Land vehicles – Wheeled – Running gear
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-02
2001-06-12
Dickson, Paul N. (Department: 3618)
Land vehicles
Wheeled
Running gear
C280S124147, C280S124152
Reexamination Certificate
active
06244607
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a suspension device of an automobile particularly having a structure in which a pair of lateral strut suspensions disposed vertically are connected to upper end portions by a strut bar extending in a width (lateral) direction of a vehicle body.
A strut-type suspension device has been widely known as one-type of independent suspension devices for four-wheel drive-type cars such as automobiles. This strut-type suspension device has a structure in which an upper end portion of each of strut suspensions formed to be expandable by winding a coil spring around an outer periphery of a shock-absorber is secured to a car body side portion and a lower end of the strut suspension is operatively coupled to a free end side portion of a suspension arm by which wheels are supported.
FIG. 6
is a sectional view showing the fixing structure of the upper portion of a strut suspension
61
of the type mentioned above, and with reference to
FIG. 6
, an inverted bowl-shaped strut support member
62
is inserted into the car body
63
from the lower side thereof through a mounting hole
64
formed to the car body
63
and then fastened at its flanged portion
65
by means of a plurality of stud bolts
66
and nuts
67
to the peripheral portion of the mounting hole
64
. The upper end portion
68
of the strut suspension
61
is fastened and secured to a ceiling portion (upper end portion)
73
of the strut support member
62
together with a cushion bush
69
, a rebound cushion
70
and a rebound washer
71
.
Furthermore, in many structures, in order to improve rigidity of the car (automobile) body and suspension rigidity, a bilateral pair of strut support members
62
are coupled by means of strut bars
73
. The strut bar
73
is formed from a metal bar pipe
74
having both ends to which substantially an annular (ring-shape) bar brackets
75
is secured by welding means, and a portion of the bar bracket
75
is fastened to the car body
63
, i.e. peripheral portion of the mounting hole
64
together with the flanged portion
65
of the strut support member
62
by means of stud bolts and nuts
67
.
In the structure of the conventional suspension device mentioned above, when the strut bar
73
is disposed, there is a possibility of the bar pipe
74
of the strut bar
73
interfering with a member such as engine, and in order to prevent such interfering, both the end portions of the bar pipe
74
are deeply bent downward and mounted to the bar bracket
75
thereby to increase the height of an intermediate portion of the bar pipe
74
with respect to a mounting surface portion of the bar bracket
75
. That is, it is necessary to set a difference height H
1
between the level A of the mounting surface of the bar bracket
75
and the height B of the intermediate portion of the bar pipe
74
as shown in FIG.
6
.
However, as mentioned before, since the bar bracket
75
is fixed to the car body portion
63
together with the flanged portion
65
of the strut support member
62
, the level A of the mounting surface is a low level, it is obliged to make extremely large the dimension of the difference height H
1
to prevent the bar pipe
74
from interfering with the engine, for example. That is, in order to make large the dimension of the difference height H
1
, it is obliged to make large the bending curvature of both the end portions of the bar pipe
74
. It therefore becomes difficult to maintain high rigidity of the entire structure of the strut bar
73
.
Furthermore, since there are many limitations of spaces at the peripheral portion of the mounting hole
64
of the bar bracket
75
in association with other members or parts to be located, in order to eliminate this defect, it is necessary to form the bar bracket
75
manufactured through a sheet metal press working in a complicated shape, resulting in a weak mechanical strength.
Still furthermore, since the bar bracket
75
having substantially an annular structure surrounding the strut support member
62
, it is necessary make the inner diameter of the bar bracket
75
larger than the outer diameter of the strut support member
62
, which results in increased size and increased weight of the bar bracket
75
.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of the present invention is to substantially eliminate defects or drawbacks encountered in the prior art mentioned above and to provide a suspension device of an automobile capable of reducing the bending curvature of a strut bar at its both end portions thereby to ensure a high rigidity and to provide a simple and light structure of a bar bracket provided at both the end portions of the strut bar.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a suspension device of an automobile capable of easily mounting the strut bar to an automobile body.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a suspension device of an automobile having an increased size of a strut support member and a cushion plate fixed to a ceiling portion thereof.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a suspension device of an automobile capable of making compact a strut support member, preventing interference thereof with other members and improving rigidity of an automobile body.
These and other objects can be achieved according to the present invention by providing a suspension device of an automobile comprising:
a suspension frame to be mounted to a body of an automobile so as to extend in a bilateral width direction thereof;
a pair of suspension arms mounted to both bilateral end portions of the suspension frame to be rotatable;
a pair of strut suspensions extending upward in a mounted state from the suspension arms, respectively;
a pair of strut support members each having an inverted bowl shape and having a lower portion fixed to the automobile body, the strut support members being provided with ceiling portions to which upper end portions of the strut suspensions are fixed; and
a strut bar stretched between the strut support members so as to be operatively connected to the strut support members, the strut bar having both end portions in the width direction of the automobile body, which are fixed to the ceiling portions of the strut support members, respectively.
In a preferred embodiment, each of the ceiling portions is provided with an outer peripheral portion and a central portion, the outer peripheral portion being positioned higher in location level than the central portion, both the end portions of the strut bar are fixed to the outer peripheral portion of the ceiling portion of the strut member and the upper end portion of the strut suspension is fixed to the central portion of the ceiling portion.
Nut members are fixed to a lower surface portion of the outer peripheral portion of the ceiling portion of the strut support member and the strut bar is provided at each of the end portions thereof with a bar bracket, which is fastened to the nut members by fastening bolts at portions coincident with the nut members, respectively.
The suspension device further comprises a cushion plate mounted on the ceiling portion of each of the strut support member and the bar bracket is overlapped to the cushion plate, and the bar bracket and the cushion plate are fastened together to the nut members by the fastening bolts. In an alternation, the cushion plate has an outer peripheral portion to a lower portion of which the nut members are fixed, each of the strut support member being formed with a recessed portion and each of the bar bracket is overlapped to the cushion plate, and the bar bracket is fastened to the nut members by the fastening bolts.
Both the end portions of the strut bar are bend downward and connected to the ceiling portions of the strut support members through the bar brackets.
According to the suspension device of an automobile of the present invention of the structure mentioned above, since the bar brackets, at both the end portions of the strut bar, are fixed to the ceiling portions of the strut support members, the locat
Dickson Paul N.
Finnegan Henderson Farabow Garrett & Dunner L.L.P.
Suzuki Kabushiki Kaisha
LandOfFree
Suspension device for automobile does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Suspension device for automobile, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Suspension device for automobile will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2450324