Tapered Upper Support Holder for Spring Insulator Fitment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing upper support assemblies for connecting shock absorbers and vehicle bodies face challenges in attaching spring insulators when the structure or size of the upper support is changed, as this can require design changes or new molding dies.
Innovation Solution
The proposed upper support assembly features a cylindrical holder with a tapered shape that decreases in diameter toward the protruding tip, allowing the spring insulator to be easily attached and preventing interference with changes in the upper support's structure or size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the spring insulator is externally fitted to the upper support, then the attachment is simple, but changes to the upper support structure or size require redesign of the spring insulator or new molding dies
Solution Approach 1:
A cylindrical holder is introduced as an intermediary component between the upper support and the spring insulator. The holder has a tapered outer surface that interfaces with the spring insulator, while the upper support interfaces with the holder. This mediator allows the spring insulator to be attached without direct dependency on the upper support's structural changes, resolving the contradiction between attachment simplicity and design flexibility.
2Volume of moving object
If the upper support size is reduced, then the overall assembly is more compact, but it becomes difficult to attach the spring insulator to the upper support
Solution Approach 1:
The cylindrical holder introduces a dimensional solution by providing a tapered interface that accommodates the spring insulator in a different spatial configuration. The tapered geometry allows the spring insulator to be attached radially while maintaining compact axial dimensions, thus achieving compactness without compromising attachment ease.
3Ease of operation
If the spring insulator is fitted to the cylindrical holder with tapered shape, then the attachment is easy and secure, but the holder structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The cylindrical holder employs a tapered geometric parameter (decreasing diameter toward the tip) to achieve secure attachment of the spring insulator. This single parameter change in the holder's geometry provides both the attachment function and the retention mechanism, achieving ease of operation with minimal structural complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
An upper support assembly 10 includes an upper support 12 that attaches a shock absorber 84 to a vehicle body 90. The upper support 12 has a cylindrical holder 58 for mounting a bound stopper 94, and the cylindrical holder 85 protrudes downward from a portion that is overlapped with and fixed to the vehicle body 90. The cylindrical holder 58 has a tapered cylindrical shape that decreases in diameter toward a protruding tip, and a spring insulator 66 overlapped with an upper end portion of a coil spring 100, into which the shock absorber 84 is inserted, is fitted and mounted to an outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical holder 58.