A toe adjustment lever and a suspension assembly having the same

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of suspension systems, specifically to a toe-adjusting rod and a suspension assembly having the toe-adjusting rod. The toe-adjusting rod includes a toe-adjusting rod body, with a first connecting mechanism at one end and a second connecting mechanism at the other end. The first connecting mechanism includes a connecting ring disposed on the toe-adjusting rod body, and the connecting ring has a first mounting hole. The second connecting mechanism includes two mounting plates spaced apart on the toe-adjusting rod body, each mounting plate having at least one second mounting hole. This invention discloses a toe-adjusting rod with a simpler structure, reducing the manufacturing difficulty of the toe-adjusting rod. Furthermore, by using aluminum alloy material, the weight of the toe-adjusting rod can be reduced. Additionally, the toe-adjusting rod disclosed in this invention is a shift fork structure, making it suitable for use in confined spaces.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of suspension systems, and more specifically to a toe-adjusting rod and a suspension assembly having the toe-adjusting rod. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, most of the structures that play the role of toe-in adjustment in the market are rear upper control arms or rear lower control arms. Their main structure is a stamped part and a press-fitted sleeve welded together. Compared with aluminum alloy material structures, in addition to the disadvantage of being heavier, their manufacturing process is unstable, and the welding deformation is large, which ultimately affects the assembly efficiency of the whole vehicle and the probability of rework.

[0003] Furthermore, in recent years, my country's economy and automotive industry have developed rapidly, and domestic competition in the automotive industry has become increasingly fierce.

[0004] As people's perception of quality, requirements for quality and performance of automobiles continue to increase, lightweight materials and optimized structural designs have become the focus of the industry.

[0005] The toe-adjusting rod serves to connect the subframe and steering knuckle and adjust the toe-in of the vehicle. As an important structural component of the vehicle chassis, it not only bears important performance requirements but also needs to meet the overall vehicle layout space requirements.

[0006] Traditional rear suspension toe-adjusting rods are made of sheet metal stamping parts and are welded to achieve a "basin" shaped structure. As vehicles become larger, especially with the recent rise of new energy vehicles, the overall vehicle weight is generally much greater than that of traditional fuel vehicles due to the weight of the battery.

[0007] The increased vehicle weight has led to higher strength performance requirements for chassis structural components. To meet these performance demands, the size and weight of structural components are constantly increasing, leaving insufficient space for battery placement.

[0008] In addition, existing toe-adjusting rods are generally two-section structures.

[0009] For example, the content disclosed in patent 201410223659.3 - a toe-adjusting rod for automobiles.

[0010] Although the traditional two-section toe-in adjustment rod can adjust the tilt angle, the overall structure is relatively complex, and because it is a segmented structure, its own strength is insufficient.

[0011] Furthermore, there are many existing toe-in adjustment rod modules, resulting in numerous assembly steps.

[0012] Therefore, in order to improve or solve at least one of the above problems, it is necessary to optimize the design of the existing toe-in adjustment rod. Summary of the Invention

[0013] The purpose of this invention is to provide an integral toe-adjusting rod structure.

[0014] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0015] A toe-adjusting rod includes a toe-adjusting rod body, wherein one end of the toe-adjusting rod body is provided with a first connecting mechanism and the other end is provided with a second connecting mechanism;

[0016] The first connecting mechanism includes a connecting ring disposed on the toe bar body; the connecting ring has a first mounting hole;

[0017] The second connecting mechanism includes two mounting plates spaced apart on the toe bar body; each mounting plate has at least one second mounting hole.

[0018] The inner side of an assembly plate is precision machined into an assembly reference surface.

[0019] An adjustment mechanism is provided on an assembly plate; the adjustment mechanism includes an adjustment threaded tube inserted into a corresponding second assembly hole.

[0020] The adjusting threaded pipe includes a pipe body, and a limiting ring plate is provided at the end of the pipe body; the vertical cross section of the adjusting threaded pipe is T-shaped.

[0021] The second assembly hole, which houses the adjusting threaded tube, is equipped with thread-fastening adhesive.

[0022] The toe bar body is provided with a reinforcing mechanism, which includes a reinforcing plate. The reinforcing plate is connected to the toe bar body in a detachable manner.

[0023] The toe bar body, connecting ring, and mounting plate are integrally formed; the toe bar is made of aluminum alloy.

[0024] A suspension assembly includes a subframe and a steering knuckle, the subframe being connected to the steering knuckle via a toe-adjusting rod; the steering knuckle having a steering knuckle bushing; the toe-adjusting rod having an adjusting bushing; the toe-adjusting rod being connected to the steering knuckle via a mounting bolt passing through the steering knuckle bushing; and the toe-adjusting rod being connected to the subframe via an eccentric bolt passing through the adjusting bushing.

[0025] The subframe is connected to the toe-adjusting rod via a mounting mechanism; the mounting mechanism includes a mounting bracket mounted on the subframe, which is connected to the toe-adjusting rod via an eccentric bolt; the horizontal projection of the mounting bracket is U-shaped.

[0026] The mounting bracket is provided with a mounting reference surface; the mounting reference surface and the assembly reference surface on the assembly plate are on the same side of the toe-in adjustment rod.

[0027] The advantages of this invention are:

[0028] This invention discloses a toe-adjusting rod and a suspension assembly having the toe-adjusting rod.

[0029] The present invention discloses a toe-adjusting rod with a simpler structure, reducing the difficulty of manufacturing the toe-adjusting rod; at the same time, by using aluminum alloy material, the weight of the toe-adjusting rod can be reduced.

[0030] Meanwhile, the toe adjustment rod disclosed in this invention is a fork structure, which makes the toe adjustment rod disclosed in this invention applicable in small spaces. Attached Figure Description

[0031] The following is a brief explanation of the contents of each of the accompanying drawings and the markings in the drawings:

[0032] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention.

[0033] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention when used in a suspension assembly.

[0034] Figure 3 This is a partially enlarged view of the present invention when used in a suspension assembly.

[0035] The markings in the above figures are all:

[0036] 1—Steering knuckle; 2—Toe-in adjusting rod; 3—Subframe; 4—Mounting bolt; 5—Eccentric bolt; 6—Steering knuckle bushing; 11—Adjusting bushing. Detailed Implementation

[0037] The specific embodiments of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and the description of the preferred embodiments.

[0038] A toe-adjusting lever 2 includes a toe-adjusting lever, the toe-adjusting lever including a toe-adjusting lever body 21, one end of the toe-adjusting lever body 21 is provided with a first connecting mechanism, and the other end is provided with a second connecting mechanism; the toe-adjusting lever 2 disclosed in this invention is a fork structure, which makes the toe-adjusting lever 2 disclosed in this invention applicable in small spaces.

[0039] The toe-adjusting rod 2 disclosed in this invention is mainly applicable to multi-link suspension systems.

[0040] The toe-adjusting rod 2 disclosed in this invention mainly includes a toe rod, which acts as a connecting rod and is mainly used for the connection between the steering knuckle 1 and the subframe 3.

[0041] In addition, the toe bar in this invention includes a toe bar body 21, which is the main structure of the toe adjustment rod 2. In this invention, the toe bar body 21 is provided with a first connecting mechanism at one end and a second connecting mechanism at the other end. In this invention, the first connecting mechanism is used for connection with the subframe 3, and the second connecting mechanism is used for connection between the toe adjustment rod 2 and the steering knuckle 1.

[0042] In this invention, the first connecting mechanism includes a connecting ring 22 disposed on the toe-in body 21; the connecting ring 22 has a first mounting hole 221; the connecting ring 22 acts as a connector, which is subsequently used to adjust the installation of the bushing 7 on the toe-in adjusting rod 2, and is subsequently connected to the subframe 3 by an eccentric bolt 5; at the same time, in this invention, the second connecting mechanism includes two mounting plates 23 spaced apart on the toe-in body 21; each mounting plate 23 has at least one second mounting hole 231; in this invention, the cooperation between the toe-in body 21 and the two mounting plates 23 makes the invention form a shift fork structure; it is convenient to arrange on both sides of the steering knuckle 1, and convenient to connect the steering knuckle 1 and the toe-in adjusting rod 2 by mounting bolts 4.

[0043] Furthermore, in this invention, the inner side of an assembly plate 23 is precision machined into an assembly reference surface; during subsequent use, it mates with the mounting reference surface on the mounting bracket 31; ensuring that the toe-in adjustment rod 2 is in the designed position during installation; and ensuring the consistency between the designed position and the actual installation position.

[0044] Furthermore, in this invention, an adjustment mechanism is provided on an assembly plate 23; the adjustment mechanism is a pressing and fixing mechanism, which mainly limits the end of the steering knuckle bushing 6 in the steering knuckle 1 to prevent the steering knuckle bushing 6 from moving within the assembly hole of the steering knuckle 1; and ensures the stability and accuracy of the connection between the steering knuckle 1 and the toe-in adjustment rod 2.

[0045] Specifically, the adjustment mechanism described in this invention includes an adjustment threaded tube 24 inserted into the corresponding second assembly hole 231; the adjustment threaded tube 24 is a hollow pipe structure, which facilitates the subsequent insertion of the bolt 4. At the same time, the end of the adjustment threaded tube 24 presses against the end of the steering knuckle bushing 6, and cooperates with the assembly plate 23 on the other side to limit the position of both ends of the steering knuckle bushing 6.

[0046] In this invention, the toe adjustment rod 2 includes two mounting plates 23. In order to ensure the consistency of the toe adjustment rod 2 in the design calibration position, this invention requires that the adjustment mechanism be set on only one mounting plate 23, and the inner side of the other mounting plate 23 is provided with an assembly reference surface.

[0047] Furthermore, in this invention, the adjusting threaded tube 24 includes a tube body, and a limiting ring plate is provided at the end of the tube body; the vertical cross-section of the adjusting threaded tube 24 is T-shaped; in this invention, the tube body is a columnar structure, and in subsequent use, it is threadedly connected in the second assembly hole 231; the second assembly hole 231 is provided with an internal thread; and the limiting ring plate plays a good role in limiting the end, avoiding the over-insertion of the adjusting threaded tube 24; at the same time, the limiting ring plate can be designed as a polygonal structure, which makes it convenient for the operator to control the rotation of the adjusting threaded tube 24. Of course, a groove can also be provided on the limiting ring plate to facilitate the use of tools to rotate the adjusting threaded tube 24.

[0048] Furthermore, in this invention, the second assembly hole 231 in which the adjusting threaded tube 24 is installed is provided with thread fastening adhesive; the thread fastening adhesive plays a good sealing role and acts as an adhesive, which facilitates the stability of the connection between the adjusting threaded tube 24 and the second assembly hole 231.

[0049] Furthermore, the toe rod body 21 described in this invention is provided with a reinforcing mechanism, which includes a reinforcing plate 25. By setting the reinforcing plate 25, this invention effectively ensures the structural strength of the toe rod body 21. In addition, in this invention, the reinforcing plate 25 is a rectangular plate structure, which is attached to the lower end face of the toe rod body 21 during subsequent use. Its essential purpose is to ensure the structural strength of the toe adjustment rod 2.

[0050] In addition, in this invention, the reinforcing plate 25 and the toe rod body 21 are connected in a detachable manner. The detachable connection can be a snap-fit ​​or a bolt 251 connection, which can be selected according to the needs. At the same time, the threaded hole on the toe rod body 21 can also serve as an assembly process hole to facilitate the assembly operation of the toe adjustment rod 2.

[0051] Furthermore, in this invention, the toe rod body 21, connecting ring 22, and mounting plate 23 are integrally formed; this arrangement ensures the integrity of the toe adjustment rod 2. In addition, in this invention, the toe rod is made of aluminum alloy; this arrangement not only ensures the strength of the toe adjustment rod 2, but also reduces the weight of the toe adjustment rod 2 to a certain extent.

[0052] A suspension assembly includes a subframe 3 and a steering knuckle 1. The subframe 3 is connected to the steering knuckle 1 via a toe-adjusting rod 2. The steering knuckle 1 is provided with a steering knuckle bushing 6. The toe-adjusting rod 2 is provided with an adjusting bushing 7. The toe-adjusting rod 2 is connected to the steering knuckle 1 via a mounting bolt 4 passing through the steering knuckle bushing 6. The toe-adjusting rod 2 is connected to the subframe 3 via an eccentric bolt 5 passing through the adjusting bushing 7. The suspension assembly disclosed in this invention is mainly a multi-link suspension structure. In this invention, the steering knuckle bushing 6 is embedded in the steering knuckle 1, and the adjusting bushing 7 is embedded in the toe-adjusting rod 2. One end of the toe-adjusting rod 2 is connected to the steering knuckle 1 via a mounting bolt 4, and the other end is connected to the subframe 3 via an eccentric bolt 5. The eccentric bolt 5 allows for adjustment of the wheel camber angle by rotating the eccentric bolt 5 during subsequent use, thereby changing the relative distance between the subframe 3 and the steering knuckle 1.

[0053] Furthermore, in this invention, the subframe 3 is connected to the toe-in adjustment rod 2 via a mounting mechanism; the mounting mechanism serves as a good bridge, facilitating the connection between the toe-in adjustment rod 2 and the subframe 3.

[0054] In addition, the mounting mechanism described in this invention includes a mounting bracket 31 disposed on the subframe 3. The mounting bracket 31 is disposed perpendicular to the subframe 3 and is equivalent to a mounting bracket, which facilitates the installation of the toe-in adjustment rod 2 on the subframe 3.

[0055] In addition, the mounting bracket 31 described in this invention is connected to the toe-in adjustment rod 2 by an eccentric bolt 5; in subsequent use, the relative distance between the subframe 3 and the steering knuckle 1 can be changed by rotating the eccentric bolt 5, thereby realizing the wheel camber adjustment.

[0056] In addition, the mounting bracket 31 described in this invention has a U-shaped horizontal projection; this arrangement allows the mounting bracket 31 to form an opening on the side near the toe adjustment rod 2, which facilitates the up-and-down and back-and-forth swing of the toe adjustment rod 2; and avoids interference between the toe adjustment rod 2 and the mounting bracket 31.

[0057] Furthermore, in this invention, the mounting bracket 31 is provided with a mounting reference surface; the mounting reference surface and the assembly reference surface on the assembly plate 23 are on the same side of the toe adjustment rod 2; in this invention, by using the mounting reference surface and the assembly reference surface in cooperation, the consistency of the toe adjustment rod 2 being installed in the designed calibration position can be ensured.

[0058] specific:

[0059] This invention discloses a front toe adjustment rod 2; the front toe adjustment rod 2 disclosed in this invention can improve the convenience of assembly during module disassembly, reduce assembly steps, reduce production input, and improve connection reliability; and provide sufficient space for battery arrangement, achieving the purpose of lightweighting while meeting the requirements of structural strength and arrangement space.

[0060] The toe-in adjustment rod 2 disclosed in this invention is mainly made of aluminum alloy material. Under the premise of the same structure, it can reduce the weight of the product, optimize the weight of the whole vehicle, and improve the economy of passenger vehicles.

[0061] An adjusting threaded tube 24 is added to the connection position between the toe-in adjusting rod 2 and the steering knuckle bushing 6, which increases the reliability of the connection structure.

[0062] Optimize the cross-sectional design to save layout space, solve the problem of limited space for surrounding components, and improve the overall space layout of the vehicle.

[0063] The product structure is designed to be centrally symmetrical, allowing for interchangeability between left and right components.

[0064] The toe-adjusting rod 2 disclosed in this invention solves the problems of large layout space, welding deformation affecting tolerance, and heavy weight of traditional rear suspensions.

[0065] Currently, most toe-adjusting rods 2 that play a role in toe adjustment in the market are rear upper control arms or rear lower control arms. Their main structure is a stamped part and a press-fitted sleeve welded together. Compared with aluminum alloy material structures, in addition to the disadvantage of being heavier, their manufacturing process is unstable, and the welding deformation is large, which ultimately affects the assembly of the whole vehicle.

[0066] This invention addresses the issue of reducing the weight of the product body by using a novel aluminum alloy material; secondly, it saves space by optimizing the cross-sectional design, thus solving the problem of limited space for surrounding components.

[0067] Its structure includes an integrally formed toe-in body 21. The middle part of the outer side of the toe-in body 21 has an inwardly recessed structure to provide a mounting position for the steering knuckle 1. The mounting position is equipped with a threaded tube to mate with the steering knuckle bushing 6. The toe-in body 21 is provided with a mounting position to connect with the subframe 3. The middle part is slightly bent backward to form a micro-arc structure. At the same time, in order to meet the strength fatigue requirements, a sheet metal reinforcing plate 25 is added on the basis of the arc structure.

[0068] The toe-in adjustment rod 2 disclosed in this invention has good structural rigidity, can optimize the layout of surrounding structures, has a simple structure, is lightweight, and has strong practicality and good application prospects; by reducing product weight through a simple beam structure, it achieves the advantages of cost control and quantity reduction. Specific implementation examples:

[0070] As shown in the attached diagram, the toe-in adjusting rod 2 is connected to the steering knuckle 1 through a second connecting mechanism. The standard part uses an M10×100 bolt (FQ18314100TF61 K) with a hexagonal flange locking nut (Q33114T13F36K). After the toe-in adjusting rod 24 is pressed into the adjusting bushing 7 in the first mounting hole 221 (the bushing's release force is required to be greater than 10KN), it is connected to the subframe 3 assembly 16 using an M14×125 eccentric bolt 5 (FQ140D14125TF61 K) with a locking nut (FQ339D14T13F61) and an eccentric washer (FQ402D14F61).

[0071] In the suspension assembly, the H-arm and steering knuckle 1 are connected by a bridging gasket. The standard part uses four M10×70 bolts (FQ1841070TF61) in conjunction with all-metal hexagonal flange nuts (FQ33610T13F61).

[0072] The rear upper control arm assembly is connected to the steering knuckle 1. The standard part uses an M10×100 bolt (FQ18314100TF61K) and a hexagonal flange face lock nut (Q33114T13F36K).

[0073] As shown in the attached figure, the adjusting threaded tube 24 on the toe-adjusting rod 2 is screwed to the body 11 of the toe-adjusting rod 2. The screwed part has thread-fastening adhesive. By controlling the length of the adjusting threaded tube 24 screwed into the second mounting hole 231 of the toe-adjusting rod 2, the interval between the two second mounting holes 231 on the toe-adjusting rod 2 is changed to match the size of the steering knuckle bushing 6 and eliminate the gap between the toe-adjusting rod 2 and the steering knuckle bushing 6. The material of the toe-adjusting rod 2 is changed from iron to aluminum, and due to space constraints, its strength is relatively weak. Therefore, it is necessary to use the reinforcing plate 25 of the toe-adjusting rod 2 and the mounting bolt 4 to screw the reinforcing plate 25 to the toe-adjusting rod 2 at the weak part to ensure the lightweight of the toe-adjusting rod 2 while meeting the strength fatigue requirements.

[0074] Obviously, the specific implementation of this invention is not limited to the above-described methods. Any non-substantial improvements made using the inventive concept and technical solution of this invention are within the protection scope of this invention.

Claims

1. A toe-in adjustment rod, characterized in that, It includes a toe bar, the toe bar includes a toe bar body, one end of the toe bar body is provided with a first connecting mechanism, and the other end is provided with a second connecting mechanism; The first connecting mechanism includes a connecting ring disposed on the toe bar body; the connecting ring has a first mounting hole; The second connecting mechanism includes two mounting plates spaced apart on the toe bar body; each mounting plate has at least one second mounting hole; An adjustment mechanism is provided on an assembly plate; the adjustment mechanism includes an adjustment threaded tube inserted into a corresponding second assembly hole; the adjustment threaded tube is a hollow pipe structure; the adjustment threaded tube is threadedly connected to the second assembly hole. The toe-in adjustment rod is connected to the steering knuckle via an assembly plate in the second connecting mechanism; The toe-in adjustment rod is connected to the steering knuckle via mounting bolts passing through the steering knuckle bushing; The end of the adjusting threaded tube presses against the end of the steering knuckle bushing, and the mounting plate on the other side limits the position of both ends of the steering knuckle bushing.

2. The toe-adjusting rod according to claim 1, characterized in that, The inner side of an assembly plate is precision machined into an assembly reference surface.

3. A toe-adjusting rod according to claim 2, characterized in that, The adjusting threaded pipe includes a pipe body, and a limiting ring plate is provided at the end of the pipe body; the vertical cross section of the adjusting threaded pipe is T-shaped.

4. A toe-adjusting rod according to claim 2, characterized in that, The second assembly hole, which houses the adjusting threaded tube, is equipped with thread-fastening adhesive.

5. A toe-adjusting rod according to claim 1, characterized in that, The toe bar body is provided with a reinforcing mechanism, which includes a reinforcing plate. The reinforcing plate is connected to the toe bar body in a detachable manner.

6. A toe-adjusting rod according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, The toe rod body, connecting ring, and mounting plate are integrally formed; the toe rod is made of aluminum alloy.

7. A suspension assembly, characterized in that, The device includes a subframe and a steering knuckle. The subframe is connected to the steering knuckle via a toe-adjusting rod as described in any one of claims 1-6. The steering knuckle is provided with a steering knuckle bushing. The toe-adjusting rod is provided with an adjusting bushing. The toe-adjusting rod is connected to the steering knuckle via a mounting bolt passing through the steering knuckle bushing. The toe-adjusting rod is connected to the subframe via an eccentric bolt passing through the adjusting bushing.

8. A suspension assembly according to claim 7, characterized in that, The subframe is connected to the toe-adjusting rod via a mounting mechanism; the mounting mechanism includes a mounting bracket mounted on the subframe, which is connected to the toe-adjusting rod via an eccentric bolt; the horizontal projection of the mounting bracket is U-shaped.

9. A suspension assembly according to claim 8, characterized in that, The mounting bracket is provided with a mounting reference surface; the mounting reference surface and the assembly reference surface on the assembly plate are on the same side of the toe adjustment rod.

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