JP2008273269A - Propeller shaft for automobile - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To enhance productivity in assembling or the like when an annular support member for supporting a shaft-like inner is provided on a support base on a vehicle body side in a propeller shaft for an automobile. <P>SOLUTION: In the propeller shaft 10 for the automobile, a rubber-like elastic member 53 constituting the annular support member 50 is directly molded to a mounting part 61 of the support base 60. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an automobile propeller shaft.

  As a propeller shaft for an automobile, as described in Patent Document 1, a plurality of split shafts are connected by a joint, and a joint inner shaft provided on the other split shaft is connected to a cylindrical outer joint of the joint provided on one split shaft. There is a type in which a bearing fitted and supported on the inner shaft is supported on the inner periphery of an annular support member, and an annular support member is provided on a mounting portion of a support base fixed to the vehicle body side. FIG. 3 shows this conventional structure, wherein 1 is a cylindrical outer, 2 is a shaft inner, 3 is an annular support member, 4 is a support base, and 4A is an attachment portion (outer ring) of the support base 4.

In the propeller shaft for an automobile, the bearing loaded in the inner 2 is supported on the support base 4 on the vehicle body side via the rubber-like elastic member 3A of the annular support member 3, thereby having an outer 1 and an inner 2 for an engine or the like. The transmission of vibration between the connected propeller shaft and the vehicle body is cut off.
JP2006-151056

  In the prior art, an outer ring (outer collar) 3B is provided on the outer periphery of the rubber-like elastic member 3A of the annular support member 3, and the outer ring 3B of the annular support member 3 is press-fitted into the mounting portion 4A of the support base 4 and assembled. Therefore, there are the following disadvantages.

  (1) Since the annular support member 3 having the rubber-like elastic member 3A and the outer ring 3B and the support base 4 having the mounting portion 4A are prepared as separate parts and assembled by press-fitting them, the number of parts and assembly man-hours are large. .

  (2) When it is necessary to eccentrically arrange the bearing center that is the center of the annular support member 3 with respect to the support center of the support base 4, the outer ring 3B of the annular support member 3 is attached to the mounting portion 4A of the support base 4. In press-fitting, the phase management is required.

  An object of the present invention is to improve productivity of assembly and the like when an annular support member for supporting a shaft-like inner is provided on a support base on the vehicle body side in a propeller shaft for an automobile.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, a plurality of split shafts are connected by joints, and a joint inner shaft provided on the other split shaft is fitted into a tubular outer of a joint provided on one split shaft. A rubber-like material constituting an annular support member in a propeller shaft for an automobile in which a bearing loaded on a shaft is supported on the inner periphery of an annular support member and an annular support member is provided on a mounting portion of a support base fixed to the vehicle body side The elastic member is molded directly on the mounting portion of the support base.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the rubber-like elastic member is directly disposed between the inner periphery of the mounting portion of the support base and the outer periphery of the inner ring that fits and supports the bearing. It is made by molding.

(Claim 1)
(a) The rubber-like elastic member constituting the annular support member is directly molded on the mounting portion of the support base, so that the rubber-like elastic member of the annular support member is molded simultaneously with the annular support member and the support. The base can be produced as a single part. Even when the bearing center of the annular support member and the support center of the support base are arranged eccentrically, and the phase is designated between the annular support member and the support base, the phase management thereof is not necessary. Therefore, productivity such as assembly can be improved in the propeller shaft for an automobile.

(Claim 2)
(b) The rubber-like elastic member is molded directly between the inner periphery of the mounting portion of the support base and the outer periphery of the inner ring that fits and supports the bearing, thereby At the same time that the rubber-like elastic member is molded, the annular support member having the inner ring and the rubber-like elastic member and the support base can be produced as one part.

  FIG. 1 is a half plan view showing a partially broken propeller shaft for an automobile, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of an essential part of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a half plan view showing a conventional example.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a propeller shaft 10 for an automobile (FR vehicle or 4WD vehicle) is composed of two shaft members divided into a front divided shaft 11 and a rear divided shaft 12. It is constituted by being connected by a quick joint (slidable joint) 13. The front end of the front split shaft 11 is connected to a connecting yoke connected to the output shaft of the engine-side transmission via a universal joint, and the rear end of the rear split shaft 12 is connected to a differential via a universal joint. It is connected with a connecting yoke connected to the gear.

  The propeller shaft 10 connects the cylindrical outer 20 of the constant velocity joint 13 to one end of a hollow pipe constituting one split shaft 11 by friction welding. The shaft inner 30 of the constant velocity joint 13 is connected to one end of the other split shaft 12. The inner 30 is fitted to the outer 20. The internal structure of the constant velocity joint 13 will not be described in detail.

  The propeller shaft 10 rotatably supports the bearing 40 loaded on the shaft of the inner shaft 31 constituting the inner 30 on the inner periphery of the annular support member 50, and is attached to a mounting portion (outer part) of the support base 60 fixed to the vehicle body side. An annular support member 50 is provided on the ring 61.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the annular support member 50 includes an inner ring 51 that fits and supports the bearing 40, and a rubber-like elastic member 53 that is molded so as to cover the outer periphery of the inner ring 51. The inner ring 51 has a stepped cylindrical shape in which the diameter is changed like a small diameter part 51A, a medium diameter part 51B, and a large diameter part 51C between front and rear outer ends 50A and 50B described later of the annular support member 50. The outer ring of the bearing 40 is fitted to the inner periphery of the middle diameter portion 51B, the small diameter portion 51A extends to the outer contour of the front stopper means 70 described later, and the large diameter portion 51C extends to the outer contour of the rear stopper means 80 described later. It is extended.

  In the propeller shaft 10, the bearing 40 fitted to the inner diameter portion 51 </ b> B of the inner ring 51 of the annular support member 50 is loaded on the inner shaft 31 of the inner 30. In this state, the bearing 40 is mounted on the shaft of the inner shaft 31. The bearing 40 is positioned by front and rear stopper means 70 and 80 provided on both sides of the sandwiched axial direction. In this embodiment, the front stopper means 70 is constituted by an annular stopper piece that is press-fitted into the inner shaft 31, and the rear stopper means 80 is formed integrally with the inner shaft 31. As a result, the inner ring of the bearing 40 is positioned between the end surface of the front stopper means 70 and the stepped surface of the rear stopper means 80.

  The propeller shaft 10 is loaded with seal members 41 and 42 on the inner periphery of the annular support member 50 and on the inner periphery of the small diameter portion 51A and the large diameter portion 51C on both sides of the medium diameter portion 51B that supports the bearing 40, respectively. To do. The seal member 41 is slidably contacted with the outer periphery of the front stopper means 70, the seal member 42 is slidably contacted with the outer periphery of the rear stopper means 80, and the bearing 40 is sealed from both sides by the seal member 41 and the seal member 42.

  The propeller shaft 10 is provided with an inner flange portion 71 and an outer flange portion 72 at two inner and outer positions on the outer periphery of the front stopper means 70 and on the outer side in the axial direction of the outer periphery with which the seal member 41 is slidably contacted. An annular groove 73 is provided between the portion 71 and the outer flange portion 72. In addition, an inner flange portion 81 and an outer flange portion 82 are provided at two inner and outer positions on the outer periphery of the rear stopper means 80 and on the outer side in the axial direction from the outer periphery with which the seal member 42 is in sliding contact. An annular groove 83 is provided between the outer flange portions 82.

  In the propeller shaft 10, the front outer end 50 </ b> A extending outward in the axial direction of the annular support member 50 is close to the outer shell including the inner flange portion 71 and the outer flange portion 72 of the front stopper means 70. A gap between them is defined as a labyrinth La. Further, the rear outer end 50B extending outward in the axial direction rearward of the annular support member 50 is close to the outer shell including the inner flange portion 81 and the outer flange portion 82 of the rear stopper means 80, and a gap between the outer shell and the outer shell Is the labyrinth Lb. The labyrinths La and Lb form a narrow and bent path between the external space of the annular support member 50 and the internal space on the bearing 40 side, and the muddy water that scatters from the outside when the vehicle travels is circular. It becomes resistance against entering the inside of the support member 50. The muddy water that has entered the inside of the annular support member 50 through the labyrinth La, Lb is subjected to centrifugal force accompanying the rotation of the inner shaft 31 and receives the centrifugal force of the inner support 31. The inner circumference of the large-diameter portion 51C is transmitted inward and is captured by the annular groove 73 between the inner flange portion 71 and the outer flange portion 72 or the annular groove 83 between the inner flange portion 81 and the outer flange portion 82. It is guided and falls downward and is prevented from entering the seal members 41 and 42 side.

  However, when the propeller shaft 10 is provided with the annular support member 50 for supporting the inner shaft 31 of the inner 30 in the attachment portion 61 of the support base 60 on the vehicle body side, the following is required to improve productivity such as assembly. It has a configuration.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the propeller shaft 10 is formed by directly molding the rubber-like elastic member 53 constituting the annular support member 50 on the mounting portion 61 of the support base 60. The rubber-like elastic member 53 is directly molded between the inner periphery of the mounting portion 61 of the support base 60 and the outer periphery of the inner ring 51 for fitting and supporting the bearing 40.

Accordingly, the annular support member 50 and the support base 60 are manufactured as follows.
(1) A mounting portion 61 is fixedly provided on the support base 60 by welding or the like, and the support base 60, the mounting portion 61, and the inner ring 51 are arranged in a predetermined phase relationship in the mold.

  (2) A rubber-like elastic member 53 such as vulcanized rubber is integrally molded between the attachment portion 61 of the support base 60 and the inner ring 51. As a result, an integrally molded product of the annular support member 50 and the support base 60 is manufactured.

According to the present embodiment, the following operational effects can be obtained.
(a) By forming the rubber-like elastic member 53 constituting the annular support member 50 directly on the mounting portion 61 of the support base 60, the rubber-like elastic member 53 of the annular support member 50 is simultaneously molded. The annular support member 50 and the support base 60 can be produced as one part. Even when a phase is specified between the annular support member 50 and the support base 60, such as when the bearing center of the annular support member 50 and the support center of the support base 60 are arranged eccentrically, the phase management (circumferential position It is no longer necessary to assemble after positioning. Therefore, in the propeller shaft 10 for automobiles, productivity such as assembly can be improved.

  (b) By molding the rubber-like elastic member 53 directly between the inner periphery of the mounting portion 61 of the support base 60 and the outer periphery of the inner ring 51 that fits and supports the bearing, Simultaneously with the molding of the rubber-like elastic member 53 of the annular support member 50, the annular support member 50 having the inner ring 51 and the rubber-like elastic member 53 and the support base 60 can be easily produced as one part.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail with reference to the drawings, the specific configuration of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and even if there is a design change or the like without departing from the gist of the present invention. It is included in the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a half plan view showing a part of a propeller shaft for an automobile, with a part thereof broken. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the main part of FIG. FIG. 3 is a half plan view showing a conventional example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Propeller shaft 11, 12 Split shaft 13 Joint 20 Cylindrical outer 30 Shaft inner 40 Bearing 50 Annular support member 51 Inner ring 53 Rubber-like elastic member 60 Support base 61 Attaching part

Claims (2)

A plurality of split shafts are connected by a joint, and a joint inner shaft provided on the other split shaft is fitted into a tubular outer joint provided on one split shaft, and a bearing loaded on the inner shaft is mounted. In an automobile propeller shaft that is supported on the inner periphery of an annular support member and provided with an annular support member at a mounting portion of a support base that is fixed to the vehicle body side,
A propeller shaft for an automobile, wherein a rubber-like elastic member constituting an annular support member is molded directly on a mounting portion of a support base.   The propeller for an automobile according to claim 1, wherein the rubber-like elastic member is molded directly between an inner periphery of a mounting portion of a support base and an outer periphery of an inner ring that fits and supports the bearing. shaft.

Images