US 6,712,346 B2Granted

Helical compression spring for a vehicle suspension

AssigneeChuo Hatsujo Kabushiki Kaisha

InventorToshiyuki Imaizumi

Life of this patent

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Abstract

The present invention is directed to a helical compression spring which is mounted on a vehicle body to be compressed between an upper seat and a lower seat. The spring is formed to provide a coil axis to be substantially curved at a predetermined radius of curvature in an unloaded state of the spring. A pitch of a lower end coil of the spring is set to tilt a lower end plane of the spring at a first angle to the lower seat in a direction for shortening the longitudinal length of the spring at the inside of the curvature in the unloaded state of the spring, and/or a pitch of an upper end coil of the spring is set to tilt an upper end plane of the spring at a second angle in a direction for shortening the longitudinal length of the spring at the outside of the curvature in the unloaded state. And, the pitch of the lower end coil is set to tilt the lower end plane at a third angle to the lower seat on a plane including an end coil center line connecting the centers of the upper end coil and the lower end coil perpendicular to a plane including the end coil center line and the coil axis, in the unloaded state, and/or the pitch of the upper end coil is set to tilt the upper end plane at a fourth angle to the upper seat on that plane, in the unloaded state.

Claims4

Dependent claims

A helical compression spring for a vehicle suspension to be compressed between an upper seat and a lower seat, said spring being formed to provide a coil axis to be substantially curved at a predetermined radius of curvature in an unloaded state of said spring,

wherein a pitch of a lower end coil of said spring is set to tilt a lower end plane of said spring seated on said lower seat at a first predetermined angle to said lower seat in a direction for shortening the longitudinal length of said spring at the inside of the curvature in the unloaded state of said spring, and/or a pitch of an upper end coil of said spring is set to tilt an upper end plane of said spring seated on said upper seat at a second predetermined angle in a direction for shortening the longitudinal length of said spring at the outside of the curvature in the unloaded state of said spring, and
wherein the pitch of said lower end coil is set to tilt the lower end plane of said spring at a third predetermined angle to said lower seat on a plane including an end coil center line connecting the centers of said upper end coil and said lower end coil perpendicular to a plane including said end coil center line and said curved coil axis, in the unloaded state of said spring, and/or the pitch of said upper end coil is set to tilt the upper end plane of said spring at a fourth predetermined angle to said upper seat on the plane including said end coil center line perpendicular to the plane including said end coil center line and said curved coil axis, in the unloaded state of said spring.

A strut type vehicle suspension comprising a strut mounted at the upper end thereof on a vehicle body for supporting a wheel, a lower seat fixed to said strut, an upper seat mounted on said vehicle body, and a helical compression spring mounted between said lower seat and said upper seat, with said strut enclosed in said spring,

wherein said spring is formed to provide a coil axis to be substantially curved at a predetermined radius of curvature in an unloaded state of said spring,
wherein said lower seat is fixed to said strut to tilt said lower seat at a first predetermined angle in a direction for shortening the longitudinal length of said spring at the outside of the curvature in the unloaded state of said spring, and/or said upper seat is mounted on said vehicle body to tilt said upper seat at a second predetermined angle in a direction for shortening the longitudinal length of said spring at the inside of the curvature in the unloaded state of said spring,
wherein said lower seat is fixed to said strut to tilt said lower seat at a third predetermined angle on a plane including an end coil center line connecting the centers of an upper end coil and a lower end coil of said spring perpendicular to a plane including said end coil center line and said curved coil axis, and/or said upper seat is mounted on said vehicle body to tilt said upper seat at a fourth predetermined angle on the plane including said end coil center line perpendicular to the plane including said end coil center line and said curved coil axis, and
wherein said spring is held in such a state that the inside of the curvature of said curved coil axis is positioned at the inside of said vehicle body.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/067,836Filed 8 Feb 2002
Priority: JP 2001-0328658 Feb 2001
Published: US 2002/0105127 A18 Aug 2002
Granted: 30 Mar 2004
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification13 codes

B60G 3/06
The arm being essentially transverse to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle: the arm being rigid
B60G 11/15
Having helical, spiral or coil springs only: coil springs resisting deflection by winding up
B60G 15/068
Characterised by the mounting on the vehicle body or chassis of the spring and damper unit: specially adapted for MacPherson strut-type suspension
B60G 15/07
And fluid damper: the damper being connected to the stub axle and the spring being arranged around the damper