Honda Motor Co., Ltd.

Yuho Ito

Toshio Inoue

Hiroyuki Yoshida

Xun Wang

Osamu Terashima

A vibration damping device for a vehicle includes a subframe to which a vibration of a wheel is transmitted, a plurality of mounts arranged between the subframe and a vehicle body and configured such that stiffness of each mount in a prescribed direction changes according to an excitation current supplied thereto, and a controller configured to control the excitation current supplied to each mount, wherein the controller is configured to set a target elastic center of the subframe, and individually calculate the excitation current supplied to each mount so as to match an actual elastic center of the subframe with the target elastic center.

Vibration damping device for vehicle

A subframe includes: a main body part; and a vehicle body support part that supports the main body part to a vehicle body. The vehicle body support part includes: a front end having a front wall portion that extends along a first surface perpendicular to a forward/rearward direction; a rear end having a rear wall portion that extends along a second surface perpendicular to the forward/rearward direction; and a center portion that connects the front wall portion to the rear wall portion and extends along a third surface which crosses with the first surface and the second surface. The center portion includes an upper rib that protrudes upward along a fourth surface perpendicular to the third surface; and a lower rib that protrudes downward along a fifth surface perpendicular to the third surface.

Subframe

A mount bush includes: an inner tubular member; an outer tubular member arranged coaxially with the inner tubular member and surrounding an outer periphery of the inner tubular member with a clearance; and an elastic member connecting the inner tubular member with the outer tubular member, wherein the inner tubular member includes: an inner yoke having a coil therein; and an outer yoke coaxially coupled with the inner yoke at a radially outer position than the coil, and the elastic member has a first and second fluid chambers, facing each other across an axis of the inner tubular member and having magnetic fluid encapsulated therein, whose viscosity varies by a magnetic field, wherein the outer yoke has a communication passage communicating the first fluid chamber with the second fluid chamber, and is provided with a permanent magnet to generate a magnetic field in the communication passage.

Mount bush

A suspension arm bushing provided in a vehicle includes coils. First magnetic viscoelastic elastomers are arranged at both ends in an axial direction of a housing, respectively, to sandwich the coils. A second magnetic viscoelastic elastomer is arranged in the housing so as to be sandwiched between the coils. A controller selectively switches directions of magnetic fields generated by the coils between the same direction and opposite directions.

Suspension arm bushing

A sub-frame includes: a main body portion that has a vehicle body support portion supported by a vehicle body; and a reinforcement plate that is attached to a bottom surface of the main body portion. The main body portion includes a torque rod support portion which supports a torque rod coupled to a power unit. The torque rod support portion has a first shaft support portion which supports one end of a shaft supporting the torque rod, a first opening portion into which the torque rod is able to be inserted, and a second opening portion which is formed below the first shaft support portion. The reinforcement plate has a second shaft support portion supporting the other end of the shaft and covers the second opening portion from below.

Sub-frame

A variable stiffness vibration damping device includes a first support member, a second support member, a main elastic member, a diaphragm, a partition elastic member, a first communication passage, a coil, a yoke, and a magnetic fluid. The first communication passage is provided in one of the first support member and the second support member such that a first liquid chamber and a second liquid chamber communicate with each other via the first communication passage. The first communication passage includes a first circumferential passage. The coil is wound coaxially with the one of the first support member and the second support member. The yoke is included in the one of the first support member and the second support member and forms a first magnetic gap overlapping at least partially with the first circumferential passage.

Variable stiffness vibration damping device

A liquid filled bushing assembly includes an inner tubular member (), an outer tubular member () disposed in a coaxial relation to the inner tubular member, and an elastic member () interposed between the inner tubular member and the outer tubular member, wherein not only the stiffness of the liquid filled bushing assembly in the lateral directions can be freely selected but also the stiffness of the liquid filled bushing assembly in the rotational direction and/or the axial direction can be freely selected.

Liquid filled bushing assembly

A variable stiffness bushing includes: inner and outer tubular members; and an elastic member connecting these tubular members. At least one pair of liquid chambers axially separated from each other is defined in the elastic member. The liquid chambers are connected by a communication passage including a circumferential passage provided in one of the inner and outer tubular members. The one of the inner and outer tubular members includes a coil wound coaxially therewith and a yoke provided with a gap constituting the circumferential passage. A magnetic fluid fills the liquid chambers and the communication passage. Upper and lower end walls and an axially intermediate partition wall of the elastic member are configured such that when the tubular members are axially displaced relative to each other, a difference is created between volumes of the axially separated liquid chambers.

Variable stiffness bushing

A variable stiffness bushing assembly includes an inner tubular member, an outer tubular member coaxially surrounding the inner tubular member, and an elastic member connecting the inner and outer tubular members. The elastic member defines a pair of first liquid chambers that are on opposite sides of an axial line of the inner tubular member and communicate with each other via a first circumferentially extending communication passage defined between one of the outer yokes and the annular large diameter portion, and a pair of second liquid chambers that are on opposite sides of the axial line and communicate with each other via a second circumferentially extending communication passage defined between another one of the outer yokes and the annular large diameter portion. The magnetic fields generated by the two coils are selectively applied to a magnetic fluid flowing through the first communication passage and the second communication passage.

Variable stiffness bushing assembly

A variable stiffness vibration damping device includes a first support member, a second support member, a pair of main elastic members, a partition elastic member, a first communication passage, a pair of first radial walls, a second communication passage, a coil, a yoke, and a magnetic fluid. The second support member includes an axial portion. The first communication passage is provided in one of the first support member and the axial portion such that a first liquid chamber and a second liquid chamber communicate via the first communication passage. The pair of first radial walls partition one of the first liquid chamber and the second liquid chamber into a pair of third liquid chambers. The second communication passage is provided in the one of the first support member and the axial portion such that the pair of third liquid chambers communicate via the second communication passage.

A variable stiffness vibration damping device includes a first support member, a second support member, a pair of main elastic members, a partition elastic member, a communication passage, a coil, a yoke, and a magnetic fluid. The second support member includes an axial portion and a pair of outer flanges. The communication passage is provided in one of the first support member and the axial portion such that a first liquid chamber and a second liquid chamber communicate with each other via the communication passage. The communication passage includes a circumferential passage. The coil is wound coaxially with the one of the first support member and the axial portion. The yoke is included in the one of the first support member and the axial portion and forms a magnetic gap overlapping at least partially with the circumferential passage.

A variable stiffness bushing includes: inner and outer tubular members; an elastic member connecting these tubular members. At least one pair of circumferentially separated liquid chambers is defined in the elastic member such that first axial ends and second axial ends of the liquid chambers are defined by first and second end walls of the elastic member, respectively. The liquid chambers of each pair communicate with each other by a corresponding communication passage including a circumferential passage provided in one of the tubular members, which includes a coil wound coaxially therewith and a yoke provided with at least one gap constituting the circumferential passage. A magnetic fluid fills the liquid chambers and the communication passage(s). The first and second end walls are configured such that when the tubular members are axially displaced relative to each other, a difference is created between volumes of the liquid chambers of each pair.

Provided is a torque rod () configured to be connected between a vehicle body () and an engine () to restrict a movement of the engine relative to the vehicle body. The torque rod includes a rod main body (), and a bushing assembly provided at one end () of the rod main body. The bushing assembly includes a mounting bracket () configured to be mounted to the vehicle body or the engine via a bolt () passed therethrough in an axial direction, a magneto-elastic member () made of magneto-elastic material axially interposed between the one end of the rod main body and the mounting bracket, and a coil () configured to apply a magnetic flux to the magneto-elastic member.

Torque rod

Provided is a damper mount () configured to be interposed between a damper () of a wheel suspension device and a vehicle body (). The damper mount includes: an annular outer member () fixed to the vehicle body; an annular inner member () fixed to the damper, one of the outer member and the inner member being received in another of the outer member and the inner member; a first magneto-elastic member () radially interposed between the inner member and the outer member; and a coil () configured to apply a magnetic flux to the first magneto-elastic member.

Damper mount

When forces are input to a mount in a plurality of directions, an ECU changes the magnitude of a coil excitation current to change the strength of a magnetic field. At this moment, the elastic force of the mount can be changed in directions in response to the plurality of directions in which the forces are input using a plurality of magnetorheological elastomers (a brim-shaped MRE portion and a cylindrical MRE portion) in which magnetic particles are arranged in different manners.

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Wako, Japan

Yuho Ito