JP6659201B2 - suspension - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a suspension mounted on an automobile or the like.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a torsion beam type suspension or the like has been adopted as a suspension mounted on an automobile. The torsion beam type suspension includes a pair of trailing arms arranged at intervals in the vehicle width direction, and a torsion beam provided and coupled between the pair of trailing arms, each of which is connected to a wheel. It has a structure that allows the trailing arm to move up and down due to the torsion of the torsion beam.

  As such a torsion beam type suspension, there is one in which an end plate for attaching a hub unit is attached to an end of a trailing arm, such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1 below. In the torsion beam type suspension disclosed in Patent Literature 1, a notch is formed at the end of the trailing arm to avoid interference with a wheel speed sensor provided in the hub unit. Since such a notch is provided, the shock absorber is joined to the trailing arm.

JP 2013-23150 A

  Here, the trailing arm employed in the torsion beam suspension and the like of Patent Document 1 has a curved shape at a middle portion in the longitudinal direction. In addition to this, there is a problem that if the torsion beam type suspension is formed of a curved surface, or a notch is provided, and another member is attached, a great restriction is caused. Specifically, when trying to join a bracket for mounting a shock absorber to the trailing arm, for example, align the bracket or the like to be mounted to the curved surface and connect it by welding or other method. There is a need to. Therefore, there is a problem that considerable skill is required to connect the bracket or the like to the curved surface of the trailing arm.

  Also, when attaching a member such as a hub unit to the end plate provided at the end of the trailing arm or installing a sensor etc., it is more preferable to attach a bracket for shock absorber to the trailing arm. It is expected that it will be more difficult. Specifically, in order to attach a member such as a hub unit, it is conceivable to insert a fixing tool such as a bolt substantially perpendicularly to the end plate so as to protrude toward the inside of the trailing arm. . In some cases, a conventionally known ABS sensor or the like is mounted so as to protrude from the end plate side toward the inside of the trailing arm. When a member (hereinafter, also referred to as a “projecting member”) that protrudes from the end plate side toward the inside of the trailing arm as described above is provided, a portion of the trailing arm that faces the end plate (the facing area). ) Needs to interfere with the projecting member. As such a measure, a method of providing a hole for preventing interference in a region facing the trading arm can be considered. However, when a hole for preventing interference is provided, if a bracket or the like is welded in the vicinity of the hole, there is a concern that the fatigue life of the trailing arm may be reduced due to the influence of the weld end formed at a position adjacent to the hole. is there. Further, in the case where the above-described holes are provided, there is a problem that a portion to be joined such as a bracket for a shock absorber is further restricted.

  Accordingly, the present invention provides a projecting member that projects from the end plate side toward the inside of the trailing arm with respect to the end plate connected to the end of the trailing arm, and attaches the bracket for mounting another member to the tray. An object of the present invention is to provide a suspension capable of minimizing restrictions for mounting on a ring arm.

  The suspension of the present invention provided to solve the above-mentioned problem is provided with a hollow trailing arm extending in a curved manner, an end plate coupled to an end of the trailing arm, and other members. A bracket, and a protruding member attached to the end plate, wherein the trailing arm has an opposing area facing the end plate, and the protruding member is configured such that the end is located inside the trailing arm. A protruding portion is provided so as to protrude from the plate side toward the opposing region, and a protruding portion which protrudes in a protruding direction of the protruding member is provided in the opposing region, and a flat portion is provided on a top of the protruding portion. Alternatively, a ridge is formed, and the bracket is connected to the top.

  In the suspension of the present invention, the protruding member is provided inside the trailing arm so as to protrude from the end plate side. However, in the suspension of the present invention, a bulging portion bulging in the protruding direction of the protruding member is provided in a facing region in a portion facing the end plate in the trailing arm. Since such a bulging portion is provided, the interference between the protruding member and the trailing arm can be avoided without providing a hole or the like in the region facing the trailing arm.

  Further, in the suspension of the present invention, a flat surface or a ridge is formed at the top of the above-mentioned bulging portion, and the bracket is connected to this top. Therefore, in the suspension of the present invention, the bracket can be easily coupled to the trailing arm by a method such as welding in a manufacturing process. In the suspension according to the present invention, the connecting portion between the trailing arm and the bracket is formed in a flat or ridge-shaped portion formed on the top of the bulging portion. Therefore, according to the present invention, the trailing arm and the bracket can be more firmly connected than when the bracket is positioned and fixed along the curved surface.

  In the suspension of the present invention described above, the trailing arm is formed so as to extend while bending at a predetermined curvature from the end portion, and the peripheral surface of the trailing arm has a curvature center side. It may have an inner peripheral portion and an outer peripheral portion on the outer peripheral side of the inner peripheral portion, and the opposed region may be provided on the outer peripheral portion.

  The above-described suspension of the present invention is suitable when the hub is attached to the end plate, and the projecting member is a bolt for fixing the hub to the end plate. The hub is a so-called spindle shaft type. Any type, such as a bearing type, may be used.

  In the suspension of the present invention described above, the projecting member may be a sensor fixed to the end plate.

  In the suspension of the present invention described above, the other member may be a shock absorber.

  According to the present invention, while providing a protruding member that protrudes from the end plate side toward the inside of the trailing arm for the end plate coupled to the end of the trailing arm, the bracket for mounting another member is provided. It is possible to provide a suspension capable of minimizing the restriction for mounting on the trailing arm.

It is a perspective view of the suspension concerning this embodiment. FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view showing an arm member of the suspension shown in FIG. 1. It is a principal part enlarged view of FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the coupling structure of a trailing arm and a bracket in a bulging part.

  A suspension 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, first, a schematic configuration of the suspension 1 will be described, and then a coupling structure of the trailing arm 2 and the bracket 6 for the shock absorber 8 forming the suspension 1 will be described in detail.

<< About schematic structure of suspension 1 >>
The suspension 1 is provided on the rear wheel side of a front-wheel-drive automobile, and has a structure in which the vertical movement of each trailing arm 2 to which a rear wheel (not shown) is attached is allowed by the torsion beam 3, that is, a so-called torsion beam type. Suspension.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a suspension 1 includes a pair of trailing arms 2 arranged at an interval in a width direction (left-right direction) of a vehicle body (not shown), and linearly extends in a width direction of the vehicle. And a torsion beam 3 coupled to the trailing arm 2 at both ends in the extending direction. The torsion beam 3 is formed by bending a plate-shaped member. The torsion beam 3 may be of any suitable shape such as a circular cross-section, an elliptical cross-section, a rectangular cross-section, and an oval cross-section. It is assumed. The torsion beam 3 can be attached in an appropriate posture, such as a state in which the gutter-shaped opening faces the front side of the vehicle, a state in which the gutter-like opening faces the rear side, or a state in which the gutter-like opening faces down. It is provided in a state facing the lower side of the vehicle body, that is, in a saddle shape.

  The pair of trailing arms 2 are formed so as to be symmetrical on the left and right. Each of the trailing arms 2 has a bush press-fitting portion 21 into which a tubular bush, which is an elastic member, is press-fitted in front of the vehicle body. The bush press-fit portion 21 is swingably attached to the vehicle body via a bracket (not shown) or a fixing bolt (not shown).

  The trailing arm 2 is suspended from the rear of the vehicle body via a spring (not shown) and a shock absorber (not shown). Specifically, a spring seat 5 and a bracket 6 are joined to the trailing arm 2. The spring seat 5 serves as a seat for the spring 7. The bracket 6 is for connecting one end of the shock absorber 8. The spring disposed between the spring seat 5 and the vehicle body can absorb vibration acting on the vehicle body in the vertical direction. In addition, the shock absorber 8 suspended between the bracket 6 and the vehicle body can receive the impact of working on the vehicle body in the front-rear direction. As described above, the spring seat 5 and the bracket 6 are firmly fixed to the trailing arm 2 by welding so that the spring 7 and the shock absorber 8 can receive the impact (the coupling structure 50 of the bracket 6). Will be described later in detail).

  A rear wheel axle 4 is provided at one end on the rear side of the trailing arm 2 via a hub 9 attached to an end plate 30 described later. Thus, the rear wheel is rotatably supported.

  As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, each trailing arm 2 is hollow, and has an arm member 20 formed so as to extend in a curved manner, and a trailing portion of the arm member 20 (the bush press-fitting portion 21). (An opposite side).

  Each arm member 20 is formed so as to extend from the rear end while bending at a predetermined curvature. That is, the arm member 20 extends while being curved so that the center of curvature is located outside the vehicle body in the width direction (the side opposite to the trailing arm 2).

  As shown in FIG. 2, the end plate 30 has a plate-shaped main body 31. The main body 31 has an opening 31a provided substantially at the center, and a plurality (four in the present embodiment) of openings 31b to 31e provided at an outer peripheral portion thereof. The opening 31a is for partially inserting and engaging the main body portion of the spindle type hub 9. Some of the openings 31 b to 31 e are for inserting bolts 32 (projecting members) for fixing the hub 9.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the arm member 20 and the end plate 30 are joined by bringing the annular end surface 23 of the arm member 20 into contact with the flat surface 37 of the end plate 30 and welding from outside the annular end surface 23. ing. The arm member 20 and the end plate 30 are made of a weldable metal.

<< Connection structure of trailing arm 2 and bracket 6 >>
Subsequently, a connection structure 50 between the trailing arm 2 constituting the suspension 1 and the bracket 6 for the shock absorber 8 and a structure of each part constituting the same will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  The trailing arm 2 is a metal member formed to extend while being curved as described above. The trailing arm 2 is formed so as to extend while bending at a predetermined curvature. As shown in FIG. 1 and the like, the peripheral surface of the trailing arm 2 has an inner peripheral portion 2a on the center of curvature side and an outer peripheral portion 2b on the outer peripheral side of the inner peripheral portion 2a. The trailing arm 2 is attached to the vehicle body so that the end on the bush press-fitting portion 21 side faces the front side of the vehicle body and the end on the end plate 30 side faces the rear side of the vehicle body, and extends in the vehicle front-rear direction. The trailing arm 2 is attached such that the inner peripheral portion 2a faces outward in the vehicle width direction. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the outer peripheral portion 2 b of the trailing arm 2 is provided with a facing region 52 at a position facing the end plate 30. The coupling structure 50 is formed in the facing region 52.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a bulging portion 54 bulging outward (inward in the vehicle width direction) of the trailing arm 2 is directed to the facing region 52. The bulging portion 54 is provided on the tray 32 on the extension of the bolt 32 attached to the end plate 30 for fixing the hub 9 and disposed on the rear side of the vehicle body with respect to the axis of the hub 9 (projecting member). The ring arm 2 is formed so as to protrude. That is, the bulging portion 54 includes a portion where the axis of the bolt 32 serving as the protruding member intersects with the outer peripheral portion 2b of the trailing arm 2, and extends over a predetermined length in the longitudinal direction of the trailing arm 2. The trailing arm 2 is formed so as to bulge in the direction in which the bolt 32 projects. By providing such a bulging portion 54, a gap is secured between the bolt 32 (projecting member) and the outer peripheral portion 2b of the trailing arm 2, as shown in FIG. Therefore, the bulging portion 54 has a function of avoiding interference with the tip of the bolt 32.

  The bulging portion 54 also has a function as a seat for fixing the bracket 6 by welding. Specifically, the bulging portion 54 has a flat top 54a. As described above, the bulging portion 54 is formed so as to extend in the longitudinal direction of the trailing arm 2.

  Here, the bracket 6 is located rearward of the spring seat 5 and adjacent to the outer peripheral portion 2b of the trailing arm 2 on the outer side in the radius direction of the curvature of the trailing arm 2 (adjacent on the inner side in the vehicle width direction). Position). In the bracket 6, a portion extending toward the spring seat 5 is welded behind the spring seat 5, and a portion extending toward the outer peripheral portion 2 b of the trailing arm 2 (hereinafter, also referred to as “extended portion 6 a”) is expanded. It is welded to the top 54a of the protrusion 54. The bulging portion 54 is formed so as to extend in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body at a position where the extending portion 6a of the bracket 6 reaches, so that substantially the entire portion where the extending portion 6a contacts can make surface contact with the top portion 54a. ing. Therefore, the extending portion 6a is fixed by welding in a state of being in surface contact with the top portion 54a of the bulging portion 54 over substantially the entirety. Thus, the bulging portion 54 also has a function as a seat for fixing the bracket 6 by welding.

  As described above, in the suspension 1 of the present embodiment, the bolt 32 for attaching the hub 9 is provided so as to project inside the trailing arm 2 from the end plate 30 side. On the other hand, a bulging portion 54 bulging in the projecting direction of the bolt 32 is provided in the facing region 52 of the trailing arm 2. By providing the bulging portion 54, interference between the tip of the bolt 32 and the trailing arm 2 is avoided. Therefore, in the suspension 1, it is not necessary to provide a hole or the like for avoiding interference with the bolt 32 in the facing region 52. This can suppress a decrease in the fatigue life of the trailing arm.

  Further, in the suspension 1 of the present embodiment, the top 54a of the bulging portion 54 is formed in a planar shape, and the bracket 6 is coupled to the top 54a. Therefore, according to the above-described configuration, when manufacturing the suspension 1, the operation of welding and connecting the bracket 6 to the trailing arm 2 can be easily performed. In the suspension 1, a coupling structure 50 in which the trailing arm 2 and the bracket 6 are coupled to each other is formed in a planar portion formed on the top 54 a of the bulging portion 54. Therefore, the coupling strength of the coupling structure 50 is higher than that in the case of employing the conventional manufacturing method of positioning and fixing the bracket 6 along the curved surface of the trailing arm 2.

  Note that, in the present embodiment, an example is shown in which the top 54a of the bulging portion 54 has a planar shape, but the present invention is not limited to this. Specifically, the bulging portion 54 may be configured such that a ridgeline is formed on the top portion 54a. Also in the case of such a configuration, the work of welding by positioning the extended portion 6a of the bracket 6 with respect to the top portion 54a can be easily and appropriately performed.

  Further, in the suspension 1 of the present embodiment, an example is shown in which the bulging portion 54 is provided at a position where the bolt 32 used for fixing the hub 9 can be avoided, but in addition to or instead of this, another bulging portion 54 is provided. The bulging portion 54 may be provided at a position where interference with the protruding member can be avoided. Specifically, a member such as a sensor for detecting the rotation of the hub 9 which is attached to the end plate 30 and protrudes toward the inside of the trailing arm 2 is used as a protruding member, and interference with the protruding member can be avoided. The bulging portion 54 may be provided as described above.

  In the suspension 1 of the present embodiment, the bracket 6 for supporting the shock absorber 8 is coupled to the trailing arm 2 by the coupling structure 50 as described above. Therefore, even if a shock is input to the shock absorber 8 to work on the vehicle body in the front-rear direction, the shock can be firmly received.

  In the present embodiment, an example is shown in which the coupling structure 50 is employed as a structure for coupling the bracket 6 for the shock absorber 8 to the trailing arm 2, but the present invention is not limited to this. Absent. Specifically, another member such as the spring seat 5 may be coupled to the trailing arm 2 by a structure similar to the coupling structure 50 in addition to or instead of the bracket 6.

  In the present embodiment, the form in which the suspension 1 is applied to the rear wheels of the front wheel drive vehicle has been described. However, the suspension may be used for the rear wheels of a four-wheel drive vehicle, or may be used for automobiles or front wheels of other drive systems.

However, the configuration shown in each of the above embodiments is a specific example of a component, and each configuration, shape, or mounting mode is limited to that shown in the embodiment without departing from the gist of the present invention. Instead, various modifications or changes are possible.

  The suspension of the present invention can be suitably used in vehicles in general.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Suspension 2 Trailing arm 2a Inner peripheral part 2b Outer peripheral part 6 Bracket 8 Shock absorber 9 Hub 30 End plate 32 Bolt 52 Opposing area 54 Swelling part 54a Top part

Claims (2)

A hollow trailing arm that extends in a curved manner,
An end plate coupled to an end of the trailing arm;
A bracket to which other members are attached,
A projecting member attached to the end plate,
The trailing arm has a facing area facing the end plate,
The projecting member is provided so as to project from the end plate side toward the facing region inside the trailing arm,
A swelling portion swelling in the projecting direction of the projecting member is provided in the facing region,
A flat surface or a ridgeline is formed at the top of the bulging portion,
Suspension wherein the bracket is coupled to the top. The trailing arm is formed so as to extend while bending at a predetermined curvature from the end portion,
The peripheral surface of the trailing arm has an inner peripheral portion on the center of curvature side and an outer peripheral portion on the outer peripheral side than the inner peripheral portion, and the opposed region is provided on the outer peripheral portion. The suspension of claim 1, wherein

Images