JP6224638B2 - Damping force adjustment device - Google Patents

Description

  The embodiment described in this specification relates to a mechanism for adjusting a damping force of a shock absorber used in a vehicle or the like.

  2. Description of the Related Art Shock absorbers for attenuating vibrations that occur during vehicle travel are known. The shock absorber attenuates vibration by generating resistance (damping force) when it is displaced. For this damping force, it is the mainstream to use the viscous resistance of the liquid.

  Also known is a mechanism that can adjust the damping force of a shock absorber by turning an adjustment screw (referred to as a click) using a hand or a tool. In this case, a click is generally arranged at a position above the shock absorber.

  In addition, the following documents are disclosed.

Japanese Patent No. 4462855 JP 2014-95457 A

  When a shock absorber is mounted at a place where there is a restriction in the height direction, the click and rod of the damping adjustment mechanism may not be installed upward due to its structure. Also, in the shock absorber attenuation adjustment mechanism, the attenuation adjustment mechanism itself may not be attached depending on the state of attachment to the vehicle. Even if the attenuation adjustment mechanism can be attached, depending on the state, a hand or tool may be inserted until the click. Therefore, there is a problem that attenuation adjustment cannot be performed.

  An object of the embodiment is to provide a technique for improving the degree of freedom of arrangement of the damping adjustment mechanism and mitigating a state in which the damping force cannot be adjusted.

The damping force adjusting device of the embodiment is a device that adjusts the damping force of the shock absorber, and includes a first rod, a needle, a second rod, an operation unit, and a cam member. The first rod extends in the first direction and moves in the first direction. The needle is installed at one end of the first rod, and moves with the first rod to change the cross-sectional area of the flow path between the oil chambers formed in the shock absorber. The second rod extends in a second direction that forms a predetermined angle with respect to the first direction, and moves in the second direction. The operation unit obtains power and moves the second rod. The cam member has a first surface that is in contact with the other end of the first rod, a second surface that is a portion different from the first surface is in contact with the end of the second rod, and is adapted to the movement of the second rod. And rotate to move the needle through the first rod.

  Further, either or both of the first surface and the second surface of the cam member may be a refracting surface, a distorted curved surface, or a surface obtained by combining these.

  In the above configuration, when the movement amount of the second rod is uniform, the movement amount of the needle decreases in the direction in which the cross-sectional area of the flow path becomes narrower, and the needle moves in the direction in which the cross-sectional area of the flow path becomes wide And the amount of movement increases.

  In the above configuration, the amount of change in the distance in the first direction component from the contact point between the first surface and the first rod to the contact point between the second surface and the second rod is determined by the cross-sectional area of the flow path of the needle. It is characterized by decreasing as it progresses in the narrowing direction and increasing as it progresses in the direction in which the cross-sectional area of the flow path increases.

In the above configuration, the damping force adjusting apparatus of the embodiment further comprises a wire to be extended and the operating portion from the body of the shock absorber between the operation portion and the second rod.

  The state where the damping force cannot be adjusted can be relaxed.

It is a figure which shows the shock absorber of embodiment. It is a figure which shows the shock absorber which extended the click with the wire. It is a figure which shows the shock absorber which made the side surface of the cam member the refractive shape. It is a figure which shows the structure at the time of making the shape of a cam member into another aspect. It is a figure which shows the structure at the time of making the shape of a cam member into another aspect. It is a figure which shows the structure at the time of making the shape of a cam member into another aspect.

  In this embodiment, instead of the conventional configuration having a click at the top of the shock absorber, the click is positioned sideways. This makes it possible to relax the restriction in the height direction. If a hand or tool does not enter until the click, the click is extended with a wire so that the position can be adjusted.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of the overall configuration of a shock absorber according to an embodiment. A shock absorber 100 shown in FIG. 1 has a configuration in which an upper mount 11, a piston rod 21, and a hydraulic shock absorber 22 are arranged in a series direction (hereinafter, referred to as a vertical direction). A shock absorber 100 shown in FIG. 1 has a cam member 15 that rotates around a shaft 16 in a top body 25. The cam member 15 extends in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, and abuts against the end of the push rod 24 that moves in the horizontal direction. The cam member 15 extends in the vertical direction and is in contact with the end of the adjustment rod 13 that moves in the vertical direction.

  One end of the push rod 24 is in contact with the side surface (second surface) of the cam member 15, and the other end is engaged with the click 12. In this embodiment, the click 12 has a cylindrical shape, and rotates in the forward and reverse directions around the center of the circle. When the click 12 is rotated forward or backward by a hand or a tool, the push rod 24 moves in the left-right direction (horizontal direction) on the paper surface.

  The upper end of the adjusting rod 13 is in contact with the other side surface (first surface) of the cam member 15. As shown in FIG. 1, the side surface of the cam member 15 that comes into contact with the adjustment rod 13 is a portion that differs at least in position from the side surface of the cam member 15 that comes into contact with the push rod 24. A needle 23 for adjusting the damping of the hydraulic shock absorber 22 is installed at the lower end of the adjusting rod 13. The needle 23 moves in the vertical direction to change the cross-sectional area of the flow path between the oil chamber 27 and the oil chamber 28 formed in the shock absorber 100 (the cross-sectional area of the flow path T). The needle 23 has a sharp end facing downward, and is arranged so that its cross-sectional area increases as it goes upward.

  The piston 32 divides the cylinder of the hydraulic shock absorber 22 into two oil chambers, an oil chamber 27 and an oil chamber 28.

  According to FIG. 1A, when the click 12 rotates in one direction, the push rod 24 advances in the right direction of the drawing and pushes the cam member 15. The cam member 15 rotates clockwise about the shaft 16 and pushes the adjusting rod 13 in the vertical downward direction. As a result, the needle 23 joined to the lower end of the adjusting rod 13 moves downward. Thus, by rotating in the direction in which the click 12 is closed, the needle 23 moves downward and the flow path T is narrowed.

  Further, according to FIG. 1B, the push rod 24 advances in the left direction in the drawing by the reverse rotation of the click 12. This creates a gap between the push rod 24 and the cam member 15. The cam member 15, the adjustment rod 13, and the needle 23 move so as to fill this gap. That is, the adjustment rod 13 and the needle 23 move vertically upward, and the cam member 15 moves about the shaft 16 counterclockwise in the drawing. This movement is due to the repulsive force of the gas pressure inside the shock absorber 100. Thus, by rotating the click 12 in the loosening direction, as a result, the needle 23 moves upward to widen the flow path T.

  As described above, when the click 12 is rotated and the needle 23 is adjusted up and down, the flow rate of the flow path T can be adjusted, and as a result, the damping force can be adjusted.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a configuration example in which the position of the motor 35 is extended from the position of the shock absorber 100 </ b> A main body using the wire 33. The wire 33 is covered with a tubular protective member 34 and transmits the rotational force of the motor 35 to the push rod 24. With this configuration, the push rod 24 also rotates in the same direction as the rotation direction of the motor 35. Other configurations and operations are the same as those in FIG. Note that the click 12 shown in FIG. Conversely, the shock absorber 100 shown in FIG. 1 may be configured to employ the motor 35 instead of the click 12.

  A shock absorber 100B shown in FIG. 3A has a cam member 15A having a side shape different from that of the cam member 15 shown in FIGS. An enlarged view around the cam member 15A is shown in FIG. The shape of the cam member 15 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a fan shape, and the side surface of the fan shape (the shape from P1 to P4 in FIG. 3B) is a straight line. On the other hand, the cam member 15A shown in FIG. 3 has a shape that is refracted at points P1, P2, and P3 in the side surface shape from the point P1 to the end P4. The point P1 is rapidly refracted in the outward direction, and the point P2 is refracted more gently than the point P1. The point P3 is more gradual than the point P2. In this way, the degree of refraction is changed step by step, and is changed from a sudden refraction to a gentle refraction from the point P1 located near the axis 16 toward the end P4.

  As a feature of the shock absorber 100B shown in FIG. 3, the cam member 15A is used to design the refraction position and the degree of refraction so that the movement of the adjustment rod 13 with respect to the movement of the push rod 24 is not limited to 1: 1 movement. It is possible to arbitrarily adjust the movement amount. As a basic characteristic of the needle type attenuation adjustment, when the needle 23 moves downward and reaches the vicinity of the deadline, the attenuation changes severely with respect to the movement of the needle 23, and the click 12 is rotated a little. Large attenuation change. On the other hand, when the needle 23 is moved upward and loosened, the attenuation change becomes loose, and even if the click 12 is rotated largely, the attenuation change becomes small.

  The shape of the cam member 15A shown in FIG. 3 makes it possible to reduce the movement of the needle 23 near the deadline and increase the movement of the needle 23 as the click 12 is loosened. This makes it possible to make the sense of attenuation change more constant.

  In the shock absorber 100B shown in FIG. 3, even when the rotation amount of the click 12 is constant (the movement amount of the push rod 24 is uniform), the needle 23 moves as the cross-sectional area of the flow path T decreases. Decreases, and the amount of movement increases as the cross-sectional area of the flow path T increases. In other words, the amount of change in the distance of the vertical component from the contact point between the cam member 15A and the adjustment rod 13 to the contact point between the cam member 15A and the push rod 24 is determined by the cross-sectional area of the flow path T of the needle 23. It is configured to decrease as it progresses in the narrowing direction, and to increase as it proceeds in the direction in which the cross-sectional area of the flow path T increases.

  Hereinafter, modified examples of the cam member will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6. Each of the cam members is an example of downsizing compared to FIGS. 1 to 3, and particularly an example of downsizing in the height direction. By adopting the configuration shown in each of these figures, the mounting of the vehicle with a restriction in the height direction is eased. 4 to 6, the solid line arrow indicates the direction in which the needle 23 is loosened upward, and the broken line arrow indicates the direction in which the needle 23 is tightened downward. The hole 53 is a part where the push rod 24 is inserted, and the hole 54 is a part where the adjusting rod 13 is inserted.

  FIG. 4A is a diagram illustrating the cam member 15B and its periphery. 4B is a view in which the cam member 15B shown in FIG. 4A is covered with the top body 25A, and FIG. 4C is an example when the configuration of FIG. 4B is viewed from below. It is.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the cam member 15B has one end connected to the shaft 16 and bent at a point P5. A convex portion 51 facing downward is formed at the other end. When the cam member 15B is pushed in the horizontal direction from the back (horizontal broken line arrow direction), the cam member 15B is rotated around the shaft 16 by this pushing force, and the convex portion 51 further moves downward (in the vertical broken line arrow direction). . Thereby, the needle 23 moves downward and closes the flow path T.

  Conversely, by causing the push rod 24 to point in the horizontal solid arrow direction, the convex portion 51 of the cam member 15B moves upward (in the vertical solid arrow direction). As a result, the needle 23 moves upward to ensure the loose flow path T.

  FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating the cam member 15C and its periphery. 5B is a view in which the cam member 15C of FIG. 5A is covered with a cover member 52 and joined to the top body 25B. FIG. 5C is a view when the structure shown in FIG. 5B is viewed from below.

  The cam member 15C has an L shape as shown in FIG. 5A, and is placed horizontally on the top body 25B. The cam member 15C is configured such that the shaft 16 is positioned at an L-shaped bent portion. When the push rod 24 inserted into the hole 53 pushes the end 62 of the cam member 15C in the direction of the broken line arrow, the cam member 15C rotates around the shaft 16, and the other end 61 is interlocked accordingly. And move in the direction of the dashed arrow. Further, when the push rod 24 inserted into the hole 53 moves in the direction of the solid arrow, the end 61 also moves in the direction of the solid arrow.

  FIG. 5D is a schematic diagram showing the shape of the end portion 61. When the end 61 and the adjustment rod 13 are in contact with each other, when the end 61 moves in the direction of the broken line arrow, the adjustment rod 13 is pushed and moved downward. When the end 61 moves in the direction of the solid arrow, a gap is generated between the end 61 and the adjusting rod 13, and the adjusting rod 13 moves upward.

  The degree of inclination of the end portion 61 is different between the gradient from the points P6 to P7 and the gradient from the points P7 to P8. The gradient from point P6 to P7 is steeper than the gradient from point P7 to P8, and the gradient from point P7 to P8 is gentler. With this shape, as described with reference to FIG. 3, the movement of the needle 23 is reduced near the deadline, and the movement of the needle 23 can be increased as the click 12 is loosened. .

  FIG. 6A is a diagram illustrating the cam member 15D and its periphery. FIG. 6B is a view of the configuration shown in FIG. 6A viewed from behind, and FIG. 6C is a view viewed from below.

  The cam member 15D is supported from the top body 25C so as to be rotatable by the shaft 16. The cam member 15D includes two wing-like members 71 and 72, and the wing-like members 71 and 72 are fixed by the shaft 16 to be integrated. That is, when the shaft 16 rotates, the wing members 71 and 72 also rotate in the same direction at the same angle.

  The wing member 71 has one end coupled to the shaft 16, and has a shape that tapers toward the other end 73. Similarly, the wing-like member 72 has one end connected to the shaft 16 and has a shape that tapers toward the other end 74. The wing-like members 71 and 72 are positioned so as to be substantially perpendicular when viewed from the direction of the axis 16.

  When the push rod 24 inserted into the hole 53 pushes the end 73 in the direction of the broken line arrow, the wing-like member 71 rotates at the center of the shaft 16 and the shaft 16 itself also rotates. As the shaft 16 itself rotates, the rotational force is transmitted to the wing member 72, and the wing member 72 also rotates in conjunction with the center of the shaft 16. As a result, the end portion 74 moves downward. The adjustment rod 13 inserted into the hole 54 is pushed downward while in contact with the end 74. As a result, the needle 23 moves in the tightening direction (downward).

  When the push rod 24 inserted into the hole 53 moves in the direction of the solid arrow in the end portion 73, the push rod 24 is separated from the end portion 73 to form a gap. The adjustment rod 13 inserted into the hole 54 moves upward so as to fill this gap, and the needle 23 also moves in the loosening direction (upward) along with this.

  In the present embodiment, a mechanical mechanism using a cam member is employed, and the moving direction of the push rod 24 and the adjusting rod 13 is converted by the mechanical mechanism. In the case of a damping force adjustment mechanism using hydraulic pressure, there is a risk of liquid leakage and the like, but in the case of a mechanical mechanism as in the embodiment, there is no concern.

  In this embodiment, the moving direction is converted by 90 degrees from the horizontal direction to the vertical direction via the cam member. However, this conversion angle is arbitrary and is determined as a predetermined angle defined in advance in design. In the embodiment, the shock absorber is described as being installed in the vertical direction, and the longitudinal direction of the shock absorber is described as being vertical, but the present invention is not limited to this.

  The surface of the cam member in contact with the adjusting rod 13 and the push rod 24 is a flat surface or a refracting surface in the embodiment, but may be a distorted surface, or a surface with a combination of a flat surface, a bent surface, and a distorted curved surface. Good. The curved surface conceptually includes a refractive surface and a distorted curved surface.

  The first direction corresponds to the vertical direction of the embodiment, and the second direction corresponds to the horizontal direction of the embodiment. The first rod corresponds to the adjustment rod 13 of the embodiment, and the second rod corresponds to the push rod 24 of the embodiment. The operation unit corresponds to the click 12 and the motor 35 of the embodiment.

11 Upper mount 12 Click 13 Adjust rod 15, 15A, 15B, 15C, 15D Cam member 16 Shaft 21 Piston rod 22 Hydraulic shock absorber 23 Needle 24 Push rod 25, 25A, 25B, 25C Top body 27, 28 Oil chamber 32 Piston 33 Wire 34 Protective member 35 Motor 51 Convex part 52 Cover member 53, 54 Hole part 61, 62 End part 71, 72 Wing member 73, 74 End part 100, 100A, 100B Shock absorber T Flow path

Claims (5)

A device for adjusting the damping force of the shock absorber,
A first rod extending in a first direction and moving in the first direction;
A needle that is installed at one end of the first rod and changes a cross-sectional area of a flow path between oil chambers formed in the shock absorber by moving together with the first rod ;
A second rod extending in a second direction forming a predetermined angle with respect to the first direction and moving in the second direction;
An operation unit for obtaining power and moving the second rod;
The first surface is in contact with the other end of said first rod, said second surface is a site different from the first surface is in contact with the end portion of the second rod, depending on the movement of the second rod A cam member that rotates and moves the needle through the first rod;
A damping force adjusting device comprising: Either or both of the first surface or the second surface of the front Symbol cam member, the damping force adjustment according to claim 1, characterized in that a surface which combines refractive surface or distorted surface, or these Equipment . In case the amount of movement of the front Stories second rod is uniform, the needle, the amount of movement to proceed in a direction cross-sectional area of the flow passage is narrowed is reduced, proceeds in the direction of the cross-sectional area of the flow path widens The damping force adjusting device according to claim 1 , wherein the moving amount increases. Before SL variation of distance in the first direction component to the contact point between the second rod and the second surface from the contact point between the first surface and the first rod, the cross-sectional said needle of said channel 3. The damping force adjusting device according to claim 1, wherein the damping force adjusting device decreases when the area progresses in the direction of narrowing and increases when the cross-sectional area of the flow path widens. Wherein disposed between the operating portion and the second rod, the attenuation according to the operation portion in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that to have a wire that extends from the body of the shock absorber Force adjustment device .

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