JP2017189999A - Ball joint support device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a ball joint support device that stably holds a ball joint when the ball joint is assembled to a rack shaft.SOLUTION: A ball joint support device 70 is provided with: a support device body 71 that has a reference axis C1; and a support unit 72. An outer periphery 11b of a rod element 11 and an outer periphery 15a of a housing 15 are supported in a loosely-fitting manner by the support unit 72, and the housing 15 is positioned in a reference axis direction X by a positioning unit 75. A pair of pinching claws 77 supported by the support unit 72 via a support shaft 81 is closed by an opening/closing mechanism 73 and holds the outer periphery 15a of the housing 15 of the ball joint 7.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a ball joint support device that supports a ball joint when the ball joint is assembled to a rack shaft.

In a rack and pinion type steering device, each end of a rack shaft as a turning shaft is connected to one end of a tie rod via an inner ball joint, and the other end of the tie rod is connected to a knuckle arm via an outer ball joint. Yes.
Typically, the inner ball joint includes a ball integrally provided at one end of the first rod element of a tie rod having a first rod element and a second rod element, a housing for receiving and holding the ball, and the first rod element from the housing. And a screw shaft protruding on the opposite side.

When assembling the steering device, the housing of the inner ball joint is held and rotated by the holder, and the screw shaft that rotates integrally with the housing is screwed into the screw hole on the end surface of the rack shaft that is restricted in rotation. The ball joint and the rack shaft are connected and fixed.
Patent Documents 1 and 2 have been proposed as techniques for holding the inner ball joint.

In Patent Document 1, the engagement member has a square-shaped or hexagonal-shaped engagement hole with one side open and has a spanner shape, and a rod is inserted into the engagement hole of the spanner-shaped engagement member. There has been proposed a technique for inserting and engaging a rectangular column portion or a hexagonal column portion of an end (corresponding to a housing of an inner ball joint).
In Patent Document 2, a lock nut is screwed in advance to a screw on the outer periphery of one end of the rod end, and is cut out in parallel to the outer periphery of the other end of the rod end (corresponding to the outer periphery of the inner ball joint housing). There was a notch. While the rotation of the tie rod is regulated by the detent arm and the rotation of the lock nut is regulated by the spanner-like open end wrench, the screw holder that the other end of the rod end is inserted in the axial direction is rotated by the screw motor. As a result, the rod end member is screwed into the tie rod member.

JP 59-224223 A JP 59-199436 A

In Patent Document 1, since the backlash is generated between the quadrangular column portion and the engagement hole due to variations in the dimensions of the quadrangular column portion and the like, the housing of the inner ball joint is unstable.
In Patent Document 2, since the other end of the rod end (corresponding to the housing of the inner ball joint) is simply inserted into the screw holder from the axial direction, the holding becomes unstable due to variations in dimensional accuracy.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a ball joint support device that can stably hold a ball joint when the ball joint is assembled to a rack shaft.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a ball (13) formed at one end of a rod element (11) constituting a part of a tie rod (8), a cup-shaped accommodation portion (17) for accommodating the ball, and the accommodation. A housing (15) including a first end (15b) on the rod element side, the portion of which forms an opening (17a), and a second end (15c) disposed on the opposite side of the first end; A screw shaft (16) extending orthogonally from the end surface (15d) of the second end portion and screwed into the screw hole (5c) of the end surface (5b) of the rack shaft (5), and the first end portion Is a ball joint support device (70; 70P) for supporting a ball joint (7) including a positioned portion (15e) parallel to the end face of the second end portion when assembling to the rack shaft, and a reference axis line Support device body having (C1) 70; 70P), a rod element support portion (74; 96) extending in the reference axis direction (X) which is a direction in which the reference axis extends, and loosely supporting the outer periphery (11b) of the rod element, and the outer periphery of the housing ( 15a) includes a housing support portion (76; 97) that loosely supports and a positioning portion (75; 98) that contacts the positioned portion and positions the housing in the reference axial direction. A support part (72; 72P) rotatably supported around the reference axis is disposed opposite to the reference axis, and is supported by the support via a support shaft (81) so as to be rotatable. A ball cage including a pair of clamping claws (77) that open and close in the radial direction of the rod element and clamp the outer periphery of the housing, and an opening and closing mechanism (73; 73P) that opens and closes the pair of clamping claws. Providing; (70P 70) Into a support device.

As in claim 2, in claim 1, the opening / closing mechanism is supported by the support device body, and has a linear actuator (83) having a central axis parallel to the reference axis, and the linear actuator An interlocking mechanism (84) that interlocks the linear movement and the rotation of each of the holding claws around the corresponding spindle.
As in Claim 3, in Claim 2, the interlocking mechanism is interposed between the support portion and each of the holding claws, and biases a member (87) for biasing each of the holding claws in the opening direction. A cam follower (77d) is formed in an annular shape around the reference axis, surrounds the pair of clamping claws, is driven in the reference axis direction by the linear actuator, and is provided on each clamping claw on the inner periphery (89c). ) And a cam ring (89; 89P) formed with a tapered cam surface (89d) that expands toward the screw shaft side in the reference axial direction.

  As in claim 4, in claim 1, the support portion is movable in the reference axis direction by the support base (94) whose movement in the reference axis direction is restricted by the support device body. A movable portion (95) supported by the movable portion, the movable portion including the rod element support portion (96), the housing support portion (97), and the positioning portion (98). And the opening / closing mechanism is interposed between the support base and the movable portion and biases the movable portion toward the screw shaft side in the reference axis direction. A first urging member (99), a second urging member (87P) interposed between the movable portion and each of the clamping claws to urge each of the clamping claws in an opening direction, and fixed to the support base. A ring centered on the reference axis A pair of pinching claws that surround the pair of pinching claws and are cam-engaged with cam followers (77d) provided on the pinching claws on the inner periphery (89c), and are tapered toward the screw shaft side in the reference axial direction. A cam ring (89P) having a cam surface (89d) formed thereon, and the opening / closing mechanism (73P) is disposed on the first biasing member when the screw shaft is pushed toward the rod element by the rack shaft. As the movable portion is displaced toward the support base, the cam surface is an automatic opening / closing mechanism that pushes the holding claws toward the closing side via the cam follower against the second urging member. It may be configured.

As in claim 5, in any one of claims 1 to 4, the pair of clamping claws are provided on the outer periphery of the housing and form a pair of flat covers that form a two-sided width therebetween. A pair of flat clamping surfaces (77c) that clamp the clamping surfaces (15f) may be included.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a ball formed at one end of a rod element that constitutes a part of a tie rod, a cup-shaped accommodating portion that accommodates the ball, and a rod element-side first member that forms an opening. A housing including a first end and a second end disposed on the opposite side of the first end; and a housing extending orthogonally from the end surface of the second end and screwed into a screw hole in the end surface of the rack shaft. A ball joint support device that supports a ball joint including a positioned portion parallel to the end face of the second end portion when the ball joint is assembled to the rack shaft. A rod element support portion (101) that extends in the reference axis direction, which is a direction in which the reference axis extends, and a loose support that supports the outer periphery of the housing. A ging support portion (102) and a positioning portion (103) for abutting the positioned portion and positioning the housing in the reference axis direction, the support device main body being rotatable about the reference axis line A support portion (72Q) supported, wherein the housing support portion has an annular shape that surrounds the outer periphery of the housing and that is centered on the reference axis, and has a plurality of cams arranged on the circumference of the inner periphery (110a). A cam ring (110) formed with a groove (111) and a plurality of cam balls (120) respectively held in the cam grooves, the cam surface (111a) formed at the bottom of each cam groove, A corresponding cam ball is accommodated between the outer periphery of the housing, and a wedge-shaped space (W that narrows in a direction (Z2) opposite to the screwing direction (Z1) of the screw shaft with respect to the screw hole). Provided but ball joint support device is formed with (70Q).

  As in claim 7, in any one of claims 4 to 6, each of the housing support (97; 102) and the rod element support (96; 101) An axial slit (97s; 102s, 96s; 101s) that can be inserted through Y) may be included.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the outer periphery of the rod element and the outer periphery of the housing are loosely supported by the support portion, and the housing is positioned in the reference axial direction by the positioning portion, and the pair of support portions supported by the support portion via the support shaft. The clamping claw is closed by the opening / closing mechanism to clamp the outer periphery of the ball joint housing. For this reason, the ball joint can be stably held.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, each clamping claw is driven to open and close by the direct acting actuator via the interlocking mechanism. Since the direct acting cylinder is arranged in parallel to the reference axis, the size can be reduced.
In the invention of claim 3, when the direct acting actuator advances the cam ring toward the screw shaft side, the tapered cam surface of the cam ring rotates the clamping claw toward the closing side via the cam follower. Conversely, when the direct acting actuator retracts the cam ring to the opposite side of the screw shaft, the clamping claws urged by the urging member rotate to the open side. The clamping claw can be driven with a simple structure.

In the invention of claim 4, when the screw shaft of the ball joint is pushed to the rod element side by the rack shaft, the clamping claws are automatically closed. For this reason, it is not necessary to provide an actuator for opening and closing the clamping claws, and the structure can be simplified.
In the fifth aspect of the invention, the pair of flat sandwiched surfaces forming the two-surface width of the housing is sandwiched between the pair of flat sandwiched surfaces. For this reason, it is possible to suppress an increase in the surface pressure of the sandwiched surface and suppress the occurrence of indentation or the like. Further, it is possible to contribute to centering for aligning the center axis of the screw shaft with the reference axis.

In the invention of claim 6, when the cam ring is rotated in the screwing direction of the screw shaft, each ball is displaced to the narrow side of the wedge-shaped space, and the outer periphery of the housing is tightened and held. The ball joint can be held stably with a simple structure.
In the invention of claim 7, since the rod element can be attached and detached in the radial direction, the attaching and detaching work is facilitated.

It is the schematic of a steering device. It is a front view of the principal part of the steering device assembly apparatus to which the ball joint support device of the first embodiment of the present invention is applied. It is a fragmentary sectional top view of the ball joint support device of a 1st embodiment, and shows the state where the ball joint was supported. It is a section front view of the ball joint support device of a 1st embodiment, and shows the state where the ball joint was supported. It is a schematic perspective view of the ball joint support device of a 1st embodiment. It is a schematic perspective view from another angle of the ball joint support device of a 1st embodiment. In 1st Embodiment, it is a schematic side view of the clamping nail | claw and the guide nail of the state which supported the housing of the ball joint. It is sectional drawing of the principal part of a ball joint support apparatus in 1st Embodiment, and has shown the state before clamping of a clamping claw. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the ball joint support apparatus of 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and has shown the state before clamping of a clamping nail | claw. It is a schematic side view of the ball joint support device of a 2nd embodiment. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the principal part of the ball joint support apparatus of 2nd Embodiment, and has shown the clamping state of the clamping claw. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the ball joint support apparatus of 3rd Embodiment of this invention. It is sectional drawing cut | disconnected along the XIII-XIII line | wire of FIG.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments embodying the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a steering apparatus 1 assembled by the steering apparatus assembly apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the steering device 1 includes a pinion housing 2, a pinion shaft 3, a rack housing 4, a rack shaft 5, two boots 6, two inner ball joints 7, and two tie rods 8. And two outer ball joints 9 and two connecting rods 10.

  The pinion housing 2 is formed integrally with the rack housing 4. The pinion housing 2 supports the pinion shaft 3 rotatably. Steering rotation of a steering wheel (not shown) is transmitted to the pinion shaft 3 via a steering shaft (not shown) and an intermediate shaft (not shown). The pinion shaft 3 is drivingly connected to the rack shaft 5.

The rack housing 4 has a cylindrical shape, and accommodates and holds the rack shaft 5 so as to be slidable in the axial direction. Each end 5 a of the rack shaft 5 protrudes from the rack housing 4.
Each end 5a of the rack shaft 5 is connected to one end 8a of the corresponding tie rod 8 via the corresponding inner ball joint 7, and the other end 8b of the tie rod 8 connects the corresponding outer ball joint 9 and the corresponding connecting rod 10 to each other. Via a knuckle arm (not shown). The tie rod 8 includes a first rod element 11 and a second rod element 12.

The inner ball joint 7 includes a ball 13, a bearing seat 14, a housing 15, and a screw shaft 16.
The ball 13 is formed integrally with one end 11a of the first rod element 11 (corresponding to one end 8a of the tie rod 8). The bearing seat 14 has a cup shape that covers the ball 13. The housing 15 forms a cup-shaped accommodating portion 17 that accommodates the ball 13 and the bearing seat 14.

The housing 15 includes an outer periphery 15a, a first end 15b on the first rod element 11 side in which the accommodating portion 17 forms an opening 17a, and a second end 15c disposed on the opposite side of the first end 15b. Including. The first end portion 15b of the housing 15 includes a positioned portion 15e parallel to the end surface 15d of the second end portion 15c.
The screw shaft 16 extends orthogonally from the end surface 15 d of the second end portion 15 c and is screwed into the screw hole 5 c of the end surface 5 b of the end portion 5 a of the rack shaft 5.

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view of a main part of the steering device assembling apparatus 20. As shown in FIG. 2, the steering device assembly device 20 mainly includes an assembly device main body 30 having a reference axis C <b> 1, a rack unit support device 40, a slide device 50, a rotation device 60, and a ball joint support device 70. Prepare as a configuration.
The rack unit U supported by the rack unit support device 40 includes a pinion housing 2, a pinion shaft 3, a rack housing 4, a rack shaft 5, and two boots 6 (the illustration of the boots 6 is omitted in FIG. 2). However, one end of the boot 6 is attached to the end of the rack housing 4 in advance.).

The rack unit support device 40 includes a support device main body 41 and two support arms 42. The support device body 41 is fixed to the assembly device body 30. The base end of each support arm 42 is supported by the support device main body 41.
Each support arm 42 is provided with a clamp portion (not shown) that can clamp the outer periphery of the rack shaft 5. The clamp portion of each support arm 42 clamps the outer periphery of the rack shaft 5 so that the rack shaft 5 is centered so that the center axis C2 of the rack shaft 5 coincides with the reference axis C1. Further, the axial movement of the rack shaft 5 is restricted by the clamp of the clamp portion.

  Two slide devices 50, two rotation devices 60, and ball joint support devices 70 are provided, and are arranged on the left and right of the rack unit support device 40, respectively. Since the left and right slide devices 50, the rotation device 60, and the ball joint support device 70 have symmetrical structures, only the right slide device 50, the rotation device 60, and the ball joint support device 70 are shown in FIG.

  The slide device 50 includes a rail 51 and a slider 52. The rail 51 is supported by the assembly apparatus main body 30 and extends in the reference axis direction X, which is the direction in which the reference axis C1 extends. The slider 52 is supported by the rail 51 so as to be slidable in the reference axis direction X. The slider 52 is manually operated by the operator. However, a drive device that is supported by the assembly device main body 30 and drives the slider 52 may be provided.

The rotation device 60 and the ball joint support device 70 are supported on the slider 52. The ball joint support device 70 is disposed between the rotation device 60 and the rack unit support device 40 with respect to the reference axis direction X.
The reference axial direction X includes a first direction X1 that is on the rack unit support device 40 side with respect to the ball joint support device 70, and a second direction X2 that is on the rotation device 60 side with respect to the ball joint support device 70.

  The rotation device 60 includes a fixed wall 61 and an electric motor 62 as a rotation actuator. The fixed wall 61 is fixed on the slider 52. The electric motor 62 is supported on the fixed wall 61. Specifically, the electric motor 62 includes a motor housing 62a fixed to the fixed wall 61, and a rotating shaft 62b rotatably supported by the motor housing 62a. The ball joint support device 70 includes a support device main body 71 and The support part 72 and the opening / closing mechanism 73 are included as main components. The support device main body 71 is fixed on the slider 52. The support portion 72 is supported by the support device main body 71 so as to be rotatable around the reference axis C1. The support portion 72 supports the ball joint 7 so as to be integrally rotatable about the reference axis C1.

The support portion 72 includes a pair of clamping claws 77 (see FIG. 3) and a pair of guide claws 78 (see FIG. 4) that clamp the housing 15 of the ball joint 7. The opening / closing mechanism 73 opens and closes a pair of clamping claws 77 and a pair of guide claws 78.
FIG. 3 is a front sectional view of the ball joint support device 70. FIG. 4 is a plan sectional view of the ball joint support device 70. 5 and 6 are schematic perspective views of the ball joint support device 70 from different angles. FIG. 7 is a schematic side view of the ball joint support device 70.

  As shown in FIGS. 3-6, the support apparatus main body 71 contains the base 71a, the fixed frame 71b, and the fixed wall 71c. The base 71 a is fixed on the slider 52. The fixed frame 71b is fixed on the base 71a, and is formed in a block shape in which the outer periphery has a rectangular cross section and the inner periphery has a circular cross section. The fixed wall 71c is fixed to one end (end portion on the second direction X2 side) of the fixed frame 71b so as to be orthogonal to the reference axis C1.

As shown in FIGS. 3 to 4, the support portion 72 includes a rod element support portion 74, a positioning portion 75, a housing support portion 76, a pair of clamping claws 77, a pair of guide claws 78, and a support shaft 81. And a support shaft 82.
The rod element support portion 74 is a cylindrical member having a central axis that coincides with the reference axis C1. The rod element support portion 74 inserts the first rod element 11 and supports the outer periphery 11b of the first rod element 11 loosely. The rod element support part 74 penetrates the fixed frame 71b.

The rod element support portion 74 is supported by the inner periphery 71d of the fixed frame 71b via a pair of bearings 79 so as to be rotatable around the reference axis C1. The rod element support portion 74 is restricted from moving in the reference axial direction X by a fixed frame 71 b via a pair of bearings 79.
The positioning portion 75 is provided on the end surface of the first end portion 74a on the rod element support portion 74 on the first direction X1 side. The positioning portion 75 positions the housing 15 in the reference axis direction X by contacting the positioned portion 15 e of the housing 15. The second end portion 74b on the second direction X2 side of the rod element support portion 74 is connected to the rotary shaft 62b of the electric motor 62 of the rotating device 60 via the connecting member 80 so as to be integrally rotatable.

As shown in FIG. 2, in order to screw the screw shaft 16 of the ball joint 7 supported by the ball joint support device 70 into the screw hole 5 c of the rack shaft 5, the entire support portion 72 is driven by the electric motor 62 with the reference axis C <b> 1. It is driven around.
As shown in FIG. 3, the housing support portion 76 includes a pair of support pieces 76 a extending from the first end portion 74 a on the first direction X1 side of the rod element support portion 74 in the first direction X1. The pair of support pieces 76a face each other across the reference axis C1. The pair of support pieces 76a loosely supports the outer periphery 15a of the housing 15 between each other.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 7, the pair of clamping claws 77 are disposed to face each other with the reference axis C1 interposed therebetween. That is, the pair of clamping claws 77 are arranged to face the radial direction Y of the first rod element 11. As shown in FIG. 3, the pair of clamping claws 77 are rotatably supported by the rod element support portions 74 via the support shafts 81, and open and close in the radial direction Y of the first rod element 11. The outer periphery 15a is clamped.

  Each clamping claw 77 includes an arm 77a and a claw portion 77b. One end of the arm 77 a is rotatably supported by the support shaft 81. The support shaft 81 is supported by a support bracket 74 d provided on the outer periphery 74 c of the rod element support portion 74. The claw portion 77b is fixed orthogonally to the tip of the arm 77a. The clamping claw 77 is formed in a substantially L shape as a whole. Note that the arm 77a and the claw portion 77b may be integrally formed of a single member.

As shown in FIG. 7, the pair of sandwiching claws 77 (the claws 77b) sandwich the pair of flat sandwiched surfaces 15f that are provided on the outer periphery 15a of the housing 15 and form a two-surface width therebetween. A pair of flat clamping surfaces 77c is included.
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 7, the pair of guide claws 78 are opposed to each other with the reference axis C1 interposed therebetween. The pair of guide claws 78 are opposed to a direction orthogonal to the direction in which the pair of clamping claws 77 are opposed. As shown in FIG. 4, the pair of guide claws 78 are rotatably supported by the rod element support portions 74 via the support shafts 82, and open and close in the radial direction Y of the first rod element 11. The outer periphery 15a is clamped.

  Each guide claw 78 includes an arm 78a and a claw portion 78b. One end of the arm 78 a is rotatably supported by the support shaft 82. The support shaft 82 is supported by a support bracket 74 e provided on the outer periphery 74 c of the rod element support portion 74. The claw portion 78b is fixed orthogonally to the tip of the arm 78a. The guide claw 78 is formed in a substantially L shape as a whole. The arm 78a and the claw portion 78b may be formed as a pair with a single member.

As shown in FIG. 7, the pair of guide claws 78 (the claw portions 78 b) includes a pair of guide surfaces 78 c that sandwich the outer periphery 15 a of the housing 15. Each guide surface 78 c forms a part of a cylindrical surface that can match the cylindrical surface portion of the outer periphery 15 a of the housing 15. The pair of guide surfaces 78 c loosely support the cylindrical surface portion of the outer periphery 15 a of the housing 15.
The pair of clamping claws 77 and the pair of guide claws 78 make the center axis of the screw shaft 16 coincide with the reference axis C1 by bringing the pair of clamping surfaces 77c and the pair of guide surfaces 78c into contact with the outer periphery 15a of the housing 15. It has a centering function.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the opening / closing mechanism 73 includes a plurality of direct acting actuators 83 and an interlocking mechanism 84.
The plurality of direct acting actuators 83 are driven synchronously. Each direct acting actuator 83 is supported by a fixed wall 71c, and has a central axis parallel to the reference axis C1.
The interlocking mechanism 84 interlocks the direct movement of the direct acting actuator 83 and the rotation of the clamping claw 77 (see FIG. 3) around the support shaft 81. The interlocking mechanism 84 interlocks the direct movement of the direct acting actuator 83 and the rotation of the guide claw 78 (see FIG. 4) around the support shaft 82.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, the direct acting actuator 83 is an electromagnetic actuator including a cylinder 83a, a rod 83b, a biasing spring 83c, and a solenoid 83d.
The end of each cylinder 83a on the second direction X2 side is fixed to a fixed wall 71c. Each rod 83b is supported by a corresponding cylinder 83a so as to be slidable in the axial direction. Each rod 83b penetrates the corresponding cylinder 83a on both sides in the axial direction.

One end 83e (end on the first direction X1 side) of each rod 83b is connected to the first movable wall 85. The other end 83f (end portion on the second direction X2 side) of each rod 83b is connected to the second movable wall 86 through the insertion hole of the fixed wall 71c.
The biasing spring 83c biases the rod 83b toward the first movable wall 85 side. That is, the urging spring 83c urges the rod 83b in the extending direction K1 that extends toward the one end 83e.

The solenoid 83d is accommodated in the cylinder 83a. When the solenoid 83d is excited, it is displaced in the shortening direction K2 that shortens the one end 83e of the rod 83b toward the cylinder 83a against the biasing spring 83c.
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 3, the interlocking mechanism 84 includes a biasing member 87, a biasing member 88, a cam ring 89, a first cam follower 77 d, a second cam follower 90, and a connecting mechanism 91.

As shown in FIG. 3, the urging member 87 is interposed between the rod element support portion 74 and each clamping claw 77 and rotationally urges each clamping claw 77 in the opening direction around the support shaft 81. The urging member 87 is made of a compression coil spring, for example. The cam follower 77d is composed of a convex protrusion provided on the arm 77a of each clamping claw 77.
As shown in FIG. 4, the urging member 88 is interposed between the rod element support portion 74 and each guide claw 78 and rotationally urges each guide claw 78 in the opening direction around the support shaft 82. The biasing member 88 is made of a compression coil spring, for example. The second cam follower 90 includes a roller that is rotatably supported by the arm 78 a of each guide claw 78.

The cam ring 89 has an annular shape centered on the reference axis C1 and surrounds the pair of clamping claws 77 (see FIG. 3) and the pair of guide claws 78 (see FIG. 4). The cam ring 89 is driven in the reference axial direction X by the direct acting actuator 83 via the coupling mechanism 91.
The cam ring 89 includes a first end 89a on the first direction X1 side, a second end 89b on the second direction X2 side, and an inner periphery 89c.

The connection mechanism 91 includes a slider 92 and a connection roller 93. The slider 92 is fixed to the second end portion 89 b of the cam ring 89. The slider 92 is supported by the outer periphery 74c of the rod element support portion 74 so as to be movable in the reference axis direction X. The slider 92 is formed with an annular groove 92a concentric with the reference axis C1.
The connecting roller 93 is rotatably supported by the first movable wall 85. The connecting roller 93 is fitted in the annular groove 92a. The connecting roller 93 moves integrally with the first movable wall 85, the slider 92, and the cam ring 89 in the reference axis direction X. Further, the connecting roller 93 allows the slider 92 to rotate around the reference axis C1 by rolling on the inner surface of the annular groove 92a.

  An inner periphery 89c of the cam ring 89 includes a tapered cam surface 89d and a cylindrical surface 89e. The tapered cam surface 89d expands in a divergent shape toward the first direction X1. The cam surface 89d is cam-engaged with the cam follower 77d of each clamping claw 77 and the cam follower 90 of each guide claw 78. The cylindrical surface 89e is continuous with the small diameter side (second direction X2 side) of the cam surface 89d.

  As shown in FIG. 8, when the rod 83b of the direct acting actuator 83 is shortened in the shortening direction K2 and the cam ring 89 is retracted in the second direction X2, the clamping claws biased to the open side by the biasing member 87 77 is in an open state in which the cam follower 77d comes into contact with the large diameter side portion of the tapered cam surface 89d of the cam ring 89 and is separated from the sandwiched surface 15f of the housing 15 of the ball joint 7.

Although not shown, the operation of the guide claw 78 is the same as the operation of the clamping claw 77. That is, the guide claw 78 urged to the open side by the urging member 88 has its cam follower 90 abutting against the large-diameter side portion of the tapered cam surface 89 d of the cam ring 89, and the outer periphery 15 a of the housing 15 of the ball joint 7. It will be in the open state separated with respect to.
When the ball joint 7 is set on the ball joint support device 70, the clamping claws 77 and the guide claws 78 are in an open state. When the housing 15 of the ball joint 7 is inserted into the housing support portion 76 while the first rod element 11 is inserted into the rod element support portion 74, the positioned portion 15e of the housing 15 is brought into contact with the positioning portion 75, Positioned in the reference axis direction X.

  After setting the ball joint 7 to the ball joint support device 70, the rod 83b of the direct acting actuator 83 is extended in the extending direction K1, and the cam ring 89 is advanced in the first direction X1. With the advancement, the tapered cam surface 89d of the cam ring 89 gradually brings the small diameter side portion into contact with the cam follower 77d, and the clamping claw 77 is closed and displaced against the urging member 87. Finally, FIG. As shown, the closed state of the clamping claws 77 is maintained by the cylindrical surface 89e of the cam ring 89 coming into contact with the cam follower 77d. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 4, when the cylindrical surface 89 e of the cam ring 89 comes into contact with the cam follower 90, the closed state of the guide claw 78 is maintained.

2, the slider 52 of the slide device 50 slides along the rail 51 so that the screw shaft 16 of the ball joint 7 supported by the ball joint support device 70 can be screwed into the screw hole 5c of the rack shaft 5. The ball joint support device 70 and the rotation device 60 are moved in the first direction X1 to the correct position.
Thereafter, the screw shaft 16 is screwed into the screw hole 5 c of the rack shaft 5 by the rotational drive of the electric motor 62 of the rotating device 60.

  In the ball joint support device 70 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the outer periphery 11 b of the first rod element 11 and the outer periphery 15 a of the housing 15 of the ball joint 7 are loosely supported by the support portion 72, and the positioning portion 75 In a state where the housing 15 is positioned in the reference axial direction X, a pair of holding claws 77 supported by the support portion 72 via the support shaft 81 are closed by the opening / closing mechanism 73, and the outer periphery 15 a of the housing 15 of the ball joint 7. Pinch. For this reason, the ball joint 7 can be stably held.

Each clamping claw 77 is driven to open and close by the direct acting actuator 83 via the interlocking mechanism 84. Since the direct acting actuator 83 is disposed in parallel to the reference axis C1, the ball joint support device 70 can be reduced in size.
When the direct acting actuator 83 advances the cam ring 89 toward the screw shaft 16 side (first direction X1 side), the tapered cam surface 89d of the cam ring 89 closes the clamping claw 77 via the cam follower 77d. (See FIG. 3). Conversely, as shown in FIG. 4, when the direct acting actuator 83 retracts the cam ring 89 to the opposite side (second direction X <b> 2 side) of the screw shaft 16, the clamping claws 77 urged by the urging member 87. Rotates to the open side. The clamping claw 77 can be driven with a simple structure.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7, a pair of clamping claws 77 or a pair of flat sandwiched surfaces 15f forming the two widths of the housing 15 of the ball joint 7 are sandwiched by a pair of flat clamping surfaces 77c. For this reason, it is possible to suppress an increase in the surface pressure of the sandwiched surface 15f and to suppress the generation of indentations and the like. Further, it is possible to contribute to centering for aligning the center axis C2 of the screw shaft 16 with the reference axis C1.
(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a ball joint support device 70P according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The second embodiment of FIG. 9 is mainly different from the first embodiment of FIG.

That is, the support portion 72P includes a cylindrical support base 94 and a cylindrical movable portion 95.
The support base 94 is loosely supported by inserting the first rod element 11. The support base 94 is supported by the inner periphery 71d of the fixed frame 71b of the support device main body 71P so as to be rotatable around the reference axis C1 via a pair of bearings 79. The support base 94 is restricted from moving in the reference axial direction X by a pair of bearings 79.

The first end 94a of the support base 94 on the first direction X1 side protrudes from the fixed frame 71b in the first direction X1. A cam ring 89P is fixed to the first end 94a.
The second end portion 94b of the support base 94 on the second direction X2 side protrudes from the fixed frame 71b to the second direction X2 side. The second end portion 94b is connected to the rotating shaft 62b of the electric motor 62 of the rotating device 60 via the connecting member 80 so as to be integrally rotatable.

The movable portion 95 is a cylindrical member concentric with the reference axis C1, and includes a first end portion 95a on the first direction X1 side and a second end portion 95b on the second direction X2 side. The movable portion 95 is supported by the support base 94 so as to be movable in the reference axis direction X and to be rotatable integrally with the support base 94. Although not shown, the support base 94 and the movable portion 95 are key-coupled.
The movable part 95 includes a rod element support part 96, a housing support part 97, and a positioning part 98. The housing support portion 97 and the positioning portion 98 are disposed on the first end portion 95 a of the movable portion 95. The movable part 95 supports a pair of clamping claws 77P via a support shaft 81 in a rotatable manner. The support shaft 81 is provided on the outer periphery of the movable portion 95 and is supported by a support bracket 95c.

The rod element support part 96 inserts the first rod element 11 and supports it loosely. The positioning portion 98 is a step portion formed at the end of the rod element support portion 96 on the first direction X1 side. The positioning portion 98 contacts the positioned portion 15e of the housing 15 to position the housing 15 in the reference axis direction X.
The housing support portion 97 protrudes from the positioning portion 98 in the first direction X1 side, and loosely supports the outer periphery 15a of the housing 15.

The opening / closing mechanism 73P includes a first urging member 99, a second urging member 87P, a cam ring 89P, and a cam follower 77d.
As shown in FIG. 10, the cam ring 89P, the housing support part 97 of the movable part 95, and the rod element support part 96 are respectively provided with an axial slit 89s through which the first rod element 11 can be inserted in the radial direction Y, and the axial direction. A slit 97s and an axial slit 96s are formed. Although not shown, an axial slit through which the first rod element 11 can be inserted in the radial direction Y may be formed in a required portion of the support base 94.

The first urging member 99 is interposed between the first end 94 a of the support base 94 and the second end 95 b of the movable portion 95. The first urging member 99 is formed of, for example, a compression coil spring that urges the movable portion 95 toward the screw shaft 16 side (first direction X1 side) in the reference axial direction X.
The second urging member 87P is interposed between the movable portion 95 and each clamping claw 77P. The second urging member 87P is formed of, for example, a compression coil spring that urges each clamping claw 77P in the opening direction.

  The cam ring 89P is fixed to an outward flange 100 that extends radially outward from the first end 94a of the support base 94. A tapered cam surface 89d and a cylindrical surface 89e are formed on the inner periphery 89c of the cam ring 89P. The cam surface 89d expands toward the screw shaft 16 side (first direction X1 side) in the reference axis direction X in a divergent shape. The cam surface 89d is cam-engaged with a cam follower 77d provided on each clamping claw 78P.

  The operation of the opening / closing mechanism 73P is as follows. When the slider 52 is displaced in the first direction X1 and the screw shaft 16 is pressed against the rack shaft 5 as shown in FIG. 11, the ball joint 7, the movable portion 95, and the clamping claws 77P are moved by the reaction force into the first direction X1. It moves integrally to the support base 94 side against the urging member 99. Along with this, the cam surface 89d of the cam ring 89P pushes each clamping claw 77 to the closing side via the cam follower 77d against the second urging member 87P. That is, the opening / closing mechanism 73P is configured as an automatic opening / closing mechanism.

In the components of the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, the same components as those of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 8 are referred to by the components of the first embodiment shown in FIGS. The same reference numerals as those in FIG.
In this embodiment, when the screw shaft 16 of the ball joint 7 is pushed toward the first rod element 11 by the rack shaft 5, the clamping claws 77P are automatically closed. For this reason, it is not necessary to provide an actuator for opening and closing the clamping claw 77P, and the structure can be simplified.

When the ball joint 7 is mounted on the ball joint support device 70, the first rod element 11 is mounted in the radial direction Y through the axial slits 89s, 97s, 96s, and then the housing 15 is moved in the second direction in the reference axial direction X. It can be attached to the housing support 97 by moving in the direction X2. For this reason, the attachment / detachment work of the ball joint 7 becomes easy.
(Third embodiment)
FIG. 12 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a ball joint support device 70Q according to a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 13 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the ball joint support device 70Q taken along line XIII-XIII in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 12, the ball joint support device 70Q includes a support device body 71Q having a reference axis C1, and a support portion 72Q supported by the support device body 71Q so as to be rotatable around the reference axis C1.
The support portion 72Q includes a rod element support portion 101, a housing support portion 102, and a positioning portion 103. The rod element support part 101 loosely supports the outer periphery 11b of the first rod element 11. The positioning portion 103 contacts the positioned portion 15e and positions the housing 15 in the reference axis direction X.

The housing support portion 102 loosely supports the cylindrical surface portion of the outer periphery 15a of the housing 15 (the cylindrical surface portion is centered on the reference axis C1). The housing support portion 102 includes a cam ring portion 110 as a cam ring, a plurality of cam balls 120, and a cage 130.
As shown in FIG. 13, the cam ring portion 110 surrounds the outer periphery 15a of the housing 15 and has an annular shape centered on the reference axis C1. The cam ring portion 110 has a plurality of cam grooves 111 formed on the circumference of the inner periphery 110a. A corresponding cam ball 120 is accommodated in each cam groove 111. The cage 130 holds each cam ball 120.

The corresponding cam ball 120 is accommodated between the cam surface 111a formed at the bottom of the cam groove 111 and the outer periphery 15a of the housing 15, and narrows in the direction Z2 opposite to the screwing direction Z1 of the screw shaft 16 with respect to the screw hole 5c. A wedge-shaped space WS is formed.
The housing support portion 102 and the rod element support portion 101 are formed with an axial slit 102s and an axial slit 101s through which the first rod element 11 can be inserted in the radial direction Y, respectively. In 3 embodiment, the same component as the component of 1st Embodiment of FIGS. 1-8 is attached | subjected with the same referential mark as the referential mark of the component of 1st Embodiment of FIGS. .

In this embodiment, when the cam ring portion 110 is rotated in the screwing direction Z1 of the screw shaft 16, as shown in FIG. 13, each cam ball 120 is displaced to the narrow side of the wedge-shaped space WS, and the outer periphery 15a of the housing 15 is tightened. Hold. The ball joint 7 can be stably held with a simple structure.
When the ball joint 7 is mounted on the ball joint support device 70Q, the first rod element 11 is mounted in the radial direction Y through the axial slits 102s and 101s, and then the housing 15 is moved in the second direction X2 of the reference axial direction X. And can be mounted on the housing support 102. For this reason, the attachment / detachment work of the ball joint 7 becomes easy.

  The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above. For example, the rotating shaft 62b of the electric motor 62 of the rotating device 60 may be disposed in parallel with the reference axis C1. In that case, the rotation of the rotating shaft 62b may be transmitted to the support portions 72, 72P, 72Q via a parallel shaft gear transmission mechanism or a belt transmission mechanism. In addition, the present invention can be variously modified within the scope of the claims.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Steering device, 5 ... Rack shaft, 5a ... End part, 5b ... End surface, 5c ... Screw hole, 7 ... Inner ball joint, 8 ... Tie rod, 11 ... 1st rod element, 20 ... Steering device assembly apparatus, 30 ... Rack unit support device, 50 ... slide device, 60 ... rotating device, 70; 70P; 70Q ... ball joint support device, 71; 71P ... support device main body, 72; 72p; 72Q ... support portion, 73; 73P ... opening / closing mechanism, 74 ... Rod element support part, 75 ... Positioning part, 76 ... Housing support part, 77 ... Holding claw, 77c ... Holding surface, 77d ... First cam follower, 81 ... Support shaft, 83 ... Direct acting actuator, 84 ... Interlocking mechanism , 87 ... biasing member, 87P ... second biasing member, 89; 89P ... cam ring, 89c ... inner periphery, 89d ... cam surface, 89e ... cylindrical surface, 8 s ... Axial slit, 94 ... Support base, 95 ... Moving part, 96 ... Rod element support part, 96s ... Axial slit, 97 ... Housing support part, 97s ... Axial slit, 98 ... Positioning part, 99 ... First Urging member, 101 ... rod element supporting portion, 101s ... axial slit, 102 ... housing supporting portion, 102s ... axial slit, 98 ... positioning portion, 110 ... cam ring portion, 110a ... inner periphery, 111 ... cam groove, 111a ... cam face, 120 ... cam ball, C1 ... reference axis, C2 ... center axis, U ... rack unit, X ... reference axis direction, X1 ... first direction, X2 ... second direction, Z1 ... screwing direction, Z2 ... opposite direction

Claims (7)

A ball formed at one end of a rod element constituting a part of the tie rod, a cup-shaped accommodation portion for accommodating the ball, a first end portion on the rod element side where the accommodation portion forms an opening, and the first A housing including a second end disposed on the opposite side of the end, and a screw shaft extending orthogonally from the end surface of the second end and screwed into a screw hole in the end surface of the rack shaft, The first end is a ball joint support device that supports a ball joint including a positioned portion parallel to the end surface of the second end when the rack joint is assembled to the rack shaft,
A support device body having a reference axis;
The rod element support portion that extends in the reference axis direction, which is the direction in which the reference axis extends, and a rod element support portion that loosely supports the outer periphery of the rod element, a housing support portion that loosely supports the outer periphery of the housing, and the positioned portion are in contact. A positioning part that positions the housing in the reference axis direction, and a support part that is supported by the support device main body so as to be rotatable around the reference axis line,
A pair of clamping claws that are opposed to each other across the reference axis, are rotatably supported by the support portions via respective support shafts, open and close in the radial direction of the rod element, and clamp the outer periphery of the housing;
An opening / closing mechanism for opening and closing the pair of clamping claws. The opening / closing mechanism according to claim 1,
A linear actuator that is supported by the support device body and has a central axis parallel to the reference axis;
A ball joint support device for a steering device, comprising: an interlocking mechanism for interlocking the linear motion of the linear motion actuator and the rotation of each of the clamping claws about a corresponding spindle. In Claim 2, the interlocking mechanism includes:
An urging member interposed between the support portion and each of the clamping claws to urge each of the clamping claws in an opening direction;
The ring is centered on the reference axis, surrounds the pair of clamping claws, is driven in the direction of the reference axis by the direct acting actuator, and is cam-engaged with cam followers provided on the clamping claws on the inner periphery. A ball joint support device comprising: a cam ring formed with a tapered cam surface that expands toward the screw shaft side in the reference axial direction. In Claim 1, The said support part contains the support base by which the movement of the said reference axis direction was controlled by the said support apparatus main body, and the movable part supported by the said support base so that a movement in the said reference axis direction was possible. ,
The movable part includes the rod element support part, the housing support part, and the positioning part, and supports the pair of clamping claws via the support shafts, respectively.
The opening and closing mechanism is
A first biasing member interposed between the support base and the movable portion and biasing the movable portion toward the screw shaft in the reference axis direction;
A second biasing member interposed between the movable portion and each of the clamping claws and biasing each of the clamping claws in the opening direction;
The screw is fixed to the support base, surrounds the pair of clamping claws in an annular shape centered on the reference axis, and is cam-engaged with a cam follower provided on each clamping claw on the inner periphery thereof. A cam ring formed with a tapered cam surface that expands toward the shaft side.
When the screw shaft is pushed toward the rod element by the rack shaft, the opening / closing mechanism moves the cam as the movable portion is displaced toward the support base against the first biasing member. A ball joint support device in which a surface is configured as an automatic opening / closing mechanism that pushes each clamping claw toward a closing side via the cam follower against the second urging member.   5. The pair of sandwiching claws according to claim 1, wherein the pair of sandwiching claws sandwiches a pair of flat sandwiched surfaces that are provided on the outer periphery of the housing and form a two-surface width therebetween. A ball joint support device including a flat clamping surface. A ball formed at one end of a rod element constituting a part of the tie rod, a cup-shaped accommodation portion for accommodating the ball, a first end portion on the rod element side where the accommodation portion forms an opening, and the first A housing including a second end disposed on the opposite side of the end, and a screw shaft extending orthogonally from the end surface of the second end and screwed into a screw hole in the end surface of the rack shaft, The first end is a ball joint support device that supports a ball joint including a positioned portion parallel to the end surface of the second end when the rack joint is assembled to the rack shaft,
An apparatus body having a reference axis;
A rod element support portion that extends in the reference axis direction, which is the direction in which the reference axis extends, and that loosely supports the outer periphery of the rod element; a housing support portion that loosely supports the outer periphery of the housing; A positioning portion that positions the housing in the reference axis direction, and a support portion that is rotatably supported around the reference axis line on the support device body,
The housing support portion has an annular shape that surrounds the outer periphery of the housing and that is centered on the reference axis, and is held in each cam groove, with a cam ring having a plurality of cam grooves formed on the circumference of the inner periphery. A plurality of cam balls, and
Between the cam surface formed at the bottom of each cam groove and the outer periphery of the housing, a corresponding cam ball is accommodated, and a wedge-shaped space that narrows in the direction opposite to the screwing direction of the screw shaft with respect to the screw hole. Formed ball joint support device.   The ball joint support device according to any one of claims 4 to 6, wherein each of the housing support portion and the rod element support portion includes an axial slit through which the rod element can be inserted in a radial direction.

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