Spring seat and manufacturing method of spring seat

Abstract

To provide a spring seat which prevents a stone discharged from a hole of the spring seat from colliding with a wire harness and the like below the spring seat.SOLUTION: A spring seat 36 is arranged over a tire 28 mounted on a vehicle and supported by a shock absorber 32. The spring seat includes a plurality of holes (for example, 361, 361a, 361b) formed to discharge stones on the bottom surface thereof. A passage to the hole or a passage extended from the hole is formed to guide a removed stone into a direction apart from the shock absorber.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a spring seat and a method for manufacturing the spring seat. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, a pair of front side members extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle are disposed on both sides of an engine compartment located at the front of the vehicle in the vehicle width direction. Suspension members are disposed below the front side members in the vertical direction of the vehicle. Furthermore, suspensions are attached to the suspension members as interference devices that absorb impacts from the road surface. The suspensions include shock absorbers extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle and spring seats supported by coil springs.

[0003] Gravel may accumulate on the spring seat from the ground while the vehicle is running, so holes are formed in the bottom surface of the spring seat to allow the accumulated gravel to be discharged. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-083973 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] A wire harness connected to sensors such as a speed sensor may be disposed below the spring seat. If a stone ejected from a hole in the spring seat strikes this wire harness, it may be damaged or break. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The spring seat of the present disclosure is a spring seat that is provided above a tire mounted on a vehicle and supported by a shock absorber, and has a hole formed on the bottom surface of the spring seat for discharging stones, and the path to the hole or the path extending from the hole is formed to guide the discharged stones in a direction away from the shock absorber.

[0007] Furthermore, the path to the hole or the path extending from the hole may have an inclined portion inclined diagonally downward and rearward of the vehicle in a direction away from the shock absorber. The inclined portion extending from the hole in the bottom surface of the spring seat may extend outward in a direction away from the shock absorber beyond a wire harness disposed below the spring seat. The inclined portion extending from the hole in the bottom surface of the spring seat may be formed in a cylindrical shape.

[0008] In the above method for manufacturing the spring seat, the holes and the inclined portions are locally heat-formed by heating a high-strength steel plate of 780 MPa class or higher at 500 to 830° C. for a short time of 10 seconds or less. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the present disclosure, stones ejected from holes in the spring seat can be prevented from colliding with a wire harness or the like below the spring seat. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a suspension structure including a spring seat. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a top view of the spring seat. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a spring seat according to some embodiments. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a spring seat according to another embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0011] Hereinafter, specific embodiments to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. In addition, the following description and drawings have been simplified as appropriate for clarity of explanation.

[0012] An example of a suspension structure including a spring seat according to the present disclosure will be described below with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a suspension structure including a spring seat. Note that the arrow FR shown as appropriate in each figure indicates the front side of the vehicle, and the arrow UP indicates the upper side of the vehicle. Furthermore, the arrow RH indicates the right side in the vehicle width direction.

[0013] The spring seat 36 is an annular member supported by a shock absorber 32 and a coil spring 34 that extend in the vertical direction of the vehicle and connects the front tire 28 mounted on the vehicle to the suspension tower.

[0014] 1, a radiator support 14 is disposed in a vehicle front portion 10 on the front side of an engine compartment 12 in the vehicle longitudinal direction, along the vehicle width direction, and supporting a cooling module. The radiator support 14 is configured to include an upper radiator support 14A that forms the upper edge, a lower radiator support 14B that forms the lower edge, a pair of vertical pillars 14C provided on the left and right that form both side portions, and a vertical pillar 14D that connects the centers of the upper radiator support 14A and the lower radiator support 14B in the vehicle width direction.

[0015] Furthermore, a front side member 16, which extends along the vehicle longitudinal direction and has a generally rectangular closed cross-section, is connected to the rear side of the vertical pillar 14C of the radiator support 14 in the vehicle longitudinal direction. A vehicle floor 18 extends rearward of the front side member 16 in the vehicle longitudinal direction. Furthermore, a rocker 20, which extends along the vehicle longitudinal direction and has a generally rectangular closed cross-section, is disposed outward of the vehicle floor 18 in the vehicle width direction. The rear side of the front side member 16 in the vehicle longitudinal direction and the front side of the rocker 20 in the vehicle longitudinal direction are connected by a torque box 22.

[0016] Furthermore, suspension towers (not shown) serving as a vehicle body are disposed on the outer sides of the front side members 16 in the vehicle width direction, and the suspension towers support suspensions 24 that absorb shocks from the road surface while the vehicle is traveling. In addition, the suspensions 24 are connected to a steel plate suspension member (not shown) on the lower side in the vehicle vertical direction.

[0017] The suspension 24 will now be described in more detail. A caliper 26, which constitutes part of the brake, is disposed on the outer side of the suspension 24 in the vehicle width direction. A front tire 28 is rotatably supported around the caliper 26 via a lower arm 30. Furthermore, a shock absorber 32 is provided on the upper side of the lower arm 30 in the vehicle vertical direction, extending in the vehicle vertical direction to connect the front tire 28 to the suspension tower. Furthermore, a spiral coil spring 34 is provided around the shock absorber 32 to support a load in the vehicle vertical direction, and the shock absorber 32, which has a substantially circular cross section, is wound by the coil spring 34. Furthermore, a spring seat 36, which has a substantially circular cross section, is disposed on the lower end side of the coil spring 34 in the vehicle vertical direction.

[0018] Furthermore, the spring seat 36 may be provided integrally with a protruding portion 38 that protrudes forward in the vehicle longitudinal direction beyond the coil spring 34 .

[0019] The front end 38A of the protruding portion 38 of the spring seat 36 in the vehicle longitudinal direction is located inside the vehicle width direction of a virtual kingpin axis S that connects the upper end of the shock absorber 32 in the vehicle vertical direction and the joint between the lower arm 30 and the front tire 28.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a top view of the spring seat. The spring seat 36 shown in FIG. 2 is for a front tire mounted on a vehicle, but the present disclosure is also applicable to a rear tire. The spring seat 36 is an annular member when viewed from above, and a hole 360 ​​is provided in the center of the spring seat 36 for connecting the shock absorber 32 extending in the vertical direction of the vehicle. The spring seat 36 is formed into a dish shape with an outer edge 369 bent upward via several bending lines 364 (see FIGS. 3 and 4 for details). The bottom surface of the spring seat 36 is formed with multiple holes (361a, 361b, 362a, and 362b in FIG. 2) for discharging gravel that may accumulate while the vehicle is traveling. These holes are formed closer to the outer edge 369 of the spring seat 36 and toward the rear of the vehicle than the hole in the center that connects the shock absorber 32. The relatively large holes 362a, 362b may have a major diameter LD of 13 mm or more and a minor diameter SD of 12.5 mm or more. In some embodiments, the holes are formed in a generally circular shape, and the diameter of the holes may be 13 mm or more. The thickness of the spring seat is 2.0 mm to 2.5 mm. Holes 362a, 362b of this size allow gravel and the like that accumulate on the spring seat 36 while the vehicle is in motion to be discharged.

[0021] However, a wire harness connected to sensors such as a speed sensor may be disposed below the spring seat. If a stone ejected through a hole in the bottom of the spring seat strikes the wire harness, the wire harness may be severed. Therefore, in the present disclosure, the path to the hole (e.g., 362a, 362b) or the path extending from the hole (e.g., 362a, 362b) is configured to guide the ejected stone in an outward direction (or a direction away from shock absorber 32) other than the vertical direction of the vehicle. The structure of the spring seat will be described in more detail below with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0022] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a spring seat according to some embodiments. The shock absorber 32 is tilted slightly rearward relative to the vertical direction, so the rear half of the spring seat 36, which has the hole 361a, is also tilted downward compared to the front half.

[0023] The vehicle basically travels forward. Therefore, the plate-shaped inclined portion 365 extending from the hole 361a is formed downward toward the rear of the vehicle. This allows stones ejected through the inclined portion 365 extending from the hole 361a to avoid the wire harness 41 and the like below the spring seat and fall to the ground.

[0024] The inclined portion 365 extending from the hole 361a may be formed inside a tube, such as a cylinder or a square tube, that communicates with the hole 361. The rearmost end of the inclined portion 365 may extend rearward in the vehicle longitudinal direction from the outer edge of the bent wire harness 41 located below the spring seat 36, as shown by line A-A in Fig. 2. This ensures that ejected stones will not collide with the wire harness.

[0025] 3 illustrates the inclined portion 365 extending from the relatively large diameter hole 361a, but in some embodiments, a similar inclined portion may be provided for the hole 361b adjacent to the hole 361a. Also, a similar inclined portion may be provided for the relatively small diameter holes 362a and 362b shown in FIG.

[0026] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a spring seat according to another embodiment. Compared to FIG. 3, the hole 361a formed in the bottom surface of the spring seat 36 is formed slightly rearward, and the wire harness 41 below the spring seat is located forward (i.e., toward the shock absorber 32). Depending on the relative positions of the hole 361a formed in the bottom surface of the spring seat 36 and the wire harness below the spring seat, the inclined portion 365 (FIG. 3) extending from the hole 361a in the bottom surface of the spring seat 36 may not be provided. The inclined portion 366 in FIG. 4 is formed inside the spring seat 36. It is formed so that stones passing through the hole 361a are ejected in a direction away from the shock absorber 32 supporting the spring seat (more specifically, toward the rear and downward of the vehicle), as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 4. This prevents stones from falling vertically and colliding with the wire harness below the spring seat.

[0027] A method for manufacturing the inclined portions 365, 366 described above is also provided. These inclined portions 365, 366 can be formed by localized heating. Localized heat forming can form each portion of the spring sheet by, for example, heating a high-strength steel plate of 780 MPa class or higher to 500 to 830°C for a short period of time of 10 seconds or less. High-frequency induction heating using a coil can be used to apply localized heating for a short period of time. An AC power source is connected to the coil to generate high-frequency induced electromotive force by passing an AC current through the coil. This localized heat forming can realize inclined portions and other shapes with a high degree of freedom that cannot be achieved by ordinary press forming.

[0028] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0029] 24 Suspension 26 Caliper 28 front tire 30 Lower arm 32 Shock absorber 34 coil spring 36 Spring seat 41 Wire harness 360 holes 361, 361a, 361b holes 362a, 362b holes 364 Bending Lines 365,366 Slope 369 Outer edge

Claims

1. A spring seat provided above a tire mounted on a vehicle and supported by a shock absorber, A hole is formed on the bottom surface of the spring seat for discharging stones, A spring seat in which the path to the hole or the path extending from the hole is configured to guide ejected stones in a direction away from the shock absorber.

2. A path to the hole or a path extending from the hole has an inclined portion inclined diagonally downward and rearward of the vehicle in a direction away from the shock absorber. The spring seat according to claim 1.

3. 3. The spring seat according to claim 2, wherein the inclined portion extending from the hole in the bottom surface of the spring seat extends outward in a direction away from the shock absorber beyond a wire harness disposed below the spring seat.

4. The spring seat according to claim 2 , wherein the inclined portion extending from the hole in the bottom surface of the spring seat is formed inside a cylinder.

5. A method for manufacturing a spring seat according to any one of claims 2 to 4, The method for manufacturing a spring seat includes locally heat-forming the holes and the inclined portions by applying heat of 500 to 830°C to a high-strength steel plate of 780 MPa class or higher for a short period of time of 10 seconds or less.

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