Vehicle suspension

Abstract

A vehicle suspension includes a leaf spring, a shackle for supporting the leaf spring on a vehicle frame, a lever shackle configured to rotate in linkage with the shackle, and an elastic element pressurized by rotational displacement of the lever shackle. According to the vehicle suspension, stable riding comfort can be ensured in the no-load state, and the enough vehicle height can be ensured in the loading state.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0044338, filed on April 1, 2024, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein for all purposes. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure relates to a vehicle suspension technology using leaf springs. Background Technology

[0004] Vehicle suspension improves ride comfort by using springs and dampers to support the rise and fall of the wheels relative to the frame.

[0005] The existing suspension configuration using leaf springs involves attaching the axle to the middle part of the leaf spring via clamps while the spring eyes at both ends of the leaf spring are mounted on the vehicle frame, thereby supporting the wheels mounted at both ends of the axle.

[0006] Typically, one of the spring eyes at each end of the leaf spring is supported on the frame for easy rotation, while the other spring eye can rotate and move in the front-to-back direction to be supported on the frame via a shackle to accommodate changes in the leaf spring span.

[0007] When the stiffness of the leaf spring is set based on the vehicle's load condition, the vehicle equipped with the leaf spring can maintain an appropriate height when loaded. However, when unloaded, the vehicle height will be too high due to excessive spring stiffness, resulting in decreased ride comfort. Setting the leaf spring stiffness based on the unload condition ensures a smooth and comfortable ride, but it is difficult to guarantee sufficient vehicle height when loaded.

[0008] The above content is intended only to help understand the background of this disclosure and does not mean that this disclosure falls within the scope of related technologies known to those skilled in the art. Utility Model Content

[0009] This section provides a simplified overview of some selected concepts, which will be further elaborated in the detailed description section below. This section is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

[0010] In one general aspect, this document provides a vehicle suspension comprising: a leaf spring; a shackle configured to support the leaf spring on a frame; a lever shackle configured to rotate via connection with the shackle; and an elastic element configured to apply pressure via rotational displacement of the lever shackle.

[0011] The lever shackle may include: a shackle link configured to connect the spring eye of the leaf spring to a shackle mounting bracket on the frame; and a pressure lever configured to extend from the shackle link and apply pressure to the elastic element.

[0012] An eye-through shaft is rotatably inserted into the spring eye of the leaf spring. A first side of the eye-through shaft is supported on the shackle, and a second side of the eye-through shaft is supported on the shackle link of the lever shackle.

[0013] The vehicle suspension may further include a bracket through shaft configured to pass through the shackle mounting bracket, and the eyelet shaft is integrally disposed on the shackle in parallel; the shackle link of the lever shackle is rotatably inserted into the bracket through shaft and the eyelet shaft.

[0014] The elastic element can be installed at a position where, when the span of the leaf spring becomes shorter, the elastic element is further pressured by the pressure lever.

[0015] The elastic element can be installed in a position where, when the span of the leaf spring becomes shorter, the elastic element is compressed by the pressure lever to pressurize the elastic element.

[0016] The elastic element can be inserted into and fixed into the spring mounting cup, which is installed at the spring support frame fixed to the vehicle frame.

[0017] The pressure lever of the lever shackle can be configured to bend and extend in a direction perpendicular to the shackle link, and one end of the pressure lever can be configured to apply pressure to the elastic element inserted into the spring mounting cup when the shackle link rotates about the through axis of the bracket.

[0018] The lever shackle can be installed on the rear side of the leaf spring of the vehicle that includes the vehicle suspension. The shackle link of the lever shackle can be configured to be longer in the vertical direction based on the bracket through shaft. The pressure lever extends from the upper end of the shackle link toward the rear side of the vehicle. The elastic element can be fixed to the upper rear side of the bracket through shaft of the vehicle by the spring support frame and the spring mounting cup.

[0019] The lever shackle can be configured to form a movable gap between the lever shackle and the elastic element when the vehicle, including the vehicle suspension, is in an unloaded state, and to apply pressure to the elastic element as the movable gap is formed and removed when the vehicle approaches a loaded state.

[0020] The elastic element may have a first spring stiffness, which is greater than the second spring stiffness of the leaf spring.

[0021] According to this disclosure, the vehicle suspension can provide dual spring stiffness when the vehicle equipped with leaf springs is unloaded and loaded, thereby ensuring smooth ride comfort when unloaded and sufficient vehicle height when loaded. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the vehicle suspension disclosed herein;

[0023] Figure 2 for Figure 1 Detailed schematic diagram of the main parts;

[0024] Figure 3 for Figure 2 Exploded view of the main components;

[0025] Figure 4 This is an example diagram illustrating the operation of the vehicle suspension under no-load conditions as disclosed in this disclosure;

[0026] Figure 5 This is an example diagram illustrating the operation of the vehicle suspension under loaded conditions according to this disclosure;

[0027] Figure 6 For overlap and comparison Figure 4 and Figure 5 A schematic diagram;

[0028] Figure 7 A diagram describing the spring stiffness of a vehicle suspension according to this disclosure.

[0029] Throughout the accompanying drawings and detailed description, unless otherwise stated, the same or similar reference numerals shall be construed as referring to the same or similar elements, features, and structures. The drawings may not be drawn to scale, and for clarity, illustration, and convenience, the relative sizes, proportions, and depictions of elements in the drawings may be exaggerated. Detailed Implementation

[0030] The following detailed description is intended to help the reader fully understand the methods, apparatus, and / or systems described herein. However, after understanding the disclosure of this application, various changes, modifications, and equivalents to the methods, apparatus, and / or systems described herein will become apparent. For example, the order of operations described herein is merely illustrative and is not limited to what is listed; rather, changes may be made, except for operations that need to occur in a certain order, based on the understanding of the disclosure of this application.

[0031] The features described herein may take many forms and should not be construed as being limited to the examples described herein. Rather, the examples described herein are merely intended to illustrate a subset of the many possible ways in which the methods, apparatus, and / or systems described herein will be apparent upon understanding the disclosure of this application.

[0032] The advantages and features of this disclosure, and the methods for implementing said advantages and features, will become clear from the embodiments described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this disclosure is not limited to the embodiments disclosed herein, but will be implemented in various forms. Embodiments of this disclosure are provided to fully disclose the disclosure and to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand its scope. Furthermore, the terminology used in this specification is used to explain the embodiments and is not intended to limit the disclosure.

[0033] Terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) can be used to describe components. Each of these terms is not used to define the nature, order, or sequence of the corresponding component, but only to distinguish the corresponding component from other components. For example, the first component can be referred to as the second component, and similarly, the second component can be referred to as the first component.

[0034] Throughout the specification, when a component is described as "connected to" or "coupled to" another component, it can be directly "connected to" or "coupled to" another component, or there may be one or more other components in between. Conversely, when an element is described as "directly connected to" or "directly coupled to" another element, there cannot be any other elements in between.

[0035] In the description of the embodiments, if an element is described as being formed on or under another element, this description includes both cases where the two elements are formed in direct contact and cases where the two elements are in indirect contact through one or more other elements placed between the two elements. Furthermore, when an element is described as being formed on or under another element, this description can include cases where the one element is formed on the upper or lower side relative to the other element.

[0036] The singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprising / containing” and / or “including / including” as used herein specify the presence of the stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0037] Therefore, considering the problems that have arisen in the aforementioned related technologies, this disclosure aims to provide a vehicle suspension that can provide dual spring stiffness when a vehicle equipped with leaf springs is in an unloaded and loaded state, thereby ensuring smooth ride comfort when unloaded and ensuring sufficient vehicle height when loaded.

[0038] See Figures 1 to 6In one embodiment of this disclosure, the vehicle suspension includes: a leaf spring 1, a shackle 3 supporting the leaf spring 1 to a frame 2, a lever shackle 4 mounted to rotate via connection with the shackle 3, and an elastic element 5 mounted to apply pressure via rotational displacement of the lever shackle 4.

[0039] In other words, the present disclosure is configured such that the lever shackle 4 rotates in connection with the shackle 3 according to the span change of the leaf spring 1 caused by the up-and-down movement of the wheel W, thereby providing additional spring stiffness through the elastic element 5.

[0040] The lever shackle 4 is installed to form a movable gap G between the lever shackle 4 and the elastic element 5 when unloaded, and to remove the movable gap G while applying pressure to the elastic element 5 when loaded.

[0041] Furthermore, the elastic element 5 has a spring stiffness greater than that of the leaf spring 1.

[0042] Furthermore, when unloaded, the suspension of this disclosure provides spring stiffness to the wheel W solely due to the elastic deformation of the leaf spring 1 itself, while when loaded, it provides spring stiffness to the wheel W through the elastic element 5.

[0043] Here, when the spring stiffness of the leaf spring 1 of the suspension of this disclosure forms a level that can improve the ride comfort of the vehicle when unloaded, and the spring stiffness of the elastic element 5 forms a level that can form an appropriate vehicle height when loaded, the suspension of this disclosure can form a soft ride comfort of the vehicle when unloaded and form an appropriate vehicle height when loaded, thereby providing dual suspension characteristics suitable for vehicle conditions depending on whether the vehicle is loaded or not.

[0044] For reference, "when unloaded" here can be understood as corresponding to "unloaded state" in Article 2 of the "Automotive Safety Standards Regulations," thus "when unloaded" can be considered as a state where the vehicle is not loaded with cargo; while "when loaded" can be understood as corresponding to "loaded state" in the same regulations, thus "when loaded" can be considered as a state where the vehicle is loaded with the maximum amount of cargo. For example, "when loaded" can refer to the increase in vehicle weight as the vehicle approaches its maximum load capacity.

[0045] In this embodiment, the lever shackle 4 includes: a shackle link 9 that connects the spring eye of the leaf spring 1 and the shackle mounting bracket 7 of the frame 2; and a pressure lever 11 that is formed to extend from the shackle link 9 to apply pressure to the elastic element 5.

[0046] In other words, when the span of the leaf spring 1 changes, the shackle link 9 and the shackle 3 together generate a rotational displacement. The pressure lever 11 uses the rotational displacement generated by the shackle link 9 to remove the movable gap G and apply pressure to the elastic element 5, so that the spring stiffness of the elastic element 5 is applied to the wheel W.

[0047] The eyelet shaft 13 is rotatably inserted into the spring eye of the leaf spring 1. One side of the eyelet shaft 13 is supported on the shackle 3, and the other side of the eyelet shaft 13 is supported on the shackle link 9 of the lever shackle 4.

[0048] In other words, in this embodiment, the shackle 3 is only provided on one side of the leaf spring 1, while the other side is configured to enable the shackle linkage 9 of the lever shackle 4 to perform the function of the shackle 3.

[0049] Of course, similar to related technologies, the lever shackle 4 can also be installed with the shackle 3 overlapping with the shackle 3 on one side when the shackle 3 is provided on both sides of the leaf spring 1.

[0050] In this embodiment, the bracket through shaft 15 and eye hole shaft 13, which pass through the shackle mounting bracket 7, are integrally and parallelly arranged on the shackle 3, and the shackle connecting rod 9 of the lever shackle 4 is rotatably inserted into the bracket through shaft 15 and eye hole shaft 13.

[0051] Therefore, the assembly of shackle 3, lever shackle 4 and leaf spring 1 can be very simple, thus ensuring excellent assembly manufacturability.

[0052] See Figure 3 The bushing 17 is coupled to the bracket through shaft 15 and eyehole shaft 13 to enable smoother and quieter rotation.

[0053] As the span of the leaf spring 1 shortens, the elastic element 5 is positioned where it is further compressed (i.e., further pressure is applied) by the pressure lever 11. In other words, the elastic element 5 can be further pressurized by the compression caused by the pressure lever 11.

[0054] In other words, such as Figure 5 As shown, since the left spring eye of the leaf spring 1 is fixed in a rotatable state, when the wheel W moves upward relative to the vehicle frame 2 due to the live load, the leaf spring 1 deforms into an arc shape and thus shortens its span. Therefore, the shackle 3 and the lever shackle 4 rotate clockwise, and as the lever shackle 4 rotates, the pressure lever 11 of the lever shackle 4 removes the movable gap G and applies pressure to the elastic element 5.

[0055] For reference only. Figure 6 Comparison Figure 4 The no-load state and Figure 5 The loading status is shown in the diagram, and the loading status is indicated by dashed lines.

[0056] In this embodiment, the elastic element 5 is inserted into and fixed in a spring mounting cup 21 mounted on a spring support frame 19, which is fixed to the vehicle frame 2.

[0057] Furthermore, the pressure lever 11 of the lever shackle 4 bends and extends in a direction perpendicular to the shackle link 9. When the shackle link 9 rotates about the bracket through shaft 15, the end of the pressure lever 11 presses the elastic element 5 and inserts it into the spring mounting cup 21.

[0058] In other words, in this embodiment, the lever shackle 4 is installed on the rear side of the leaf spring 1 of the vehicle, the shackle link 9 of the lever shackle 4 is configured to extend vertically based on the bracket through shaft 15, the pressure lever 11 extends from the upper end of the shackle link 9 to the rear side of the vehicle, and the elastic element 5 is fixed above the rear side of the bracket through shaft 15 by the spring support frame 19 and the spring mounting cup 21.

[0059] Here, the elastic element 5 can be made of materials such as urethane.

[0060] As mentioned earlier, the spring stiffness provided by the elastic element 5 is greater than that of the leaf spring 1. Therefore, as the upward displacement of the wheel W towards the frame 2 increases, the spring stiffness K1 of the leaf spring 1... Figure 7 The pressure gradually increases as shown. When the lever shackle 4 begins to apply pressure to the elastic element 5, the spring stiffness K2 of the elastic element 5 comes into play, and thus, excellent ride comfort can be provided in the area where the spring stiffness K1 of the leaf spring 1 comes into play, and an appropriate vehicle height can be formed despite live load in the area where the spring stiffness K2 of the elastic element 5 comes into play.

[0061] According to this disclosure, the vehicle suspension can provide dual spring stiffness when the vehicle equipped with leaf springs is unloaded and loaded, thereby ensuring smooth ride comfort when unloaded and sufficient vehicle height when loaded.

[0062] The embodiments disclosed herein do not list all possible combinations, but are used to describe representative aspects of the disclosure. The descriptions of the embodiments can be applied independently or in combination of two or more.

[0063] Although this disclosure contains specific examples, it will be apparent upon understanding the disclosure of this application that various changes in form and detail may be made to these examples without departing from the spirit and scope of this utility model. The examples described herein should be considered in a descriptive sense only and not for limiting purposes. The description of features or aspects in each example should be regarded as applicable to similar features or aspects in other examples. Appropriate results may be achieved if the techniques are performed in a different order, and / or if components in the described system, architecture, device, or circuit are combined in different ways and / or replaced or supplemented by other components or their equivalents.

Claims

1. A vehicle suspension, characterized in that, include: Leaf spring; A shackle, configured to support the leaf spring on the vehicle frame; A lever shackle, configured to rotate via connection with the shackle; as well as The elastic element is configured to apply pressure via the rotational displacement of the lever shackle.

2. The vehicle suspension according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lever release includes: A shackle link configured to connect the spring eye of the leaf spring to the shackle mounting bracket of the frame; and A pressure lever is configured to extend from the shackle link and apply pressure to the resilient element.

3. The vehicle suspension according to claim 2, characterized in that, The eyelet shaft is rotatably inserted into the spring eye of the leaf spring. The first side of the eyehole shaft is supported on the shackle, and The second side of the eyehole shaft is supported on the shackle link of the lever shackle.

4. The vehicle suspension according to claim 3, characterized in that, Further includes: A bracket through-shackle is configured to pass through the shackle mounting bracket, and the eyelet shaft is integrally and parallelly disposed on the shackle. The lever shackle's shackle link is rotatably inserted into the bracket through shaft and the eye hole shaft.

5. The vehicle suspension according to claim 4, characterized in that, The elastic element is installed at a position where pressure is further applied by the pressure lever when the span of the leaf spring becomes shorter.

6. The vehicle suspension according to claim 4, characterized in that, The elastic element is installed at a position where, when the span of the leaf spring shortens, the elastic element is compressed by the pressure lever to apply pressure to the elastic element.

7. The vehicle suspension according to claim 4, characterized in that, The elastic element is inserted into and fixed in the spring mounting cup, which is mounted on a spring support bracket fixed to the frame.

8. The vehicle suspension according to claim 7, characterized in that, The pressure lever of the lever shackle is configured to bend and extend in a direction perpendicular to the shackle link, and When the shackle link rotates around the through axis of the bracket, the end of the pressure lever is configured to apply pressure to the elastic element inserted into the spring mounting cup.

9. The vehicle suspension according to claim 8, characterized in that, The lever shackle is mounted on the rear side of the leaf spring in the vehicle, which includes the vehicle suspension. The lever shackle link is configured to be long in the vertical direction based on the through axis of the bracket, and the pressure lever extends from the upper end of the shackle link toward the rear of the vehicle. as well as The elastic element is secured above the rear side of the bracket through the vehicle via the spring support frame and the spring mounting cup.

10. The vehicle suspension according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lever shackle is configured to form a movable gap between the lever shackle and the elastic element when the vehicle, including the vehicle suspension, is unloaded, and to pressurize the elastic element as the movable gap is removed when the vehicle approaches a loaded state.

11. The vehicle suspension according to claim 1, characterized in that, The elastic element has a first spring stiffness, which is greater than the second spring stiffness of the leaf spring.

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