Strut mount and suspension mechanism using the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10507703-B2
Application number	US-201715685551-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 24, 2017
Priority date	Jun 27, 2016
Publication date	Dec 17, 2019
Grant date	Dec 17, 2019

Abstract

A strut mount including: a first mounting member configured to be attached to a shock absorber; a second mounting member configured to be attached to a vehicle body; a main rubber elastic body elastically connecting the first and second mounting members to each other; a fluid-filled zone whose interior is filled with a non-compressible fluid such that a vibration damping effect is obtained based on a flow action of the fluid; and an orifice passage through which the fluid filled in the fluid-filled zone is induced to flow. A tuning frequency of the orifice passage is set to a frequency of a vibration transmitted during lockup of an automobile from a drive train of the automobile to the vehicle body via the shock absorber.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A strut mount comprising:
a first mounting member configured to be attached to a shock absorber;
a second mounting member configured to be attached to a vehicle body;
a main rubber elastic body elastically connecting the first mounting member to the second mounting member;
a fluid-filled zone with an interior filled with a non-compressible fluid such that a vibration damping effect occurs based on a flow action of the fluid, the fluid-filled zone including a primary liquid chamber with a wall part partially defined by the main rubber elastic body and configured to fluctuate in internal pressure in response to an input of vibration to the strut mount, and an auxiliary liquid chamber with a wall part partially defined by a flexible film and configured to change volume in response to deformation of the flexible film; and
an orifice passage through which the fluid in the fluid-filled zone is induced to flow, the primary liquid chamber and the auxiliary liquid chamber being interconnected by the orifice passage, wherein:
a tuning frequency of the orifice passage is set to a frequency of a vibration transmitted during lockup of an automobile from a drive train of the automobile to the vehicle body via the shock absorber,
the fluid-filled zone is bifurcated into the primary liquid chamber and the auxiliary liquid chamber by a partition member, and a circumferential groove formed in the partition member is connected to the primary liquid chamber at a first end and to the auxiliary liquid chamber at a second end to form the orifice passage,
the main rubber elastic body includes a circular recess having an opening covered by the partition member to form the primary liquid chamber, the circular recess including (i) a pair of extended areas positioned on opposite sides of the circular recess in a vehicle front-rear direction, and (ii) a pair of constricted areas positioned on opposite sides of the circular recess in a vehicle left-right direction, the pair of extended areas having a greater depth into the main rubber elastic body than a depth of the pair of constricted areas, and the pair of extended areas being connected with each other in a circumferential direction with respect to the main rubber elastic body by the pair of constricted areas, and
a resonance frequency of the constricted areas is greater than the tuning frequency of the orifice passage.

2. The strut mount according to claim 1 , wherein the tuning frequency of the orifice passage is set to be no greater than 50 Hz.

3. The strut mount according to claim 1 , wherein the strut mount is configured such that:
the vibration to be transmitted during lockup of the automobile from the drive train of the automobile to the vehicle body via the shock absorber is transferred across the first mounting member and the second mounting member in an axial direction,
a road surface vibration to be transmitted from a wheel assembly in contact with a road surface to the vehicle body via the shock absorber is transferred across the first mounting member and the second mounting member in either one of (i) an axis-perpendicular direction and (ii) a prizing direction, and
a resonance frequency of the fluid under an effect of the transferred road surface vibration is greater than the tuning frequency of the orifice passage.

4. The strut mount according to claim 3 , wherein the constricted areas are configured to allow a fluid to flow between the extended areas based on the transferred road surface vibration.

5. The strut mount according to claim 1 , wherein the strut mount is configured to be mounted between the shock absorber and the vehicle body of the automobile, the automobile including an engine having three cylinders or less.

6. A suspension mechanism comprising:
a suspension arm;
the strut mount according to claim 1 , the shock absorber and the suspension arm being configured to connect the vehicle body to a wheel assembly, the strut mount being configured to be interposed between the vehicle body and the shock absorber; and
a suspension bushing configured to be interposed between the vehicle body and the suspension arm, the suspension bushing including (i) a secondary fluid-filled zone having an interior filled with a secondary non-compressible fluid, and (ii) a secondary orifice passage through which a secondary fluid in the secondary fluid-filled zone is induced to flow,
wherein a tuning frequency of the secondary orifice passage of the suspension bushing is equal to the frequency of the vibration transmitted during lockup of the automobile from the drive train of the automobile to the vehicle body via the suspension arm.

Assignees

• Sumitomo Riko Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hamada Masaaki
• Kondo Shingo
• Nishinaka Hideto
• Koyama Hironori

Classifications

• B60G2202/312

  The spring being a wound spring · CPC title

• B60G17/005

  Suspension locking arrangements {(for retractable wheels B62D61/12)} · CPC title

• B60G13/003

  characterised by the mounting on the vehicle body or chassis of the damper unit · CPC title

• B60G2204/418

  Bearings, e.g. ball or roller bearings · CPC title

• B06B1/164

  the amount of eccentricity being automatically variable as a function of the running condition, e.g. speed, direction (B06B1/165 takes precedence) · CPC title