JP2000283175A - Flexible boot for constant velocity joint - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce the manpower of work, light a weight, and reduce costs by mounting a stopper member which is protruded to an inner side of the diameter direction and which is softer than a boot, on an inner circumferential surface which is continuously disposed or disposed in the vicinity of a large diameter attaching part of the boot. SOLUTION: A stopper member 9 is mounted on an inner circumferential surface disposed in the vicinity of a large diameter attaching part 7 of a boot 5, and which is disposed apart from an outer ring 2 end surface of a joint 1. The stopper member 9 is made of a material harder than the boot 5, more preferably, it is made of metal or resin material, and it abuts on an inner parts 4 in a good condition. It is thus possible to prevent slipping-off of the inner parts 4. The boot 5 is also expanded in association with movement toward the slipping-off direction when the inner parts 4 is slid, and force of the direction where the diameter is contracted is acted on the boot 5. In this time, in the case where the stopper member 9 is formed in a constitution capable of contracting the diameter, the stopper member 9 surely abuts on the inner parts 4 so as to improve slipping-off preventing effect. It is thus possible to eliminate groove work of an outer ring for preventing slipping-off, and it is also possible to form a joint in a compact size.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a flexible boot for a sliding type constant velocity joint used for a drive shaft of an automobile.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a sliding type constant velocity joint, one shaft (outer ring) is slidable with respect to the other shaft (intermediate shaft). Therefore, a circlip has been conventionally mounted on the inner peripheral surface of the end of the outer ring, or a stopper member projecting radially inward has been mounted on the outer ring end. In some cases, a large-diameter mounting portion of a flexible boot attached to a constant velocity joint is integrally formed with a stopper portion projecting inward.

[0003]

However, in such a conventional slip-out prevention structure, a groove must be formed in the outer ring of the joint, and there is a problem that the number of processing steps and costs are increased. Further, since a groove is formed in the joint outer ring, the outer ring must be extended in the axial direction by a length required for the groove, and there has been a problem that compactness and weight reduction cannot be achieved. Further, when the stopper member is attached to the end portion of the outer ring of the joint, there arises a problem that the shape of the stopper member is complicated due to the fixation and the sealing performance of the flexible boot is affected. Further, when the stopper portion is formed integrally with the flexible boot, the mold structure becomes complicated, molding is difficult, and the performance of the boot may be affected.

[0004]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention comprises a small-diameter mounting portion attached to a shaft member at one end and a large-diameter mounting portion attached to the outer ring of a constant velocity joint at the other end. A flexible boot in which a bellows portion is provided between both mounting portions, a stopper member harder than the flexible boot, protruding radially inward on an inner peripheral surface adjacent to or close to the large-diameter mounting portion. Is attached. In the present invention, the stopper member may be formed so as to be able to reduce the diameter, and the material of the stopper member may be metal or resin. Further, the shape of the stopper member may be formed in an annular shape or a C-shaped shape.

[0005]

According to the present invention, as described above, a stopper member that projects radially inward and is harder than the flexible boot is mounted on the inner peripheral surface adjacent to or near the large-diameter mounting portion of the flexible boot. The stopper member is brought into contact with the inner part of the joint to prevent the inner part from coming off. When the boot body and the inner part come into contact with each other, the boot body is scraped or damaged, which is problematic. The escape can be prevented.

Further, since a stopper member for preventing the inner parts of the joint from coming off is attached to the boot, the groove machining on the outer ring of the joint for installing the coming-off preventing member, which has been conventionally performed, becomes unnecessary. The joint can be made shorter and more compact by the length, and the number of processing steps, weight and cost can be reduced. Also, since the boots have the function of preventing slipping out, the joints can be disassembled by removing the boots from the joints.
Assembly becomes easy, and workability can be improved.

Further, by forming the stopper member so as to be able to reduce the diameter, the boot expands as the inner part of the joint moves in the pulling-out direction. Is reduced in diameter. For this reason, the contact between the stopper member and the inner component becomes more reliable, and the effect of preventing the stopper from coming off is enhanced.

Further, by using a metal or resin as the material of the stopper member, the abrasion resistance is enhanced, and the stopper member can be brought into good contact with the inner parts to prevent the stopper from coming off.
Since the workability of the material is good, the cost can be reduced, and since the flexibility is good, the mounting property is good, the workability such as mounting / removing is improved, and the above-mentioned diameter reduction is smooth and good.

Further, by forming the shape of the stopper member in an annular shape or a C-shaped shape, the mounting property and the fixing property are improved.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, a sliding type constant velocity joint 1 has an outer ring 2 as one shaft and an inner component 4 slidably incorporated in the outer ring 2 as one end of an intermediate shaft. . On the other hand, the flexible boot 5 is the joint 1
And a large-diameter mounting portion 7 mounted on the outer ring 2 of the joint 1 and a bellows portion 8 provided between the mounting portions.

Further, the boot 5 has a large-diameter mounting portion 7.
, A stopper member 9 for preventing the inner part 4 of the joint 1 from coming off is mounted on the inner peripheral surface of the joint 1 at a position separated from the end surface of the outer ring 2. The distance of the stopper member 9 from the end surface of the outer race 2 is appropriately determined according to the material and hardness of the boot 5, the weight of the joint, the required performance, and the like.

FIG. 2A shows the embodiment of FIG. 1 in which the inner part 4 of the joint 1 is in contact with the stopper member 9 of FIG. The stopper member 9 is formed of a material harder than the boot 5, particularly preferably a metal or resin material, and makes good contact with the inner part 4.

With the above structure, the inner part 4 can be prevented from coming off, and the outer ring 2
It is no longer necessary to provide a member for preventing withdrawal at the end of the joint 1, the end of the joint 1 can be made compact, and the joint can be lengthened accordingly, and the sliding amount can be increased.

Further, as the inner part 4 of the joint 1 moves in the slide-out direction during sliding, the boot 5 also expands, and at this time, a force in the radial direction acts on the boot 5. At this time, the stopper member 9 is configured so as to be able to reduce the diameter, as shown in FIG.
As described above, the diameter of the stopper member 9 can be reduced as the diameter of the boot decreases. Then, the contact between the stopper member having the reduced diameter and the inner component becomes more reliable, and the effect of preventing the stopper from coming off is enhanced.

In the present invention, the stopper member 9 may be formed in an annular shape or a C-shaped shape. In these configurations, the mountability and the fixability to the flexible boot 5 are improved.

Next, a second embodiment of the flexible boot of the present invention shown in FIG. 3 will be described. In this example,
In the first embodiment, the stopper member 9 ′ has the large-diameter mounting portion 7.
Is provided on the inner peripheral surface of the boot 5 'at a position adjacent to the end face of the outer ring 2 of the joint 1, and other configurations are the same.

With this configuration, the combined length of the joint 1 and the flexible boot 5 'can be shorter than in the first embodiment, and the configuration can be made more compact.

[0019]

According to the present invention, it is not necessary to form a groove in the outer ring of the joint to prevent the inner part from being pulled out, so that the joint can be made compact, and the number of processing steps, weight and cost can be reduced. Attach the boot to the joint
By removing the joint, the joint can be easily disassembled and assembled, and the workability is improved.

Further, by forming the stopper member so that the diameter thereof can be reduced, the contact between the stopper member and the inner part becomes more reliable, and the effect of preventing the stopper from coming off is enhanced. Furthermore, by using a metal or resin as the material of the stopper member, the stopper member can be brought into good contact with the inner parts to prevent it from slipping out. In addition, the workability of the material is good, so that the cost can be reduced. The workability such as attachment and detachment is improved, and the above-mentioned diameter reduction is performed smoothly. Further, by forming the stopper member in an annular shape or a C-shaped shape, the mounting property and the fixing property are improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing a state before an inner part of a joint comes into contact with a stopper member in a first embodiment of a flexible boot according to the present invention.

2 (a) is a side sectional view showing a state in which an inner part of a joint is in contact with a stopper member and is prevented from coming off in the first embodiment of FIG. 1, and FIG. 2 (b) is a side sectional view of FIG. Section A enlarged view.

FIG. 3 is a second embodiment of the flexible boot according to the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view in which a stopper member is provided at a position adjacent to an end surface of an outer ring of a joint.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Sliding constant velocity joint 2 Outer ring 3 Shaft member of intermediate shaft 4 Inner part 5 Flexible boot 6 Small diameter attachment part 7 Large diameter attachment part 8 Bellows part 9 Stopper member

Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Yasuyuki Kawasaki 1578 Higashikaizuka, Iwata-shi, Shizuoka Prefecture Inside NTN Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Shinichi Uda 2-36-36 Tsujido Jindai, Fujisawa-shi, Kanagawa Prefecture F-term (reference) 3J045 AA14 AA20 CB14 CB16 EA03

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A flexible boot having a small-diameter mounting portion attached to one end of a shaft member, a large-diameter mounting portion mounted to the outer ring of a constant velocity joint at the other end, and a bellows portion provided between the two mounting portions. 3. The flexible boot according to claim 1, wherein a stopper member protruding radially inward from an inner peripheral surface adjacent to or close to the large-diameter mounting portion and harder than the boot is mounted. 2. The flexible boot according to claim 1, wherein the stopper member is formed so as to be reduced in diameter. 3. The flexible boot according to claim 1, wherein a material of the stopper member is metal or resin. 4. The flexible boot according to claim 1, wherein the stopper member is formed in an annular shape or a C-shaped annular shape.