JPH0241370Y2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] Technical Field The present invention constitutes a rotational center of relative rotational movement between a first member and a second member, and forms a rotational center in the first member along with the rotational movement. The present invention relates to a lubricating device that lubricates a spherical friction sliding part in which a concave surface and a spherical head of a protrusion formed on a second member are caused to frictionally slide against each other.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION For example, a clutch release fork provided in a clutch device of an automobile or the like is designed to be able to rotate about a fulcrum supported by a clutch housing. That is,
The fulcrum part of the clutch release fork is formed with a recess having a partially spherical concave surface whose diameter increases toward the opening side, and the clutch housing has a protrusion with a spherical head having a larger diameter than the neck part. is provided, and the clutch release fork can be rotated by engaging the concave surface with the spherical head.

By the way, as in the above example, one member is formed with a concave surface, and the other member is provided with a spherical head that engages with the concave surface, and the relative rotational movement of both members is controlled by the concave surface and the spherical head. In the case where the rotational center portion is configured, the concave surface and the spherical head are caused to frictionally slide against each other as the two members rotate. For this reason, in the past, by applying a lubricant such as grease to such friction sliding parts, it was possible to prevent rotational failure and abnormal noise of both parts that occur due to wear of the concave surface and spherical head. Was.

However, when a lubricant is applied to the frictional sliding portion in this way, the lubricant retention is poor, resulting in poor lubrication especially when used in a high temperature section or used for a long period of time. For this reason, it is necessary to replenish lubricant periodically, but if the friction sliding part is inside the clutch housing as in the above example, it is difficult to replenish the lubricant, and the friction sliding part will eventually stop. The parts were worn out, causing rotation failure and abnormal noises.

On the other hand, the applicant filed the application earlier.
No. 59-090985 proposed a lubricating device in which an annular cover having an opening through which a spherical head passes is fixed around the concave surface, and the lubricant is retained by this cover. According to such a lubrication device, not only can the lubrication effect of the lubricant be obtained over a long period of time, but also the fixed cover can prevent the spherical head from coming off the concave surface, and furthermore, when the two members are assembled, The spherical head can be pushed into the opening of the cover, and various excellent effects can be obtained, such as easy and quick assembly work.

Problems to be Solved by the Invention However, the above-mentioned lubricating device still has problems that cannot be fully satisfied. That is, in the above-mentioned lubricating device, the annular cover was fixed around the concave surface with rivets or the like, so the workability for attaching the cover was low.

Means for Solving the Problems The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and includes a central part of the relative rotation movement between the first member and the second member. A partially spherical concave surface that forms an inner surface of the recess formed in the first member and becomes larger in diameter toward the opening side as the first member rotates;
In a spherical friction sliding part in which a spherical head of a protrusion having a larger diameter than a neck formed on the second member is caused to frictionally slide against each other, (a)
The first member is provided with an opening having a smaller diameter than the spherical head and is disposed concentrically with the recess of the first member, and an annular pressing portion having a larger diameter than the recess is provided on the outer periphery of the recess. By being pressed, a space is formed between the first member and the spherical head to accommodate the spherical head together with the lubricant, and the spherical head is pushed into the space by elastically expanding the opening. (b) an annular acting part that is locked to the annular pressing part; a plurality of arm portions that extend and are latched to the first member, and the annular pressing portion is substantially uniformly pressed against the first member by the acting portion based on the elastic force of the arm portions; and a spring that fixes the annular member to the first member.

Function In the lubricating device configured in this way, the annular member is fixed in a state pressed against the first member by a spring that is hooked on the first member, and the plurality of arms are fixed in a state where the annular member is pressed against the first member. Since the spherical head protruding from the second member is accommodated together with the lubricant in the space formed between the second member and the annular member, the work of fixing the annular member can be performed extremely easily. At the same time, the annular member prevents the lubricant from flowing out and dust from entering, so that the lubrication effect of the spherical friction sliding part can be obtained for a long period of time. In particular, in the annular member, the annular pressing part is pressed almost uniformly against the first member by the action part of the spring, so the sealing performance between the annular member and the first member is high, and leakage of lubricant is more effectively prevented. It is prevented.

Furthermore, when assembling the first member to which the annular member is fixed and the second member, the space formed between the annular member and the first member is filled with lubricant, and then the annular member is It is only necessary to push in the spherical head while elastically expanding the provided opening, and these two members can be easily and quickly assembled. In this case, since the opening of the annular member has a smaller diameter than the spherical head, once the spherical head is pushed into the opening, it cannot be easily removed from the space due to engagement with the opening. The coupling relationship between the first member and the second member is maintained well, and leakage of the lubricant between the protrusion of the second member and the annular member is well prevented.

Embodiment Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a lubricating device for lubricating a spherical friction sliding portion between a clutch release fork and a clutch housing of a clutch device will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes a clutch release fork, which is rotatably supported by a support 14 fixed to the clutch housing 12. One end of the clutch release fork 10 is brought into contact with a push rod 16 of the clutch release cylinder outside the clutch housing 12, while the other end of the clutch release fork 10 is located inside the clutch housing 12 and is connected to a clutch release bearing (not shown). is attached to the bearing hub. Further, a dust boot 18 is provided at a portion of the clutch release fork 10 that projects outward from the clutch housing 12 to prevent foreign matter from entering the clutch housing 12.

As is clear from the enlarged view of FIG. 2, the support 14 includes a spherical head 22 having a partially spherical bearing surface 20 for supporting the clutch release fork 10 at its tip. Further, a fixing threaded portion 24 is formed at the base end, and a tapered shaft whose diameter becomes smaller toward the spherical head 22 in the intermediate portion between the spherical head 22 and the threaded portion 24. portion 26 and a tool engaging portion 28 having a hexagonal cross section.
is provided. The support 14 is fixed to the clutch housing 12 by screwing the threaded portion 24 into a screw hole 30 provided in the clutch housing 12. Further, as is clear from the enlarged view of FIG. 3, the clutch release fork 10 supported by the support 14 is formed with a recess 32 that comes into contact with the spherical head 22. A concave surface 34 forming the inner surface of 32 is slidable against the bearing surface 20 of the spherical head 22. The recess on the concave surface 34 side of the recess 32 corresponds to a recess, and the portion of the shaft 26 near the spherical head 22 corresponds to a neck.

Therefore, when the clutch pedal (not shown) is depressed and the push rod 16 of the clutch release cylinder is pushed out, the clutch release fork 10 is rotated about the recess 32 supported by the spherical head 22 of the support 14 as a fulcrum. ,
A clutch release bearing attached to the other end is moved to disconnect the clutch.
That is, when the clutch release fork 10 rotates, the concave surface 34 formed on the clutch release fork 10 and the spherical head 22 of the support 14 fixed to the clutch housing 12 are caused to slide against each other by friction. The concave surface 34, the spherical head 22, etc. constitute a spherical friction sliding section. In addition, in this embodiment, the concave surface 3
The clutch release fork 10 on which the number 4 is formed and the clutch housing 12 on which the support 14 is fixed constitute a first member and a second member, respectively, which are rotated relative to each other. part 22 and shaft part 26
constitutes a protrusion formed on the second member.

On the other hand, the recess 3 of the clutch release fork 10
A lubricating device 36 is provided near 2 to lubricate the spherical friction sliding portion.

As is clear from FIGS. 3 and 4, the lubricating device 36 includes a dust cover 40 as an annular member having an opening 38 in the center with a diameter slightly smaller than that of the spherical head 22, and the dust cover 40. cover 40
and a spring 42 for fixing the clutch release fork 10 to the clutch release fork 10. The dust cover 40 is integrally molded from an elastically deformable resin material, and includes a thick cylindrical portion 44 that is pressed against the outer periphery of the recess 32 by a spring 42, and a thick cylindrical portion 44 that extends from the inner periphery of the cylindrical portion 44. It is composed of a thin disk portion 46 that extends toward the center and is bent toward the recess 32 and has the opening 38 formed in the center. The cylindrical portion 44 corresponds to an annular pressing portion having a larger diameter than the recessed portion 32, and an annular protrusion 52 is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the end surface 50 on the opposite side to the end surface 48 on the side pressed against the clutch release fork 10.
is provided, and a spring 4 is installed inside the protrusion 52.
Two operating portions 54 are fitted.

As shown in FIG. 5, the spring 42 is made by bending a pair of spring wire rods and joining them together by welding or the like. A pair of arm portions 56 that rise at right angles from the action portion 54 and extend toward the outer circumferential side in the radial direction are provided at two substantially symmetrical positions with respect to the center, and a claw portion 58 that rises at right angles at the tips of the arm portions 56. ing. The spring 42 is connected to the pair of arm portions 5.
6 is hooked to the notches 62 formed in the side walls 60 on both sides of the clutch release fork 10, and the dust cover 40 is locked to the clutch release fork 10 based on the elastic force of the arm portion 56. The cylindrical portion 44 is pressed against the clutch release fork 10 and fixed. That is, in the state before assembly, the arm part 56 is configured to be spaced apart from the plane containing the action part 54 as it goes outward from the action part 54, and is assembled to the clutch release fork 10. By this,
The arm portion 56 is elastically deformed until it becomes substantially parallel to the plane including the acting portion 54, and an elastic force that presses the dust cover 40 is generated in the arm portion 56. By fixing the dust cover 40 to the clutch release fork 10 in this manner, a predetermined space 64 is formed between the clutch release fork 10 and the dust cover 40, and within this space 64, the support 14 is The spherical head 22 is housed together with a lubricant 66 such as grease, and the spherical friction sliding portion between the spherical head 22 and the concave surface 34 is lubricated. The opening 38 of the dust cover 40 has a smaller diameter than the spherical head 22 of the support 14, but since it is made of an elastically deformable material, the opening 38 deforms elastically, allowing the spherical head 22 to pass through. be done.

According to the lubricating device 36 configured as described above, the lubricant 66 that lubricates the spherical friction sliding portion between the concave surface 34 and the spherical head 22 is applied to the space 64 between the clutch release fork 10 and the dust cover 40. Since the lubricant 66 is housed inside the lubricant 66, muddy water, dust, etc. from the outside do not get mixed in with the lubricant 66, and even if the lubricant 66 becomes fluidized due to frictional heat of the clutch plate, or for a long period of time. In this case, the lubricant 66 is retained in the space 64, and the lubrication effect of the spherical friction sliding part can be obtained for a long period of time. In particular, in this embodiment, the dust cover 40 has a ring-shaped acting portion 5.
4, and the end surface 48 of the cylindrical portion 44 is brought into close contact with the clutch release fork 10 over the entire circumference. The sealing performance between the release fork 10 and the lubricant 66 is further improved.

Further, since the opening 38 of the dust cover 40 elastically expands to allow the passage of the spherical head 22, the dust cover 40 is attached to the clutch release fork 10 as shown in FIG. , and with an appropriate amount of lubricant 66 filled in the space 64, the clutch release fork 10 is pressed against the clutch housing 12 by pressing it against the support 14 fixed to the clutch housing 12 as shown in FIG. Easy to assemble. In this assembled state, even if the clutch release fork 10 and the clutch housing 12 move relative to each other due to vibration or the like, the spherical head 22 will climb over the dust cover 40 and separate from the space 64. Since no displacement occurs, the spherical head 22 does not separate from the recess 32. Therefore, the workability of assembling the clutch release fork 10 is greatly improved compared to the case where the spherical head 22 is pressed against the recess 32 using a conventional leaf spring or the like. Note that since the opening 38 has a smaller diameter than the spherical head 22, leakage of the lubricant 66 from this portion is also effectively prevented.

On the other hand, the dust cover 40 of this lubricating device 36
is pressed against and fixed to the clutch release fork 10 by a spring 42 hooked to the side wall 60 of the clutch release fork 10. Therefore, when attaching the dust cover 40 to the clutch release fork 10, the arm portion 5 of the spring 42 should be held concentrically with the recess 32.
6 into the notch 62 and the acting part 54 is fitted into the protruding part 52, or the acting part 54 is inserted into the protruding part 5.
2, remove the dust cover 4
0 and the spring 42 while moving the arm portion 56 to the notch 62, the dust cover 40
Assembling work efficiency is greatly improved.

Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above based on the drawings, the present invention can be implemented in other forms as well.

For example, in the embodiment described above, the present invention provides a lubricating device 3 for lubricating the spherical friction sliding portion between the clutch release fork 10 and the clutch housing 12.
6 has been described, but other spherical friction sliding parts, that is, constitute the rotational center of the relative rotational movement of the first member and the second member, and accompany the rotational movement. The lubricating device according to the present invention can be employed to lubricate the portion where the concave surface formed on the first member and the spherical head of the protrusion formed on the second member slide against each other by friction. Of course.

Further, in the above embodiment, the support 14 is fixed to the clutch housing 12, which is the second member, to form a protrusion having a spherical head 22, but the protrusion is formed integrally with the clutch housing 12. You can also.

Further, in the above embodiment, a ring-shaped acting portion 54 is formed in the spring 42, and the acting portion 54 brings the end surface 48 of the dust cover 40 into close contact with the clutch release fork 10 over the entire circumference. However, the end surface 48 of the dust cover 40
The spring 42 may be configured to partially press the clutch release fork 10,
Alternatively, it is also possible to use a spring made of a spring plate. Further, the arm portion 56 of the spring 42 is designed to be hooked to the notch 62, but the clutch release fork 10 is provided with an engaging protrusion or the like so that the arm portion 56 is hooked to the engaging protrusion or the like. There is no problem.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the dust cover 40
The size of the opening 38 of the spherical head 2 of the support 14 is
Although the diameter is slightly smaller than 2, the spherical head 22
is in contact with the concave surface 34, the opening 3
If the size of the opening 38 is set so that the peripheral edge of the opening 38 comes into close contact with the spherical head 22 or the shaft 26, the retention of the lubricant 66 is further improved. In this case, the dust cover 40 is
As described in the above issue, a relatively rigid annular cover with an opening having a larger diameter than the spherical head 22 and a clutch release fork 10 and a support 14 each fixed to the cover are connected to each other. Of course, it is also possible to configure it with two elastic sealing members for sealing, respectively.

The above-mentioned invention is merely an example of the present invention, and the present invention can be implemented with various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit thereof.

Effects of the Invention As detailed above, according to the lubricating device of the present invention, the annular member that forms the space between which the spherical head and the lubricant are accommodated is latched to the first member. Since the annular member is fixed by a spring, the workability of assembling the annular member is greatly improved. In addition, the lubrication effect of the lubricant can be obtained for a long period of time, the workability of assembling the first member and the second member is good, and separation of the spherical head and the concave surface is suppressed. can get.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the present invention applied to a lubricating device for lubricating a spherical friction sliding portion between a clutch release fork and a clutch housing. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a support with a spherical head provided on the clutch housing of the embodiment of FIG. 3 and 4 are an enlarged sectional view and a front view, respectively, showing the vicinity of the concave surface of the clutch release fork in the embodiment of FIG. 1. FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the spring shown in FIG. 4. 10: Clutch release fork (first member),
12: Clutch housing (second member), 22:
Spherical head (projection), 26: Shaft, 34: Concave surface, 3
6: Lubrication device, 38: Opening, 40: Dust cover (annular member), 42: Spring, 64: Space, 6
6: Lubricant, 32: Recessed portion (recess), 44: Cylindrical portion (annular pressing portion), 54: Action portion, 56: Arm portion.

Claims (1)

[Claims for Utility Model Registration] A recess formed in the first member that constitutes a rotational center of relative rotational movement between the first member and the second member, and that is formed in the first member along with the rotational movement. A partially spherical concave surface that forms the inner surface of the second member and has a larger diameter toward the opening side, and the spherical head of the protrusion having a larger diameter than the neck formed on the second member rub against each other. The spherical friction sliding part to be slid is provided with an opening having a smaller diameter than the spherical head and is disposed in the first member concentrically with the recess of the first member, and has an opening having a larger diameter than the recess. By pressing the annular pressing portion against the outer peripheral portion of the recess, a space is formed between the annular pressing portion and the first member to accommodate the spherical head together with the lubricant, and the opening is elastically expanded. an annular member, at least the opening portion of which is made of an elastically deformable material, and which allows the spherical head to be pushed into the space; an annular acting portion that is locked to the annular pressing portion; ,
a plurality of arm portions extending outward from the acting portion and latched onto the first member; A lubricating device for a spherical friction sliding portion, comprising a spring that fixes the annular member to the first member by pressing against the first member.