JP2013103639A - Center support for propeller shaft - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reliably release a state where a propeller shaft is supported by surely moving a bracket backward when the propeller shaft moves in the rear of a vehicle.SOLUTION: A center support 10 rotatably supports the propeller shaft from a vehicle body member in the rear side of the vehicle from a deflector 20. The center support includes: the bracket having an enclosure partially enclosing the propeller shaft; and a pair of mounting seats 12LB integrally connected to the enclosure at both sides in a vehicle width direction; and mounting means 40L, 40R mounting the pair of mounting seats to the vehicle body member, and releasing a state where the bracket is mounted to the vehicle body member when the bracket is moved in the rear of the vehicle by deflector. The enclosure has a protrusion 12LE, a part of the front end edge of the protrusion is located in the front side of the vehicle from the front end edge of the pair of mounting seats 12LB.

Description

  The present invention relates to a propeller shaft of a vehicle such as an automobile, and more particularly to a center support for a propeller shaft.

  For example, a propeller shaft of a vehicle such as an automobile extends in the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and is rotatably supported by a center support on the vehicle rear side with respect to a deflector provided at an intermediate portion thereof. The center support includes a bracket that rotatably supports the propeller shaft via a bearing and a cushion rubber, and an attachment unit that attaches the bracket to the vehicle body member.

  The bracket includes an enclosure portion that at least partially surrounds the propeller shaft, and a pair of mounting seats that are integrally connected to the enclosure portion on both sides in the vehicle width direction with respect to the enclosure portion. The attachment means attaches the pair of attachment seats to the vehicle body member, and releases the state where the bracket is attached to the vehicle body member when the bracket is moved rearward by the deflector.

  A propeller shaft center support having the above-described configuration is well known in the art. For example, an example thereof is described in Patent Document 1 below. As described in this document, according to this type of center support, when the propeller shaft is moved rearward in the event of a vehicle collision, the state where the propeller shaft is supported from the vehicle body member by the bracket is released. Propeller Shaft can be removed.

JP 2005-193870 A

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention]
In the conventional propeller shaft center support, the vehicle front side edges of the pair of mounting seats are aligned with the vehicle front side edges of the enclosure. In other words, these edges are located in the same plane. Therefore, when the propeller shaft is tilted when the propeller shaft moves rearward of the vehicle, the deflector and the mounting seat are deformed due to the deflecting of the deflector against the mounting seat before the enclosure. Therefore, there is a possibility that the bracket cannot be moved to the rear of the vehicle satisfactorily, and therefore the state where the propeller shaft is supported from the vehicle body member by the bracket cannot be released.

  The fear is not only when the edges of the pair of mounting seats on the front side of the vehicle are aligned with the edges of the surrounding part on the front side of the vehicle, but also the ends of the pair of mounting seats on the front side of the vehicle. It exists also when the edge is located on the vehicle front side with respect to the vehicle front side edge of the surrounding portion.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems in the conventional center support for propeller shafts, and the main object of the present invention is when the propeller shaft is inclined and moves rearward of the vehicle. Also, the deflector reliably moves the bracket to the rear of the vehicle, thereby reliably releasing the state in which the propeller shaft is supported from the vehicle body member by the bracket.
[Means for Solving the Problems and Effects of the Invention]

  According to the present invention, the above-mentioned main problem is that the propeller shaft center for rotatably supporting the propeller shaft from the vehicle body on the rear side of the vehicle relative to the deflector provided on the propeller shaft. A bracket that is a support and includes a surrounding portion that at least partially surrounds the propeller shaft, and a pair of mounting seats that are integrally connected to the surrounding portion on both sides in the vehicle width direction; The propeller shaft center support includes: a pair of mounting seats attached to the vehicle body member; and an attachment means for releasing the state where the bracket is attached to the vehicle body member when the bracket is moved rearward by the deflector. In this case, at least a part of the vehicle front side edge of the surrounding portion is the pair of mounting seat portions. It is achieved by the center support propeller shaft, characterized in that located on the front side of the vehicle than the end edge on the vehicle front side.

  According to the above configuration, at least a part of the vehicle front side edge of the surrounding portion is located on the vehicle front side with respect to the vehicle front side edge of the pair of mounting seats, so that the propeller shaft is inclined. Even when the vehicle moves rearward, the deflector does not contact the mounting seat. Therefore, the bracket can be surely moved to the rear of the vehicle by the abutment of the deflector with the edge of the surrounding portion on the front side of the vehicle, so that the state where the propeller shaft is supported from the body member by the bracket can be reliably released. Can be made.

  Even if the outer diameter of the deflector is set to a value larger than the outer diameter of the surrounding portion, the deflector does not contact the mounting seat when the propeller shaft moves rearward of the vehicle. Therefore, when the outer diameter of the deflector is set to a value larger than the outer diameter of the surrounding portion, the deflector can be reliably brought into contact with the surrounding portion when the propeller shaft moves rearward of the vehicle.

  In the above configuration, the pair of mounting seats are integrally connected to the surrounding portion by a pair of connecting portions, and the vehicle front side edge of the pair of connecting portions is the vehicle front side of the surrounding portion. It may be located on the vehicle rear side with respect to the edge.

According to this configuration, the vehicle front side edge of the pair of connection parts that integrally connect the pair of mounting seats to the enclosure part is located on the vehicle rear side of the vehicle front side edge of the enclosure part. Yes. Therefore, even when the propeller shaft is inclined and moves rearward of the vehicle, the deflector does not come into contact with the connecting portion, so that the bracket can be reliably moved rearward of the vehicle by the deflector. Also, for example, when the bracket is formed by plastic working such as press working as compared with the case where the edge on the vehicle front side of the pair of connecting portions is located at the same position as the edge of the surrounding portion on the vehicle front side. Moreover, the molding can be easily performed.
[Preferred embodiment of problem solving means]

  Further, in the above configuration, the surrounding portion has a protruding portion that protrudes toward the vehicle front side, and the edge of the protruding portion on the vehicle front side is ahead of the pair of mounting seat portions on the vehicle front side. It may be located on the side.

  Further, in the above configuration, the protruding portion does not have to be provided at the connecting portion.

  In the above configuration, the deflector may have an outer diameter larger than the outer diameter of the protrusion.

  In the above configuration, the edge on the vehicle front side of the region adjacent to the connection portion of the pair of mounting seats may be located at the same position in the vehicle front-rear direction as the edge on the vehicle front side of the connection portion.

  In the above configuration, the protrusion may extend over substantially the entire region corresponding to the surrounding portion, and the leading edge of the protrusion may be parallel to the deflector.

  In the above configuration, the bracket includes an upper bracket and a lower bracket, and each of the upper bracket and the lower bracket may include an encircling portion having an arcuate cross section and a pair of mounting seats.

  In the above configuration, the pair of mounting seat portions of the upper bracket and the lower bracket may be attached to the vehicle body member in a state of abutting each other.

  In the above configuration, the surrounding portions of the upper bracket and the lower bracket may cooperate with each other so as to surround the propeller shaft substantially over the entire circumference.

It is a bottom view which shows embodiment of the center support for propeller shafts with a propeller shaft by this invention. It is sectional drawing which looked at the center support and propeller shaft which were shown by FIG. 1 from the vehicle front side. FIG. 2 is a bottom view similar to FIG. 1 illustrating a state in which the state where the attachment seat portion is attached to the vehicle body member is released.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  1 and 2, reference numeral 10 generally indicates a center support for a propeller shaft, and reference numerals 12 and 14 indicate a center support bracket and a propeller shaft, respectively. The propeller shaft 14 extends in the vehicle front-rear direction and can rotate around the axis 16. The propeller shaft 14 has a flange member 18 for connecting a rear propeller shaft (not shown) at the rear end thereof, and a deflector 20 on the vehicle front side of the flange member 18. The flange member 18 and the deflector 20 have a substantially disk shape extending perpendicular to the axis 16. The flange member 18 is attached to the rear end of the propeller shaft 14 by attaching means such as a bolt, but the deflector 20 is integrally formed as a part of the propeller shaft 14.

  The bracket 12 is disposed between the flange member 18 and the deflector 20, and is spaced along the axis 16 from the flange member 18 and the deflector 20. The bracket 12 includes an upper bracket 12U and a lower bracket 12L. Each of the upper bracket 12U and the lower bracket 12L includes surrounding portions 12UA and 12LA having an arcuate cross section and a pair of mounting seat portions 12UB and 12LB. A bearing 22 is fitted to the propeller shaft 14, and a cushion rubber 24 is fitted around the bearing 22 over the entire circumference. The surrounding portions 12UA and 12LA are disposed so as to face each other, and are substantially semi-cylindrical so as to surround the bearing 22 and the cushion rubber 24 in cooperation with each other.

  The bearing 22 is attached to the propeller shaft 14 by being fitted to the propeller shaft 14 together with the bracket 12 and the cushion rubber 24 with the flange member 18 removed from the rear end of the propeller shaft 14.

  In the illustrated embodiment, the extending range of the surrounding portion 12UA around the axis 16 is larger than the extending range of the surrounding portion 12LA. The extending range of the surrounding portion 12LA around the axis 16 may be larger than the extending range of the surrounding portion 12UA, and the extending ranges of the surrounding portions 12LA and 12UA may be the same. The surrounding portions 12UA and 12LA are provided with a pair of beads 12UC and 12LC for improving rigidity, respectively. The beads 12UC and 12LC are spaced apart from each other in a direction along the axis 16, and have a circular arc shape that protrudes radially outward and opens radially inward.

  The pair of mounting seats 12UB and 12LB have a flat plate shape extending horizontally and are integrally connected to each other by welding. The attachment seats 12UB and 12LB may not be integrally connected. The pair of mounting seat portions 12UB are integrally connected to the surrounding portion 12UA by a connecting portion 12UD that is bent in the direction opposite to the surrounding portion 12UA when viewed in the direction along the axis 16. Similarly, the pair of mounting seat portions 12LB are integrally connected to the surrounding portion 12LA by a connecting portion 12LD that curves in the direction opposite to the surrounding portion 12LA when viewed in the direction along the axis 16.

  The pair of mounting seat portions 12UB and 12LB are provided with a pair of bolt holes 26UB and 26LB aligned with each other. Bolts 28 </ b> L and 28 </ b> R are inserted into the bolt holes 26 </ b> UB and 26 </ b> LB from below, and the bolts 28 </ b> L and 28 </ b> R are inserted into bolt holes provided in the vehicle body member 30. Spacers 34L and 34R that fit the bolts 28L and 28R are interposed between the pair of mounting seats 12UB and the vehicle body member 30. Nuts 36L and 36R are screwed onto the bolts 28L and 28R above the vehicle body member 30, and the nuts 36L and 36R are fixed to the vehicle body member 30 by welding, whereby the bolts 28L and 28R are fixed to the vehicle body member 30. Has been.

  The bolt holes 26UB and 26LB are elongated holes extending in the direction along the axis 16, and the bolts 28L and 28R are inserted into the bolt holes on the vehicle rear side from the center of the bolt holes 26UB and 26LB. Notches 38UB and 38LB are provided on the vehicle front side with respect to the bolt holes 26UB and 26LB of the mounting seat portions 12UB and 12LB. Accordingly, the distance between the front ends of the bolt holes 26UB and 26LB and the front edges of the mounting seats 12UB and 12LB is set to a small value.

  The rear edges of the surrounding portions 12UA and 12LA are located at the same position in the vehicle front-rear direction as the rear edges of the connecting portions 12UD and 12LD. Protruding portions 12UE and 12LE are provided on the front edge sides of the surrounding portions 12UA and 12LA so as to protrude further toward the vehicle front side than the front edges of the connecting portions 12UD and 12LD. Accordingly, the front edges of the protrusions 12UE and 12LE extend along an imaginary plane parallel to the deflector 20, and are located on the vehicle front side by a distance L from the front edges of the mounting seats 12UB and 12LB.

  Note that the upper bracket 12U and the lower bracket 12L may be formed by pressing a metal plate such as a steel plate punched into a predetermined shape to be formed into the shape shown in FIGS.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the protrusions 12UE and 12LE extend in regions corresponding to the surrounding portions 12UA and 12LA, respectively, and do not extend in regions corresponding to the connecting portions 12UD and 12LD. . As shown in FIG. 1, the deflector 20 has an outer diameter larger than the outer diameters of the protrusions 12UE and 12LE, and thus has an outer diameter larger than the outer diameters of the surrounding parts 12UA and 12LA. Yes.

  In the illustrated embodiment, normally, the propeller shaft 14 is supported by the vehicle body member 30 via the bearing 22 and the cushion rubber 24 by the bracket 12 and rotates around the axis 16. In this case, the transmission of vibration from the propeller shaft 14 to the vehicle body member 30 is suppressed by the cushion rubber 24.

  Further, when the propeller shaft 14 moves rearward due to a large force F acting on the propeller shaft 14 acting on the propeller shaft 14 as in the case of a vehicle collision, the propeller shaft 14 is moved relative to the bracket 12 by elastic deformation of the cushion rubber 24. To the rear of the vehicle. When the propeller shaft 14 further moves rearward of the vehicle, the deflector 20 comes into contact with the front edges of the protrusions 12UE and 12LE as shown in FIG. 3, and moves the bracket 12 rearward of the vehicle.

  The bolts 28L and 28R are inserted into the bolt holes 26UB and 26LB, which are long holes extending in the direction along the axis 16, and are fixed to the vehicle body member 30, and thus do not move. Accordingly, the mounting seats 12UB and 12LB move toward the rear of the vehicle relative to the bolts 28L and 28R, and the portion on the front side of the vehicle with respect to the bolts 28L and 28R is destroyed as shown in FIG. Therefore, the state where the mounting seat portions 12UB and 12LB are attached to the vehicle body member 30 by the bolts 28L and 28R is released, and thereby the state where the propeller shaft 14 is supported by the vehicle body member 30 is released and falls off.

  As understood from the above description, the bolt holes 26UB and 26LB, the bolts 28L and 28R, and the nuts 36L and 36R constitute attachment means 40L and 40R for attaching the pair of attachment seat portions 12UB and 12LB to the vehicle body member 30. The attachment means 40L and 40R release the state where the bracket 12 is attached to the vehicle body member 30 when the bracket 12 is moved rearward of the vehicle by the deflector 20.

  According to the illustrated embodiment, the projecting portions 12UE and 12LE are provided on the front edge sides of the surrounding portions 12UA and 12LA, and the front edges of the projecting portions 12UE and 12LE are on the vehicle front side with respect to the front edges of the mounting seat portions 12UB and 12LB. Is located. Therefore, when the propeller shaft 14 moves rearward of the vehicle, the deflector 20 preferentially contacts the front edges of the protrusions 12UE and 12LE without contacting the mounting seats 12UB and 12LB, and the bracket 12 is reliably moved rearward. Can be moved.

  Further, even when the outer diameter of the deflector 20 is set to a value larger than the outer diameters of the protrusions 12UE and 12LE, the deflector 20 does not contact the mounting seats 12UB and 12LB when the propeller shaft 14 moves rearward of the vehicle. Absent. Therefore, the outer diameter of the deflector 20 is set to a value larger than the outer diameters of the protrusions 12UE and 12LE, and the deflector 20 is reliably brought into contact with the protrusions 12UE and 12LE when the propeller shaft 14 moves rearward of the vehicle. it can.

  In particular, according to the illustrated embodiment, the protrusions 12UE and 12LE extend in a region corresponding to the surrounding portions 12UA and 12LA, respectively, and do not extend in a region corresponding to the connection portions 12UD and 12LD. . Therefore, even when the propeller shaft 14 is tilted and moves rearward of the vehicle, the deflector 20 does not come into contact with the connecting portions 12UD and 12LD, so that the bracket can be reliably moved rearward by the deflector. In addition, the upper bracket 12U and the lower bracket 12L can be easily formed by press working as compared with the case where the connecting portions 12UD and 12LD are also provided with the protruding portions similar to the protruding portions 12UE and 12LE.

  Further, according to the illustrated embodiment, the deflector 20 has an outer diameter larger than the outer diameters of the protrusions 12UE and 12LE. Accordingly, the deflector 20 is displaced in the radial direction as compared with the case where the outer diameter of the deflector 20 is equal to or smaller than the outer diameter of the protrusions 12UE and 12LE as shown by the phantom line 20 'in FIG. Also, the deflector can be reliably brought into contact with the protruding portion.

  Also according to the illustrated embodiment, the protrusions 12UE and 12LE extend over substantially the entire area corresponding to the enclosures 12UA and 12LA, respectively, and the leading edges of the protrusions 12UE and 12LE are parallel to the deflector 20. is there. Therefore, the contact when the deflector abuts against the projecting portion is compared to the case where the projecting portion extends only in a part of the region corresponding to the surrounding portion or when the leading edge of the projecting portion is not parallel to the deflector 20. The area can be reliably increased and their local deformation can be reduced.

  Although the present invention has been described in detail with respect to specific embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various other embodiments are possible within the scope of the present invention. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, the front edges of the surrounding portions 12UA and 12LA are located on the vehicle front side with respect to the frontmost edges of the mounting seat portions 12UB and 12LB by providing the protruding portions 12UE and 12LE. However, the front edge of the surrounding portion is more than the front edges of the pair of mounting seats when the propeller shaft 14 is movable in a direction perpendicular to the axis 16 relative to the bracket 12 due to elastic deformation of the cushion rubber 24 or the like. May be located on the vehicle front side. In other words, in the range radially outside the range in which the propeller shaft 14 can move relative to the bracket 12, the front edges of the mounting seats 12UB and 12LB are more than the frontmost edges of the surrounding portions 12UA and 12LA. May be located on the vehicle front side.

  In the above-described embodiment, the protrusions 12UE and 12LE extend over substantially the entire area corresponding to the surrounding parts 12UA and 12LA, respectively, but the range where the protrusions extend is the surrounding part. It may be a part of the region corresponding to.

  In the above-described embodiment, the bolt holes 26UB and 26LB are elongated holes extending in the direction along the axis 16, and are not connected to the outside of the mounting seats 12UB and 12LB. You may be connected to the exterior of the attachment seat part by the slit. Moreover, the thickness of the part ahead of the vehicle from the bolt holes 26UB and 26LB may be set smaller than the other parts.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the surrounding portions 12UA and 12LA surround the bearing 22 and the cushion rubber 24 over substantially the entire circumference around the axis 16, but the range in which the surrounding portions 12UA and 12LA are surrounded. May be a part around the axis 16.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, the surrounding portions 12UA and 12LA extend substantially in the shape of a semicircular arc around the axis 16. However, the lower surrounding portion 12LA may extend, for example, in a U-shaped cross section, and the upper surrounding portion 12UA may extend in a short semicircular arc shape or linear shape.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Center support, 12 ... Center support bracket, 12U ... Upper bracket, 12L ... Lower bracket, 12UA, 12LA ... Surrounding part, 12UB, 12LB ... Mounting seat part, 12UD, 12LD ... Connection part, 12UE, 12LE ... Projection part, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 14 ... Propeller shaft, 20 ... Deflector, 22 ... Bearing, 24 ... Cushion rubber, 28L, 28R ... Bolt, 30 ... Car body member, 40L and 40R ... Mounting means

Claims (2)

A propeller shaft center support for supporting the propeller shaft from the vehicle body so that the propeller shaft can rotate on the rear side of the vehicle with respect to the deflector provided on the propeller shaft,
A bracket having an enclosure part at least partially surrounding the propeller shaft, and a pair of mounting seats integrally connected to the enclosure part on both sides in the vehicle width direction with respect to the enclosure part;
An attachment means for attaching the pair of attachment seats to the vehicle body member, and releasing the state where the bracket is attached to the vehicle body member when the bracket is moved rearward of the vehicle by the deflector;
In the center support for the propeller shaft having
The propeller shaft center support characterized in that at least a part of the vehicle front side edge of the surrounding portion is located on the vehicle front side of the pair of mounting seats on the vehicle front side edge.   The pair of mounting seats are integrally connected to the surrounding portion by a pair of connecting portions, and the end edge of the pair of connecting portions on the vehicle front side is closer to the vehicle than the end edge of the surrounding portion on the vehicle front side. The center support for a propeller shaft according to claim 1, wherein the center support is located on a rear side.

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