Hino Motors, Ltd.

Nhk Spring Co., Ltd.

Horikiri, Inc.

Mitsuru Enomoto

Nobuhiro Shibuya

Mamoru Akeda

Fujio Momiyama

Naoshi Sato

Yoshiharu Sugawara

Kaoru Nakamura

Koko Fukunaga

Ryoe Watanabe

A suspension apparatusincludes a leaf springin which a front end and a rear end are rotatably supported by a frameof a car and an intermediate portion thereof in a longitudinal direction is attached to an axle; and a stayhaving an engaging portionfor blocking rotation of a portion to a rear of a breaking point of the leaf springwhen the leaf springis broken at a portion to a rear of the intermediate portion thereof.

Suspension apparatus

A suspension device for suspension of an axle by an intermediate portion of a single leaf spring has first restriction device which restricts, upon breakage of the leaf spring at a position behind the intermediate portion of the spring, the rear portion of the leaf spring from tilting downwardly relative to a shackle, and a second restriction device for restriction of the shackle from pivotally moving backward beyond a predetermined angle. The first restriction device is constituted by a stopper plate on the shackle for support of the rear portion of the leaf spring from below upon breakage.

Suspension device

A suspension device for suspension of an axleby an intermediate portion of a single leaf springhas first restriction means which restricts, upon breakage of the leaf springat a position behind the intermediate portion of the spring, the rear portion of the leaf springfrom tilting downwardly relative to a shackle, and a second restriction means (retainer pawl) for restriction of the shacklefrom pivotally moving backward beyond a predetermined angle. The first restriction means is constituted by a bushwith projectionswhich is arranged at a connection between the shackleand the rear end of the leaf springfor integral rotation with the rear end of the leaf springand engages with the shackleat a predetermined rotary position.

Interplate rubber membersare interposed between abutting front and rear ends of spring leavesA andB. The spring leavesA andB have paired curved portionsA andB, respectively, which are symmetrically S-shaped with respect to a connected position of an axlein side view. A curvature radius of continuous and mutually reverse curves of each of the curved portionsA of the upper spring leafA is greater than a curvature radius of continuous and mutually reverse curves of each of the curved portionsB of the lower spring leafB. The upper curved portionsA have longitudinally outward bend starts longitudinally outward of longitudinally outward bend starts of the lower curved portionsB and have longitudinally inward bend ends longitudinally inward of longitudinally inward bend ends of the lower curved portionsB.

Rear wheel steering device

There is provided a rear front wheel steering control system for a rear two-axle vehicle, which can steer rear front wheels by means of relatively small sized rear front wheel steering device, and thereby can start a vehicle smoothly. Front wheel steering device and rear front wheel steering device are driven by an engine. A controller controls the engine, and also controls the rear front wheel steering device so as to steer rear front wheels in the same direction as that of front wheels based on the detection outputs of the front steering angle sensor of the front wheel and the vehicle speed sensor. When the vehicle speed sensor detects a vehicle speed lower than a first reference value, and a difference in steering angle between a target steering angle based on the steering angle of the front wheel and an actually-measured steering angle of the rear front wheel is larger than a second reference value, the controller increases the rotational speed of the engine to a third reference value. Also, when the difference in steering angle becomes smaller than the second reference value or when a predetermined time has elapsed, the controller returns the rotational speed of the engine to the original value.

Growing community of inventors

Hino, Japan

Mitsuru Enomoto