JP2003247525A - Ball joint and cap therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cap of a ball joint capable of improving production performance easily with stable quality and the ball joint equipped with this cap. <P>SOLUTION: Protrusions 24, 26 of a protrusion part 27 are protruded on the upper surface 23 and the under face 25 of a cap 14 respectively. Caps 14 are prevented from overlapping with each other at the protrusion part 27 when the caps 14 are plated. The caps can be surely plated, and yield rate is enhanced. Setting direction can be easily checked when the cap is set to a body 12 by eliminating directionality of the front and rear faces of the cap 14. The cap 14 can be set to the body 12 easily. Thereby, the production performance can be improved easily with stable quality. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a ball joint cap for forming an accommodating portion in a housing body and a ball joint provided with the cap.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, this type of ball joint has been used in, for example, a steering mechanism of an automobile such as a vehicle, and has a housing and a ball stud.
The housing includes a substantially cylindrical housing main body, and the housing main body is closed at one end side by a substantially plate-shaped cap to form a housing portion inside. The ball head provided on the ball stud is rotatably housed in the housing portion.

As the cap of this ball joint, for example, a structure is known in which it is formed in a circular plate shape, is plated as a surface treatment, and is attached to the housing body of the ball joint.

However, since the cap is formed in the shape of a circular plate, if a plurality of caps are arranged, for example, in layers during plating, the plurality of caps overlap each other, and the plating of the overlapped portions is reliable. There is a risk that the yield of products will deteriorate.

As another cap of a ball joint, there is known a structure in which the cap is formed in a substantially circular plate shape, and a protruding portion protruding in the thickness direction of the cap is provided in a substantially central region. When a plurality of layers are arranged, for example, in layers during the plating process, the tips of the protruding portions of one cap come into contact with the other caps, thereby suppressing the overlapping of the different caps during the plating process.

However, in the cap of the ball joint provided with the protruding portion, the caps are fitted to each other by the tip of the protruding portion of one cap being fitted to the back side of the protruding portion of the other cap during the plating process. Overlap,
The plating process of the overlapped portion is not reliable, and the yield of products may be deteriorated.

Further, since the projection is projected only in one surface direction of the cap, it is necessary to mount the cap in a fixed direction when mounting the cap on the housing body. Therefore, the work of confirming the mounting direction of the cap may be complicated.

[0008]

As described above, the yield of a ball joint cap having a circular plate shape may deteriorate, and the yield of a ball joint cap provided with a protruding portion may deteriorate. There is a problem in that it is not easy to stabilize quality and improve manufacturability, for example, the work of confirming the mounting direction of the joint to the housing body becomes complicated.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a ball joint cap having stable quality and capable of easily improving manufacturability, and a ball joint provided with the cap. .

[0010]

A cap for a ball joint according to claim 1, wherein one end of a substantially cylindrical housing body is closed to form an accommodating portion in the housing body. In addition, it is formed in a substantially plate shape, and is provided with projecting portions that respectively project on both end faces in the thickness direction.

By projecting the projecting portions on both end faces in the thickness direction, it is possible to prevent the projecting portions from overlapping each other during the surface treatment, so that the surface treatment is surely performed and the yield is improved. . Further, since the front and back directions are eliminated, the work of confirming the mounting direction when mounting on the housing body is facilitated, and the housing body is easily mounted. As a result, it is easy to improve the manufacturability with stable quality.

A cap of the ball joint according to a second aspect of the present invention is the cap of the ball joint according to the first aspect, wherein a plurality of protrusions are provided and are substantially symmetrical with respect to the center in plan view.

By providing a plurality of projecting portions which are substantially symmetrical to each other with respect to the center in a plan view, there is no directionality not only in the front and back but also in the center in a plan view. The confirmation of the mounting direction becomes easier, and the housing body can be easily mounted.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the ball joint according to the third aspect, the housing body is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and one end side of the housing body is closed to form a housing portion in the housing body. A ball having a housing having a cap, a substantially spherical ball head rotatably housed in the housing portion, and a stud portion projecting from the ball head and inserted through the other end of the housing body. It is provided with a stud.

Further, by using the cap of the ball joint according to the first or second aspect, it is easy to improve the manufacturability with stable quality.

[0016]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The structure of an embodiment of the ball joint cap of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

1 and 2, reference numeral 1 is a ball joint. The ball joint 1 is used for, for example, a steering mechanism and a suspension mechanism of an automobile such as a vehicle, and includes a ball stud 2, a housing 3, a dust cover 4 as a cover, and the like.

The ball stud 2 is made of metal such as steel and has a substantially spherical ball head 5, and a rod-shaped stud portion 6 is provided on the ball head 5 so as to project therefrom. The stud portion 6 has a threaded portion 6b formed along the outer periphery on the tip side of a substantially cylindrical intermediate portion 6a. The stud portion 6 is smoothly connected to the ball head 5 on the proximal end side of the intermediate portion 6a. A reduced diameter portion 6c having a smaller diameter is formed. In the following description, the ball head 5 side is the lower side and the stud portion 6 side is the upper side.

Further, the housing 3 is provided with a body portion 12 as a housing body which is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape and is provided with a through hole 11 penetrating therethrough. The body portion 12 is made of, for example, metal by forging, and a stepped contact portion 13 is provided along the lower opening peripheral edge that is one end side of the through hole 11. The contact portion 13 has a through hole 11 in the body portion 12.
A cap 14 having a substantially circular plate shape is inserted from below to be attached by abutting, and the bottom side of the through hole 11 is closed.

Further, at the lower end of the body portion 12, there is provided a caulking portion 15 which has been caulked and reduced in diameter so that the cap 14 is integrally fixed to the body portion 12 by the caulking portion 15. There is. As a result, a housing portion 16 for housing the ball head 5 of the ball stud 2 is formed in the body portion 12. Further, a sheet 17 formed of, for example, synthetic resin and having a substantially cylindrical shape is fitted and accommodated in the accommodation portion 16. The seat 17 is a so-called bearing seat, which is fitted and housed in the housing portion 16 and rotatably holds the outer peripheral surface of the ball head 5. Further, at the lower opening edge 18 of the seat 17, the oil sump 19 is formed by the opening edge 18 and the cap 14.
Are sectioned.

The body portion 12 has the stud portion 6 of the ball stud 2 inserted through the upper opening which is the other end of the through hole 11. Also, on the upper side of the body portion 12,
A curved surface portion 21 having a curved shape whose inner diameter gradually decreases toward the upper side of 12 is formed. The curved surface portion 21 prevents the ball stud 2 from coming off from the housing portion 16 of the body portion 12 in the upward direction. Further, a cover press-fitting portion 22 as a cover mounting portion is formed on the outer peripheral surface on the upper side of the body portion 12 along the outer periphery of the body portion 12. Further, on the outer peripheral surface of the body portion 12, substantially cylindrical arm portions (not shown) connected to other portions are provided so as to project in the radial direction of the body portion 12.

Further, the cap 14 is made of metal such as steel, and the upper surface 23 which is one end surface in the thickness direction of the cap 14 has a protrusion 24 as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2.
Are formed. The protrusion 24 is formed on the upper surface 23 of the cap 14.
Is provided in the vicinity of the outer periphery of the ball joint 1 and has a size that does not impair the function of the ball joint 1. Also, this protrusion 24
Is from the lower surface 25, which is the other end surface in the thickness direction of the cap 14,
It projects in the surface direction of the upper surface 23 which is the thickness direction of the cap 14.

Further, on the lower surface 25 of the cap 14, a projection 26 having a shape substantially equal to that of the projection 24 is provided so as to project in the surface direction of the lower surface 25. This protrusion 26 is a cap
It projects from the upper surface 23 of the cap 14 in the surface direction of the lower surface 25 of the cap 14. The protrusion 26 is provided at a position where the protrusion 24 is rotated by about 90 ° with respect to the center of the upper surface 23 along the circumferential direction of the upper surface 23. The protrusions 24 and 26 form a protrusion 27.

Further, on the upper surface 23 and the lower surface 25 of the cap 14, the projections 31 and 32 are arranged in positions substantially symmetrical to the projections 24 and 26 with respect to the center of the upper surface 23, and the projections 31 and 32 are respectively arranged in the surface directions of the upper surface 23 and the lower surface 25. It is provided so as to project. These protrusions 31 and 32 have substantially the same shape as the protrusions 24 and 26, respectively.
The protruding portion 33 is constituted by 32. Therefore, the protrusion
The protrusion 27 and the protrusion 33 are formed so as to be substantially point-symmetric with respect to the center of the cap 14, and the cap 14 has a non-directional shape with respect to the center of the front and back surfaces and the upper surface 23. Further, the protruding portion 27 and the protruding portion 33 are fitted to the lower end of the seat 17, and the seat 17 is more reliably fixed in the housing portion 16 by the protruding portion 27 and the protruding portion 33. .

The dust cover 4, which is also called a boot, prevents dust and the like from entering the housing portion 16 of the housing 3. The dust cover 4 is made of elastically deformable material such as rubber or soft synthetic resin. Further, the dust cover 4 includes a cover body 34 having a substantially cylindrical shape. This cover body
The upper end portion 35 of the 34 is fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate portion 6a of the stud portion 6, and the lower end portion 36 is formed into a substantially L-shape in cross section and is fitted and fixed to the cover press-fitting portion 22 by press fitting. . As a result, the dust cover 4 covers the upper side of the through hole 11 of the body portion 12. Further, a clip 37, which is a retaining ring formed of metal or the like in an annular shape, is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the lower end portion 36 of the cover body 34. This clip 37
Thereby, the lower end portion 36 of the dust cover 4 is tightened in the central axis direction of the body portion 12, and the dust cover 4 is prevented from coming off from the cover press-fitting portion 22.

Next, the assembling operation of the above embodiment will be described.

First, the cap 14 is formed of, for example, steel, and the surface of the cap 14 is subjected to a plating treatment which is a surface treatment by immersing the cap 14 in a plating layer.

At this time, the protruding portions 27 and the protruding portions 33 of one cap 14 contact different caps 14 to prevent the caps 14 from overlapping and sticking to each other, ensuring the plating process and obtaining stable corrosion resistance. .

After this, the seat 17 is fitted to the ball head 5 of the ball stud 2, and together with the seat 17, the ball stud 2 is attached to the stud portion of the ball stud 2 from below the through hole 11 of the body 12. Insert with 6 on top.

The ball head 5 of the ball stud 2 is rotatably housed in the housing portion 16, and the stud portion 6 of the ball stud 2 is inserted into the through hole 11 of the body portion 12.

Further, the cap 14 is inserted from the lower side of the through hole 11 into the through hole 11 until it abuts on the abutting portion 13 with the thickness direction of the cap 14 substantially along the vertical direction of the body portion 12. Insert and attach. At this time, since the cap 14 has a shape with no front and back directionality, either the upper surface 23 or the lower surface 25 may be the upper surface.

Further, the lower end of the body portion 12 is caulked and deformed to retain the cap 14 from the body portion 12 and hold it.
12 and the cap 14 are integrally formed.

Then, the upper end portion 35 of the dust cover 4 is fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the intermediate portion 6a of the stud portion 6 of the ball stud 2, and the lower end portion 36 of the dust cover 4 is inserted into the cover press-fitting portion 22.
Press-fit into and cover the upper side of the through hole 11.

After that, the clip 37 is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the lower end portion 36 of the dust cover 4, the dust cover 4 is fixed to the body portion 12, and the ball stud 2 is rotatably attached to the housing 3. Make up.

As described above, according to the above-described embodiment, the protrusions 24 and 26 and the protrusions 31 and 32 are projected on the upper surface 23 and the lower surface 25 of the cap 14, respectively.
When the cap 14 is plated, the protrusions 27 and 33 come into contact with different caps 14 and
Since it is possible to prevent the caps 14 from overlapping with each other, it is possible to reliably perform the plating treatment on the caps 14, obtain stable corrosion resistance, and improve the yield.

Further, since the cap 14 has a shape with no directionality on the front and back sides, the mounting direction to the body portion 12 disappears and it becomes easy to confirm the mounting direction to the body portion 12. Easy to install.

As a result, it is possible to easily improve the manufacturability of the cap 14 and the ball joint 1 with stable quality.

Further, since the projecting portion 27 and the projecting portion 33 are provided substantially in point symmetry with respect to the center of the upper surface 23 of the cap 14 in plan view, the cap 14 can be seen not only in front and back but also in plan view. There is also no directivity with respect to the center of the upper surface 23 of the cap 14. As a result, it is possible to more easily perform the work of confirming the attachment direction when attaching the body portion 12 to the contact portion 13, and to attach the body portion 12 to the body portion 12 more easily.

Then, the protrusions 27 and 33 are seated.
Since the lower end 17 is fitted, the seat 17 can be fitted and held in the accommodating portion 16 more reliably by the cap 14.

Incidentally, in the above-mentioned one embodiment, the protruding portion
27 and the protrusion of the protrusion 33, the cap 14 can be formed into a shape without the front and back, unless the plurality of caps 14 overlap each other,
It does not have to be provided at positions symmetrical with respect to each other.

The protrusions of the protrusions 27 and 33 are
The number of the upper surface 23 and the lower surface 25 is not limited to two, but a large number may be provided, or one may be provided for each of the upper surface 23 and the lower surface 25.

Further, the ball joint 1 can be any universal joint such as a toy or various machine tools.

The body portion 12 of the housing 3 need not have a substantially cylindrical shape as long as it has a cylindrical shape, such as a square tube shape.

The cap 14 is formed in a substantially plate shape corresponding to the shape of the body portion 12.

Further, the seat 17 may be formed of a composite member of relatively soft members such as a cushion member.

Furthermore, the ball joint 1 may be constructed without the dust cover 4.

[0047]

According to the cap of the ball joint according to the first aspect of the present invention, by projecting the projecting portions on both end faces in the thickness direction, it is possible to prevent the projecting portions from overlapping each other during the surface treatment. As a result, the surface treatment becomes reliable and the yield can be improved. In addition, by providing protrusions on either side in the thickness direction, the directionality of the front and back is eliminated, making it easy to confirm the mounting direction when mounting on the housing body, and this housing body can be easily mounted. Can be installed. As a result, manufacturability can be easily improved with stable quality.

According to the cap of the ball joint of claim 2, in addition to the effect of the cap of the ball joint of claim 1, a plurality of protrusions are provided substantially symmetrically with respect to the center in plan view, Since not only the front and back sides but also the center in a plan view disappears, it is possible to more easily confirm the mounting direction when mounting to the housing body, and to mount the housing body more easily.

According to the ball joint of the third aspect, by using the cap of the ball joint of the first or second aspect, it is possible to easily improve the manufacturability with stable quality.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side sectional view showing an embodiment of a ball joint of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a cap of the same ball joint.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ball joint 2 ball studs 3 housing 5 ball head 6 Stud part 12 Body part as housing body 14 cap 16 Housing 27, 33 protrusion

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A cap of a ball joint that closes one end side of a housing body formed in a substantially cylindrical shape to form a housing portion in the housing body, the cap being formed in a substantially plate shape, and in a thickness direction. A cap for a ball joint, characterized in that it has protrusions protruding from both end faces. 2. The cap of the ball joint according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of protrusions are provided and are substantially symmetrical with respect to the center in a plan view. 3. A housing provided with a cap according to claim 1, wherein the housing main body is formed in a substantially tubular shape, and one end of the housing main body is closed to form a housing portion in the housing main body. A substantially spherical ball head rotatably housed in the housing part,
And a ball stud that is provided so as to project from the ball head and has a stud portion that is inserted through the other end side of the housing body.