Mazda Motor Corporation

Mazda Motor Manufacturing

Tadanobu Yamamoto

Toshiro Kondo

Takeshi Edahiro

Hiroyoshi Kumada

Susumu Sano

Tadashi Yoshimura

Katsuyuki Komiya

Fumitaka Ando

Hiroshi Hashino

Kenji Tomosada

A pair of bushing including an outer member having an outer main body and an outer flange; an inner member having an inner main body inserted into the outer member, an inner flange, and a through hole; and an elastic member disposed between the outer member and the inner member. The bushings are press-fit into a top aperture and a bottom aperture of a bushing-attaching hole in a suspension cross-member, respectively. When each bushing is press-fit into the apertures there exists a predetermined clearance between the inner members. For fixing the suspension cross-member to vehicle body, a stud is inserted through the respective through holes and a nut is fitted onto a stud and screwed until the inner members abut each other.

Suspension bushing, motor vehicle and a suspension cross-member for a motor vehicle

A sub-frame structure of a motor vehicle includes a pair of side frame sections and a cross member section. The pair of side frame sections extend in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle at prescribed lateral spacing and include laterally inward bends in each section. The cross member section connects front ends of the side frame sections. The cross member section and end portions of the side frame sections connected to the cross member section are integrally formed of a deformed tube member. The remaining portions of the frame member sections including said bends are formed of a closed section member fabricated by joining a plurality of members at flanges.

Sub-frame structure of motor-vehicle

A swing arm of a suspension system for supporting the body of a motor vehicle comprises a main swing arm body on which a support portion for supporting a suspension damper is provided, a support member fixed to a rear portion of the main swing arm body and having supporting parts for supporting first to third suspension arms, and a support reinforcing member for reinforcing at least the supporting parts of the support member for supporting the second and third suspension arms. The main swing arm body, the support member and the support reinforcing member are produced by individually press-forming single steel plates and the swing arm is formed by joining the main swing arm body, the support member and the support reinforcing member.

Motor vehicle suspension system

A suspension system for vehicle includes a steering knuckle for supporting a wheel used for steering, a steering arm connected to the steering knuckle at one end thereof and to a tie rod of a steering device at an opposite end thereof, an upper arm for connecting an upper portion of the steering knuckle to a frame of the vehicle, and a lower arm for connecting a lower portion of the steering knuckle to a frame of the vehicle. At least one of the arms includes two link members, and each of the link members is pivotally connected to the frame of the vehicle at one end thereof and to the steering knuckle at an opposite end thereof. The link members are so disposed as to increase a distance between the connection point of the steering arm with the tie rod and a kingpin axis in response to an increase in a turning angle of the wheel used for steering when the wheel is turned toward an outward direction in which the wheel is located radially outwardly in relation to a turning circle. The ink members also reduce their distance in response to an increase in a turning angle of the wheel when the wheel is turned toward an inward direction in which the wheel is located radially inwardly in relation to the turning circle.

Suspension system of a vehicle

A suspension system for a vehicle includes a steering knuckle for supporting a wheel which is used for steering, an upper arm for connecting an upper portion of the steering knuckle to a frame of the vehicle, and a lower arm for connecting a lower portion of the steering knuckle to a frame of the vehicle. At least one of the arms has two link members, each of which is pivotally connected to the frame of the vehicle at one end thereof and to the steering knuckle at an opposite end thereof. The link members are disposed so as to set a kingpin offset at a positive value when a cross point between the kingpin axis and the ground is located inside of a center of a contact surface between the wheel and the ground in relation to a transverse direction of the vehicle, and to increase the kingpin offset as the wheel is turned toward an outward direction so that the wheel is located radially outwardly in relation to a turning circle.

A suspension system for a vehicle includes a steering knuckle for supporting a wheel which is used for steering and also for driving, an upper arm for connecting an upper portion of the steering knuckle to a frame of the vehicle, and a lower arm for connecting a lower portion of the steering knuckle to a frame of the vehicle. At least one of the arms includes two link members. Each of the link members is pivotally connected to the frame of the vehicle at one end thereof and to the steering knuckle at an opposite end thereof. The link members are so disposed as to set a transverse distance between a kingpin axis and a center of the wheel at a positive value such that the kingpin axis is located inside of the center of the wheel in relation to a transverse direction of the vehicle, and reduce the distance as the wheel is turned toward an outward direction wherein the wheel is located radially outwardly in relation to a turning circle.

In a suspension system for a vehicle constructed to change toe angle of wheels when receiving a lateral force, delay means for delaying toe angle change is provided at one of these: a front lateral link, a rear lateral link, and a trailing link. This structure results in a rapid cornering at an initial stage of cornering and a stability of wheels thereafter can be planned.

Suspension system for vehicle

A front wheel suspension comprising left and right suspension arm disposed front side frames and steering knuckles of a car body and a stabilizer bar of which outer bar ends bent forth are fastened to outer sides of the left and right suspension arms so as to allow left and right wheel independently to move up and down. The left and right suspension arms are pivoted to gussets each of which is fastened to the side frame member and a reinforcement member so as to form at its rear end a space between the side frame and reinforcement members. The stabilizer bar extends transversely over the upper surface of the gusset through the space.

Front wheel suspension stabilizer mounting structure

A rear suspension system comprising a rear differential gear mechanism for transmitting a driving force to rear wheels through rear axles, a suspension support member for supporting the rear differential gear mechanism, a pair of front lateral links extending horizontally and transversely, and a pair of rear lateral links extending horizontally and transversely at rear positions of the front lateral links respectively. The inner end of each of the lateral links is swingably connected to the suspension support member, and the outer end of each of the lateral link is connected to a wheel carrier for carrying the wheel. The suspension system further comprises elastic devices mounted between a vehicle body and the suspension support member. The elastic devices have respective load-deformation properties for upward and downward deformations so as to obtain both stable drivability in a braked turning operation and running safety in a driven turning operation.

Vehicle suspension system

A rear suspension system comprising a rear differential gear mechanism for transmitting a driving force to rear wheels through rear axles, a suspension support member for supporting the rear differential gear mechanism, a pair of front lateral links extending horizontally and transversely, and a pair of rear lateral links extending horizontally and transversely at rear positions of the front lateral links respectively, the inner end of each of the lateral links being swingably connected to the suspension support member and the outer end of each of the lateral link being connected to a wheel carrier for carrying the wheel. The system further comprises elastic device mounted between a vehicle body and the suspension support member, and the elastic device having a non-linear load-deformation property so as to obtain both a desirable controllability under a high driving force condition and a stable drivability under a low driving force condition.

A rear wheels steering apparatus for vehicles including a left rear wheel steering device capable of shifting a left rear wheel in a toe-in direction, a right rear wheel steering device capable of shifting a right wheel in a toe-in direction, a steering operation detecting device for detecting a steering stage of the front wheels of the vehicle and a toe control device for actuating one of the left and right rear wheel steering devices to shift one of the left and right rear wheels in a toe-in direction at an initial steering stage of the front wheels in accordance with a detected signal of the steering operation detecting device and actuating at least the other of the left and right rear wheel steering devices to shift the other of the left and right rear wheels in a toe-in direction at a later steering stage of the front wheels in accordance with a detected signal of the steering operation detecting device. The apparatus permits to make it possible to meet requirements for different steering characteristics required at each steering stage of the front wheels for various kinds of vehicles.

Rear wheels steering apparatus for vehicles

A vehicle suspension system having a suspension member extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body for controlling the longitudinal displacement of a wheel, which comprises a shock absorbing means inclined forward or rearward and a resilient means for defining the resilient characteristics of the suspension member in the longitudinal direction. The resilient characteristics are determined to exhibit soft resilience in the direction of a horizontal component of a reaction force exerted from the inclined shock absorbing means and to exhibit hard resilience in the opposite direction to the horizontal component. According to the present invention, the horizontal component of the reaction force is largely absorbed by the resilient means. Hence, shock due to the horizontal component can be avoided and the riding qualities of the vehicle can be improved. In addition, the movement in the opposite direction to the horizontal component of the reaction force is suppressed by the resilient means. Therefore, change in the wheel attitude can be suppressed and the motive stability and the drivability of the vehicle can be improved as well.

A vehicle rear suspension system including a wheel hub supporting a rear wheel for rotation, a front lateral link extending transversely and connected through a front inner rubber bush with the vehicle body and through a front outer rubber bush with the wheel hub, a rear lateral link extending transversely and connected through a rear inner rubber bush with the vehicle body and through a rear outer rubber bush with the wheel hub. The rubber bushes have resiliencies such that deflections are produced under a transversely inwardly directed side force applied to the wheel from a road on which the wheel is running to produce a change in a toe direction of the wheel in a manner that the toe direction is changed with respect to an increase in the side force with a first rate under a first range of the side force, with a second rate which is smaller in a sense of toe-in direction that the first rate under a second range of the side force which is larger than the first range and with a third rate which is larger in a sense of toe-in direction than the second rate under a third range of the side force which is larger than the second range.

Vehicle suspension system having toe direction control means

A vehicle suspension system including a wheel hub on which a wheel is rotatably mounted, a pair of lateral link substantially transversely extending and disposed in a spaced relationship with each other in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, the lateral link being pivotally connected to the vehicle body at the inner end and to the wheel hub at the outer end thereof so that the wheel hub can be swingably moved in the vertical direction relative to the vehicle body, in which at least one of the lateral link is divided into an inner and outer link members, the inner link member being connected to the outer link member by a connector including a precompressed resilient member constituted to be deflected in the axial direction of the lateral links when the compressive force is applied to the resilient member beyond the precompressed force so as to reduce the length of the lateral link member. There are produced different deflection properties between the two lateral links when the side force acts on the wheel to cause toe direction changes of the wheel.

Growing community of inventors

Hiroshima, Japan

Tadanobu Yamamoto