JP2002103941A - Stabilizer link - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To solve a problem relating to manufacturing and installing a stabilizer link using a ball joint. SOLUTION: In a stabilizer link comprised of a pair of ball joints 3, 3 connected with a rod 5, a ball part 6 of a ball stud 4 is fitted in a socket part 7 which is caulked round and a shaft directions of the ball stud 4 and the rod 5 are aligned on a straight line.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a stabilizer link for ensuring running stability in a suspension of an automobile or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Stabilizer links are used in suspensions of automobiles and the like in order to prevent rolling of a vehicle body and secure running stability. This link connects the lower arm that supports the wheel and the stabilizer bar that is attached to the vehicle body, and secures running stability by absorbing the phase difference between the left and right wheels and the vertical movement due to the suspension function during rolling. In order to make it possible, (1) exhibit elasticity with respect to the stabilizer bar, or (2) swing freely with respect to the stabilizer bar. At first glance, the link 15 of the configuration of (1) seems to be preferable because a large number of elastic bodies 16 are interposed (see FIG. 5), but in actuality, the link of the configuration of (2) can more effectively exhibit the function of the stabilizer bar. ,
In recent years, links with the configuration of (2) have been actively developed and improved.

For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 08-127220 discloses a link using a ball joint only at an end connected to the stabilizer bar. Specifically, stabilizer bar (stabilizer bar)
A ball joint (spherical bearing) is fitted to the tip of the ball stud.The ball part of the ball stud is tightly fitted to the ball joint, and the ball stud is shaken in the arbitrary direction around the ball part at the tip of the stabilizer bar. The ball stud has a shaft portion protruding from the tip of the stabilizer bar and a rod attaching portion for connecting the tip of the stabilizer bar to a vehicle body-side member such as a lower arm.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 10-151931, "Link rod for stabilizer bar and method for manufacturing the same", discloses a link using a ball joint at either end or both ends connected to the stabilizer bar and the lower arm. ing. Specifically, in a stabilizer link provided at at least one end of the rod portion and a ball joint at at least one end, the rod portion and the socket portion at the end are integrally formed of a synthetic resin material. The bearing portion is formed of a synthetic resin material having excellent slidability. As described above, in many cases, a ball joint is conventionally used as an end of a link.

[0005]

Considering a conventional link 13 (see FIG. 6) in which ball joints are disposed at the rod ends or both ends, it is apparent that the ball studs 4 and the rod 5 have different axial directions. notice. For example, as described in
As shown in FIG. 6, both Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei-127220 and Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 10-151931 have a rod 5 provided orthogonally to a ball stud 4. This is because the conventional link 13 uses an assembly crimp that is easy to process (the ball stud 4 is inserted from the back of the socket portion 7 having a pre-swaged shape, and then the back is closed). The ball stud 4 and the rod 5 need to be orthogonal to each other because they are weak against the axial dropout.

Further, ball joints 3 are provided at both ends of the rod 5.
In this case, since the direction of the ball studs 4 with respect to the stabilizer bar 2 and the lower arm 10 differs depending on the type of vehicle and the specifications, a plurality of types of links in which the ball studs 4 are oriented at different angles in the cross-sectional circumferential direction of the rod 5 are manufactured. Must. Since the angle of the ball stud 4 with respect to the rod 5 affects the performance, it is necessary to ensure high manufacturing accuracy, and since many types of links are manufactured, it is difficult to reduce the cost in terms of manufacturing.

In addition, since the directions of the rod 5 and the ball stud 4 are different, the mounting bracket 14 is attached to the lower arm 10.
And the rod 5 protrudes and requires more installation space than expected. Therefore, in order to improve the above-mentioned manufacturing and mounting problems related to the link using the ball joint, the present inventors have studied.

[0008]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION As a result of the study, a stabilizer link composed of a pair of ball joints connected by a rod is used to fit a ball portion of a ball stud into an R-caulked socket portion. This is a stabilizer link in which the axial directions of the rod and the rod are aligned on a straight line. In the present invention, the strength against detachment is increased by using the R caulking instead of the assembling caulking, and the directions of the rod and the ball stud are matched. In particular, the R caulking of the present invention does not bend a thin rib at a right angle,
Thick ribs are plastically deformed along the outer surface of the ball portion of the ball stud, so that the structure is particularly resistant to detachment.

Thus, in the ball joint of the present invention, since the ball stud and the rod are aligned on the same straight line,
The installation space of the link can be reduced as compared with the related art, and a more compact suspension structure can be adopted. In addition, since the direction of the rod and the ball stud are matched, when connecting the stabilizer bar and the lower arm linearly with the shortest distance, without providing a separate mounting bracket on the lower arm, for example, simply providing a mounting hole in the lower arm The connection can be easily performed, and the problem of the angle between the rod and the ball stud can be solved, and the link can be shared regardless of the vehicle type and specification.

In addition, the link of the present invention can be used instead of a link having a structure in which an elastic body is interposed without changing the stabilizer bar. The link provided with the elastic body absorbs the movement of the lower arm and the stabilizer bar by elasticity, and keeps the connection relation between the stabilizer bar and the lower arm substantially constant. The link of the present invention, by appropriately tilting the rod by the movement of the ball joint,
Similarly, the connection between the stabilizer bar and the lower arm can be kept substantially constant. As described above, a link formed by a ball joint can exert the function of the stabilizer bar better than a link with an elastic body interposed. It is desirable to adopt a link that has been established. The present invention relates to such a vehicle,
The application of a link using a ball joint is easily realized.

[0011]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway perspective view showing an example of a stabilizer link 1 according to the present invention.
(Excluding the rubber cover), FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the movement of the main part of the link 1, and FIG. 3 is a side view of an example of attaching the link 1 so as to be swingable with respect to the stabilizer bar 2. 4 is a side view of another example of how to attach the link 1. Each example is an example applied to the front suspension, but the application of the rear suspension is also in accordance with this example.

In the stabilizer link 1 of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, the ball studs 4 of the ball joints 3 and the rods 5 connecting the ball joints 3, 3 have their axial directions aligned on a straight line. . Thereby, the load transmitted to each ball joint 3 via the rod 5 is
The ball portion 6 is added in a direction of being pulled out from the socket portion 7.
Therefore, in order to firmly fit the ball portion 6 with the socket portion 7, R caulking as shown in FIG. 2 (represented by a thick line portion R in FIG. 2) is used.

The ball studs 4 and the rods 5 are preferably arranged on the same straight line in the same direction and axial direction, but the accuracy is as high as the manufacturing accuracy required for the angle between the rod and the ball studs in the conventional link. Absent. Thereby, the link 1 of the present invention can be manufactured relatively inexpensively. Further, since there is no difference in the angle between the rod and the ball stud depending on the type of vehicle, there is an advantage that standardization is easy.

The specific structure is shown in FIG. The socket part 7 seals the bottom surface which was a lid in the conventional assembling caulking, and directly attaches (welds, etc.) the rod 5. Thus, the rod 5
Is mounted on the axis of the socket part 7, the load is transmitted evenly in the circumferential direction, and there is no problem such as a decrease in strength due to uneven load. The ball portion 6 is inserted into the socket portion 7 with a resin bearing 8 having a transfer shape interposed therebetween, and the edge of the socket portion 7 is fitted with R caulking. As a product, a rubber cover (iron metal) 9 covering the ball stud 4 and the socket portion 7 is covered to prevent dust, water, foreign matter, and the like from entering the socket portion 7.

The specific usage of the link 1 of the present invention is as follows.
As shown in FIG. 3, it is basically based on a case in which it is swingably attached to the stabilizer bar 2. Rod 5 is used to connect stabilizer bar 2 and lower arm 10.
Should be approximately vertical. In the present invention, since the rod 5 and the ball stud 4 are in the same direction, if the stabilizers 2 and the lower arm 10 are provided with the mounting portions 11 and 12, respectively, the link 1 can be directly connected. Accordingly, the link 1 does not protrude forward from the lower arm 10, and the installation space can be reduced. In addition, the operating angle of the handle, which has been limited by the existence of the link in the related art, can be increased by the reduction in the installation space of the link 1.

In addition to the above, the link 1 of the present invention can be used as a substitute for a link that exerts elasticity on the stabilizer bar as shown in FIG. In a conventional link exhibiting elasticity, an elastic body having a large inner diameter is interposed in a bolt, and the lower arm that swings up and down is stabilized relative to a stabilizer bar by compression of the elastic body and tilting of the bolt. The link 1 of the present invention exerts the same effect by swinging the ball studs 4 at both ends with respect to the rod 5 instead of compressing the elastic body and tilting the bolt. When using an elastic body,
It was necessary to attach an elastic body so as to sandwich the stabilizer bar and the lower arm, which required time and labor for assembly. However, since the link 1 of the present invention is a member for connecting the stabilizer bar 2 and the lower arm 10, the assembly is Has the advantage of being easy.

[0017]

According to the present invention, the axial directions of the ball stud and the rod are aligned on a straight line, so that
Solving mounting problems. First, in production, while enabling production with relatively moderate production accuracy, differences in specifications depending on the vehicle type are suppressed to about the ball joint specifications and rod lengths, thereby enabling standardization. Thereby, the manufacturing cost of the link can be reduced. Contributing to this cost is the elimination of the mounting bracket for mounting.

Next, the mounting bracket is not required for mounting, and as a result, the installation space can be reduced. This not only reduces the size of the suspension mechanism, but also alleviates the restriction on the operating angle of the steering wheel, which has been imposed by the presence of the conventional link, and also leads to an improvement in the performance of the car. . As described above, the present invention has an effect of improving the manufacturing and mounting problems relating to the stabilizer link using the ball joint.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partially broken perspective view showing an example of a stabilizer link according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing movement of a main part of the link.

FIG. 3 is a side view of an example in which a link is attached so as to be swingable with respect to a stabilizer bar.

FIG. 4 is a side view of another example of how to attach a link.

FIG. 5 is a side view of a conventional example using an elastic body.

FIG. 6 is a side view of a conventional example using a ball joint.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 stabilizer link 3 ball joint 4 ball stud 5 rod

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a stabilizer link comprising a pair of ball joints connected by a rod, a ball portion of a ball stud is fitted into an R-caulked socket portion, and the axial directions of the ball stud and the rod are aligned on a straight line. A stabilizer link.