Spring seat for vehicle suspension device

Abstract

To provide a spring seat for a vehicle suspension device that can prevent cracks or fractures at low temperatures even when high attenuation materials are used.SOLUTION: A spring seat 2 which is provided on an end of a coil spring 17 positioned between a vehicle body-side member and a wheel-side member, comprises: an elastic member 21 which has a first contact surface 212 that contacts the coil spring 17; and a rigid member 22 which is embedded in the elastic member 21 at least on the first contact surface 212 and has higher rigidity than the elastic member 21. The elastic member 21 includes a first hole 215 at a portion of the first contact surface 212. The rigid member 22 is provided at the position of the first hole 215 and includes a first protrusion 223 that extends toward the coil spring 17 and is positioned lower than the opening edge of the first hole 215.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a spring seat for a vehicle suspension system. [Background technology]

[0002] A known upper support for a suspension has a spring receiving metal fitting (32) that supports the upper end of a suspension spring (70), and an upper contact rubber layer (30) and a lower contact rubber layer (40) formed on the opposing surfaces of a lower support metal fitting (24) and the spring receiving metal fitting (32) are brought into contact with each other and overlapped by the biasing force of the suspension spring (70) (see Patent Document 1). When the suspension spring (70) contracts, a force is applied to the seat rubber (42). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2009-196574 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in order to improve the damping characteristics of the seat rubber of the above-mentioned conventional technology, the use of a high-damping material with a high loss factor for the seat rubber has been considered. However, this type of high-damping material has high rigidity at low temperatures, and so there is a risk of cracks or breakage occurring when a large input is applied.

[0005] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a spring seat for a vehicle suspension that can suppress cracks and fractures at low temperatures even when a highly damping material is used. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention solves the above problem by having an elastic member having a contact surface that contacts a coil spring, the elastic member having a hole portion in part of the contact surface, and a high-rigidity rigid member arranged on the opposite side of the elastic member from the coil spring, the high-rigidity rigid member having a convex portion at a recessed position that recesses beyond the opening edge of the hole portion. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, even if a high damping material is used for the elastic member of the spring seat, cracks and fractures at low temperatures can be suppressed. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a vehicle suspension device in which a spring seat according to the present invention is used; [Diagram 2] 1 is a half cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of a spring seat according to the present invention. [Diagram 3] 3A and 3B are a plan view and a cross-sectional view showing the spring seat of FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is a half sectional view for explaining the function of the spring seat in FIG. 2. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a half cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of a spring seat according to the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the spring seat of FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a half sectional view showing still another embodiment of a spring seat according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a vehicle suspension 1 in which a spring seat 2 according to the present invention is used. In Fig. 1, reference numeral 11 denotes a vehicle, reference numeral 1 denotes a vehicle suspension, and reference numeral 12 denotes a tire, reference numeral 13 denotes a drive shaft, reference numeral 14 denotes a lower link, reference numeral 15 denotes an axle, reference numeral 16 denotes a shock absorber, and reference numeral 17 denotes a coil spring.

[0010] The spring seat 2 according to the present invention is a component provided at the upper or lower end of the coil spring 17 of the vehicle suspension system 1. The spring seat 2 according to the present invention is disposed between the upper end of the coil spring 17 and a vehicle body side member (such as the vehicle body), or between the lower end of the coil spring 17 and a wheel side member (such as a lower link). Fig. 2 is a half cross-sectional view showing one embodiment of the spring seat 2 according to the present invention, and Fig. 3 is a plan view of the spring seat 2 in Fig. 2 and cross-sectional views along lines AA, BB, and CC.

[0011] The spring seat 2 of this embodiment is a component in which a rigid member 22 made of a highly rigid material such as metal, plastic or ceramic is embedded inside an elastic member 21 made of an elastic material such as rubber. As shown in the plan view of Fig. 3, the spring seat 2 of this embodiment has a circular outer periphery with a diameter larger than the outer diameter of the coil spring 17, and has a spring receiving portion 211 that abuts against and receives the lower end of the coil spring 17, and an annular raised portion 214 that rises toward a through hole formed in the center.

[0012] 2, the upper surface of the spring receiving portion 211 serves as a first contact surface 212 that comes into contact with the coil spring 17, and the lower surface of the spring receiving portion 211 serves as a second contact surface 213 that comes into contact with a wheel-side member 3 such as the lower link 18 (or a base member 23 in another embodiment described later). Both the first contact surface 212 and the second contact surface 213 are formed as flat surfaces.

[0013] The elastic member 21 is made of an elastic material such as rubber, but in order to improve the damping characteristics, it is more preferable to use an elastic material having a high damping characteristic with a loss factor L of 0.2 or more. Here, the loss factor L refers to the damping effect expressed by the tangent (tan δ) of the phase difference δ between the vibration amplitude x input to one end of the elastic body and the transmission force F transmitted to the other end of the elastic body, and is a value proportional to the damping coefficient. Examples of elastic materials having high damping characteristics with such high loss factors include fluororubbers such as vinylidene fluoride (FKM), silicone rubbers such as vinyl methyl silicone rubber (VMQ), and butyl rubber (IIR). When the elastic member 21 is molded from an elastic material having such high damping characteristics, the vibration of the coil spring 17 is stopped more quickly, so that the resonance of the coil spring 17 can be absorbed even more.

[0014] The rigid member 22, which is disposed on the opposite side of the coil spring 17 in the first contact surface 212 of the elastic member 21, is a member for compensating for the strength of the elastic member 21 to ensure the rigidity of the entire spring seat 2. The rigid member 22 of this embodiment is not particularly limited as long as it has a higher rigidity than the elastic member 21, and can be made of an appropriate material such as a metal material such as steel or aluminum, an organic material such as fiber-reinforced plastic, or an inorganic material such as ceramic. As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 2, the rigid member 22 of this embodiment has an outer peripheral portion 221 that is disc-shaped following the shape of the spring receiving portion 211 of the elastic member 21, and an inner peripheral portion 222 that is annularly tubular following the shape of the annular protruding portion 214 of the elastic member 21.

[0015] In the spring seat 2 of this embodiment shown in Fig. 2, the rigid member 22 is embedded inside the elastic member 21 or covered by the elastic member 21, except for a first convex portion 223 and a second convex portion 224 described later, but the other portions may be exposed from the elastic member 21 as long as at least the outer circumferential portion 221 of the rigid member 22 is disposed on the opposite side to the coil spring 17 in the spring receiving portion 211 of the elastic member 21. Fig. 7 is a half cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the spring seat according to the present invention, in which the upper surface of the outer circumferential portion 221 of the rigid member 22 is covered by the spring receiving portion 211 of the elastic member 21, but the other portions of the rigid member 22 are exposed from the elastic member 21.

[0016] In the spring seat 2 of this embodiment, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, a first hole 215 is formed at each of three predetermined locations on the first contact surface 212 of the elastic member 21. The first hole 215 is a circular hole having a hole diameter equal to the outer diameter of the coil spring 17. If the hole has a sharp corner portion, such as a rectangular hole, cracks may occur from the sharp corner portion when the load of the coil spring 17 is applied. Therefore, it is preferable that the hole shape is circular or has a curved shape without sharp corner portions all around. In addition, the hole diameter of the first hole 215 is large enough to contact the first protrusion 223 of the rigid member 22 described later when the coil spring 17 is contracted. On the other hand, if the hole diameter of the first hole 215 is too large, the contact area between the first contact surface 212 other than the first hole 215 and the coil spring 17 decreases, and the high damping characteristic decreases, so it is preferable that the hole diameter is equal to or smaller than the outer diameter of the coil spring 17.

[0017] 2 and 3, in the spring seat 2 of this embodiment, the rigid member 22 is formed with a first protrusion 223 facing the coil spring 17 at each of the three locations where the first hole portion 215 is formed. The first protrusion 223 may be formed integrally at the same time when the rigid member 22 is manufactured, or may be attached as a separate part after the main body of the rigid member 22 is manufactured.

[0018] The first protrusion 223 in this embodiment is in a recessed position where its top surface 223a is recessed from the opening edge 215a of the first hole 215 (see cross sections AA, BB, and CC in FIG. 3), and does not abut against the coil spring 17 as shown in FIG. 2 when the coil spring 17 is not expanded or contracted, and is at a height where the coil spring 17 abuts against the top surface 223a of the first protrusion 223 when the coil spring 17 contracts to a predetermined length or more as shown in FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is a half cross-sectional view for explaining the function of the spring seat 2, and shows a state where the coil spring 17 contracts to a predetermined length or more. The diameter of the first protrusion 223 in this embodiment is smaller than the hole diameter of the first hole 215, and is set to a diameter that can receive the coil spring 17 without deformation even when it abuts against it.

[0019] In the spring seat 2 of this embodiment, as shown in Fig. 3, the first hole 215 and the first protrusion 223 are provided at both ends of the first contact surface 212 of the elastic member 21 and between the both ends. Since the coil spring 17 is a spiral member, the contact portion between the coil spring 17 and the spring receiving portion 211 of the elastic member 21 is from the spring start point 171 to the spring take-off and landing point 172, as shown by the thick dotted line labeled with reference numeral 17 in Fig. 3. The spring start point 171 corresponds to the endmost portion of the coil spring 17, and the portion after the spring take-off and landing point 172 corresponds to the spiral portion of the coil spring 17.

[0020] In the spring sheet 2 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the first hole portion 215 and the first convex portion 223 are provided at one location on the first contact surface 212 near the spring start point 171, provided at one location on the first contact surface 212 near the spring departure / arrival point 172, and further provided at one location on the first contact surface 212 at or near the midpoint between them. Note that the locations where the first hole portion 215 and the first convex portion 223 are arranged are not limited to the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, and two or four or more locations may be provided. When providing the first hole portion 215 and the first convex portion 223 at two locations, as shown in FIG. 3, one may be provided at one location on the first contact surface 212 near the spring start point 171 and one at one location on the first contact surface 212 near the spring departure / arrival point 172, or they may be provided at other locations.

[0021] Note that, as shown in FIG. 3, when the first hole portion 215 and the first convex portion 223 are provided at three locations, the top surface 223a of the first convex portion 223 provided between the both ends shown in the C-C cross section is preferably set closer to the opening edge 215a of the first hole portion 215 than the top surface 223a of the first convex portion 223 provided at the both ends shown in the A-A cross section and the B-B cross section. That is, in FIG. 3, when the positions of the opening edges 215a of the three first hole portions 215 are the same, if the distances from the opening edge 215a of the first hole portion 215 to the top surface 223a of the first convex portion 223 are respectively Ha, Hb, and Hc, it is preferable that Hc < Ha, Hc < Hb (Hc < Ha = Hb is also acceptable).

[0022] Of the first contact surfaces 212 that contact the lower end of the coil spring 17, the force acting on the spring start point 171 and the spring take-off and landing point 172 is the largest, and the force acting on the other first contact surfaces 212 is smaller. Therefore, if the positions of the top faces 223a of the first protrusions 223 formed at three locations (the distance H between the top faces 223a and the opening edge 215a) are made equal, when the coil spring 17 contracts, it first contacts the first protrusions 223 at both ends, and then contracts and contacts the first protrusions 223 between both ends. However, by setting the top faces 223a of the first protrusions 223 between both ends closer to the opening edge 215a of the first hole 215 than the top faces 223a of the first protrusions 223 at both ends, when the coil spring 17 contracts, it contacts the first protrusions 223 provided at three locations at the same time. This makes it possible to suppress the resonance of the coil spring 17.

[0023] Next, the operation will be described. Fig. 4 is a half cross-sectional view for explaining the operation of the spring seat 2, and shows the state in which the coil spring 17 is contracted to a predetermined length or more. When vibration less than a predetermined threshold is input to the coil spring 17 from the road surface or the like, the lower end of the coil spring 17 (the same applies to the upper end if the spring seat 2 of this embodiment is also provided at the upper end; the same applies below) is in contact with the first contact surface 212 other than the first hole portion 215 of the elastic member 21, so that the input vibration is absorbed by the elasticity.

[0024] In contrast, when vibrations of a predetermined value or more are input to the lower end of coil spring 17, the lower end of coil spring 17 comes into contact with first protrusions 223 at three first holes 215 as shown in Fig. 4. This allows most of the force from coil spring 17 to be received by rigid member 22, thereby suppressing excessive force acting on elastic member 21. As a result, even if a high-damping material with a loss factor L of 0.2 or more is used for elastic member 21 of the spring seat, cracks and breaks at low temperatures can be suppressed.

[0025] Furthermore, in the spring seat 2 of this embodiment, the first hole portion 215 and the first convex portion 223 are provided at both ends of the first abutment surface 212 near the spring starting point 171 and the spring take-off and landing point 172, where the force acting is greatest, so that excessive force acting on the elastic member 21 can be further suppressed.

[0026] In the spring seat 2 of this embodiment, the first hole 215 and the first protrusion 223 are provided not only at both ends of the first contact surface 212 near the spring start point 171 and the spring take-off and landing point 172 where the force acting is greatest, but also between the two ends, and the top surface 223a of the first protrusion 223 provided between the two ends is set closer to the opening edge 215a of the first hole 215 than the top surfaces 223a of the first protrusions 223 provided at both ends, so that when the coil spring 17 contracts, it comes into contact with the first protrusions 223 provided at three places at the same time. This makes it possible to suppress resonance of the coil spring 17.

[0027] Other Embodiments FIG. 5 is a half cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the spring seat 2 according to the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the spring seat 2 of FIG. 5. FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the back surface of the spring seat 2 in order to show the second hole 216 and the second protrusion 224 formed on the back surface. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 to FIG. 4, the first hole 215 and the first protrusion 223 are provided only on the first contact surface 212 with the coil spring 17, but a similar structure can also be adopted on the surface (back surface in FIG. 2) opposite to the spring receiving portion 211 of the elastic member 21. In FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the same reference numerals are used for the same configuration as in FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, and the detailed description thereof is omitted by incorporating the description here.

[0028] 5 and 6, the spring seat 2 of this embodiment further includes a seat member 23 that abuts against a second abutment surface 213, which is the surface opposite to the first abutment surface 212 of the elastic member 21. The seat member 23 is a part that is appropriately interposed between the spring seat 2 and the wheel-side member 3 and is made of metal, plastic, ceramic, or the like.

[0029] In the elastic member 21 of this embodiment, the second hole portion 216 is formed at each of three predetermined positions of the second abutment surface 213 that abuts against the base member 23. The second hole portion 216 is preferably a circular hole having a hole diameter equal to the outer diameter of the coil spring 17, similar to the first hole portion 215. If there is a sharp corner portion, such as in the case where the hole shape is rectangular, cracks may occur from the sharp corner portion when the load of the coil spring 17 acts, so the hole shape is preferably a circle or a hole shape composed only of curves without sharp corner portions all around. In addition, the hole diameter of the second hole portion 216 may be large enough to allow the second protrusion 224 of the rigid member 22 to abut against the base member 23 when the coil spring 17 is contracted. Conversely, if the hole diameter of the second hole portion 216 is too large, the contact area between the second abutment surface 213 other than the second hole portion 216 and the base member 23 will be reduced, and the high damping characteristics will be reduced, so as with the first hole portion 215, it is preferable to make the hole diameter equal to or smaller than the outer diameter of the coil spring 17.

[0030] 5 and 6, in the spring seat 2 of this embodiment, the rigid member 22 has second protrusions 224 facing the seat member 23 formed in each of the three locations where the second hole portions 216 are formed. The second protrusions 224 may be formed integrally at the same time when the rigid member 22 is manufactured, or may be attached as separate parts after the main body of the rigid member 22 is manufactured.

[0031] In this embodiment, the second protrusion 224 is in a recessed position where its top surface 224a is recessed from the opening edge 216a of the second hole 216 (see the DD cross section in Fig. 6), and does not come into contact with the base member 23 as shown in Fig. 5 when the coil spring 17 is in a non-bound state where it is not expanded or contracted, but is at a height where the base member 23 comes into contact with the second protrusion 224 when the coil spring 17 contracts to a predetermined length or more. Also, the diameter of the second protrusion 224 in this embodiment is smaller than the hole diameter of the second hole 216, and is equal to or larger than the diameter that can be received without deformation even when it comes into contact with the base member 23.

[0032] In the spring seat 2 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the second hole portion 216 and the second protrusion portion 224 are provided at positions corresponding to both ends of the first contact surface 212 of the elastic member 21 and between the both ends. That is, they are provided at three locations, the same as the three locations where the first hole portion 215 and the first protrusion portion 223 are provided. The arrangement locations of the second hole portion 216 and the second protrusion portion 224 are not limited to the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, and they may be provided at two locations or four or more locations. When the second hole portion 216 and the second protrusion portion 224 are provided at two locations, they may be provided at one location on the second contact surface 213 near the spring start point 171 and at one location on the second contact surface 213 near the spring take-off and landing point 172, as shown in FIG. 6, or at other locations.

[0033] 6, when the second hole 216 and the second protrusion 224 are provided at three locations, it is preferable that the top surface 224a of the second protrusion 224 provided between both ends is set closer to the opening edge 216a of the second hole 216 than the top surfaces 224a of the second protrusions 224 provided at both ends. This is for the same reason as for the three first hole 215 and first protrusion 223 shown in the AA, BB and CC cross sections in FIG.

[0034] 5 and 6, in the spring seat 2 of this embodiment, an air vent hole 217 that connects the second hole portion 216 to the outside air is formed in the second contact surface 213 of the elastic member 21. This is to allow air to escape from the space partitioned by the second hole portion 216 and the seat member 23 when the coil spring 17 contracts and the spring seat 2 is pressed against the coil spring 17.

[0035] In this way, in the spring seat 2 of this embodiment, the base member 23 is provided in contact with the second abutment surface 213 on the opposite side of the first abutment surface 212 of the elastic member 21, and three second holes 216 are formed in the second abutment surface 213 that abuts against the base member 23, and the rigid member 22 is formed with a second protrusion 224 facing the base member 23 at the position where the second hole 216 is formed. Therefore, when a vibration of a predetermined value or more is input to the lower end of the coil spring 17, the second protrusion 224 abuts against the base member 23 at the three second holes 216. As a result, most of the force received from the coil spring 17 is received by the rigid member 22, so that excessive force acting on the elastic member 21 can be suppressed. As a result, even if a high damping material with a loss factor L of 0.2 or more is used for the elastic member 21 of the spring seat, cracks and cracks at low temperatures can be suppressed.

[0036] Furthermore, in the spring seat 2 of this embodiment, an air vent hole 217 is formed in the second contact surface 213 of the elastic member 21, which connects the second hole portion 216 to the outside air. Therefore, when the spring seat 2 is pressed against the coil spring 17, air can be released from the space partitioned by the second hole portion 216 and the base member 23. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 1...Vehicle suspension system 11…Vehicle 12…Tire 13…Drive shaft 14…Lower link 15…Axle 16...Shock absorber 17…Coil spring 171…Spring start point 172…Spring takeoff and landing point 2...Spring seat 21...Elastic member 211...Spring receiving part 212...First contact surface 213…Second contact surface 214...Annular ridge 215...1st hole part 215a…Opening edge 216…Second hole part 216a...Opening edge 217…Air vent hole 22...Rigid member 221…Outer periphery 222…Inner circumference 223…First protrusion 223a…Top surface 224…Second protrusion 224a…Top surface 23...Pedestal member 3...Wheel side member

Claims

1. A spring seat is provided at an end of a coil spring disposed between a vehicle body side member and a wheel side member, an elastic member having a first contact surface that contacts the coil spring; a rigid member that is disposed on at least the first contact surface opposite the elastic member to the coil spring and has higher rigidity than the elastic member; The elastic member has a first hole portion in a part of the first contact surface, The rigid member is provided at the position of the first hole portion, and has a first convex portion facing the coil spring, the top surface of the first convex portion being in a recessed position where it is recessed from the opening edge of the first hole portion. A spring seat for a vehicle suspension system.

2. 2. The spring seat for a vehicle suspension according to claim 1, wherein when the coil spring is compressed, the coil spring abuts against the first protrusion at the position of the first hole.

3. 2. The spring seat for a vehicle suspension according to claim 1, wherein the first hole and the first protrusion are provided at both ends of the first contact surface.

4. The first hole and the first protrusion are provided at both ends of the first contact surface and between the both ends, 2. The spring seat for a vehicle suspension as described in claim 1, wherein a top surface of the first convex portion provided between the two end portions is closer to an opening edge of the first hole portion than the top surfaces of the first convex portions provided at the two end portions.

5. a seat member that abuts against a surface of the elastic member opposite to the first abutment surface, the elastic member has a second hole portion in a part of a second contact surface that contacts the base member, A spring seat for a vehicle suspension system as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the rigid member has a second convex portion provided at the position of the second hole portion, facing the base member, and a top surface of the second convex portion is in a recessed position where it is recessed from the opening edge of the second hole portion.

6. 6. The spring seat for a vehicle suspension according to claim 5, wherein the elastic member has an air vent hole in the second contact surface, the air vent hole communicating the second hole with outside air.

Images