Title of Invention

A STABILIZER ATTACHING STRUCTURE

Abstract

ABSTRACT The present Invention provides a stabilizer attaching structure in which an Intermediate portion of a stabilizer bar both ends of which are attached to right and left suspension arms is attached to a vehicle body via a mount rubber and a bracket, characterized in that a step portion is provided on the rear side of a stabilizer bar attaching portion of the vehicle body, and the mount rubber and the bracket are formed into a shape corresponding to the stabilizer bar attaching portion of the vehicle body which is provided with the step portion.

Full Text

1. FJgXct o£,tlie, Invan^ao , The present invention relates to a stabilizer attaching structure for attaching an intermediate portion of a stabilizer to a vehicle body of a four-wheeled automobile. 2. Description of Related Art Conventionally, a four-wheeled automobile of an independent suspension type is provided with a stabilizer bar 51 substantially having a U shape as viewed in a plane to increase the roll rigidity of a suspension and thereby to reduce the rolling of a vehicle body as shown in FIG. 5. Both end portions of the stabilizer bar 51 are attached to right and left suspension arms (lower arms) 53 which support the transverse movement of a wheel 52. An intermediate portion of the stabilizer bar 51 is attached to a vehicle body (see FIG. 6) 56 via a mount rubber 54 and a bracket 55 at two places, so that the roll rigidity of the suspension is provided by the torsional rigidity of the stabilizer bar 51. For this purpose, as shown in FIGS . 5 and 6 , the mount rubber 54 has an outside shape formed substantially into a U shape in cross section, and is formed therein with an insertion hole 57 for inserting the stabilizer bar 51. Also, the bracket 55 is formed substantially into a U shape in cross section, and has flange portions 55a bent at right angles to the outside which are formed on both sides at the upper end thereof. The flange portion 55a has a bolt hole 59 for inserting a tightening bolt 58, which is formed corresponding to a mounting hole 60 on the side of the vehicle body 56. At the mounting hole 60, there is fixed a welded nut 61 engaging with the tightening bolt 58. That is to say, the intermediate portion of the stabiliser bar 51 is attached to the vehicle body 56 via the mount rubber 54 by fixing the bracket 55 using the tightening bolt 58 and the welded nut 61. Therefore, when a driving force and a braking force are applied to the wheel 52, the stabilizer bar 51 is subjected to forces F and F' in FIG. 6. These forces F and F' are received by the bracket 55 via the mount rubber 54. At this time, the mount rubber 54, which has a spring constant, has a function of absorbing these forces . In FIG. 6 , the arrow mark X denotes the vehicle front side, and the arrow mark Y denotes the vehicle upside. However, in the conventional stabilizer attaching structure described above, the intermediate portion of the stabilizer bar 51 is attached to a flat surface of the vehicle body 56 by using the mount rubbers 54 and the brackets 55, which each have an outside shape substantially having a U shape in cross section as shown in FIG. 6, and the bracket 55 receives most of the force applied to the stabilizer attaching portion. Therefore, when an excessive force is applied to the vehicle rear side especially at the time of sudden braking, the bracket 55 may be deformed as shown in FIG. 7, which poses a problem of decreasing the strength of the attaching portion. For the automobile, the wheel 52 is liable to be subjected to a large force at the time of sudden braking, so that it is necessary to prevent the deformation of the bracket 55 caused by an excessive force given by the stabilizer bar 51. Also, at a rounded portion of the flange portion 55a of the bracket 55, a gap S is formed between the bracket 55 and the vehicle body 56. Therefore, when the forces F an F' act, the mount rubber 54 undesirably runs into the gap S, so that the normal spring constant is not produced, which poses a problem in that the mount rubber 5 4 loses a function of absorbing the force. OBJECT AND SUMMARY OF THE INVNETIOM The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and accordingly an object thereof is to provide a stabilizer attaching structure in which the strength of the rear side of a stabilizer bar attaching portion against an excessive force at the time of sudden braking can be increased, and the deformation of a stabilizer bar attaching bracket can be restrained. To solve the problems with the prior art, the present invention provides a stabilizer attaching structure in which an intermediate portion of a stabilizer bar both ends of which are attached to right and left suspension arms is attached to a vehicle body via a mount rubber and a bracket, characterized in that a step portion is provided en the rear side of a stabilizer bar attaching portion of the vehicle body, and the mount rubber and the bracket are formed into a shape corresponding to the stabilizer bar attaching portion of the vehicle body which is provided with the step portion. As described above, in the stabilizer attaching structure in accordance with the present invention, the intermediate portion of the stabilizer bar both ends of which are attached to right and left suspension arms is attached to the vehicle body via the mount rubber and the bracket, the step portion is provided on the rear side of the stabilizer bar attaching portion of the vehicle body, and the mount rubber and the bracket are formed into a shape corresponding to the stabilizer bar attaching portion of the vehicle body which is provided with the step portion. Therefore, when an excessive force acts from the stabilizer bar toward the vehicle rear side, the stabilizer bar attaching portion of the vehicle body is brought into contact with the mount rubber by the presence of the step portion, so that the force from the stabilizer bar is received by the strong vehicle body. As a result, the strength of the rear side of the stabilizer bar attaching portion can be increased, and the deformation of the stabilizer bar attaching bracket can be restrained surely. Accordingly, the present invention provides a stabilizer attaching structure in which an intermediate portion of a stabilizer bar both ends of which are attached to right and left suspension arms is attached to a vehicle body via a mount rubber and a bracket, characterized in that a step portion is provided on the rear side of a stabilizer bar attaching portion of said vehicle body, and said mount rubber and bracket are formed into a shape corresponding to said stabilizer bar attaching portion of said vehicle body which is provided with said step portion. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS With reference to the accompanying drawings in which : FIG.I is a plan view showing a stabilizer attaching structure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a state in which an intermediate portion of a stabilizer bar is attached to a stabilizer bar attaching portion of a vehicle body by using an attaching structure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a mount rubber used for an attaching structure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.4 is a sectional view of an attaching bracket used for an attaching structure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention: FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a conventional stabilizer attaching structure; FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a state in which an intermediate portion of a stabilizer bar is attached to a vehicle body by using a conventional attaching structure; and FIG. 7 is a sectional view showing a state of a bracket when an excessive force is applied to a stabilizer bar attached by using a conventional attaching structure. DETAILED DESCRTPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODTMRNTR The present invention will now be described with reference to an embodiment shown in the drawings. FIGS. 1 to 4 show an embodiment of a stabilizer attaching structure in accordance with the present invention. A strut-type suspension for a four-wheeled automobile shown in the figures has a stabilizer bar I composing a stabilizer. By this stabilizer bar 1, the roll rigidity is increased to reduce the rolling of a vehicle body. For this purpose, as shown in FIG. 1, the stabilizer bar 1 is formed by using a hollow or solid member bent substantially into a U shape as viewed in a plane, and is disposed so that the opening side is located at the rear of the vehicle. Both end portions la of the stabilizer bar 1 are attached to a pair of suspension arms (lower arms) 3, right and left, which control and support the transverse movement of a wheel 2. Also, an intermediate portion lb of the stabilizer bar 1 is attached to the side of a vehicle body 6 via a mount rubber 4 and an attaching bracket 5 at two places, so that the roll rigidity of the suspension is provided by the torsional rigidity of the stabilizer bar 1. Specifically, the vehicle body 6 in the attaching structure of this embodiment is provided with a stabilizer bar attaching portion M to which the intermediate portion lb of the stabilizer bar 1 is attached, and on the rear side of the stabilizer bar attaching portion M, there is provided a step portion 7 which is inclined downward toward the vehicle rear as shown in FIG. 2. Therefore, the stabilizer bar attaching portion M is formed substantially into a crank shape in cross section extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle by an upper flat portion 6a, a lower flat portion 6b, and the step portion 7 located between these flat portions 6a and 6b. The upper and lower flat portions 6a and 6b of the stabilizer bar attaching portion M each have a mounting hole 9 for inserting a tightening bolt 8. On the upper surface at a portion corresponding to the mounting hole 9, there is fixed a welded nut 10 engaging with the tightening bolt 8. On the other hand, the mount rubber 4 is a rubber lump of a columnar shape which is long in the vehicle width direction, and at each end thereof is integrally provided a large-diameter flange 11 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The flanges 11 engage with the attaching bracket 5 , by which the mount rubber 4 is prevented from coming off from the attaching bracket 5. In the mount rubber 4, there is formed an insertion hole 12 for inserting the stabilizer bar 1. For the mount rubber 4, the outside shape of a lower half thereof is formed into a semicircular shape and the outside shape of an upper half thereof is formed into a rectangular shape and an inclined surface shape so as to correspond to the stabilizer bar attaching portion M of the vehicle body 6 and the attaching bracket 5. Specifically, an upper surface 4a of the upper half and a vehicle body rear surface 4b come into contact with the stabilizer bar attaching portion M of the vehicle body 6, so that the upper surface 4a of the upper half is formed into a flat surface so as to correspond to the upper flat portion 6a of the vehicle body 6, and the vehicle body rear surface 4b is formed into a curved surface which is inclined downward toward the vehicle rear so as to correspond to the step portion 7. Further, at the rearmost end of the vehicle body rear surface 4b of the mount rubber 4, there is provided a protruding portion 13 disposed in a gap between the step portion 7 and the lower flat portion 6b of the vehicle body 6 and the attaching bracket 5. This protruding portion 13 is formed continuously along the vehicle width direction while protruding by a length capable of filling the gap, by which the mount rubber 4 is prevented from running into the gap at the time of sudden braking. That is to say, the deformation of the mount rubber 4 is restrained, and the spring constant obtained by the design value can be maintained even at the time of sudden braking. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the attaching bracket 5 comprises a holding portion 5a for holding the mount rubber 4, and front and rear attaching portions 5b and 5c bolted to the upper flat portion 6a and the lower flat portion 6b of the stabilizer bar attaching portion M of the vehicle body 6, respectively. The holding portion 5a is provided at a substantially central position of the attaching bracket 5, and is formed into a semicircular shape so as to correspond to the outside shape of a lower half of the mount rubber 4. Also, the front attaching portion 5b is provided on the front side of the holding portion 5a, and is formed by bending the upper end of the holding portion 5a extending upward substantially at right angles to the outside. Further, the rear attaching portion 5c is provided on the rear side of the holding portion 5a, and is formed by bending the upper end of the holding portion 5a substantially at right angles to the outside. The front attaching portion 5b and the rear attaching portion 5c each are formed with a bolt hole 14 for inserting the tightening bolt 8 so as to correspond to the mounting holes 9 in the upper and lower flat portions 6a and 6b. The rear attaching portion 5c is disposed at a position lower than the front attaching portion 5b in the height direction and so that the tightening position of the rear attaching portion 5c and the lower flat portion 6b of the stabilizer bar attaching portion M by the tightening bolt 8 is at almost the same height as an axis C of the stabilizer bar 1. Therefore, the tightening bolt 8 is disposed at a position at right angles to a force F' applied to the stabilizer bar 1 at the time of sudden braking, so that the force F' is received by the shear-resisting performance of the tightening bolt 8. In FIG. 2, the arrow mark X denotes the vehicle front side, and the arrow mark Y denotes the vehicle upside. In order to attach the intermediate portion lb of the stabilizer bar 1 by using the stabilizer attaching structure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, first, the stabilizer bar 1 is inserted into the insertion hole 12 of the mount rubber 4, and the mount rubber 4 is disposed at predetermined two places. Next, the holding portion 5a of the attaching bracket 5 is fitted from the lower side of the mount rubber 4, and the front and rear attaching portions 5b and 5c are lapped on the lower surfaces of the upper flat portion 6a and the lower flat portion 6b of the stabilizer bar attaching portion M while the upper surface 4a and the vehicle body rear surface 4b of the mount rubber 4 are brought into contact with the upper flat portion 6a and the step portion 7 of the stabilizer bar attaching portion M of the vehicle body 6. In this state, the tightening bolts 8 are tightened so as to engage with the welded nut 10 via the bolt hole 14 and the mounting hole 9, by which the intermediate portion lb of the stabilizer 1 is attached to the stabilizer bar attaching portion M of the vehicle body 6 via the mounting the mount rubber 4 and the attaching bracket 5 (see FIG. 2). In the stabilizer attaching structure in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the step portion 7 is provided on the rear side of the stabilizer bar attaching portion M of the vehicle body 6, the stabilizer bar attaching portion M is formed substantially into a crank shape by the upper and lower flat portions 6a and 6b and the step portion 7, and the upper surface 4a and the vehicle body rear surface 4b of the mount rubber 4 are formed into a flat surface and a curved surface, respectively, so as to correspond to the upper flat portion 6a and the step portion 7 of the stabilizer bar attaching portion M. Also, the holding portion 5a and the front and rear attaching portions 5b and 5c of the attaching bracket 5 are formed into a semicircular shape and flat surfaces with a height difference so as to correspond to the upper and lower flat portions 6a and 6b of the stabilizer bar attaching portion M. By tightening the tightening bolts 8 and the welded nuts 10 by using the mount rubber 4 and the attaching bracket 5, the intermediate portion lb of the stabilizer bar 1 is attached to the stabilizer bar attaching portion M of the vehicle body 6. Therefore, when an excessive force F' acts from the stabilizer bar 1 toward the vehicle rear side at the time of sudden braking, the stabilizer bar attaching portion M of the vehicle body 6 is brought into contact with the mount rubber 4 in a cylindrical shape by the presence of the step portion 7, so that the force F' from the stabilizer bar 1 is received by the strong vehicle body 6, by which the deformation of the attaching bracket 5 can be restrained. Also, the rear attaching portion 5c is disposed at a position lower than the front attaching portion 5b in the height direction and so that the tightening position of the rear attaching portion 5c and the lower flat portion 6b of the stabilizer bar attaching portion M by the tightening bolt 8 is at almost the same height as the axis C of the stabilizer bar 1. Therefore, the tightening bolt 8 is disposed at a position at right angles to the force F' applied to the stabilizer bar 1 at the time of sudden braking, so that the force F' is received by the shear-resisting performance of the tightening bolt 8, which is advantageous in terms of the strength of the attaching bracket 5. Further, at the rearmost end of the vehicle body rear surface 4b of the mount rubber 4, there is provided a protruding portion 13 formed continuously along the vehicle width direction. Since the protruding portion 13 is disposed in the gap between the step portion 7 and the lower flat portion 6b of the vehicle body 6 and the attaching bracket 5, the gap can be filled and made small by the protruding portion 13 . Thereby, the deformation of the mount rubber 4 at the time of sudden braking is restrained, and the mount rubber 4 is prevented from running into the gap. Also, the spring constant obtained by the design value can be maintained, and the force F' can be absorbed surely. The above is a description of an embodiment of the present invention. The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications and changes can be made on the basis of the technical concept of the present invention. 1. A Stabilizer attaching structure in which an intermediate portion of a stabilizer bar both ends of which are attached to right and left suspension arms is attached to a vehicle body via a mount rubber and a bracket, characterized in that a step portion is provided on the rear side of a stabilizer bar attaching portion of said vehicle body, and said mount rubber and bracket are formed into a shape corresponding to said stabilizer bar attaching portion of said vehicle body which is provided with said step portion. 2. The stabilizer attaching structure according to claim 1, wherein a protruding portion disposed in a gap between said vehicle body and said bracket is provided on the vehicle body rear surface of said mount rubber. 3. The stabilizer attaching structure according to claim 1, wherein the rear side of said stabilizer bar attaching portion of said vehicle body is arranged at almost the same height as an axis of said stabilizer bar. 4. A stabilizer attaching structure substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Documents:

0915-mas-1999 abstract.pdf

0915-mas-1999 claims.pdf

0915-mas-1999 correspondence-others.pdf

0915-mas-1999 correspondence-po.pdf

0915-mas-1999 description (complete).pdf

0915-mas-1999 drawings.pdf

0915-mas-1999 form-1.pdf

0915-mas-1999 form-19.pdf

0915-mas-1999 form-26.pdf

0915-mas-1999 form-3.pdf

0915-mas-1999 form-5.pdf