Mazda Motor Corporation

Toyo Kogyo Co., Ltd.

Mazda Motor Manufacturing

Toshiro Kondo

Takeshi Edahiro

Fumitaka Ando

Tadanobu Yamamoto

Nobuhiro Komatsu

Mitsuru Fujinaka

Masayoshi Sannomiya

Naoto Takata

Hiroo Shimoe

Kenji Tomosada

Tetsuya Kameshima

Takao Imada

Hirotaka Kanazawa

Katsuyuki Komiya

Seita Kanai

Ryuya Akita

Motoharu Sato

Hitoshi Inoue

Yasuhiro Nakashima

Kouji Tsuji

Hiroyuki Hayashi

Atsushi Nishiyama

Hiroshi Hashino

Toshio Hayashi

Eiichiro Iida

Koji Tsuji

Kiyohiko Hamaoka

In a vehicle having a pair of right and left front wheels and a pair of right and left rear wheels, when the front wheels are driven wheels, a differential limiting mechanism such as a multi-disc viscous clutch is arranged between axle members coupled to axles of the front wheels via universal joints, or when the rear wheels are driven wheels, the differential limiting mechanism is arranged between axles of the rear wheels. The differential limiting force of the differential limiting mechanism is controlled on the basis of various physical quantities (a steering angle .theta.h, a vehicle speed V, a brake hydraulic pressure P, a vertical acceleration G, and a road-surface .mu.) associated with the traveling state of the vehicle detected by sensors. Therefore, there can be provided a driven wheel differential limiting apparatus for a vehicle, which has high reliability and durability since the differential limiting force is controlled via, e.g., the viscous force of a fluid, and which can assure quick-turn traveling performance at a low vehicle speed, and can improve straight traveling stability in a high-speed traveling state since the degree of differential limiting is varied in correspondence with the traveling state of the vehicle.

Driven wheel differential limiting apparatus for vehicle

An intersection of an extension of a front lower arm with an extension of a rear lower arm outside a transversely outer side constitutes a lower set point of a virtual kingpin axis. The transversely inner end portion of one lower arm of the front lower arm and the rear lower arm is connected to the body of the vehicle so as to be capable of being displaced in the longitudinal direction of the body. When the wheel is steered, the transversely outer end portion of the lower arm for the externally cornering wheel is displaced rearward while it pivots rearward about the transversely inner end portion of the lower arm, and the rearward displacement is transmitted so as to displace the transversely inner end portion of the one lower arm through a control link. The control link may be divided into two elements.

Suspension apparatus for an automotive vehicle

Two support members which are supported swingably to the vehicle body through the medium of the support axis extending in up and down direction are provided at the vehicle body end portions of two left and right suspension arm members connecting left and right rear wheels to the vehicle body. Lever parts are extended from the support members toward the opposing direction to each other and are interconnected by a link member. One of the two support members is driven by one actuator for rotation around an support axis, whereby left and right two suspension arm members move in vehicle widthwise direction, opposite to each other, and in synchronism with each other and thus left and right rear wheels are steered symmetrically in toe-in direction or toe-out direction. Since the motive power mechanism part is of simple construction using link members, and engaging parts of gears can be lessened, the device according to the present invention can contribute to compactness and cost reduction and also can restrict 'shaking' in rear wheel steering due to backlash of gears.

Rear wheel steering device for a vehicle

A suspension system for vehicles, in which the supporting center on the vehicle body side of an assist link is offset from the axial center of a bush of a suspension arm member so as to control the swinging locus of the suspension arm member at bumping of the wheel by the different swinging locus of the assist link. By the supporting center on the wheel support member side of the suspension arm member which is offset from the central axis of rotation of the wheel, the wheel at bumping is made toe-in for oversteering tendency to enhance turning ability at turning or is made toe-out for understeering tendency to enhance driving stability at turning and the camber angle of the wheel is made larger for enhancing straight driving stability or is made smaller for enhancing riding comfort and reducing steering power required for turning. Thus, the present invention makes it possible to change properly the toe-control and the camber-control according to characteristics of each kind of vehicle.

Suspension system for vehicles

A vehicle rear suspension mounting structure for mounting, to a vehicle body, the other end of a rear suspension. The rear suspension includes a suspension link, one end of which is coupled to a wheel support member for rotatably supporting a vehicle wheel and which extends substantially in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. The mounting structure has a vehicle body coupling end formed on the other end of the suspension link, a link bracket for supporting the vehicle body coupling end, and a joint member for joining the link bracket to a rear quarter panel constituting a rear wheel house portion.

Vehicle rear suspension mounting structure

A vehicle suspension mounting structure for mounting a suspension device to a vehicle body. At least the upper arm of the suspension device is constituted by two link members disposed to be spaced apart by a predetermined distance in the vertical direction of the body with respect to a vehicle wheel support member. The suspension mounting structure includes a mounting member for mounting the rear end of the upper link member to an upper frame extending along the back-and-forth direction of the vehicle body.

Vehicle suspension mounting structure

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 rear end portion of a triangular arm member and a vehicle body side member are interconnected by an assisting link member extending in the widthwise direction of the vehicle body so as to allow the movement of a rear end portion of the triangular arm member in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body but to restrict the movement thereof in the transverse direction of the vehicle body. Accordingly, the rear end portion of the triangular arm member undergoes displacement in parallel to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body without rotating in the transverse direction of the vehicle body.

Vehicle suspension system for steerable wheels

A suspension system for a vehicle in which lateral rigidity of a suspension arm member to resist external force in a transverse direction of the vehicle at turning, for example, is increased effectively by an assist link, and rigidity in the longitudinal direction of the suspension arm member to resist external force from the longitudinal direction of the vehicle while running over a rough road, for example, is decreased when the vehicle body side support of the suspension arm member close to the assist link swings in a longitudinal direction, with the vehicle body side support part of a vertical link member acting as a fulcrum. Thus, compliance to the input from the longitudinal direction of the vehicle is ensured fully and comfortableness to ride when running over a rough road, for example, and driving stability at turning, for example, can coexist at a high level.

Suspension system for a vehicle

A is a vehicle suspension mounting structure for mounting a suspension device to a vehicle body. At least the upper arm of the suspension device is constituted by two link members disposed to be spaced apart by a predetermined distance in the vertical direction of the vehicle body with respect to a vehicle wheel support member. The suspension mounting structure includes a mounting mechanism for mounting the rear end of the upper link member to a dash panel.

A rear suspension system for a four-wheel-steered vehicle has a wheel support which supports a rear wheel for rotation and is connected to a rear wheel turning rod of the rear wheel turning mechanism. A pair of suspension arms are connected to the wheel support and guide the wheel support so that the rear wheel on the wheel support is turned about a kingpin axis in response to displacement of the rear wheel turning rod member. One of the suspension arms includes a so-called I-shaped arm which is connected for rotation to the wheel support at one end and to the vehicle body at the other end, and the kingpin axis intersects the tread of the rear wheel at a point which is offset in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body from the point at which a side force acts on the rear wheel during cornering. A damping system is connected between the I-shaped arm and the vehicle body. The I-shaped arm is positioned so that the counterforce of the damping system generates a moment which tends to turn the rear wheel in the direction opposite to the direction in which the moment generated by the side force acting on the rear wheel when the vehicle corners with the rear wheel being the outer wheel tends to turn the rear wheel.

Rear suspension system for four-wheel-steered vehicle

A vehicle suspension system comprises a wheel carrying member for rotatably carrying a wheel of a vehicle. The wheel carrying member is provided with an extension extending upwardly. A first upper arm member extends in a substantially longitudinal direction of the vehicle and is pivotally connected at one end with an upper end portion of said the extension and at the other end with a vehicle body member. A second upper arm member is arranged downward of the first upper arm member, extending in a substantially transverse direction of the vehicle and pivotally connected at one end with the wheel carrying member and at the other end with the vehicle body member. A lower arm is connected at one end with a lower portion of the wheel carrying member and at the other end with the vehicle body member for restricting at least a longitudinal and transverse movement of the wheel carrying member. A desirable camber and caster angle control can be accomplished.

Vehicle suspension system

A vehicle suspension mechanism including a strut assembly connected with a vehicle body at an upper end portion and with a wheel at a lower end portion, a damper axis along which a shaft of the strut assembly is displaced for a damping effect being extended oblique to a kingpin axis about which the wheel is steered so that the shaft means damper shaft is inclined when the wheel is steered to produce a pivotal movement of the kingpin axis around the damper axis. The improvement comprises conversion member provided at the upper end portion of the strut assembly for converting the inclination of the shaft produced during the steering action of the wheel to a displacement in a transverse direction of the vehicle at the upper end of the strut assembly so that a negative camber angle change is produced in the wheel located outer side of the steering action.

Vehicle suspension mechanism

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

In a rear suspension comprising left and right trailing arms which are pivoted on the vehicle body at the front ends for vertical swinging motion by way of rubber bushings, and a torsion beam connecting the trailing arms, nonlinear toe characteristics of the outer rear wheel are obtained by mounting the trailing arms so that the pivotal axes thereof intersect on the front side of the line joining the rubber bushings on the front ends thereof, and selecting the elastic characteristics of the rubber bushings in the direction perpendicular to the pivotal axis of the corresponding trailing arm in the horizontal plane including the pivotal axis.

Growing community of inventors

Hiroshima, Japan

Toshiro Kondo