Liquid-encapsulated damper mount and hydraulic damper mounting structure in suspension of automobile

• US 6,776,402 B2
• Filed: 11/19/2001
• Issued: 08/17/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/2000
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company), Synztec Company Limited (NOK Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha (Honda Motor Company), Hokushin Corporation (NOK Corporation)
• Inventors: Furuya, Masashi, Miyamoto, Yasuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Butler, Douglas C.
• Application Number:
  US09/992,278
• Publication Number:
  US 20020145242A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,002 Days
• Field of Search: 267/220, 267/219, 267/140.3, 267/140.5, 267/292-294, 267/141-141, 267/153, 280/124.155, 280/124.177, 280/124.178, 280/124.169, 280/124.147, 280/124.157, 248/676, 248/562, 248/573, 248/619, 248/634, 248/632, 248/583, 403/225, 403/222, 188/321.11, 188/322.12
• US Class Current: 267/220
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 13/003 characterised by the mounting on the vehicle body or chassis of the damper unit

Abstract

A mount for an upper portion of a vehicle damper suspension includes an elastic member interconnecting a bracket fixed to a vehicle body and a bracket fixed to a damper rod protruding from a damper case and formed into a tubular shape to surround an outer periphery of an upper portion of the bracket, a first liquid chamber defined in part by the elastic member, and a second liquid chamber defined in part by a diaphragm communicate with each other through a communication passage. The elastic member is shear-deformed vertically with the vertical movement of the damper rod. Thus, it is possible to reduce the vertical dimension of a damper mount, while ensuring a large amount of change in the volume of the first liquid chamber, as compared with a conventional damper mount in which the block-shaped elastic member provided at the upper portion of the damper case is deformed under compression or tension, to thereby change the volume of the first liquid chamber.

Claims

1. A structure for mounting a hydraulic damper used in a suspension of an automobile on a vehicle body, comprising a first rubber member disposed between an axial end of said hydraulic damper and the vehicle body and adapted to receive a load in an axial direction of said hydraulic damper, and a second rubber member disposed between an outer peripheral portion of said hydraulic damper and the vehicle body and adapted to receive a load in a radial direction perpendicular to an axis of said hydraulic damper, wherein a mounting plate is mounted to the vehicle body and has an opening provided herein for passage of said axial end of the hydraulic damper therethrough, said first rubber member being provided to envelope vertically opposed surfaces of the mounting plate around said opening and clamped between a retaining plate fixed to the axial end of the hydraulic damper and an upper wall portion of the hydraulic damper.

2. A structure for mounting a hydraulic damper according to claim 1, further comprising a first liquid chamber defined at least in part by the second rubber member, a second liquid chamber defined at least in part by a diaphragm, and a communication passage permitting said first and second liquid chambers to communicate with each other,

wherein said second rubber member is formed into a tubular shape to surround said outer peripheral portion of said damper so that it is shear-deformed vertically with vertical movement of said damper relative to said mounting plate, to thereby increase and decrease the volume of said first liquid chamber.

3. A structure for mounting a hydraulic damper according to claim 2, wherein said diaphragm is located below said second rubber member and inside a suspension spring placed around an outer periphery of said damper.

4. A structure for mounting a hydraulic damper according to claim 1, wherein said first and second rubber members are formed integrally with each other.

5. A structure for mounting a hydraulic damper according to claim 1, wherein a clearance is defined between the outer peripheral portion of said hydraulic damper and said second rubber member.

6. A structure for mounting a hydraulic damper according to claim 1, wherein said second rubber member interconnects the outer peripheral portion of said hydraulic damper and the vehicle body.

7. A structure for mounting a hydraulic damper according to claim 1, wherein said second rubber member is bonded between the outer peripheral portion of said hydraulic damper and the vehicle body via vulcanization.

8. A structure for mounting a hydraulic damper according to claim 1, further including a mounting bracket adapted to be fixed to said vehicle body and having a portion surrounding the axial end of said hydraulic damper, and wherein said second rubber member is disposed between the outer peripheral portion of said hydraulic damper and the surrounding portion of said mounting bracket.

9. A structure for mounting a hydraulic damper according to claim 8, wherein said second rubber member interconnects the outer peripheral portion of said hydraulic damper and the surrounding portion of said mounting bracket.

10. A structure for mounting a hydraulic damper according to claim 8, wherein said second rubber member is bonded between the outer peripheral portion of said hydraulic damper and the surrounding portion of said mounting bracket via vulcanization.

11. A structure for mounting a hydraulic damper according to claim 1, further including a dust cover surrounding said axial end of said hydraulic damper, and wherein said second rubber member is disposed between the outer peripheral portion of said dust cover and the vehicle body.

12. A structure for mounting a hydraulic damper according to claim 11, further including a mounting bracket adapted to be fixed to said vehicle body and having a portion surrounding the axial end of said hydraulic damper, and wherein said second rubber member is disposed between the outer peripheral portion of said dust cover and the surrounding portion of said mounting bracket.

13. A structure for mounting a hydraulic damper according to claim 12, wherein said second rubber member interconnects the outer peripheral portion of said dust cover and the surrounding portion of said mounting bracket.

14. A structure for mounting a hydraulic damper according to claim 11, wherein said second rubber member interconnects the outer peripheral portion of said dust cover and the surrounding portion of said mounting bracket.

15. A structure for mounting a hydraulic damper according to claim 1, wherein said second rubber member is annular ring shaped.

16. A structure for mounting a hydraulic damper according to claim 15, wherein said annular ring shaped second rubber member has an inner diameter larger than an outer diameter of a damper case of said hydraulic damper.

17. A structure for mounting a hydraulic damper according to claim 1, further including a dust cover surrounding said axial end of said hydraulic damper and defining said upper wall portion, and a mounting bracket adapted to be fixed to said mounting plate and surrounding said dust cover, wherein said second rubber member interconnects the outer peripheral portion of said dust cover and the surrounding portion of said mounting bracket thereby forming an assembly, and in an assembled state, said assembly of the mounting bracket, the second rubber member and the dust cover is placed around said axial end of the hydraulic damper and fixed at its mounting bracket to said mounting plate with caulking.

18. A structure for mounting a hydraulic damper according to claim 17, further including a bump stopper disposed within said dust cover.

19. A structure for mounting a hydraulic damper according to claim 1, wherein said upper wall portion of sad hydraulic damper comprises an upper wall portion of a damper case of the hydraulic damper.