of the stopper member 40.

In the vehicle suspension device constructed as described above, the through holes 33a, 33 of the elastic member 33 are formed.
Since the leg portions 42, 42 of the stopper member 40 having high rigidity are interposed in a, the rigidity of the elastic joint 30 can be increased to some extent. In particular, the through holes 33a,
Since 33a and the legs 42, 42 are arranged in a direction in which the lateral external force input to the wheel 13 acts on the elastic joint 30 via the suspension arm 10B, a large lateral external force acts on the elastic joint 30. When input, the voids provided in the through holes 33a, 33a and the elastic members 33 between the legs 42, 42 and the outer cylinder 31 and the inner cylinder 32 are crushed. Then, since the highly rigid stopper members 40, 40 oppose this external force, the wheel 1
The rigidity against the external force in the lateral direction to 3 is secured high enough,
The maneuverability of the vehicle is improved. Further, the elastic member 33 and the stopper member 40 are independently deformed and the through hole 33
The elastic members 33 around a and 33a are easily deformed, and the elastic joint 30 facilitates the vertical swing of the suspension arm 10B around the front-rear axis on the vehicle body mounting side when the wheel 13 bounds and rebounds, and is durable. It is also advantageous in sex.

Further, the through holes 33a, 33a are arranged in the circumferential direction.
The elastic member 33 located between the two is easily deformed by a force in the circumferential direction, and rotation of the suspension arm 10B around the elastic joint 14 in the horizontal plane is allowed. Therefore, compliance with an external force applied to the wheel 13 in the front-rear direction. Is sufficiently secured and the ride comfort of the vehicle is improved. Also,
Since the stopper member 40 ensures the required rigidity, the rigidity of the elastic member 33 can be lowered, and the transmission of the abnormal noise generated from the tire of the wheel 13 to the vehicle body 15 can be suppressed. Further, the size of the voids provided in the through holes 33a, 33a and the rigidity of the stopper member 40 can be set variously, and the non-linear characteristic of the spring constant of the elastic joint 10B can be easily changed.

In the first and second embodiments, the elastic joint 2 shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 6, 7 is used.
0 and 30 are applied to the elastic joints on the inner rear side of the suspension arms 10A and 10B, respectively.
It may be applied to each elastic joint on the front side of the inner ends of 0A and 10B. Especially the suspension arm 1
It is preferable to apply it to the side farther from the ball joint 11 out of two positions before and after the inner ends of 0A and 10B.

Further, in the first and second embodiments, the elastic joint 2 shown in FIGS. 2, 3 and 6, 7 is used.
The outer cylinders 21 and 31 of 0 and 30 are attached to the suspension arm 10.
Fixed to A and 10B respectively, and joints 20 and 30
Although the inner cylinders of the above are fixed to the vehicle body 15, respectively, these relationships may be reversed. That is, the outer cylinders 21 and 31 of the elastic joints 20 and 30 are fixed to the vehicle body 15, and the inner cylinders 21 and 31 of the joints 20 and 30 are fixed.
31 may be fixed to the suspension arms 10A and 10B, respectively.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a suspension device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a rear elastic joint in which an inner end of the suspension arm of FIG. 1 is connected to a vehicle body.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG.

FIG. 4 (A) is a front view of the intermediate plate of FIGS.
(B) is a side view of the intermediate plate.

FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view of a suspension device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of a rear side elastic joint in which the inner end of the suspension arm of FIG. 5 is connected to the vehicle body.

7 is a sectional view taken along line 7-7 of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a vertical cross-sectional view of the stopper member of FIGS.

[Explanation of symbols]

10A, 10B ... Suspension arm, 12 ... Carrier, 13 ... Wheel, 14, 20, 30 ... Elastic joint,
15 ... Vehicle body, 21 ... Outer cylinder, 22 ... Inner cylinder, 23 ... Elastic member, 23a ... Void, 24 ... Intermediate plate, 31 ... Outer cylinder, 32 ...
Inner cylinder, 33 ... Elastic member, 33a ... Through hole, 40 ... Stopper member, 42 ... Leg portion.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A vehicle suspension device in which suspension arms having wheels connected at outer ends via carriers are connected to vehicle bodies via elastic joints at front and rear two positions at inner ends thereof, respectively. An outer cylinder and an inner cylinder made of metal in which one of the elastic joints is coaxially arranged with the vertical direction as an axis, an elastic member interposed between the outer cylinder and the inner cylinder, and a radial middle of the elastic member. The vehicle suspension device is characterized in that a plate surface is interposed in the portion in a radial direction, and an axial end surface is formed of an intermediate plate having high rigidity that protrudes from the axial end surface of the elastic member. 2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the suspension arm is displaced in the front-rear direction at two front and rear positions of an inner end thereof to mainly secure compliance with an external force applied to the wheel in the front-rear direction. In a suspension device, the intermediate plate is arranged at a lateral position of the vehicle, and a pair of voids penetrating in an axial direction at a vehicle longitudinal position is provided at a radial intermediate portion of the elastic member. Suspension device. 3. A vehicle suspension device in which suspension arms having wheels connected at outer ends via carriers are connected to vehicle bodies via elastic joints at two positions on the inner ends thereof, respectively. A metal outer cylinder and an inner cylinder in which one of the elastic joints is coaxially arranged with the vertical direction as an axis, and a pair of through holes which are interposed between the outer cylinder and the inner cylinder and penetrate in the axial direction. And a stopper member that is inserted into the pair of through holes and has a rigidity higher than that of the elastic member. 4. The vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the suspension arm is rotated about the vertical axis of the other of the elastic joints to mainly secure compliance with an external force applied to the wheels in the front-rear direction. In the suspension device for vehicle, the pair of through-holes are arranged symmetrically with respect to the central axis of the one elastic joint, and a straight line connecting the circumferential centers of the two through-holes is a lateral direction of the vehicle around the central axis. The vehicle suspension device is characterized in that the angle is within a range of 30 degrees rearward and 60 degrees forward.