JP2001280355A - Elastic coupling - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an elastic coupling having high torsional rigidity in transmission, and superior vibration absorbability and durability, and capable of reducing the man-hour in molding, and the manufacturing cost. SOLUTION: Four fan-shaped disc bodies 6, 7 are mutually connected by four approximately V-shaped thin film bodies 20 before the vulcanization molding of a rubber elastic body 15. Whereby it becomes unnecessary to set the fan-shaped disc bodies 6, 7 in a die while positioning the same with high accuracy when the rubber elastic body 15 is formed among the fan-shaped disc bodies 6, 7, and the setting can be simplified, which can reduce the man-hour in molding.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an elastic shaft coupling for absorbing vibration of an engine or wheels and suppressing transmission of vibration to a steering wheel, for example, in a vehicle steering system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art One of couplings in a steering apparatus of a vehicle is an elastic coupling which absorbs vibration of an engine or a wheel and suppresses transmission of the vibration to a steering wheel.

For example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 55-94274 discloses a yoke (input side) connected to an upper shaft,
An elastic shaft coupling is interposed between the other yoke (output side) connected to the lower shaft.
A coupling with a built-in elastic body is provided.

In this coupling, four fan-shaped discs are embedded in a disc-shaped rubber elastic body by vulcanization molding, and four through holes penetrate the rubber elastic body and the four fan-shaped discs. Has four metal bushes. One of the two
In each metal bush, two bolts are fastened from the yoke (input side) of the upper shaft.
Two bolts are fastened in each metal bush from the yoke (output side) of the lower shaft.

Thus, the upper shaft (input side)
When transmitting torque from the motor to the lower shaft (output side), while the triangular portion of the rubber elastic body located between the fan-shaped discs is elastically deformed, the torque is transmitted by the deformation resistance and the engine and the The transmission of vibration to the steering wheel is suppressed by absorbing the vibration of the wheels, and has high torsional rigidity during transmission, good vibration absorption, and good durability.

However, when embedding four fan-shaped discs in a rubber elastic body by vulcanization molding, the four fan-shaped discs must be set while being accurately positioned in a molding die. In some cases, the number of steps required for the sulfur molding is large, leading to an increase in manufacturing costs.

Also, European Patent (EP) 0106579
In the gazette of (A2), four metal bushes are attached to four tip portions of a cruciform board (spider), and the entirety is buried in a rubber elastic body.

Thus, when transmitting the torque from the upper shaft to the lower shaft, the triangular portion of the rubber elastic body located between the cross-shaped discs is elastically deformed to transmit the torque, and at the same time the engine and the like are transmitted. Absorb the vibration of

However, there is also a surface in which torque is directly transmitted from the metal bush on the input side to the metal bush on the output side via the cruciform board, and as a result, high torsional rigidity during transmission can be obtained. However, on the other hand, the vibration of the engine or the like may not be sufficiently absorbed, and the vibration absorption may be poor.

[0010] Further, in Japanese Patent No. 2696307,
Four metal bushes are surrounded by four substantially triangular rubber elastic bodies, and these four rubber elastic bodies are connected by a cross-shaped disc body made of synthetic resin.

Thus, when transmitting the torque, the substantially triangular rubber elastic body is elastically deformed to transmit the torque and sufficiently absorb the vibration of the engine and the like.

However, during transmission of torque, the substantially triangular rubber elastic body is locally compressed between the metal bush and the cruciform disk, so that it is significantly deteriorated and has poor durability. Sometimes.

[0013]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
As a coupling having high torsional rigidity during transmission, good vibration absorption, and good durability, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No.
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1-325100, four synthetic resin fan-shaped bodies each having four metal bushes are uniformly arranged in the circumferential direction, and between these fan-shaped disk bodies. , Forming a substantially cross-shaped rubber elastic body by vulcanization molding,
These sectors are interconnected.

Thus, when transmitting the torque, while the substantially cross-shaped rubber elastic body is elastically deformed, the torque is transmitted by the deformation resistance, and the vibration of the engine and the wheels is absorbed. High torsional stiffness, good vibration absorption, and good durability.

However, when the rubber elastic body is formed between the four fan-shaped disks by vulcanization molding, the four fan-shaped disks must be set while being accurately positioned in the mold. In some cases, the number of steps required for the vulcanization molding is large, leading to an increase in manufacturing cost.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and has high torsional rigidity during transmission, good vibration absorption, and good durability, and has a large number of man-hours during molding. It is an object of the present invention to provide an elastic shaft coupling that reduces manufacturing costs.

[0017]

In order to achieve the above object, an elastic shaft coupling according to the present invention comprises a plurality of synthetic resin fan-shaped discs each having a plurality of metal bushes, each of which is substantially circumferentially formed. Evenly arranged, between these fan-shaped discs, an elastic body is formed, and in an elastic shaft coupling provided with a coupling in which these fan-shaped discs are mutually connected by an elastic body, before forming the elastic body, A plurality of the fan-shaped discs are connected to each other by a plurality of thin films.

As described above, according to the present invention, before the elastic body is formed, the plurality of fan-shaped disk bodies are connected to each other by the plurality of thin film bodies. Thereby, when forming an elastic body between these fan-shaped discs, it is not necessary to set these fan-shaped discs while positioning them accurately in the molding die. The number of steps can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

In addition, the coupling of the elastic shaft coupling is such that a plurality of synthetic resin fan-shaped discs each having a plurality of metal bushes are arranged substantially evenly in the circumferential direction, and between these fan-shaped discs. Since the elastic body is formed and these fan-shaped disk bodies are connected to each other by the elastic body, high torsional rigidity during transmission, good vibration absorption, and good durability can be obtained.

[0020]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An elastic shaft coupling according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. (First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a side view including a partial cross section of an elastic shaft coupling according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG.
FIG. 2 is a front view of a coupling used for the elastic shaft coupling shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG.
FIG. 5 is a front view of the coupling before vulcanization molding of the rubber elastic body. FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 1, the upper shaft 1 is provided with a universal joint 2, while the lower shaft 3 is provided with a yoke 4.
A coupling 5 of an elastic universal joint is interposed between a and the yoke 4.

As shown in FIG. 2, four fan-shaped disc bodies 6 and 7 made of synthetic resin are arranged in the coupling 5 equally in the circumferential direction (or divided into four in the circumferential direction). is there. These fan-shaped discs 6, 7 are formed by injection molding from a polyamide resin containing glass fiber, for example. Further, the extension lines of the sector disk bodies 6 and 7 substantially coincide with the center of the coupling. Further, the opening angle of the fan-shaped disk bodies 6 and 7 is 50 to 80 degrees.

As shown in FIG. 3, a pair of projecting metal bushes 8, 8 are provided on the pair of fan-shaped discs 6, 6, and a universal joint is provided in the pair of metal bushes 8, 8. Bolts 9 and 9 (FIG. 1) for connecting to the second yoke 2a are inserted.

As shown in FIG. 4, a pair of metal bushes 11, 11 protruding are provided on the other sector-shaped disk 7, 7, and a yoke 4 is provided in the pair of metal bushes 11, 11. The bolts 12 and 12 (FIG. 1) for connection to are inserted.

These metal bushes 8, 11 are, for example, carbon steel pipes for JIS mechanical structures,
7 are integrally connected at the time of injection molding. Further, on the outer peripheral surfaces of the metal bushes 8 and 11, an knurled knurl is machined in order to increase the bonding strength.

Each of the metal bushes 8, 11 protruding from each of the fan-shaped panel bodies 6, 7 is coated with a synthetic resin in a cylindrical shape, so that, for example, it is used in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-39092. It is possible to eliminate the need for the collar which has been used, and to reduce the manufacturing cost. Also, coupling 5
Has an outer diameter of about 70 mm, for example, and
Is, for example, about 10 mm. The inner diameters of the metal bushes 8, 11 are, for example, 8.2 to 9.5 mm, the outer diameters thereof are, for example, 13 to 15 mm, and the amount of protrusion of the portions protruding from the sector disk bodies 6, 7 is, for example, , About 1
0 mm. However, the amount of protrusion can be 0 mm depending on the type of vehicle used.

Further, in this embodiment, before the rubber elastic body 15 described later is formed, the four fan-shaped disk bodies 6 and 7
The thin films 20 are interconnected. As shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, the thin film member 20 is substantially V-shaped, and has a thickness of, for example, about 0.3 mm.

Further, a rubber elastic body 15 having a substantially cross shape is formed between the four fan-shaped discs 6 and 7, and the four fan-shaped discs 6 and 7 are formed.
7 are interconnected. The rubber elastic body 15 is preferably made of natural rubber, and the fan-shaped disc bodies 6 and 7 connected by the thin film body 20 are arranged in a predetermined mold (not shown) and molded (for example, vulcanization molding). Is formed.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, the rubber elastic body 1 is interposed between the sector disk bodies 6 and 7 by molding (vulcanization molding).
When forming 5, the sector disks 6, 7 are connected to each other by the thin film member 20, so that it is not necessary to set the sector disks 6, 7 in a molding die (not shown) while accurately positioning them. In addition, the setting can be facilitated, the man-hour for molding can be reduced, the cycle time can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

With this configuration, when torque is transmitted from the upper shaft 1 (input side) to the lower shaft 3 (output side), the torque is applied from the yoke 2a to one of the sector disk bodies 6, 6. When the rubber elastic body 15 is transmitted, the rubber elastic body 15 can transmit torque to the other fan-shaped disk bodies 7, 7 by elastic deformation while being deformed, and high torsional rigidity at the time of transmission can be obtained.

Further, the rubber elastic body 15 can suppress the transmission of the vibration to the steering wheel by absorbing the vibration of the engine and the wheels. In the present embodiment, the rubber elastic body 15 is embedded in the rubber elastic body 15. Since the thin film body 20 is formed in a substantially V shape, it can be easily bent, and the rubber elastic body 15
Has almost no effect on the vibration absorption. Therefore, good vibration absorption can be maintained.

Further, the rubber elastic body 15 which is in contact with the side portions of each of the fan-shaped panels 6, 7 maintains the same compression ratio at any radial position. Therefore, Patent 2696
As disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 307, the rubber elastic body 15 is not locally compressed and has little deterioration, so that good durability can be maintained.

Further, a stopper plate 16 is provided for directly transmitting the torque when the transmission torque exceeds a predetermined value without passing through the rubber elastic body 15. As shown in FIG. 1, the stopper plate 16 is fixed to the other sector disk bodies 7, 7 (on the yoke 4 side), and the tip of the stopper 16 has one sector disk body 6, 6 (yoke 4). 2
A notch 17 is formed to abut the (a side). Thus, when a torque exceeding a predetermined value is applied, one of the fan-shaped disk bodies 6 (on the yoke 2a side) contacts the notch 17 of the stopper plate 16 and transmits torque via the stopper plate 16 to make the rubber Excessive torque is not applied to the elastic body 15.

As shown in FIG. 1, a cylindrical projection 18 is formed at the center of the stopper plate 16, and a bush 19 made of urethane rubber is provided between the projection 18 and the yoke 2a. Is interposed. Therefore, even if a bending load is applied to the lower shaft 3 and the bending load acts on the coupling 5 to change the gap between the protruding portion 18 and the yoke 2a, the bush 19 absorbs the change and protrudes. Since the inclination of the portion 18 can be prevented, so-called “falling” can be effectively prevented. (Second Embodiment) FIG. 7 is a front view of a coupling used for an elastic shaft coupling according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, a rubber elastic body is not formed radially inside each of the fan-shaped substrates 6 and 7, and only between the fan-shaped substrates 6 and 7. Is formed. Thereby, a soft spring characteristic can be obtained. (Third Embodiment) FIG. 8 is a front view of a coupling used for an elastic shaft coupling according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along the line DD in FIG.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, the side shapes of the fan-shaped substrates 6 and 7 are formed in a wave shape.
The adhesive strength with the rubber elastic body 15 is increased. The side shapes of the adjacent fan-shaped substrates 6 and 7 are formed so that the concave and convex portions of the wave shape correspond to each other, so that the elastic body compressibility during use is the same. Further, weight reduction holes 21 are formed in each of the fan-shaped substrates 6 and 7 to reduce the weight. (Fourth Embodiment) FIG. 10 is a front view of a coupling used for an elastic shaft coupling according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG.
A pair of symmetrical projections 22, 22 are provided at the outer diameter ends of the adjacent fan-shaped substrates 6, 7, to serve as stoppers in the rotation direction during use. That is, when the transmission torque exceeds a predetermined value, the projections 22 are brought into contact with each other to transmit the torque. Thereby, the stopper ring 16
Can be eliminated, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be variously modified.

[0039]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Before the formation of the elastic body, the plurality of sector boards are connected to each other by the plurality of thin film bodies, so that the elastic body is formed between the sector boards by molding (for example, vulcanization molding). It is not necessary to set these fan-shaped discs while positioning them accurately in the mold, making it easier to set them, reducing man-hours during molding, and reducing manufacturing costs. Can be planned.

Further, the coupling of the elastic shaft coupling is such that a plurality of synthetic resin fan-shaped discs each having a plurality of metal bushes are arranged substantially evenly in the circumferential direction, and between these fan-shaped discs. Since the elastic body is formed and these fan-shaped disk bodies are connected to each other by the elastic body, high torsional rigidity during transmission, good vibration absorption, and good durability can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view including a partial cross section of an elastic shaft coupling according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of a coupling used for the elastic shaft coupling shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a front view of the coupling before vulcanization molding of the rubber elastic body.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a front view of a coupling used for an elastic shaft coupling according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a front view of a coupling used for an elastic shaft coupling according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along the line DD in FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a front view of a coupling used for an elastic shaft coupling according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Upper shaft 2 Universal joint 2a Yoke 3 Lower shaft 4 Yoke 5 Coupling 6 One sector board 7 The other sector board 8 Metal bush 9 Bolt 11 Metal bush 12 Bolt 15 Rubber elastic body (elastic body) 16 Stopper Plate 17 Notch 18 Projection 19 Bush 20 Thin film 21 Reducing hole 22 Projection

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A plurality of fan-shaped discs made of synthetic resin each having a plurality of metal bushes are arranged substantially evenly in a circumferential direction,
An elastic shaft coupling provided with a coupling in which an elastic body is formed between these fan-shaped disk bodies and these fan-shaped disk bodies are connected to each other by the elastic body; An elastic shaft coupling, wherein the disk bodies are mutually connected by a plurality of thin film bodies.