JPS637990B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an improvement in a steering knuckle for a driven wheel of a vehicle, particularly a front wheel in an FR vehicle.

The structure of the front wheel of an FR vehicle, which is generally suspended by an independent suspension system, consists of a wheel axle on which the wheel is mounted,
The skeleton part is a nut that is integrated with the wheel axle and becomes a connecting member for shock absorbers such as springs, and also serves as a connecting member for the steering arm, and a hub to which the wheel is bolted is rotatably assembled on the wheel axle. At the same time, a disk rotor, etc., which is a part of the brake device, is fixed to the hub, and a support for supporting a capacitor, etc., which is the main body of the brake device, is fixed to the knuckle.

By the way, one of the issues that has recently been raised as a major improvement in vehicles is that there is a strong need to reduce the weight of vehicles in order to improve energy efficiency, and from this perspective, the present invention aims to simplify the device configuration. In addition to simplifying the assembly work, the structure of the frame portion consisting of the wheel shaft and knuckle including the support for the brake device has been improved.

In other words, as mentioned above, conventional nuts and bolts have a complex shape in order to perform various functions such as fixing the wheel axle, connecting the steering arm, and fixing the support for the brake system, and also have a structure that supports the weight of the vehicle. Although it was formed by casting to have the necessary strength as a part, in the present invention, the support of the brake device and the knuckle body are formed from a single sheet metal material using a sheet metal material that is advantageous in terms of weight. The bending of the sheet metal material improves the strength against deflection deformation, etc., and it also serves as a support for the lower end of the strut of the shock absorber installed between the vehicle body and has an opening into which the lower end of the strut is inserted. The knuckle structure of the vehicle driven wheel is characterized by a box-shaped or cylindrical bracket fixed to the side of the knuckle main body opposite to the disk and to the wheel shaft.

The present invention will be described below based on embodiments shown in the drawings.

In FIGS. 1 to 3, 1 is a knuckle formed by bending a flat sheet metal, and includes a main body 2 to which a wheel axle 6 is fixed, and two prongs extending planarly from the main body 2. Support parts 3, 3 of the brake device, and a disk 12 to be described later from the main body part 2.
The steering arm and the knuckle arm connecting portion 4 are bent in a direction opposite to the main body 2, and a box-shaped bracket 5 supporting the lower end of the shock absorber is provided on the side (back side) of the main body 2 opposite to the disk 12. are welded and fixed.

6 is a wheel axle, and this wheel axle 6 in this example
For fixing, concentric through-holes 2a and 5a of slightly different diameters are bored in the bottom of the box-shaped bracket 5 which is welded and fixed to the body part 2 of the nutcle 1 and its back surface, and a cylindrical body having a flange is formed in the through-holes 2a and 5a, which are concentric and have slightly different diameters. The wheel axle 6 is welded and fixed to the wheel shaft 6 via the shaft 7.

Reference numeral 8 denotes guide pin type sliding support devices 9, 9 assembled to the tips of the knuckle support parts 3, 3.
The cap is the main body of the brake device and is supported so as to be movable in the disk axial direction.
It is provided so that it can be compressed. 12 is a disk rotatably assembled to the wheel shaft 6 via a hub (not shown); 13 is a nut 1;
The dustproof cover 14 is a strut that is fitted and fixed by welding through the side wall surface of the bracket 5 fixed to the back surface of the nuticle main body 2, and is fixed by welding to the bottom end of the shock absorber (not shown). I am doing it.

In the knuckle with such a structure, the main body part 2 including the support parts 3 of the brake device can be integrally formed from a single sheet metal, so it is extremely advantageous in terms of weight compared to the conventional cast knuckle. In addition, the required strength can be ensured by forming bends and welding the brackets to sufficiently strengthen the structure. Moreover, it has the advantage of being simple in structure and easy to assemble.

Incidentally, the fixing relationship between the nutcle body 2, the bracket 5, and the wheel axle 6 in the above embodiment is not limited to that shown in the drawings, but is as shown in FIG.
It is also possible to make various modifications as shown in the modification examples B, C, and D.

In the example shown in FIG. 4A, by forming a cylindrical portion 5b' projecting to the front side through the through hole 2a' of the nutcle main body 2 on the bracket 5', the cylindrical body 7 is omitted and the fourth In the example shown in Figure 7, the bracket 5'' is provided so as not to engage with the wheel shaft 6''. The example shown in FIG. 4C is of a type in which the cylindrical body 7 is omitted, and for this purpose, throttle flange portions 2a and 5a are formed in the through-hole portions of the knuckle body portion 2 and the bracket 5, respectively. Furthermore, in the example shown in FIG. 4D, a tapered surface is formed at the engaging portion of the cylinder 7'''' and the wheel axle 6'''' to improve the perpendicularity between the plane of the knuckle 1 and the wheel axle 6''''. We make it easy to ask for.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 5 is slightly different from the previous embodiment in the structure in which the lower end of the shock absorber is fixed to the nuticle body and the structure in which the wheel axle is fixed in the same manner. Since the structure in which the Knuckle main body and the support part are integrally formed is the same, the same parts are indicated by the above reference numerals.
100 was added and shown.

The feature of the embodiment shown in FIG.
4. The end of the wheel axle 106 passing through the knuckle body 102 is fixed to the side surface of the cylindrical bracket 105 that supports the lower end of the shock absorber. In this example, a knuckle arm having a row arm connection hole and a steering arm connection hole is attached separately.

As described above, the present invention has a structure in which the nuticle main body including the support part of the brake device is integrally formed with a single sheet metal, so the structure is simple and the assembly work is easy, and moreover, it is easy to assemble. Its practical benefits are extremely large, as it is extremely advantageous in terms of weight compared to cast metal nuts.

Furthermore, a box-shaped or cylindrical bracket having an opening into which the lower end of a strut of a shock absorber installed between the vehicle body and the vehicle body is inserted and fixed is fixed to the main body and the wheel axle of the sheet metal knuckle in the present invention. Therefore, the bracket is effective in reinforcing the steel of the sheet metal knuckle, and since it is box-shaped or cylindrical, it has the effect of ensuring sufficient bonding strength of the strut to the knuckle.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings all show embodiments of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a front view of the front wheel showing one embodiment, FIG. 2 is a vertical side view, FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the knuckle, and FIG.
B, C, and D are all partial cross-sectional views showing a modified configuration of the wheel axle fixing part, and FIG. It is a bottom view. 1...Natsukuru, 2...Main body part, 3...Support part, 4...Steering arm connection part, 5...
...Bracket, 6...Wheel axle, 7...Cylinder, 8...
...Caliper, 9...Sliding device, 10, 11...Friction pad, 12...Disk, 13...Dust cover, 14...Strut, 15...Steering arm, 16...Low arm connection hole, 117...
Natsukuru arm, 118...Natsukuru arm mounting hole.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 In a skeletal structure that supports a vehicle driven wheel, a support part that extends planarly from the knuckle body and constitutes a support part of the brake device, and is connected to a steering arm and a row arm that extend bent from the knuckle body. A portion of the knuckle body is integrally formed with the knuckle body by press molding of a single sheet metal, and a wheel axle is fitted and fixed to the knuckle body, and on the side of the knuckle body opposite to the disk, 1. A sheet metal knuckle for a driven wheel of a vehicle, characterized in that a box-shaped or cylindrical bracket having an assembly opening for supporting the lower end of a strut of a shock absorber is fixed to the knuckle body.