The invention relates to a connection system for connecting a damper unit of a vehicle inside a wheel suspension of the vehicle, the connection system having: an upper attachment region for attaching the damping unit, at least part of said region surrounding a receiving area for the damping unit and the receiving area extending around a first axis acting as the damping axis of the damping unit; a lower attachment region for coupling to the wheel-side portion of the wheel suspension, said lower attachment region having, in particular, two mutually spaced lower sections with an attachment area therebetween and an intermediate region which connects the upper attachment region to the lower attachment region. The main extension of the intermediate region corresponds to the direction of the first axis and the intermediate region allows the passage of a drive shaft of the vehicle. The connection system is made of an extruded part, the extrusion direction of which is the direction in which the extruded material extends, said material thus forming the intermediate region of the connection system. The invention also relates to a connection system comprising a clamping mechanism.

The present disclosure provides a method of manufacturing a damper for a vehicle. The method includes forming a groove on an outer surface of a first component in a first annular region. The first component is tubular. The method further includes inducing a compressive residual stress in a second annular region. The second annular region is at least partially aligned with the first annular region along a longitudinal axis of the first component. The method further includes coupling a second component to the first component. Surfaces of the first component and the second component directly engage one another at an interface. The second component is axially aligned with and radially surrounding at least a portion of the first annular region. In some configurations, forming the groove and inducing the compressive residual stress are performed concurrently, such as by low plasticity burnishing.

The disclosure provides a steering knuckle, which has good rigidity and reliability. The steering knuckle includes: a wheel support portion for supporting a wheel; a damper support portion for supporting a damper; and an arm portion for connecting the wheel support portion and the damper support portion. The damper support portion is cylindrical and has a mounting hole through which the damper is inserted, and the arm portion includes a pair of side walls connecting the damper support portion and the wheel support portion and a bottom wall connected between the side walls, and the bottom wall is connected with the side walls at the middle portion in the vertical direction of the side walls.

A protruding portion includes a fitting portion to which an outer periphery of a cylinder is fitted. When the cylinder and a closing member are assembled into an outer cylinder, a length from a contact portion to one end side end portion of the outer cylinder is longer than a length from the other end side end portion of the cylinder to one end side end portion on an outer peripheral side of the closing member. A length from one end side end surface of the protruding portion to the contact portion is longer than a difference between the length from the contact portion of a bottom portion to one end side end portion of the outer cylinder and the length from the other end side end portion of the cylinder to one end side end portion on the outer peripheral side of the closing member.

The present invention provides a shock absorber serving as a cylinder device capable of securing a clearance between an outer tube and a peripheral member and improving bending rigidity of the outer tube. An outer tube 104 housing an inner tube 103 is provided with a pair of knuckle bracket fastening plates 110a and 110b protruding in one direction from an outer surface of the outer tube 104. The pair of knuckle bracket fastening plates 10a and 110b has wide surfaces facing each other, and the wide surfaces are provided along an axial direction of the outer tube 104. When the inside of a vehicle is defined as a virtual region I 192 and the outside of the vehicle is defined as a virtual region II 193 with a virtual line 191, which passes through a stroke center line 71 and matches the inside and outside of the vehicle, as a boundary in an orthogonal cross section at an arbitrary axial position of the outer tube 104 orthogonal to the stroke center line 71 of a piston rod 102, a cross-sectional area A.sub.i1 of the outer tube 104 in the virtual region I 192 is made larger than a cross-sectional area A.sub.o1 of the outer tube 104 in the virtual region II 193.

A coupling structure of suspension may include an assist knuckle, a RevoKnuckle rotatably engaged with the assist knuckle, rotated independently from the assist knuckle, and performing steering of a wheel located at an outermost periphery, a steering input portion fixed to a vehicle body and applying a steering force to the RevoKnuckle during steering, a rotation transfer unit located between and coupled between the RevoKnuckle and the steering input portion and absorbing angular displacement formed between the steering input portion and the RevoKnuckle, a first link unit having one end located on one side surface of the assist knuckle and the other end located at a lower end of the RevoKnuckle, and a second link unit having one end located on the other side surface of the assist knuckle and the other end located adjacent to the other end of the first link unit at the lower end of the RevoKnuckle.

A center lower frame connection for a space frame comprising an outer lift cylinder connection boss, an inner drop tube connection boss, a center cylinder between the outer lift cylinder connection boss and the inner drop tube connection boss, a suspension connection boss, an outer rearward angular center lower frame tube connection boss, an inner rearward angular center lower frame tube connection boss, a vertical center lower frame tube connection boss, a forward angular center lower frame tube connection boss, an outer forward horizontal center lower frame tube connection boss, and an inner forward horizontal center lower frame tube connection boss. The outer lift cylinder connection boss, the inner drop tube connection boss, and the center cylinder can have a common center axis. The center lower frame connection can also have a rearward angular beam and a forward horizontal beam.

A front upper suspension connection for a space frame comprises a bottom surface fixedly attachable to a front lower suspension connection; a top rear mounting surface fixedly attachable to a front upper frame connection; a top front mounting surface fixedly attachable to a first elongate support member; a front strut attachment point located below the top rear mounting surface and the top front mounting surface to pivotably attach a front strut; and a lower rear mounting surface located below the top rear mounting surface fixedly attachable to a second elongate support member. The front strut attachment point can include a hole passing through the top rear mounting surface, a coaxial hole passing through the top front mounting surface, and a front strut attachment pin configured to pass through the top rear mounting surface, the top front mounting surface, and a top mounting hole integral to the front strut.

A center lower frame connection for a space frame comprising an outer lift cylinder connection boss, an inner drop tube connection boss, a center cylinder between the outer lift cylinder connection boss and the inner drop tube connection boss, a suspension connection boss, an outer rearward angular center lower frame tube connection boss, an inner rearward angular center lower frame tube connection boss, a vertical center lower frame tube connection boss, a forward angular center lower frame tube connection boss, an outer forward horizontal center lower frame tube connection boss, and an inner forward horizontal center lower frame tube connection boss. The outer lift cylinder connection boss, the inner drop tube connection boss, and the center cylinder can have a common center axis. The center lower frame connection can also have a rearward angular beam and a forward horizontal beam.

A front upper suspension connection for a space frame comprises a bottom surface fixedly attachable to a front lower suspension connection; a top rear mounting surface fixedly attachable to a front upper frame connection; a top front mounting surface fixedly attachable to a first elongate support member; a front strut attachment point located below the top rear mounting surface and the top front mounting surface to pivotably attach a front strut; and a lower rear mounting surface located below the top rear mounting surface fixedly attachable to a second elongate support member. The front strut attachment point can include a hole passing through the top rear mounting surface, a coaxial hole passing through the top front mounting surface, and a front strut attachment pin configured to pass through the top rear mounting surface, the top front mounting surface, and a top mounting hole integral to the front strut.