Suspension tower

• US 9,987,895 B2
• Filed: 01/05/2015
• Issued: 06/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Amemiya, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickson, Paul N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Wilhelm, Timothy
• Application Number:
  US15/108,619
• Publication Number:
  US 20160355064A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,247 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 3/00 Resilient suspensions for a single wheel pivoted suspensions arms per se, attachment thereof to sprung part of the vehicle, buffer means for limiting movement of arms B60G7/00; rigid axle suspensions B60G9/00; characterised by arrangement, location or type of springs B60G11/00
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 25/08 Front or rear portions sub-frames for mounting engine or suspensions B62D21/11
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 25/088 Details of structures as upper supports for springs or dampers
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 29/008 predominantly of light alloys, e.g. extruded

Abstract

A suspension tower has: a top plate at which an upper end side of a front suspension is fixed at a fixing portion that is disposed apart from a stroke axis of the suspension; and a gradually changing rib that is provided upright from the top plate and extends from the stroke axis side toward an outer peripheral side at the top plate. The gradually changing rib has a constant level portion whose height from the fixing portion is constant, and a gradually changing portion whose height from the fixing portion is gradually decreased from the constant level portion toward the outer peripheral side. A boundary between the constant level portion and the gradually changing portion is disposed adjacent to the fixing portion.

Claims

1. A suspension tower comprising:

a plate at which an upper end side of a suspension is fixed at a fixing portion that is disposed apart from an axis of the suspension; and

a gradually changing rib that is provided upright from the plate and extends from an axis side toward an outer peripheral side at the plate, and that includes a constant level portion whose height from the fixing portion is constant, and a gradually changing portion whose height from the fixing portion gradually decreases from the constant level portion toward the outer peripheral side, wherein a boundary between the constant level portion and the gradually changing portion is directly above a far side of the fixing portion with respect to an axis of the suspension, when viewed in a cross section taken along a plane including the axis of the suspension and intersecting the boundary, and when viewed from a perpendicular direction against the cross section.

2. The suspension tower of claim 1, wherein:

at the fixing portion, the upper end side of the suspension is fixed by a fastening load from a fastener, the fastening load being applied around a fastening hole formed in the plate; and

the boundary between the constant level portion and the gradually changing portion is disposed between a position, at the gradually changing rib, which is a shortest distance from an edge portion of the fastening hole, that is furthest toward an outer peripheral side of the fastening hole, and a position, at the gradually changing rib, which is a shortest distance from a portion of an application range of the fastening load, that is furthest toward an outer peripheral side of the application range of the fastening load.

3. The suspension tower of claim 1, wherein:

a plurality of ribs are provided upright at the plate in a radial form around the axis of the suspension; and

among the plurality of ribs, at least one of two ribs, that are disposed so as to sandwich the fixing portion in the peripheral direction, is the gradually changing rib.

4. The suspension tower of claim 3, comprising:

a tower main body that includes a peripheral wall to whose upper end the plate is fixed, and that accommodates the suspension within the peripheral wall; and

an inner rib that, within the peripheral wall, bridges facing walls that structure the peripheral wall,

wherein an end portion at a side far from the axis of the suspension, or an intermediate portion of at least some of the ribs, is positioned on the inner rib.

5. The suspension tower of claim 3, comprising:

a tower main body that has a peripheral wall to whose upper end the plate is fixed, and that accommodates the suspension within the peripheral wall,

wherein an end portion at a side far from the axis of the suspension, or an intermediate portion of at least some of the ribs, is positioned on a ridgeline of the plate and the peripheral wall.

6. The suspension tower of claim 5, wherein the end portion at the side far from the axis of some of the ribs is positioned on a ridgeline of the plate and, of the peripheral wall, a front wall or a rear wall that faces in a vehicle longitudinal direction.

7. A suspension tower comprising:

a plate at which an upper end side of a suspension is fixed at a fixing portion that is disposed apart from an axis of the suspension;

a gradually changing rib that is provided upright from the plate and extends from an axis side toward an outer peripheral side at the plate, and that includes a constant level portion whose height from the fixing portion is constant, and a gradually changing portion whose height from the fixing portion gradually decreases from the constant level portion toward the outer peripheral side, wherein a boundary between the constant level portion and the gradually changing portion is adjacent to the fixing portion,

a tower main body that includes a peripheral wall to whose upper end the plate is fixed, and that accommodates the suspension within the peripheral wall; and

an inner rib that, within the peripheral wall, bridges facing walls that structure the peripheral wall,

wherein

an end portion at a side far from the axis of the suspension, or an intermediate portion of at least some of the ribs, is positioned on the inner rib;

a plurality of ribs are provided upright at the plate in a radial form around the axis of the suspension; and

among the plurality of ribs, at least one of two ribs, that are disposed so as to sandwich the fixing portion in the peripheral direction, is the gradually changing rib.