Bridgestone Corporation

Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Nissan Motor Company Limited

Tokai Rubber Industries, Ltd.

Toyota Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Mitsui Toatsu Chemicals, Incorporated

Sumitomo Denki Kogyo K.k.

Takeshi Noguchi

Kazuya Takano

Takao Ushijima

Takashi Kikuchi

Tatsuro Ishiyama

Michihiro Orikawa

Toshiyasu Santo

Michio Kasahara

Hiroshi Kimura

Masakazu Ishikawa

Naomi Sato

Sadayoshi Ito

Seiya Iguchi

Akiyoshi Hirai

Masaru Saotome

Tsutomu Nakao

Masayo Aihara

Takao Okubo

Atsuo Tanaka

A twist beam suspension includes a twist beam which is disposed so that the longitudinal direction thereof runs along with the transverse direction of a vehicle, and a pair of trailing arms being connected to a body of the vehicle and each of which is disposed at a respectively different longitudinal end of the twist beam and is disposed such that the longitudinal direction thereof runs along the longitudinal direction of the vehicle. The twist beam suspension further includes a restricting apparatus which restricts inward displacement of the pair of trailing arms relative to the body of the vehicle in the transverse direction of the vehicle prior to restricting outward displacement of the pair of trailing arms relative to the body of the vehicle in the transverse direction of the vehicle.

Twist beam suspension

A vibration isolating apparatus is disclosed which comprises an inner tube and an outer tube disposed in a parallel axis state to each other and an elastic member stretched therebetween, the elastic member being provided with a pair of liquid chambers disposed in the interior thereof at opposite sides through the inner tube. These liquid chambers communicate with each other through a restricted passage. The elastic member is provided with a pair of cavities on opposite outer sides of the inner tube. The cavities absorb relative displacement between the inner tube and the outer tube. When an amount of absorption becomes a predetermined amount, a compressing force is applied to the liquid chambers.

Vibration isolating apparatus

A vibration isolating apparatus disposed between a vibration generating unit and a vibration receiving unit has an elastic member which is engaged between an inner tube and an outer tube disposed outside the inner tube in parallel relation for coupling both of the tubes, and which is formed with a thin-wall bending portion. Accordingly, when a load acts on the inner tube and/or the outer tube, the thin-wall bending portion is deformed so as to prevent the elastic member from deforming abnormally.

A vibration isolator in which an elastic body is stretched between inner and outer tubes connected to a vibration source and a vibration receiving member, respectively, and in which a pair of liquid chambers disposed on opposite sides of the inner tube communicate with each other through a restricted passage, and the vibration isolator has an intermediate tube provided between the inner and outer tubes and supported on the outer tube. The intermediate tube has a portion serving as a partition spaced apart from both the inner and outer tubes. One of the liquid chambers is formed between the partition and the elastic membranous member located outside the partition. Even if the inner and outer tubes are relatively displaced to a large extent, the relative dispalcement therebetween is limited by the contact between side inner and intermediate tubes.

Vibration isolator

A damping coefficient control device, for use in a vibration damper of the type which is disposed between a vibration source and a vibration receiving section to be isolated from the vibration of the vibration source and which has a plurality of small liquid chambers charged with an electrorheologic fluid and communicated through an orifice, includes electrodes disposed in the orifice to receive a voltage which is suitably controlled so as to cause a change in the viscosity of the electrorheologic fluid, thereby controlling the damping coefficient provided by the fluid. The damping coefficient control device has sensors for sensing the velocities of the vibration source and the vibration receiving section. When the direction of the velocity of the vibration receiving section is the same as the direction of the relative velocity of the vibration receiving section relative to the vibration source, the voltage applied to the electrodes is controlled such as to increase the damping coefficient provided by the electrorheologic fluid, whereas, when these directions are different, the voltage is controlled such as to decrease the damping coefficient. This arrangement enables the vibrations of different frequencies to be damped without any risk that resonance will occur.

Damping coefficient control device for vibration damper

An anti-vibration bush comprises: an outer casing adapted to be mounted on either a vibration generating member or a vibration receiving member; a shaft disposed in the outer casing and adapted to be mounted on the other member; and an elastic member disposed between the outer casing and the shaft and having a plurality of small liquid chambers filled with electrorheologic fluid. Electrodes for electrically activating the electrorheologic fluid are provided in a restricted path which permits the small liquid chambers to be in communication with each other. The electrical activation of the electrodes causes the fluid's viscosity to vary, so that the resistance to flow of the fluid passing through the restricted path is changed.

Electrorheological anti-vibration bush

An anti-vibration apparatus includes an expandable liquid-chamber, an electrorheologic fluid contained in the liquid chamber, a partition wall for sepatating the liquid chamber into a plurality of small liquid chambers, and an orifice communicating the small liquid chambers. The orifice comprises an elongated orifice, within which electrodes are disposed to pass a current through the electrorheologic fluid. Therefore, the viscosity of the electrorheologic fluid contained in the orifice can be changed, so as to adjust the resitance to the flow through the orifice of the fluid.

Anti-vibration apparatus

A vibration isolator mounted on a support for a vehicle engine or the like which is a vibration source, in which a central limitational passage is formed in a partition wall which divides a fluid chamber filled with a fluid into a pair of small fluid chambers, the central limitational passage providing communication between the pair of small fluid chambers. The central limitational passage can be opened or closed by a valve capable of linearly moving so that the resistance to the fluid flowing through the central limitational passage is changed when vibrations occur. Additional connectable small limitational passages are provided in the valve and partition wall to provide communication between the small fluid chambers when the central limitational passage is closed by the valve. With this structure, vibrations can be absorbed over a wide frequency range.

An anti-vibration apparatus includes an expandable liquid chamber, an electrorheologic fluid contained in the liquid chamber, a partition wall for separating the liquid chamber into a plurality of small liquid chambers, and an orifice communicating the small liquid chambers. The orifice comprises an elongated orifice, within which electrodes are disposed to pass a current through the electrorheologic fluid. Therefore, the viscosity of the electrorheologic fluid contained in the orifice can be changed, so as to adjust the resistance to the flow through the orifice of the fluid.

A bushing type vibration insulator, for example, used as a suspension bushing of an automotive vehicle. The vibration insulator consists of an outer cylindrical member connected to one member of the suspension. The outer cylindrical member is connected through an elastomeric member with an inner cylindrical member which is connected to another member of the suspension. The inner and outer cylindrical members share a common central longitudinal axis. Two fluid chambers are formed between the outer cylindrical member and the elastomeric member and filled with a fluid. The fluid chambers are communicable through a communication passage formed through an actuator fixedly secured directly to the outer cylindrical member. The actuator is constructed and arranged to block fluid flow through the communication passage under a predetermined condition, thereby raising the spring constant of the vibration insulator.

Bushing type vibration insulator

A liquid-filled suspension device having an inner cylinder, an outer cylinder, and an elastic member connecting these cylinders to each other. A connecting member is arranged on the cylinder, a closed liquid chamber formed inside at least one of the inner and outer cylinders, a restricted passage formed in the middle portion of the closed liquid chamber, and a flexible membrane member arranged in the closed liquid chamber. An electroviscous liquid is filled in the closed liquid chamber, and two electrode plates arranged in the restricted passage. In this suspension device is used a control device having sensors arranged on these cylinders, and arithmetic decision logic operated by signals from these sensors, and a high-voltage generating circuit operated by signal from the arithmetic decision logic.

Electroviscous liquid-filled suspension device and control damping

A liquid-filled vibration isolating device comprises a central member, an outer sleeve, an elastic member interposed between the central member and the outer sleeve, at least two liquid chambers defined among them and filled with a liquid, a restricted passage communicating the liquid chambers with each other and a stopper protruding from the central member toward the liquid chamber. In this device, a through-hole is arranged so as to open to the liquid chambers through the stoppers, and a vibration member is disposed in the through-hole, whereby high frequency, small amplitude vibrations can sufficiently be absorbed in addition to the effective damping of low frequency, large amplitude vibrations.

Liquid-filled vibration isolating devices

A vibration absorbing apparatus disposed between a vibration source and a vibration receiving portion and having a tubular member which is formed such as to pass through an expandable liquid chamber and which is attached to one of the vibration source and the vibration receiving portion. A partitioning plate is secured to the outer periphery of the tubular member such as to divide the liquid chamber into a plurality of liquid sub-chambers. The liquid sub-chambers communicate with each other via an orifice. Accordingly, even if the direction in which vibration acts upon the apparatus is shifted, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of 'pinch' between the partitioning plate and the tubular member.

Growing community of inventors

Yokohama, Japan

Takeshi Noguchi