JP2003166523A - Connecting rod with ball joint capable of adjusting center distance - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a connecting rod with a ball joint capable of easily adjusting a distance of oscillating centers of a pair of ball joints prepared at both ends of a connecting portion, slanting an axis of one ball joint to an axis of other ball joint at an optional angle, and producing at a low cost. <P>SOLUTION: A connecting portion 1 connecting first and second ball joints 2 and 3 is comprised of first and second connecting arms 5 and 6 integrally formed together with holders 20 and 30 of the first and second ball joints 2 and 3, and a fixing means 7 making the connecting arms 5 and 6 combined each other. The first connecting arm 5 is formed cylindrically in a section perpendicular to a longitudinal direction, and a positioning tooth 4 is formed on the periphery of the connecting arm 5. The second connecting arm 6 is formed arcuately which surrounds the periphery of the first connecting arm 5, and a positioning tooth 4 is also formed on an inner peripheral surface. These positioning teeth 4 are constituted to be engaged each other. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a connecting rod provided with a pair of ball joints at both ends of a rod-shaped connecting portion, and in particular, the distance between the swing centers of these ball joints can be freely adjusted by the connecting portion. The present invention relates to improvements in connecting rods that can be made.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A link rod having a pair of ball joints at both ends of a rod-shaped connecting portion is used for a link control portion of a transmission control portion of an automobile, a link mechanism portion of a height control sensor, a link mechanism portion of various automatic machines, and the like. There are many examples that make up the mechanism,
In order to make these link motion mechanisms operate smoothly and accurately, it is necessary to adjust the length of the connecting rod, that is, the distance between the swing centers of the pair of ball joints (hereinafter referred to as "center-to-center adjustment"). May be

Conventionally, as the connecting rod which can be adjusted between the centers, one disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-159818 is known. In these connecting rods, a pair of ball joints are provided with female threads for connection in mutually reverse threaded shapes, and male threaded portions to be screwed into the female threaded portions are formed at both ends of a rod-shaped connecting portion that connects these ball joints. By rotating the connecting portion, the screwing amount of the male screw portion and the female screw portion is adjusted, and thereby the center distance between the pair of ball joints is adjusted. In addition, lock nuts are respectively screwed into the male screw portions of the connecting portion, and the lock nuts are screwed after the adjustment so that the connecting portion does not rotate freely and the adjusted center distance is not impaired. It is fastened to prevent relative rotation between the connecting portion and each ball joint.

[0004]

However, in such a conventional connecting rod, when performing the center-to-center adjustment, the pair of lock nuts are loosened and then the connecting portion is rotated to adjust the screwing amount of the female screw portion and the male screw portion. However, there is a problem that it is necessary to re-fasten the pair of lock nuts after the adjustment is completed, which requires time and labor for the center-to-center adjustment work.

In addition, it is necessary to tap the female screw portion and the male screw portion at each ball joint and the connecting portion, and the processing labor is correspondingly increased. In addition, a pair of lock nuts are also required, so that the parts are required. There was a problem that the number of points increased and the production cost increased.

On the other hand, as a means for solving such a problem, a connecting rod disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-170742 is known. In this connecting rod, flat plate-shaped connecting arms project from a pair of ball joints to be connected, and a plurality of positioning teeth are arranged in the connecting arms along the longitudinal direction. In addition, a long hole through which a bolt is inserted is formed in the connecting arm along the longitudinal direction. With the bolt inserted, one connecting arm can freely slide along the longitudinal direction of the other connecting arm. Is able to. Therefore, the positioning teeth can be meshed with each other at arbitrary positions, and the nuts can be fastened to the bolts to bring the connecting arms into close contact with each other, whereby the distance between the pair of ball joints can be freely adjusted. ing.

With this ball joint, the center of the pair of ball joints can be adjusted simply by loosening the bolts / nuts, changing the meshing position of the positioning teeth, and tightening the bolts / nuts again. The work itself can be performed relatively easily. However, since each connecting arm is formed in a flat plate shape, the direction of the axis of the ball joint is limited to two directions different by 180 °, and the axis of the ball joint can be aligned in any direction. There was an inconvenience that it could not be done.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to easily adjust the distance between the swing centers of a pair of ball joints provided at both ends of a connecting portion. A connecting rod with a ball joint that can be manufactured at a low cost while being capable of tilting the axis of one ball joint at an arbitrary angle with respect to the axis of the other ball joint. To provide.

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, a connecting rod with a ball joint according to the present invention comprises a first shank with a ball and a first and a second holder comprising a holder swingably connected to the shank with a ball. In a connecting rod comprising a ball joint and holders for these first and second ball joints, and a connecting portion capable of adjusting the distance between the shaft centers of a pair of ball-equipped shanks, the connecting portion comprises: , First and second connecting arms, which are integrally formed with the holders of the first and second ball joints, respectively, and in which a plurality of positioning teeth that mesh with each other are arranged in the longitudinal direction, and the first and second connecting arms. Fixing means for engaging the first and second connecting arms with the positioning teeth of the connecting arms of the first connecting arm engaged with each other. The positioning teeth are formed around together with the cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction is formed in a cylindrical shape,
The second connecting arm is formed in an arc shape surrounding the periphery of the first connecting arm, and the positioning teeth are formed on the inner peripheral surface thereof.

According to such a technical means, the positioning teeth formed on the first and second connecting arms are engaged with each other at arbitrary positions, and then the connecting arms are engaged with each other by the fixing means. The length of the connecting portion, that is, the center distance between the first ball joint and the second ball joint can be easily adjusted. Since the first connecting arm has a columnar cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and the second connecting arm has an arcuate shape surrounding the periphery of the first connecting arm, the first connecting arm has a first section when performing center-to-center adjustment. The second connecting arm can be fixed to the second connecting arm by rotating the second connecting arm around any connecting arm, and the second ball joint can be tilted at an arbitrary angle with respect to the first ball joint. It is also possible to let. Therefore, in the connecting rod of the present invention, the distance between the shaft centers of the pair of ball joints and the angle of these shaft centers can be easily adjusted, and the link motion mechanism can be assembled more easily. .

In the present invention as described above, as the fixing means, if the positioning teeth are capable of engaging the first and second connecting arms with each other in meshing with each other, the specific structure thereof is appropriately changed. However, from the viewpoint that the fixing work can be easily performed with one hand, the first and second
It is preferable to use a fixing clip that is elastically fitted to the outer side of the connecting arms and presses the positioning teeth of these connecting arms against each other.

[0012]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION A connecting rod with a ball joint according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
1 and 2 are a front view and a side view showing a first embodiment of a connecting rod to which the present invention is applied. This connecting rod C1
Is provided with first and second ball joints 2 and 3 at both ends of the rod-shaped connecting portion 1, and the center of the first and second ball joints 2 and 3 is adjusted by adjusting the length of the connecting portion 1. It is possible to freely adjust the distance d.

The connecting portion 1 meshes the first and second connecting arms 5 and 6 having rack-shaped positioning teeth 4 arranged on the surfaces thereof with the positioning teeth 4 of the connecting arms 5 and 6 with each other. And a fixing clip 7 as a fixing means for engaging the first and second connecting arms 5 and 6 with each other in a combined state. Each connecting arm 5 and 6 has a first ball joint and a second ball joint, respectively. The holders 20 and 30 are formed integrally with each other.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the first ball joint 2 includes a holder 20 in which the ball receiving portion 21 and the first connecting arm 5 are integrally formed, and the holder 2
The shank 22 with balls engaged with the ball receiving portion 20 of No. 0. The shank 22 with balls is provided with a ball portion 24 having a high sphericity at the tip of a shank portion 23, and a male screw 25 for connection is provided on the shank portion 23 so that the ball portion 24 is inside the ball receiving portion 21 of the holder 20. It is wrapped so that it can rotate and swing while maintaining the minimum required clearance. In addition, shank with ball 2
A hexagonal tool engaging portion 26 is formed on the shank 2, and when the connecting male screw 25 formed on the shank portion 23 is coupled to another movable portion (not shown), the shank with ball 2
A spanner for rotating 2 can be engaged.

A connecting opening 27 is formed in the ball receiving portion 21 of the holder 20, and the shank portion 23 of the ball-equipped shank 22 projects from the connecting opening 27. Further, on the side opposite to the connecting opening 27 of the ball receiving portion 21, a lubricating opening 28 exposing the ball portion 24 of the shank 22 with balls is formed, and the lubricating opening 28 is made of synthetic resin. A cap member 29 made of metal is put on and a lubricant pocket for containing a lubricant such as grease is formed. The cap member 29 is attached to the ball receiving portion 21 so as to slightly press the ball portion 24 of the ball-equipped shank 22. For example, when an axial external force suddenly acts on the ball-equipped shank 22, The ball portion 24 and the ball receiving portion 21 collide against each other to reduce the generation of metallic noise. The cap member 29 may be made of metal.

Furthermore, a seal member 9 is attached between the outer peripheral edge of the ball receiving portion 21 and the shank 22 with balls, and the ball portion 24 and the ball receiving portion 2 are attached.
In addition to forming a lubricant pocket for accommodating a lubricant such as grease to be supplied to a gap between the connection opening 1 and the opening 2,
From 7, dust and dirt are prevented from entering the gap.

On the other hand, the first connecting arm 5 integrally formed with the ball receiving portion 21 extends in a direction orthogonal to the axis of the shank 22 with balls, and has a columnar cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction. Has been formed. A large number of positioning teeth 4 are arranged on the outer peripheral surface of the first connecting arm 5 along the longitudinal direction of the connecting arm 5 at a predetermined pitch.

As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the second ball joint 3 is also constituted by a holder 30 and a shank 32 with balls, like the first ball joint 2, and the holder 30 and the shank 32 with balls 32. The structure of is almost the same as that of the first ball joint described above. On the other hand, the ball receiving portion 31 of the holder 30
The second connecting arm 6 integrally formed with the second connecting arm 6 extends in a direction orthogonal to the axis of the shank 32 with balls, and has a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction formed in an arc shape surrounding the first connecting arm 5. ing. On the inner peripheral surface of the second connecting arm 6, a large number of positioning teeth 4 are arranged at a predetermined pitch along the longitudinal direction of the connecting arm 6.

The first ball joint 2 can be manufactured, for example, by using the manufacturing method disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 5-7786. First, a steel ball for bearing which becomes the ball portion 24 is fixed as a core in a casting mold, and a zinc- or aluminum-based alloy (for example, JIS zinc alloy die casting type 1 or type 2, aluminum The holder 20 is die-cast by casting a molten metal of alloy die-casting type 3, type 10 or type 12). As a result, the ball receiving portion 21 that encloses the bearing molten steel balls can be formed, and the connecting arm 5 having the positioning teeth 4 can be formed integrally with the ball receiving portion 21.

Next, the shank portion 23 is welded to the bearing steel ball enclosed in the holder 20 through the connecting opening 27 formed in the holder 20 to form the shank 22 with balls. Projection welding is used for such welding, and the welding is performed by passing an electric current between the shank portion 23 and the bearing steel ball in a state where they are butted against each other. If the shank 22 with balls is formed in this way,
An external force is applied to the shank 22 with ball or the holder 20 to form a minute gap between the ball portion 24 of the shank 22 with ball and the ball receiving portion 21 of the holder 20 which are in close contact with each other during die casting. This allows the shank 22 with balls to freely rotate or swing with respect to the holder 20.

The second ball joint 3 can also be manufactured in exactly the same manner as the first ball joint 2.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, the fixing clip 7 is formed by bending a spring plate material, and extends in the longitudinal direction with respect to the outside of the first and second connecting arms 5 and 6 which are combined with each other. By forcibly pushing in from the vertical direction (the direction parallel to the paper surface of FIG. 3), these are fitted to the outside of the connecting arms 5 and 6, and the urging force of the positioning teeth 4 of the first connecting arm 5 The two connecting arms 6 and the positioning teeth 4 are kept in mesh with each other.

In the present embodiment constructed as described above, the first connecting arm 5 having a cylindrical cross section is fitted in the concave groove of the second connecting arm 6 having an arcuate cross section. Let me
The positioning teeth 4 and 4 formed on the respective connecting arms 5 and 6 are meshed with each other, and in that state, the fixing clip 7 is fitted to the first and second connecting arms 5 and 6, whereby the connecting portion 1
A connecting rod C1 having a pair of ball joints 2 and 3 at both ends is completed.

When it is necessary to adjust the distance between the shaft centers of the shanks 22 and 32 with balls of the ball joints 2 and 3, that is, the distance d between the centers, the fixing clip 7 is temporarily connected to the connecting arm 5. , 6 to remove the interlocking position of the positioning teeth 4 of the first and second connecting arms 5 and 6 and then refit the fixing clip 7 to easily adjust the inter-center distance d. You can
At this time, since the positioning teeth 4 are formed at a predetermined pitch, the adjustment amount of the inter-center distance d can be easily grasped by counting the number of the positioning teeth 4.

The positioning teeth 4 are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the first connecting arm 5 having a cylindrical cross section, and the positioning teeth 4 formed on the second connecting arm 6 having an arcuate cross section have a first shape. 1
Can be engaged at any position on the outer peripheral surface of the connecting arm 5. Therefore, in this stove C1,
The angle θ (shown in FIG. 2) formed by the axis of the first ball joint 2 and the axis of the second ball joint 3 is freely changed, and the first connecting arm 5 and the first connecting arm 5 are connected to each other at an arbitrary angle θ. The two connecting arms 6 can be fixed to each other.

The holders 20 and 30 of the first and second ball joints 2 and 3 can be formed by die casting, and the ball receiving portion and the connecting arms 5 and 6 are integrally formed during such casting. Since the molding can be performed and the positioning teeth 4 can be cast together, the first and second ball joints 2 and 3 themselves can be manufactured very easily and at low cost.

[0027]

As described above, according to the connecting rod with a ball joint capable of adjusting the center of the present invention, the engagement state between the first connecting arm and the second connecting arm by the fixing means is loosened. Then, as long as the meshing position between the positioning tooth of the first connecting arm and that of the second connecting arm is displaced, the length of the connecting portion composed of these first and second connecting arms, that is, the first connecting arm The center distance between the ball joint and the second ball joint can be easily adjusted, and if the positioning teeth arranged on each connecting arm are arranged at a predetermined pitch, by counting the number of teeth, It is possible to easily adjust the inter-center distance by a desired distance.

Further, the first connecting arm is formed in a columnar shape in a cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and the second connecting arm is formed in an arc shape surrounding the periphery of the first connecting arm. In addition, since the second connecting arm can be rotated and fixed to an arbitrary position around the first connecting arm, the axis of one ball joint can be adjusted with respect to the axis of the other ball joint. It is possible to incline at an angle, and accordingly, adjustment at the time of assembling the link motion mechanism can be easily performed.

Further, according to the connecting rod of the present invention, it is easy to integrally mold the holder constituting the ball joint and the connecting arm by die casting, etc., and it is easy to form the positioning teeth during such casting, so it is extremely inexpensive. It will be possible to produce this.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of a connecting rod to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a right side view of the connecting rod shown in FIG.

3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing a first ball joint.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a first ball joint.

FIG. 6 is an enlarged sectional view showing details of the structure of the first ball joint.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing a second ball joint.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a second ball joint.

9 is a sectional view taken along line IX-IX in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Connection part, 2 ... 1st ball joint, 3 ... 2nd ball joint, 4 ... Positioning tooth, 5 ... 1st connection arm, 6 ... 2nd connection arm, 7 ... Fixing clip (fixing means) , 20 ... Holder, 22 ... Ball shank

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A first and second ball joint comprising a shank with a ball and a holder swingably connected to the shank with a ball, and the holders of the first and second ball joints are connected together, In a connecting rod comprising a connecting portion capable of adjusting the distance between the shaft centers of a pair of ball-shaped shanks, the connecting portion is integrally formed with the holders of the first and second ball joints, respectively, and First and second connecting arms in which a plurality of interlocking positioning teeth are arranged in the longitudinal direction, and first and second connecting arms in which the positioning teeth of the first and second connecting arms are in mesh with each other. The first connecting arm has a columnar cross section perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and the positioning teeth are formed around the first connecting arm. The second
Connecting rod having a ball joint, wherein the connecting arm is formed in an arc shape surrounding the periphery of the first connecting arm, and the positioning teeth are formed on the inner peripheral surface thereof. 2. The center-to-center adjustment, wherein the fixing means is a fixing clip that is elastically fitted to the outer sides of the first and second connecting arms and presses the positioning teeth of these connecting arms against each other. A connecting rod with a ball joint according to claim 1, which is capable of