JPH08105434A - Universal joint - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To simplify a structure and to suppress elastic deformation in a bush so as to reduce play by fitting an elastic bush inside a mounting hole formed in one member and inserting the other member into the bush. CONSTITUTION: In a Z-shapedly bent link 10, tip parts 11 on both sides are inserted freely rotationally into a mounting hole 4 at the tip of stabilizer arm 13 and into a mounting hole 13 in a bracket 9 via bushes 12 consisting of elastic bodies made of synthetic rubber or the like. In this constitution, when a tire is moved upward/downward against a vehicle body, oscillation of a lower arm 6 setting a fulcrum as the center is carried out and is accompanied by oscillation of the stabilizer arm 3 part. In this process, the bushes 12 are hardly deformed elastically in the case of comparatively great relative oscillation setting the axial line (x) and the axial line (y) of the bushes 12 as the centers, but only in the case of comparatively small relative oscillation in a plane containing the axial line (x) and the axial line (y), the bushes 12 are elastically deformed, and as a result, play can be reduced.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention is directed to a pair of rockers which are relatively free to swing about one axis and which also produce a small angle of relative swing about another axis which is orthogonal to that axis. The present invention relates to a universal joint for connecting members.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, a link is provided when connecting both ends of a stabilizer of an automobile to a member on the vehicle body side such as a lower arm. The link is oscillated around the fulcrum of the stabilizer. And the swing of the member on the vehicle body side. A ball joint is most suitable and widely used as a joint capable of freely swinging in such multiple directions, but it has a drawback of high manufacturing cost.

Therefore, a universal joint using an elastic body such as rubber is also used, and a representative example thereof is shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

FIG. 5 shows a structure in which a link a and a stabilizer c are connected via a rubber bush b, which has the advantages of a simple structure and a low manufacturing cost, but the central axis of the rubber bush b having the largest swing angle. There is a drawback that the rubber bush b undergoes a large elastic deformation in relative swinging around an axis orthogonal to the above and a large amount of play occurs, and the anti-roll performance of the stabilizer c is poor.

In FIG. 6, a bracket g is fixed to the link e,
The rubber bush f fitted to the stabilizer d is connected through a bolt h, and there is an advantage that the rubber bush f is hardly elastically deformed when swinging around the center line of the bolt h having the largest swing angle and the play is small. However, it has a drawback that the structure is complicated, there are many machining points, and the manufacturing cost is high.

[0006]

The problem to be solved by the present invention is that the conventional universal joint using an elastic body has a large amount of play or a high manufacturing cost.

[0007]

As a means for solving the above-mentioned problems, the present invention forms a mounting hole in one member,
A bush that is made of an elastic material is fitted in the mounting hole, and swings mainly around the axis of the mounting hole relative to one member, and also swings relatively around an axis orthogonal to the axis. The other member made of a rod is bent near the tip end thereof and the tip end of the member is fitted into the bush.

[0008]

The present invention has the above-mentioned structure, and since the bush is fitted in the mounting hole formed in one member and the other member is fitted in the bush, a bracket or a bolt is not required. The structure is simple, the number of machined parts is small, and it can be manufactured at a low cost close to the type of FIG. 5, and the other member swings mainly around the axis of the mounting hole of the one member. Therefore, the elastic deformation of the bush is small, and the play is as small as the type shown in FIG.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a connecting portion between a stabilizer and a lower arm of an automobile will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3.

In the figure, reference numeral 1 denotes a substantially U-shaped stabilizer rotatably supported by a support 5 on a vehicle body (not shown), in which a flat portion 3 is formed at the tip of each arm portion 2 on both sides, and an arm is provided at the center thereof. An axis x orthogonal to the swinging surface of the part 2
A mounting hole 4 having is formed.

Reference numeral 6 denotes a lower arm that supports a tire 8 swingably in the vertical direction about a fulcrum 7, and a bracket 9 is provided on an upper surface near the tire 8 so that an axis y of its mounting hole 13 is parallel to the axis x. It has been fixed.

Reference numeral 10 denotes a link bent in a Z-shape so that the tip portions 11 on both sides are parallel to each other. The tip portions 11 on both sides are cut to have a slightly smaller diameter to form a step portion 17, and the step portion is formed. While the washer 19 is applied to 17,
A nut 15 is inserted into a mounting hole 4 at the tip of the stabilizer 1 and a mounting hole 13 of a bracket 9 via a bush 12 made of an elastic material such as synthetic rubber so as to freely rotate, and a nut 15 is attached to a small diameter male screw 14 formed at both ends of the washer 16 It is attached to the stabilizer 1 and the bracket 9 by being screwed through.

This embodiment has the above-mentioned structure. When the tire 8 moves up and down with respect to the vehicle body, the lower arm 6 swings about the fulcrum 7, and along with this, the arm portion 2 of the stabilizer 1 moves the support 5 to the support 5. It swings around the center.

Then, the link 10 swings relatively large relative to the stabilizer 1 and the lower arm 6 about the axis x and the axis y, and at the same time, the axis x and the axis y.
Is relatively small and relatively oscillates in a plane including, but the bush 12 hardly elastically deforms in a relatively large relative oscillating about the axis x and the axis y, and the axes x and Since the bush 12 is elastically deformed only by a relatively small relative swing in the plane including the axis y, there is an effect that the play is small and the anti-roll performance of the stabilizer 1 is good.

Although the present embodiment relates to the connecting portion between the stabilizer 1 and the lower arm 6 of the automobile, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is possible to swing relatively freely within one axis, and The present invention can be widely applied to the case of connecting a pair of members that cause a small angle relative swing around another axis orthogonal to the axis.

FIG. 4 shows an embodiment in which the tips 11 on both sides of the link 10 are orthogonal to each other.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an outline of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway front view of a main part thereof.

FIG. 3 is a side view of the main part.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the link 10.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional example.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of another conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: Stabilizer 4, 13: Mounting hole 6: Lower arm 8: Tire 9: Bracket 10: Link 12: Bush

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A mounting hole is formed in one of the members, a bush made of an elastic body is fitted in the mounting hole, and the mounting hole is relatively swung mainly around the axis of the mounting hole, and A universal joint characterized in that a tip end portion of the other member made of a round bar that relatively oscillates around an orthogonal axis is bent and the tip end portion of the other member is fitted into the bush.