Single-Plate Knuckle Bracket for Lightweight Shock Absorbers

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing shock absorbers for vehicles have a knuckle bracket that surrounds the outer shell, leading to high material usage, increased weight, and cost due to poor material yield.

Innovation Solution

A shock absorber design featuring a knuckle bracket formed by bending a single metal plate with clamping pieces, attachment pieces, a connecting piece, and notches that cut off three-plane intersection points, allowing for a stronger, more compact attachment to the outer shell without a surrounding holding portion, reducing material requirements and weight.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Strength

If a knuckle bracket includes a holding portion surrounding the outer shell and reinforcing portions, then the strength is sufficient, but the material yield is poor and cost and weight increase

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestrength of knuckle bracketVSAvoidweight of knuckle bracket

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSWeight of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

The knuckle bracket is divided into functional segments: clamping pieces for securing the outer shell, attachment pieces for connecting to the knuckle, and connecting pieces for structural linkage. This segmentation allows each part to perform its specific function efficiently without redundant material, reducing overall weight while maintaining strength.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The invention extracts and eliminates the surrounding holding portion from the knuckle bracket design. Instead of enclosing the outer shell, the bracket uses discrete clamping pieces that secure the shell at critical points only, removing unnecessary material and reducing weight while preserving the required strength through strategic placement of clamping and attachment elements.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

2Strength

If a knuckle bracket includes a holding portion surrounding the outer shell and reinforcing portions, then the strength is sufficient, but the material yield is poor and cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvestrength of knuckle bracketVSAvoidmaterial usage of knuckle bracket

Core Design Contradiction:

StrengthVSQuantity of substance

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Weight of stationary object

If the knuckle bracket is formed by bending a single metal plate with clamping and attachment pieces, then material yield improves and weight reduces, but manufacturing complexity increases due to three-plane intersections

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveweight of knuckle bracketVSAvoidease of molding knuckle bracket

Core Design Contradiction:

Weight of stationary objectVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

Notches are provided at the three-plane intersection points before the bending and molding processes. This preliminary action removes material at critical stress concentration points in advance, preventing defects during forming and enabling the single-piece construction to be manufactured without difficulty. The notches are strategically positioned to facilitate the bending process while maintaining structural integrity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

4Weight of stationary object

If the knuckle bracket does not include a surrounding holding portion, then material and weight are reduced, but the fixation to the outer shell may be insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveweight of knuckle bracketVSAvoidfixation reliability to outer shell

Core Design Contradiction:

Weight of stationary objectVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of uniformly surrounding the outer shell, the clamping pieces are positioned at specific locations where clamping force is most effective. The local quality of the clamping action is enhanced at these critical points, providing sufficient fixation reliability without the need for a complete surrounding structure, thus reducing material and weight.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The clamping pieces are designed with curved surfaces that conform to the outer shell's geometry, distributing the clamping force evenly across the contact area. This curvature enhances the fixation reliability by improving contact area and force distribution, compensating for the absence of a surrounding holding portion.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #14Spheroidality (Curvature)

Data Source

PatentUS20240399809A1Shock absorber

Publication Date: 2024.12.05 KYB CORP

AI summary

A shock absorber according to the present embodiment includes a shock absorber main body having a cylindrical outer shell and a rod movably inserted into the outer shell, and a knuckle bracket attached to an outer periphery of a lower end of the outer shell, in which the knuckle bracket is formed by bending a single metal plate as a base material and includes a pair of clamping pieces that are curved along the outer periphery of the outer shell and clamp the outer shell, a pair of attachment pieces that extend in a radial direction of the outer shell from ends in a circumferential direction of the respective clamping pieces and face each other, a connecting piece that connects ends of the attachment pieces, and a pair of notches that cut off the three-plane intersection point where the clamping pieces, the attachment pieces, and the connecting piece intersect.