Sheet rubber with cup

Abstract

To provide a sheet rubber with a cup which has a novel structure capable of reducing noise caused by the hitting between a cup member and a sprint support part and the like.SOLUTION: A sheet rubber 10 with a cup comprises an annular sheet rubber 14 interposed between a coil spring 22 and a spring support part 12 in a suspension mechanism for a vehicle, wherein a hard cup member 16 arranged between the sheet rubber 14 and the spring support part 12 is fitted to the sheet rubber 14. The cup member 16 has a structure such that a tapered cylindrical peripheral wall part 32 protrudes in a center axis direction from an inner peripheral end of a bottom wall part 28 superposed on the spring support part 12 in a contact state, and an elastic projection 44 is provided at the peripheral wall part 32 of the cup member 16 superposed on a tapered cylindrical insertion part 52 in the spring support part 12 with a gap 54, the elastic projection 44 protruding toward the insertion part 52 and elastically bent to deform by abutting on the insertion part 52.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cup-equipped seat rubber that is interposed between a coil spring and a spring support portion of a shock absorber in a vehicle suspension mechanism. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in vehicle suspension mechanisms, sheet rubber is known that is interposed between a coil spring and a spring support part (the support part of the shock absorber for the coil spring) provided on the shock absorber for the purpose of preventing hitting noises and the like caused by direct contact between the coil spring and the spring support part. As shown in Japanese Patent No. 6615857 (Patent Document 1), for example, the sheet rubber is annular and is interposed between the end of the coil spring and the spring support part by overlapping with the flange-shaped part of the spring support part that is provided so as to protrude outward from the shock absorber. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 6615857 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, a cup member may be attached to the seat rubber for the purpose of adjusting the spring characteristics, etc. The cup member is provided, for example, so as to cover the lower surface and inner peripheral surface of the seat rubber and is superimposed on the spring support portion.

[0005] However, if a cup member is interposed between the seat rubber and the spring support portion, there is a risk that the cup member and the spring support portion will hit each other due to vibration input while the vehicle is running, which can cause abnormal noise. In particular, if the cup member is hard, abnormal noise is more likely to become a problem than if the seat rubber and the spring support portion are in direct contact without the cup member in between.

[0006] The problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a cupped seat rubber of a novel structure that can reduce abnormal noise caused by the cup member hitting the spring support portion. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The following describes preferred embodiments for understanding the present invention, but the embodiments described below are merely examples and may be appropriately combined with one another. Multiple components described in each embodiment may be recognized and employed independently to the greatest extent possible, and may also be appropriately combined with any of the components described in other embodiments. Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below, and various other embodiments may be realized.

[0008] The first aspect is a cupped seat rubber comprising an annular seat rubber interposed between a coil spring and a spring support part in a vehicle suspension mechanism, and a hard cup member disposed between the seat rubber and the spring support part and attached to the seat rubber, wherein the cup member has a structure in which a tapered cylindrical peripheral wall part protrudes in the direction of the central axis from the inner peripheral end of a bottom wall part which is superimposed in abutting contact with the spring support part, and the peripheral wall part of the cup member which is superimposed with a gap over the tapered cylindrical insertion part of the spring support part is provided with an elastic protrusion which protrudes toward the insertion part and is elastically bent and deformed by abutting against the insertion part.

[0009] With a cup-equipped sheet rubber constructed in accordance with this embodiment, the peripheral wall portion of the cup member is overlapped with the insertion portion of the spring support member with a gap therebetween, thereby preventing the occurrence of assembly defects of the cup member to the spring support member, such as the bottom wall portion of the cup member not abutting against the spring support member due to interference between the peripheral wall portion of the cup member and the insertion portion of the spring support member.

[0010] If a gap is provided between the peripheral wall of the cup member and the insertion portion of the spring support member, it is difficult to position the cup member and the spring support member in a direction perpendicular to the overlapping direction of the bottom wall and the spring support member. For example, vibration input during vehicle operation may cause the peripheral wall of the cup member and the insertion portion of the spring support member to strike each other, potentially generating abnormal noise. To address this issue, an elastic protrusion is provided on the cup member that protrudes from the peripheral wall of the cup member toward the insertion portion and is elastically bent and deformed upon contact with the insertion portion. In this way, in the initial state, the peripheral wall of the cup member and the insertion portion of the spring support member abut via the bent and deformed elastic protrusion, thereby reducing the contact area of ​​the cup member with the insertion portion of the spring support member. Additionally, when vibrations, such as those generated during vehicle operation, are input, the elastic protrusion further deforms, absorbing the vibrations and thereby reducing the impact noise caused by the abutment of the cup member and the insertion portion of the spring support member.

[0011] In particular, by adopting an elastic protrusion that bends and deforms when it comes into contact with the insertion portion, bending deformation becomes the dominant deformation mode rather than compressive deformation, and while ensuring a large variation in the gap dimension between the cup member and the spring support portion that is allowed by the elastic deformation of the elastic protrusion, it is possible to avoid large changes in the spring force acting between the cup member and the spring support portion due to differences in the amount of elastic deformation of the elastic protrusion, making it possible to more effectively reduce or prevent the occurrence of abnormal noise and changes in characteristics.

[0012] In a second aspect, in the cup-formed seat rubber described in the first aspect, the elastic protrusions are formed in a plate shape extending in the circumferential direction.

[0013] According to the cup-type sheet rubber constructed in accordance with this embodiment, the elastic protrusions are plate-shaped, which makes it easy to ensure the effective cross-sectional area and therefore durability of the elastic protrusions even in the small gap between the cup member and the spring support part, and by adjusting the plate width dimension (circumferential dimension), it becomes easy to ensure the freedom to tune the elastic characteristics even in situations where the thickness dimension of the elastic protrusions is limited.

[0014] In a third aspect, in the cup-formed seat rubber according to the first or second aspect, the elastic protrusions are provided at a plurality of positions in the circumferential direction.

[0015] In the cupped seat rubber constructed according to this aspect, the multiple elastic protrusions are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction on the peripheral wall of the cup member, which stabilizes the contact between the cup member and the insertion portion of the spring support member via the elastic protrusions, while reducing abnormal noise caused by the contact between the cup member and the insertion portion of the spring support member, etc. Furthermore, by adjusting the number of multiple elastic protrusions arranged in the circumferential direction, the degree of freedom in tuning the size, shape, elastic properties, etc. of each individual elastic protrusion can be increased.

[0016] A fourth aspect is the cup-equipped sheet rubber according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the cup member is made of synthetic resin.

[0017] According to the cup-type sheet rubber constructed in accordance with this embodiment, it becomes easy to integrally mold the elastic protrusions into the cup member, thereby ensuring good manufacturability while achieving great precision and freedom in the shape of the elastic protrusions.

[0018] A fifth aspect is a cup-attached sheet rubber according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein a concave recess is formed in the portion of the peripheral wall of the cup member adjacent to the elastic protrusion.

[0019] With the cupped seat rubber constructed according to this aspect, when vibrations, etc., are input while the vehicle is running and the elastic protrusion is deformed beyond its initial state, the deformed elastic protrusion can be accommodated in the hollowed-out portion, thereby further reducing the impact noise, etc., caused by the contact between the cup member and the insertion portion of the spring support part. Furthermore, by providing such hollowed-out portion, it is possible to reduce the concentration of stress and strain at the base end of the elastic protrusion during elastic deformation and to ensure a large deformation tolerance of the elastic protrusion.

[0020] A sixth aspect is a cup-attached sheet rubber according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the elastic protrusion protrudes toward the base end side on the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion of the cup member.

[0021] In the cup-type sheet rubber constructed according to this embodiment, the elastic protrusions protrude from the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall of the cup member toward the base end, i.e., toward the bottom wall in the central axial direction of the cup member. This prevents the elastic protrusions from getting caught when the cup member is inserted onto the spring support and assembled, while making it easy to ensure the elastic deformation of the elastic protrusions by increasing the inclination angle (rise angle) of the elastic protrusions relative to the peripheral wall. Furthermore, it is easy to improve the elastic properties and durability of the elastic protrusions by increasing the inclination angle (rise angle) of the elastic protrusions relative to the peripheral wall, while ensuring mold releasability by avoiding undercutting of the elastic protrusions. [Effects of the Invention]

[0022] According to the present invention, in a cupped seat rubber, it is possible to reduce abnormal noise caused by, for example, the cup member hitting the spring support portion. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0023] [Figure 1] FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view showing a state in which a cup-equipped seat rubber according to a first embodiment of the present invention is attached to a spring support part, and corresponds to cross section II of FIG. [Figure 2]2 is a perspective view from the bottom side showing the cup-equipped seat rubber shown in FIG. 1 in a state before being attached to the spring support part. [Figure 3] Bottom view of the seat rubber with cup shown in Figure 2 [Figure 4] 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a cup member constituting the cup-equipped sheet rubber shown in FIG. 3, and corresponds to the cross section IV-IV of FIG. 3. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0024] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0025] 1 shows a cupped seat rubber 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention attached to an arm member 12 that serves as a spring support in a suspension mechanism. The cupped seat rubber 10 has a structure in which a cup member 16 is attached to a seat rubber 14. In the following description, the up-down direction generally refers to the up-down direction in FIG. 1.

[0026] The seat rubber 14 is made of rubber or synthetic resin elastomer and has rubber-like elasticity. The seat rubber 14 integrally includes an annular lower wall portion 18 and a tubular portion 20 that protrudes upward from the inner peripheral end of the lower wall portion 18.

[0027] The lower wall portion 18 is provided with a spring contact surface 24 that is superimposed on the lower end of the coil spring 22, which is shown imaginarily by a two-dot chain line in Fig. 1, and in this embodiment, it has a substantially constant cross-sectional shape and is continuous around the entire circumference. An annular protrusion 26 that protrudes above the spring contact surface 24 at the outer peripheral end is integrally formed on the lower wall portion 18.

[0028] The cylindrical portion 20 has a generally cylindrical shape overall. In this embodiment, the cylindrical portion 20 has an outer peripheral surface that is a cylindrical surface with a generally constant diameter, and an inner peripheral surface that is a tapered cylindrical surface that decreases in diameter toward the top, with the radial thickness increasing toward the top. In this embodiment, not only the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 20 but also the inner peripheral surface of the lower wall portion 18 is a tapered cylindrical surface, and the inner peripheral surfaces of the lower wall portion 18 and the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 20 are configured as continuous tapered cylindrical surfaces. Note that the cylindrical portion 20 may have an outer peripheral surface that is a tapered cylindrical surface corresponding to the inner peripheral surface.

[0029] The cup member 16 is a hard member made of metal or synthetic resin. The cup member 16 is preferably made of a synthetic resin material such as polyamide, polyethylene, polypropylene, or polytetrafluoroethylene. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 , the cup member 16 integrally includes a bottom wall portion 28, an outer peripheral wall portion 30 protruding upward from the outer peripheral end of the bottom wall portion 28, and an inner peripheral wall portion 32 protruding upward from the inner peripheral end of the bottom wall portion 28. That is, the inner peripheral wall portion 32 protrudes from the inner peripheral end of the bottom wall portion 28 in the vertical direction (particularly, from bottom to top) that corresponds to the central axis direction.

[0030] The bottom wall 28 has a generally annular plate shape overall. The bottom wall 28 extends generally perpendicular to the up-down direction. The bottom wall 28 is provided with a height adjustment portion 34 that protrudes downward. The height adjustment portion 34 has a structure in which an inner tubular portion 36 that protrudes downward from the inner periphery of the bottom wall 28 and an outer tubular portion 38 that protrudes downward from the outer periphery of the bottom wall 28 are integrally and continuously provided by inner and outer connecting portions 40 that are provided at multiple locations in the circumferential direction and extend radially. Because the height adjustment portion 34 is composed of the inner tubular portion 36, the outer tubular portion 38, and the multiple inner and outer connecting portions 40, it is possible to ensure a large maximum outer dimension in the up-down direction of the bottom wall 28, including the height adjustment portion 34, while preventing the thickness dimensions of each portion that constitutes the bottom wall 28 from becoming excessively large. This prevents molding defects such as voids caused by excessive differences in wall thickness. Furthermore, if the height adjusting section 34 has such a hollow structure, it is possible to expect a reduction in weight and resin material.

[0031] The outer peripheral wall portion 30 has a generally cylindrical shape overall. The outer peripheral wall portion 30 extends in the vertical direction with a generally constant radial thickness. The outer peripheral wall portion 30 is thinner than the bottom wall portion 28. The inner diameter of the outer peripheral wall portion 30 is larger than the outer diameter of the lower wall portion 18 of the seat rubber 14. The upper end surface of the outer peripheral wall portion 30 is positioned generally flush with the spring abutment surface 24 of the seat rubber 14 in the vertical direction. Note that the outer peripheral surface of the lower wall portion 18 of the seat rubber 14 protrudes upward beyond the outer peripheral wall portion 30 of the cup member 16 due to a protrusion 26 provided on the lower wall portion 18.

[0032] The inner circumferential wall portion 32 has a generally tapered cylindrical shape with a diameter that decreases toward the top. In this embodiment, the inner circumferential wall portion 32 decreases in diameter toward the top at a generally constant inclination angle, but the inclination angle may vary in the vertical direction. The inner circumferential wall portion 32 extends in the vertical direction with a generally constant radial thickness. The inner circumferential wall portion 32 is thicker than the outer circumferential wall portion 30 and is even thicker than the bottom wall portion 28.

[0033] A plurality of elastic protrusions 44 are integrally formed on the inner peripheral surface 42 of the inner peripheral wall portion 32. Each elastic protrusion 44 is formed to have approximately the same shape. These elastic protrusions 44 are arranged spaced apart from one another at multiple locations in the circumferential direction. In this embodiment, each elastic protrusion 44 is arranged side by side on approximately the same circumference, and each elastic protrusion 44 is arranged at approximately equal intervals in the circumferential direction. Each elastic protrusion 44 is provided at the same vertical position on the inner peripheral wall portion 32. Each elastic protrusion 44 is provided in approximately the vertical center of the inner peripheral wall portion 32. In this embodiment, each elastic protrusion 44 is provided at a vertical position approximately equal to the upper end of the outer peripheral wall portion 30 and the upper ends of the spring abutment surface 24 and protrusion 26 of the seat rubber 14. Preferably, three or more elastic protrusions 44 are provided, and in this embodiment, twelve elastic protrusions are provided.

[0034] 2 and 3 show the cup-equipped seat rubber 10 before being assembled to the arm member 12, and FIG. 4 shows the cup member 16 in a separate state before being assembled to the seat rubber 14. In the cup member 16 in a separate state, each elastic protrusion 44 has a plate shape that extends in the circumferential direction. In this embodiment, each elastic protrusion 44 has a substantially rectangular flat plate shape. Each elastic protrusion 44 has a predetermined plate width dimension (circumferential dimension) and a predetermined length dimension (vertical dimension). In the cup member 16 in a separate state, each elastic protrusion 44 protrudes in a substantially straight line from the inner circumferential surface 42 of the inner circumferential wall portion 32 toward the base end, that is, toward the lower side in the central axis direction (vertical direction) of the inner circumferential wall portion 32. Therefore, each elastic protrusion 44 is connected at its upper end to the inner circumferential surface 42 of the inner circumferential wall portion 32. This allows each elastic protrusion 44 to bend at the middle portion in the length direction (vertical direction) or to bend radially from the connection portion with the inner circumferential wall portion 32 at the upper end portion.

[0035] Concave recesses 46 are formed in the inner peripheral wall 32 of the cup member 16 in portions adjacent to the elastic protrusions 44. Specifically, concave recesses 46 that open to the inner peripheral side of the inner peripheral wall 32 are formed at positions on the inner peripheral surface 42 of the inner peripheral wall 32 where the elastic protrusions 44 are formed. A plurality of these recesses 46 (12 in this embodiment) are provided corresponding to the elastic protrusions 44. The recesses 46 are provided at approximately equal intervals, spaced apart from one another in the circumferential direction, on approximately the same circumference.

[0036] In this embodiment, each of the recessed portions 46 has a vertical dimension that is approximately equal to that of each of the elastic protrusions 44. Furthermore, each of the recessed portions 46 has a circumferential dimension (width dimension) that is slightly larger than that of each of the elastic protrusions 44. As a result, in the cup member 16 in its standalone state, the opening area of ​​each recessed portion 46 on the inner circumferential surface 42 of the inner circumferential wall portion 32 is larger than the area of ​​the longitudinal cross section of each of the flat elastic protrusions 44 (a longitudinal cross section cut along a plane extending in a direction perpendicular to the thickness direction of each of the elastic protrusions 44). Each of the recessed portions 46 has a predetermined depth dimension from the inner circumferential surface 42 of the inner circumferential wall portion 32. The depth dimension of each recessed portion 46 is deepest at the vertical center, and gradually decreases from the vertical center toward the vertical outward. The depth dimension of each recess 46 is not limited, but is formed with a depth dimension that allows at least a portion of each elastic protrusion 44, preferably almost the entirety of each elastic protrusion 44, to be accommodated in each recess 46 when each elastic protrusion 44 is deformed relatively significantly, for example, when vibration is input.

[0037] In particular, in this embodiment, in the cup member 16 in a standalone state, each elastic protrusion 44 is formed to protrude downward from the upper end portion on the inner surface of each scooped portion 46. As a result, each elastic protrusion 44 can be deformed so that approximately the entire length of the elastic protrusion 44 falls down, starting from the connection portion with the inner circumferential wall portion 32, which is the upper end portion, as a base point, and a part or approximately the entire elastic protrusion 44 can be accommodated in each scooped portion 46.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 1 , the sheet rubber 14 is attached to the cup member 16 by being superimposed on the cup member 16 from above. The lower surface of the lower wall portion 18 of the sheet rubber 14 is superimposed in abutting contact with the upper surface of the bottom wall portion 28 of the cup member 16. The inner circumferential surface of the lower wall portion 18 is superimposed in abutting contact with the outer circumferential surface of the inner circumferential wall portion 32 of the cup member 16. The inner circumferential surface of the tubular portion 20 of the sheet rubber 14 is superimposed in abutting contact with the outer circumferential surface of the inner circumferential wall portion 32 of the cup member 16. By attaching the cup member 16 to the sheet rubber 14, the deformation of the sheet rubber 14 is limited to some extent by the cup member 16, and the spring characteristics of the sheet rubber 14 can be adjusted by attaching the cup member 16. The sheet rubber 14 may be overlapped with the inner peripheral wall portion 32 of the cup member 16 in a zero-touch abutment state with no interference or with a gap formed, but is preferably fitted with interference. In addition, the outer peripheral surface of the lower wall portion 18 of the sheet rubber 14 and the inner peripheral surface of the outer peripheral wall portion 30 of the cup member 16 are spaced apart from each other in the radial direction when the sheet rubber 14 and the cup member 16 are assembled.

[0039] The cupped seat rubber 10 thus constructed is attached to an arm member 12 that constitutes a suspension mechanism of an automobile, as shown in Figure 1. The arm member 12 is a hard member made of a metal such as iron. The arm member 12 integrally comprises an annular flange portion 50 and a tapered cylindrical mounting portion 52 that projects upward from the inner peripheral end of the flange portion 50.

[0040] The cup-equipped sheet rubber 10 is attached to the arm member 12 by overlapping the bottom wall portion 28 of the cup member 16 from above onto the flange-shaped portion 50 of the arm member 12 and overlapping the inner wall portion 32 of the cup member 16 onto the outer surface of the mounting tube portion 52 of the arm member 12.

[0041] The cup member 16 is overlapped with the lower surface of the height adjustment portion 34 of the bottom wall portion 28 abutting against the upper surface of the flange-shaped portion 50 of the arm member 12. The cup member 16 is also overlapped with the inner circumferential surface 42 of the inner circumferential wall portion 32 facing the outer circumferential surface of the mounting tube portion 52 of the arm member 12 with a gap 54 between them. In this way, the inner circumferential wall portion 32 of the cup member 16 and the mounting tube portion 52 of the arm member 12 are overlapped with a gap 54 between them, which allows for dimensional tolerances and assembly tolerances of the inner circumferential wall portion 32 of the cup member 16 and the mounting tube portion 52 of the arm member 12 to be accommodated. This prevents improper assembly of the cup member 16 and the arm member 12 due to interference between the inner circumferential wall portion 32 of the cup member 16 and the mounting tube portion 52 of the arm member 12.

[0042] It is desirable that the inner diameter of the upper end of the inner circumferential wall portion 32 of the cup member 16 protruding upward from the arm member 12 is smaller than the outer diameter (preferably the inner diameter) of the upper end of the arm member 12 so that the inner circumferential wall portion 32 covers the upward opening of the gap 54 from above. This makes it possible to prevent foreign matter such as water from entering the gap 54 from above. Also, it is possible to integrally form a dust seal portion that covers the upward opening of the gap 54, for example, by making the upper end of the tubular portion 20 of the sheet rubber 14 extend inward beyond the inner circumferential wall portion 32 of the cup member 16.

[0043] A coil spring 22 is attached to the cupped seat rubber 10 attached to the arm member 12 in this manner. That is, with the cup member 16 attached to the arm member 12, the lower end of the coil spring 22 is fitted onto the tubular portion 20 of the seat rubber 14, and the lower surface of the coil spring 22 is vertically overlapped with the spring abutment surface 24 of the seat rubber 14, thereby attaching the cupped seat rubber 10 to the vehicle suspension mechanism. When attached to the suspension mechanism in this manner, the cupped seat rubber 10 is interposed between the arm member 12 and the lower end of the coil spring 22. By interposing the seat rubber 14 between the arm member 12 and the coil spring 22, the generation of abnormal noise due to rubbing or impact is prevented compared to when the coil spring 22 is directly overlapped on the arm member 12. Furthermore, by interposing the cup member 16 between the seat rubber 14 and the arm member 12, the amount of axial compression of the coil spring 22 can be adjusted, thereby tuning the spring characteristics of the coil spring 22. The coil spring 22 may be loosely inserted into the cylindrical portion 20 of the seat rubber 14 with a gap therebetween, or may be fitted with a tight interference fit. Also, for example, when the lower wall portion 18 of the seat rubber 14 is compressed vertically by the coil spring 22 and deformed so as to bulge outward, the amount of deformation of the lower wall portion 18 of the seat rubber 14 outward is limited by its contact with the outer circumferential wall portion 30 of the cup member 16.

[0044] Here, a plurality of elastic protrusions 44 provided on the inner peripheral wall portion 32 of the cup member 16 protrude into the gap 54 toward the mounting tubular portion 52 of the arm member 12, and the protruding tip portions (lower end portions) of the plurality of elastic protrusions 44 abut against the mounting tubular portion 52 of the arm member 12 and are elastically bent and deformed. As shown in FIG. 1 , each elastic protrusion 44 is deformed along the outer peripheral surface of the mounting tubular portion 52 so as to bend outward at a longitudinal intermediate portion, and the lower end portion of each bent elastic protrusion 44 abuts against the mounting tubular portion 52 over a certain length. In short, each of these elastic protrusions 44 functions as a leaf spring, and in the initial state (a state in which external forces due to vibrations or the like are not applied to the cup-type seat rubber 10), the elastic restoring force of each bent and deformed elastic protrusion 44 acts as a pressing force toward the inner peripheral side, maintaining each elastic protrusion 44 in the deformed state of the lower end portion as described above.

[0045] As a result, a gap 54 between the inner circumferential wall 32 of the cup member 16 and the mounting tubular portion 52 of the arm member 12 is maintained by the abutment between each elastic protrusion 44 and the mounting tubular portion 52, and the inner circumferential surface 42 of the inner circumferential wall 32 of the cup member 16 and the outer circumferential surface of the mounting tubular portion 52 of the arm member 12 are spaced apart without coming into direct contact with each other. Therefore, the abutment area between the inner circumferential wall 32 of the cup member 16 and the mounting tubular portion 52 of the arm member 12 is reduced by each elastic protrusion 44. Note that in the initial state, the lower end portions of each bent and deformed elastic protrusion 44 may be partially received in each recess 46, but in this embodiment, the lower end portions of each elastic protrusion 44 are not received in each recess 46 in the initial state.

[0046] In this way, the elastic protrusions 44 projecting from the inner peripheral wall 32 of the cup member 16 abut against the mounting tubular portion 52 of the arm member 12, causing their lower ends to deform and maintaining that deformed state. Therefore, while a gap 54 is defined between the inner peripheral wall 32 of the cup member 16 and the mounting tubular portion 52 of the arm member 12, the cup member 16 and the arm member 12 can be positioned relative to each other in the radial direction, which is the direction perpendicular to the up-down direction. Furthermore, for example, when a radial force acts between the cup member 16 and the arm member 12, the relative radial displacement between the cup member 16 and the arm member 12 is absorbed by the further deformation of the elastic protrusions 44. This suppresses the radial relative displacement, preventing noise caused by rubbing between the bottom wall 28 of the cup member 16 and the flange-like portion 50 of the arm member 12 and hitting sounds caused by the inner peripheral wall 32 and the mounting tubular portion 52 striking each other.

[0047] In this embodiment, each elastic protrusion 44 has a plate shape that extends in the circumferential direction. That is, each elastic protrusion 44 has a predetermined plate width dimension (circumferential dimension) and length dimension (vertical dimension), which makes it relatively easy to deform each elastic protrusion 44. In particular, in this embodiment, the upper end of each elastic protrusion 44 is connected to the inner circumferential wall portion 32, and each elastic protrusion 44 can deform relatively easily, for example, using this connection portion as a base point.

[0048] The elastic protrusions 44 are provided at multiple locations in the circumferential direction. As a result, in the initial state, an annular gap 54 can be provided around the entire circumference between the inner circumferential wall portion 32 and the mounting tubular portion 52. When an external force is applied from any radial direction, the elastic protrusions 44 further deform to absorb the external force, thereby more reliably preventing the generation of abnormal noise, hammering sounds, and the like.

[0049] The cup member 16 is made of a hard synthetic resin. This allows the cup member 16 to be formed with high precision and with a high degree of design freedom, and also allows the elastic protrusions 44 that protrude downward from the inner circumferential surface 42 of the inner circumferential wall portion 32 to be formed stably.

[0050] A concave recess 46 is formed in the inner peripheral wall 32 of the cup member 16 in a portion adjacent to each elastic protrusion 44. In this embodiment, each recess 46 is formed larger than each elastic protrusion 44, and when each elastic protrusion 44 deforms relatively significantly, at least a portion or substantially the entire elastic protrusion 44 can be accommodated in each recess 46. This more reliably achieves deformation of each elastic protrusion 44 and ensures a greater deformation tolerance for each elastic protrusion 44 than, for example, when each recess 46 is not provided. As a result, even when a large external force is applied to the cup-type seat rubber 10, the generation of abnormal noise, hammering sounds, and the like between the cup member 16 and the arm member 12 can be effectively prevented.

[0051] Each elastic protrusion 44 protrudes downward, which is the base end side, from the inner circumferential surface 42 of the inner circumferential wall portion 32 of the cup member 16. In this embodiment, the upper end of each elastic protrusion 44 serves as a connecting portion and is provided so as to protrude downward from the upper end of the inner surface of each scooped portion 46. This allows deformation with the upper end of each elastic protrusion 44 as the base point, and allows each elastic protrusion 44 to be stably accommodated in each scooped portion 46 even when each elastic protrusion 44 deforms relatively greatly.

[0052] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the specific descriptions. For example, the outer peripheral wall 30 of the cup member 16 may be omitted. Furthermore, the outer peripheral wall 30 of the cup member 16 may be in advance in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the lower wall 18 of the sheet rubber 14.

[0053] The height adjustment portion 34 on the bottom wall 28 of the cup member 16 is not essential. Since the height adjustment portion 34 is related to, for example, the support height of the sheet rubber 14 on the arm member 12, and thus the thickness of the sheet rubber 14 and the support height of the coil spring 22, the height dimension of the height adjustment portion 34 can also be adjusted as appropriate. The height adjustment portion 34 may be partially provided at multiple locations in the circumferential direction, and may have, for example, a spot-like protrusion shape such as a hemispherical shape. It is preferable that the height adjustment portion 34 has a communicating gap that extends radially in the circumferential direction between the overlapping surfaces with the arm member 12 and communicates with the gap 54 between the mounting tube portion 52 and the inner circumferential wall portion 32. This allows, for example, water or the like that seeps in through the gap 54 to be quickly removed through the upper surface of the arm member 12.

[0054] In the first embodiment, the bottom wall portion 28 of the cup member 16 is annular and located on a substantially coplanar surface perpendicular to the vertical direction. However, if, for example, the lower end of a coil spring extends at an inclination in a spiral manner and the upper and lower surfaces of the lower wall portion 18 of the seat rubber 14 are inclined in the circumferential direction, the lower surface of the bottom wall portion may be a plane perpendicular to the vertical direction, while the upper surface of the bottom wall portion may be an inclined spiral tapered surface extending in the circumferential direction, or a stepped portion may be provided at a specific location in the circumferential direction. In this manner, the bottom wall portion of the cup member may have a thickness that varies in the circumferential direction. Alternatively, by varying the height of the height adjustment portion 34 in the circumferential direction, the thickness of the bottom wall portion 28 of the cup member 16 may be kept substantially constant in the circumferential direction, and the upper surface of the bottom wall portion 28 of the cup member 16 may be inclined in the circumferential direction.

[0055] The specific shape, size, number, arrangement, etc., of the elastic protrusions 44 shown in the first embodiment are merely examples and may be modified as appropriate. For example, in the first embodiment, each elastic protrusion 44 before deformation has a generally rectangular flat plate shape, but this is not limited to this. Each elastic protrusion may be curved in the circumferential direction, and the cross-sectional shape of each elastic protrusion may be polygonal other than rectangular. Furthermore, each elastic protrusion may be rod-shaped instead of plate-shaped. If rod-shaped, the cross-sectional shape is not limited and may be circular (including oval, elliptical, semicircular, etc.) or polygonal, and the cross-sectional shape or cross-sectional area may vary in the protruding direction. Furthermore, each elastic protrusion may be provided partially in the circumferential direction as in the above embodiment, or may be a continuous ring shape extending around the entire circumference. The vertical positions of the elastic protrusions provided on the inner circumferential surface of the peripheral wall portion are not limited, and they may be provided at multiple locations in the vertical direction. In the first embodiment, the elastic protrusions 44 are formed integrally with the inner circumferential wall 32. However, the elastic protrusions may be formed separately from the inner circumferential wall and then fixed thereto. In this case, the elastic protrusions may be made of a different material from the inner circumferential wall. For example, the elastic protrusions may be made of a material that is more flexible than the inner circumferential wall, such as rubber or elastomer.

[0056] When multiple elastic protrusions are provided, the elastic protrusions do not need to have the same shape. For example, in the initial state when the cup-type seat rubber is attached to the spring support portion, some of the elastic protrusions may abut against the insertion portion (e.g., the mounting tube portion 52) and deform, as in the above embodiment, while the remaining some may abut against the insertion portion in a zero-touch manner or not abut at all, and may not be deformed in the initial state. In this case, it is sufficient that some of the elastic protrusions deform and abut against the insertion portion in the initial state, thereby forming a gap between the insertion portion and the peripheral wall portion (e.g., the inner peripheral wall portion 32). Then, when an external force such as vibration is applied, the insertion portion and the peripheral wall portion may be displaced radially relative to each other, causing the remaining elastic protrusions to abut against the insertion portion and deform.

[0057] The size of the gap 54 (gap dimension) does not need to be constant throughout, and the size of the gap may be increased or decreased at any position in the vertical or circumferential direction.

[0058] In the first embodiment, recessed portions 46 were formed on the inner peripheral surface 42 of the inner peripheral wall portion 32 in the portions adjacent to each elastic protrusion 44, but this is not limited to this form. For example, the recessed portions may extend circumferentially with a predetermined circumferential dimension on the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion so as to accommodate multiple elastic protrusions adjacent in the circumferential direction when the elastic protrusions are deformed, or may be in the form of a ring that is continuous around the entire circumference. However, such recessed portions are not essential to the cupped rubber of the present invention.

[0059] In the first embodiment, in the cup member 16 in a standalone state, each elastic protrusion 44 protrudes straight downward from the inner circumferential surface 42 of the inner circumferential wall portion 32, but this is not limited to this. For example, in the cup member in a standalone state, the direction in which the elastic protrusions protrude from the inner circumferential surface of the circumferential wall portion is not limited, and the shape of the elastic protrusions is also not limited, and for example, they may be bent in the middle part in the protruding direction (lengthwise direction), or may be curved overall. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 10 Cup-equipped seat rubber (first embodiment) 12 Arm member (spring support part) 14 Seat Rubber 16 Cup member 18 Lower wall part 20 Cylindrical part 22 coil spring 24 Spring contact surface 26 Protrusion 28 Bottom wall 30 Outer wall 32 Inner peripheral wall (peripheral wall) 34 Height adjustment section 36 Inner cylinder 38 Outer cylinder 40 Internal and external connection 42 Inner surface 44 Elastic protrusion 46 Gouge 50 flange-shaped part 52 Mounting tube part (insertion part) 54 Gap

Claims

1. A cupped seat rubber is provided in a vehicle suspension mechanism, which includes an annular seat rubber interposed between a coil spring and a spring support part, and a hard cup member disposed between the seat rubber and the spring support part and attached to the seat rubber, the cup member has a structure in which a tapered cylindrical peripheral wall portion protrudes in a central axis direction from an inner peripheral end portion of a bottom wall portion that is superimposed on the spring support portion in a state of abutting against the spring support portion, The cup member is overlapped with a gap on the tapered cylindrical insertion portion of the spring support portion, and the peripheral wall portion of the cup member is provided with an elastic protrusion that protrudes toward the insertion portion and is elastically bent and deformed when it abuts against the insertion portion.

2. 2. The cup-type seat rubber according to claim 1, wherein the elastic protrusions are formed in a plate shape extending in the circumferential direction.

3. 3. The cup-shaped seat rubber according to claim 1, wherein the elastic protrusions are provided at a plurality of positions in the circumferential direction.

4. 3. The cupped seat rubber according to claim 1, wherein the cup member is made of a synthetic resin.

5. 3. The cupped seat rubber according to claim 1, wherein a recessed portion is formed in the peripheral wall of the cup member at a portion adjacent to the elastic protrusion.

6. 3. The cup-type seat rubber according to claim 1, wherein the elastic projection projects from the inner peripheral surface of the peripheral wall portion of the cup member toward the base end side.

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