JPS60208652A - Rubber bushing for vehicle suspension - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent a rubber resilient member and pocket members which define pressurizing chambers, from being subjected to extra deforming action and fatigue, by forming both members as separate bodies. CONSTITUTION:A rubber bushing is arranged such that pocket members 12 having openings which are blocked by the inner surface of an outer cylindrical hardware 4, define symmetrical pressurizing chambers 14 which are swelled by pressure, on both sides of an inner cylindrical hardware 4, and a means 18 for connecting both pressurizing chambers 14 to an external pressure source is provided to selectively swell either one of the chambers 14 so that the inner cylindrical hardware 4 is pressed and displaced relative to the outer cylindrical hardware 2 in the direction perpendicular to the center line of the inner cylindrical hardware 4. Accordingly, it is possible to apply pressurizing force to the inner cylindrical hardware by means of the pocket members 12 which are bodies separate from a rubber resilient member 6 and which is swelled, so that it is possible to prevent the rubber resilient member 6 and the pocket members 12 from being subjected to extra deforming action and fatigue.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] Technical Field The present invention relates to a rubber bushing for a vehicle suspension;
In particular, the present invention relates to a hydraulically movable suspension rubber bushing whose central axis can be moved by externally input pressure.

Prior Art Conventionally, various types of rubber bushings for suspensions of vehicles such as automobiles have been proposed and actually used, depending on the various required characteristics at the location where they are installed. There is.

For example, in an automobile rear suspension as shown in FIG. 1, the left and right rear wheels 102a.

Suspension arm 104 with 102b attached
a and 104b are rotatably supported by a suspension member 106, and the suspension member 106 is attached to the vehicle body via rubber bushings 108a and 108b, which are so-called member mounts. These rubber bushings 108a and 108b are attached to the inner cylinder 1 fixed to the vehicle body.
1Qa, 110b and outer cylinders L12a, 112b fixed to the suspension member 106.

By the way, in conventional rear suspensions like this, the same bushing blocks vibrations from the road surface and supports side force during turning, so it is particularly difficult to overcome small bumps on the road surface. By softening the spring characteristics of the rubber bushings, the spring characteristics of the rubber bushings can be softened in order to isolate the longitudinal vibration of the tires when the suspension member rotates, for example, when the vehicle is turning left, and when the side force F shown in Figure 1 is applied to the rear wheels. toe-out angle (hereinafter,
(referred to as 1.-angle): α becomes large, causing a problem of deterioration of running stability at high speeds. On the other hand, in order to reduce the change in this toe angle: α, it is sufficient to make the spring characteristics of the rubber bushes 108a and 108b harder, but when this spring characteristic is made harder, the vehicle longitudinal direction (A) &; The spring characteristics of the vehicle will also become stiffer, which will reduce the vibration absorption performance when riding over small bumps on the road surface as described above. Therefore, in order to improve running stability when turning, the spring characteristics of the rubber bushes 108a and 108b should be softened to better absorb longitudinal vibrations, while also It is desirable to suppress the change (rotation) of the suspension member 106 in the B direction that would increase the toe angle α.

For this reason, as a rubber bushing that can suppress the toe angle α as described above, JP-A-58-22480
Japanese Patent No. 2 discloses a hydraulically movable bushing in which the center axis of the bushing can be moved by externally input hydraulic pressure.

This hydraulically movable rubber bush has a recess integrally formed in the rubber elastic body interposed between the inner and outer cylindrical metal fittings, and a predetermined pressure fluid is applied from the outside into the recess. By guiding the hydraulic pressure to the rubber elastic body and transmitting it to the inner cylindrical fitting, relative displacement is caused between the inner cylindrical fitting and the outer cylindrical fitting. In order to be a rubber elastic body,
There is a problem in that it is difficult to form a closed recess for applying a predetermined hydraulic pressure, and the structure is complicated. On the other hand, the hydraulic pressure introduced to move the center axis acts directly on the rubber elastic body, which causes extra deformation and fatigue on the rubber elastic body, causing the gap between the outer cylinder fitting and the rubber elastic body to deteriorate. This has inherent problems such as causing peeling and reducing the durability of the rubber, and furthermore, there is a risk that the rubber elastic body may be deteriorated by the pressure liquid itself supplied from the outside. It was.

Purpose of the Invention The present invention has been made against the background of the above, and its object is to prevent the rubber elastic body connecting the inner cylinder fitting and the outer cylinder fitting from An object of the present invention is to provide a rubber bushing for a vehicle suspension engine, which is easy to manufacture and which minimizes the adverse effects of pressure derived from pressure, especially pressure fluid, as much as possible.

Structure of the Invention In order to achieve this object, the present invention includes an inner cylindrical metal fitting that is attached to either the vehicle body or the suspension member, and a center line that is parallel to the outside of the inner cylindrical metal fitting. The rubber bushing is arranged a predetermined distance apart from the vehicle body and includes an outer cylindrical fitting attached to the other of the vehicle body and the suspension member, and a rubber elastic body interposed between the inner cylindrical fitting and the outer cylindrical fitting; In a state where a space is created between the inner cylinder metal fitting and the outer cylinder metal fitting on both sides, the two metal fittings are elastically connected by the rubber elastic body. By arranging elastic pocket members each having an opening, and closing the openings of the pocket members with the inner surface of the outer cylindrical metal fitting, the inner cylindrical metal fitting is sandwiched between both sides of the elastic pocket member, which is bulged by the supply of pressure. The pressure chambers are formed symmetrically, and connection means are provided to respectively connect the pressure chambers to an external pressure supply source,
selectively inflating the pressurized chamber by supplying pressure from the pressure supply source to press the inner cylindrical fitting so that the inner cylindrical fitting is moved relative to the outer cylindrical fitting in a direction perpendicular to its center line; This allows for relative displacement.

- Effects and Effects of the Invention As described above, according to the present invention, the rubber elastic body and the pocket member forming the pressurizing chamber are separated, and the pressurizing chamber is integrated within the rubber elastic body as in the past. Unlike the material of the rubber elastic body, the rubber material constituting the pocket member must be made of a rubber material that is not affected by the pressure medium such as pressure fluid introduced. Of course, the rubber elastic body can be made to have a pressure force applied to the inner cylindrical fitting through the pocket member, which is separate from the rubber elastic body, due to its expansion. This effectively eliminates unnecessary deformation and fatigue on the body, and advantageously improves its durability.

In addition, such a pocket member can be easily installed into the space between the inner and outer cylindrical metal fittings by press fitting or other appropriate means, so that the desired pressurizing chamber is in contact with the inner surface of the outer cylindrical metal fitting. Since the rubber bushings can be easily formed in between, the production of the rubber bushings was also extremely easy.

A rubber bushing having such a configuration is particularly suitable for use in a rear suspension device as a rubber bushing that can effectively block the longitudinal vibration of the tire while keeping the toe angle of the rear outer wheel small during turning. It is.

EXAMPLES Below, in order to clarify the present invention more specifically, examples of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings.

First, in FIGS. 2 and 3, reference numeral 2 denotes an outer cylindrical metal fitting, and inside this outer cylindrical metal fitting 2, an inner cylindrical metal fitting 4 having a flat rectangular cross-sectional shape is concentrically arranged. The outer cylindrical metal fitting 2 and the inner cylindrical metal fitting 4 are connected by the rubber elastic bodies 6 being arranged so as to be located on both flat sides of the inner cylindrical metal fitting 4. That is, the inner cylindrical metal fitting 4 has a mounting hole 8 at its center into which a predetermined mounting shaft on the vehicle body or suspension member side is inserted, and the flat outer surface of the inner cylindrical metal fitting 4 has a A rubber elastic body 6 is fixed to the side by means of vulcanization adhesion or the like so as to be located approximately in the diameter direction of the bushing, and the outer end of the rubber elastic body 6 is provided with a shape so as to embrace it. A press-fit fitting 10 with bent ends is fixed with vulcanization adhesive or the like and provided in one direction, and each time the press-fit fitting 10 is press-fitted into the inner surface of the outer cylindrical fitting 2, The outer cylindrical metal fitting 2 and the inner cylindrical metal fitting 4 are connected by the rubber elastic body 6.

On the other hand, the pocket member 12 made of a predetermined rubber material is inserted into the space between the outer cylinder fitting 2 and the inner cylinder fitting 4 partitioned by the rubber elastic body 6, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5. By closing the opening with the inner surface of the outer cylindrical fitting 2, the outer cylindrical fitting 2
A predetermined pressurizing chamber 14 is defined between the inner surface of the pocket member 12 and the pocket member 12 . In addition, the pocket member 12 is bonded to the inner cylinder fitting 4 by appropriate means such as vulcanization adhesion at its central portion, in other words, at the portion opposite to the inner cylinder fitting 4 on the opposite side from the opening. On the other hand, an opening fitting 16 is embedded in the end facing the inner surface of the outer cylindrical fitting 2, and the end portion of the pocket member 12 having the opening fitting 16 is attached to the inner surface of the outer cylindrical fitting 2. It is press-fitted into the In addition, this pocket member 1
The press-fitting of the rubber elastic body 6 will be performed simultaneously with the press-fitting of the rubber elastic body 6, as will be described later.

As is clear from FIG. 5, inside the thick part of the inner cylinder fitting 4 to which the pocket member 12 is fixed, there are pressure fluid supply and discharge passages 18 and 18 along the axial direction.
are provided symmetrically from one end side to approximately the center thereof, and these pressure fluid supply and discharge passages 18.1
8 has the pocket member 1'2 in its central portion.
．． The pressurized chambers 14 and 14 formed in the pressurized chambers 12 and 12 respectively communicate with each other. Then, the inner cylinder fitting 4
The pocket portion 114' 12 is bulged toward the inner cylinder fitting 4 by the pressure of a pressure medium such as a predetermined pressure liquid supplied through the pressure liquid supply/discharge passage 18 provided in the wall. It is.

Note that the expansion of the pocket member 12 in the axial direction due to the supply of pressure fluid to the pressurizing chamber 14 is prevented, and the expansion action effectively acts on the inner cylinder fitting 4. like,
Stopper fittings 2 are provided at both ends of the outer cylinder fitting 2 in the axial direction.
0.20, respectively, and the outward expansion of the pocket member 12 is restricted by the flange portion of the stopper fitting 20 extending radially inward.

Further, as is clear from FIGS. 3 and 4, the rubber elastic body 6 connecting the outer cylindrical metal fitting 2 and the inner cylindrical metal fitting 4 has an intermediate portion thereof in the direction in which the pocket members 12 and 12 face each other. are provided with intermediate plates 22 and 22 buried in positions facing each other in substantially perpendicular directions, and due to the existence of these intermediate plates, 22, the direction perpendicular to the plate surface, that is, the left-right direction in FIG. The rigidity of the rubber elastic body 6 is increased.

Therefore, when manufacturing a rubber bushing having such a configuration, the rubber elastic body 6 and the pocket members 12 and 12 are placed symmetrically (rubber elastic body 6
and the pocket member 12 are positioned with a phase difference of approximately 90°, and are integrally molded by a vulcanization molding method or the like to form a cylindrical metal fitting unit. 2, the rubber elastic body 6 and the pocket member 12 can be press-fitted simultaneously.

As described above, when assembling the inner cylinder fitting unit by press-fitting it into the outer cylinder fitting 2, the rubber Effective pre-compression is applied to the elastic body 6, improving its durability, but at the same time, pre-compression is also applied to the pocket member 12, so that the pocket member 12 The durability of No. 12 can also be effectively improved. In addition, by this squeezing operation of the outer cylindrical fitting 2, the sealing effect between the pocket member 12 and the inner surface of the outer cylindrical fitting 2 is enhanced, and the pressure is supplied to the pressurizing chamber 14 formed inside the pocket member 12. This makes it possible to effectively prevent leakage of pressure fluid. After the drawing operation is performed, both ends of the outer cylindrical metal fitting 2 are crimped by roll crimping or the like, and the crimped parts 24 completely attach the outer cylindrical metal 2 to the inner cylindrical metal unit. It is said that

In this way, in the rubber bushing having such a structure, pressurizing chambers are provided on both sides of the rubber elastic body 6 that connects the outer cylindrical fitting 2 and the inner cylindrical fitting 4, with the inner cylindrical fitting 4 interposed therebetween. 14.14, by selectively supplying a predetermined pressure liquid from an external pressure supply source through the pressure liquid supply/discharge passage 18.18 provided in the inner cylinder fitting 4, the pressurized chambers 14 are A cylindrical metal fitting 4 that selectively expands and rests on it.
By pressing the inner cylindrical fitting 4, the outer cylindrical fitting 2
The pressurizing chamber 14 that exerts a pressing action on the inner cylindrical fitting 4 can effectively cause relative displacement in the direction perpendicular to the center line of the outer cylindrical fitting 2 and the inner cylindrical fitting 4. Since the pocket part +, I'12 is formed separately from the rubber elastic body 6 that connects it to the metal fitting 4, the rubber material constituting the pocket member 12 may be the same as the rubber elastic body 6. It is now possible to arbitrarily select different rubber materials, and by using any rubber material that is not affected by the pressure medium such as the pressure liquid supplied into the pressurizing chamber 14, the pocket portion jfJf12 This made it possible to create the pressurized chamber 14.

Moreover, since the rubber elastic body 6 and the blurring member 12 forming the pressurizing chamber 14 are made separate, the expansion action of the pressurizing chamber 14 is exerted on one side of the rubber elastic body 6. The pocket member 1 does not directly act on the entire surface, but is the one that bulges out the most, especially as in the above example.
Since the central portion of the rubber elastic body 6 can be fixed to the inner cylindrical metal fitting 4, it is possible to avoid as much as possible unnecessary deformation and fatigue on the rubber elastic body 6, thereby improving its durability. It can be increased.

In particular, if the rubber elastic body 6 is attached to the outer cylinder fitting 2 by press fitting as in the above example, the influence on the rubber elastic body 6 due to the aforementioned bulge of the pocket member 12 can be minimized. This makes it possible to effectively eliminate problems such as peeling of the connecting portion of the rubber elastic body 6 to the outer cylindrical fitting 2.

In addition, the pressurizing chamber 1 and i are separated from the inner surface of the outer cylinder fitting 2 by a separate part 12 from the rubber elastic body 6.
Since it is defined, H41 inside the rubber elastic body
B 6; z Compared to the conventional configuration that forms a pressurized chamber,
It is easy to manufacture, and especially if the pocket member 12 is press-fitted at the same time as the rubber elastic body 6 is press-fitted, the effect can be further improved. be.

Furthermore, in the structure of the above example, a pressure fluid supply/discharge passage is provided as a connection means to an external pressure supply source, which supplies a pressure medium such as pressure oil to the pressurization chamber 14 formed by the pocket member 12. 18 passes through the thick wall of the inner cylindrical fitting 4 in the axial direction and is opened at one end thereof, thereby connecting the opening of the pressure fluid supply/discharge passage 18 to an external pressure supply source. but,
This has the advantage that it can be easily achieved without considering interference with other members surrounding the rubber bush. In addition, when this pressure fluid supply and discharge passage 18 is provided on the outer cylinder metal fitting 2 side, it is necessary to avoid interference with a suspension member or a member on the vehicle body side that is attached to the outside of the outer cylinder metal fitting 2. Therefore, it becomes necessary to give consideration to

Moreover, in the structure of the above example, since the pressurizing chamber forming wall portion of the pocket member l2 is inclined with respect to the inner cylindrical metal fitting 4, its spring constant can be kept low and the moving distance can be increased. As a result, the expansion action of the pressurizing chamber 14 can be further transmitted to the inner cylinder fitting 4.

Furthermore, since the illustrated rubber bushing has stopper metal fittings 20 and 20 arranged on both sides of the pocket member 12 that forms the pressurizing chamber 14, This effectively prevents the expansion of the rubber elastic body 6, thereby allowing the pressure of the pressure medium such as the introduced pressure fluid to be effectively applied to the inner cylindrical fitting 4. By embedding the intermediate plate 22 in the rubber elastic body 6, the spring characteristics of the rubber elastic body 6 in the compression direction can be changed, thereby exerting effects such as correcting the toe angle and compensating for the difference in the toe angle. is possible.

The rubber bushing with these characteristics is the first
Bushes 8 a are arranged at symmetrical positions in the rear suspension structure as illustrated in the figure.

8b. More specifically, as shown in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 58-224802, particularly in FIG. 5 thereof, pressurizing chambers whose volumes change due to deformation of the rubber bushings are made to correspond to each other in the respective rubber bushings, and the left-right symmetrical position of the vehicle body is The pressure chambers on the left and right sides, which are not located symmetrically, are connected to each other (through cross piping), so that one pressurization chamber on one rubber bushing can be used as a pressure supply source for one pressurization chamber on the other rubber bushing. The configuration uses a pressure chamber. When the vehicle turns, where the toe angle changes, the left and right rubber tabs 7 and
This is because the pressurizing chamber of the other rubber bush, which is not in the symmetrical position in the bush, is subjected to a shrinking deformation action, and the pressure medium at a predetermined pressure is then discharged.

In addition to the structure in which the two pressurizing chambers of the left and right rubber bushings are connected by cross piping, the pressurizing chambers of each rubber bushing are connected to an independent pressure supply source such as a pressure tank, and pulp, etc. It is also possible to inflate the pressurizing chambers of the respective rubber bushings independently by switching between It is possible to control changes in the amount more effectively and with a greater degree of freedom. The valve that switches the supply of pressure medium from an independent pressure supply source to each pressurizing chamber of each rubber bushing is connected to an appropriate sensor that detects the running state of the vehicle, such as detecting the operating state of the steering wheel that causes the vehicle to turn. This is controlled by signals from sensors and the like, and operations such as reducing the change in the toe angle are performed.

Then, by supplying pressure medium from an external pressure supply source to the pressurizing chambers of the rubber bushes attached to the left and right sides of the vehicle body, the pressurizing chambers are inflated.
By displacing the center axis (cylindrical metal fitting) of the rubber bushing, it is possible to effectively change the angle of the suspension, effectively solving the problem of unstable steering due to changes in toe angle when turning the vehicle, etc. At the same time, since the rubber elastic body can be made of a rubber material with the same soft spring characteristics as in the past, it has also become possible to ensure insulation against longitudinal vibrations when riding over bumps on the road surface.

Of course, the rubber bush according to the present invention is suitably used as a rubber bush for the above-mentioned rear suspension, a so-called member mount, but is not limited to this, and is suitable for use in suspensions where it is desirable to forcibly move the central axis. The structure of the present invention can be applied to all rubber bushings, and thereby the objects and effects of the present invention can be satisfactorily enjoyed.

Further, in the embodiment described above, a pressure fluid supply/discharge passage 18 is provided in the inner cylindrical metal fitting 4 as a means for connecting the pressurizing chamber in the rubber bush to an external pressure supply source.
The pressurizing chamber 14 is communicated through the center portion of the pocket member 12 which is fixedly fixed to the pocket member 12. It is also possible to provide the pocket member 12 directly to the inner cylinder fitting 4, and it is also possible to have a structure in which the pocket member 12 is not fixed to the inner cylinder metal fitting 4.

Furthermore, as the rubber material constituting the pocket member 12, a material that is not affected by the pressure medium is appropriately selected, and as long as it does not meet such requirements, it may be the same as the rubber elastic body 6. material, or a different material.

In addition, although it is not necessary to enumerate them, the present invention may be implemented with various modifications, improvements, modifications, etc. based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art, without departing from the spirit thereof. It goes without saying that the invention includes such embodiments.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 shows the configuration of a conventional rear suspension.
1 is a road surface, FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway front view showing an example of the rubber groove sawing machine according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a plan sectional view thereof (corresponding to the sectional view taken along the line - ■ in FIG. 5). Fourth
The figure is a sectional view taken along the line IV--■ in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line V--V in FIG. 3. 2: Outer cylindrical metal fitting 4: Inner cylindrical metal fitting 6: Rubber elastic body I2: Blurred material 14: Pressure chamber 18: Pressure fluid supply/drain passage 20: Straight bar metal fitting 22: Intermediate plate Applicant: Tokai Rubber Industries Co., Ltd. Nissan Motor Co., Ltd. Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] (11) An inner cylindrical metal fitting attached to either the vehicle body or the suspension member; In a rubber bushing including an outer cylindrical metal fitting attached to the other side of the suspension member, and a rubber elastic body interposed between the inner cylindrical metal fitting and the outer cylindrical metal fitting, Both fittings are elastically connected by the rubber elastic body in a state where a space is created between them, and elastic pocket members opening on the inner surface side of the outer cylindrical metal fitting are respectively disposed in both the spaces, By closing the openings of these pocket members with the inner surface of the outer cylindrical metal fitting, pressurized chambers that are inflated by the supply of pressure are symmetrically formed on both sides of the inner cylindrical metal fitting. A connection means is provided for connecting each of the pressurized chambers to an external pressure supply source, and the pressurized chambers are selectively inflated by the supply of pressure from the pressure source to press the inner cylindrical fitting, A rubber bushing for a vehicle suspension, characterized in that the inner cylindrical metal fitting can be displaced relative to the outer cylindrical metal fitting in a direction perpendicular to its center line. (2) The pocket member is arranged on the inner surface of the outer cylindrical metal fitting. 2. The rubber bushing according to claim 1, wherein the opening is closed by being press-fitted into the inner cylindrical metal fitting, and a portion opposite to the opening is fixed to the outer surface of the inner cylindrical metal fitting. (3) The connecting means is constituted by a pressure supply/discharge passage provided in the inner cylindrical metal fitting and communicating with both of the pressurizing chambers through a portion of the inner cylindrical metal fitting that is fixed to the pocket member. The rubber bush according to claim 2. (4) The rubber bushing according to claim 2, wherein the rubber elastic body is fixed to the outer surface of the inner cylindrical metal fitting, and is attached to the inner surface of the outer cylindrical metal fitting by press fitting. The rubber bushing according to any one of the ranges 1 to 3. (5) The rubber elastic body is arranged on both sides of the inner cylindrical metal fitting in a direction substantially perpendicular to the direction in which the pocket member faces. The rubber bushing according to any one of claims 1 to 4, comprising intermediate plates embedded in positions facing each other. (6) At both ends of the pocket member in the bushing axis direction, The rubber bushing according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a stopper member is provided to prevent the pocket member from expanding outward. 7. The rubber bushing according to claim 6, wherein the pocket member is prevented from expanding by a flange portion attached to the metal fitting side and extending toward the inner cylinder metal fitting side. (8) The rubber bushing according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the rubber bushing is used as a bushing for a rear suspension control device. (9) The rubber bushing according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the rubber elastic body and the blur/nod member are made of different materials.