JPS6123456Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to a shock absorber installed in a suspension system of an automobile.

The damping force characteristics of the shock absorber are generally uniquely determined and unchanging, and therefore once installed in a vehicle, there is no way to change the damping force characteristics other than by replacing the shock absorber with another one.
Although some shock absorbers have variable damping force characteristics by changing the relative rotation angle between the cylinder and piston rod, this requires that the damping force characteristics be changed while the shock absorber is removed from the vehicle body, and then the shock absorber must be reinstalled on the vehicle body; it does not allow the damping force characteristics to be changed while the shock absorber is mounted on the vehicle.

However, it is preferable to adjust the damping force by changing the damping force characteristics of the shock absorber depending on the traveling speed of the automobile, since this contributes to improving riding comfort and steering stability.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a shock absorber for a suspension system whose damping force characteristics can be changed while mounted on a vehicle.

According to the shock absorber of the invention, a piston with a plurality of orifices is axially slidable relative to the cylinder and circumferentially stationary, and the piston rod is rotatable relative to the piston. The piston rod is rotatably mounted on the vehicle body, and an operating means is provided at the upper end of the piston rod.
Valve bodies for opening and closing at least one throttle of the piston are each fixed to a portion of the piston rod near the piston.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The shock absorber 10 of the present invention is installed between a suspension arm (not shown) and a vehicle body 12, and is a known shock absorber including a cylinder 14, a piston 16, and a piston rod 18 as follows. It is composed of In the illustrated example, the shock absorber 1
0 is applied to the rear wheels, but the present invention can also be applied to the front wheels by forming it as described later.

The lower end of the cylinder 14 is attached to a suspension arm by a known structure.
A restraining means 22 is attached to an inner surface 20 of the cylinder 4 so as to extend in the axial direction of the cylinder. In the illustrated example, the restraining means is a rod having a rectangular horizontal cross section, and its axial length extends over the operating range of the piston 16.

A piston 16 is arranged inside the cylinder 14. This piston 16 has a notch 17 on a part of its outer periphery that matches the contour of the restraint means 22, and is mounted inside the cylinder 14 with the notch 17 fitted into the restraint means 22. As a result, the piston 16 is held movable in the axial direction of the cylinder 14 and immovable in the circumferential direction. This piston 16 is provided with two throttles 24.
The configuration of each diaphragm 24 is the same as a known one.

A lower end portion of a piston rod 18 is supported rotatably and immovably in the axial direction by the piston 16, and an upper end portion 19 of the piston rod 18 is supported by the cylinder 14.
It protrudes outward from the upper end 21 and extends upward. Piston rod 18 and upper end 2 of cylinder 14
1, there is a rod guide 26 and a seal member 28.
are mounted in a known manner, and the piston rod 18 is held movable and rotatable in the axial direction with respect to the rod guide 26 and seal member 28.

An inner race 32 of a ball bearing 30 is fixed to the upper end 19 of the piston rod 18, and an operating means 34 is mounted above the inner race 32.
A lever 36 is attached and fixed.
An outer race 33 of the ball bearing ring 30 is fixed to the vehicle body 12.

The operating means 34 includes a lever 36 fastened and fixed to the upper end of the piston rod 18 with a nut 38, a push-pull cable 40 with one end connected to the lever 36 and the other end extending to the driver's seat, and a push-pull cable 40 that is slidable. It consists of a sheath 42 for housing. Push-pull cable 40 located in the driver's seat
A knob or the like is attached to the part, and by pushing and pulling this knob, the lever 36 rotates the piston rod 18. Operation means 3
In addition to the push-pull cable, 4 may be constructed of an electric type using a solenoid, a mechanical type using a fluid pressure cylinder, or the like.

The piston 1 at the lower end of the piston rod 18
A valve body 44 is fixed at a position in contact with the lower surface of the valve body 6 . This valve body 44 opens and closes one of the two throttles 24 provided on the piston 16. This valve body 44 can also be arranged so as to be in contact with the upper surface of the piston 16. The valve body 44 has a rectangular parallelepiped shape, and as shown in the figure, when the lever 36 is rotated in the direction of arrow A from the position where one throttle 24 is closed,
Move in the direction of arrow B to open this aperture 24. The end point of rotation of the valve body 44 between the open position and the closed position is, for example,
A stopper 46 is bored from the piston 16, and when the valve body 44 abuts against the stopper 46, the throttle 24 is opened and closed. Three or more throttles 24 may be provided on the piston 16, and in this case, at least one throttle is opened and closed by the valve body 44. For example, when there are three throttles, only one or two of them are opened and closed by a valve body.

When the driver wants to change the damping force characteristics during driving, he operates the operating means 34. In the illustrated example,
When the push-pull cable 40 is pushed in, the lever 34 rotates in the direction of arrow A, and the piston rod 1
8. Therefore, the valve body 44 fixed to this lower end rotates in the direction of arrow B to open one throttle 24. This causes the hydraulic fluid to flow through both throttles, reducing the damping force of the shock absorber. Conversely, when it is desired to increase the damping force of the shock absorber, the driver can pull the push-pull cable 40 and close one of the apertures 24.

When the present invention is applied to a front wheel, a structure that cancels the influence of rotation of the shock absorber due to steering, for example, the cylinder 14 and the bearing 3
A housing that integrally supports the outer race 33 of the vehicle is separately provided, and a configuration is added in which this housing is supported by a bearing so that it can rotate with respect to the vehicle body 12.

According to the present invention, the damping force characteristics of the shock absorber can be changed during operation. Therefore, a preferable damping force can be obtained depending on the traveling speed of the automobile, and riding comfort and steering stability can be improved. Furthermore, there is no need to remove the damping force from the vehicle body each time it is necessary to change the damping force characteristics, so there is no complication.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The figure is a partially sectional perspective view showing the main parts of the present invention. 10...shock absorber, 12...vehicle body,
14...Cylinder, 16...Piston, 17...
Notch, 18...Piston rod, 22...Restraint means, 24...Aperture, 30...Bearing, 34
...Operation means.

Claims (1)

[Scope of utility model registration request] A shock absorber for a suspension system in which a piston having a plurality of orifices slides inside a cylinder whose lower end is attached to a suspension arm to perform a damping action, the lower end of which is rotatable with respect to the piston. a piston rod supported by the cylinder and whose upper end extends outward from the upper end of the cylinder and is connected to the vehicle body; an operating means fixed to the upper end of the piston rod; and an operating means interposed between the upper end of the piston rod and the vehicle body. a bearing that rotatably supports the piston rod; a valve body that is fixed to the piston rod and opens and closes at least one of a plurality of throttles provided on the piston; A shock absorber for a suspension system, comprising a restraining means for restraining the piston movably in the axial direction of the cylinder and immovably in the circumferential direction.