Upper Support

Abstract

To provide an upper support of a new structure that can be adopted even when the upper space is narrow. [Solution] An upper support (10) having a structure in which an inner mounting member (12) and an outer mounting member (14) are connected by an elastic connecting body (16), with the inner mounting member (12) and elastic connecting body (16) arranged between an upper fitting (34) and a lower fitting (36) which are overlapped with each other to form the outer mounting member (14), an upper mounting hole (44) penetrating in the vertical direction is formed in the upper fitting (34), and a lower mounting hole (56) penetrating in the vertical direction is formed in the lower fitting (36), and a crimp nut (60) with a head (62) which is overlapped on the underside of the lower fitting (36) is inserted into the lower mounting hole (56) from below and fitted and fixed in the upper mounting hole (44), so that the upper fitting (34) and lower fitting (36) are fixed in an overlapping state by only the crimp nut (60).

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an upper support that connects a piston rod of a shock absorber in a vehicle suspension to a vehicle body in a vibration-damping manner. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there has been known an upper support that is interposed between a piston rod of a shock absorber in a vehicle suspension and the vehicle body to connect the upper part of the piston rod to the vehicle body in a vibration-damping manner. As disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2010-014133 (Patent Document 1), the upper support has a structure in which an inner mounting member attached to the piston rod and an outer mounting member attached to the vehicle body are elastically connected to each other by an elastic connector. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-014133 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Incidentally, as shown in Patent Document 1, the upper support may employ a structure in which the outer mounting member is constituted by an upper metal fitting and a lower metal fitting stacked one on top of the other, with an inner mounting member and an elastic connecting body disposed between the upper and lower metal fittings. In such a structure, the upper metal fitting and the lower metal fitting are secured in a stacked state, thereby preventing the inner mounting member and the elastic connecting body from falling off the outer mounting member. In Patent Document 1, as shown in Figure 8 of Patent Document 1, a fastening bolt for fastening the outer mounting member to the vehicle body is press-fitted from below into a bolt hole that passes through the upper metal fitting and the lower metal fitting, and the serration portion is crimped to secure the upper metal fitting and the lower metal fitting together.

[0005] In a fixing structure between an upper metal fitting and a lower metal fitting that uses a fastening bolt as in Patent Document 1, the fastening bolt protrudes significantly upward from the outer mounting member, so a large space is required above the upper support to allow for the protrusion of the fastening bolt. However, depending on the layout of vehicle components, it was often difficult to secure sufficient space above the upper support.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide an upper support of a novel structure that can be used even when the upper space is narrow. [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] In a first aspect, an upper support has a structure in which an inner mounting member attached to a piston rod of a shock absorber in a vehicle suspension and an outer mounting member attached to the vehicle body are connected by an elastic connector, and the outer mounting member is configured to include an upper fitting and a lower fitting that are overlapped on each other, with the inner mounting member and the elastic connector disposed between the upper fitting and the lower fitting, an upper mounting hole that passes through in the vertical direction is formed in the upper fitting, and a lower mounting hole that passes through in the vertical direction is formed in the lower fitting, and a crimp nut with a head that is overlapped on the underside of the lower fitting is inserted into the lower mounting hole from below and fitted into and fixed to the upper mounting hole, so that the upper fitting and the lower fitting are fixed to each other in an overlapping state by only the crimp nut.

[0009] With an upper support constructed in accordance with this embodiment, the fastening structure with the vehicle side is composed of a crimp nut, so that the amount of protrusion above the upper fitting is reduced compared to, for example, when the fastening structure is composed of an implanted bolt that protrudes upward, and the space required above the upper support is reduced.

[0010] Furthermore, the upper and lower fittings are connected simply by the fitting and fixing structure of the crimp nut into the upper mounting hole, without the need for welding or crimping the fittings together. Therefore, the upper and lower fittings that make up the outer mounting member can be fixed to each other while providing a fastening structure for connecting the outer mounting member to the vehicle body, thereby reducing the number of manufacturing processes.

[0011] In a second aspect, in the upper support described in the first aspect, the upper metal fitting and the lower metal fitting are both painted metal fittings that have been painted in advance.

[0012] In the past, welding was sometimes used as a means of fastening the upper and lower fittings, and in structures that used nuts for fastening to the vehicle body, the nuts were also sometimes attached by welding. When welding was used in this way, using pre-painted fittings for the upper and lower fittings presented problems such as the paint melting due to the heat of welding, making it difficult to use painted fittings. While spray painting after welding could be considered, it was difficult to paint the overlapping surfaces of the upper and lower fittings (the inner surfaces housing the inner mounting member and elastic connecting body) with spray painting after welding, and there was a risk of rainwater or the like seeping in between the upper and lower fittings, causing rust.

[0013] In the structure of the present invention, the upper and lower fittings are fixed to each other only with a crimp nut, so even if painted fittings are used for the upper and lower fittings, problems that occur when fixing by welding do not occur. Therefore, by adopting the configuration of this mode in which the upper and lower fittings are painted, it is possible to achieve excellent rust prevention performance by having the entire fittings painted in advance.

[0014] In a third aspect, in the upper support described in the first or second aspect, the crimp nut has an insertion portion that is inserted into the lower mounting hole and a fitting portion that is fitted into the upper mounting hole, the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion is cylindrical, and the outer peripheral surface of the fitting portion is provided with a knurled portion.

[0015] With the upper support constructed according to this aspect, the outer surface of the insertion portion that is inserted without being fitted into the lower mounting hole is a smooth cylindrical surface, which eliminates unnecessary machining and also simplifies the mold for molding the crimp nut. Furthermore, the outer surface of the fitting portion that is fitted into the upper mounting hole is provided with a knurled portion consisting of numerous projections and recesses, which is expected to prevent rotation of the crimp nut when fitted into the upper mounting hole and to improve the fixing force due to the fit.

[0016] In the fourth aspect, in the upper support described in the third aspect, the upper end of the crimped nut is provided with an expansion portion that protrudes upward from the fitting portion and expands toward the protruding tip.

[0017] With the upper support constructed according to this aspect, when the bolt is screwed onto the crimp nut from above, the expanded portion guides the bolt to an appropriate position relative to the crimp nut, making it easier to fasten the bolt to the crimp nut. Furthermore, for example, the expanded portion can be expected to provide a retaining function as a return when the upper fitting is deformed by fitting the fitting portion.

[0018] In a fifth aspect, in the upper support according to the third or fourth aspect, the maximum outer diameter of the fitting portion is smaller than the maximum outer diameter of the insertion portion.

[0019] With an upper support constructed in accordance with this embodiment, a step is formed between the insertion portion and the fitting portion due to the difference in outer diameter between the insertion portion and the fitting portion, so that the insertion amount of the crimping nut into the upper and lower insertion holes can be appropriately set.

[0020] A sixth aspect is an upper support described in any one of the third to fifth aspects, wherein the vertical length dimension of the fitting portion is within the range of 30% to 80% of the hole length dimension of the upper mounting hole.

[0021] With an upper support constructed in accordance with this embodiment, the fitting area of ​​the fitting portion relative to the inner surface of the upper mounting hole is sufficiently secured, and even if, for example, the wall portion of the upper insertion hole in the upper fitting undergoes deformation such as an upward thickness deviation due to the fitting portion being fitted in, the deformed portion can be prevented from protruding above the upper fitting.

[0022] In a seventh aspect, in the upper support described in any one of the first to sixth aspects, the crimp nut is provided with a mounting shaft portion that protrudes from the head and is inserted into the lower mounting hole and fitted into the upper mounting hole, and the length dimension of the mounting shaft portion is equal to or less than the sum of the hole lengths of the upper mounting hole and the lower mounting hole.

[0023] With the upper support constructed according to this aspect, the mounting shaft of the crimp nut can be prevented from protruding above the upper fitting. Therefore, for example, when a vehicle body component is placed on the top surface of the upper fitting, the mounting shaft of the crimp nut is less likely to get in the way.

[0024] In an eighth aspect, in the upper support described in any one of the first to seventh aspects, the upper mounting holes are formed at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction of the upper fitting, the lower mounting holes are formed at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction of the lower fitting, a plurality of the crimp nuts are inserted into the plurality of lower mounting holes, and the plurality of crimp nuts are fitted into the plurality of upper mounting holes, so that the upper fitting and the lower fitting are fixed to each other at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction by the plurality of crimp nuts.

[0025] According to the upper support constructed in accordance with this aspect, the upper metal fitting and the lower metal fitting can be stably fixed together only by the fixing structure using the crimp nut. [Effects of the Invention]

[0026] According to the present invention, the fastening structure with the vehicle body side is configured by a crimp nut, so that it can be used even when the space above the upper support is narrow. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0027] [Figure 1] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an upper support according to a first embodiment of the present invention, in a state where the upper support is mounted on a vehicle; [Figure 2] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the upper support shown in FIG. 1, which corresponds to the cross section II-II of FIG. 3; [Figure 3] Bottom view of the upper support shown in Figure 2 [Figure 4] FIG. 3 is an enlarged front view of a crimping nut that constitutes the upper support shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 5] Plan view of the crimp nut shown in Figure 4 [Figure 6] VI-VI cross section of Figure 5 DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0029] Fig. 1 shows an upper support 10 according to a first embodiment of the present invention, mounted on a vehicle. In the following description, the up-down direction generally refers to the up-down direction in Fig. 1. In Fig. 1, coil springs, spring seat rubbers, bound stoppers, dust covers, etc. are omitted from the illustration.

[0030] 2, the upper support 10 has a structure in which an inner mounting member 12 and an outer mounting member 14 are elastically connected to each other by an elastic connector 16. The inner mounting member 12 is attached to the upper end of a piston rod 22 in a shock absorber 20 of a suspension 18, and the outer mounting member 14 is attached to a vehicle body 24, thereby connecting the suspension 18 and the vehicle body 24 to each other in a vibration-damping manner via the upper support 10.

[0031] The inner mounting member 12 is a highly rigid member made of metal, hard fiber-reinforced synthetic resin, or the like, and integrally comprises a substantially cylindrical mounting portion 26 and a flange-like fixing portion 28 that protrudes from the upper end of the mounting portion 26 to the outer periphery. The upper end portion of the inner hole of the mounting portion 26 has a two-flat shape consisting of a pair of mutually opposing flat surfaces, and the inner mounting member 12 and the piston rod 22 are positioned circumferentially by the two-flat shape.

[0032] An elastic connecting body 16 is fixed to the fixing portion 28 of the inner mounting member 12. The elastic connecting body 16 is made of vulcanized rubber or a resin elastomer having rubber-like elasticity. The elastic connecting body 16 is generally annular in shape, with its inner circumferential portion fixed to the outer circumferential end of the fixing portion 28 of the inner mounting member 12 and its outer circumferential portion protruding outward from the fixing portion 28. The inner circumferential portion of the elastic connecting body 16 protrudes above and below the fixing portion 28, and the height of its protrusion from the fixing portion 28 varies in the circumferential direction.

[0033] An intermediate sleeve 30 is fixed to the outer peripheral surface of the elastic connector 16. The intermediate sleeve 30 is thin-walled, large-diameter, and generally cylindrical, and is preferably made of metal. The inner mounting member 12 is inserted into the intermediate sleeve 30, and the inner mounting member 12 and the intermediate sleeve 30 are elastically connected to each other by the elastic connector 16 to form the vibration isolator 32. The vibration isolator 32 can also be obtained as an integrally vulcanization-molded product of the elastic connector 16, which includes the inner mounting member 12 and the intermediate sleeve 30.

[0034] An outer mounting member 14 is attached to the vibration isolator 32. The outer mounting member 14 is composed of an upper metal fitting 34 and a lower metal fitting 36 that are stacked on top of each other in the vertical direction.

[0035] The upper fitting 34 integrally includes a lid portion 38 having a generally bottomed cylindrical shape that opens downward, and an upper flange portion 40 that protrudes from the lower end of the lid portion 38 toward the outer periphery. An upper through-hole 42 is formed in the upper bottom wall of the lid portion 38, penetrating the center portion in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 3 , the upper flange portion 40 has a generally rounded triangular shape when viewed in the vertical direction, and upper mounting holes 44 are formed in each of the three circumferentially curved rounded corners, penetrating the upper flange portion 40 in the vertical direction. In this embodiment, since the upper mounting holes 44 are formed in the upper flange portion 40, the hole length of the upper mounting holes 44 is the same as the thickness T1 of the upper flange portion 40. As shown in FIG. 2 , a reinforcing portion 46 is formed at the outer periphery of the upper flange portion 40, bending downward and protruding, thereby improving the deformation rigidity of the upper flange portion 40. A positioning pin 48 is provided in the upper flange portion 40, penetrating it from bottom to top.

[0036] The lower fitting 36 integrally includes a generally cylindrical accommodation portion 50 with a bottom that opens upward, and a lower flange portion 52 that protrudes from the upper end of the accommodation portion 50 toward the outer periphery. A lower through-hole 54 is formed in the bottom wall of the accommodation portion 50, penetrating the central portion in the vertical direction, allowing the piston rod 22 to be inserted therethrough. As shown in FIG. 3 , the lower flange portion 52 has a generally rounded triangular shape when viewed in the vertical direction, and lower mounting holes 56 are formed in each of the three circumferentially curved rounded corners. In this embodiment, the lower mounting holes 56 are formed in the lower flange portion 52, and therefore the length of the lower mounting holes 56 is the same as the thickness T2 of the lower flange portion 52. The outer diameter of the lower flange portion 52 is slightly smaller than that of the upper flange portion 40, and the lower flange portion 52 is located more inward than the reinforcing portion 46 of the upper flange portion 40. A notch 58 is formed in the lower flange portion 52, through which the head of the positioning pin 48 is inserted, and when the upper fitting 34 and the lower fitting 36 are fixed together as described below, the head of the positioning pin 48 abuts against the inner surface of the notch 58, thereby determining the circumferential orientation of the upper fitting 34 and the lower fitting 36.

[0037] The upper metal fitting 34 and the lower metal fitting 36 are pre-painted metal fittings that have been painted in advance for the purposes of corrosion prevention, etc. In this embodiment, the upper metal fitting 34 and the lower metal fitting 36 are each subjected to cathodic painting in a separate state, and the entire surface is covered with the anticorrosion paint. The painting method for the upper metal fitting 34 and the lower metal fitting 36 is not particularly limited.

[0038] As shown in FIG. 2, the upper metal fitting 34 and the lower metal fitting 36 are fixed to each other by a crimp nut 60 with the upper flange portion 40 and the lower flange portion 52 overlapping each other in the vertical direction.

[0039] The crimp nut 60 is made of a metal such as iron (stainless steel) or an aluminum alloy. As shown in Figures 4 to 6, the crimp nut 60 integrally comprises a substantially cylindrical head 62 and a small-diameter mounting shaft 64 that protrudes upward from the head 62. The crimp nut 60 has a threaded hole 66 that passes through the center of the head 62 and the mounting shaft 64 in the vertical direction, and a screw thread is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the threaded hole 66.

[0040] The mounting shaft 64 has a small-diameter cylindrical shape overall, and is insertable into the upper and lower mounting holes 44, 56. The length L of the mounting shaft 64 is equal to or less than the sum of the length of the upper mounting hole 44 and the length of the lower mounting hole 56, in other words, equal to or less than the sum of the thickness T1 of the upper flange 40 and the thickness T2 of the lower flange 52. The mounting shaft 64 integrally includes an insertion portion 68 that protrudes upward from the head 62, a fitting portion 70 that protrudes upward from the insertion portion 68, and an expansion portion 72 that protrudes upward from the fitting portion 70.

[0041] The outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion 68 is a smooth cylindrical surface. The outer diameter φ1 of the insertion portion 68 is slightly smaller than the diameter of the lower mounting hole 56. The outer diameter φ1 of the insertion portion 68 is preferably larger than the upper mounting hole 44. The length L1 of the insertion portion 68 is equal to or smaller than the thickness T2 of the lower flange portion 52, and is preferably slightly shorter than the thickness T2 of the lower flange portion 52.

[0042] The maximum outer diameter φ2 of the fitting portion 70 is larger than the diameter of the upper mounting hole 44 and smaller than the outer diameter φ1 of the insertion portion 68. The outer peripheral surface of the fitting portion 70 is knurled to prevent rotation when fitted into the upper mounting hole 44 (described later). The knurled outer peripheral surface of the fitting portion 70 may have, but is not limited to, a shape with multiple vertically extending grooves. This prevents rotation of the crimp nut 60 relative to the outer mounting member 14 while facilitating insertion of the fitting portion 70 into the upper mounting hole 44. In this embodiment, the entire fitting portion 70 is knurled; however, the knurled portion may be partially formed in the circumferential and / or axial directions. The inner peripheral surface of the fitting portion 70 is a tapered surface 74 that slopes upward toward the outer periphery.

[0043] The length L2 of the fitting portion 70 in the vertical direction is smaller than the length L1 of the insertion portion 68. The length L2 of the fitting portion 70 is smaller than the hole length of the upper mounting hole 44, in other words, the thickness T1 of the upper flange portion 40, and is set within a range of, for example, 30 to 80% of the thickness T1 of the upper flange portion 40. In this embodiment, the length L2 of the fitting portion 70 is set to approximately 50% of the thickness T1 of the upper flange portion 40.

[0044] The flared portion 72 protrudes upward from the fitting portion 70 and constitutes the upper end of the crimp nut 60. The flared portion 72 has an expanding shape that tapers outward toward the upper end, which is the protruding tip. Both the inner and outer circumferential surfaces of the flared portion 72 taper outward toward the upper end. The inner circumferential surface of the flared portion 72 connects to the tapered surface 74 of the fitting portion 70 at its lower end. The maximum outer diameter φ3 of the flared portion 72 is smaller than the maximum outer diameter φ2 of the fitting portion 70. The sum of the length L2 of the fitting portion 70 and the length L3 of the flared portion 72 is less than the thickness T1 of the upper flange portion 40. Therefore, the length L of the mounting shaft portion 64 is less than the sum of the thickness T1 of the upper flange portion 40 and the thickness T2 of the lower flange portion 52.

[0045] 2, the crimp nut 60 having such a structure is attached to the upper and lower fittings 34, 36 with the head 62 overlapping the lower surface of the lower flange portion 52 of the lower fitting 36 and the mounting shaft 64 inserted into the upper mounting hole 44 of the upper fitting 34 and the lower mounting hole 56 of the lower fitting 36. More specifically, the head 62 of the crimp nut 60 has a larger diameter than the lower mounting hole 56, and the entire upper surface of the head 62 overlaps and abuts against the lower surface of the lower flange portion 52. The mounting shaft 64 of the crimp nut 60 is inserted from below into the upper and lower mounting holes 44, 56, which are aligned with each other, with the insertion portion 68 inserted into the lower mounting hole 56 and the fitting portion 70 fitted into the upper mounting hole 44. As a result, the upper flange portion 40 of the upper fitting 34 and the lower flange portion 52 of the lower fitting 36 are fixed to each other with the crimp nut 60 in a substantially tightly fitted and overlapping state, thereby forming the outer mounting member 14.

[0046] The upper metal fitting 34 and the lower metal fitting 36 are fixed to each other at three circumferential locations by attaching crimp nuts 60 to upper and lower mounting holes 44, 56, respectively, which are provided at three circumferential locations. The upper metal fitting 34 and the lower metal fitting 36 do not have any fixing structure other than the crimp nuts 60, and are fixed to each other in an overlapping state only by the crimp nuts 60. In this way, the upper metal fitting 34 and the lower metal fitting 36 are fixed to each other only by the fitting structure of the crimp nuts 60, without being fixed by welding. Therefore, even if the upper metal fitting 34 and the lower metal fitting 36 are previously coated with a corrosion-resistant paint, problems such as the paint melting due to heat during welding do not occur. Furthermore, because the upper metal fitting 34 and the lower metal fitting 36 are pre-painted, the inner surfaces of the lid portion 38 and the housing portion 50 in which the vibration isolator 32 is housed are also painted, thereby achieving better corrosion resistance compared to painting after assembly. The crimp nut 60 is attached to the upper and lower mounting holes 44, 56 provided at three locations in the circumferential direction in the same manner, with the insertion portion 68 being inserted into the lower mounting hole 56 and the fitting portion 70 being fitted and fixed to the inner surface of the upper mounting hole 44. Preferably, the positioning pin 48 and the cup fittings superimposed on the lower surface of the accommodating portion 50 of the lower fitting 36 are also painted in advance. The inner mounting member 12 of the vibration isolator 32, the intermediate sleeve 30, the crimp nut 60, and other fittings do not have to be painted, but they can also be painted.

[0047] The outer diameter φ1 of the insertion portion 68 of the crimp nut 60 is smaller than the diameter of the lower mounting hole 56. This allows the fitting portion 70 of the crimp nut 60 to fit more securely against the inner surface of the upper mounting hole 44, and the upper fitting 34 and the lower fitting 36 are more stably connected by the crimp nut 60. Note that even when the crimp nut 60 is attached to the upper and lower fittings 34, 36 as shown in FIG. 2, the outer diameter φ1 of the insertion portion 68 is larger than the diameter of the upper mounting hole 44, preventing the insertion portion 68 from entering the upper mounting hole 44.

[0048] The length dimension L of the mounting shaft portion 64 of the crimp nut 60 is set to be equal to or less than the sum of the thickness dimension T1 of the upper flange portion 40 and the thickness dimension T2 of the lower flange portion 52 (the sum of the hole lengths of the upper mounting hole 44 and the lower mounting hole 56), and therefore the mounting shaft portion 64 does not protrude above the upper flange portion 40. In particular, the diameter of the insertion portion 68 is larger than the upper mounting hole 44, so that the insertion portion 68 is not erroneously inserted into the upper mounting hole 44, and the sum of the lengths (L2 + L3) of the fitting portion 70 and the expansion portion 72 that are inserted into the upper mounting hole 44 is set to be equal to or less than the thickness dimension T1 of the upper flange portion 40, and therefore the expansion portion 72 does not protrude above the upper flange portion 40.

[0049] By employing the crimp nut 60, the vertical dimension of the upper support 10 at the overlapping portion between the upper flange portion 40 and the lower flange portion 52 is reduced, thereby enabling the upper support 10 to be made smaller.

[0050] The vibration isolator 32 is disposed between the lid portion 38 of the upper fitting 34 and the accommodation portion 50 of the lower fitting 36. The vibration isolator 32 is fixed to the lower fitting 36 by press-fitting the lower portion of the intermediate sleeve 30 into the inner peripheral wall of the accommodation portion 50. The inner hole of the inner mounting member 12 is exposed upward through the upper through-hole 42 of the lid portion 38 and downward through the lower through-hole 54 of the accommodation portion 50. The vibration isolator 32 is set in the accommodation portion 50 in advance before the upper fitting 34 and the lower fitting 36 are fixed together with the crimp nut 60, and is housed between the upper fitting 34 and the lower fitting 36 by fixing the upper fitting 34 and the lower fitting 36 together with the crimp nut 60. The elastic connecting body 16 of the vibration isolator 32 has portions that protrude upward and downward from the fixing portion 28 of the inner mounting member 12, and are pressed against the upper metal fitting 34 or the lower metal fitting 36 at the portions with larger protrusions, and are vertically pre-compressed, while the portions with smaller protrusions are vertically opposed and spaced apart from the upper metal fitting 34 or the lower metal fitting 36. As a result, when vibrations with relatively small amplitudes are input in the vertical direction, the pre-compressed portions of the elastic connecting body 16 exhibit relatively soft spring characteristics. On the other hand, when vibrations with large amplitudes are input in the vertical direction, the spaced-apart opposing portions of the elastic connecting body 16 abut against the upper and lower metal fittings 34, 36, and a harder spring characteristic (stopper characteristic) is exhibited.

[0051] As shown in FIG. 1 , in the upper support 10 constructed as described above, the piston rod 22 of the shock absorber 20 of the suspension 18 is inserted into the inner mounting member 12, and a nut 76 is threaded onto the upper end of the piston rod 22 protruding upward from the inner mounting member 12, thereby fixing the inner mounting member 12 to the piston rod 22. An upper through-hole 42 is formed in the upper bottom wall of the lid portion 38 of the upper metal fitting 34, so that the nut 76 can be tightened through the upper through-hole 42. Furthermore, a bolt 78 that penetrates the vehicle body 24 superposed on the upper surface of the upper flange portion 40 is threaded from above into the crimp nut 60 of the outer mounting member 14, thereby attaching the outer mounting member 14 to the vehicle body 24. In this way, the upper support 10 is interposed between the piston rod 22 of the suspension 18 and the vehicle body 24, and connects the piston rod 22 and the vehicle body 24 to each other in a vibration-damping manner.

[0052] Because the bolt 78 is threaded into the crimp nut 60 from above, the bolt 78 does not protrude significantly above the vehicle body 24, and the protrusion height of the bolt 78 above the vehicle body 24 is reduced. Therefore, even if the space above the vehicle body 24 is narrow due to the placement of other components, the upper support 10 can be used while avoiding interference with the other components.

[0053] Because the crimp nut 60 does not protrude above the upper flange portion 40, the crimp nut 60 does not interfere with the overlapping of the vehicle body 24 onto the upper surface of the upper flange portion 40. In this embodiment, the length dimension L2 of the fitting portion 70 is set within the range of 30 to 80% of the thickness dimension T1 of the upper flange portion 40, thereby ensuring sufficient fixing force through fitting and preventing any upward thickness deviation caused by press-fitting the fitting portion 70 into the upper mounting hole 44 from extending to the upper surface of the upper flange portion 40. This allows the vehicle body 24 to be stably overlapped onto the upper surface of the upper flange portion 40.

[0054] By providing the expansion portion 72 at the upper end of the crimp nut 60, when inserting the bolt 78 into the crimp nut 60, the inner peripheral surface of the expansion portion 72 makes it easier to guide the bolt 78 into the inner hole of the crimp nut 60, improving workability. In this embodiment, the inner peripheral surface of the fitting portion 70, which is provided continuously below the expansion portion 72, is formed as a tapered surface 74, which makes it possible to guide the bolt 78 to an appropriate position in the radial direction relative to the crimp nut 60, making the fastening work easier.

[0055] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to those specific descriptions. For example, the specific structure of the crimp nut is not necessarily limited to the structure of the first embodiment. Specifically, for example, the expansion portion 72 may be omitted from the mounting shaft portion 64. Furthermore, the knurled portion provided on the fitting portion 70 of the mounting shaft portion 64 in the first embodiment is not essential. Furthermore, for example, the outer diameters of the insertion portion 68 and the fitting portion 70 may be approximately the same, or the fitting portion 70 may have a larger diameter than the insertion portion 68.

[0056] The mounting shaft 64 of the crimp nut 60 may protrude above the upper surface of the upper flange 40, in which case it is desirable to design the vehicle body 24 so that the upper end of the mounting shaft 64 does not interfere with the vehicle body 24, for example, by making the bolt insertion hole of the vehicle body 24, through which the bolt 78 is inserted, larger in diameter than the upper mounting hole 44. When the mounting shaft 64 protrudes above the upper surface of the upper flange 40, a clinching nut can be used as the crimp nut, in which the upper end of the mounting shaft 64 is expanded and deformed with a jig and crimped to the upper flange 40.

[0057] There are no limitations on the number, arrangement, size, etc. of the locations at which the upper fitting 34 and the lower fitting 36 are fixed by the crimp nut 60. However, in order to stably hold the upper fitting 34 and the lower fitting 36 in a fixed state, it is desirable to fix them at multiple locations.

[0058] A spare crimp nut 60 may be provided onto which the fixing bolt 78 is not threaded when mounting to a vehicle. For example, the crimp nut 60 may be used by threading the fixing bolt 78 onto the crimp nut 60 in a different vehicle, thereby selectively using the extra crimp nut 60, and it may be possible to share the upper and lower fittings 34, 36 between a plurality of vehicle models. [Explanation of symbols]

[0059] 10 Upper support (first embodiment) 12 Inner mounting member 14 Outer mounting member 16 Elastic Link 18. Suspension 20 Shock absorber 22 Piston rod 24 Vehicle body 26 Mounting part 28 Fixation part 30 Intermediate sleeve 32 Vibration isolator 34 Upper metal fittings 36 Lower bracket 38 Lid 40 Upper flange 42 Upper through hole 44 Upper mounting hole 46 Reinforcement 48 Locating pin 50 Storage section 52 Lower flange 54 Lower through hole 56 Bottom mounting hole 58 Notch 60 Crimping nut 62 Head 64 Mounting shaft 66 screw holes 68 Insertion part 70 Fitting part 72 Expansion section 74 Tapered surface 76 Nut 78 volts T1 Thickness of upper flange T2 Thickness of the bottom flange L Length of mounting shaft L1 Length of the insertion part L2 Length of the mating part L3 Length of the expansion section φ1 Outer diameter of insertion part φ2 Maximum outer diameter of fitting part φ3 Maximum outer diameter of the expanded part

Claims

1. An upper support having a structure in which an inner mounting member attached to a piston rod of a shock absorber in a vehicle suspension and an outer mounting member attached to a vehicle body are connected by an elastic connecting body, the outer mounting member is configured to include an upper metal fitting and a lower metal fitting that are superimposed on each other, and the inner mounting member and the elastic connecting body are disposed between the upper metal fitting and the lower metal fitting, An upper mounting hole is formed in the upper metal fitting, penetrating in the vertical direction, and a lower mounting hole is formed in the lower metal fitting, penetrating in the vertical direction, A crimp nut having a head that is overlapped on the underside of the lower metal fitting is inserted into the lower mounting hole from below and fitted and fixed in the upper mounting hole, so that the upper metal fitting and the lower metal fitting are fixed to each other in an overlapping state only by the crimp nut.

2. 2. The upper support according to claim 1, wherein the upper metal member and the lower metal member are both pre-painted metal members.

3. The crimp nut includes an insertion portion that is inserted into the lower mounting hole and a fitting portion that is fitted into the upper mounting hole, 3. The upper support according to claim 1, wherein the outer peripheral surface of the insertion portion is cylindrical, and the outer peripheral surface of the fitting portion is provided with a knurled portion.

4. The upper support according to claim 3, wherein an expanding portion is provided at an upper end of the crimp nut, the expanding portion projecting upward from the fitting portion and expanding toward a projecting tip end side.

5. The upper support according to claim 3 , wherein the maximum outer diameter of the fitting portion is smaller than the maximum outer diameter of the insertion portion.

6. 4. The upper support according to claim 3, wherein the vertical length of the fitting portion is within a range of 30% to 80% of the length of the upper mounting hole.

7. The crimp nut is provided with a mounting shaft portion that protrudes from the head portion, is inserted into the lower mounting hole, and is fitted into the upper mounting hole, 3. The upper support according to claim 1, wherein the length of the mounting shaft is equal to or less than the sum of the lengths of the upper mounting hole and the lower mounting hole.

8. the upper mounting holes are formed at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction of the upper fitting, the lower mounting holes are formed at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction of the lower fitting, 3. The upper support according to claim 1 or 2, wherein a plurality of the crimp nuts are inserted into the plurality of lower mounting holes and the plurality of crimp nuts are fitted into the plurality of upper mounting holes, and the upper fitting and the lower fitting are fixed to each other at a plurality of locations in the circumferential direction by the plurality of crimp nuts.

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