JPH0939532A - Suspension device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide equal right and left steering characteristics during the steering in a rigid axle type suspension device. SOLUTION: Right and left wheels 2, 3 are connected to each other by an expandable axle 14. The axle 14 is positioned in the longitudinal direction of a vehicle by lower arms 5, 6 (trailing arms) and upper arms 7, 8 (trailing arms). Each end part of the axle 14 is positioned in the vehicle width direction by lateral rods 15, 16 of equal length arranged symmetrical to the vehicle width direction. The right and left wheels 2, 3 are respectively connected to each end part of the expandable axle 14, and supported in the vehicle width direction by the lateral rods 15, 16 which are equal in length and symmetrical to the vehicle width direction, and the displacement in the vehicle width direction becomes equal relative to the vertical displacement of the wheels 2, 3, and the right and left steering characteristics during the steering become equal.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a rigid axle type suspension device used for vehicles such as automobiles in which left and right wheels are connected by axles.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An example of a conventional rigid axle type rear suspension device will be described with reference to FIG. A suspension device 1 shown in FIG. 8 is a so-called five-link suspension device, and a fixed axle 4 that connects left and right wheels 2 and 3 to each other has two lower arms 5 and 6 (trailing arms) extending in the vehicle front-rear direction. The two upper arms 7 and 8 (trailing arms) and one lateral rod 9 extending in the vehicle width direction are supported by a total of five links. The arrow F in the figure indicates the front of the vehicle. The fixed axle 4 is connected to the lower arm 5,
6 and the upper arms 7 and 8 are positioned in the vehicle front-rear direction, and the lateral rod 9 is positioned in the vehicle width direction.

As described above, the rigid axle type suspension device in which the left and right wheels are connected and supported by the fixed axle is generally simple in structure, inexpensive and easy to maintain. It is relatively advantageous in strength. There is no camber change due to vertical movement of the wheels. High rigidity in the toe angle direction of the wheel. Further, since the left and right wheels can be sub-assembled, there are advantages such as excellent assembling to the vehicle.

[0004]

However, the above conventional suspension device 1 has the following problems because the fixed axle is positioned in the vehicle width direction by one lateral rod.

Referring to FIG. 10, since the fulcrum 10 of the lateral rod 9 on the fixed axle 4 side moves on an arc A centered on the fulcrum 12 on the vehicle body 11 side, the wheels 2, 3 (fixed axle 4) is displaced from the normal position (see FIG. 10 (a)) upward (see FIG. 10 (b)) and downward (see FIG. 10 (c)), the wheels 2 and 3 are in the vehicle width. Distance to one direction
Move L ₁ and L ₂ only. Therefore, as the wheels 2 and 3 move up and down, the vehicle body 11 is laterally displaced, which causes a problem that steering stability and riding comfort are deteriorated. Further, since the left and right wheels 2 and 3 behave differently with respect to the vertical movement of the fixed axle 4, there is a problem that steering characteristics are different when turning left and right. By increasing the overall length of the lateral rod 9 and arranging it as horizontally as possible, the displacement in the vehicle width direction due to the vertical movement of the wheels 2 and 3 can be reduced, but this is a fundamental solution to this problem. Does not reach.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9, generally, in a rigid axle type suspension device in which left and right wheels 2, 3 are connected to each other by a fixed axle 4, the wheels 2, 3 are
Since the tread between them is fixed, when the fixed axle 4 tilts with respect to the vehicle body 11 (see the chain double-dashed line in the figure), one wheel moves inward in the vehicle width direction (the wheel 2 side in the figure). In order to secure the clearance C between the wheels 2 and 3 and the vehicle body 11, it is necessary to make the wheel house W large and there is a problem that space efficiency is poor.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a suspension device in which the behaviors of the left and right wheels with respect to the vertical movement are equal.

[0008]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a suspension device of the present invention comprises an extendable and retractable axle for connecting left and right wheels to each other, and a trailing arm for positioning the axle in the vehicle longitudinal direction. And a first lateral rod that positions one end side of the axle in the vehicle width direction, and a second lateral rod that positions the other end side of the axle in the vehicle width direction.

With this configuration, the left and right wheels are respectively expanded and contracted by the axles to expand and contract to the first and second wheels.
Since the lateral rods are positioned in the vehicle width direction, by arranging the first and second lateral rods symmetrically with respect to the vehicle width direction, the behaviors of the left and right wheels with respect to the vertical movement can be equalized.

[0010]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. The same parts as those in the conventional example shown in FIG.

A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
The suspension device 13 includes two lower arms 5 and 6 (trailing arms) and two upper arms 7 and 8 (trailing arms), in which an axle 14 connecting left and right wheels 2 and 3 to each other extends in the vehicle front-rear direction. It is supported by a total of six links of two lateral rods 15 and 16 (first and second lateral rods) extending in the vehicle width direction. The arrow F in the figure indicates the front of the vehicle.

The axle 14 has a guide rod 19 attached to an axle case 17 on one end side for rotatably supporting one wheel 2 and an axle case 18 on the other end for rotatably supporting the other wheel 3. It can be expanded and contracted by being inserted and guided slidably by a guide member 20 (see Fig. 2) such as a linear bearing or a sliding bush, and the axle cases 17 and 18 are prevented from rotating relative to each other. There is. Further, the axle 14 has sufficient rigidity against bending stress, and does not allow camber change and toe change of the wheels 2 and 3.

The lower arms 5 and 6 are rotatably mounted to brackets 23 and 24, respectively, whose mounting portions 21 and 22 on one end side are fixed to the lower portions of the axle cases 17 and 18 below the wheel-side ends thereof, respectively. The mounting portions 25, 26 on the other end side are rotatably mounted on the vehicle body (not shown).
Also, the upper arms 7 and 8 are respectively attached to the mounting portions on one end side.
27 and 28 are rotatably attached to brackets 29 and 30, respectively, which are fixed to upper portions of the axle cases 17 and 18 above the wheel-side ends thereof, and the other end-side attachment portions 31 and 32 are attached to the vehicle body (see FIG. (Not shown), each of which is rotatably attached.

The two lateral rods 15 and 16 are arranged in front of and behind the axle 14, respectively. The rear lateral rod 15 has a mounting portion 33 on one end side rotatably mounted on a boss portion 34 provided on a rear portion of the axle case 17 from an end portion on the wheel side, and a mounting portion on the other end side. 35 is a car body (not shown)
Is rotatably attached to. Further, the front lateral rod 16 is rotatably attached to a boss portion 37 provided at a front portion of the axle case 18 from an end portion on the wheel side of the axle case 18, and the attachment portion 36 on the one end side is attached on the other end side. A mounting portion 38 is rotatably mounted on a vehicle body (not shown). Lateral rod 1
5 and 16 have the same length, and their mounting positions are symmetrical with respect to the vehicle width direction.

The lower arms 5 and 6, the upper arms 7 and 8 and the lateral rods 15 and 16 are attached at their both ends with
Axle 14 via an elastic member (not shown) such as a rubber bush
Also, it is connected to the vehicle body to smoothen the movement of these links and reduce the vibration and noise transmitted to the vehicle body.

The operation of the first embodiment configured as described above will be described below.

The axle 14 is positioned in the vehicle front-rear direction by the lower links 5 and 6 and the upper links 7 and 2.
Positioned in the vehicle width direction by the lateral rods 15 and 16 of the book.

Next, the displacement of the wheels 2, 3 in the vehicle width direction due to the vertical movement of the axle 14 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the attachment portion of the lateral rod 15 on the axle 14 side
33 moves on an arc B centered on the mounting portion 35 on the vehicle body 11 side, and the mounting portion 36 on the axle 14 side of the lateral rod 16 is
Move on the arc C centered on the mounting portion 38 on the vehicle body 11 side,
The axle 14 expands and contracts as it moves up and down. At this time,
Since the lateral rods 15 and 16 have the same length and their mounting positions are symmetrical with respect to the vehicle width direction, the circular arcs B and C are formed.
Have the same radius and the wheels 2, 3 associated with the vertical movement of the axle 14
The displacement in the vehicle width direction is also equal.

Therefore, the wheels 2, 3 or the axle 14
However, when the vehicle is displaced upward from the normal position (see FIG. 3A) (see FIG. 3B), the axle 14 is shortened and the wheels 2 and 3 are moved.
Respectively move inward in the vehicle width direction by a distance L ₂ , and when the axle 14 is displaced downward (see FIG. 3 (c)),
Axle 14 is shortened wheels 2 and 3 are moved equal distance L ₃ in the vehicle width direction inside. In this way, the wheels 2 and 3 move equally in the vehicle width direction as the axle 14 moves up and down, so that the forces in the vehicle width direction acting from the wheels 2 and 3 on the vehicle body 11 cancel each other out. Since there is no lateral displacement, steering stability and riding comfort are improved.

Further, since the behaviors of the left and right wheels 2 and 3 with respect to the movement of the axle 14 are symmetrical with respect to the vehicle width direction, the steering characteristics when turning left and right are equal.

In the example shown in FIG. 3, when the wheels 2 and 3 bump (move upward), the axle 14 is shortened and the wheels 2 and 3 are shortened.
The tread between 3 becomes narrower, but the uppermost position of the axle 14 is shown in Fig. 3.
3A, so that the normal position is intermediate between the position shown in FIG. 3A and the position shown in FIG. 3C, that is, the mounting position of the lateral rods 15 and 16 on the vehicle body side. By arranging so as to be above the mounting position on the axle 14 side, the axle 14 can be extended and the tread can be widened when the wheels 2 and 3 are bumped, and the stability of the vehicle when turning can be improved. . Further, in this case, since the wheels move outward in the vehicle width direction during bumping, the clearance between the wheels and the vehicle body is secured, and the wheel house can be made small.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. The same parts as those in the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are designated by the same reference numerals and only different parts will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the second
In the suspension device 39 of the embodiment, the lateral rod arranged in front of the axle 14 in the first embodiment is used.
16 is arranged further rearward of the lateral rod 15 arranged at the rear of the axle 14, and is connected to the boss portion 40 provided at the rear of the wheel-side end of the axle case 18. With this configuration, the same operation and effect as those of the first embodiment can be obtained.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. In addition, in the third embodiment,
Since the structure is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment except that the structure of the lateral rod is different, the same parts as those of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 are denoted by the same reference numerals. Then, only different parts will be described in detail.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, in the suspension device 41 of the third embodiment, two lateral rods 42 and 43 of equal length extending in the vehicle width direction are provided on the left and right behind the axle 14. They are arranged in a V shape so as to be symmetrical with respect to the width direction.

One lateral rod 42 has a mounting portion 44 on one end side rotatably mounted on a boss portion 34 provided on a rear portion of the axle case 17 from an end portion on the wheel side, and on the other end side. The mounting portion 45 is rotatably mounted on a bracket 46 provided at the center of the vehicle body (not shown) in the vehicle width direction.
The other lateral rod 43 has a mounting portion 47 on one end side rotatably mounted on a boss portion 48 provided on the rear side of the wheel-side end portion of the axle case 18, and a mounting portion on the other end side. The portion 49 is rotatably attached to the bracket 46.
The lateral rods 42 and 43 are arranged so that the vehicle-body-side mounting portion 49 is located above the vehicle-shaft-side 14 mounting portions 44 and 47.

With this configuration, the axle 14 is positioned in the vehicle width direction by the two lateral rods 42 and 43, and the same operation and effect as those of the first embodiment can be obtained. in this case,
The vehicle body side mounting portions 45 and 49 of the lateral rods 42 and 43 are the axle 14
Since it is arranged above the side mounting portions 44 and 47,
When the wheels 2 and 3 are bumped, the axle 14 can be extended to widen the tread, and the stability of the vehicle when turning can be improved. Further, as shown in FIG. 7, since the wheels 2 and 3 move outward in the vehicle width direction during bumping (see the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 7) (see the wheel 2 side in FIG. 7), the wheels 14 and the vehicle body 11 Since the clearance C is sufficiently secured, the wheel house W can be made small.

In the first to third embodiments described above,
Although the lower arms 5 and 6 and the upper arms 7 and 8 are horizontally extended and arranged in parallel to each other, these links can be arranged at an appropriate angle depending on desired suspension characteristics. Also, the number of these links can be set arbitrarily.

[0028]

As described above in detail, in the suspension device of the present invention, both ends of the extendable and retractable axle connecting the left and right wheels to each other are positioned in the vehicle width direction by the first and second lateral rods, respectively. Therefore, by arranging the first and second lateral rods at symmetrical positions with respect to the vehicle width direction, the behaviors of the left and right wheels with respect to the vertical movement can be equalized. As a result, the forces in the vehicle width direction that act on the vehicle body from the wheels due to the vertical movement of the axle do not cancel each other out, and the vehicle body is not laterally displaced, so steering stability and riding comfort can be improved. Also,
Since the behavior of the left and right wheels with respect to the movement of the axle is symmetrical with respect to the vehicle width direction, there is an excellent effect that steering characteristics at the time of left and right turning can be equalized.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a suspension device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear view showing the device of FIG. 1 with an axle partially cut away.

3 is an explanatory diagram showing displacement of wheels in a vehicle width direction with respect to vertical movement of an axle of the apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a suspension device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a suspension device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a rear view of the device of FIG.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing a clearance between a wheel and a vehicle body at the time of bumping of the device of FIG.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a conventional rigid axle type suspension device having a lateral rod.

FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a clearance between a wheel and a vehicle body at the time of bumping of a conventional rigid axle type suspension device.

10 is an explanatory diagram showing displacement of wheels in a vehicle width direction with respect to vertical movement of an axle of the apparatus of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2,3 Wheels 5,6 Lower arm (Trailing arm) 7,8 Upper arm (Trailing arm) 13 Suspension device 14 Axle 15,16 Lateral rod (1st and 2nd lateral rod) 39 Suspension device 41 Suspension device 42,43 Lateral rods (first and second lateral rods)

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An extendable and retractable axle that connects left and right wheels to each other, a trailing arm that positions the axle in the vehicle front-rear direction, and a first lateral rod that positions one end of the axle in the vehicle width direction. A suspension device comprising a second lateral rod for positioning the other end of the axle in the vehicle width direction.