Strut-type suspension and compression coil spring for suspension

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9713946-B2
Application number	US-201514702919-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 4, 2015
Priority date	Nov 16, 2012
Publication date	Jul 25, 2017
Grant date	Jul 25, 2017

Abstract

A strut-type suspension includes a compression coil spring, a lower spring seat, an upper spring seat, and a shock absorber. The compression coil spring is disposed at a position offset to the outer side of a vehicle with respect to the shock absorber. The compression coil spring is mounted in a vehicle body in such a state that it is compressed between spring seats. The compression coil spring includes a large-diameter wire portion and a small-diameter wire portion. The large-diameter wire portion is provided in a vehicle inner-side portion of the compression coil spring. The small-diameter wire portion is provided in a vehicle outer-side portion. A wire diameter of the large-diameter wire portion is greater than a wire diameter of the small-diameter wire portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A strut suspension comprising:
a lower spring seat;
an upper spring seat;
a compression coil spring which comprises a wire that is formed into a helical shape, and which is arranged in such a state that it is compressed between the lower spring seat and the upper spring seat; and
a shock absorber which comprises a cylinder and a rod that is inserted into the cylinder, the shock absorber passing through an inside of the compression coil spring,
wherein a coil central axis of the compression coil spring is offset to an outer side of a vehicle with respect to an axis of the shock absorber, and
wherein the wire of the compression coil spring comprises:
a plurality of counter-offset-side large-diameter wire portions which are arranged more toward an inner side of the vehicle than the axis of the shock absorber, wherein each of the plurality of counter-offset-side large-diameter wire portions has a wire diameter that is greater than an average wire diameter of the wire, and wherein maximum values of the wire diameters of the plurality of counter-offset-side large-diameter wire portions differ from each other;
a plurality of offset-side small-diameter wire portions which are arranged more toward the outer side of the vehicle than the axis of the shock absorber, wherein each of the plurality of offset-side small-diameter wire portions has a wire diameter that is smaller than the wire diameters of the plurality of counter-offset-side large-diameter wire portions, and wherein minimum values of the wire diameters of the plurality of offset-side small-diameter wire portions differ from each other;
a plurality of wire diameter varying portions having wire diameters that are continuously varied between the plurality of counter-offset-side large-diameter wire portions and the plurality of offset-side small-diameter wire portions;
a lower-end-side end turn portion whose wire diameter is smaller than the minimum values of the wire diameters of the plurality of offset-side small-diameter wire portions, wherein the lower-end-side end turn portion contacts an upper surface of the lower spring seat; and
an upper-end-side end turn portion whose wire diameter is smaller than the minimum values of the wire diameters of the plurality of offset-side small-diameter wire portions, wherein the upper-end-side end turn portion contacts a lower surface of the upper spring seat.

2. The strut suspension of claim 1 , wherein:
the lower spring seat comprises an inner-side spring receiving portion which supports a vehicle inner-side end turn part of the lower-end-side end turn portion of the compression coil spring, and an outer-side spring receiving portion which supports a vehicle outer-side end turn part of the lower-end-side end turn portion; and
a distance between the outer-side spring receiving portion and the upper spring seat is smaller than a distance between the inner-side spring receiving portion and the upper spring seat.

3. The strut suspension of claim 1 , wherein an amount of compression of a vehicle outer-side portion of the compression coil spring is greater than an amount of compression of a vehicle inner-side portion in a state in which the compression coil spring is compressed between the lower spring seat and the upper spring seat.

4. The strut suspension of claim 2 , wherein an amount of compression of a vehicle outer-side portion of the compression coil spring is greater than an amount of compression of a vehicle inner-side portion in a state in which the compression coil spring is compressed between the lower spring seat and the upper spring seat.

5. A suspension compression coil spring which comprises a wire that is formed into a helical shape, and which is arranged in such a state that it is compressed between a lower spring seat and an upper spring seat of a strut suspension,
wherein a coil central axis of the compression coil spring is offset to an outer side of a vehicle with respect to an axis of a shock absorber, and
wherein the wire comprises:
a plurality of counter-offset-side large-diameter wire portions which are arranged more toward an inner side of the vehicle than the axis of the shock absorber, wherein each of the plurality of counter-offset-side large-diameter wire portions has a wire diameter that is greater than an average wire diameter of the wire, and wherein maximum values of the wire diameters of the plurality of counter-offset-side large-diameter wire portions differ from each other;
a plurality of offset-side small-diameter wire portions which are arranged more toward the outer side of the vehicle than the axis of the shock absorber, wherein each of the plurality of offset-side small-diameter wire portions has a wire diameter that is smaller than the wire diameters of the plurality of counter-offset-side large-diameter wire portions, and wherein minimum values of the wire diameters of the plurality of offset-side small-diameter wire portions differ from each other;
a plurality of wire diameter varying portions having wire diameters that are continuously varied between the plurality of counter-offset-side large-diameter wire portions and the plurality of offset-side small-diameter wire portions;
a lower-end-side end turn portion whose wire diameter is smaller than the minimum values of the wire diameters of the plurality of offset-side small-diameter wire portions, wherein the lower-end-side end turn portion contacts an upper surface of the lower spring seat; and
an upper-end-side end turn portion whose wire diameter is smaller than the minimum values of the wire diameters of the plurality of offset-side small-diameter wire portions, wherein the upper-end-side end turn portion contacts a lower surface of the upper spring seat.

Assignees

• Nhk Spring Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yamamotoya Kenji
• Enomoto Hideto
• Takahashi Ken
• Sato Toshiaki
• Sugiyama Mitsuhiro
• Kobayashi Yoshio
• Inage Taichi
• Kato Tomotake
• Nishikawa Akihiko
• Umezawa Masahiro
• Ayada Michihiko
• Kajigaya Suguru

Classifications

• F16F1/043

  the cross-section varying with the wire length · CPC title

• B60G2202/12

  Wound spring · CPC title

• B60G15/062 Primary

  the spring being arranged around the damper (B60G15/061, B60G15/067, B60G15/07 take precedence) · CPC title

• B60G11/14 Primary

  having helical, spiral or coil springs only {(B60G11/006 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• B60G2206/42

  Springs · CPC title