JP4555496B2 - Shock absorber for vehicle - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an impact absorbing device in a vehicle for absorbing an impact when another object collides with an outer surface of a vehicle body.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, a metal pipe made of relatively low hardness aluminum or the like that extends forward of the front body of a vehicle in order to absorb an impact when another object collides with the outer surface of the body of the vehicle, for example, the front surface of the body. There has been proposed a structure in which a rear end portion of the shock absorber is supported and shock absorption is performed by axial compression deformation of the shock absorber.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, in the structure in which the shock is absorbed by the axial compression deformation of the metal pipe as described above, even if the pipe is ideally compressed and deformed, as shown in FIG. Will remain. Therefore, after the pipe is compressed and deformed by a relatively short deformation stroke and reaches the deformation limit, there is a problem that the support load against the impact of the pipe rapidly increases as shown by a chain line in FIG.
[0004]
In order to solve such a problem and to secure a sufficient deformation stroke in the shock absorbing pipe, it is necessary to form the pipe itself long, and there is another problem that the front part of the vehicle becomes long.
[0005]
In addition, the metal pipe can absorb shocks by compressive deformation with respect to a compressive load in the axial direction (that is, the front-rear direction). There is also a problem that absorption cannot be performed effectively.
[0006]
The present invention has been proposed in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide an impact absorbing device for a vehicle that can solve the above-described problems of the conventional structure with a simple structure.
[0007]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, an invention according to claim 1 is directed to a shock absorbing device for a vehicle for absorbing an impact when another object collides with the outer surface of the vehicle body. A support that is located on the side and supported by the vehicle body, and the impact applied to the outer surface portion is interposed between opposing surfaces of the receiving surface of the support and the outer surface of the body and transmits the impact to the receiving surface. A flexible bag body to be supported and a liquid sealed in the bag body, and the bag body and a liquid discharge portion that is outside the bag body and can discharge the liquid in the bag body In the meantime, there is a throttle channel that connects between them and can apply a throttle resistance to the passing liquid, and the throttle channel is closed in normal times but opened in response to an increase in the internal hydraulic pressure of the bag body over a predetermined value. a normally-closed opening and closing means are provided, said receiving surface of said support, the plane cross section Jo is being formed in an arc shape recessed to the vehicle body inner side.
[0008]
According to the above feature, when another object collides with the outer surface of the vehicle body, the impact applied to the outer surface of the body is received by the support body through the bag body. As a result, when the internal fluid pressure suddenly increases and becomes a predetermined value or more, the opening / closing means is opened, and the sealed liquid in the bag body is caused to flow out to the liquid discharge portion side through the throttle channel. At this time, the squeezing resistance received by the liquid passing through the squeezing channel is kept substantially constant with respect to the inward displacement of the front portion of the bag body until the bag body contracts and there is no liquid inside. While receiving the other object with a substantially constant load, the collision energy can be absorbed over a relatively long deformation stroke, and the absorption efficiency is increased. Therefore, the impact received by the other object and the vehicle body at the time of the collision can be effectively absorbed. . In addition, by changing the effective cross-sectional area of the throttle flow path, it is possible to easily change and set the throttle resistance and, in turn, the support load value against impact. Furthermore, the resistance of the diaphragm when the liquid passes through the throttle channel increases as the transmission speed of the impact received by the bag increases, so it is easy to cope with changes in the impact speed, and therefore the impact speed. An impact absorber (bag) excellent in dependency can be obtained. Furthermore, if the receiving surface of the support that supports the back side of the bag body is formed to have a wide angle so that it is oriented in a relatively wide angle range, the bag body has impact energy from various directions facing the receiving surface. Can be effectively absorbed. In addition, the receiving surface of the support body is formed in an arc shape whose flat cross-sectional shape is recessed toward the inner side of the vehicle body, so that a relatively wide angle range can be directed without special enlargement. Therefore, impact energy from various directions facing the receiving surface can be effectively absorbed through the bag.
[0009]
According to a second aspect of the invention, in addition to the feature of the first aspect of the invention, the liquid discharge portion is formed of a liquid tank that is formed separately from the bag and supported by the vehicle body. and to have, according to this feature, since the leaked liquid from the bag body can retain in the liquid tank, a that there is no fear that fouling external environment by the outflow of the liquid.
[0010]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below based on the embodiments of the present invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings.
[0011]
In the accompanying drawings, FIGS. 1 to 7 show an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a scooter type motorcycle. FIG. 1 is an overall side view of the vehicle, and FIG. 2 is a main portion of the embodiment. 3 is a partially broken enlarged side view of the front portion of the vehicle, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 3-3 of FIG. 2, FIG. 4 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. FIG. 6 is a characteristic diagram showing the relationship between the amount of vehicle inward displacement of the front portion of the bag body (accordingly, the other object) when the object collides with the outer surface of the body and the support load that the other object receives from the bag body. FIG. 5 is a characteristic diagram corresponding to FIG. 5 showing a case where the effective sectional area of the (restriction channel) is changed, and FIG. 7 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 5 showing a case where the transmission speed of the impact to the bag is changed. FIG.
[0012]
First, in FIGS. 1 to 3, a scooter type motorcycle A has a seat S installed at a substantially central portion in the front and rear of a vehicle body F, and a handle H for steering the front wheels Wf is provided on the front side of the seat S. A power unit P for driving the rear wheel Wr is disposed below the seat S. The handle H is coupled to an upper end portion of a steering shaft 1 having a front fork 1a that pivotally supports a front wheel Wf, and the middle portion of the steering shaft 1 is fitted and supported by a head pipe 2 so as to be rotatable. Is done.
[0013]
The vehicle body F has a front body frame Ff that is fixed to the front end of the head pipe 2 and extends in a slanting downward direction toward the floor, and extends in a slanting upward direction from the floor so that the power unit P can swing up and down. A rear body frame Fr to be supported and a center body frame Fm that extends directly below the floor in the front-rear direction and integrally couples the front and rear body frames Ff and Fr are provided.
[0014]
The body skin B covering the vehicle body F includes a front panel Bf covering the front vehicle body frame Ff, a rear panel Br directly under the seat S and covering the rear vehicle body frame Fr, and a central vehicle body frame Fm. The front fender portion 3 that extends forward over the front wheel Wf is integrally provided on the front surface of the front panel Bf. Each of the panels Bf, Bm, Br exhibits a rigidity and strength necessary for constituting a body outer plate in a normal use state, but is relatively easy when subjected to an excessive external force due to a collision with another object (that is, It is made of a plate material such as a reinforced synthetic resin plate or a thin metal plate that is easily or deformed compared to the vehicle body F.
[0015]
A highly rigid support 4 made of a steel plate or the like is connected and fixed to the front body frame Ff (the head pipe 2 in the illustrated example) via a stay 4s on the rear side of the front fender portion 3 as a body outer surface portion. . The front surface of the support 4 is formed as a concave curved surface having a circular cross-sectional shape that is recessed inwardly of the vehicle body, and the concave curved surface serves as a receiving surface 4 f of the support 4.
[0016]
A flexible bag 5 serving as an impact absorber is interposed between the receiving surface 4f and the rear surface of the front fender portion 3 facing the receiving surface 4f. Accordingly, when another object collides with the front fender portion 3 from the front or obliquely forward, the impact applied to the front fender portion 3 is transmitted and supported to the receiving surface 4f of the support body 4 via the bag body 5. The
[0017]
The bag body 5 is composed of a hard and strong elastic film body such as rubber. A flexible reinforcing film body (not shown) made of a cloth, a synthetic resin material or the like may be polymerized and bonded to the inner surface and / or the outer surface of the elastic film body as necessary.
[0018]
A liquid L is sealed inside the bag body 5. In addition, a liquid tank T capable of receiving the sealed liquid L therein is connected to the bag body 5 via a connecting pipe 6 serving as a throttle channel that can give a throttle resistance to the passing liquid. The liquid tank T constitutes the liquid discharge part of the present invention, and is housed in the floor panel Bm and connected and supported to the central body frame Fm in the illustrated example.
[0019]
The connecting pipe 6 has a middle portion extending vertically through the front panel Bf, one end opening in the liquid tank T, and the other end opening in the bag body 5.
[0020]
Further, between the bag body 5 and the liquid tank T, as a normally closed type opening / closing means that closes the connecting pipe 6 in a normal state but opens in response to an increase in the internal hydraulic pressure of the bag body 5 over a predetermined value. Open / close valve V is provided.
[0021]
In the illustrated example, the on-off valve V is constituted by a leaf valve disposed at the opening end of the connection pipe 6 on the liquid tank T side. Usually, the on-off valve V is caused by its own elastic force or the elastic force of a spring (not shown). When the connecting pipe 6 is closed and the internal hydraulic pressure of the bag body 5 increases to a predetermined value or more, the connecting pipe 6 is configured to open in response to the hydraulic pressure.
[0022]
Next, the operation of the embodiment will be described. Normally, since the on-off valve V blocks the connection pipe 6, the sealed liquid L in the bag body 5 is kept sealed in the bag body 5 without flowing into the liquid tank T. Is done.
[0023]
In this state, when the front fender portion 3 as the body outer surface portion of the vehicle A receives a large impact load from the front front or oblique front due to a frontal collision with the other object X, the front fender portion 3 itself is first caused by the impact. Is deformed or broken, and the impact is transmitted to the support body 4 through the bag body 5 and is received by the front body frame Ff through the support body 4. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, the front portion of the bag body 5 is strongly pressed, and when the internal hydraulic pressure of the bag body 5 suddenly increases and becomes a predetermined value or more, the on-off valve V opens, The sealed liquid L in the bag body 5 flows out to the liquid tank T side through the connecting pipe 6.
[0024]
In this case, the squeezing resistance that the liquid L passing through the connection pipe 6 receives from the pipe 6 is that of the bag body 5 as shown by a solid line in FIG. Since the amount of inward displacement (and hence the amount of deformation) of the front portion is kept substantially constant, the collision energy can be absorbed and absorbed over a relatively long deformation stroke while receiving the other object X with a substantially constant load. As a result, the impact can be effectively absorbed by the other object X and the vehicle body F.
[0025]
Further, by changing the effective cross-sectional area of the connecting pipe 6 as a throttle flow path, it is possible to easily change and set the throttle resistance and, in turn, the support load value for the other object X. FIG. 6 shows that when the effective sectional area of the connecting pipe 6 is changed to a plurality of steps (three steps), the support load value for the other object X changes to a plurality of steps (three steps) accordingly. .
[0026]
Furthermore, the squeezing resistance received when the effluent liquid L from the bag 5 passes through the connecting pipe 6 increases as the transmission speed of the shock received by the bag 5 increases. FIG. It shows that the support load value is different when the transmission speed is high and when the transmission speed is low. Accordingly, since it is easy to cope with a change in the transmission speed of the impact at the time of the collision, an impact absorber (bag) excellent in impact speed dependency can be obtained.
[0027]
Further, in the present embodiment, the receiving surface 4f of the support body 4 that supports the back side of the bag body 5 is formed in an arc shape whose flat cross-sectional shape is recessed toward the inner side of the vehicle body. Even if it is not specially enlarged, it can be directed to a relatively wide range of angles. Therefore, impact energy from various directions (that is, the front front side or the oblique front side) facing the receiving surface 4f is applied to the bag body. 5 can be effectively absorbed.
[0028]
As mentioned above, although the Example of this invention was explained in full detail, this invention is not limited to the said Example, A various design change can be performed.
[0029]
For example, in the above embodiment, the present invention has been shown as a countermeasure against the impact on the outer surface of the body of the scooter type motorcycle A. However, in the present invention, the outer surface of the body of other types of motorcycles and motorcycles can be used. You may implement as a countermeasure against an impact, and you may implement as a countermeasure against the impact with respect to the body outer surface part of a four-wheeled vehicle. In the above embodiment, the front body portion (front fender portion 3 of the front panel Bf) is shown as the body outer surface portion to be subjected to impact countermeasures. However, in the present invention, other vehicle outer surface portions, for example, the rear body portion (rear panel Br) ) Etc., the present invention may be implemented as a countermeasure against impact.
[0030]
Moreover, in the said Example, although what showed the connection pipe | tube 6 as a throttle flow path which can provide a squeezing resistance to a passage liquid was made into the uniform cross section over the full length, in this invention, a part of these connection pipe | tubes 6 was shown. Only the narrowed portion may be formed.
[0031]
In the above-described embodiment, the liquid tank T is housed in the floor panel Bm. However, in the present invention, the liquid tank T may be disposed at another appropriate position in the vehicle body space.
[0032]
Moreover, in the said Example, although the liquid L which flows out from the bag body 5 was received in the vehicle-mounted liquid tank T, when the liquid L is a harmless liquid, the liquid tank T is abbreviate | omitted and the lower end of the connection pipe 6 is carried out. May extend to the outside of the vehicle body F so that the outflow liquid L flows out of the vehicle body. In this case, the vehicle body outer space becomes the liquid discharge portion of the present invention (Claim 1).
[0033]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, when another object collides with the body outer surface portion of the vehicle, the impact applied to the body outer surface portion is received by the support body via the bag body. Since the opening / closing means is opened due to an increase in the internal hydraulic pressure exceeding the value, the sealed liquid in the bag flows out to the liquid discharge part side through the throttle channel, so that the outflow liquid is based on the throttle resistance received from the throttle channel Thus, the impact applied to other objects and the vehicle body in the event of a collision can be effectively absorbed, and the impact absorbing effect continues for as long as possible until the bag body contracts and the liquid inside is eliminated. The shock can be absorbed sufficiently. Further, by changing the effective cross-sectional area of the throttle channel, the throttle resistance and, in turn, the support load value for other objects can be easily changed and set. Furthermore, since the squeezing resistance received when the effluent liquid passes through the squeezing channel increases as the transmission speed of the impact received by the bag increases, it becomes easy to cope with changes in the impact speed, An impact absorber (bag) excellent in speed dependency can be obtained. Furthermore, the receiving surface of the support that supports the back side of the bag body is formed at a wide angle so that it faces a relatively wide angle range, so that impact energy from various directions facing the receiving surface can be effectively reduced. Can be absorbed. In addition, the receiving surface of the support that supports the back side of the bag is formed in an arc shape whose flat cross-sectional shape is recessed toward the inside of the vehicle body, so that this receiving surface does not have a particularly large size. However, it is directed to a relatively wide angle range, and therefore, impact energy from various directions facing the receiving surface can be effectively absorbed through the bag.
[0034]
In particular, according to the invention of claim 2, the liquid flowing out from the bag can be retained in a liquid tank formed separately from the bag and supported by the vehicle body. worry is not the name that the external environment is affected by.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an overall side view of a vehicle showing an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway enlarged side view of a front portion of the vehicle showing the main part of the embodiment. Cross-sectional view of the bag [Fig. 4] Figure corresponding to Fig. 3 showing the deformed state of the bag body at the time of collision [Fig. Characteristic diagram showing the relationship between the amount and the support load that other objects receive from the bag body. FIG. 7 is a characteristic diagram corresponding to FIG. 5 showing a comparison of the case where the transmission speed of the shock to the bag is changed. FIG. Explanatory diagram [Explanation of symbols]
3. Front fender part (Body outer surface part)
4 ... Support 4f ... Receiving surface 5 ... Bag 6 ... Connection pipe (throttle channel)
F ... Body L ... Liquid T ... Liquid tank (liquid discharge part)
V ... Open / close valve (open / close means)

Claims (2)

In an impact absorbing device for a vehicle for absorbing an impact when another object (X) collides with a body outer surface portion (3) of the vehicle (A),
A support body (4) that is located on the vehicle body inner side than the body outer surface section (3) and is supported by the vehicle body (F), a receiving surface (4f) of the support body (4), and the body outer surface section ( 3) A flexible bag body (5) that is interposed between the opposed surface to the back surface and transmits and supports the impact applied to the outer surface portion (3) to the receiving surface (4f), and the bag body ( 5) at least a liquid (L) sealed in,
Between the bag body (5) and the liquid discharge part (T) which is outside the bag body (5) and can discharge the liquid (L) in the bag body (5), a connection between them is connected. In addition, the throttle channel (6) capable of imparting a throttle resistance to the passing liquid, and the throttle channel (6) are closed in normal times, but the internal fluid pressure of the bag (5) is increased by a predetermined value or more. normally-closed opening and closing means for opening Te and (V) is provided,
The impact absorbing device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the receiving surface (4f) of the support (4) is formed in an arc shape whose flat cross-sectional shape is recessed inwardly of the vehicle body . 2. The shock absorbing device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the liquid discharge part (T) is a liquid tank formed separately from the bag body (5) and supported by a vehicle body (F). 3. Place.

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