JP7623982B2 - Spring seat rubber - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a spring seat rubber that supports the upper end of a coil spring in a strut suspension.

In a strut suspension, a spring sheet rubber is placed on the upper side of the strut suspension, i.e., on the spring sheet at the connecting part on the vehicle body side, and this spring sheet rubber provides a vibration-damping effect.

FIG. 1 shows the structure of the upper end of a strut suspension, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the conventional spring seat rubber described in Patent Document 1 is fitted into an annular groove of a spring seat.
The strut suspension has a rubber insulator 4 fastened and fixed by a nut 5 to the upper end of a piston rod 3 protruding from the upper end of a cylinder 2 of a shock absorber 1, and a shell 6 in which the insulator 4 is housed and fixed is disposed. The shell 6 is fastened and fixed to a vehicle body panel 9 by a stud bolt 7 and a nut 8.

In addition, a spring seat 10 is fixed to the center of the lower end of the shell 6, and a coil spring 11 is disposed in a compressed state between this spring seat 10 and the cylinder 2.

The spring seat 10 is formed as a single unit from a metal plate and has a central body 10a into which the piston rod 3 is inserted, and a spring support portion 10b with a semicircular cross section provided on the outer periphery of the main body 10a. A spring seat rubber 12 made of a rubber material is housed and fitted into an annular groove 10c on the underside of the spring support portion 10b.
As shown in FIG. 6, this conventional spring seat rubber 12 is formed in a semicircular cross section and has a spring retaining groove 13 formed on the inner surface of the lower end for elastically supporting the upper end of the coil spring 11.

The spring seat rubber 12 is fitted and held in the annular groove 10c of the spring seat 10, and a space 14 is formed around the entire periphery of the top of the spring seat rubber 12. A pair of inner and outer lips 12a and 12b extend from opposite sides of the opening of the space 14 and are arranged in close contact with the inner circumferential surface of the annular groove 10c. The space 14 is formed in a roughly cocoon-like cross section, and the bottom wall is the rubber part 12c.

The spring sheet rubber 12 reduces its spring constant by shear deformation of the rubber part 12c located above the spring retaining groove 13 until the space 14 is crushed by vibration input from the coil spring 11, thereby preventing high-frequency vibrations.

In this way, when a large input is applied that would crush the space 14, the rubber portion 12c and both lip portions 12a and 12b undergo flexural deformation (compressive deformation) to receive the load, ensuring a large spring load.

In FIG. 1, reference number 15 denotes a bump rubber located under the spring seat 10, which serves to reduce the impact caused by interference with the vehicle body panel 9 during excessive stroke of the shock absorber 1. A bellows portion 16 that surrounds the cylinder 2 and piston rod 3 is located on the outer periphery of the bump rubber 15.

However, in the conventional spring seat rubber 12 described in Patent Document 1, the air in the space 14 passes between the inner surface of the annular groove 10c of the spring seat 10 and the coil spring 11, which expands and compresses as the vehicle moves up and down, causing noise to be generated.

Therefore, the conventional spring seat rubber (spring seat portion) described in Patent Document 2 has multiple non-through holes (spaces) formed from the second surface on the upper surface side toward the first surface on the coil spring side, and an air flow path is provided that connects each of these non-through holes to the outer surface of the spring seat portion other than the second surface on the mating member side.

When a specific non-through hole is compressed and deformed, the air inside the non-through hole flows out of the spring seat through the air flow path, while when the non-through hole is restored from the compressed and deformed state, air flows from the outside of the spring seat into the non-through hole through the air flow path. This prevents the non-through hole from being sealed, which prevents the generation of abnormal noise.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 06-280913 JP 2007-253926 A

However, in the conventional spring seat rubber described in Patent Document 2, the air passage is formed almost horizontally on the upper surface of the spring seat portion, and the inner opening is always open to the outside, so water, dust, etc. can easily enter through the inner opening while the vehicle is running. In addition, water, dust, etc. that flows in from each of the air passages may accumulate inside the non-through holes.

The present invention was devised in consideration of the technical problems with the above-mentioned conventional spring seat rubbers, and aims to provide a spring seat rubber that can suppress the generation of abnormal noise in the space by allowing the air in the space to flow freely through each passage groove, while also preventing the intrusion of water, dust, etc. into the space.

The invention according to claim 1 of the present application is an annular spring seat rubber that is accommodated and disposed in an annular groove having a semicircular cross section in a spring seat provided on the upper side of a strut suspension, and supports one axial end of a coil spring,
an inner lip portion and an outer lip portion provided along an entire circumference of a top portion that abuts against an inner surface of the annular groove, the inner lip portion abutting against the inner surface of the annular groove and curving inwardly toward each other to form a space therein;
a retaining groove having a semicircular cross section and provided in a lower portion opposite to the space portion, the retaining groove retaining one end portion of the coil spring in the axial direction;
The space portion is disposed radially inward and outward, the space portion being a center, and the inner peripheral portion is provided with the inner lip portion, and the outer peripheral portion is provided with the outer lip portion;
an inner passage groove and an outer passage groove are formed on the outer surfaces of the inner circumferential portion and the outer circumferential portion, and each upper end opening of each of the lip portions faces the space portion and each lower end opening of each of the lip portions faces the outside;
an inner seal lip and an outer seal lip are provided in an annular shape protruding from an inner peripheral surface of a lower end portion of the inner peripheral portion and an outer peripheral surface of a lower end portion of the outer peripheral portion along a circumferential direction, and each of the tip portions is capable of elastically contacting an inner peripheral surface of the annular groove;
The present invention is characterized by the following features.

According to the present invention, the air in the space can flow freely through each passage groove, which can suppress the generation of abnormal noise in the space and prevent water, dust, etc. from entering the space.

1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a main portion of an upper mount of a vehicle to which a spring seat rubber according to the present invention and a conventional spring seat rubber are applied. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a spring seat rubber according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state before the spring seat rubber of the present embodiment is housed and fitted into the annular groove of the spring seat. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the spring seat rubber of the present embodiment is housed and fitted into an annular groove of a spring seat. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which the spring seat rubber of the present embodiment is housed and fitted into an annular groove of a spring seat. FIG. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which a conventional spring seat rubber is housed and fitted into an annular groove of a spring seat.

Below, an embodiment in which the spring seat rubber according to the present invention is applied to the upper mount of a vehicle will be described with reference to the drawings.

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing a spring seat rubber according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the spring seat rubber of this embodiment before it is housed and fitted into the annular groove of the spring seat, Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the spring seat rubber of this embodiment housed and fitted into the annular groove of the spring seat, and Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the state of the spring seat rubber of this embodiment housed and fitted into the annular groove of the spring seat.

As explained based on Figure 1, the upper end of the strut suspension is attached to the upper end of the piston rod 3 of the shock absorber 1, and a shell 6 with a rubber insulator 4 housed and fixed inside is fastened to the vehicle body panel 9 by bolts 7 and nuts 8. The spring seat 10 fixed to the center of the lower end of the shell 6 has an annular groove 10c formed in the lower part of the semicircular spring support part 10b on the outer periphery, and an annular spring seat rubber 20 is fitted and held in this annular groove 10c.

As shown in Figures 2 to 5, the spring seat rubber 20 is formed in a semicircular cross section, and a spring retaining groove 21 that elastically supports the upper end of the coil spring 11 is formed on the inner surface of the lower end, and a space 22 is formed around the entire circumference of the top. The spring seat rubber 20 has an inner periphery 24 and an outer periphery 25 centered on the rubber part 23 that is the bottom wall of the space 22, and a pair of inner lip parts 24a and outer lip parts 25a that extend in opposite directions are provided at the tip parts of the inner periphery 24 and outer periphery 25 on the space 22 side. When the spring seat rubber 20 is fitted and held in the annular groove 10c of the spring seat 10, these lip parts 24a, 25a are in close contact with the inner surface of the annular groove 10c together with the outer surfaces of the inner periphery 24 and outer periphery 25.

The spring seat rubber 20 has a plurality of inner passage grooves 26 and outer passage grooves 27 formed on the outer surface of the inner circumferential portion 24 and the outer surface of the outer circumferential portion 25, respectively. Each inner passage groove 26 of the inner circumferential portion 24 and each outer passage groove 27 of the outer circumferential portion 25 are formed in a radial direction perpendicular to the circumferential direction of the spring seat rubber 20, that is, in a radial direction. The inner and outer passage grooves 26, 27 are formed at approximately equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the spring seat rubber 20, and are formed at the same positions in the circumferential direction of the outer surface of the inner circumferential portion 24 and the outer surface of the outer circumferential portion 25, and each upper end opening 26a, 27a faces the space portion 22, while each lower end opening 26b, 27b faces the outside through the lower inner surface of the spring seat 10. Therefore, the inside of the space portion 22 is connected to the outside of the spring seat rubber 20 through each inner and outer passage groove 26, 27.

As shown in Figures 2, 3 and 4, the inner passage grooves 26 have the same width W and a depth D that gradually increases from an upper end opening 26a on the inner lip portion 24a side of the inner periphery 24 to a lower end opening 26b.
2, 3 and 4, the outer passage grooves 27 have the same width W1 but are larger than the width W of the inner passage groove 26 of the inner circumferential portion 24. The depth D1 of the outer passage groove 27, like the inner passage groove 26, is gradually increased from an upper end opening 27a on the outer lip portion 25a side of the outer circumferential portion 25 to a lower end opening 27b.

As shown in Figs. 2 to 5, an annular inner seal lip 28 and an outer seal lip 29 are respectively provided on the inner circumference of the lower end of the inner periphery 24 and the outer circumference of the lower end of the outer periphery 25 along the circumferential direction of the spring seat rubber 20. In a free state, the inner seal lip 28 is formed in a rising inclination upward from the base end 28a connected to the lower edge of the inner circumference of the inner periphery 24 toward the tip end 28b, and when the spring seat rubber 20 is fitted into the annular groove 10c, the tip end 28b is in elastic contact with the inner inner periphery surface 10d of the annular groove 10c. On the other hand, the outer seal lip 29 is formed in a falling inclination downward from the base end 29a connected to the lower end of the outer periphery 25 toward the tip end 29b, and when the spring seat rubber 20 is fitted into the annular groove 10c, the tip end 29b is in elastic contact with the outer inner periphery surface 10e of the annular groove 10c.

A first annular recess 30 is formed at a position above the inner seal lip 28 at the lower end of the inner circumferential portion 24. This first annular recess 30 is formed along the circumferential direction of the inner circumferential portion 24, and is designed to absorb the deformation of the inner seal lip 28 when the inner seal lip 28 is flexed and deformed toward the inner circumferential portion 24.
A second annular recess 31 is also formed at the lower end of the outer seal lip 29. This second annular recess 31 is formed along the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral portion 25 so as to allow air that has passed through the outer passage groove 27 of the outer peripheral portion 25 to be quickly discharged from the lower end opening 27b along the inclined outer surface.

The inner seal lip 28 and the outer seal lip 29 function as a check valve, as will be described later in the section on operation, and when the rubber part 23 of the spring seat rubber 20 is flexed and deformed, the air from the outside pushes the inner seal lip 28 upward with the pressure change (negative pressure) in the space part 22 and flows into the space part 22 through the inner passage groove 26 on the inner circumferential part 24 side, and closes due to the air pressure from within the space part 22 to regulate backflow. On the other hand, the air in the space part 22 flows into the outer passage groove 27 on the outer circumferential part 25 side due to the pressure (positive pressure), pushes the outer seal lip 29 open and is discharged to the outside, but when the air is discharged, the outer seal lip 29 closes. In other words, the inner seal lip 28 and the outer seal lip 29 function as valve bodies of a check valve that allows the inflow of air in one direction and regulates the inflow in the other direction.
[Functions and Effects of the Spring Seat Rubber 20 According to the Present Embodiment]
The effects of the spring seat rubber 20 according to this embodiment will be described below.

The spring seat rubber 2 of this embodiment has a space 22 at the top, which makes it possible to suppress high-frequency vibrations caused by shear deformation of the rubber part 23 due to the expansion and contraction deformation of the coil spring 11, and also makes it possible to receive a load by compressive deformation of the rubber part 23 and both lip parts 24a, 25a, ensuring a large spring constant.

In addition, in this embodiment, an inner passage groove 26 and an outer passage groove 27 that connect the space 22 to the outside are provided on the outer surfaces of the inner peripheral portion 24 and the outer peripheral portion 25, respectively. Therefore, when the rubber portion 23 is flexed and deformed due to the expansion and contraction deformation (elastic reaction force) of the coil spring 11 caused by the vertical movement of the vehicle, the pressure of the air in the space 22 changes and the air flows freely between the space 22 and the outside via the passage grooves 26, 27. This makes it possible to suppress the generation of abnormal noise in the space 22.

In addition, the inner and outer seal lips 28, 29 function as check valves for the air passing through each passage groove 26, 27, allowing air to pass through each passage groove 26, 27 while preventing the intrusion of water, dust, etc.

That is, when the coil spring 11 expands and contracts with the vertical movement of the vehicle, and the spring seat rubber 20 elastically deforms, causing the air in the space 22 to repeatedly change pressure, the inner and outer seal lips 28, 29 open and close to allow outside air to flow into the space 22 through the passage grooves 26, 27, and at the same time, exhaust the air in the space 22 to the outside. That is, as shown by the arrow in Fig. 4, the inner seal lip 28 opens and the outside air flows into the inner passage groove 26 from the lower end opening 26b, and further flows into the space 22 from the upper end opening 26a. Then, when the air in the space 22 tries to flow back into the inner passage groove 26, the tip end 28b of the inner seal lip 28 is pressed against the inner surface of the annular groove 10c of the spring seat 10 by the air pressure, closing the lower end opening 26b of the inner passage groove 26, thereby restricting the backflow of air.
Meanwhile, the air in the space 22 flows through the outer passage groove 27 from the upper end opening 27a due to its pressure, and pushes open the outer seal lip 29 from the lower end opening 27b, and is discharged to the outside. At this time, if the outside air tries to enter the outer passage groove 27, the outer seal lip 29 closes the lower end opening 27b, and restricts the outside air from flowing into the space 22.

In this way, the two inner and outer seal lips 28, 29 function as check valves for air, that is, as valve bodies (lid bodies) for the inner and outer passage grooves 26, 27, thereby preventing water, dust, etc. from entering the space 22.

In addition, according to this embodiment, when the inner seal lip 28 is deflected in the warping direction, which is the opening direction, the first annular recess 30 absorbs this deflection, so there is no effect on the inflow of air into the inner passage groove 26. In other words, the deflected inner seal lip 28 does not create flow resistance for the air, so the inflow can be performed smoothly.

Furthermore, by forming the inner passage groove 26 and the outer passage groove 27, the weight of the entire spring seat rubber 20 can be reduced and the reaction force can be adjusted. This reaction force adjustment means that when the spring seat rubber 20 is flexed and deformed by the elastic reaction force of the coil spring 11, this flexural deformation movement is absorbed within each passage groove 26, 27, so the rubber reaction force can be adjusted to any strength by the presence, widths W, W1, and number of each passage groove 26, 27.

The present invention is not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment. For example, in the above embodiment, the outside air pushes open the inner seal lip 28 and flows into the space 22, and the air in the space 22 pushes open the outer seal lip 29 and is discharged to the outside. However, it is also possible to reverse the configuration and function of the inner seal lip 28 and the outer seal lip 29. In other words, it is also possible to form the outer seal lip 29 with an upward incline to allow air from the outside to flow into the outer passage groove 27, and form the inner seal lip 28 with a downward incline to discharge air in the space 22 to the outside.

In addition, the number and widths W and W1 of the passage grooves 26 and 27 can be changed as desired, and by changing them, the rubber reaction force of the spring seat rubber 20 can be adjusted as desired depending on the specifications, size, etc., as described above.

Furthermore, each passage groove 26, 27 can be formed on the outer surface of the inner periphery 24 or the outer surface of the outer periphery 25 in an inclined direction rather than in a radial direction (radial), and can also be formed in a mixture of radial and inclined directions.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1...Shock absorber 2...Cylinder 3...Piston rod 10...Spring seat 10b...Support portion 10c...Annular groove 10d...Inner circumferential surface 10e...Outer circumferential surface 11...Coil spring 20...Spring seat rubber 21...Spring retaining groove (retaining groove)
Description of the symbols 22: space portion 23: rubber portion 24: inner peripheral portion 24a: inner lip portion 25: outer peripheral portion 25a: outer lip portion 26: inner passage groove 26a: upper end opening 26b: lower end opening 27: outer passage groove 27a: upper end opening 27b: lower end opening 28: inner seal lip 29: outer seal lip 30: first annular recess 31: second annular recess

Claims (5)

A spring seat rubber having an annular shape is accommodated and disposed in a semicircular groove in a cross section of a spring seat provided on the upper side of a strut suspension, and supports one end of a coil spring in the axial direction.
an inner lip portion and an outer lip portion provided along an entire circumference of a top portion that abuts against an inner surface of the annular groove, the inner lip portion abutting against the inner surface of the annular groove and curving inwardly toward each other to form a space therein;
a retaining groove having a semicircular cross section and provided in a lower portion opposite to the space portion, the retaining groove retaining one end of the coil spring;
The space portion is disposed radially inward and outward, the space portion being a center, and the inner peripheral portion is provided with the inner lip portion, and the outer peripheral portion is provided with the outer lip portion;
an inner passage groove and an outer passage groove are formed on the outer surfaces of the inner circumferential portion and the outer circumferential portion, and each upper end opening of each of the lip portions faces the space portion and each lower end opening of each of the lip portions faces the outside;
an inner seal lip and an outer seal lip are provided in an annular shape protruding from an inner peripheral surface of a lower end portion of the inner peripheral portion and an outer peripheral surface of a lower end portion of the outer peripheral portion along a circumferential direction, and each of the tip portions is capable of elastically contacting an inner peripheral surface of the annular groove;
A spring seat rubber comprising: The spring seat rubber according to claim 1,
a spring seat rubber comprising: a first groove formed in said first circumferential surface and a second groove formed in said second circumferential surface; The spring seat rubber according to claim 2,
The inner seal lip and the outer seal lip are formed in an inclined shape that can be flexibly deformed with their respective base ends joined to the inner peripheral surface of the lower end of the inner periphery and the outer peripheral surface of the lower end of the outer periphery as fulcrums, and are formed with their inclination directions facing in opposite directions. The spring seat rubber according to claim 3,
a spring seat rubber, characterized in that the inner seal lip is formed with an inclined tip portion facing upward, and the tip portion in the upward state elastically contacts the inner inner peripheral surface of the annular groove, while the outer seal lip is formed with an inclined tip portion facing downward, and the tip portion in the downward state elastically contacts the outer outer peripheral surface of the annular groove. The spring seat rubber according to claim 4,
A spring seat rubber characterized in that an annular recess is formed at a lower end portion of the inner circumferential portion on the inner seal lip side, the annular recess absorbing bending deformation in the warping direction of the inner seal lip.

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