JPH0415158B2 - - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention A. Object of the Invention (1) Industrial Field of Application The present invention provides a method for providing a vehicle that is interposed between a vehicle body and a wheel support arm that is pivotally supported by the vehicle body so as to be vertically swingable and supports a wheel. The present invention relates to a damping force control device for a vehicle shock absorber equipped with a damping force generating device inside.

(2) Prior Art Conventionally, hydraulic shock absorbers having a structure equipped with an adjustment member that can adjust the damping force generated by a damping force generator by axial displacement are disclosed in, for example, West German Patent Publication No.
It is already widely known in the art as disclosed in the specification of No. 3409154.

(3) Problems to be solved by the invention In order to automatically change the damping force generated by the damping force generating device according to the rocking displacement of the wheel support arm to always obtain good ride comfort, for example, the rocking It is conceivable to automatically displace the adjusting member in the axial direction according to the displacement, but in that case, it would be convenient if the damping characteristics could be easily changed or adjusted from outside the shock absorber.

The present invention has been proposed in view of the above, and an object of the present invention is to provide a damping force control device for a vehicle shock absorber that can satisfy the above requirements.

B. Structure of the invention (1) Means for solving the problem In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a vehicle body,
A damping force generating device and an adjustment member that can adjust the damping force generated by the generating device by axial displacement are interposed between a wheel supporting arm that is pivotally supported by the vehicle body so as to be vertically swingable and supports the wheel. In the damping force control device for a vehicle shock absorber, the damping force control device includes an intervening device between the shock absorber and the wheel support arm so as to cause an axial displacement in the adjustment member in response to the swinging of the wheel support arm. A part of the attached link mechanism is connected to the free end of the adjustment member.

(2) Effect If the structure, shape, or arrangement of the link mechanism is changed, the changes in the axial displacement of the adjustment member with respect to the rocking displacement of the wheel support arm, and eventually the damping of the shock absorber, will change. Characteristics are changed or adjusted.

(3) Embodiment An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, to describe the first embodiment, in FIG. 1, a rear fork 3 serving as a wheel support arm is connected to the rear part of a vehicle body 2 of a motorcycle 1 so as to be able to swing vertically. A wheel, ie, a rear wheel 7, which is driven by the engine 5 via a chain transmission 6, is pivotally supported at one end.

As shown in Figure 2, the vehicle body 2 and rear fork 3
A buffer 8 is interposed between them. The shock absorber 8 consists of a cylinder 9 filled with buffer oil and a piston 10 slidably fitted into the cylinder 9.
An upper mounting member 11 fixed to the upper end of the vehicle body 2 is connected to the vehicle body 2 via a pivot 12 so as to be swingable back and forth. A piston rod 10a that slidably passes through the lower end wall of the cylinder 9 is connected to the piston 10, and a lower mounting member 13 fixed to the lower end of the piston rod 10a is connected to the rear fork 3 by a pivot shaft 14.
are connected so that they can swing back and forth. A coiled suspension spring 15 is installed between the lower mounting member 13 and the cylinder 9 to bias the shock absorber 8 in the direction of expansion.

The piston 10 is provided with a known extension damping force generation device 16 that applies damping force to the expansion operation of the shock absorber 8 and a known contraction damping force generation device 17 that applies damping force to the contraction operation of the shock absorber 8. An adjustment member 18 is connected to the extensional damping force generating device 16, which can adjust the generated damping force by axial displacement.

As shown in FIG. 3, the adjusting member 18 is biased by a spring (not shown) so as to penetrate through the axial center of the piston rod 10a and project its tip into the horizontal hole 19 of the lower mounting member 13. The damping force generated by the extensional damping force generating device 16 can be increased as it protrudes toward the side hole 19 side. The damping force generating device 16 is provided with an orifice (not shown) that is bored in the piston 10 and communicates between the upper and lower oil chambers, and the damping force generating device 16 has
8 is configured to be able to adjust the generated damping force by changing the effective opening degree of the orifice by its axial displacement, and these structures are also disclosed in, for example, West German Patent Publication No. 3409154. like,
It is conventionally well known.

Returning to FIG. 2 again, the adjustment member 18 is linked to the rear fork 3 via the link mechanism 20 so as to protrude toward the side hole 19 as the rear fork 3 swings downward. The link mechanism 20 includes a first link 22 that is pivotally supported on one side of the lower mounting member 13 so as to be able to swing up and down, and that passes through the horizontal hole 19 so as to be connected to the free end, that is, the lower end, of the adjustment member 18. ,
A second link 24 is pivotally supported 23 on the rear fork 3 so as to be swingable back and forth and is pivotally connected 25 to the first link 22.
It consists of

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained. When the rear wheel 7 receives an upward load from the road surface while the vehicle is running, the rear fork 3 swings upward against the elastic force of the suspension spring 15. Since the shock absorber 8 performs a contraction operation, a damping force is generated by the contraction damping force generating device 17, thereby appropriately regulating the upward swing speed of the rear fork 3.

Further, as the rear fork 3 swings upward, the angle between the axes of the rear fork 3 and the shock absorber 8 changes, and as a result, the first link 22 moves to the second link.
The adjustment member 18 is swung upward by the link 24.
to the piston rod 10a (see Fig. 2A).

Therefore, the upward load on the rear wheel 7 is removed, and the elastic force of the suspension spring 15 causes the rear fork 3 to
When the is swung downward, the shock absorber 8 now extends and the first link 22 is swung downward, causing the adjustment member 18 to protrude toward the side hole 19 (see Fig. 2). Therefore, a damping force is generated by the extensional damping force generating device 16, and the damping force increases as the amount of downward swinging of the rear fork 3 increases. Therefore, the regulation of the downward swinging speed of the rear fork 3 becomes stronger as the amount of swinging increases, and the rear fork 3 can move freely within the range of the specified swinging stroke of the rear fork 3 without causing a large impact.
can effectively absorb large swing energy.

FIG. 4 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, in which the amount of contraction of the shock absorber 8 increases at an accelerating rate as the amount of upward swinging of the rear fork 3 increases. That is, in the middle part of the rear fork 3, there is a link 30 with a basic triangular shape, and the rear end is
Further, below the pivot shaft 4 of the rear fork 3, the front end of a tension rod 31 is pivotally supported 32, 33 on the vehicle body 2 so as to be able to swing up and down, respectively, and the rear end of the tension rod 31 and the intermediate portion of the link 30 are pivotally attached 34. , a lower mounting member 13 of the shock absorber 8 is connected to the front end of the link 30 by a pivot shaft 14. The second link 24 of the link mechanism 20 is pivotally supported 23 at the front end of the link 30. The rest of the structure is the same as that of the previous embodiment, and in the drawings, the same reference numerals are given to parts corresponding to those of the previous embodiment.

In the above embodiments, the extension damping force generating device 16 is controlled according to the amount of rocking of the rear fork 3, but if the adjustment member 18 is connected to the contraction damping force generating device 17, the contraction damping force can be generated. Device 17
can be controlled.

C. Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, the damping force generating device is interposed between a vehicle body and a wheel support arm that is pivotally supported by the vehicle body so as to be vertically swingable and supports a wheel.
A damping force control device for a vehicle shock absorber comprising an adjusting member capable of adjusting the damping force generated by the generator by axial displacement, wherein the adjusting member is axially displaced in response to rocking of the wheel support arm. A part of the link mechanism interposed between the shock absorber and the wheel support arm is connected to the free end of the adjustment member so that the structure, shape, and location of the link mechanism can be easily changed. By simply changing the change characteristics of the axial displacement of the adjustment member with respect to the rocking displacement of the wheel support arm, the damping characteristics of the shock absorber can be easily and accurately changed or adjusted from the outside. Optimal ride comfort can always be obtained depending on driving conditions.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

1 to 3 show a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 is a side view of a motorcycle in which the present invention device is applied to a rear wheel suspension system, and FIG. 2 is a side view of a motorcycle in which the present invention device is applied to a rear wheel suspension system. 2A is its operation diagram, FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along the - line in FIG. 2, and FIG.
A side view showing the embodiment, and FIG. 4A is an operational diagram thereof. 2... Vehicle body, 3... Rear fork as a wheel support arm, 7... Rear wheel as a wheel, 8... Shock absorber, 16... Damping force generator, 18... Adjustment member, 20... Link mechanism.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1 A damping force generating device 16, which is interposed between the vehicle body 2 and a wheel support arm 3 that is pivotably supported by the vehicle body 2 so as to be vertically swingable and supports the wheel 7;
In the damping force control device for a vehicle shock absorber, the damping force control device includes an adjusting member 18 that can adjust the generated damping force by axial displacement. A part of the link mechanism 20 interposed between the shock absorber 8 and the wheel support arm 3 is connected to the free end of the adjustment member 18 so that the shock absorber 8 and the wheel support arm 3 Damping force control device.