JP2000291627A - Universal joint device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide the subject device capable of surely and easily positioning and fixing a dust cover with a simple structure. SOLUTION: A substantially cylindrical socket part 7 is formed in a projecting manner by working a steel plate with a press machine. The part 7 has its axial direction in its thickness direction, an opening 5 reducing its diameter in a dome shape at its tip, and a mounting opening 6 at its bottom end. A substantially cylindrical part 10 is formed by a press machine so that its extra wall may flow to form a flange part 8 at its outer circumference. In order to accommodate a ball head part 24 a bearing sheet 31 is inserted in the opening 5 by inserting a shaft part 22 of a ball stud 21 mounted to the ball head part 24 from the mounting opening 6. A closing plate 11 is mounted to the mounting opening 6 by caulking. A dust cover 41 is fitted to the cylindrical part 10 of the socket part 7 and the shaft part 22 while it is positioned at the flange part 8 to thereby form a universal joint device body 1. Such a flange part 8 can be formed with accuracy at the socket part 7, leading to an improvement in productivity.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a universal joint device in which a dust cover is attached to an arm having a socket for slidably receiving a ball head.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this kind of universal joint device,
For example, JP-A-10-19032 and JP-A-10-19032
A configuration described in JP-A-37944 is known.

[0003] The universal joint device described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Nos. 10-19032 and 10-37944 discloses a universal joint device which presses a substantially plate-shaped steel plate and has a portion near an opening through which a shaft portion of a ball stud is inserted. Are formed in a concave shape which is folded back to one side, and the vicinity of the opening is further pressed to reduce the diameter to form a socket portion for accommodating a bearing seat for accommodating a ball head of a ball stud. Then, at the step portion provided on the outer peripheral surface of the socket portion by folding,
A configuration is adopted in which the other end of the dust cover whose one end is fitted to the shaft of the ball stud is positioned and fitted to the socket.

However, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-190
In the configuration described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 32 and JP-A-10-37944, in which the socket is formed by folding back a steel plate, it is difficult to obtain the dimensional accuracy of the socket for applying a constant preload to the ball stud. At the same time, it is difficult to improve the outer diameter dimensional accuracy of the socket portion, and it is difficult to fit and fix the dust cover with a fixed fixing strength, and it is difficult to improve the sealing performance of the dust cover.

On the other hand, as a structure of a socket portion which can easily apply a predetermined preload and easily improve the dimensional accuracy of an outer peripheral surface to which a dust cover is attached, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No.
The configuration described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 100628 is known.

[0006] Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 10-100268 discloses a socket formed by pressing a steel plate into a substantially cylindrical shape on one surface side and reducing the diameter of the opening on the tip side.
The shaft portion of the ball stud is led out from the opening whose diameter is reduced to accommodate the bearing seat accommodating the ball head of the ball stud in the socket portion. Then, a configuration is adopted in which a predetermined preload is applied to the ball head and an obstruction plate is attached to the opening opposite to the opening of the socket portion whose diameter is reduced to close the opening.

However, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 10-1006 discloses
In the configuration described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 28-28, if the dust cover is attached only to the outer peripheral surface of the socket portion, the dust cover is attached to the dust cover due to, for example, stress from the outside due to a stepping stone or swinging of a ball stud. May fluctuate and come off. Also, if the dust cover is fitted to the base arm of the socket part so as to position it, the dust cover becomes larger and
A complicated assembling work for fitting and inserting up to the base end of the socket is required, and it is difficult to improve the productivity. Furthermore, in order to reliably position the dust cover, there is a problem that a member for positioning such as separately fitting and fixing a ring is required.

[0008]

As described above, as described above, JP-A-10-19032 and JP-A-10-3794.
In the configuration described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 4 (1994), in which a socket is formed by folding back a steel plate, it is difficult to obtain the dimensional accuracy of the socket for applying a predetermined preload to the ball stud, and the outer diameter of the socket is increased. It is also difficult to improve the dimensional accuracy, and it is difficult to fit and fix the dust cover with a fixed fixing strength, and it is difficult to improve the sealability of the dust cover.

Also, a bearing sheet accommodating a ball head of a ball stud is accommodated in a socket portion having an opening whose leading end is reduced in diameter by press working described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-100328. When the opening on the opposite side is closed by a closing plate, there is a problem that it is difficult to position and fix the bearing seat with a simple structure without increasing the size.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to provide a universal joint device capable of easily positioning and fixing a dust cover with a simple structure.

[0011]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a universal joint device comprising: a ball stud provided with a shaft having a ball head at one end; The bearing sheet is formed in a substantially plate shape and is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape having an axial direction along a thickness direction by press working. An arm in which a socket having an opening is formed, and a closing member which closes an opening on the base end side of the socket of the arm and is attached to apply a predetermined preload to a ball head of the ball stud. A substantially cylindrical dust cover, one end of which is fitted to the shaft of the ball stud and the other end of which is fitted to the socket of the arm. From the outside Those having a flange portion for positioning the dust cover by positioning step portion formed to protrude facing toward the front end side of the socket portion toward.

The excess flow from the distal end to the outer peripheral surface of the socket of the arm for accommodating the bearing seat for slidably accommodating the ball head provided at one end of the shaft of the ball stud. In order to provide a flange for positioning the dust cover at the positioning step that faces toward the front end side of the socket part and protrudes toward the socket part, the shaft part of the ball stud of the socket part that provides high dimensional accuracy is inserted and inserted. A flange for positioning the dust cover is easily formed in the vicinity of the opening, and a certain preload is applied to the ball head to securely attach the dust cover, thereby improving the manufacturability.

[0013] The universal joint device according to the second aspect is the first aspect.
In the described universal joint device, the positioning step is substantially perpendicular to the axial direction of the socket.

Since the positioning step of the flange is formed substantially perpendicular to the axial direction of the socket, the dust cover is securely positioned and attached.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment of the universal joint device of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a universal joint device main body.
The universal joint device main body 1 is used, for example, for a link mechanism that connects a suspension sensor arm of an automobile (not shown) and a suspension. And this universal joint device main body 1
It has an arm 2. The arm 2 is formed of, for example, an elongated plate-shaped steel plate, and a ball joint 3 is provided at one end in the longitudinal direction.

That is, at the one end side in the longitudinal direction of the arm portion 2, an opening portion 5 having an axial direction along the thickness dimension and having a reduced diameter in a substantially dome shape is formed at a protruding distal end and at the base end side. A substantially cylindrical socket portion 7 that opens the mounting opening 6 is provided. The socket 7 is provided with the opening 5
The side is reduced in diameter by pressing. A flange 8 is provided on an outer peripheral surface of the socket 7 so as to protrude outward in a flange shape, and the opening 5 side of the flange 8 is a surface substantially perpendicular to the axial direction of the socket 7. The positioning step 9 is as follows. Further, a substantially cylindrical tubular portion 10 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the socket portion 7 at a position on the distal end side from the flange portion 8.

A substantially disc-shaped closing plate 11 is integrally attached to the mounting opening 6 of the socket 7 of the arm 2 so as to close the mounting opening 6. On the inner peripheral surface of the socket portion 7 on the side of the mounting opening 6, a large diameter is formed so as to be substantially the same as the outer diameter of the closing plate 11, and the contact portion 12 is formed in a stepped shape. At the edge of the mounting opening 6 of the portion 7, there is provided a locking portion 13 which protrudes in a flange shape inward and locks on the peripheral edge of the closing plate 11. In addition, the closing plate 11 is formed so that a substantially central portion bulges toward one surface side by, for example, embossing, and a substantially conical concave mounting surface portion 14 is formed so as to expand toward the other surface side. ing.

The socket 7 is provided with a ball stud 21 made of metal. The ball stud 21 is fitted into the opening 5 of the socket 7 and has a small-diameter portion 23 at the other end of a rod-shaped shaft 22 extending from the socket 7 at one end.
Substantially spherical ball head 24 housed in socket portion 7 through
Is provided. Note that a male screw portion 25 is provided at a tip portion on one end side of the shaft portion 22.

In the socket 7, a bearing seat 31 made of synthetic resin is disposed between the ball head 24 of the ball stud 21 and the inner surface of the socket 7. This bearing seat 31 is composed of a ball seat 32 and a cushion.
33, the ball seat 32 is formed of a rigid synthetic resin having high rigidity and elasticity with high load resistance having good bearing properties such as polyacetal resin,
The cushion 33 is formed of a relatively soft resin material such as a polyurethane resin.

The ball seat 32 has, at one end, a cylindrical cylindrical body portion 36 that opens an insertion hole 35 into which the ball head 24 of the ball stud 21 is inserted, and the other end of the cylindrical body portion 36. The edge has a bottom portion 37 integrally provided in a flange shape inward, and is formed in a substantially bottomed cylindrical shape.

The cushion 33 is formed in a substantially annular shape that can be inserted into the bottom portion 37 of the ball seat 32, and has, at one edge, a mounting portion that contacts the mounting surface portion 14 of the closing plate 11 attached to the socket portion 7. On the other edge, a sliding portion 39 on which the outer surface side is placed on the inner surface side of the bottom portion 37 and the ball head 24 slidably abuts on the inner surface side is integrally protruded in a flange shape. .

The cushion 33 is inserted into the bearing seat 31 such that the sliding portion 39 overlaps the bottom portion 37 of the ball seat 32, and is assembled into the socket portion 7 in a substantially cylindrical shape with a bottom. Will be accommodated. Further, the shaft 22 of the ball stud 21 is connected to the ball seat 32 of the bearing seat 31.
The ball head 24 of the ball stud 21 is slidably accommodated in the bearing seat 31 so as to protrude outward from the insertion hole 35 and the opening 5 of the socket portion 7.

On the other hand, the dust cover 41 has a first fitting portion which is substantially annular at one end and whose end surface is in contact with the positioning step 9 of the socket portion 7 and is fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 10 of the socket portion 7. 42
The other end is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape having a second fitting portion 43 fitted to the shaft portion 22 of the ball stud 21 in a substantially annular shape at the other end. Then, the first fitting portion 42 of the dust cover 41 fits into the cylindrical portion 10 of the socket portion 7 and the second fitting portion 43
Is fitted to the shaft 22 of the ball stud 21 and the dust cover 41
Is attached, and the ball joint 3 is formed at one end of the arm 2.

Next, the operation of manufacturing the universal joint device main body 1 of the above embodiment will be described.

First, for example, one end of a long and thin plate-shaped steel plate is pressed in the thickness direction, and as shown in FIG. An opening 5 for reducing the diameter is opened, a mounting opening 6 is opened on the base end side, and an abutment portion 12 is formed on the inner peripheral surface on the mounting opening 6 side.
To form the socket portion 7 so as to protrude.

Then, the opening 5 side of the socket portion 7 is formed into a substantially cylindrical shape by pressing, so that a part of the outer peripheral surface is cut off from the front end side where the opening 5 opens, and a part of the outer peripheral surface is left. The arm portion 2 is formed by causing the flange portion 8 to protrude outward in a flange shape on the outer peripheral surface of the socket portion 7 by flowing the meat.

The shaft portion 22 of the ball stud 21 having the bearing seat 31 mounted on the ball head 24 is inserted into the socket portion 7 of the pressed arm portion 2 from the mounting opening portion 6 so that the opening portion of the socket portion 7 is opened. 5 through the bearing seat
The ball head 24 with the attached 31 is accommodated in the socket part 7.
After that, the peripheral edge of the closing plate 11 is attached to the mounting opening 6 by the socket portion 7.
The mounting opening 6 is closed by making contact with the abutting portion 12, and the locking portion 13 is formed by caulking the periphery of the mounting opening 6 inward by stamping processing, and the closing plate 11 is mounted. The arm 2 has a ball joint 3.

Thereafter, the first fitting portion 42 of the dust cover 41
Is fitted to the cylindrical portion 10 on the outer peripheral surface of the socket portion 7 while being positioned and brought into contact with the positioning step portion 9 of the flange portion 8 of the socket portion 7, and the second fitting portion 43 at the other end is fitted with a ball. The dust cover 41 is attached to the ball joint portion 3 by fitting the shaft portion 22 of the stud 21 to form the universal joint device main body 1.

As described above, the shaft portion of the ball stud 21
An opening through which the shaft portion 22 of the ball stud 21 is inserted by pressing into the outer peripheral surface of the socket portion 7 of the arm portion 2 that accommodates the bearing sheet 31 provided at one end of the ball portion 24 that slidably accommodates the ball head 24. The dust cover 41 is first fitted to the positioning step 9 facing the front end in the axial direction of the socket portion 7 by causing excess flow so as to scrape the outer peripheral surface from the front end where the opening 5 is formed. Since the flange portion 8 for positioning the attachment portion 42 and fitting it to the cut off portion is provided, the flange portion 8 for positioning the dust cover 41 on the socket portion 7 having high dimensional accuracy can be easily formed. , The dust cover 41 can be securely attached by applying a certain preload, and the manufacturability can be improved, and the end of the first fitting portion 42 of the dust cover 41 is protected by the flange 8, For example, dust cover 41 for stepping stones And dust cover is outside can be reliably prevented by an external force toward the side to be removed and fitted direction of the opposite side.

Since the positioning step 9 of the flange 8 is formed substantially perpendicular to the axial direction of the socket 7, the dust cover can be reliably positioned and attached.

Further, the entire process of forming the arm portion 2 from the steel plate can be performed by press working capable of high-precision working, so that the manufacturability can be improved, the stable characteristics of the universal joint device main body 1 can be obtained, and the yield can be improved.

In the above-described embodiment, the universal joint device of the link mechanism used for the link mechanism of the vehicle has been described, but the present invention can be applied to any other universal joint device.

In the above description, the socket portion 7 having the opening 5 at one end is pressed and the flange 8 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the socket portion 7. After the flange 8 is provided, the opening 5
When the steel plate is pressed, the socket portion 7 may be formed so as to protrude in a substantially cylindrical shape, and the front end side may be reduced in diameter to a dome shape and the flange portion 8 may be formed. In order to securely and stably mount the 41, any configuration can be used in which the outer peripheral surface of the socket portion 7 is formed into a cylindrical shape by press working with high precision, and the excess portion is flown to form a flange portion.

[0035]

According to the universal joint device of the first aspect,
Dust cover at the positioning step that projects from the distal end side to the outer peripheral surface of the socket part of the arm part that houses the ball head of the ball stud and projects outward and faces toward the distal end side of the socket part Since the flange for positioning the dust cover is provided, the flange for positioning the dust cover can be easily formed on the socket part where high dimensional accuracy is obtained, and the dust cover can be securely attached by applying a certain preload to the ball head, Manufacturability can be improved.

According to the universal joint device of the second aspect, in addition to the effect of the universal joint device of the first aspect, since the positioning step of the flange portion is formed substantially perpendicular to the axial direction of the socket portion, The dust cover can be positioned and attached securely.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway side view showing an embodiment of the universal joint device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a state where the cylindrical portion is pressed.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view, partially cut away, showing the same arm portion.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 universal joint device main body 2 arm 5 opening 6 mounting opening 7 socket 8 flange 9 positioning step 11 closing plate 21 ball stud 22 shaft 24 ball head 31 bearing seat 41 dust cover

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing from the front page (72) Inventor: Manabu Suzuki 500 Furukawa-cho, Hamamatsu-shi, Shizuoka F-term in Somic Ishikawa Hamamatsu Plant (reference) 3J105 AA24 AA32 AB46 AB48 AC04 CA05 CA17 CD07

Claims (2)

[Claims] A ball stud provided with a shaft having a ball head at one end; a bearing seat having an insertion hole in which the ball head is slidably accommodated and through which the shaft is inserted; An arm portion formed in a plate shape and formed with a socket portion having a substantially cylindrical shape having an axial direction along a thickness direction by press working and accommodating the bearing sheet and having an opening portion through which the shaft portion is inserted at a tip end; A closing member attached to close the base end side opening of the socket portion of the arm portion to apply a predetermined preload to the ball head of the ball stud; and one end fitted to the shaft portion of the ball stud, A substantially cylindrical dust cover having an end fitted to the socket portion of the arm portion, and the socket portion of the arm portion is formed so as to flow outward from the distal end side to the outer peripheral surface and protrude outward. Tip side of the socket Universal joint apparatus by positioning step portion facing toward characterized by having a flange portion for positioning the dust cover. 2. The universal joint device according to claim 1, wherein the positioning step portion is substantially perpendicular to the axial direction of the socket portion.