JPH0443815B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a vehicle stabilizer device used in a suspension system of a vehicle such as an automobile.

[Prior Art] Automobiles and the like are equipped with well-known stabilizer devices in order to improve riding comfort and steering stability. However, although this type of conventional stabilizer device can effectively stabilize the vehicle body posture when cornering on a good road, it deteriorates the ground contact of the wheels when driving on a rough road, resulting in a loss of steering stability. It may happen.

Furthermore, as seen in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 50-43619, a prior art technique has been proposed in which the stabilizer effect can be turned on and off. This prior art divides the intermediate torsion bar portion of the stabilizer into left and right bars, and the mutually opposing portions of these left and right bars can be connected or separated from each other via a friction plate driven by hydraulic pressure. I have to.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] In the above-mentioned prior art, when the stabilizer effect is to be exerted, the left and right bars are frictionally engaged with each other via the friction plate, so when the stabilizer effect is to be exerted, the left and right bars are The bars may slip circumferentially relative to each other. Further, when connecting the left and right bars to each other, complicated control is required to fix both bars so that they have a predetermined circumferential positional relationship. Moreover, since the friction plates are controlled by hydraulic pressure, various pipe lines and valve mechanisms including oil passages and switching valves are required, which not only complicates the structure but also poses a risk of oil leakage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle stabilizer device that has a simple structure but can reliably switch the stabilizer effect on and off and provides good steering stability on both good and rough roads. It's about doing.

[Means for Solving the Problems] A stabilizer device of the present invention developed to achieve the above object includes a stabilizer main body in which a torsion bar portion is divided into two portions in the axial direction into a first portion and a second portion; A vehicle stabilizer device comprising linking means for removably connecting the first part and the second part, the linking means being provided on the outer periphery of the first part and surrounding the first part. a first spline having a toothless portion in a part of the direction; a second spline provided on the outer periphery of the second portion; a cylindrical connecting member that is slidable on the cylindrical connecting member; and a protruding toothed portion provided on the inner circumferential portion of the cylindrical connecting member and located at a position corresponding to the toothless portion;
a first fitting part that can be fitted from the axial direction to the first spline only when the part and the second part are in a predetermined relative positional relationship in the circumferential direction; a second fitting portion which is connected to the cylindrical connecting member and always engages with the second spline regardless of the axial position of the cylindrical connecting member; and a drive mechanism that can be driven in the axial direction over a position where the fitting is released.

[Operation] When the stabilizer device having the above structure is traveling on a good road, the cylindrical connecting member is moved by the drive mechanism in a direction in which the first fitting portion fits into the first spline.
In this case, the first part and the second part of the torsion bar part
When the parts are in a predetermined circumferential positional relationship with each other, the positions of the toothless part and the protruding tooth part match each other, and the first fitting part fits with the first spline. The two parts integrally cooperate with each other, and the positional relationship between the left and right arm parts is maintained in a normal state. Therefore, a stabilizer effect is exerted during cornering, etc., and the vehicle body posture can be stabilized.

Furthermore, when driving on a rough road, if the drive mechanism is operated in the opposite direction to disengage the first fitting part and the first spline, the first part and the second part are separated and the stabilizer effect is improved. Since it is possible to put the vehicle in a state where it does not exert its effects, the ground contact of the wheels on rough roads is improved, and good steering stability can be obtained.

[Example] An example of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in the left half of FIGS. 1 and 2, the stabilizer main body 1 includes a torsion bar portion 2 extending in the vehicle width direction, and a pair of left and right arm portions 3 extending in the front-rear direction. Vehicle body side parts (seat frame, etc.)
4, and is rotatably supported by the arm portion 3.
The distal end portion is rotatably connected to a wheel-side member (such as an axle) 5.

The torsion bar portion 2 is divided into two parts: a first portion 2a located on the left side in the drawing and a second portion 2b located on the right side in the drawing.
They are detachably connected to each other via the. This linking means 6 has a first part 2a and a second part 2a, as shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, for example.
A cylindrical connecting member 7 is fitted to the outside of each opposing end of the portion 2b. This cylindrical connecting member 7 is movable in the axial direction with respect to the first portion 2a and the second portion 2b.

A first spline 8 is provided on the outer periphery of the first portion 2 a in a region located inside the cylindrical connecting member 7 . As shown in Figure 4, the first
A toothless portion 8a is provided in a part of the spline 8 in the circumferential direction. A second spline 9 is also provided on the outer periphery of the second portion 2b in a region located inside the cylindrical connecting member 7.

A first fitting portion 1 is provided on the inner circumferential portion of the cylindrical connecting member 7 and is capable of being engaged with and detached from the first spline 8 in the axial direction.
0 is set. These first splines 8 and first fitting portions 10 can be fitted to each other only when the aforementioned first portion 2a and second portion 2b are at a predetermined circumferential relative angle (neutral position of less than 360°). For example, as shown in FIG. 4 or FIG.
0a is provided in the first fitting portion 10.

On the other hand, the second spline 9 is always engaged with the second fitting portion 11. Second fitting part 11
is also provided on the inner circumference of the cylindrical connecting member 7. This second fitting part 11 is slidable in the axial direction with respect to the second spline 9, and even if the cylindrical connecting member 7 moves in the axial direction, the second fitting part 11 is always slidable on the second spline 9.
It is provided so that the mesh is maintained.

The torsion bar portion 2 includes stopper portions 12 provided on a first portion 2a and a second portion 2b, respectively.
13, which restricts the cylindrical connecting member 7 to be displaced within a predetermined stroke range in the axial direction. Each cylindrical connecting member 7 has an end cover 14.
A dust seal 15, an O-ring 16, etc. are provided.

Drive mechanism 17 for driving the cylindrical connecting member 7
For example, a spring member 18 that is interposed between the connecting member 7 and the right stopper 13 and biases the connecting member 7 to the left, and a spring member 18 that urges the connecting member 7 to the right against the restoring force of the spring member 18. a first cable 19 for moving the cable 19; and a drive unit 20 (sixth
) and a lock mechanism 21 that can prevent leftward displacement of the connecting member 7.

The lock mechanism 21, as illustrated in FIG.
A sliding member 23 having a serrated portion 22 and slidably supported in the longitudinal direction and connected to the first cable 19, a lock arm 24 that is freely engageable and detachable from the serrated portion 22, and this lock arm. The lock arm 24 is provided with a spring member 25 for biasing the lock arm 24 in the engaging direction, and a second cable 26 for moving the lock arm 24 in the disengaging direction. The above cables 19, 26
may be manually controlled by operating an appropriate handle or the like in the drive unit 20, or may be controlled manually by operating a suitable handle or the like in the drive unit 20, or as illustrated in FIG. 7, a detector 27 capable of generating a signal corresponding to the road surface condition and A processing circuit 28 that processes signals, a control section 29 that sends a control signal to the drive mechanism 17 in response to the output signal of the processing circuit 28, and the like may be provided to perform automatic control according to the road surface condition.

Next, the operation of the apparatus configured as described above will be explained. When the road surface condition of the vehicle travel path is good, when tension is applied to the first cable 19 via the drive unit 20, the sliding member 23 moves to the right, and the connecting member 7 also moves to the right. do. In this case, when the first spline 8 and the first fitting part 10 are at a predetermined relative position in the circumferential direction, the toothless part 8a
The positions of the toothed portion 10a and the protruding tooth portion 10a match each other, and the first fitting portion 10 fits into the first spline 8 in the axial direction, and the first portion 2a of the torsion bar portion 2
and the second portion 2b are integrally connected to each other.
In this state, even if the tension applied to the first cable 19 is removed, the serrated portion 22 and the lock arm 24 engage with each other, preventing the sliding member 23 from moving to the left. Part 2a and the second
The portions 2b of are kept connected together.

Furthermore, when approaching a road with poor road surface conditions, tension is applied to the second cable 26 via the drive unit 20 to disengage the lock arm 24 against the restoring force of the spring member 25. When rotated in the direction of alignment, the serrated portion 22 and the lock arm 24
Since the engagement with the first spline 8 is released, the sliding member 23 becomes slidable, and the connecting member 7 is displaced to the left by the restoring force of the spring member 18, thereby connecting the first spline 8 and the first fitting. The engagement with the joint portion 10 is released,
The first portion 2a and the second portion 2b of the torsion bar portion 2 are separated from each other.

Therefore, according to the above configuration, the first portion 2a and the second portion 2b of the torsion bar portion 2 can be connected or separated depending on the road surface condition of the vehicle traveling road, so that Riding comfort, steering stability, etc. can always be maintained in a good condition regardless of whether the vehicle is good or bad. Furthermore, since the structure is simple, it can be manufactured easily and at low cost, and is suitable for general automobiles and the like.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and each component including the stabilizer main body 1, the linking means 6, etc. can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist of the present invention. Of course.

[Effects of the Invention] According to the stabilizer device of the present invention, good steering stability can be obtained on both good and bad roads, and the linking means of the present invention utilizes spline engagement to ensure reliable operation. The first part and the second part of the torsion bar part can be connected and separated, and at the time of connection, the first part and the second part are held in a predetermined position by the engagement of the toothless part and the protruding tooth part. can be maintained in the circumferential positional relationship. Furthermore, a mechanical drive mechanism with a simple structure can be used for the drive mechanism for operating the cylindrical connecting member.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1 is a plan view showing how the stabilizer is arranged, FIG. 2 is a side view showing how the stabilizer is arranged, FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the main part, and FIG. The figure and FIG. 5 are sectional views taken along the - line and - line in FIG. 3, respectively;
FIG. 6 is a side view showing the drive mechanism, and FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the automatic control section. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1... Stabilizer main body, 2... Torsion bar part, 2a... First part, 2b... Second part, 4... Vehicle body side member, 5... Wheel side member,
6... Linking means, 7... Cylindrical connecting member, 8... First spline, 9... Second spline, 10...
First fitting part, 11... Second fitting part, 17... Drive mechanism.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. The torsion bar portion 2 is supported on the vehicle body side, and both arm portions 3, 3 are connected to the wheel side, and the torsion bar portion 2 is axially connected to a first portion 2a and a second portion 2b. A stabilizer device for a vehicle includes a stabilizer main body 1 divided into two parts, and a linking means 6 for detachably connecting the first part 2a and the second part 2b, the linking means 6 A first spline 8 is provided on the outer periphery of the first portion 2a and has a missing tooth portion 8a in a part of the circumferential direction, and a second spline 9 is provided on the outer periphery of the second portion 2b. , a cylindrical connecting member 7 which surrounds the outside of the splines 8 and 9 across the splines 8 and 9 and is slidable in the axial direction of the torsion bar portion 2; The first spline is provided and has a toothed portion 10a at a position corresponding to the toothless portion 8a, and only when the first portion 2a and the second portion 2b are in a predetermined relative positional relationship in the circumferential direction. 8
The first fitting part 10 that can be fitted from the axial direction to the
a second fitting portion 11 that is provided on the inner peripheral portion of the cylindrical connecting member 7 and always engages with the second spline 9 regardless of the axial position of the cylindrical connecting member 7; 7 to the first spline 8
and a drive mechanism 17 that can be driven in the axial direction from a position where the first fitting part 10 is fitted to a position where the fitting is released.