Automotive rear suspension system

• US 6,938,908 B2
• Filed: 05/15/2003
• Issued: 09/06/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Inventors: Watanabe, Masahito, Oda, Masashi, Koyama, Toshihide, Andou, Fumitaka
• Primary Examiner(s): English, Peter C.
• Application Number:
  US10/438,332
• Publication Number:
  US 20040000767A1
• Time in Patent Office: 845 Days
• Field of Search: 280/124.109, 280/124.135, 280/124.143, 280/124.144, 280/124.145, 280/124.15, 280/124.154
• US Class Current: 280/124.109
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2200/156 wishbone-type arm formed by two links defining a virtual apex
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2200/184 Assymetric arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2200/422 Driving wheels or live axles
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2200/46 camber angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2200/462 Toe-in/out
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2202/312 The spring being a wound spring
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/128 Damper mount on vehicle body or chassis
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/129 Damper mount on wheel suspension or knuckle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/143 on the vehicle body or chassis
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/148 on the unsprung part of the vehicle, e.g. wheel knuckle or rigid axle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2204/15 Mounting of subframes
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2206/0114 Independent suspensions on subframes
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 3/20 all arms being rigid
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 3/24 a rigid arm being formed by the live axle B60G3/22, B60G3/26 take precedence; driving arrangements B60K17/22, B60K17/30, B60K17/32
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 3/26 Means for maintaining substantially-constant wheel camber during suspension movement ; Means for controlling the variation of the wheel position during suspension movement B60G3/202, B60G3/22, B60G7/003, B60G7/006 take precedence; means for adjusting camber, castor, or toe-in B62D17/00

Abstract

In a multi-link rear suspension (A) in which a wheel support (11) is connected to a vehicle body through five links (6-10) and vehicle body side ends of the links are provided with rubber bushes (26), respectively, the lower end of a damping device (14) formed by coaxially arranging a coil spring (12) and a damper (13) is pivoted to a portion of the wheel support (11) located toward the inside of the vehicle body so that the vertical reaction force of the damping device (14) produces a moment Mn toward negative camber on a rear wheel (2). The moment Mn is set to be always larger than a moment Mp toward positive camber produced by a side force on the outside rear wheel (2) during vehicle cornering until limit maneuvering conditions of the outside rear wheel due to the side force are reached. The damping device (14) is disposed with respect to a suppositive king pin axle K so that the vertical reaction force thereof produces a moment toward toe-in on the rear wheel (2). In this manner, the multi-link suspension provides a sharp driving feeling applicable even for a sports car while maintaining a good ride through the involvement of the rubber bushes (26).

Claims

1. A multi-link rear suspension system in which a support member for a rear wheel of a vehicle is connected to a vehicle body through five links, at least ends of the links toward the vehicle body are provided with resilient bushes, respectively, and a lower end of a damping device constituted by a coil spring and a damper is pivoted to a portion of the support member for the rear wheel located toward the inside of the vehicle body,

wherein the damping device is disposed with respect to a suppositive king pin axle for the rear wheel so that a vertical reaction force thereof produces a moment toward toe-in about the suppositive king pin axle, and the damping device is spaced apart from the rear wheel toward the inside of the vehicle body so that the vertical reaction force thereof produces a moment toward negative camber on the rear wheel, and

wherein the moment toward negative camber produced by the vertical reaction force of the damping device is set to be always larger than any moment toward positive camber produced by a side force on the rear wheel during vehicle cornering until limit maneuvering conditions due to the side force for the rear wheel during cornering are reached.

2. The rear suspension system of claim 1,

wherein the suppositive king pin axle for the rear wheel is inclined rearward so that an upper portion thereof is located closer to the rear of the vehicle body,

wherein an axis of the damping device is located inwardly from the suppositive king pin axle in non-parallel and non-intersecting relation to the suppositive king pin axle, and

wherein an inclination of the axis of the damping device as viewed from the side of the vehicle body is set to be closer to a vertical direction than the suppositive king pin axle.

3. The rear suspension system of claim 2,

wherein the lower end of the damping device is pivoted to one end of a connecting part formed integrally with the support member for the rear wheel to extend from the support member toward the inside of the vehicle body.

4. The rear suspension system of claim 2,

wherein the suppositive king pin axle for the rear wheel is set to provide a negative caster.

5. The rear suspension system of claim 2,

wherein the damping device is disposed so that an urging force in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle body acting on the rear wheel by the vertical reaction force of the damping device becomes very small or zero.

6. The rear suspension system of claim 1,

wherein the lower end of the damping device is pivoted to one end of a connecting part formed integrally with the support member for the rear wheel to extend from the support member toward the inside of the vehicle body.

7. The rear suspension system of claim 6,

wherein when viewed in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the connecting part has upper and lower arms that extend from upper and lower ends of a body of the support member toward the inside of the vehicle body and are combined together at ends remote from the body of the support member, and an intermediate arm extending vertically to connect the upper and lower arms between intermediate points thereof in a widthwise direction of the vehicle, and

wherein one end of a fulcrum pin disposed across the intermediate arm and the remote ends of the upper and lower arms extends beyond an end of the connecting part toward the inside of the vehicle body, and the lower end of the damping device is fitted to said one end of the fulcrum pin.

8. The rear suspension system of claim 1,

wherein the suppositive king pin axle for the rear wheel is set to provide a negative caster.

9. The rear suspension system of claim 1,

wherein the damping device is disposed so that an urging force in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle body acting on the rear wheel by the vertical reaction force of the damping device becomes very small or zero.

10. The rear suspension system of claim 9, wherein an axis of the damping device is set to extend substantially in a vertical direction when viewed from the side of the vehicle body.

11. The rear suspension system of claim 10,

wherein the axis of the damping device is inclined so that an upper portion thereof is located closer to the inside of the vehicle body when viewed in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, and the damping device is spaced a predetermined distance or more apart from a body of the support member for the rear wheel toward the inside of the vehicle body.

12. The rear suspension system of claim 9,

wherein the damping device is disposed to slightly urge the rear wheel toward the front of the vehicle body by its vertical reaction force.

13. The rear suspension system of claim 12,

wherein the rear wheel is a driving wheel.

14. The rear suspension system of claim 12,

wherein the five links include at least two lower links, and the two lower links are arranged to converge toward the outside of the vehicle body when viewed from above the vehicle body.

15. The rear suspension system of claim 9,

wherein an axis of the damping device is located closer to the rear of the vehicle body than the center of the rear wheel when viewed from the side of the vehicle body, and

wherein the resilient bush for a lower link of the five links is softer than the resilient bush for an upper link thereof.

16. The rear suspension system of claim 1,

wherein the rear suspension system is arranged so that the amount of toe-in of the rear wheel during cornering is increased by roll steering when a bump is encountered and also increased by side force compliance steering.

17. The rear suspension system of claim 16,

wherein a bump stopper for restricting approaching displacement of the rear wheel toward the vehicle body is disposed coaxially with the damping device, and

wherein the suspension system is arranged so that the moment toward toe-in acting on the rear wheel by the vertical reaction force of the damping device is increased as a result of the reaction force of the damping device being increased by the action of the bump stopper.

18. The rear suspension system of claim 1,

wherein the ends of the five links toward the vehicle body are connected to a sub frame, and

wherein the sub frame is mounted to the vehicle body through three resilient mounts at each of the right and left sides of the vehicle body and a total of six resilient mounts.

19. A multi-link rear suspension system in which a support member for a rear wheel of a vehicle is connected to a vehicle body through five links, at least ends of the links toward the vehicle body are provided with resilient bushes, respectively, and a lower end of a damping device constituted by a coil spring and a damper is pivoted to a portion of the support member for the rear wheel located toward the inside of the vehicle body,

wherein a suppositive king pin axle for the rear wheel is inclined rearward so that an upper portion thereof is located closer to the rear of the vehicle body and is set to provide a negative caster,

wherein an axis of the damping device is located inwardly from the suppositive king pin axle in non-parallel and non-intersecting relation to the suppositive king pin axle, is also located at a position closer to the rear of the vehicle body than the center of the rear wheel when viewed from the side of the vehicle body, and is set to extend substantially in a vertical direction, and

wherein the damping device is spaced a predetermined distance or more apart from the rear wheel toward the inside of the vehicle body so that a moment toward negative camber acting on the rear wheel by a vertical reaction force of the damping device is always larger than any moment toward positive camber produced by a side force on the rear wheel during cornering of the vehicle until limit maneuvering conditions due to the side force for the rear wheel during cornering are reached.