JP3336449B2 - Mounting structure of steering gear box - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a mounting structure of a steering gear box which plays a role of changing a direction of a steered wheel by converting a rotational operation of a steering wheel and a steering shaft of a vehicle such as an automobile into a reciprocating operation in a vehicle width direction. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as an example of a mounting structure of a steering gear box of this type, for example, Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 62-1
There is one described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 05870. As shown in FIG. 5A of the present application, the mounting structure described in the publication discloses a vehicle body 1e.
A grommet (mount insulator) 4e is mounted in a concave portion 27 of the mount bracket 2e bolted to the steering gear box 5e, and a steering gear box 5e is fitted into a hole 47 of the grommet 4e. Further, the contour of the outer peripheral surface of the grommet 4e is a non-circular line symmetrical shape centered on the first center line C1, while the sectional shape of the hole 47 of the grommet 4e is the first center. It has a line-symmetrical shape centered on a second center line C2 displaced by an appropriate dimension S from the line C1.

According to such a configuration, as shown in FIG. 1B, the grommet 4e can be fitted into the concave portion 27 of the mount bracket 2e from a direction in which both front and rear surfaces thereof are inverted. This grommet 4
It is possible to appropriately fit the steering gear box 5e into the hole 47 of e. If the direction of the grommet 4e is changed in this way, the height of the hole 47 of the grommet 4e can be changed to a height different from that shown in FIG. Therefore, there is an advantage that the mounting height of the steering gear box 5e can be switched and adjusted in two stages without replacing parts.

[0004]

However, the above-mentioned prior art is a means capable of changing the mounting height of the mount bracket 2e, and cannot change the mounting angle of the steering gear box 5e.

That is, in designing a vehicle, the mounting height of the steering gear box 5e is not changed and the steering gear box 5e is mounted on the vehicle body 1e.
There are times when you want to change only the mounting angle. More specifically, as shown by a virtual line in FIG. 5A, a steering shaft 52 is connected to the steering gear box 5e. The connection angle between the steering shaft 52 and the steering gear box 5e depends on the vehicle body. It is necessary to set an optimum angle according to the structure. For example, when the type of the engine is changed, in order to avoid interference between the engine and the steering shaft 52, the mounting angle of the steering gear box 5e with respect to the vehicle body 1e. In some cases, the inclination angle of the steering shaft 52 must be changed by an appropriate angle α1.

However, in the above-described conventional device, as described above, the grommet 4e with respect to the mount bracket 2e.
Is merely changed in the mounting height of the steering gear box 5e. Therefore, in the above-mentioned conventional device, when it is desired to change the mounting angle of the steering gear box 5e, the request cannot be met at all.

If the mounting angle of the steering gear box 5e is simply changed, the hole 47 of the grommet 4e and the shape of the steering gear box 5e fitted into the hole 47 are made circular in cross section. By making the steering gear box 5e rotatable,
What is necessary is just to change the attachment angle. However, such means does not provide the advantage that the mounting angle of the steering gear box 5e can be automatically set to a desired angle by fitting the steering gear box 5e into the hole 47 of the grommet 4e, and the steering gear box 5e is not obtained. A problem arises in that the work of setting the mounting angle of the camera becomes complicated.

Therefore, after all, conventionally, in order to change the mounting angle of the steering gear box, for example, FIG.
The grommet 4f shown in (a) was replaced with a grommet 4g having a different shape as shown in FIG. Therefore, conventionally, the number of components has increased, leading to an increase in manufacturing cost.

In order to change the mounting angle of the steering gear box 5e, the hole 47g of the grommet 4g shown in the above figure (b) is formed at a different inclination angle from the hole 47f of the figure (a). However, in this case, the thicknesses t1 and t2 of each part of the two grommets 4f and 4g are greatly different. Therefore, conventionally, there is a large difference in the vibration absorbing function of the grommet depending on which of the grommets 4f and 4g is used, and there is also a problem in this respect.

The present invention was conceived in view of such circumstances, and without increasing the number of parts or causing a large variation in the vibration absorbing function of the grommet, the steering gear box can be used. It is an object of the present invention to make it possible to easily and appropriately change the mounting angle.

[0011]

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following technical means.

That is, the present invention provides a mount bracket to be mounted on a vehicle body, and a contour of the outer peripheral surface of the mount bracket which is non-circular so that it can be fitted into a concave portion of the mount bracket from both front and rear sides. The grommet is formed in such a shape that the steering gear box is fitted into a non-circular left-right symmetrical cross-sectional hole provided through the grommet. Wherein the center of symmetry of the hole of the grommet is inclined with respect to the center of symmetry of the contour of the outer peripheral surface of the grommet.

In the present invention, since the center line of symmetry of the hole of the grommet is inclined with respect to the center line of symmetry of the contour of the outer peripheral surface of the grommet, the front and rear surfaces of the grommet are reversed. When fitted in the recess of the mount bracket, the non-circular hole of the grommet is inclined at an angle different from the inclination angle before the inversion. Of course, since the hole of the grommet has a symmetrical cross-sectional shape, even if the grommet is fitted into the concave portion of the mounting bracket from any of the front and rear surfaces, the grommet will be inserted into the hole of the grommet. The steering gear box can be fitted and fitted properly.

Therefore, according to the present invention, only the direction in which the grommet is fitted into the mount bracket is changed.
The mounting angle of the steering gear box can be changed to two types of angles. As a result, in the present invention, it is not necessary to prepare a plurality of types of grommets to change the angle of the steering gear box, and it is not necessary to prepare a plurality of types of other parts such as a mounting bracket. In addition, the total number of parts required for mounting the steering gear box can be minimized, and a special effect of reducing the cost of parts can be obtained.

Further, according to the present invention, the grommet supporting the steering gear box is the same member regardless of the setting of the steering gear box at any of the two mounting angles. The change in the angle does not cause a significant change in the shock absorbing / mitigating function of the grommet. Therefore, the effect that the mounting conditions of the steering gear box can be made uniform can be obtained.

In addition, in the present invention, since the hole of the grommet is non-circular, it is possible to set the angle of the steering gear box to a predetermined angle only by inserting the steering gear box into the hole of the grommet. Can,
There is also an advantage that the setting operation of the mounting angle of the steering gear box can be easily performed.

[0017]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be specifically described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a main part showing an example of a mounting structure of a steering gear box according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the mounting structure of the steering gear box shown in FIG. FIG. 3A is a front view of a grommet used in the mounting structure of the steering gear box shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along line XX.

As shown in FIG. 1, the mounting structure of the steering gear box includes a mounting bracket 2 mounted on an upper surface of a cross member 1 corresponding to an example of a vehicle body part.
And a grommet 4 held by the mount bracket 2. The steering gear box 5 is fitted into a hole 40 provided in the grommet 4.

As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, two sets of the mounting bracket 2 and the grommet 4 are prepared, and two parts in the longitudinal direction of the steering gear box 5 are supported by using these two sets of parts. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited to this, and the mounting of the steering gear box 5 may be achieved by using only one set of the mount bracket 2 and the grommet 4.

The mount bracket 2 is formed with a concave portion 20 having an open end for fitting the grommet 4, and the concave portion 20 has a shape coinciding with a contour of an outer peripheral surface 4a of the grommet 4 described later. . The mounting bracket 2 is configured such that the bolts 3 inserted into the bolt insertion holes 21 provided at both ends thereof are screwed into the screw holes 10 of the cross member 1.
Is attached to the upper surface of the cross member 1.

The grommet 4 is made of an elastic member such as synthetic rubber. As shown in FIG. 3, the outer peripheral surface 4a has a non-circular outer surface 4a having a flat lower surface 4b. And the center line Ca of the grommet 4
The shape is symmetrical with respect to the left and right lines with respect to. Therefore, the grommet 4 is provided with the concave portion 20 of the mounting bracket 2 from both directions of the front and rear surfaces 4A and 4B.
It is possible to fit inside. The direction of the center line Ca is a direction orthogonal to the mounting surface 11 of the cross member 1 when the grommet 4 is fitted into the recess 20 of the mount bracket 2 and mounted on the cross member 1.

The grommet 4 is provided on the outer peripheral surface 4a of the grommet 4 with the hole 2 of the mounting bracket 2.
When the grommet 4 is engaged with the mount bracket 2, a flange-shaped projection or the like for preventing the grommet 4 from being displaced in the thickness direction (the direction of the arrow a) may be formed. Absent.

The grommet 4 is provided with a non-circular hole 40 penetrating in the thickness direction thereof. The cross-sectional shape of the hole 40 is substantially the same as the shape of the contour of the outer peripheral surface 4a of the grommet 4, and is symmetrical with respect to a predetermined center line Cb. However, this center line Cb
Are inclined by an appropriate angle θ with respect to the center line Ca of the grommet 4.

In the right place of the grommet 4, the hole 4
A cut 41 is provided in the hole 40 so that a predetermined portion of the steering gear box 5 can be smoothly fitted into the hole 40 by opening a part thereof.

In the steering gear box 5, the contour of the outer peripheral surface of at least the portion (the portion indicated by the reference symbol A in FIG. 2) fitted into the hole 40 of the grommet 4
0 is the same as the cross-sectional shape. The steering gear box 5 has a cylindrical shape in which a steering rack (not shown) connected to a pair of tie rods 50 is housed. Further, at one end of the steering gear box 5, a joint portion 51 for accommodating a steering pinion gear (not shown) meshed with the steering rack is provided. This joint part 51
Is a part connected to the steering shaft 52 via universal joints 53, 53a and the like. The rotation of the steering shaft 52 is transmitted to the steering gear via the joint part 51, so that the tie rods 50, 50 Is converted into a reciprocating operation in the vehicle width direction.

In order to assemble the above components, first, the grommet 4 is fitted over the steering gear box 5, and then the mounting bracket 2 is applied to the outer peripheral surface 4a of the grommet 4. Next, the bolt 3 is then tightened into the screw hole 10 of the cross member 1 to fix the mount bracket 2.

In the mounting structure of the steering gear box having the above structure, the mounting direction of the grommet 4 shown in FIG. When attached to the bracket 2, the inclination of the hole 40 of the grommet 4 changes as shown in FIG. That is, since the center line Ca of symmetry of the outer peripheral surface 4a of the grommet 4 is orthogonal to the mounting surface 11, the position of the grommet 4 does not change even if the grommet 4 is turned over, The symmetric center line Cb of 40 is the center line C
Since it is inclined by θ with respect to a, the inclination direction of the hole 40 changes.

Specifically, in the mounting state shown in FIG.
The hole 40 of the grommet 4 is inclined by an angle θ toward the front side of the vehicle with respect to the vertical center line Ca.
In the mounting state shown in (1), it is inclined by an angle θ toward the vehicle rear side from the center line Ca. Therefore, when the direction of the grommet 4 is changed, the inclination angle of the hole 40 can be changed by twice the angle θ.

On the other hand, since the cross-sectional shape of the hole 40 of the grommet 4 is symmetrical with respect to the left-right line about the center line Cb, even if the direction of the grommet 4 is changed, the shape of the hole 40 is not changed. There is no substantial change in the cross-sectional shape. Therefore, even when the grommet 4 is mounted in any of the states shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, the steering gear box 5 can be properly fitted into the hole 40 of the grommet 4. Further, since the hole 40 of the grommet 4 is non-circular, if the steering gear box 5 having the same shape as the cross-sectional shape of the hole 40 is fitted into the hole 40, the hole 40 is formed. The steering gear box 5 can be inclined at the same angle as the inclination angle.

As a result, the mounting angle of the steering gear box 5 shown in each of FIGS. 1 and 4 is the same as the angle at which the hole 40 of the grommet 4 changes (an angle twice as large as θ). The difference is that the angles α and αa of the joint portion 51 of the steering gear box 5 can be changed. Therefore, the mounting posture of the steering gear box 5 shown in FIG. 1 or 4 can be arbitrarily selected in accordance with the set angle of the steering shaft 52. Steering gear box 5
When the mounting angle is changed, there is no need to prepare a plurality of types of mount brackets 2 and grommets 4, which is advantageous in terms of component costs.

Since the steering gear box 5 is supported by the same grommet 4, even if the mounting angle of the steering gear box 5 is changed,
As a result, the vibration absorbing function of the grommet 4 does not greatly change, and the steering shaft 52
Regardless of the angle at which the mounting angle is set,
Vibration transmission and the like from the vehicle body to the steering shaft 52 side can be appropriately prevented.

The mounting structure of the steering gear box according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the specific configuration of each part can be variously changed. In the present invention, the specific shape such as the concave portion of the mount bracket or the hole of the grommet may be formed in a shape other than the above-described embodiment, and of course, with respect to the symmetry center line of the contour of the outer peripheral surface of the grommet. The specific angle at which the center line of symmetry of the grommet hole is inclined is not specified.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a main part showing an example of a mounting structure of a steering gear box according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the mounting structure of the steering gear box shown in FIG.

FIG. 3A is a front view of a grommet used in the mounting structure of the steering gear box shown in FIG. 1;
(B) is the XX sectional drawing.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a main part showing a state where the grommet is inverted in the mounting structure of the steering gear box shown in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 5A and 5B are cross-sectional views showing an example of a conventional mounting structure for a steering gear box.

6 (a) and 6 (b) are cross-sectional views showing another example of a conventional steering gear box mounting structure.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Cross member (vehicle body) 2 Mount bracket 4 Grommet 4a Outer peripheral surface 5 Steering gear box 20 Depression 40 Hole Ca Ca symmetry center line (of outline of grommet outer peripheral surface) Cb Symmetry center line (of cross-sectional shape of grommet hole)

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A mount bracket to be mounted on a vehicle body, and a contour of an outer peripheral surface thereof is formed in a non-circular, left-right symmetrical shape so that the mount bracket can be fitted into a concave portion of the mount bracket from both front and rear directions. And a steering gear having a non-circular left-right symmetrical cross-sectional hole provided through the grommet. A mounting structure for a box, wherein a center line of symmetry of a hole of the grommet is inclined with respect to a center line of symmetry of a contour of an outer peripheral surface of the grommet.