JP6530211B2 - Tire cover device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a tire cover device of a vehicle provided with a strut type suspension.

  Generally, in a vehicle, it is desired to cover a tire with a cover member in order to improve aerodynamic characteristics and design. However, when a cover member is attached to cover a tire that causes displacement such as vertical stroke or steering due to the cushioning action of the suspension, the cover is accompanied with steering of the tire to avoid interference between the tire and the cover member. The members also need to be displaced following.

  For example, in a vehicle provided with a strut type suspension, Patent Document 1 discloses a configuration in which a cover member is connected and fixed to a spring seat upper of a suspension and a cover member is rotationally displaced corresponding to turning of a tire. .

JP-A-59-153663

  However, in the case of bearings (bearing members) arranged in a typical strut type suspension, the rotational axis of this bearing is set to be the same (coaxial) with the rod axis of the damper, so when the tire is steered largely, the cover There is a possibility that a member and a tire may interfere.

  In addition, in patent document 1, it does not disclose thru | or suggest at all about the rotational axis of a bearing.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned point, and an object of the present invention is to provide a tire cover device capable of avoiding contact between the tire cover and the tire when the steered wheels are steered. Do.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a strut type suspension pivotally attached to a vehicle body, and a tire cover support member pivotally coupled and fixed to a spring seat upper of the strut type suspension. A tire cover device comprising: a tire cover rotatably supported by the tire cover support member and covering a steerable steerable wheel, wherein the king pin shaft (A1) of the strut type suspension and rotation of the tire cover the axis (AX), is set to match so, between the vehicle body and the tire cover, guide mechanism is provided for guiding the rotation of the tire cover, said guide mechanism includes a cover-side The guide portion, the vehicle-body-side guide portion, and the U-shape when viewed from above have a phase difference between the cover-side guide portion and the vehicle-body-side guide portion. The cover-side guide portion is fixed to the tire cover and curved in a circular arc shape in plan view, and the cover-side guide portion is accommodated in the first cylindrical body. And a coil spring which is spirally wound along the axial direction of the slider, and the vehicle body side guide portion is fixed to the vehicle body and has a second cylindrical body which is curved in an arc shape in plan view. a, the coil spring, the end portion of the slider when one of the steered together drawn into the inside of the vehicle body, characterized by pressing to Rukoto the end of the slider when the other turning towards the outside of the vehicle body.

  According to the present invention, even when the steered wheels are steered by setting the rotational axis (AX) of the diamond cover and the kingpin axis (A1) of the strut type suspension to substantially coincide with each other. Interference between the tire cover and the tires of the steered wheels can be avoided.

Further, according to the present invention, there is provided a strut type suspension rotatably attached to a vehicle body via a bearing member, and a tire cover supporting member coupled and fixed to a spring seat upper of the strut type suspension and pivoting together with the bearing member. A tire cover device rotatably supported by the tire cover supporting member and covering a steerable steerable wheel, comprising: a king pin shaft (A1) of the strut type suspension and rotation of the bearing member the shaft (A2), is set to match so, between the vehicle body and the tire cover, guide mechanism is provided for guiding the rotation of the tire cover, said guide mechanism includes a cover A side guide portion, a vehicle body side guide portion, and a U-shape in plan view, the cover side guide portion and the vehicle body side guide portion And the cover-side guide portion is fixed to the tire cover and curved in a circular arc shape in plan view, and the first cylindrical body And a second cylindrical member fixed to the vehicle body and curved in a circular arc when fixed to the vehicle body and having a coil spring housed in the housing and spirally wound along the axial direction of the slider The coil spring is characterized in that the coil spring pulls the end of the slider inward of the vehicle body at one turning and presses the end of the slider at the outside of the vehicle at the other turning. .

  According to the present invention, since the tire cover is rotatably supported by the tire cover support member, even when the steered wheels are displaced in the vertical direction, the tire of the steered wheels and the tire cover are in contact with each other. It can be avoided. Furthermore, in the present invention, even when the turning wheels are steered by setting the rotational axis (A2) of the bearing member and the kingpin axis (A1) of the strut type suspension to substantially coincide with each other. Interference between the tire cover and the tires of the steered wheels can be avoided.

  According to the present invention, by providing the guide mechanism, it is possible to smooth and stabilize the turning operation when the tire cover is turned together with the steered wheels, and to reduce the load on the tire cover.

  In the present invention, it is possible to obtain a tire cover device capable of avoiding contact between the tire cover and the tire when the steered wheels are steered.

1 is a perspective view of a front right wheel of a vehicle to which a tire cover device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway structural view of a tire cover device including a strut type suspension as viewed from the front side of a vehicle. (A)-(c) is an explanatory view showing composition and operation of a guide mechanism, (a) is at the time of left steering of the right front wheel, (b) is at the time of the steering angle of the right front wheel being zero, (C) shows the time of right steering of the right front wheel. (A) is a schematic configuration diagram showing a positional relationship between a king pin axis (A1) and a pivot axis (A2) of a bearing in a strut type suspension and a tire cover according to a comparative example devised by the applicant; In the strut type suspension and tire cover device concerning this embodiment, king pin axis (A1) is a schematic block diagram showing the physical relationship with the rotation axis (A2) of a bearing. (A) is explanatory drawing which shows positional relationship with the tire cover at the time of steering the right front wheel to the left in the comparative example of Fig.4 (a), (b) is this implementation of FIG.4 (b) FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing a positional relationship with a tire cover when the right front wheel is steered to the left in the embodiment.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the right front wheel of a vehicle to which a tire cover device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied, and FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway structural view of the tire cover device including a strut type suspension as viewed from the vehicle front side. is there. In each of the drawings, "front and rear" indicates the vehicle longitudinal direction, "left and right" indicates the vehicle width direction (left and right direction), and "upper and lower" indicate the vehicle vertical direction (vertical vertical direction).

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a vehicle 10 includes a strut type suspension (McPherson strut type front suspension) 12. The strut type suspension 12 has a roller bearing (bearing member) 14 which rotatably supports the strut type suspension 12 with respect to the vehicle body. In addition, although the roller bearing 14 is illustrated as a bearing member in this embodiment, it is not limited to this, For example, a conical roller bearing, a spherical roller bearing, a thrust bearing etc. may be sufficient.

  The tire cover device 15 is connected to and fixed to the spring seat upper 16 of the strut type suspension 12 and rotated by the tire cover support member 18 which rotates with the roller bearing 14 and the tire cover support member 18 about the rotation axis AX. A tire cover 22 which is movably supported and covers the outer side of the steerable right front wheel (turned wheel) 20, and is provided between the tire cover 22 and a front fender (vehicle body) 24 (see FIG. 1). And a guide mechanism 26 for guiding the pivoting operation of the cover 22. The king pin axis A1 of the strut type suspension 12 and the pivot axis AX of the tire cover 22 are set to substantially coincide with each other (see FIGS. 1 and 2).

  In addition, the tire cover apparatus 15 is symmetrically arrange | positioned also at the left front wheel (not shown) of the vehicle 10, and illustration of the tire cover 22 which covers the steerable left front wheel (turned wheel) is abbreviate | omitted.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the right front wheel 20 and the left front wheel steered by the steering wheel steering not shown are shown as an example of the “turned wheels”, but the steered wheels “steerable left and right rear wheels not shown” The tire cover devices 15 may be provided on the left and right rear wheel sides respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the strut type suspension 12 includes a damper 28 that exerts a damping force, a spring seat upper 16 provided on the upper side of the damper 28, and a spring seat lower 30 provided in the middle of the damper 28. And a spring 32 interposed between the spring seat upper 16 and the spring seat lower 30, and a bellows member 34 located between the spring seat upper 16 and the spring seat lower 30 and located on the inner diameter side of the spring 32. And.

  The damper 28 has a damper main body 36 having a piston assembly including a piston and the like (not shown), and a damper rod 38 exposed to the outside from the damper main body 36 and integrally displaceable with a damper piston (not shown).

  A strut mount 40 is provided at the upper end of the damper 28. The upper end of the damper 28 is fastened to the vehicle body (strut tower) side via the strut mount 40 with a bolt and a nut. A knuckle 41 is connected and fixed to the lower end of the damper 28. The lower end of the knuckle 41 is connected via a ball joint 42 to a suspension lower arm 44 extending along the vehicle width direction. In FIG. 2, the illustration of an axle, a hub, a hub bearing, and the like pivotally attached to the right front wheel 20 is omitted.

  The roller bearing 14 can roll, for example, a small diameter inner ring member and a large diameter outer ring member, a plurality of rolling elements disposed rollably between the inner ring member and the outer ring member, and a plurality of rolling elements And a holder for holding the

  The spring seat upper 16 is provided with a mounting portion (not shown) for mounting the tire cover support member 18.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the tire cover 22 is provided on the peripheral edge of the cover main body 46 formed in a substantially semicircular shape in a side view and the cover main body 46 so as to face the wheel arch of the front fender 24. It comprises an arc-shaped side edge 48 and a straight side edge 50 provided at the lower end of the cover main body 46 and extending substantially horizontally with the side sill of the vehicle body. The tire cover 22 may be made of, for example, a resin material or a light metal material such as aluminum or an aluminum alloy.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the tire cover support member 18 is formed of a band-like body having a plurality of bent portions 52 a to 52 c. The lower end of the tire cover support member 18 is connected and fixed to the upper end of the tire cover 22 via a mountain-shaped depression.

  The king pin axis A1 of the strut type suspension 12 and the rotation axis A2 of the bearing 14 are set to substantially coincide with each other. In the strut type suspension 12, the king pin axis A1 is indicated by a bold one-dot chain line connecting the bearing rotation center O1 as the support center of the damper 28 and the support center point O2 of the suspension lower arm 44 (center point of the ball joint 42) ing. As shown in FIG. 2, the rotation axis A2 of the roller bearing 14 and the rotation axis AX of the tire cover 22 are set coaxially. The thin one-dotted line indicates a strut central axis (damper rod central axis) A3.

  Fig.3 (a)-FIG.3 (c) are explanatory drawings which show the structure and operation | movement of a guide mechanism, FIG. 3 (a) is at the time of left steering of the right front wheel, FIG.3 (b) is a right front wheel When the steering angle is zero, FIG. 3 (c) shows right steering of the right front wheel.

  The guide mechanism 26 is composed of a cover-side guide portion 54, a vehicle-body-side guide portion 56, and a slider 58 capable of relatively slidingly displacing the cover-side guide portion 54 and the vehicle-body-side guide portion 56. The guide mechanism 26 is disposed on the vehicle front side and the vehicle rear side of the right front wheel 20 in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle with the right front wheel 20 interposed therebetween (see FIG. 1, 9. The cover side guide 54 is a plan view , And has a cylindrical body 60 curved in a substantially arc shape, and is connected to the cover main body 46 of the tire cover 22 through the connection portion 62. The vehicle body side guide portion 56 has a substantially arc shape in plan view. The end of the cylindrical body 64 is connected to the inner wall of the front fender 24. Note that the end of the slider 58 abuts against the inner wall of the front fender 24 and the stopper A projection 66 is provided which exhibits a function.

  In the cylindrical body 60 of the cover side guide portion 54, a coil spring 68 which is wound in a substantially spiral shape along the axial direction of the slider 58 is accommodated. The coil spring 68 is, for example, shown at the time of left steering in FIG. 3A while drawing the disc-like end portion 58a of the slider 58 inward of the vehicle body as shown at the time of right steering in FIG. 3C. Thus, it has a spring force that presses the discoid end 58a of the slider 58 toward the outside of the vehicle body.

  A plurality of ribs (not shown) having a guide hole (not shown) in a central portion are provided in the cylindrical body 64 of the vehicle body side guide portion 56 in a projecting manner, and the slider 58 slides along the guide hole. It is provided to be movable.

  The tire cover device 15 according to the present embodiment is basically configured as described above, and the operation and effect thereof will be described next.

  FIG. 4A is a schematic configuration view showing a positional relationship between a king pin axis (A1) and a pivot axis of a bearing (A2) in a strut type suspension and a tire cover according to a comparative example devised by the applicant. FIG. 4B is a schematic configuration view showing a positional relationship between a kingpin axis (A1) and a pivot axis (A2) of a bearing in the strut type suspension and tire cover device according to the present embodiment. 5 (a) is an explanatory view showing the positional relationship with the tire cover when the right front wheel is steered to the left in the comparative example of FIG. 4 (a), and FIG. 5 (b) is a diagram of FIG. In this embodiment of (b), it is explanatory drawing which shows positional relationship with the tire cover at the time of steering the right front wheel to the left side.

  In the comparative example, as shown in FIG. 4A, the king pin axis A1 of the strut type suspension 12 and the strut central axis (damper rod central axis) A3 are arranged in different axes (A1 ≠ A3), and the king pin axis A1 and the strut central axis A3 are set to intersect at an angle θ. Further, in the comparative example, the rotation axis AX of the tire cover 22, the rotation axis A2 of the roller bearing 14 and the strut central axis A3 are set coaxially (AX = A2 = A3).

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4B, the kingpin axis A1 of the strut type suspension 12, the pivot axis AX of the tire cover 22 and the strut central axis (damper rod central axis) A3. Are substantially coaxially arranged (A1.apprxeq. (A3, AX)). Further, in the present embodiment, the rotational axis A2 of the roller bearing 14 (the rotational axis AX of the tire cover 22) and the strut central axis A3 are set to different axes that do not coincide with each other ((A2, AX) ≠ A3) .

  4 (a) and 4 (b), the reference symbol F indicates the sliding surface of the roller bearing 14, and this sliding surface F corresponds to the rotation axis A2 of the roller bearing 14. Almost orthogonal (F⊥A2).

  Next, a comparative example in which the relationship among the kingpin axis A1, the rotation axis A2 of the roller bearing 14, the rotation axis AX of the tire cover 22 and the strut central axis (damper rod central axis) A3 is set as described above In the present embodiment, a state in which the right front wheel 20 is steered to the inside (left) of the vehicle will be described based on FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b).

  In FIGS. 5 (a) and 5 (b), 回 動 indicates the rotation center C1 of the tire cover 22, and the rotation center C1 of the tire cover 22 is the rotation axis AX of the tire cover 22 and It coincides with the rotation axis A2 of the roller bearing 14 (C1 = (AX, A2)). Further, ○ indicates the turning center C2 of the right front wheel 20, and the turning center C2 of the right front wheel 20 coincides with the kingpin axis A1 (C2 = A1).

  In the comparative example, the rotation center C1 of the tire cover 22 (the rotation axis AX of the tire cover 22 and the rotation axis A2 of the roller bearing 14) coincides with the turning center C2 of the right front wheel 20 (king pin axis A1). It is set at a position separated by a predetermined distance. For this reason, in the comparative example, as shown in FIG. 5A, when the right wheel 20 is steered inward (in the direction of the white arrow), the tire cover 22 and the right front wheel 20 gradually approach each other. Contact.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the rotation center C1 of the tire cover 22 (the rotation axis AX of the tire cover 22 and the rotation axis A2 of the roller bearing 14) and the turning center C2 of the right front wheel 20 (king pin axis A1) And C.) are set to substantially coincide with each other (C1.apprxeq.C2). For this reason, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5B, even when the right wheel 20 is steered inward (in the direction of the white arrow), the tire cover 22 and the right front wheel 20 A predetermined separation distance S can be maintained between the two, and contact between the tire cover 22 and the right front wheel 20 can be avoided.

  In other words, the rotation center C1 of the tire cover 22 (the rotation axis AX of the tire cover 22 and the rotation axis A2 of the roller bearing 14) and the turning center C2 of the right front wheel 20 (king pin axis A1) substantially coincide with each other Therefore, even if the turning angle of the right front wheel 20 increases from zero, the predetermined separation distance S can be maintained between the tire cover 22 and the right front wheel 20.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the rotation axis AX of the tire cover 22 and the rotation axis A2 of the roller bearing 14 and the kingpin axis A1 of the strut type suspension 12 are set coaxially so that AX, A1) ≒ A3) Even when the right front wheel 20 is steered, interference between the tire cover 22 and the tire of the right wheel 20 can be avoided.

  Further, in the present embodiment, since the tire cover 22 is rotatably supported by the tire cover support member 18, even when the right front wheel 20 is displaced in the vertical direction, the tire of the right front wheel 20 and the tire cover 22 are It is possible to avoid contact with the

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, by providing the guide mechanism 26, the rotation operation when the tire cover 22 rotates with the right front wheel 20 is smoothed and stabilized, and the load on the tire cover 22 is reduced. it can.

10 Vehicle 12 Strut Type Suspension 14 Roller Bearing (Bearing Member)
16 Spring seat upper 18 Tire cover support member 20 Right front wheel (turned wheel)
22 Tire cover 26 Guide mechanism AX Rotation axis of tire cover A1 King pin axis A2 Rotation axis of roller bearing (rotation axis of bearing member)

Claims (2)

A strut type suspension rotatably attached to a vehicle body, a tire cover supporting member rotatably fixed to a spring seat upper of the strut type suspension, and rotatably supported by the tire cover supporting member; A tire cover device comprising: a tire cover for covering steerable steerable wheels;
The strut-type kingpin axis of the suspension (A1) and rotation axis of the tire cover with the (AX) is set to match so,
Between the tire cover and the vehicle body, a guide mechanism for guiding a pivoting operation of the tire cover is provided.
The guide mechanism includes a cover-side guide portion, a vehicle-body-side guide portion, and a slider which has a U-shape in plan view and can relatively displace the cover-side guide portion and the vehicle-body-side guide portion. Have
The cover-side guide portion is fixed to the tire cover and is curved in an arc shape in plan view, and is housed in the first cylindrical body and spirally wound along the axial direction of the slider. With a coil spring to be turned,
The vehicle body side guide portion has a second cylindrical body fixed to the vehicle body and curved in an arc shape in plan view,
The coil spring, the end portion of the slider when one of the steered together drawn into the inside of the vehicle body, a tire cover and wherein the press to isosamples towards the end of the slider when the other steered outboard. A strut type suspension rotatably attached to a vehicle body via a bearing member, a tire cover support member connected and fixed to a spring seat upper of the strut type suspension, and rotating together with the bearing member, and the tire cover support member A tire cover rotatably supported by the wheel cover and covering a steerable steerable wheel;
The kingpin axis of the strut-type suspension (A1) and rotation axis of the bearing member and (A2) is set to match so,
Between the tire cover and the vehicle body, a guide mechanism for guiding a pivoting operation of the tire cover is provided.
The guide mechanism includes a cover-side guide portion, a vehicle-body-side guide portion, and a slider which has a U-shape in plan view and can relatively displace the cover-side guide portion and the vehicle-body-side guide portion. Have
The cover-side guide portion is fixed to the tire cover and is curved in an arc shape in plan view, and is housed in the first cylindrical body and spirally wound along the axial direction of the slider. With a coil spring to be turned,
The vehicle body side guide portion has a second cylindrical body fixed to the vehicle body and curved in an arc shape in plan view,
The coil spring, the end portion of the slider when one of the steered together drawn into the inside of the vehicle body, a tire cover and wherein the press to isosamples towards the end of the slider when the other steered outboard.

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