JP7574155B2 - Damper upper mounts and suspension devices - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an upper mount for a damper and a suspension device.

A suspension device has been known in the past in which a bush having an inner tube, an outer tube, and an elastic body is provided at the upper end of a damper rod, and a dynamic damper of a spring-mass system is provided.

JP 2000-120769 A

However, in the conventional suspension system, although it is possible to attenuate road noise at a specific frequency by using the inertial force of the mass of the dynamic damper, there is a problem in that it is difficult to attenuate road noise over a certain frequency range above this frequency.

This invention was made in consideration of these circumstances, and aims to provide an upper mount for a damper and a suspension device that can attenuate road noise over a specified frequency range.

In order to solve the above problems and achieve the above object, the damper upper mount of the present invention has an upper bush connected to the vehicle body and a lower bush connected to the upper end of the damper rod, which are arranged in a vertical direction, and the upper bush and the lower bush are provided with an inner tube that surrounds the upper end of the rod from the outside in the radial direction, an outer tube that surrounds the inner tube from the outside in the radial direction, and an elastic body that connects the inner tube and the outer tube to each other, and the inner tubes of the upper bush and the lower bush are separated in the vertical direction, and are provided with a mass abutting against the outer peripheral surface of the outer tube of the upper bush and the lower bush, and a vibration mechanism that vibrates the upper bush and the lower bush in the vertical direction via the mass.

The suspension device of the present invention comprises a damper having a rod, an upper mount for the damper of the present invention, an upper base that connects the vehicle body side to the upper bush, and a lower base that connects the upper end of the rod to the lower bush.

According to the present invention, a mass is provided in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the outer tube of each of the upper bush and the lower bush, so that vibrations from the tire transmitted to the rod pass through the lower bush, mass, and upper bush in that order, and are transmitted to the vehicle body side.
This makes it possible to position the mass in the vibration transmission path from the rod through the lower bush to the upper bush, thereby attenuating not only a specific frequency caused by the inertia force of the mass, but also road noise over a specified frequency range above this frequency.
Furthermore, since the vehicle is equipped with a vibration mechanism that vibrates the upper bush and the lower bush in the vertical direction via the mass, it is possible to vibrate the upper bush and the lower bush in, for example, the opposite phase to the input vibration, making it possible to attenuate even input vibrations with large acceleration, and to attenuate road noise over a wide frequency range, including not only frequencies above a specific frequency caused by the inertial force of the mass, but also frequencies lower than this.

The vibration mechanism may include one of a permanent magnet and a coil provided on the mass, a mover surrounding the mass from the outside in the radial direction and arranged to be movable up and down, and the other of the permanent magnet and the coil provided on the mover.

The vibration mechanism is equipped with a permanent magnet, a coil, and a mover. When a control current is supplied to the coil and the mover is vibrated in the vertical direction, it is possible to generate vibrations in the opposite phase to the mover in the upper and lower bushes via the mass, thereby reliably attenuating input vibrations with large accelerations and road noise over a wide frequency range.

The present invention includes a damper having a rod, an upper mount for the damper, an upper base connecting the vehicle body side to the upper bush, and a lower base connecting the upper end of the rod to the lower bush. The damper upper mount is surrounded from the outside in the radial direction and is provided with a cylindrical cover body formed to be elastically deformable. The upper end and the lower end of the cover body are connected to the upper base and the lower base, respectively, and the cover body may include a mounting portion into which the movable element is fitted.

The damper upper mount is provided with a cylindrical cover body which surrounds the outer radial surface, and the upper and lower ends of the cover body are separately connected to the upper base and lower base, respectively. This makes it possible to prevent debris and other foreign matter from entering between the mass and the movable element, and reliably ensures smooth up and down movement of the movable element.
Since the cover body has a mounting portion into which the mover is fitted, it is possible to prevent the mover from wobbling relative to the mass during, for example, standby before supplying a control current to the coil.

The upper base may be provided with an upper stopper that protrudes downward and can abut against the movable element in the vertical direction, and the lower base may be provided with a lower stopper that protrudes upward and can abut against the movable element in the vertical direction.

Separate upper and lower stoppers are provided on the upper and lower bases, preventing excessive vertical displacement of the mover.

This invention can attenuate road noise over a specified frequency range.

1 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a damper upper mount and a suspension device shown as a first embodiment. FIG. FIG. 11 is a vertical cross-sectional view of a damper upper mount and a suspension device shown as a second embodiment.

Hereinafter, a first embodiment of a damper upper mount and a suspension device will be described with reference to FIG.
The suspension device 1 includes a damper 11 , a damper upper mount 10 , an upper base 12 , and a lower base 13 .

The damper 11 extends in the vertical direction and includes a rod 21 and a cylinder (not shown). The rod 21 and the cylinder are arranged coaxially on a common axis.
Hereinafter, this common axis will be referred to as the rod axis O, the direction intersecting the rod axis O when viewed from above and below will be referred to as the radial direction, and the direction going around the rod axis O when viewed from above and below will be referred to as the circumferential direction.

The rod 21 protrudes upward from the cylinder. The portion of the rod 21 that protrudes upward from the cylinder is surrounded from the radial outside by the bump stopper 22. A male thread is formed on the upper end of the rod 21 that protrudes upward from the bump stopper 22. The upper end of the rod 21 is surrounded from the radial outside by the collar 23. A nut N is screwed onto the portion of the upper end of the rod 21 that protrudes upward from the collar 23. An upwardly facing step 21a is formed on the portion of the upper end of the rod 21 that is located below the collar 23. The portion of the upper end of the rod 21 that is located below the collar 23 is inserted inside the fixing ring 29. The fixing ring 29 is disposed on the step 21a.

The nut N is fastened to the upper end of the rod 21, and the lower end opening edge of the collar 23 and the upper surface of the fixing ring 29 vertically sandwich the top wall 13a (described later) of the lower base 13, thereby fixing the rod 21 to the lower base 13. The rod 21 and collar 23 are provided without contacting the upper base 12.

The lower base 13 is formed in a cylindrical shape with a top. The lower base 13 is arranged coaxially with the rod axis O. A through hole into which the rod 21 is inserted is formed in the top wall 13a of the lower base 13. The opening periphery of the through hole in the top wall 13a is sandwiched in the vertical direction between the lower end opening edge of the collar 23 and the upper surface of the fixing ring 29. The peripheral wall of the lower base 13 includes an upper tube portion 13b extending downward from the outer periphery of the top wall 13a, an upper step portion 13c extending radially outward from the lower end of the upper tube portion 13b, a lower tube portion 13d extending downward from the radial outer end of the upper step portion 13c, and a lower step portion 13e extending radially outward from the lower end of the lower tube portion 13d. The upper end of the bump stopper 22 is fitted into the lower tube portion 13d of the peripheral wall of the lower base 13.

The upper base 12 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape. The upper base 12 is arranged coaxially with the rod axis O. A through hole into which the collar 23 is inserted is formed in the bottom wall 12a of the upper base 12. The bottom wall 12a of the upper base 12 is located below the upper end of the collar 23. The lower surface of the bottom wall 12a of the upper base 12 faces the upper surface of the top wall 13a of the lower base 13 with a gap in the vertical direction. The peripheral wall of the upper base 12 includes a lower tube portion 12b extending upward from the outer periphery of the bottom wall 12a, a lower step portion 12c extending radially outward from the upper end of the lower tube portion 12b, an upper tube portion 12d extending upward from the radial outer end of the lower step portion 12c, and an upper step portion 12e extending radially outward from the upper end of the upper tube portion 12d. The inner and outer diameters of the lower cylinder portion 12b are the same as the inner and outer diameters of the upper cylinder portion 13b of the peripheral wall of the lower base 13.

The damper upper mount 10 includes an upper bush 24 connected to the vehicle body via the upper base 12, and a lower bush 25 connected to the upper end of the rod 21 via the lower base 13. The upper bush 24 and the lower bush 25 are disposed coaxially with the rod axis O and aligned in the vertical direction.
The upper bush 24 and the lower bush 25 comprise an inner tube 10a that surrounds the upper end of the rod 21 from the radial outside, an outer tube 10b that surrounds the inner tube 10a from the radial outside, and an elastic body 10c that connects the inner tube 10a and the outer tube 10b to each other.

The inner cylinders 10a of the upper bushing 24 and the lower bushing 25 are vertically separated from each other. The inner cylinder 10a of the upper bushing 24 is fitted onto the lower cylinder portion 12b of the peripheral wall of the upper base 12. The inner cylinder 10a of the lower bushing 25 is fitted onto the upper cylinder portion 13b of the peripheral wall of the lower base 13.
The outer cylinders 10b of the upper bush 24 and the lower bush 25 are butted against each other in the vertical direction. The outer cylinder 10b of the upper bush 24 faces the connection portion between the lower step portion 12c and the upper cylinder portion 12d of the upper base 12, with a gap provided in the vertical direction. The outer cylinder 10b of the lower bush 25 faces the upper surface of the upper step portion 13c of the peripheral wall of the lower base 13, with a gap provided in the vertical direction.
In the elastic bodies 10c of the upper bush 24 and the lower bush 25, the inner end faces that face each other in the up-down direction are separated from each other in the up-down direction over the entire area except for the outer ends in the radial direction.

The upper bush 24 and the lower bush 25 are formed to have the same shape and size. The upper bush 24 and the lower bush 25 are arranged in an upside-down orientation.

In this embodiment, the upper bush 24 and the lower bush 25 are provided with masses 26 in contact with the outer circumferential surfaces of the outer cylinders 10b.
In the illustrated example, the mass 26 is formed in a cylindrical shape and is integrally fitted onto the outer cylinders 10b of the upper bush 24 and the lower bush 25. The upper ends of the mass 26 and the outer cylinder 10b of the upper bush 24 are located at the same position in the vertical direction. The lower ends of the mass 26 and the outer cylinder 10b of the lower bush 25 are located at the same position in the vertical direction.

The elastic body 10c of the upper bush 24 is formed with a first stopper 24a that protrudes upward and can abut against the upper base 12 in the vertical direction. The first stopper 24a faces the lower surface of the lower stage 12c of the upper base 12 with a gap provided in the vertical direction. The upper end of the first stopper 24a is located above the mass 26 and the outer cylinder 10b of the upper bush 24.

A second stopper 25a is formed on the elastic body 10c of the lower bush 25, protruding downward and capable of abutting the lower base 13 in the vertical direction. The second stopper 25a faces the upper surface of the upper step 13c of the peripheral wall of the lower base 13 with a gap provided in the vertical direction. The lower end of the second stopper 25a is located below the mass 26 and the outer cylinder 10b of the lower bush 25.

The first stopper 24a and the second stopper 25a are formed at the radially outer end of the elastic body 10c. The first stopper 24a and the second stopper 25a extend continuously over the entire circumferential length. The first stopper 24a is formed with a curved surface that protrudes upward. The second stopper 25a is formed with a curved surface that protrudes downward.

At least one of the upper base 12 and the lower base 13 is provided with a third stopper 27 that comes into contact with the other when a large amplitude vibration in a direction to lift the rod 21 is input.
The third stopper 27 is made of a rubber material or the like and is formed in an annular shape, and is disposed coaxially with the rod axis O. The third stopper 27 is provided on the upper surface of the top wall 13a of the lower base 13. The third stopper 27 faces the lower surface of the bottom wall 12a of the upper base 12 with a gap provided in the vertical direction.

At least one of the upper base 12 and the rod 21 is provided with a fourth stopper 28 that comes into contact with the other when a large amplitude vibration in a direction that moves the rod 21 downward is input.
Here, a flange portion 23a is formed at the upper end of the collar 23, which protrudes radially outward and extends continuously over the entire circumferential length. The fourth stopper 28 is provided on the underside of the flange portion 23a. The fourth stopper 28 faces the upper surface of the bottom wall 12a of the upper base 12 with a gap provided in the vertical direction. The fourth stopper 28 is provided on the rod 21 via the collar 23.

The vertical gaps between the third stopper 27 and the fourth stopper 28 and the bottom wall 12a of the upper base 12 are larger than the vertical gap between the first stopper 24a and the lower surface of the lower step portion 12c of the upper base 12 and the vertical gap between the second stopper 25a and the upper surface of the upper step portion 13c of the peripheral wall of the lower base 13. The vertical gaps between the third stopper 27 and the fourth stopper 28 and the bottom wall 12a of the upper base 12 are smaller than the vertical gaps between the inner tubes 10a of the upper bushing 24 and the lower bushing 25.
The size relationship of these gaps may be changed as appropriate.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, a vibration mechanism 31 is provided that vibrates the upper bush 24 and the lower bush 25 in the vertical direction via the mass 26 .
The vibration mechanism 31 includes either a permanent magnet 32 or a coil 33 provided on the mass 26, a mover 34 that surrounds the mass 26 from the radial outside and is arranged to be movable up and down, and the other of the permanent magnet 32 and the coil 33 provided on the mover 34.

Here, the damper upper mount 10 includes an acceleration sensor (not shown) provided on the mass 26, and a control unit (not shown).
The control unit supplies a control current to the coil 33 based on the data from the acceleration sensor. When the control current is supplied to the coil 33, the mover 34 moves up and down, and a reaction force of the acceleration of the mover 34 generated at this time is applied to the mass 26. This cancels out the acceleration generated in the mass 26 due to the input vibration.

Two recesses are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the mass 26, spaced apart in the vertical direction. Multiple sets of two recesses are provided with a circumferential gap between them. A permanent magnet 32 is fixed in each of the recesses. Vertically adjacent permanent magnets 32 have opposite magnetic poles adjacent to each other. The multiple sets of permanent magnets 32 are provided at positions that sandwich the rod axis O in the radial direction. The vertical sizes of the mass 26 and the mover 34 are equal to each other.

The mover 34 includes a core body 36 made of a magnetic material and a holder 37 that houses the core body 36 and the coil 33. The mover 34 and the coil 33 are spaced radially outward from the mass 26 and the permanent magnet 32. The vertical positions and vertical sizes of the core body 36 and the holder 37 are equal to each other.

The core body 36 includes a winding core 38 extending in the radial direction, and an outer frame 39 that covers the winding core 38 from above, below, and the outside in the radial direction. The coil 33 is wound around the winding core 38. The size of the winding core 38 in the vertical direction is equal to the distance between the permanent magnets 32 adjacent in the vertical direction. The upper end and the lower end of the coil 33 face each of the permanent magnets 32 adjacent in the vertical direction in the radial direction. A plurality of core bodies 36 are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction.
The holder 37 is formed in an annular shape and disposed coaxially with the rod axis O. A plurality of accommodating recesses 37a, which accommodate the core body 36 and the coil 33, are formed at intervals in the circumferential direction on the inner peripheral surface of the holder 37. The accommodating recesses 37a pass through the holder 37 in the up-down direction.

The suspension device 1 includes a cylindrical cover body 41 that radially surrounds the damper upper mount 10. The cover body 41 is formed to be elastically deformable, and is disposed coaxially with the rod axis O. The cover body 41 is formed of, for example, a rubber material.
The upper and lower ends of the cover body 41 are respectively connected to the upper base 12 and the lower base 13. The upper end of the cover body 41 is fitted onto the upper step portion 12e of the upper base 12. The lower end of the cover body 41 is fitted onto the lower step portion 13e of the lower base 13.

The cover body 41 has a mounting portion 42 into which the mover 34 is fitted. The mounting portion 42 is provided between an upper end and a lower end of the cover body 41. The holder 37 of the mover 34 is fitted into the mounting portion 42.
A bellows portion 43 capable of expanding and contracting in the vertical direction is formed in a portion of the cover body 41 located between the mounting portion 42 and the upper end portion and in a portion of the cover body 41 located between the mounting portion 42 and the lower end portion. The bellows portion 43 extends in the vertical direction while bending in the radial direction.

The upper base 12 is provided with an upper stopper 44 that protrudes downward and can abut against the movable member 34 in the vertical direction. The upper stopper 44 is provided on the upper stage 12e of the upper base 12. The upper stopper 44 is formed integrally with the cover body 41. The upper stopper 44 extends continuously over its entire circumferential length. The lower end surface of the upper stopper 44 faces the upper end surface of the holder 37 of the movable member 34 with a gap provided in the vertical direction.

The lower base 13 is provided with a lower stopper 45 that protrudes upward and can abut against the mover 34 in the vertical direction. The lower stopper 45 is provided on the upper surface of the lower stage 13e of the lower base 13. The lower stopper 45 extends continuously over its entire circumferential length. The upper end surface of the lower stopper 45 faces the lower end surface of the holder 37 of the mover 34 with a vertical gap provided. This gap is equal to the vertical gap between the lower end surface of the upper stopper 44 and the upper end surface of the holder 37.

The lower stopper 45 is located radially inward of the upper stopper 44. The volume of the lower stopper 45 is larger than the volume of the upper stopper 44. The vertical sizes of the lower stopper 45 and the upper stopper 44 are equal to each other. The radial size of the lower stopper 45 is larger than the radial size of the upper stopper 44.

As described above, in the damper upper mount 10 and suspension device 1 of this embodiment, a mass 26 is provided in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the outer tube 10b of each of the upper bush 24 and the lower bush 25, so that vibrations from the tire transmitted to the rod 21 pass through the lower bush 25, mass 26 and upper bush 24 in that order, and are transmitted to the vehicle body side.
This makes it possible to position the mass 26 in the vibration transmission path from the rod 21 through the lower bush 25 to the upper bush 24, thereby making it possible to attenuate not only a specific frequency caused by the inertial force of the mass 26, but also road noise over a specified frequency range above this frequency.

Furthermore, since it is equipped with a vibration mechanism 31 that vibrates the upper bush 24 and the lower bush 25 in the vertical direction via the mass 26, it is possible to vibrate the upper bush 24 and the lower bush 25, for example, in the opposite phase to the input vibration, and this makes it possible to attenuate even input vibrations with large acceleration, and to attenuate road noise over a wide frequency range, including frequencies lower than a specific frequency caused by the inertial force of the mass 26.

The vibration mechanism 31 is equipped with a permanent magnet 32, a coil 33, and a mover 34. When a control current is supplied to the coil 33 and the mover 34 is vibrated in the vertical direction, it is possible to generate vibrations in the opposite phase to the mover 34 in the upper bush 24 and the lower bush 25 via the mass 26, thereby reliably attenuating input vibrations with large accelerations and road noise over a wide frequency range.

The damper upper mount 10 is provided with a cylindrical cover body 41 which surrounds it from the radial outside, and the upper and lower ends of the cover body 41 are separately connected to the upper base 12 and the lower base 13, respectively. This makes it possible to prevent debris and the like from entering between the mass 26 and the movable member 34, and reliably ensures smooth up and down movement of the movable member 34.
Since the cover body 41 has the mounting portion 42 into which the mover 34 is fitted, it is possible to prevent the mover 34 from wobbling relative to the mass 26 during, for example, standby before supplying a control current to the coil 33 .

The upper base 12 and the lower base 13 are provided with upper stoppers 44 and lower stoppers 45, respectively, so that excessive displacement of the movable member 34 in the vertical direction can be suppressed.

A first stopper 24a capable of abutting against the upper base 12 in the vertical direction is formed on the elastic body 10c of the upper bush 24, and a second stopper 25a capable of abutting against the lower base 13 in the vertical direction is formed on the elastic body 10c of the lower bush 25. Therefore, when the mass 26 is about to resonate due to the input of vibration, for example, it becomes possible to abut the first stopper 24a against the upper base 12 and the second stopper 25a against the lower base 13, and it is possible to prevent the mass 26 from colliding with other components.

A third stopper 27 is provided on at least one of the upper base 12 and the lower base 13, and a fourth stopper 28 is provided on at least one of the upper base 12 and the rod 21. When a large amplitude vibration is input in a direction that raises the rod 21, the upper base 12 and the lower base 13 come into contact with each other via the third stopper 27, and when a large amplitude vibration is input in a direction that lowers the rod 21, the upper base 12 and the rod 21 come into contact with each other via the fourth stopper 28, thereby suppressing excessive displacement of the rod 21 in the vertical direction.

Next, a damper upper mount 20 and a suspension device 2 according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
In the second embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their description will be omitted, with only the differences being described.

In this embodiment, a coil 33 is provided on the mass 26, and a permanent magnet 32 is provided on the mover 34.

The coil 33 is wound in the circumferential direction. A recess is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the mass 26, extending continuously over the entire circumferential length. The coil 33 is housed in the recess. The coil 33 is disposed coaxially with the rod axis O. The vertical centers of the coil 33 and the mass 26 are aligned. The mass 26 is formed of a magnetic material.

The permanent magnet 32 is formed in a cylindrical shape and is disposed coaxially with the rod axis O.
Here, the mover 34 does not have a core body 36, and an accommodating recess 37a is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the holder 37 in which the permanent magnet 32 is accommodated. The accommodating recess 37a extends continuously over the entire circumferential length. The accommodating recess 37a is open upward.
The outer peripheral surface of the permanent magnet 32 abuts against a bottom surface of the inner surface of the accommodating recess 37 a, the bottom surface being located at the outer end in the radial direction and facing inward in the radial direction. The permanent magnet 32 and the mover 34 are spaced radially outward from the mass 26 and the coil 33.

As described above, the damper upper mount 20 and suspension device 2 of this embodiment have the same effects as the previous embodiment.

The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

For example, the collar 23 and the locking ring 29 may be formed integrally with the rod 21 .
The first stopper 24a, the second stopper 25a, the third stopper 27, the fourth stopper 28, the upper stopper 44, and the lower stopper 45 do not necessarily need to be provided.
The vibration mechanism 31 is not limited to the above embodiment, and an actuator having another configuration may be used.

In addition, the components in the above-described embodiments may be replaced with well-known components as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and the above-described embodiments and variations may be combined as appropriate.

Reference Signs List 1, 2 Suspension device 10, 20 Upper mount for damper 10a Inner cylinder 10b Outer cylinder 10c Elastic body 11 Damper 12 Upper base 13 Lower base 21 Rod 24 Upper bush 25 Lower bush 26 Mass 31 Vibration mechanism 32 Permanent magnet 33 Coil 34 Movable element 41 Cover body 42 Mounting portion 44 Upper stopper 45 Lower stopper

Claims (5)

An upper bush connected to the vehicle body side;
a lower bush connected to the upper end of the damper rod; and
The upper bush and the lower bush are
an inner cylinder surrounding an upper end of the rod from the outside in the radial direction;
an outer cylinder surrounding the inner cylinder from the outside in the radial direction;
an elastic body connecting the inner cylinder and the outer cylinder to each other,
The inner cylinders of the upper bush and the lower bush are spaced apart in the vertical direction,
a mass abutting on an outer peripheral surface of the outer cylinder of each of the upper bush and the lower bush;
and a vibration mechanism that vibrates the upper bush and the lower bush in the vertical direction via the mass. The vibration mechanism includes:
One of a permanent magnet and a coil provided on the mass;
A movable element that surrounds the mass from the outside in the radial direction and is provided so as to be movable up and down;
2. The damper upper mount according to claim 1, further comprising: the other of the permanent magnet and the coil provided on the mover. A damper having a rod;
The damper upper mount according to claim 1 or 2;
an upper base that connects a vehicle body side and the upper bush;
a lower base connecting an upper end of the rod and the lower bush. A damper having a rod;
The damper upper mount according to claim 2;
an upper base that connects a vehicle body side and the upper bush;
a lower base connecting an upper end of the rod and the lower bush,
a cylindrical cover body that surrounds the damper upper mount from the radial outside and is formed to be elastically deformable,
an upper end portion and a lower end portion of the cover body are connected to the upper base and the lower base, respectively;
The cover body has a mounting portion into which the movable element is fitted. an upper stopper is provided on the upper base, the upper stopper protruding downward and capable of abutting against the movable element in a vertical direction;
5. The suspension device according to claim 4, wherein the lower base is provided with a lower stopper that protrudes upward and is capable of abutting against the movable element in the vertical direction.

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