US-20260126076-A1 - SUSPENSION MEMBER MOUNTING SPACER

US20260126076A1US 20260126076 A1US20260126076 A1US 20260126076A1US-20260126076-A1

Abstract

A suspension member mounting spacer includes: a body configured to be positioned between either an upper end face or a lower end face of a collar having a cylindrical shape and a vehicle body structural member, the collar being configured to pass in an up-down direction through a mounting hole of the suspension member provided in a vehicle and to be fixed to the suspension member; and a staking portion configured to protrude from the body into the collar and to be fixed to the collar by plastic deformation.

Inventors

Takahiro Ito

Assignees

TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA

Dates

Publication Date: 20260507
Application Date: 20251009
Priority Date: 20241101

Claims (3)

1 . A suspension member mounting spacer comprising: a body configured to be positioned between either an upper end face or a lower end face of a collar having a cylindrical shape and a vehicle body structural member, the collar being configured to pass in an up-down direction through a mounting hole of a suspension member provided in a vehicle and to be fixed to the suspension member; and a staking portion configured to protrude from the body into the collar and to be fixed to the collar by plastic deformation.
2 . The suspension member mounting spacer according to claim 1 , wherein: the vehicle body structural member includes an upper support portion and a lower support portion located below the upper support portion; a shaft member is configured to pass through the collar, and is configured to pass through the upper support portion and the lower support portion and to be fixed to the upper support portion and the lower support portion; and the body is configured to be provided between the upper end face of the collar and the upper support portion, or between the lower end face of the collar and the lower support portion.
3 . The suspension member mounting spacer according to claim 2 , wherein the lower support portion is a flat plate-shaped brace that extends perpendicular to the up-down direction of the vehicle.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION This application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2024-192846 filed on Nov. 1, 2024. The disclosure of the above-identified application, including the specification, drawings, and claims, is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field The present disclosure relates to spacers for mounting a suspension member. 2. Description of Related Art Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2010-95042 (JP 2010-95042 A) discloses a vehicle equipped with a suspension member. When manufacturing a plurality of vehicles having different ride heights, the installation position of the suspension member to the vehicle body in the up-down direction is changed in accordance with the difference in ride height in order to enable the suspension member to be shared among the vehicles. For example, in a known method, a plurality of types of collars having different dimensions in the up-down direction is prepared, a collar is selected according to the vehicle ride height, and the selected collar is used to mount the suspension member to the vehicle body. SUMMARY As the number of types of collars increases, it becomes difficult to efficiently use the storage space for components on the production line. The present disclosure has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to provide a suspension member mounting spacer that enables a suspension member to be shared among a plurality of vehicles having different ride heights, without increasing the number of component types, when manufacturing the vehicles. A suspension member mounting spacer of a first aspect includes: a body configured to be positioned between either an upper end face or a lower end face of a collar having a cylindrical shape and a vehicle body structural member, the collar being configured to pass in an up-down direction through a mounting hole of the suspension member provided in a vehicle and to be fixed to the suspension member; and a staking portion configured to protrude from the body into the collar and to be fixed to the collar by plastic deformation. The suspension member mounting spacer of the first aspect includes the body and the staking portion. The staking portion protrudes into the collar and is fixed to the collar by plastic deformation, whereby the collar and the spacer are integrated with each other. Moreover, the spacer can be integrated with the collar such that the body faces either the upper or lower end face of the collar. Accordingly, the collar can be fixed to the suspension member such that the body is positioned between either the upper or lower end face of the collar and the vehicle body structural member. When the ride height of the vehicle is high, the collar is fixed to the suspension member such that the body is positioned between the upper end face of the collar and the vehicle body structural member. When the ride height of the vehicle is low, the collar is fixed to the suspension member such that the body is positioned between the lower end face of the collar and the vehicle body structural member. The suspension member mounting spacer of the first aspect enables the suspension member to be shared among a plurality of vehicles having different ride heights, without increasing the number of component types, when manufacturing the vehicles. According to a suspension member mounting spacer of a second aspect, in the first aspect, the vehicle body structural member includes an upper support portion and a lower support portion located below the upper support portion. A shaft member is configured to pass through the collar, and is configured to pass through the upper support portion and the lower support portion and to be fixed to the upper support portion and the lower support portion. The body is configured to be provided between the upper end face of the collar and the upper support portion, or between the lower end face of the collar and the lower support portion. The suspension member mounting spacer of the second aspect enables the suspension member that is disposed between the upper support portion and the lower support portion to be shared among a plurality of vehicles having different ride heights, without increasing the number of component types, when manufacturing the vehicles. According to a suspension member mounting spacer of a third aspect, in the first or second aspect, the lower support portion is a flat plate-shaped brace that extends perpendicular to the up-down direction of the vehicle. In the suspension member mounting spacer of the third aspect, the lower support portion is a flat plate-shaped brace that extends perpendicular to the up-down direction of the vehicle. Therefore, the brace of the third aspect has higher rigidity than a bent plate-shaped brace. Accordingly, with the suspension member mounting spacer of the third aspect, the suspension member can be supported stably by the veh