Patent ID: 6588780
Filing Date: 2003-07-08
Classification: B60G,F16F

Abstract:
An upper support for a suspension system, which is interposed between a body of a vehicle and a shock absorber of the vehicle, for elastically supporting the shock absorber with respect to the body independently of a suspension spring of the suspension system, said upper support comprising:an inner member connectable to a piston rod of the shock absorber; an outer sleeve member disposed outwardly of the inner member in a radial direction, which is perpendicular to an axial direction of said inner member, with a spacing therebetween, and connectable to the body of the vehicle, said outer sleeve member having a first and a second stop portion formed at respective axially opposite open end portions thereof so as to protrude radially inwardly; an elastic body interposed between an outer circumferential surface of said inner member and an inner circumferential surface of said outer sleeve member which is opposed to said outer circumferential surface of said inner member in said radial direction, said elastic body being bonded at an inner circumferential surface thereof to said outer circumferential surface of said inner member, while being held in close contact at an outer circumferential surface thereof with said inner circumferential surface of said outer sleeve member, said elastic body being held in abutting contact at axially opposite end faces thereof with said first and second stop portions of said outer sleeve member, respectively; and a first and a second elastic protrusion protruding outwardly from said inner member in opposite axial directions, said first and second elastic protrusions being brought into abutting contact with said first and second stop portions of said outer sleeve member, respectively, wherein said elastic body is compressed by said outer sleeve member in said radial direction, wherein each of said first and second elastic protrusions includes a plurality of elastic projections each protruding axially outwardly from said inner member with a tapered shape, adapted to be held in abutting contact with corresponding one of said first and second stop portions, and a plurality of elastic blocks each interposed between adjacent ones of said elastic projections in a circumferential direction thereof, wherein each of said elastic blocks is substantially independent of said elastic projections and opposing the corresponding one of said first and second stop portions with a spacing therebetween and adapted to come into abutting contact with the corresponding one of said first and second stop portions, and wherein each of said elastic blocks has at least one radially extending groove open in a protruding end face thereof with a depth not larger than a height thereof, and provided with a number of tiny elastic bosses integrally formed on said protruding end face.