JP2000230540A - Ball joint - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a ball joint capable of easily manufacturing and superior in durability. SOLUTION: A spherical head 6 of a ball stud 2 is placed in a containing part 14 formed inside of a bearing seat 3. The bearing seat 3 is accommodated in an inner chamber 22 formed inside a housing 4. A caulking part 25 formed on the housing 4 is caulked, and a projection 16 formed on an outer peripheral surface of the bearing seat 3 is locked. A first ring part 28 formed on one end of a dust cover 5 is positioned on the inner peripheral side with respect to an outer peripheral surface of the housing 4, to be contacted with a point of the caulking part 25 and fitted to an outer peripheral surface 27 of the bearing seat 3. A second ring part 30 formed on the other end of the dust cover 5 is fitted to a shaft part 7 connected to the sheprical head part 6. Since the dust cover 5 hardly projects from the outer peripheral surface of the housing 4, the durability can be improved. The structures of the bearing seat 3 and the housing 3 can be simplified, so that a ball joint can be manufactured easily.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a ball joint for accommodating a bearing seat slidably enclosing a ball head in a housing.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this type of ball joint, for example, a ball joint having a configuration described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-79037 is known.

In the ball joint disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open Publication No. 5-79037, the ball head of a ball stud is enclosed in a housing portion of a bearing seat, and the bearing seat is inserted into a substantially cylindrical housing. I have. A dust cover is provided at a position where the ball stud extends from the bearing seat to prevent water, dust, and the like from entering the inside. This ball stud is formed with a shaft portion having one end connected to the ball head,
A nut-shaped flange protruding in the radial direction is fitted to a substantially intermediate portion of the shaft.

[0004] The bearing seat has a substantially cylindrical shape with a bottom, and a seat insertion opening is opened in this cylindrical opening with a bottom, and a housing portion for housing the ball head of the ball stud is formed inside. ing. In this bearing seat, a groove-shaped concave portion is formed along the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral surface near the outer edge of the seat insertion opening, and a bottom surface formed on the opposite side to the direction in which the seat insertion opening is opened. A ring-shaped fitting flange is formed on the outer peripheral edge of the outer surface of the portion and protrudes outward along the outer peripheral edge and fits into the opening end face of the axial opening of the housing.

[0005] The housing is substantially cylindrical, and a bearing sheet is inserted and mounted in one axial opening of the cylindrical portion, and a fitting flange of the bearing sheet is inserted into an end face of the opening. An insertion opening through which the opening of the seat insertion opening of the bearing seat is inserted is formed in the corresponding axial opening and the other opening in the axial direction. Further, an inner chamber for accommodating the bearing seat is formed inside the cylindrical portion of the bearing seat.

Further, the substantially cylindrical dust cover is engaged with the concave portion of the bearing seat at one axial opening of the cylindrical portion and is brought into contact with the opening end face of the insertion opening of the housing. One ring portion is formed. In the other opening in the axial direction, a second ring portion to be fitted to the flange of the ball stud is formed.

When this dust cover is mounted on the insertion opening side of the housing from which the ball stud extends,
The accommodation of the bearing seat in the housing is stably held by the fitting flange portion of the bearing seat and the first ring portion of the dust cover engaged with the recess of the bearing seat, and the ball joint is assembled.

However, Japanese Utility Model Application Laid-Open No. 5-79037
In the ball joint described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. H11-146, it is necessary to form a fitting flange portion and a concave portion on the bearing sheet in order to fit the first ring portion of the dust cover to the bearing sheet and stably maintain the first ring portion. The structure becomes complicated, and it is difficult to improve durability and manufacturability.

Another conventional example is disclosed in, for example,
A ball joint having a configuration described in JP-A-159147 is known.

In the ball joint described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-159147, the ball head of a ball stud is enclosed in a bearing seat, and the bearing seat is accommodated in a housing. At a position where the ball stud extends from the bearing seat, a dust cover for preventing water, dust and the like from entering the inside is mounted. In this ball stud, one end of a shaft is connected to the head of the ball, and a flange protruding radially along the circumferential direction is formed at a substantially intermediate portion of the shaft.

The bearing seat has a substantially cylindrical shape, and has a seat insertion opening in one axial opening of the cylindrical portion and a seat opening in the other axial opening, and has a ball head of a ball stud. A housing portion for slidably housing the housing portion is formed. The bearing seat is formed with a protrusion that is located on the outer peripheral surface near the opening of the seat insertion opening and protrudes in the radial direction along the circumferential direction. A concave groove-shaped fitting groove is formed.

Further, the housing is substantially cylindrical with a bottom.
An insertion opening is formed in the bottomed cylindrical opening, and an inner chamber for accommodating the bearing seat is formed therein. In this housing, a caulking portion is provided on the outer edge of the opening surface of the insertion opening along the circumferential direction. Here, the dust cover is substantially cylindrical, and a first ring portion is formed in one opening in the axial direction of the dust cover.
A second ring portion is formed at the other opening in the axially symmetric direction with respect to the first ring portion.

[0013] Then, the ball head of the ball stud having the ball head encapsulated in the encasing portion of the bearing seat is inserted into the inner chamber of the housing. Thereafter, the first ring portion of the dust cover is fitted into the fitting groove of the bearing sheet, and the swaged portion of the housing is swaged inward to clamp the protrusion of the bearing sheet and the first ring portion of the dust cover. To stably hold the bearing seat and the dust cover. Furthermore, the ball joint is assembled by fitting the second ring portion of the dust cover to the flange portion of the ball stud.

However, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H8-15914
In the ball joint described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 7, the caulking portion of the housing is caulked and formed to clamp the projection of the housing and the first ring portion of the dust cover, to accommodate the bearing sheet in the housing, and to form the first ring portion of the dust cover. Although the bearing seat and dust cover are formed of a material having elasticity and rigidity, even if the bearing sheet and dust cover are clamped and fixed by the caulking part, the setting of clamping and fixing is maintained. It becomes complicated. In addition, since the bearing sheet is formed with protrusions and fitting grooves, it is not necessary to form the housing with a large thickness, so that the size of the bearing sheet is not increased. It is difficult to improve.

[0015]

As described above, in the ball joint disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 5-79037, the fitting flange and the concave portion are formed in the bearing seat, so that the structure of the bearing seat is complicated. And it is difficult to improve durability and manufacturability.

Also, in the ball joint described in JP-A-8-159147, since the projections and the fitting grooves are formed in the bearing seat, the structure of the bearing seat is complicated, and the durability and the manufacturability are improved. However, there is a problem that it is difficult to achieve.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and has as its object to provide a ball joint which is easy to manufacture and has excellent durability.

[0018]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a ball joint comprising a ball stud having a ball head and a shaft connected to the ball head, and a seat insertion opening through which the ball stud is inserted. A bearing portion slidably enclosing the ball head of the ball stud, and a protrusion seated on the outer peripheral surface and protruding outward, having a resilient and rigid bearing seat, and an insertion through the ball stud. An opening is formed in the inner chamber for accommodating the bearing seat, and a housing provided with an opening edge of the insertion opening and being caulked inward and provided with a caulking portion for locking the protrusion of the bearing sheet, and at one end. And is located between an outer peripheral surface of the housing and an inner edge of a seat insertion opening of the bearing seat and abuts on a tip of a swaged portion of the housing. And a second ring part for fitting the first ring portion is fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the bearing seat, and the shaft portion of the ball stud is provided on the other end,
A substantially cylindrical dust cover having elasticity and rigidity.

The dust cover attached to the portion where the ball stud is inserted through the insertion opening of the housing,
While the first ring portion is located between the outer peripheral surface of the housing and the inner edge of the seat insertion opening of the bearing seat,
The first ring portion of the dust cover is mounted on the outer peripheral surface of the housing because the first ring portion of the dust cover is attached to the distal end of the caulked portion after being caulked and fixed to the protruding portion of the bearing sheet and is fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the bearing sheet. Difficult to project outward from Therefore, the stepping stones and the like can be prevented from hitting the dust cover, so that the dust cover is prevented from being deformed and the durability is improved. In addition, only by caulking and fixing the caulking part of the housing to the projection of the bearing seat, in order to stably retain the accommodation of the ball head of the ball stud with respect to the bearing seat and the housing of the bearing seat with respect to the housing,
The structure of the bearing seat and housing is simplified,
Manufacturability is improved.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a ball joint, comprising: a ball stud having a ball head and a shaft connected to the ball head; and a ball opening of the ball stud having a seat opening through which the ball stud is inserted. A bearing seat having an elasticity and a rigidity, and a bearing sheet having a ball head and a ball head of the ball stud inserted along the axial direction of the ball stud. The bearing seat which is open in the axial direction to be locked in the opening direction is opened, and the bearing seat accommodating the ball head of the ball stud connected to the inner end of the inner chamber for housing the bearing seat and the opening end face of the axial opening is impossible to be inserted. A cylindrical thick portion that is thicker inward, and a concave groove that is located on the opening end face of the through-opening of the thick part and that extends along the circumferential direction of the opening end face. A first ring portion provided at one end and located between the thick portions of the housing and engaging with the concave groove portion of the housing; and a shaft portion of the ball stud provided at the other end. And a substantially cylindrical dust cover having elasticity and rigidity.

When a dust cover is attached to a portion where the ball stud is inserted through the axial opening of the housing, the ball head of the ball stud and the axial opening of the housing through which the bearing seat cannot be inserted are inserted into the dust cover. When a thick part is formed on the end face of the thick part and a concave groove is formed in the end face of the thick part along the circumferential direction, the first ring part of the dust cover is located between the thick parts of the housing, and Since the first ring portion of the dust cover does not easily protrude outward from the outer peripheral surface of the housing to engage with the concave groove portion, the provision of the concave groove portion in the housing can prevent stepping stones and the like from hitting the dust cover. In addition, the deformation of the dust cover is prevented, and the durability is improved. Further, since the concave groove portion is formed in the housing without complicating the configuration of the housing, manufacturability is improved.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a ball joint comprising a ball stud having a ball head and a pair of shafts connected in a direction symmetrical in a radial direction of the ball head, and a sheet passing through the ball stud. An opening, and an enclosing portion that opens the seat opening for inserting the ball head and the shaft portion of the ball stud in a direction symmetrical with respect to the axial direction of the sheet insertion opening and slidably encloses the ball head of the ball stud. A bearing seat having elasticity and rigidity, an insertion opening through which the ball stud is inserted and a bearing seat, and a shaft portion of the ball stud inserted through a shaft portion of the ball stud in an axially symmetric direction of the insertion opening. An axial opening is provided to lock the bearing seat enclosing the ball head in a direction along the axial direction of the ball stud. An inner chamber for accommodating the bearing seat, the bearing seat, which is connected to the opening end face of the axial passage opening and encloses the ball head of the ball stud, cannot be inserted, and has a cylindrical thickness that is inwardly thick. And a housing provided on the open end face of the through-opening of the thick part and having a concave groove shaped along the circumferential direction of the open end face, and a thick part of the housing provided at one end. And a second ring portion provided at the other end and fitted to the shaft portion of the ball stud, and has a substantially cylindrical shape having elasticity and rigidity. And a dust cover.

When the dust cover is attached to a portion where the ball stud is inserted into the axial opening of the housing, a thick portion and a concave groove are formed on the opening end surface of the axial opening of the housing. The first ring portion of
Since the first ring portion of the dust cover is hard to protrude outward from the outer peripheral surface of the housing at the time of this engagement because the first ring portion is located between the thick portions of the housing and is engaged with the concave groove portion of the housing, the bearing seat Also, with regard to the dust cover to be mounted on the side of the axial opening where the ball head of the ball stud cannot be inserted, the provision of the concave groove prevents the stepping stones etc. from hitting the dust cover, thereby preventing the dust cover from being deformed. And the durability is improved. Further, since the concave groove portion is formed in the housing without complicating the configuration of the housing, manufacturability is improved.

[0024]

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

1 to 3, reference numeral 1 denotes a ball joint. In the ball joint 1, a metal ball stud 2 is enclosed in a substantially cylindrical bearing seat 3 made of synthetic resin, and the ball stud 2 is enclosed. The bearing seat 3 is housed in a substantially cylindrical bottomed housing 4 made of metal, and a substantially cylindrical dust cover 5 made of a soft member is attached to a portion where the ball stud 2 extends from the housing 4. For example, it is used for a steering mechanism and a suspension mechanism of an automobile.

The ball stud 2 has a substantially spherical ball head 6 and one end in the axial direction of a substantially cylindrical shaft portion 7 provided continuously.
At the other axial end of the shaft 7, a disk-shaped flange 8 protruding in the radial direction of the shaft 7 and extending in the circumferential direction is coaxially connected to the shaft 7. . Further, in the flange portion 8, a male screw shape is threaded on the peripheral surface, and a substantially cylindrical male screw portion 9 which is a connecting means of a carrier or the like is provided via a substantially cylindrical concave portion 10 having a smaller diameter than the shaft portion 7. It is coaxially connected to the shaft 7. A portion formed by one plane of the flange 8 on the side connected to the shaft 7 and the outer circumferential surface of the flange 8 in the axial direction is cut into a circumferential surface along the circumferential direction. The cutting portion 11 is formed.

Next, the bearing sheet 3 is formed of a hard synthetic resin having good load-bearing elasticity and rigidity such as polyacetal resin having good bearing characteristics. The bearing seat 3 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and the ball stud 2 is inserted into an opening at one axial end of the substantially cylindrical shape.
The ball head 6 is placed on the inner peripheral surface near the opening in the sheet insertion opening 12 through which the ball stud 2 is inserted and the ball stud 2 is inserted, and in the opening at the other end opposite to the axial direction. A mounting opening 13 as a pool is opened, and a substantially spherical housing portion 14 for slidably housing the ball head 6 of the ball stud 2 is formed therein. The mounting opening of the bearing seat 3
On the peripheral surface near the opening of the thirteenth portion, a sheet thickness portion 15 is formed in which the thickness increases along the circumferential direction of the bearing sheet 3 in the radial direction of the bearing sheet 3.

The bearing seat 3 is formed with a flange-shaped protrusion 16 which is located on the outer peripheral surface on the opening side of the seat insertion opening 12 and protrudes outward along the circumferential direction. A tapered expanding portion 17 whose inner peripheral surface expands toward the sheet inserting opening 12 is formed in the enclosing portion 14 near the opening of the sheet inserting opening 12.

Further, the protrusion 16 of the bearing seat 3
The flat surface located on the opening side of the seat insertion opening 12 is formed as an inclined surface 18 that is tapered in the radial direction with respect to the center axis of the bearing seat 3. The flat surface located on the opening side of the mounting opening 13 is the bearing seat 3.
Is formed as a vertical surface 19 substantially perpendicular to the outer peripheral surface of. Then, a plane located on the outer peripheral side of the protrusion 16 is
It is formed as a parallel surface 20 substantially parallel to the outer peripheral surface of the bearing seat 3.

The housing 4 has a substantially cylindrical shape with a bottom. The bearing seat 3 is inserted into the substantially cylindrical shape with a bottom, and an insertion opening 21 through which the ball stud 2 is inserted is opened. Is formed therein. The bottom of the housing 4 is formed with a tapered bottom peripheral surface 23 which is connected to the circular flat bottom surface and expands toward the insertion opening 21. Also, this bottom peripheral surface 23,
In a portion where the inner peripheral surface of the inner chamber 22 of the housing 4 is continuously provided, a thick portion 24 having a thickness increased along the circumferential direction of the housing 4 and in the radial direction with respect to the center axis of the housing 4.
Are formed.

Further, a cylindrical caulking portion 25 protruding in the axial direction of the insertion opening 21 and extending in the circumferential direction of the outer periphery is formed on the outer peripheral edge of the opening end face of the insertion opening 21 of the housing 4. . The inner peripheral surface of the caulking portion 25 and the insertion opening
The projection 16 of the bearing seat 3 is
Step-shaped mounting groove on which the vertical surface 19 and the parallel surface 20 of the
26 are formed.

The dust cover 5 is attached to a portion where the ball stud 2 extends from the housing 4 to prevent water, dust and the like from entering the inside of the dust cover 5, and is attached to a soft member or the like. And is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape.
The dust cover 5 is located between the outer peripheral surface of the housing 4 and the inner peripheral edge of the seat insertion opening 12 of the bearing seat 3 at an opening at one end of the substantially cylindrical portion of the dust cover 5 in the axial direction. 4, which is in contact with the tip of the caulked portion 25 after the caulking and is fitted on the outer peripheral surface 27 from the inclined surface 18 of the projection 16 of the bearing sheet 3 to the outer peripheral edge of the sheet insertion opening 12 of the bearing sheet 3. 1 ring part
28 are formed. In the opening at the other end in the axial direction, the ball stud 2 on the side connected to the shaft 7 is provided.
A second ring portion 30 that is fitted in a fitting recess 29 formed by one plane of the flange portion 8 and the outer peripheral surface of the shaft portion 7 of the ball stud 2 is formed.

The first ring portion of the dust cover 5
28 is formed so as to be curved inward and the lower end side further curved outward. A curved portion 31 is formed between the first ring portion 28 and the second ring portion 30 of the dust cover 5 so as to bend so that the cross section protrudes outward.

Further, the first ring portion 28 of the dust cover 5 has an outer peripheral edge of an annular portion 32a made of metal and having a flat annular shape.
A ring-shaped locking member 32 having a substantially L-shaped cross section and having a cylindrical portion 32b protruding in the axial direction of the annular portion 32a along the circumferential direction is embedded. The locking fitting 32 is embedded in the first ring portion 28 of the dust cover 5 by insert molding when the dust cover 5 is vulcanized.

On the outer peripheral edge of the opening end of the second ring portion 30 of the dust cover 5, a ring-shaped projection 33 having a substantially triangular cross section is formed so as to protrude along the peripheral direction of the outer peripheral edge. . The projection 33 is engaged with the cutting portion 11 of the flange 8 when the second ring 30 of the dust cover 5 is fitted to the flange 8 of the ball stud 2. By attaching the dust cover 5, the ball stud 2 is moved to the housing 4.
The portion extending from the insertion opening 21 is covered with the dust cover 5.

Next, the assembling operation of the above-described embodiment will be described.

First, the ball head 6 of the ball stud 2 is inserted from the seat insertion opening 12 of the bearing sheet 3, and the ball head 6 is enclosed in the enclosing portion 14 of the bearing sheet 3. In this case, the ball stud 2 extends from the sheet insertion opening 12.

Then, the bearing seat 3 containing the ball head 6 is inserted into the insertion opening 21 of the housing 4 from the side where the mounting opening 13 is formed, and the inner chamber 22 of the housing 4 is inserted.
Housed in At this time, the outer peripheral surface near the mounting opening 13 and the sheet thick portion 15 of the bearing seat 3 is mounted on the bottom peripheral surface 23 of the housing 4 and the protrusion 16
The vertical plane 19 and the parallel plane 20 of the
It will be placed on 26.

Thereafter, the caulked portion 25 of the housing 4 is caulked inward, and the radial end of the protrusion 16 of the bearing sheet 3 is sandwiched.

Then, the dust cover 5 is connected to the first ring portion.
28 through the shaft 7 of the ball stud 2 from the opening side,
The first ring portion 28 is located between the outer peripheral surface 27 of the housing 4 and the inner edge of the seat insertion opening 12 of the bearing seat 3, and is brought into contact with the tip of the caulking portion 25 of the housing 4, so that the outer periphery of the bearing seat 3 The surface 27 and the inclined surface 18 of the projection 16 of the bearing seat are fitted.

Further, the second ring portion 30 of the dust cover 5
Is fitted into the fitting concave portion 29 of the ball stud 2, the projection 33 of the second ring portion 30 is locked to the cutting portion 11 of the ball stud 2, the dust cover 5 is attached, and the ball joint 1 is assembled.

Next, the operation of the above embodiment will be described.

First, when the shaft 7 of the ball stud 2 is swung with respect to the housing 4, the curved portion 31 of the dust cover 5 is moved.
Are deformed by this swing. The deformation of the dust cover 5 in the swinging direction is caused by the first ring portion 28 being fixed to the outer peripheral surface 27 of the bearing seat 3 in the swinging direction and the protrusion 16 of the bearing seat 3.
And the second ring portion 30 is pressed by the fitting concave portion 29 of the ball stud 2 in the swinging direction, so that the curved portion 31 is pressed.
Moves in the swinging direction of the shaft portion 7.

The deformation of the dust cover 5 on the opposite side to the sliding direction of the shaft portion 7 is caused by the first ring portion 28 and the outer peripheral surface 27 of the bearing sheet 3 on the opposite side to the swinging direction. The second ring portion 30 is engaged with the fitting recess 29 and the cutting portion 11 of the ball stud 2 on the opposite side to the swinging direction. Since the locking portion 31 is locked, the bending portion 31 moves in the axial center direction of the shaft portion 7. Therefore, the dust cover 5 is deformed corresponding to the swing direction of the shaft 7 of the ball stud 2.

When a load is applied to the ball stud 2 when the ball joint 1 is mounted on a carrier or the like and used, the load is applied from the ball head 6 to the entire bearing seat 3 in a circumferential shape. A seat thick portion 15 is formed in the bearing seat 3 in order to widen this load range, and a thick portion 24 is formed in the housing 4 to absorb the load.

As described above, in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the first ring portion 28 of the dust cover 5 is
The slanted surface 18 of the projection 16 of the bearing seat 3 and the bearing seat 3
The dust cover 5 is stably mounted on the housing 4 by being fitted to the outer peripheral surface 27 of the housing 4.
Can be easily fitted, the configuration of the bearing seat 3 is simplified, and the manufacturability can be improved.

Further, by forming a caulking portion 25 on the outer peripheral edge of the insertion opening 21 of the housing 4, the caulking portion 25 is formed.
However, the structure of the housing 4 is simplified because the projection 16 of the bearing sheet 3 is clamped and caulked and the bearing sheet 3 housed in the housing 4 is retained and retained.
Manufacturability can be improved.

Then, the first ring portion 28 of the dust cover 5
Are located between the outer peripheral surface of the housing 4 and the inner edge of the seat insertion opening 12 of the bearing seat 3, abut on the vicinity of the tip of the swaged portion 45 after the swaging, and have the outer peripheral surface 27 of the bearing seat 3 and Since the first ring portion 28 of the dust cover 5 does not easily protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the housing 4 because the first ring portion 28 is fitted on the inclined surface 18 of the projection 16 of the bearing sheet 3, deformation of the dust cover 5 due to a stepping stone or the like can be prevented.
The durability with respect to the attachment of the dust cover 5 can be improved.

When the dust cover 5 is mounted, the projection 33 of the second ring portion 30 of the dust cover 5 fits into the cutting portion 11 of the flange 8 of the ball stud 2, so that the second ring portion
Since the fitting of the dust cover 5 can be stabilized and the dust cover 5 can be prevented from being detached, the durability of the dust cover 5 can be improved.

Since the male thread 9 is formed at the tip of the shaft 7 of the ball stud 2, it is easy to form a female thread which can be screwed to the male thread 9 on another carrier or the like. Can be connected to the male screw portion 9.

Although the caulking portion 25 is formed in the housing 4, it is not necessary to form the peripheral surface of the housing 4 thick, so that the housing 4 can be downsized. Since the first ring portion 28 of the dust cover 5 abuts on the caulked portion 25 after the caulking molding, it is not necessary to provide a new abutting portion when the housing 4 is molded. Since it is not necessary to newly form a part to be brought into contact with the portion 28, manufacturability can be improved. Furthermore, since the housing 4 has a configuration having the caulked portion 25, the configuration is simplified, and the durability of the housing 4 can be improved.

The mounting opening 13 is formed on the bearing sheet 3.
Is formed, and the caulking portion 25 of the housing 4 is caulked and formed, and the protrusion 16 of the bearing seat 3 is sandwiched.
Holds the bearing seat 3 and the bearing seat 3 holds the envelope of the ball head 6 of the ball stud 2. Therefore, even if the swaging amount of the swaging portion 25 is slightly increased, the mounting opening 13 is kept in the bearing seat. Since the distortion of No. 3 is absorbed, the range of the caulking amount of the caulking portion 25 can be increased.

The protrusion 16 of the bearing seat 3 includes
The opening side surface of the sheet insertion opening 12 is formed with an inclined surface 18 that is tapered outwardly.
Since the plane located in the opening direction of the ring portion 28 is fitted substantially perpendicularly to the axial direction of the sheet insertion opening 12, the fitting of the first ring portion 28 of the dust cover 5 is stabilized, and the first Since the detachment of the ring portion 28 is prevented, the dust cover 5
The durability against mounting can be improved.

Further, at the opening of the seat insertion opening 12 of the bearing seat 3, a tapered expanding portion 17 expanding toward the opening of the seat insertion opening 12 is formed. Of the shaft portion 7 can be sufficiently secured.

Then, the first ring portion 28 of the dust cover 5
However, it contacts the tip of the caulked portion 25 after caulking and fits on the outer peripheral surface 27 of the bearing sheet 3 and the inclined surface 18 of the projection 16 of the bearing sheet 3, and the second ring portion 30 of the dust cover 5 Since the dust cover 5 is attached to the fitting recess 29 of the ball stud 2, the dust cover 5 is securely attached to the portion where the shaft 7 of the ball stud 2 extends from the insertion opening 21 of the housing 4. Since the dust cover 5 can be easily attached, durability and manufacturability can be improved.

The dust cover 5 is formed of a material having elasticity and rigidity, and a metal fitting 32 is embedded in the first ring portion 28 of the dust cover 5. Since the radial distortion of the ring portion 28 can be prevented, the first ring portion 28 can be prevented from being detached when fitted, and the durability with respect to the attachment of the dust cover 5 can be improved.

Since the flange 8 of the ball stud 2 is formed so that the second ring 30 of the dust cover 5 is fitted, the second ring 30 is formed on the shaft 7 of the ball stud 2. Any shape may be used as long as it is locked at a substantially intermediate portion.

The external thread 9 of the ball stud 2 is
Because it is formed to connect to other carriers etc.,
Since it is not always necessary to form a male screw shape, for example, a substantially cylindrical hole with a female screw shape threaded on the inner peripheral surface may be provided on the end surface of the shaft portion 7 of the ball stud 2. Therefore, the connection means of the ball stud 2 can be selected according to the carrier connected to the ball stud 2.

The mounting opening 13 of the bearing sheet 3
Is formed for an oil sump or the like, but is not necessarily provided as an opening. For example, the bearing sheet 3 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape having a bottom, and a groove or the like as an oil sump is formed near the bottom surface of the bearing sheet 3. Can also be formed.

Further, the protrusion 16 of the bearing seat 3 is
Although formed in a flange shape along the circumferential direction of the bearing sheet 3, the caulking portion 25 of the housing 4 is caulked and molded to hold the projection 16, and the caulked portion 25 after the caulking molding is Since the accommodation of the seat 3 is held, any shape that can hold the accommodation is sufficient. For example, a substantially truncated quadrangular pyramid-shaped protrusion protruding in the radial direction on the outer peripheral surface of the bearing seat 3 is formed.
Eight may be formed evenly along the circumferential direction of.

The projection 16 of the bearing seat 3
The flat surface located on the opening side of the sheet insertion opening 12 is formed as an inclined surface 18 which is inclined so as to be tapered, but the first ring portion 28 of the dust cover 5 is securely connected to the projection 16. The shape may be any shape as long as it can be fitted to the inclined surface 18 of FIG. For example, the inclined surface 18 of the projection 16 may be formed as a vertical surface perpendicular to the axial direction of the bearing seat 3.

The caulking portion 25 of the housing 4 is formed in a cylindrical shape along the circumferential direction on the outer peripheral edge of the sheet insertion opening 12 of the housing 4. When the caulking portion 25 is caulked and formed, a protrusion is formed. Any shape may be used as long as it can hold the bearing sheet 3 with respect to the housing 4 with the holding member 16 interposed therebetween. For example, eight substantially quadrangular prism-shaped protrusions protruding outward are formed uniformly along the circumferential direction, for example, eight. You may. The swaged portion 25 of the housing 4 is
It is necessary to accurately clamp the projections 16 in the caulking molding in accordance with the shape of.

The locking fitting 32 of the dust cover 5 prevents the first ring portion 28 from being distorted in the radial direction, and prevents the bearing sheet 3 and the housing 4 from being attached to and detached from the caulked portion 25. Although it is buried in the first ring portion 28, for example, after the dust cover 5 is formed, the locking metal member 32 may be press caulked and attached to the opening edge of the first ring portion 28 of the dust cover 5.

Next, another embodiment of the ball joint will be described with reference to FIG.

The embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is different from the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 in that the first ring portion 28 of the dust cover 5 is provided between the outer peripheral surface of the housing 4 and the bearing seat 3. The first ring portion 28 is located between the inner edge of the sheet insertion opening 12 and the end surface of the first ring portion 28 abuts against the end surface of the swaged portion 25 after swaging.
The inner peripheral surface near the distal end of the ring portion 28 is fitted over the entire surface from the inclined surface 18 of the projection 16 of the bearing seat 3 to the outer peripheral surface 27 of the bearing seat 3, and the first ring portion of the dust cover 5
28 is attached. Further, the first ring portion 28 of the dust cover 5 has a configuration in which the locking fitting 32 is not embedded.

As described above, according to the configuration shown in FIG. 4, the end surface of the first ring portion 28 of the dust cover 5 comes into contact with the end surface of the caulked portion 25 after caulking, and the first ring portion 28
The inner peripheral surface near the front end of the bearing seat 3
And the first ring portion 28 of the dust cover 5 is attached to the entire surface from the bearing sheet 3 to the inclined surface 18 of the protrusion 16 of the bearing sheet 3, so that the first ring portion 28 of the dust cover 5 is further attached. It is stable, and the durability with respect to the mounting of the dust cover 5 can be further improved. Further, the first ring portion 28 can be securely fitted even if the locking fitting 32 is not embedded in the first ring portion 28.

When the dust cover 5 is mounted at a position where the ball stud 2 extends from the insertion opening 21 of the housing 4, the first ring portion 28 of the dust cover 5 is attached to the outer peripheral surface 27 of the housing 4 and the bearing seat. 3 is located between the inner edge of the sheet insertion opening 12 and the housing 4.
Since the first ring portion 28 does not easily protrude from the outer peripheral surface of
The deformation of the dust cover 5 can be prevented, and the durability of the dust cover 5 can be improved.

Next, still another embodiment of the ball joint will be described with reference to FIG.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the ball stud 2 of the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 has a configuration in which one shaft portion 47 is continuously provided. Is a configuration using a pair of ball studs 2 connected to the ball head 6.

The ball stud 2 is formed with a substantially spherical ball head 6 and a pair of substantially cylindrical shaft portions 7 having one end continuously provided in a radially symmetric direction of the ball head 6. .
A first protrusion 34 is formed on an outer peripheral edge of an end portion of the shaft portion 7 located on the distal end side in the axial direction, and protrudes along the circumferential direction. A second projection 34a is formed at a substantially intermediate portion of the shaft 7 so as to project along the circumferential direction. Further, between the first projection 34 and the second projection 34a, a groove 34b in the form of a concave groove is formed along the circumferential direction.

The bearing seat 3 has a substantially cylindrical shape, a seat insertion opening 12 through which the ball stud 2 is inserted through an opening at one end in the axial direction of the substantially cylindrical shape, and an opposite end at the other end in the axial direction. The ball head 6 of the ball stud 2 in the opening
Is inserted, and a seat opening 35 through which the shaft portion 7 is inserted is opened,
A substantially spherical encasing part 14 for slidably enclosing the spherical head 6 therein.
Are formed. A projecting portion 16 is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the bearing seat 3 and protrudes outward in a flange shape along the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface. Further, the bearing sheet 3 is provided with a sheet thick portion 15 in which the thickness of the bearing sheet 3 between the enclosing portion 14 and the projection 16 is increased toward the axial center of the bearing sheet 3. .

The housing 4 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and the ball stud 2 is inserted into an opening of one end in the axial direction of the substantially cylindrical shape.
The ball head 2 of the ball stud 2 is inserted through the opening 21 through which the ball seat 2 is inserted and into which the ball stud 2 is inserted, and the ball stud 2 is inserted through the opening at the other end in the axial direction. An axial opening 36 for locking the enclosed bearing seat 3 in a direction along the axial direction of the ball stud 2 is opened, and an inner chamber 22 for accommodating the bearing seat 3 enclosing the ball head 6 is formed therein. I have. The housing 4 has an inner peripheral surface and an outer peripheral surface connected to the opening end surface of the axial through opening 36 flush with each other, so that the bearing seat 3 containing the ball head 6 of the ball stud 2 cannot be inserted. A thick wall portion 24 having a large thickness is formed toward the axial center of the housing 4.

The inner peripheral edge of the end face located in the opening direction of the axial opening 36 of the thick portion 24 of the housing 4 has a cylindrical shape extending in the opening direction of the axial opening 36 along the peripheral direction of the inner peripheral edge. A fitting cylinder portion 37 protruding in a shape is formed. A step groove-shaped fitting groove 38 is formed by the outer peripheral surface of the fitting cylinder 37 and the end face of the thick part 24 located in the opening direction of the axial opening 36. The housing 4 is located at the outer peripheral edge of the insertion opening 21 and extends along the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral edge.
A caulking portion 25 is formed to protrude in a cylindrical shape toward the opening direction.

Further, the dust cover 5 has a substantially cylindrical shape having elasticity and rigidity. The dust cover 5 has an opening at one end in the axial direction with respect to the cylindrical portion, and is provided in the vicinity of the opening 21 of the housing 4 or the opening of the axial opening 36. A second ring portion 30 is formed at the opening at the other end in the axial direction of the ball stud 2 at a substantially intermediate portion of the shaft portion 7 of the ball stud 2.

The first ring portion of the dust cover 5
28 is formed so as to be curved inward and the lower end side further curved outward. A curved portion 31 is formed between the first ring portion 28 and the second ring portion 30 of the dust cover 5 so as to bend so that the cross section protrudes outward.

The first ring portion 28 has a cylindrical portion 32b protruding along the circumferential direction toward the axial direction of the annular portion 32a on the outer peripheral edge of the annular portion 32a made of metal and having a flat annular shape. A ring-shaped locking metal fitting 32 having a substantially L-shaped cross section is buried. The locking fitting 32 is embedded in the first ring portion 28 of the dust cover 5 by insert molding when the dust cover 5 is vulcanized.

Further, the opening of the second ring portion 30 of the dust cover 5 is opened to have the same diameter as the groove 34b of the ball stud 2, and the opening end of the second ring portion 30 is The ball stud 2 is formed in a shape that can be fitted into the groove 34b. On the inner peripheral edge of the opening end of the second ring portion 30, two concave grooves 34c having a substantially semicircular cross section are formed, for example, in parallel along the circumferential direction of the inner peripheral edge.

Next, the assembling operation of the above embodiment will be described.

First, one shaft portion 7 of the ball stud 2 is inserted from the seat opening 35 of the bearing seat 3, and is inserted into the seat insertion opening 12 of the bearing seat 3 from the inside as it is, and the ball head 6 of the ball stud 2 is inserted. In the housing portion 14 of the bearing sheet 3. Then, the shaft portion 7 extending from the seat opening 35 is inserted through the insertion opening 21 of the housing 4, and is inserted into the shaft opening 36 of the housing 4 from the inside as it is, and the spherical head 6 is inserted into the inner chamber 22 of the housing 4. Is accommodated. Then, the swaged portion 25 of the housing 4 is swaged inward to form the bearing seat 3.
Of the protruding part 16 is clamped.

Further, the first ring portion 28 of the dust cover 5
Is located between the outer peripheral surface of the housing 4 and the inner edge of the seat insertion opening 12 of the bearing seat 3, and abuts the tip of the caulking portion 25 after caulking with the vicinity of the tip of the first ring portion 28. The inner peripheral surface of the distal end of the first ring portion 28 is fitted to the outer peripheral surface 27 of the bearing seat 3, and the first ring portion 28 is mounted. The groove 34 of the ball stud 2
b, the tip of the second ring portion 30 of the dust cover 5 is fitted, and the dust cover 5 is attached to the portion where the ball stud 2 extends from the insertion opening 21 of the housing 4.

Then, the first ring portion 28 of the other dust cover 5 is fitted into the fitting groove 38 of the housing 4, and the second ring portion of the dust cover 5 is fitted into the groove 34 b of the ball stud 2.
The ball joint 1 is assembled by attaching the dust cover 5 to the portion where the ball stud 2 extends from the shaft opening 36 of the housing 4.

As described above, according to the structure shown in FIG. 5, the dust cover 5 attached to the opening side of the axial opening 36 of the housing 4 also has the fitting groove 38
By forming the above, the dust cover 5 can be easily mounted, so that the manufacturability can be improved.

Further, the first ring portion 28 of the dust cover 5 fitted on the opening side of the shaft through opening 36 of the housing 4 is configured such that the outer peripheral surface of the housing 4 and the fitting cylinder portion 37 of the housing 4 at the time of fitting.
This first ring portion is located between the first ring portion and the outer peripheral surface of the first ring portion.
28 is hard to protrude outward from the outer peripheral surface of the housing 4 when the dust cover 5 is mounted, so that the deformation of the dust cover 5 can be prevented, and thus the durability to the mounting of the dust cover 5 can be improved.

The inclined surface 18 of the projection 16 of the bearing seat 3 is formed as a surface substantially perpendicular to the axial direction of the bearing seat 3 as shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the bearing sheet 3 may be formed as an inclined surface that is tapered and inclined in a radial direction with respect to the central axis.

Next, still another embodiment of the ball joint will be described with reference to FIG.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, the end surface of the first ring portion 28 of the dust cover 5 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 is directly in contact with the end surface of the caulked portion 25 after caulking. A recess 40 for engaging the first ring 28 of the dust cover 5 is formed on the opening side of the axial opening 36 of the housing 4.

The housing 4 is formed with a concave groove portion 40 which is located on the end surface of the thick portion 24 in the opening direction of the axial opening 36 and extends along the circumferential direction of the end surface. In addition, since the first ring portion 28 of the dust cover 5 engages with the concave groove portion 40, the inner cylindrical portion 41 located on the inner peripheral side of the concave groove portion 40 is located on the outer peripheral side of the concave groove portion 40. It is formed higher than the cylindrical portion 42. Further, the surface of the concave groove portion 40 from the root portion of the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylindrical portion 42 to the distal end portion of the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylindrical portion 41 is formed in a concave arc shape.

Next, the assembling operation of the above-described embodiment will be described.

The first ring portion 28 of the dust cover 5 is located between the outer peripheral surface of the housing 4 and the inner edge of the seat insertion opening 12 of the bearing seat 3, and the end surface of the first ring portion 28 is caulked 25 And engages the first ring portion 28 by fitting over the entire surface from the inclined surface 18 to the outer peripheral surface 27 of the projection 16 of the bearing seat 3 to engage the first ring portion 28. The second ring portion 30 of the dust cover 5 is fitted into the groove 34b of the one shaft portion 7, and the dust cover 5 is mounted on the opening side of the insertion opening 21 of the housing 4.

Further, the first ring portion 28 of the other dust cover 5 is engaged with the concave groove portion 40 of the housing 4, and the second ring portion 30 is fitted into the groove portion 34b of the other adjacent shaft portion 7, The ball joint 1 is assembled by mounting the dust cover 5 on the opening side of the shaft opening 36 of the housing 4.

As described above, according to the structure shown in FIG. 6, the bearing sheet 3 cannot be inserted, and the thick portion 24 which is thick inward and the concave groove portion 40 is formed on the end face of the thick portion 24. 4, the first ring portion 28 of the dust cover 5 is engaged with the concave groove portion 40, and the first ring portion 28 is located between the thick portions 24 in the radial direction of the housing 4 at the time of this engagement. Also, with respect to the dust cover 5 mounted on the side where the bearing sheet 3 cannot be inserted, the first ring portion 28 and the like of the dust cover 5 are unlikely to protrude outward from the outer peripheral surface of the main body, and the stepping stones and the like hit the dust cover 5. Can be prevented,
The deformation of the dust cover 5 can be prevented, and the durability of the dust cover 5 can be improved.

Further, the housing 4 is provided with the thick portion 24 and the concave groove portion 40 on the opening side of the axial opening 36 of the housing 4.
Is formed, the configuration of the housing 4 can be simplified, and the manufacturability can be improved.

If the groove 40 is formed on the opening side of the axial opening 36 of the housing 4 through which the ball seat 6 of the bearing seat 3 and the ball stud 2 cannot be inserted, the axial direction of the axial opening 36 Irrespective of the configuration on the opposite side, the engagement of the first ring portion 28 of the dust cover 5 can be facilitated.

Then, the first ring portion 28 of the dust cover 5
Of the first ring portion 28 extends from the outer peripheral surface 27 of the bearing sheet 3 to the inclined surface 18 of the projection 16 of the bearing sheet 3. Since the first ring portion 28 of the dust cover 5 is fitted in contact with almost the entire surface, the fitting of the first ring portion 28 of the dust cover 5 can be stably held, and the durability against this fitting is improved. it can.

Although the dust cover 5 is formed of a material having elasticity and rigidity, a metal fitting 32 or the like is embedded in the first ring portion 28 to prevent distortion in the radial direction. However, if the distal end of the first ring portion 28 is engaged with the concave groove portion 40, the radial distortion of the first ring portion 28 can be prevented, so that the productivity of the ball joint 1 can be improved.

[0096]

According to the ball joint according to the first aspect, the first ring portion of the dust cover is located between the outer peripheral surface of the housing and the inner edge of the seat insertion opening of the bearing seat, and after swaging. Since the first ring portion is hard to protrude outward from the outer peripheral surface of the housing because the first ring portion is in contact with the distal end of the swaged portion of the housing and is fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the bearing sheet, the stepping stone or the like hits the dust cover. , The deformation of the dust cover can be prevented, and the durability can be improved. In addition, when the protrusion of the bearing seat is swaged and fixed by the swaged portion of the housing, the housing of the ball head of the ball stud and the accommodation of the bearing seat are stably maintained, so that the configuration of the bearing seat and the housing can be simplified, and the manufacturing can be simplified. Performance can be improved.

According to the ball joint according to the second aspect, the first ring portion of the dust cover fitted to the axial opening side of the housing is formed on the end surface of the thick portion formed at the opening end surface of the axial opening. While engaging with the formed groove,
Since the first ring portion is located between the thick portions,
Since it is difficult to project outward from the outer peripheral surface of the housing, stepping stones and the like can be prevented from hitting the dust cover, so that deformation of the dust cover can be prevented and durability can be improved. Also, without complicating the structure of the housing,
Since the concave groove portion is formed on the axial opening side of the housing, the productivity can be improved.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when the dust cover is mounted on the axial opening side of the housing, the first ring portion of the dust cover is connected to the opening end face of the axial opening. Since it is located between the thick portions and engages with the concave groove formed on the end surface of the thick portion, it does not easily protrude from the outer peripheral surface of the housing. By providing the portion and the concave groove portion, it is possible to prevent a stepping stone or the like from hitting the dust cover, so that deformation of the dust cover can be prevented and durability can be improved. Also, without complicating the configuration,
Since the recess is formed in the housing, manufacturability can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of a ball joint according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing a ball stud, a bearing seat, and a dust cover according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the housing before swaging.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing a ball joint according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing a ball joint according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a ball joint according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Ball Joint 2 Ball Stud 3 Bearing Seat 4 Housing 5 Dust Cover 6 Ball Head 7 Shaft 12 Seat Insertion Opening 14 Enclosure 16 Protrusion 21 Insertion Opening 22 Inner Room 24 Thick Part 25 Caulked Part 27 Outer Surface 28 First Ring part 30 Second ring part 35 Seat opening 36 Shaft through opening 40 Groove

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A ball stud having a ball head and a shaft connected to the ball head, and a sheet insertion opening through which the ball stud is inserted is opened so that the ball head of the ball stud is slidable. A bearing seat having an elasticity and rigidity, comprising a receiving portion for containing, and a projecting portion located on the outer peripheral surface and protruding outward; an inner chamber for receiving the bearing seat, wherein an insertion opening for inserting the ball stud is opened; A housing provided at an opening edge of the insertion opening and formed by caulking inward and locking a protrusion of the bearing sheet; a housing provided at one end and an outer peripheral surface of the housing and a seat of the bearing sheet; A first member that is located between the inner edge of the insertion opening and abuts against the tip of the caulked portion of the housing and fits on the outer peripheral surface of the bearing seat; A ball joint comprising: a ring portion; a second ring portion provided at the other end and fitted to a shaft portion of the ball stud; and a substantially cylindrical dust cover having elasticity and rigidity. 2. A ball stud having a ball head and a shaft connected to the ball head, and a seat opening through which the ball stud is inserted is opened to slidably enclose the ball head of the ball stud. A bearing seat having elasticity and rigidity, and an axis for inserting the ball stud and locking the bearing seat enclosing the ball head of the ball stud in a direction along the axial direction of the ball stud. A through-opening is formed in the inner chamber for accommodating the bearing seat, and the bearing seat connected to the opening end face of the axial through-opening and enclosing the ball head of the ball stud is not penetrable and has an inward thickness. A housing having a cylindrical thick portion, and a concave groove formed on the opening end surface of the axial opening of the thick portion along the circumferential direction of the opening end surface; A first ring portion located between the thick portions of the housing and engaging with the concave groove portion of the housing; and a second ring portion provided at the other end and fitted to a shaft portion of the ball stud. And a substantially cylindrical dust cover having elasticity and rigidity. 3. A ball stud having a ball head and a pair of shafts connected in a direction symmetrical with respect to a radial direction of the ball head, a sheet insertion opening for inserting the ball stud, and a sheet insertion opening. A seat opening is provided in the symmetrical direction of the axial direction of the ball stud to penetrate the ball head and the shaft portion, and has a housing portion slidably housing the ball head of the ball stud, and has elasticity and rigidity. A bearing seat, an insertion opening through which the ball stud is inserted and a bearing seat is inserted, and a shaft portion of the ball stud inserted in a direction symmetrical with respect to an axial direction of the insertion opening to enclose the ball head of the ball stud. An inner opening for receiving the bearing seat is provided with an axial opening for locking the bearing seat in a direction along the axial direction of the ball stud. The bearing seat, which is provided continuously with the opening end face of the ball stud and encloses the ball head of the ball stud, cannot be inserted, and has a thick cylindrical portion that is thicker inward, and the axial opening of the thick portion. A housing provided with a concave groove formed along the circumferential direction of the open end surface and located between the thick portions of the housing and engaged with the concave groove of the housing. A ball ring comprising: a first ring portion which is provided at the other end; and a second ring portion which is provided at the other end and which is fitted to the shaft portion of the ball stud, and has a substantially cylindrical dust cover having elasticity and rigidity. Joint.