Elastic support member, and suspension device

Abstract

To provide a technique that can reduce an insertion load without reducing a removal load.SOLUTION: An elastic support member 1 is interposed between a coil spring and a spring support member 130 supporting an end part of the coil spring. The elastic support member 1 comprises a protruding part 20 protruding from an opposed surface 12 opposed to the spring support member 130, and inserted into a through hole 134 formed in the spring support member 130. The protruding part 20 comprises: a base part 30 whose size in a direction parallel to the opposed surface 12 is smaller than the size of the through hole 134, and fitted into the through hole 134; and a convex part 40 protruding outward from an outer peripheral part in the base part 30, and located on the side opposite to the opposed surface 12 with respect to the spring support member 130 when the base part 30 is fitted into the through hole 134. The convex part 40 comprises a concave part 42 recessed on the side separated from the opposed surface 12, between itself and the base part 30.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 11

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an elastic support member and a suspension device. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, the elastic support member described in Patent Document 1 has a rubber body including a spring support surface that supports the seat winding portion of the coil spring. On the lower surface of the rubber body opposite to the spring support surface, two fitting protrusions that fit into the through holes formed in the spring seat are integrally formed and protrude. The fitting protrusions have a pillar portion provided on the rubber body side and a fitting portion provided on the side away from the rubber body that fits into the through holes of the spring seat. The pillar portion has a diameter equal to or slightly smaller than the diameter of the through hole of the spring seat and a height slightly larger than the thickness of the spring seat. The fitting portion has a conical or truncated conical shape that decreases in diameter downward, and has a diameter larger than the diameter of the through hole of the spring seat at the base end side and smaller than the diameter of the through hole at the tip end side. The fitting protrusions fit into the through holes of the spring seat by engaging an annular shoulder surface formed at the upper end of the fitting portion with the lower surface of the spring seat. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-46910 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the elastic support member described in Patent Document 1, the insertion load of the fitting protrusion into the through hole of the spring seat of the fitting portion and the pull-out load of the fitting portion from the through hole of the spring seat depend on the force that deforms the fitting portion to a size equal to or smaller than the through hole of the spring seat. Therefore, unless some measure is taken to reduce the insertion load, reducing the insertion load to make it easier to assemble the elastic support member to the spring seat will also reduce the pull-out load. An object of the present invention is to provide an elastic support member etc. that can reduce the insertion load without reducing the removal load. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] The present invention, which was completed with this objective in mind, is an elastic support member interposed between a spring and a spring support member supporting an end of the spring, the elastic support member having a protruding portion protruding from an opposing surface facing the spring support member and inserted into a through hole formed in the spring support member, the protruding portion comprising a base whose size in a direction parallel to the opposing surface is smaller than the size of the through hole and which is fitted into the through hole, and a convex portion which protrudes outward from the outer periphery of the base and is located on the opposite side of the opposing surface to the spring support member when the base is fitted into the through hole, the convex portion having a recess between the base and the base that is recessed on the side away from the opposing surface. Effect of the Invention

[0006] According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the insertion load without reducing the extraction load. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a schematic configuration of a suspension device. [Diagram 2] 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a state in which a coil spring, a spring support member, and an elastic support member are assembled; [Diagram 3] FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing an example of a state before a spring support member and an elastic support member are assembled together; [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of a protrusion 20 as viewed in the radial direction. FIG. [Diagram 5] 5 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of the protrusion 20 when viewed in the V direction of FIG. 4. FIG. [Figure 6] 6 is a diagram showing an example of a cross section taken along line VI-VI in FIG. 4. [Figure 7] 7 is a diagram showing an example of a cross section taken along line VII-VII of FIG. 4. [Figure 8] 8 is a diagram showing an example of a cross section taken along line VIII-VIII in FIG. 4. [Figure 9] 9 is a diagram showing an example of a cross section taken along line IX-IX in FIG. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of a portion X in FIG. [Figure 11] 13 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which a protrusion is inserted into a through hole of a spring support member; FIG. [Figure 12] 13 is a diagram showing an example of a state before a protrusion is removed from a through hole of a spring support member. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a suspension device 100. As shown in FIG. The suspension device 100 is a strut-type suspension, and as shown in Fig. 1, includes a hydraulic shock absorber 110 and a coil spring 120 (an example of a spring) arranged on the outside of the hydraulic shock absorber 110. The suspension device 100 also includes a spring support member 130 that supports an end of the coil spring 120 on one side (the lower side in Fig. 1), and a spring support member 140 that supports an end of the coil spring 120 on the other side (the upper side in Fig. 1). The suspension device 100 also includes an elastic support member 1 interposed between the coil spring 120 and the spring support member 130.

[0009] The suspension 100 includes a vehicle body side bracket 150 that is attached to the other axial end of a piston rod 112 (described later) for mounting the suspension 100 to a vehicle, and a wheel side bracket 160 that is fixed to one axial end of the piston rod 112 in a damper case 111 (described later) for mounting the suspension 100 to a wheel. The suspension 100 also includes a dust cover 170 that covers at least a portion of the piston rod 112.

[0010] The hydraulic shock absorber 110 includes a damper case 111 that contains oil, a cylinder (not shown) that is coaxially provided within the damper case 111, a piston (not shown) that slides within the cylinder, and a piston rod 112 that holds the piston at one end and has the other end protruding from the damper case 111. The piston rod 112 is a columnar or cylindrical member.

[0011] Coil spring 120 is formed by winding wire 121 in a spiral shape. Elastic support member 1 is attached to one end of coil spring 120 in an approximately 3 / 5 arc shape. Hereinafter, the winding direction of wire 121 in the portion of coil spring 120 where elastic support member 1 is attached may be simply referred to as the "winding direction". Also, the radial direction of spirally wound wire 121 may be simply referred to as the "radial direction".

[0012] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a state in which the coil spring 120, the spring support member 130, and the elastic support member 1 are assembled. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an example of a state before the spring support member 130 and the elastic support member 1 are assembled. The spring support member 130 is a member that is fixed to the damper case 111 (see FIG. 1) and supports an end of the coil spring 120. The spring support member 130 can be formed, for example, by pressing a thin metal plate such as a steel plate.

[0013] A groove 131 in which the elastic support member 1 is disposed is formed in the spring support member 130. The groove 131 has a mounting surface 132 on which the elastic support member 1 is placed. Hereinafter, the surface opposite to the mounting surface 132 will be referred to as a back surface 133 (see FIG. 11). A through hole 134 is formed in the spring support member 130 so as to communicate between the mounting surface 132 and the back surface 133. Two through holes 134 are formed in the winding direction.

[0014] The elastic support member 1 is a rubber part interposed between the coil spring 120 and the spring support member 130, and absorbs the impact between the coil spring 120 and the spring support member 130 to suppress the generation of noise. The elastic support member 1 includes a seating portion 10 on which the coil spring 120 is seated, and a drop-out prevention portion 50 that prevents the elastic support member 1 from dropping off the coil spring 120.

[0015] (Seating section 10) The seating portion 10 has a support surface 11 located on the coil spring 120 side and supporting the coil spring 120, and an opposing surface 12 which is a surface on the spring support member 130 side and which faces a mounting surface 132 of the spring support member 130. The seating portion 10 also has an inner side surface 13 which is the radially inner side surface, and an outer side surface 14 which is the radially outer side surface.

[0016] The seating portion 10 also has two protruding portions 20 protruding from the opposing surface 12 toward the spring support member 130 in the winding direction. The protruding portions 20 will be described in detail later. The elastic support member 1 is positioned relative to the spring support member 130 by inserting the protrusion 20 of the seating portion 10 into the through hole 134 formed in the spring support member 130, and the elastic support member 1 is prevented from falling off from the spring support member 130.

[0017] (Falling prevention part 50) The anti-fall-out portion 50 is a portion that prevents the elastic support member 1 from falling off from the coil spring 120 after the elastic support member 1 is attached to the coil spring 120, and has a first prevention portion 60 provided in the center of the winding direction of the elastic support member 1, and a second prevention portion 70 provided at the end of the winding direction of the elastic support member 1.

[0018] 3, the first prevention part 60 has a first inner prevention piece 61 that protrudes radially inward and upward from the inner side surface 13 and extends radially outward to surround the wire material 121. The first prevention part 60 also has a first outer prevention piece 62 that protrudes radially outward and upward from the outer side surface 14 and extends radially inward to surround the wire material 121.

[0019] 3, the second prevention part 70 has a second inner prevention piece 71 that protrudes radially inward and upward from the inner side surface 13 and extends radially outward to surround the wire material 121. The second prevention part 70 also has a second outer prevention piece 72 that protrudes radially outward and upward from the outer side surface 14 and extends radially inward to surround the wire material 121.

[0020] ((Protrusion 20)) FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of the protrusion 20 as viewed in the radial direction. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the appearance of the protrusion 20 as viewed in the V direction of FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a cross section taken along line VI-VI of FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of a cross section taken along line VII-VII of FIG. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a cross section taken along line VIII-VIII of FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of a cross section taken along line IX-IX of FIG. FIG. 10 is an enlarged view of a portion X in FIG.

[0021] The protrusion 20 has a columnar base 30 and a protrusion 40 protruding outward from the outer periphery of the base 30. Hereinafter, the center line direction of the base 30 may be simply referred to as the "center line direction." In addition, in the center line direction, the lower side and the upper side in Fig. 4 may be referred to as the "first side" and the "second side," respectively.

[0022] (((base 30))) The base 30 has a base end 31 provided on the opposing surface 12 side (second side), a tip end 32 provided at the location furthest from the opposing surface 12, and an intermediate portion 33 provided between the base end 31 and the tip end 32. The shape of the base 30 when viewed in the center line direction is, as shown in Fig. 5, a semicircle 30c obtained by dividing a perfect circle in two, with a square 30s having a width equal to the diameter of the perfect circle (twice the radius of the semicircle 30c) between them (hereinafter, this shape may be referred to as an "ellipse"). Note that the shape of the base 30 when viewed in the center line direction is not limited to an ellipse as in this embodiment, but may be any shape in which the dimension in the winding direction is greater than the radial direction. For example, it may be an ellipse, a rectangle with rounded corners, or a triangle.

[0023] For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the base end 31 has a shape in which a semicircle 31c is formed by dividing a perfect circle in two, and a square 31s having a width equal to the diameter of the perfect circle (twice the radius 31r of the semicircle 31c) is provided between the semicircle 31c.

[0024] As shown in FIG. 7, the tip portion 32 has a shape in which a semicircle 32c is formed by dividing a perfect circle in two, with a square 32s between them, the square having a width equal to the diameter of the perfect circle (twice the radius 32r of the semicircle 32c).

[0025] As shown in FIG. 8, the intermediate portion 33 has a shape in which a semicircle 33c is formed by dividing a perfect circle in two, with a square 33s between them, the square 33s having a width equal to the diameter of the perfect circle (twice the radius 33r of the semicircle 33c).

[0026] 9, radius 33r of semicircle 33c of intermediate portion 33 gradually decreases from base end portion 31 toward tip portion 32. Radius 32r of semicircle 32c of tip portion 32 gradually decreases with increasing distance from intermediate portion 33. In addition, the amount of change in radius 32r is larger than the amount of change in radius 33r. In other words, the angle θ32 that the outer circumferential surface of tip portion 32 makes with the center line direction is larger than the angle θ33 that the outer circumferential surface of intermediate portion 33 makes with the center line direction.

[0027] (((protruding portion 40))) As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the protrusion 40 is a portion that protrudes outward from the outer circumferential surface of the base end portion 31. 5, four protrusions 40 are provided in the circumferential direction on the outer circumferential surface of the base end 31. More specifically, one protrusion 40 is provided on each of the outer circumferential surfaces of the two semicircles 31c, and one protrusion 40 is provided on each of the two outer circumferential surfaces in the longitudinal direction of the square 31s.

[0028] The protruding portion 40 is provided at a first side portion of the base end portion 31. The outer peripheral surface of the protruding portion 40 is provided so as to be continuous with the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate portion 33, and is inclined with respect to the center line direction. The amount of change in the protruding amount M of the outer peripheral surface of the protruding portion 40 from the base end portion 31 is the same as the amount of change in the radius 33r of the semicircle 33c of the intermediate portion 33, and the angle θ40 that the outer peripheral surface of the protruding portion 40 makes with the center line direction is the same as the angle θ33 that the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate portion 33 makes with the center line direction.

[0029] Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, the outer periphery of the end portion on the second side of the protrusion 40 becomes the outer edge 41 of the protrusion 40 which protrudes most from the base end portion 31 in the direction parallel to the opposing surface 12. A size L1 in a direction parallel to the facing surface 12 between the outer edges 41 of two protruding portions 40 facing each other in the winding direction, as shown in FIG. 4, is larger than a size H1 of the through hole 134 (see FIG. 3). A size L2 in a direction parallel to the facing surface 12 between outer edges 41 of two radially facing protrusions 40 shown in FIG. 9 is larger than a size H2 of the through hole 134 (see FIG. 3).

[0030] The protruding portion 40 has a recessed portion 42 between the outer edge 41 and the base end portion 31, which is recessed toward the side away from the opposing surface 12. The recessed portion 42 has an inclined surface 43 that inclines from the outer edge 41 toward the opposing surface 12, and a curved surface 44 that connects the inclined surface 43 to the outer peripheral surface of the base end portion 31. The curved surface 44 makes it easier for the outer edge 41 to elastically deform so as to approach the base end portion 31 side.

[0031] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a state in which the protrusion 20 is inserted into the through-hole 134 of the spring support member 130. As shown in FIG. In the elastic support member 1 configured as above, the protruding portion 20 is inserted into the through hole 134 of the spring support member 130 while holding the end of the coil spring 120. More specifically, the protruding portion 20 is inserted into the through hole 134 from the tip end 32 side. Then, the two convex portions 40 facing each other in the winding direction and the two convex portions 40 facing each other in the radial direction contact the edge of the through hole 134. Then, when the protruding portion 20 is further inserted into the first side, the outer edge 41 of the convex portion 40 is elastically deformed toward the base end 31 side, and the convex portion 40 passes through the through hole 134 and moves to the first side of the spring support member 130. Then, as shown in FIG. 11, the part of the base end 31 of the protruding portion 20 on the second side of the convex portion 40 fits into the through hole 134. As a result, when the portion of base end 31 of projection 20 on the second side relative to convex portion 40 is fitted into through hole 134, convex portion 40 is located on the first side relative to rear surface 133 of spring support member 130.

[0032] When the convex portion 40 passes through the through hole 134, the outer edge 41 is easily elastically deformed toward the base end 31 because the concave portion 42 is present between the outer edge 41 and the base end 31. As a result, when the elastic support member 1 is attached to the spring support member 130, the insertion load when inserting the protrusion 20 into the through hole 134 is smaller than in a configuration in which the convex portion 40 does not have the concave portion 42.

[0033] Furthermore, the protrusions 40 are not provided all around the periphery of the base 30, but are provided only on a portion of the periphery of the base 30. Therefore, with the elastic support member 1, the insertion load is smaller than with a configuration in which, for example, the entire periphery of the base 30 has portions protruding outward from the base 30.

[0034] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a state before the protrusion 20 is removed from the through-hole 134 of the spring support member 130. As shown in FIG. When the protrusion 20 tries to come out of the through hole 134, the convex portion 40 sticks to a portion around the through hole 134 on the back surface 133 of the spring support member 130, so that the protrusion 20 is difficult to come out of. In other words, the outer edge 41 moves in a direction away from the base end portion 31 after coming into contact with the back surface 133 of the spring support member 130, and the concave portion 42 deforms so as to move to the second side, thereby increasing the area where the inclined surface 43 and the curved surface 44 come into contact with the back surface 133 of the spring support member 130. As a result, the removal load for the protrusion 20 to come out of the through hole 134 is larger than in a configuration in which the protrusion 40 does not have the concave portion 42.

[0035] Moreover, among the four protrusions 40, one set of protrusions 40 provided on each of the outer peripheral surfaces of the two semicircles 31c is provided on the opposite side of the base 30. In other words, the one set of protrusions 40 is provided at a position facing each other with the base 30 in between. Among the four protrusions 40, another set of protrusions 40 provided on each of the two outer peripheral surfaces in the longitudinal direction of the square 31s is provided on the opposite side of the base 30. In other words, the other set of protrusions 40 is provided at a position facing each other with the base 30 in between. Therefore, when the protrusion 20 tries to come out of the through hole 134, the protrusions 40 are likely to stick to the back surface 133 of the spring support member 130 with high accuracy. As a result, according to the elastic support member 1, the pull-out load is likely to be large with high accuracy.

[0036] As described above, the elastic support member 1 has the protruding portion 20 that protrudes from the opposing surface 12 facing the spring support member 130 and is inserted into the through hole 134 formed in the spring support member 130. The protruding portion 20 has a base portion 30 whose size in a direction parallel to the opposing surface 12 is smaller than the size of the through hole 134 in a direction parallel to the opposing surface 12 and which is fitted into the through hole 134. The protruding portion 20 also has a convex portion 40 that protrudes outward from the outer periphery of the base portion 30 and is located on the opposite side of the opposing surface 12 with respect to the spring support member 130 when the base portion 30 is fitted into the through hole 134. The convex portion 40 has a recessed portion 42 between the base portion 30 and the protruding portion 40, which is recessed on the side away from the opposing surface 12.

[0037] As described above, according to the elastic support member 1 configured as above, when the convex portion 40 passes through the through hole 134, the convex portion 40 is more likely to elastically deform toward the base portion 30, and the insertion load when the protruding portion 20 is inserted into the through hole 134 is reduced. Also, when the protruding portion 20 tries to come out of the through hole 134, the convex portion 40 is more likely to stick to the spring support member 130, and the withdrawal load is increased.

[0038] Here, a plurality of protrusions 40 are provided around the periphery of the base 30. Therefore, the area of ​​contact between the protrusions 40 and the edge of the through hole 134 is smaller than in a configuration in which the protrusions 40 are formed around the entire periphery of the base 30. As a result, with the elastic support member 1, the insertion load when inserting the protrusion 20 into the through hole 134 is reduced.

[0039] Moreover, in the elastic support member 1, two of the multiple protrusions 40 are provided on the opposite side of the base 30, that is, at positions facing each other with the base 30 in between, and the size in a direction parallel to the facing surface 12 between the outer edges 41 of the two protrusions 40 is larger than the size in a direction parallel to the facing surface 12 in the through hole 134. As a result, when the protrusion 20 tries to come out of the through hole 134, the protrusions 40 tend to stick to the back surface 133 of the spring support member 130 with high certainty, and the coming-out load becomes large.

[0040] In addition, the cross-sectional shape of the base 30 parallel to the opposing surface 12 is an ellipse with a semicircle 30c obtained by dividing a perfect circle in two and a square 30s having the same diameter as the perfect circle being provided between them. This allows the protrusion 20 and the through hole 134 to be larger than when, for example, the base 30 and the through hole 134 are perfect circles. As described above, the shape is not limited to an ellipse, but may be any shape as long as the dimension in the spiral direction is greater than the dimension in the radial direction. In addition, the depth direction size of the through hole 134, in other words, the size in the center line direction, of the tip portion 32 and the intermediate portion 33, which are examples of portions of the base portion 30 that are farther away from the opposing surface 12 than the convex portion 40, is larger than the depth direction size of the through hole 134 itself.

[0041] Therefore, when the tip portion 32 and the middle portion 33 of the protrusion 20 of the elastic support member 1 are inserted into the through hole 134 in assembling the elastic support member 1 to the spring support member 130, the tip portion 32 protrudes from the back surface 133 of the spring support member 130 to the first side by a large amount, and by checking the portion protruding from the back surface 133 to the first side by touch or with a sensor, it becomes easy to check whether the elastic support member 1 is set in the correct position relative to the spring support member 130. As a result, when assembling the elastic support member 1 to the spring support member 130, it becomes easy to position the elastic support member 1 and the spring support member 130. The shape of the base portion 30 and the through hole 134 may be an ellipse with the minor axis in the radial direction.

[0042] Note that the facing surface 12 of the elastic support member 1 may have a radial center portion recessed toward the second side before the elastic support member 1 is assembled to the coil spring 120 and the spring support member 130, and may come into contact with the mounting surface 132 of the spring support member 130 and become a surface parallel to the mounting surface 132 when the elastic support member 1 is assembled to the coil spring 120 and the spring support member 130. In other words, the direction parallel to the facing surface 12 is the direction parallel to the mounting surface 132. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 1...elastic support member, 10...seating portion, 11...support surface, 12...opposing surface, 20...projection portion, 30...base portion, 30c...semicircle, 30s...square, 31...base end portion, 32...tip portion, 33...middle portion, 40...projection portion, 41...outer edge, 42...recess, 120...coil spring, 121...wire material, 130...spring support member

Claims

1. An elastic support member interposed between a spring and a spring support member that supports an end of the spring, a protrusion protruding from a surface facing the spring support member and inserted into a through hole formed in the spring support member; The protrusion is a base portion having a size in a direction parallel to the opposing surface smaller than a size of the through hole and fitted into the through hole; a protrusion that protrudes outward from an outer periphery of the base and is located on an opposite side of the opposing surface with respect to the spring support member when the base is fitted into the through hole; Equipped with The protrusion has a recess between the base and the protrusion, the recess being recessed on a side away from the opposing surface. Elastic support member.

2. The protrusions are provided in a plurality around the base. The elastic support member according to claim 1 .

3. Two of the plurality of protrusions are provided on opposite sides of the base, and a size between outer edges of the two protrusions in a direction parallel to the opposing surface is larger than a size of the through hole. The elastic support member according to claim 2 .

4. A cross-sectional shape of the base portion parallel to the opposing surface is larger in a winding direction of the spring than in a radial direction of the spring. The elastic support member according to claim 1 .

5. a size in a depth direction of the through hole at a portion of the base portion that is farther away from the opposing surface than the protrusion is greater than a size in the depth direction of the through hole itself; The elastic support member according to claim 1 .

6. A spring, A spring support member that supports an end of the spring; The elastic support member according to any one of claims 1 to 5, which is interposed between the spring and the spring support member; A suspension device comprising:

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