JP2007022323A - Column hole cover - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a column hole cover capable of improving sound insulating properties, while suppressing an increase of weight and deterioration of assemblability. <P>SOLUTION: A sealing part 21 is provided to seal an opening part 13 of a dash panel 12 at an end face of a second connecting part 18 fixed to the dash panel 12 in a cover body 16. At the inside of the second connecting part 18, a partitioning part 22 to close the opening part 18a in an inserted state of a shaft 14 is provided integrally with the cover body 16. The partitioning part 22 is arranged in the cover body 16 by being pushed into the cover body 16 from the opening part 18a after being formed integrally with the cover body 16 in an arranged state at the outside from the opening part 18a of the second connecting part 18. The whole of the opening part 13 is doubly covered from an engine room 11 by the cover body 16 and the partitioning part 22. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention provides a substantially cylindrical column that covers a part of the steering device inserted through the opening of the dash panel and closes the opening between the dash panel that partitions the engine compartment and the vehicle compartment and the steering gear box. It is about the hole cover.

  This type of column hole cover is provided to prevent intrusion of dust, rainwater, noise, etc. through the opening of the dash panel from the engine compartment to the vehicle compartment. There are those described in Patent Documents 1 and 2.

  In the column hole cover having the mounting structure described in Patent Document 1, as shown in FIG. 6, the connection portion with the dash panel 41 in the column hole cover 40 is inserted into the opening 41 a of the dash panel 41. An insertion portion 42 and a reverse engagement portion 43 integrally formed at the tip of the insertion portion 42 are provided. The reverse engagement portion 43 is engaged with the peripheral edge portion of the opening 41 a of the dash panel 41 by being inverted and bent outward after the insertion portion 42 is inserted into the opening 41 a. And when the insertion part 42 is inserted in the opening part 41a, the engaging groove 44 provided in the base end side outer periphery of the insertion part 42 fits in the peripheral part of the opening part 41a. At the same time, the stepped portion 45 adjacent to the engaging groove 44 contacts the surface 41b of the peripheral portion. Next, when the reverse engaging portion 43 is reversely bent, the pressing portion 43a provided at the tip of the reverse engaging portion 43 comes into close contact with the back surface 41c of the peripheral edge portion of the opening 41a. Therefore, the space between the column hole cover 40 and the opening 41a of the dash panel 41 is sealed by the step 45 and the pressing portion 43a that sandwich the peripheral edge of the opening 41a.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the column hole cover of Patent Document 2 includes a seal portion 51 for sealing the opening portion 50 a by being pressed against the peripheral portion of the opening portion 50 a of the dash panel 50. The cover main body 53 includes a bellows portion 52 that elastically presses the seal portion 51 against the surface of the peripheral portion of the opening 50a. The bellows part 52 absorbs the displacement of the steering gear box 54 with respect to the dash panel 50 due to its elastic deformation. At the same time, the bellows portion 52 maintains a state in which the seal portion 51 is pressed against the peripheral edge portion of the opening 50 a of the dash panel 50. The cover main body 53 is connected to the steering gear box 54 through a substantially cylindrical spacer 56 through which the pinion shaft 55 is inserted. Inside the cover main body 53, a shaft hole 57a through which the pinion shaft 55 is inserted is provided, and a partition portion 57 that partitions the cover main body 53 side and the spacer 56 side is provided.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-218232 JP 2004-322788 A

  By the way, in general, in order to effectively suppress the noise intrusion from the engine compartment to the vehicle compartment through the opening by the column hole cover, the cover body is made thicker or has a higher specific gravity. It is necessary to increase the rigidity of the entire cover body by making the cover body from rubber. However, in this case, the weight of the cover body is increased, or the assemblability is deteriorated due to the rigidity of the cover body becoming too high. That is, the column hole cover is attached in a state of being forcedly fitted between the steering gear box and the dash panel. For this reason, if the rigidity of the column hole cover is too high, the cover main body cannot be easily deformed, and the assemblability deteriorates. The column hole cover provided with the mounting structure of Patent Document 1 has not been provided with a configuration for dealing with the above-described problems.

  On the other hand, in the column hole cover of Patent Document 2, the opening portion 50a of the dash panel 50 is partially covered from the engine compartment by the partition portion 57 and the spacer 56 provided in the cover body 53. Become. For this reason, the intrusion of noise from the engine compartment into the vehicle compartment via the opening 50a is more effectively reduced. However, in this column hole cover, since the bellows portion 52 is positioned on the opening 50a side of the partition body 57 in the cover main body 53, the thickness of that portion is thinner than other portions. For this reason, it is not possible to effectively reduce the noise entering the opening 50a from the engine compartment through the non-double part, and there is room for improvement in improving the sound insulation.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a column hole cover capable of improving sound insulation while suppressing an increase in weight and deterioration in assembling properties.

  In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is a substantially cylinder that covers the shaft of the steering device that is inserted into the opening of the dash panel between the dash panel and the steering gear box and covers the opening. In the column hole cover formed in the shape and provided with a seal portion for sealing the opening at the connection portion with the dash panel, the shaft of the steering device is inserted inside the cover body. The partition part which closes the opening part of the connection part in the state is provided so that the outer peripheral edge part may be connected to the inner peripheral edge of the opening part of the connection part with the dash panel in the cover body.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the invention according to claim 1, wherein the partition part is integrally formed with the cover body in a state of being arranged outside the opening of the connection part of the cover body. It is arranged in the cover body by being pushed into the cover body from the opening.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect of the present invention, the partition portion is provided at a cylindrical portion connected to an inner peripheral edge of the opening of the connection portion and an end portion of the cylindrical portion. And is formed in a truncated cone shape by a bottom portion through which the shaft is inserted.

  The invention according to a fourth aspect is the invention according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the outer periphery of the connecting portion of the cover body with the dash panel is the entire periphery of the opening of the dash panel. A circumferential groove to be fitted is provided, and the seal portion is provided inside the circumferential groove.

  The invention according to claim 5 is the invention according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the shaft hole through which the shaft is inserted in the partition portion includes an outer peripheral surface of the shaft and a shaft hole. Friction reducing means for reducing the friction between the two is provided.

  According to the present invention, the entire opening of the dash panel is double-covered with respect to the engine compartment by the partition provided in the cover main body at the opening of the connection portion of the cover main body with the dash panel and the cover main body. Is called. For this reason, the sound insulation can be improved without increasing the thickness of the cover main body or causing an increase in weight or deterioration of assemblability as in the case of manufacturing the cover main body from rubber having a higher specific gravity. .

  Further, the partition portion may be integrally formed with the cover body in a state where the partition portion is disposed outside the opening portion of the connection portion of the cover body, and then the partition portion may be disposed within the cover body by being pushed into the cover body from the opening portion. . In this case, it is not necessary to form a partition part separately from the cover main body or to be assembled to the cover main body, so that the number of parts and the number of assembling steps are not increased.

  Further, a circumferential groove that fits around the periphery of the opening of the dash panel may be provided on the outer periphery of the connection portion of the cover body with the dash panel, and a seal portion may be provided inside the circumferential groove. In this case, a member for fixing the cover body to the dash panel is not necessary.

  Moreover, you may provide the friction reduction means which reduces the friction between the outer peripheral surface of the shaft and a shaft hole in the shaft hole which penetrates a shaft in a partition part. In this case, an increase in friction in the steering device can be suppressed and the steering device can be operated smoothly.

(First embodiment)
Next, a first embodiment embodying the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 shows a column hole cover 10 of this embodiment. This column hole cover 10 is formed in a substantially cylindrical shape, and is a rack-and-pinion type inserted through the opening 13 of the dash panel 12 between the steering gear box 15 and the dash panel 12 in the engine compartment 11 of the vehicle. The opening 14 is closed while covering the shaft 14 of the steering device. The shaft 14 is, for example, a pinion shaft connected to the steering gear box 15 or an extension shaft connected to the pinion shaft.

  The cover body 16 of the column hole cover 10 includes a first connection portion 17 connected to the steering gear box 15 and a second connection portion (connection portion) 18 connected to the opening 13 of the dash panel 12. Yes. The first connection portion 17 has a substantially cylindrical shape, and is fitted to the cylindrical connection portion of the steering gear box 15. The cover body 16 is provided with a first bellows portion 19 that allows relative displacement between the first connection portion 17 and the second connection portion 18 between the first connection portion 17 and the second connection portion 18. Yes. The second connecting portion 18 has a substantially elliptical opening 18a corresponding to the opening 13 of the dash panel 12, and an annular mounting bracket 20 is mounted on the inner peripheral side of the opening 18a. And the 2nd connection part 18 is a dash panel in the state which made the opening part 18a respond | correspond to the opening part 13 of the dash panel 12 by the attachment metal fitting 20 engaging with the peripheral part of the opening part 13 of the dash panel 12. 12 is fixed.

  A seal portion 21 for sealing the opening 13 of the dash panel 12 is provided on the end surface of the second connection portion 18. The seal portion 21 includes an annular inner peripheral lip seal 21 a and an outer peripheral lip seal 21 b along the periphery of the opening 13. The inner peripheral lip seal 21 a and the outer peripheral lip seal 21 b are in pressure contact with the peripheral surface of the opening 13 when the mounting bracket 20 is engaged with the opening 13. Further, the seal portion 21 is pressed against the peripheral surface of the opening 13 by an elastic reaction force based on an initial load previously applied to the first bellows portion 19 between the steering gear box 15 and the dash panel 12. Yes. The second connecting portion 18 is provided with a second bellows portion 25 for allowing relative displacement of the opening 18a and the seal portion 21 with respect to the portion of the second connecting portion 18 on the first connecting portion 17 side. .

  Furthermore, a partition 22 that closes the opening 18 a in a state where the shaft 14 is inserted is provided integrally with the cover main body 16 inside the second connection 18. The partition portion 22 is formed in a substantially truncated cone shape by a cylindrical portion 22a connected to the inner peripheral edge of the opening portion 18a of the second connection portion 18 and a bottom portion 22b that closes an end portion of the cylindrical portion 22a and allows the shaft 14 to be inserted. Is formed. As shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1, the partition portion 22 is integrally formed with the cover body 16 in a state of being disposed outside the opening portion 18 a of the second connection portion 18, and then the cover body 16 is opened from the opening portion 18 a. The cover body 16 is disposed by being pushed into the cover body 16. The average value of the thickness of the partition part 22 is made thinner than the average value of the thickness of the cover body 16. For example, when the average thickness of the cover body 16 is 6 mm, the average thickness of the partition portion 22 is, for example, 2 mm, which is one third.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a shaft hole 23 through which the shaft 14 is inserted is provided in the bottom 22 b of the partition portion 22, and a shaft seal portion (friction reducing means) 24 is provided on the inner peripheral side of the shaft hole 23. ing. The shaft seal portion 24 includes a plurality of annular seal protrusions 24a and 24b. Each of the seal protrusions 24 a and 24 b has a sharp tip, and the tip is elastically line-contacted with the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 14. Grease is held in the circumferential groove between the seal protrusions 24a and 24b. The shaft seal portion 24 reduces friction between the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 14 and the shaft hole 23.

  When the column hole cover 10 is assembled between the steering gear box 15 and the dash panel 12, first, the column hole cover 10 is inserted through the shaft 14 before being connected to the steering shaft (not shown), and then the column hole cover 10 is inserted. Ten first connecting portions 17 are fixed to the steering gear box 15. Next, the partition portion 22 extending outward from the opening 18 a of the second connection portion 18 of the cover body 16 is pushed into the cover body 16 from the opening 18 a and the shaft 14 is inserted into the shaft hole 23. Let Then, the shaft seal portion 24 inside the shaft hole 23 is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 14. Next, the second connecting portion 18 is fixed to the dash panel 12 by engaging the fitting 20 attached to the inside of the second connecting portion 18 of the cover main body 16 with the opening 13 of the dash panel 12. As described above, the column hole cover 10 is assembled between the steering gear box 15 and the dash panel 12. Finally, on the vehicle compartment side, the steering shaft side connecting portion is connected to the shaft 14 side connecting portion. Before assembling the column hole cover 10 between the steering gear box 15 and the dash panel 12, the partition portion 22 may be pushed into the cover body 16 from the opening 18a.

  When the vehicle travels, a suspension member (not shown) is relatively displaced with respect to the vehicle body due to the unevenness of the road surface, and the steering gear box 15 disposed on the suspension member is relatively displaced with respect to the vehicle body. For this reason, a shift occurs in the positional relationship between the steering gear box 15 and the dash panel 12, and the first connection portion 17 and the second connection portion 18 of the column hole cover 10 are relatively displaced. The relative displacement between the two connection portions 17 and 18 is absorbed by the elastic deformation of the first bellows portion 19, and the fluctuation of the urging force that presses the seal portion 21 against the peripheral surface of the opening portion 13 is suppressed. Accordingly, the sealing state of the opening 13 by the seal portion 21 is maintained well during the traveling of the vehicle.

  Further, the noise generated in the engine chamber 11 is transmitted to the opening 13 side through the cover body 16 and the partition portion 22. At this time, the entire opening 13 is doubly covered with respect to the engine chamber 11 by the partition 22 provided in the cover main body 16 at the opening 18 a of the second connecting portion 18 in the cover main body 16 and the cover main body 16. It has been broken. For this reason, the intrusion of noise from the engine compartment 11 into the vehicle compartment via the opening 13 is effectively reduced.

  Therefore, according to this embodiment, the opening 13 of the dash panel 12 is double-covered with respect to the engine compartment 11 by the cover body 16 and the partition part 22 provided in the cover body 16. Therefore, the sound insulation is prevented without increasing the weight of the column hole cover 10 or deteriorating the assemblability when the cover body 16 is made thicker or the cover body 16 is made of rubber having a higher specific gravity. Can be improved.

  The partition portion 22 is integrally formed with the cover main body 16 in a state of being disposed outside the opening 18 a of the second connection portion 18 of the cover main body 16 and then mixed into the cover main body 16 from the opening 18 a. This is arranged in the cover main body 16. Therefore, unlike the case where the partition 22 is formed separately from the cover body 16 and then the partition 22 is bonded and fixed to the cover body 16, the number of parts and the number of assembling steps do not increase.

  Further, the shaft hole 23 of the partition portion 22 is provided with a shaft seal portion 24 that reduces friction between the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 14 and the shaft hole 23. Therefore, an increase in friction in the steering device can be suppressed and the steering device can be operated smoothly.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment embodying the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, the code | symbol same about the same structure as 1st Embodiment is abbreviate | omitted, the description is abbreviate | omitted, and only the 2nd connection part 18 and the partition part 33 which are different from 1st Embodiment are explained in full detail.

  As shown in FIG. 4, an annular protrusion 30 along the opening 13 of the dash panel 12 is provided on the outer periphery of the opening 18 a of the second connecting portion 18 in this embodiment. Is provided with a circumferential groove 31 that fits around the peripheral edge of the opening 13. Inside the circumferential groove 31, a seal portion 32 that is pressed against the surface of the peripheral edge portion of the opening portion 13 is provided. As shown in FIG. 5, the seal portion 32 includes an inner peripheral lip seal 32 a and an outer peripheral lip seal 32 b along the periphery of the opening 13. The inner peripheral lip seal 32 a and the outer peripheral lip seal 32 b are elastically pressed against the surface of the peripheral edge of the opening 13 due to the rigidity of the protrusion 30. Further, the seal portion 21 is pressed against the peripheral surface of the opening 13 by an elastic reaction force based on an initial load previously applied to the first bellows portion 19 between the steering gear box 15 and the dash panel 12. Yes.

  In addition, a partition 33 that closes the opening 18 a in a state where the shaft 14 is inserted is provided integrally with the cover body 16 inside the second connection portion 18. The partition portion 33 is formed in a substantially truncated cone shape by a cylindrical portion 33a connected to the inner peripheral edge of the opening portion 18a of the second connecting portion 18 and a bottom portion 33b that closes the end portion of the cylindrical portion 33a and allows the shaft 14 to be inserted. Is formed. As shown by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 4, the partition portion 33 is integrally formed with the cover main body 16 in a state of being disposed outside the opening 18 a of the second connection portion 18, and then the cover main body 16 from the opening 18 a. The cover body 16 is disposed by being pushed into the cover body 16. A shaft hole 23 and a shaft seal portion 24 similar to the partition portion 22 of the first embodiment are provided in the bottom portion 33b of the partition portion 33.

  When the column hole cover 10 of this embodiment is assembled between the steering gear box 15 and the dash panel 12, the column hole cover 10 is first inserted through the shaft 14 before being connected to the steering shaft (not shown), The first connection portion 17 of the column hole cover 10 is fixed to the steering gear box 15. Next, the partition portion 33 extending outward from the opening portion 18a of the second connection portion 18 of the cover body 16 is pulled toward the passenger compartment through the opening portion 18a, whereby a part of the ridge portion 30 is elastically formed. It is deformed and drawn into the opening 18a, and the circumferential groove 31 is fitted to the peripheral edge of the opening 18a. As a result, the second connecting portion 18 of the cover main body 16 is fixed to the dash panel 12 and the seal portion 32 is pressed against the surface of the peripheral portion of the opening 18a. Next, the partition portion 33 is pushed into the cover main body 16 from the opening 18 a and the shaft 14 is inserted through the shaft hole 23. Then, the shaft seal portion 24 inside the shaft hole 23 is pressed against the outer peripheral surface of the shaft 14. As described above, the column hole cover 10 is assembled between the steering gear box 15 and the dash panel 12. Finally, on the vehicle compartment side, the steering shaft side connecting portion is connected to the shaft 14 side connecting portion.

  Also in the column hole cover 10 of this embodiment, as in the column hole cover 10 of the first embodiment, the sealing state of the opening portion 13 by the seal portion 32 is well maintained while the vehicle is running. In addition, noise intrusion from the engine compartment 11 into the vehicle compartment via the opening 13 is effectively reduced.

  Furthermore, according to this embodiment, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, the second connecting portion 18 of the cover body 16 is dashed by the protrusion 30 and the circumferential groove 31 provided on the outer periphery of the opening 18a. While being fixed to the panel 12, the opening 13 is sealed by the seal portion 32 in the circumferential groove 31. For this reason, the mounting bracket 20 becomes unnecessary and the number of assembling steps becomes unnecessary.

In addition, this embodiment can also be changed and embodied as follows.
As shown in FIG. 3, a self-lubricating bearing (friction reducing means) 35 is provided on the inner periphery of the shaft hole 23 instead of the shaft seal portion 24 integrated with the partition portion 22. Examples of the self-lubricating bearing 35 include those in which a lubricating oil is uniformly dispersed in a bearing made of a synthetic resin or bronze sintered, and those in which a solid lubricant is embedded in a bearing made of a cast alloy. The self-lubricating bearing 35 is mounted in the shaft hole 23 in a state in which the partition portion 22 extends outward from the opening 18a of the second connection portion 18, and the partition portion 22 extends from the opening 18a to the cover body. When it is pushed into 16, it is fitted to the shaft 14. Also in this case, an increase in friction in the steering device can be suppressed and the steering device can be operated smoothly.

  The partition portion 22 is formed separately from the cover body 16, and the partition portion 22 is disposed in the cover body 16 by bonding to the inner peripheral edge of the opening 18 a of the second connection portion 18 of the cover body 16. The configuration. Even with such a configuration, it is possible to improve the sound insulation while suppressing an increase in weight and deterioration in assemblability.

  -The partition part 22 is made into the flat form which blocks the opening part 18a of the 2nd connection part 18, as shown with a dashed-two dotted line in FIG. Even with such a configuration, it is possible to improve sound insulation while suppressing an increase in weight and deterioration in assemblability.

  The present invention is embodied in a column hole cover that covers a part of the ball-and-joint type steering device together with the opening 13.

The longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the column hole cover of 1st Embodiment. The longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows a partition part. The longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the modification of a partition part. The longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the column hole cover of 2nd Embodiment. The longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows a partition part. The longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the principal part of the conventional column hole cover. The longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the conventional column hole cover.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Column hole cover, 12 ... Dash panel, 13 ... Opening part, 14 ... Shaft, 15 ... Steering gear box, 16 ... Cover main body, 18 ... 2nd connection part as a connection part, 18a ... Opening, 21 ... Sealing part 22 ... partitioning part, 22a ... cylindrical part, 22b ... bottom part, 23 ... shaft hole, 24 ... shaft seal part as friction reducing means, 31 ... circumferential groove, 32 ... seal part, 33 ... partition part, 35 ... friction Self-lubricating bearings as a means of reduction.

Claims (5)

Covering the shaft of the steering device inserted through the opening of the dash panel between the dash panel and the steering gear box, and formed in a substantially cylindrical shape covering the opening, and the connecting portion with the dash panel is the same. In the column hole cover provided with a seal portion for sealing the opening,
On the inner side of the cover main body, a partition portion that closes the opening portion of the connection portion in a state where the shaft of the steering device is inserted, the outer peripheral edge portion is connected to the inner peripheral edge of the opening portion of the connection portion with the dash panel in the cover main body. Column hole cover, characterized by providing   The partition portion is integrally formed with the cover body in a state where the partition portion is disposed outside the opening portion of the connection portion of the cover body, and is then disposed in the cover body by being pushed into the cover body from the opening portion. The column hole cover according to claim 1, wherein:   The partition part is formed in a truncated cone shape by a cylindrical part connected to the inner peripheral edge of the opening part of the connection part and a bottom part provided at an end part of the cylindrical part and through which the shaft is inserted. The column hole cover according to claim 1 or 2.   The outer periphery of the connection part with the dash panel in the cover body is provided with a circumferential groove that fits over the entire periphery of the opening of the dash panel, and the seal part is provided inside the circumferential groove. The column hole cover according to claim 3.   5. The shaft hole through which the shaft is inserted in the partition part is provided with friction reducing means for reducing friction between the outer peripheral surface of the shaft and the shaft hole. Column hole cover according to any one of the above.

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