JPH02204111A - automobile wheel suspension system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To increase the lifting stroke of a wheel while maintaining the rigidity of camber of the wheel by arranging respective upper and lower ball joints so that the ball studs can be fixed to respective control arms while respective balls are turned upward or downward respectively. CONSTITUTION:Upper and lower arms 2a, 2b (not shown) of a knuckle 2 for journaling a wheel 1 are connected to the ends of respective upper and lower control arms 3, 4 which are supported by a vehicle body so as to be oscillatable in the up-and-down directions, via respective upper and lower ball joints 5, 6. In the abover constitution, the upper ball joint 5 is arranged so that the ball stud 5d is fixed to the upper control arm 3 while the ball 5b being internally installed in the upper arm 2a of the knuckle 2 is turned upward. And the lower ball joint 6 is arranged so that the ball stud 6d is fixed to the lower control arm 4 while the ball 6b being internally installed in the lower arm 21 of the knuckle 2 is turned downward.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] A1 Object of the Invention (1) Industrial Application Field The present invention relates to a wheel suspension system for an automobile, in particular, a wheel suspension system for rotatably supporting a wheel shaft on the inside of the inner peripheral surface of a wheel rim. The tips of an upper control arm and a lower control arm, which are supported by the vehicle body in a vertically swingable manner, are connected to the upper arm extending upward and the lower arm extending downward through the upper ball joint and lower ball joint, respectively, of the knuckle. related to things.

(2) Prior art In this type of conventional wheel suspension system, the upper ball joint is arranged such that the ball installed in the upper control arm faces upward and the ball stud is fixed to the upper arm of the knuckle. In addition, the lower ball joint is arranged so that the ball installed in the lower control arm is directed downward and the pole stud is fixed to the lower arm of the knuckle (for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 46-33883). (see official bulletin).

(3) Problems to be Solved by the Invention In the conventional wheel suspension system as described above, if the distance between the ball centers of both the upper and lower ball joints is set large in order to increase the camber rigidity of the wheel, when the wheel goes up and down, Because the rim tends to interfere with the upper and lower control arms, it is difficult to obtain a large lifting stroke for the wheel.On the other hand, in order to set a large lifting stroke for the wheel, it is necessary to increase the distance between the ball centers of both ball joints. If it is made smaller, there is a problem that the camber rigidity of the wheel decreases.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a wheel suspension system capable of obtaining a large lifting stroke of the wheel while ensuring the camber rigidity of the wheel.

B1 Structure of the Invention (1) Means for Solving the Problems In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an upper ball joint with a ball installed in the upper arm facing upward so that the pole stud can control the upper control. The first feature is that the lower ball joint is arranged so that the ball installed in the lower arm faces downward, and the pole stud is fixed to the lower control arm. The characteristics of

In addition to the above features, a second feature of the present invention is that the upper and lower arms of the knuck are provided with openings that face the tips of the upper control arm and the lower control arm, respectively.

(2) Effect According to the first feature of the present invention, the upper ball joint is disposed with the ball facing upward, and the lower ball joint is disposed with the ball facing downward, so that the upper ball joint is disposed with the ball facing downward. The distance between the ball centers of both ball shields can be maximized within a limited space.

Moreover, in the upper ball joint with the ball facing upward, the ball is supported by the upper arm of the knuckle and the pole stud is fixed to the upper control arm, making it possible to increase the distance between the upper control arm and the inner peripheral edge of the rim. . In addition, in a lower ball joint with the ball facing downward, the ball is supported by the lower arm of the knuckle and the pole stud is fixed to the lower control arm, so the distance between the lower control arm and the inner rim of the rim is widened. Therefore, interference between the rim and both control arms can be avoided, and the lifting stroke of the wheel can be increased.

According to the second feature of the present invention, the openings of the upper and lower arms of the knuckle can receive the tips of the upper and lower control arms, thereby preventing interference between the upper and lower arms and the upper and lower control arms. This can be avoided and the lifting stroke of the wheel can be further increased.

(3) Examples An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The drawing shows a front wheel suspension system for an automobile, particularly a suspension system for the left front wheel, and since the suspension system for the right front wheel is symmetrical to that for the left front wheel, illustration thereof is omitted. First, in FIG. 1, an upper arm 2a extending upward and a lower arm 2b extending downward are connected to an upper control arm 3 and a lower control arm 4, which are supported by the vehicle body in a vertically swingable manner. It is connected to each optical end via an upper ball joint 5 and a lower pole joint 6, respectively.

The upper and lower arms 2a and the lower arm 21 of the knuckle 2 each include a pair of front and rear ribbed side walls Ws, Ws that protrude from the bearing boss 2b of the knuckle 2, and an end wall that integrally connects the tips of the side walls Ws, Ws. We, and the above-mentioned both side walls W
s, Ws and the end wall We define an opening 47.4.8 in each upper arm 2a and lower arm 2j1'. By doing so, the rigidity of the knuckle 2 can be strengthened and the weight can be reduced.

The axis connecting the ball centers of the upper and lower ball joints 5 and 6 becomes the kingpin axis, and in order to turn the wheel 1 around the axis, a steering mechanism S (second A damper 11 with a suspension spring is connected to the lower control arm 4 to which the lower control arm 4 is connected.

In FIGS. 2 to 4, the knuckle 2 rotatably supports an axle 8 via a ball bearing 7 at its center. The wheel disc 1d of the wheel 1 is attached to the bolt 43 and the wheel nut 44 with the brake disc 9d sandwiched between the mounting flange 8a formed at the outer end of the axle 8.
It is fixed by The rim lr of the wheel 1 is connected to the wheel disc 1d so as to overhang toward the inside of the vehicle body, and the knuckle 2, the upper ball joint 5, and the lower ball joint are located inside the inner peripheral surface of the rim Ir. point 6 is arranged.

The upper ball joint 5 includes a ball stud 5d having a ball 5b formed at one end, and a socket 5S that rotatably holds the ball 5b.

The pole stud 5d is tapered onto the tip of the upper control arm 3 with the ball 5b facing upward and fixed with a nut 45, and the socket 5s is attached to the end wall We of the upper arm 2a of the knuckle 2 extending inward of the vehicle body. It is fitted.

The lower pole insert also includes a pole stud 6d having a ball 6b formed at one end, and a socket 6s that rotatably holds the ball 6b. The pole stud 6d is tapered fitted to the tip of the lower control arm 4 with the ball 6b facing downward and fixed by a nut 46, and the socket 6s is attached to the end wall We of the lower arm 21 of the knuckle 2 extending inward of the vehicle body. It is fitted. In this way, the tips of the upper and lower control arms 3 and 4 are on top.

It is arranged close to the openings 47, 48 of the lower arms 2a, 21.

Brake caliper 9c that cooperates with brake disc 9d
is supported by a bracket 2b that projects forward of the knuckle 2.

The upper control arm 3 has a pair of front and rear base ends 3f.
, 3r, and the front base end 3f is a ball joint 1.
It is connected to a support shaft 12, which will be described later, via 8.

The rear base end 3" is a bifurcated arm 49.4 arranged in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body.
9', and the front arm 49 is linearly and integrally connected to the front base end 3r by a connecting portion 3C extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. A female thread 51 is formed in the front arm 49 in a region connected to the connecting portion 3c, and a bolt hole 52 is formed in the rear arm 49'. A bracket 54 fixed to the subframe 53 of the vehicle body is inserted between the two forked arms 49° 49', and a bolt 56 passing through a rubber bush 55 attached to the insertion portion is inserted into the bolt hole 52 and screw hole 51. Supported.

In this way, the rear base end 3r is supported by the bracket 54 via the rubber bush 55. In forming the female thread 5I, in the illustrated example, a tapped hole is directly drilled in @49 on the front side, but a nut may be buried therein.

On the other hand, the lower control arm 4 has a pair of front and rear base end portions 4.
f, 4r, the front base end 4'' is connected to a support shaft 12, which will be described later, via a ball joint 19, and the rear base end 4r is connected to a bolt 57 supported thereon and this bolt 5.
It is supported by the bracket 54 via a rubber bush 58 passed through the bracket 7.

A support shaft 12 is disposed adjacent to the front base end portions 3f, 4f of the upper control arm 3 and lower control arm 4. This support shaft 12 includes a pair of shaft cylinders 13 and 14 that are arranged vertically with an interval between them. Double shaft cylinders 13, 14
A pair of upper and lower support arms 15 and 16 that protrude rearward are integrally formed on the holder, and these support arms 15 and 16 are integrally connected to each other via a connecting rod 17. And the above-mentioned supporting arms 15, 16
The front proximal ends 3f and 4 [are respectively connected to the ball joint 1
Connected via 8.19.

Annular bodies 20, 20 are press-fitted into the shaft cylinders 13, 14, respectively, and a plurality of elastic members are provided between these annular bodies 20, 20 and core shafts 22, 23 disposed at their centers. 2
4.24... is interposed.

As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of outer projections 25, 25, 25, . Further, on the outer peripheral surface of the core shaft 22° 23, an outer protrusion 25.2 is provided via the elastic member 24 in the circumferential direction.
5... and the same number of inner protrusions 26.26.
... are provided protrudingly, and adjacent inner protrusions 26, 26, ... are connected by a concave curved surface 27. The elastic member 24 is baked onto the surface of the outer protrusion 25 so as to be in close contact with the concave curved surface 27.

The upper core shaft 22 is integrally provided with a plurality of attachment bosses 29 at its upper end, and these are fixed to the vehicle body B with bolts 30.

Further, the lower core shaft 23 is integrally provided with a plurality of attachment bosses 31 at its lower end, and these are fixed to the vehicle body B with bolts 32.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained.

First, in FIGS. 6 and 7, while the vehicle is running, wheel 1
Assume that the vehicle passes through a protrusion p such as a pebble on the road surface G. When the wheel 1 climbs the protrusion p, the force F applied to the knuckle 2 from the protrusion P toward the handling of the vehicle is a component force F, , F that is more parallel to the knuckle 2.

It acts on the tips of the upper control arm 3 and lower control arm 4, and since both control arms 3 and 4 receive a moment M, Mt toward the rear of the vehicle, the rear base end of each control arm 3.4 3r
, by deforming the rubber bushes 55 and 58 of 4r, and
Rotating moments) M, , M4 in the same direction are applied to both the upper and lower point arms 15 and 16 of 2. Therefore, the total rotational moment Ms + M4 that the support shaft 12 receives is relatively large, so
The elastic members 24, 24, . . . interposed between the shaft cylinders 13, 14 of the support shaft 12 and the core shafts 22, 23 deform relatively easily under shearing force and compressive force. Therefore, the wheel suspension system is given a large longitudinal compliance, which alleviates the impact force from the protrusion P and prevents it from being transmitted to the vehicle body B.

The lifting and lowering movement of the wheel l as it passes the protrusion p is caused by the upper control arm 3 and the lower control arm 4.
are respectively pivot 7.8 and ball joint 18.19
It is allowed by swinging up and down.

Next, in FIGS. 8 and 9, it is assumed that a braking force is applied to the wheel 1 by the operation of a brake device (not shown) while the vehicle is running. When braking force is applied to wheel 1,
Due to the frictional braking force r acting on the wheel l from the road surface G, a forward moment m is generated in the upper control arm 3, and a backward moment m2 is generated in the lower control arm 4.
are applied to the upper support arm 15 of the support shaft 12 in the counterclockwise direction as shown in FIG. Apply clockwise moments m and a to arm 16. In this way, both supporting arms 15 and 16
Since the rotational moments m=, m, applied to are in opposite directions, they cancel each other out via the support shaft 12. the result,
The upper control arm 3 and the lower control arm 4 are prevented from moving forward or backward, and the displacement of the knuckle 2 is suppressed against the frictional braking force f of the road surface G.

In particular, since both the support arms 15.16 of the support shaft 12 are connected by the connecting rod 17 at a position far away from the central axis of the support shaft 12, as described above, the opposite direction of the force acting on the support arms 15.16 is The rotational moment m11m of is reliably supported by the connecting rod 17.

As described above, since the support shaft 12 including both support arms 1.5.16 has a large tearing rigidity, the rotation moments m+, m
It is possible to reliably suppress the displacement of both control arms 3 and 4 due to z, and prevent changes in the caster angle.

In such a wheel suspension system, the upper ball joint 5 is disposed with the ball 5b facing upward, and the lower ball joint 6 is disposed with the ball 5b facing downward, so that the limited area within the rim lr of the wheel l is disposed. The distance between the ball centers of both ball joints 56 can be maximized within the space provided, thereby increasing the camber rigidity of the wheel 1.

Moreover, in the upper pole arm 5 arranged as described above, the pole stud 5d is fixed to the upper control arm 3, and the socket 5s is fitted to the upper arm 2a of the socket 2, so that the upper control arm 3 and the inner peripheral edge of the rim 1r can be made relatively large. Further, in the lower ball joint 6 arranged as described above, the ball stud 6d is fixed to the lower control arm 4, and the socket 6s is connected to the lower arm 21 of the knuckle 2.
core control arm 4 and rim 1.
It is possible to maintain a relatively large distance from the inner peripheral edge. Therefore, when the upper control arm 3 and the lower control arm 4 swing up and down as the wheel I moves up and down, interference between both control arms 3.4 and the rim 1r can be avoided even if the up and down stroke of the wheel I is large. Can be done.

In addition, the upper and lower arms 2a and 2ff have openings 4 that face the respective tips of the upper and lower control arms 3 and 4.
7.48 are provided respectively, so that the upper and lower arms 2
Even if the bent ends of a and 2f are made as short as possible to bring the kingpin axis K as close as possible to the central rotational plane 0 of the wheel 1, the upper and lower control arms 3 will not move at the elevation limit of the wheel l.
, 4 are received in the openings 47, 48 to further increase the lifting stroke of the wheel 1. In other words, it is possible to bring the kingpin axis K closer to the center rotation plane 0 of the wheel 1 without reducing the vertical stroke of the wheel 1, thereby reducing the steering resistance that the wheel 1 receives from the road surface, and therefore, steering can be performed easily. be able to. Also, the opening 47
．． 48 can avoid interference between the knuckle 2 and the upper and lower control arms 3, 4, so the axes of the pole studs 5d, 6d of each ball joint 5.6 should be partially or sufficiently close to the kingpin axis K. This is advantageous in improving the durability of each ball joint 5, 6.

In addition, in the upper control arm 3, the former 49 of the front and rear bifurcated arms 49, 49' forming the rear base end 3r
and the front proximal end 3f are connected linearly and integrally by the connecting part 3C.
r and the rigidity therebetween are strengthened, making it possible to withstand a large load and making it possible to make each control arm 3, 4 thinner and lighter.

Although the present invention has been described above in the case where it is applied to a front wheel suspension system, it goes without saying that the present invention can also be applied to a rear wheel suspension system.

C0 Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the first feature of the present invention, the upper ball joint is configured so that the ball installed in the upper arm is directed upward so that the ball stud is fixed to the upper control arm. In addition, the lower ball joint is arranged so that the ball installed in the lower arm faces downward and the ball stud is fixed to the lower control arm. The distance between the pole centers of the lower ball joint is maximized to increase the camber rigidity of the wheel, and at the same time, it prevents buffering between the upper and lower control arms and the rim, increasing the vertical stroke of the wheel.
It is possible to improve the buffering performance.

According to the second feature of the present invention, the upper and lower arms of the tick are provided with openings that face the tips of the upper control arm and lower control arm, respectively, so that the upper and lower arms of the knuckle and the upper and lower By preventing interference with the control arm, it is possible to further increase the movement of the wheels up and down.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a front wheel suspension system of an automobile, FIG. 2 is a partially sectional plan view thereof, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line IV-rV in FIG. 3, FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along line V-V in FIG. FIGS. 8 and 9 are a simplified plan view and a side view illustrating the action during climbing, and FIGS. 8 and 9 are a simplified plan view and side view illustrating the action during braking. 1...wheel, lr...rim, 2...knuckle, 2
a... Upper arm, 21... Lower arm, 3... Upper control arm, 4... Lower control arm,
5... Upper ball joint, 5b... Ball, 5
d...Pole stud, 5S...Socket, 6...
・Lower ball joint, 6b...Ball, 6d...
・Pole stud, 6s...Socket, 7.8...
Pivot, 12... Support shaft, 13.14... Shaft cylinder, 15.
... Upper support arm, 16 ... Lower support arm, 17 ... Connection rod, 22.23 ... Core shaft, 24 ... Elastic member, 25.
...Outer projection, 26...Inner projection, 27...Concave curved surface, 28...Gap

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) The upper control is supported by the vehicle body so as to be able to swing up and down on the upper arm that extends upward and the lower arm that extends downward from the knuckle that rotatably supports the shaft of the wheel on the inside of the inner peripheral surface of the wheel rim. In an automobile wheel suspension system in which the tips of an arm and a lower control arm are connected via an upper ball joint and a lower ball joint, the upper ball joint is connected to a ball stud with a ball installed in the upper arm pointing upward. The lower ball joint is arranged so that it is fixed to the upper control arm, and the lower ball joint is arranged so that the ball stud is fixed to the lower control arm with the ball installed in the lower arm facing downward. A wheel suspension system for an automobile. (2) An automobile wheel suspension system as described in paragraph (1), characterized in that openings are provided in the upper and lower arms of the knuckle, respectively, facing the tips of the upper control arm and the lower control arm. .