JP3786159B2 - Center bearing support - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a center bearing support that rotatably and elastically supports a propeller shaft in a drive system of a vehicle such as an automobile.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, the center bearing support shown in FIG. 5 is known, and is configured as follows.
[0003]
That is, first, a center bearing support main body 1 in which an inner ring 4 and an outer ring 5 are connected via an elastic body 2 made of a rubber-like elastic material having a bellows portion 3 is provided on the inner peripheral side of the inner ring 4. A center bearing 6 that rotatably supports a propeller shaft (not shown) is mounted, and the center bearing support is disposed on the outer peripheral side of the outer ring 5 and below the lower surface of the vehicle body (not shown). A bracket 7 to be attached to is fixed by welding. In addition, mounting portions 8 are provided at both left and right end portions of the bracket 7, and a mounting hole 9 is provided at the center of the plane, and a vibration isolating bush 10 is mounted on the peripheral portion of the mounting hole 9, A mounting bolt (not shown) is inserted into the inside from below, and the bracket 7 is attached to the lower surface of the vehicle body.
[0004]
The center bearing support is also provided with a safety mechanism so that the center bearing support is automatically detached from the vehicle body in the event of a vehicle collision, in case of an accident.
[0005]
In other words, if the center bearing support remains attached to the vehicle body without being detached from the vehicle body at the time of a frontal collision of the vehicle, the propeller shaft supported by the center bearing support is greatly bent into a “<” shape from the joint due to impact. In order to prevent such a situation from occurring, the center bearing support is automatically detached from the vehicle body due to an impact at the time of a vehicle collision. In the center bearing support, as a specific means, a detachment guide portion 11 is provided in the mounting portion 8 of the bracket 7, and the detachment guide portion 11 is directed to the peripheral portion of the mounting hole 9 in the front direction of the vehicle. It is comprised by the notch 12 provided.
[0006]
Therefore, according to the safety mechanism having such a detachment structure, the impact caused by the collision of the vehicle is caused by the bracket 7 via the propeller shaft and the center bearing support body 1 that are to be bent into a “<” shape by the impact. , The notch 12 is pushed open by the mounting bolt and the vibration isolating bush 10 fitted to the mounting bolt, the bracket 7 is detached from the mounting bolt and the vibration isolating bush 10, and the center bearing support is detached from the vehicle body as a whole. As a result, the propeller shaft can be prevented from being greatly bent into a "<" shape.
[0007]
However, in the above-described conventional center bearing support, as described above, the detachment guide portion 11 is configured by the notch 12 provided in advance at one place on the circumference of the peripheral portion of the mounting hole 9. There are inconveniences.
[0008]
That is, since the notch 12 is provided in advance at one place on the circumference of the peripheral edge of the mounting hole 9, the peripheral edge of the mounting hole 9 is always open at one place on the circumference. When a vibration load or the like due to vehicle running or the like is input to the bracket 7 during normal use other than the time, uneven circumferential stress is generated at the peripheral edge of the mounting hole 9 and stress concentration is concentrated near the 180-degree symmetrical position of the notch 12. As a result, as shown in FIG. 5A, damage such as cracks 13 may occur in the stress concentration portion.
[0009]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In view of the above points, the present invention is a center bearing support provided with a bracket detaching structure so that the center bearing support is detached from the vehicle body in the event of a vehicle collision. It is an object of the present invention to provide a center bearing support that can prevent the occurrence of damage such as the above and can increase the strength of the bracket.
[0010]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, a center bearing support according to claim 1 of the present invention is provided with a detachment guide portion on the mounting bracket so that the center bearing support is detached from the vehicle body in the event of a vehicle collision, and the detachment guide portion includes a mounting hole. In a center bearing support constituted by a notch provided at the peripheral edge of the vehicle, the reinforcing member is fixed to the bracket during normal use to close the notch, and is released from the bracket by an impact at the time of a vehicle collision to open the notch Is provided.
[0011]
In the center bearing support according to claim 1 of the present invention having the above-described configuration, the bracket is provided with a notch as in the prior art, but in the present invention, in addition to this, the bracket is fixed to the bracket during normal use to close the notch, Since a reinforcing member is provided to release the notch from the bracket due to an impact at the time of a vehicle collision , the mounting hole is surrounded by the mounting portion and the reinforcing member all around in normal use . Therefore, it is possible to prevent an extreme stress concentration from occurring at one place on the circumference of the peripheral edge of the mounting hole as in the prior art.
[0012]
In addition, as a configuration in which the reinforcing member is provided in this manner, the reinforcing member is fixed to both surfaces or one surface of the mounting portion of the bracket so as to close the notch, and the reinforcing member is detached from the bracket due to an impact at the time of a vehicle collision. It is preferable to peel off.
[0013]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0014]
First embodiment
FIG. 1 (A) shows a main plane of the center bearing support according to the embodiment, and FIG. 1 (B) shows a cross section taken along line BB in FIG. 1 (A).
[0015]
The center bearing support according to the embodiment first has a center bearing support body in which an inner ring and an outer ring are connected via an elastic body made of a rubber-like elastic material having a bellows portion. A center bearing that rotatably supports the propeller shaft is mounted on the circumferential side, and a bracket for attaching the center bearing support to the lower surface of the vehicle body on the outer circumferential side of the outer ring and below the outer ring. 7) is fixed by welding. Further, mounting portions 8 are provided at both left and right ends of the bracket 7, and a mounting hole 9 is provided at the center of the plane of the mounting portion 8. A vibration isolating bush 10 is attached to the peripheral portion of the mounting hole 9. At the same time, a mounting bolt 14 is inserted into the inner side from below, and the bracket 7 is attached to the lower surface of the vehicle body by the mounting bolt 14.
[0016]
The anti-vibration bush 10 includes a mounting bracket (also referred to as a bush metal portion) fixed to the bracket 7 side and a mounting bracket (also referred to as a bush metal portion) fixed to the mounting bolt 14 side. (Also referred to as a bush rubber part), and a natural frequency different from that of the elastic body is set so as to exhibit a double vibration isolation action together with the elastic body of the center bearing support body, Furthermore, it is set as the following upper and lower division type so that it may be retrofitted to the mounting hole 9 of the bracket 7.
[0017]
That is, an annular upper elastic body 21 is vulcanized and bonded to a cylindrical upper inner metal fitting 19 having a flange 19a at the upper end and an annular upper outer metal fitting 20 having a substantially L-shaped cross section, so that the upper divided body 18 is bonded. Is formed, and an annular lower elastic body 25 is formed by an annular lower inner circumferential metal fitting 23 disposed on the outer periphery of the lower end portion of the upper inner circumferential metal fitting 19 and an annular lower outer circumferential metal fitting 24 having a substantially L-shaped cross section. Is bonded to the bracket 7 by sandwiching the peripheral edge of the mounting hole 9 with the upper and lower outer peripheral metal fittings 19 and 23 from above and below. At the same time, the upper and lower inner peripheral metal fittings 20 and 24 are sandwiched between the head 14a of the mounting bolt 14 and the vehicle body so that both the metal fittings 20 and 24 are fixed to the mounting bolt 14 side. Fixed to the side Vibration damping bush 10 and the mounting bracket 20, 24 are connected via the elastic member 21 and 25 made of rubber-like elastic material is secured to the mounting bracket 19 and 23 and the mounting bolt 14 side is formed.
[0018]
The center bearing support is also provided with the following safety mechanism.
[0019]
In other words, the safety mechanism is provided with the separation guide portion 11 on the bracket 7 so that the center bearing support is automatically detached from the vehicle body in the event of a vehicle collision. In order to compensate for the lack of strength of the mounting portion 8 due to the formation of the notch 12, the notch 12 is fixed to the bracket 7 during normal use. A reinforcing member (also referred to as a reinforcing plate or a reinforcing ring) 26 that closes and is released from the bracket 7 by the impact at the time of a vehicle collision and opens the notch 12 is provided. The entire circumference of the hole 9 is surrounded by the mounting portion 8 and the rigid member of the reinforcing member 26.
[0020]
The reinforcing member 26 is as follows.
[0021]
That is, the reinforcing member 26 is formed into a flat ring shape by a rigid material such as a metal plate, and the inner diameter dimension thereof is set slightly smaller than the inner diameter dimension of the mounting hole 9, and two sheets are made into one set. The outer peripheral brackets 20 and 24 of the anti-vibration bushing 10 are fixed to the laminated portion composed of the mounting portion 8 and the reinforcing member 26, respectively. .
[0022]
The reinforcement member 26 is fixed to the attachment portion 8 by the following method because the reinforcement member 26 is detached from the attachment portion 8 when an impact at the time of a vehicle collision is applied as described above. .
[0023]
That is, first, as a first proposal, as shown in FIG. 2A , the reinforcing member 26 is fixed to the mounting portion 8 by welding. It is sufficient to have several welding locations 27 on the circumference (four locations in the figure). As a second plan, the reinforcing member 26 is fixed to the mounting portion 8 by brazing as shown in FIG. A few brazing points 28 (four in the figure) are sufficient. As a third proposal, as shown in FIG. 3 , the reinforcing member 26 is caulked and fixed to the mounting portion 8.
[0024]
In the center bearing support configured as described above, when the impact at the time of the vehicle collision is input to the bracket 7 via the propeller shaft and the center bearing support body that are to be bent into a “<” shape by this impact, the propeller shaft becomes large. Prior to bending into the shape of "<", the reinforcing member 26 is relatively disengaged from the mounting portion 8 of the bracket 7 to open the notch 12, and the notch 12 is attached to the mounting bolt 14 and the vibration isolating bush 10 that is extrapolated thereto. As a result, the bracket 7 is detached from the mounting bolts 14 and the vibration isolating bushing 10 and the center bearing support is detached from the vehicle body as a whole. Therefore, firstly, the propeller shaft is bent in a large “<” shape, and the bent portion is prevented from jumping into the vehicle interior, so that safety in the event of a vehicle collision can be ensured.
[0025]
Further, during normal use other than when the vehicle collides, the mounting hole 9 provided in the mounting portion 8 of the bracket 7 is surrounded by the mounting portion 8 and the reinforcing member 26, so that the vehicle travels. Even if a vibration load or the like accompanying the above is input to the bracket 7, extreme stress concentration does not occur at one peripheral edge of the mounting hole 9, and it is possible to prevent the mounting portion 8 from being cracked due to this stress concentration. be able to. Therefore, the strength of the mounting portion 8 of the bracket 7 can be increased and its durability can be improved. Further, if the strength of the mounting portion 8 is increased, the displacement of the bracket 7 when a vibration load or the like is input in the radial direction is reduced, and therefore, the welded portion between the bracket 7 and the center bearing support body is damaged. It can also be prevented from occurring.
[0026]
Second embodiment ...
FIG. 4A shows a main part plane of the center bearing support according to the embodiment, and FIG. 4B shows a cross section taken along the line DD in FIG.
[0027]
As with the center bearing support according to the first embodiment , the center bearing support according to the embodiment first has an inner ring and an outer ring connected via an elastic body made of a rubber-like elastic material having a bellows portion. A center bearing support body is provided, and a center bearing for rotatably supporting the propeller shaft is mounted on the inner peripheral side of the inner ring, and the center bearing is provided on the outer peripheral side of the outer ring and below it. A bracket (also referred to as a mounting bracket) 7 for attaching the support to the lower surface of the vehicle body is fixed by welding. Further, mounting portions 8 are provided at both left and right ends of the bracket 7, and a mounting hole 9 is provided at the center of the plane of the mounting portion 8. A vibration isolating bush 10 is attached to the peripheral portion of the mounting hole 9. At the same time, a mounting bolt 14 is inserted into the inner side from below, and the bracket 7 is attached to the lower surface of the vehicle body by the mounting bolt 14.
[0028]
The anti-vibration bush 10 includes a mounting bracket (also referred to as a bush metal portion) fixed to the bracket 7 side and a mounting bracket (also referred to as a bush metal portion) fixed to the mounting bolt 14 side. (Also referred to as a bush rubber part), and a natural frequency different from that of the elastic body is set so as to exhibit a double vibration isolation action together with the elastic body of the center bearing support body, Furthermore, it is set as the following upper and lower division type so that it may be retrofitted to the mounting hole 9 of the bracket 7.
[0029]
That is, an annular upper elastic body 21 is vulcanized and bonded to a cylindrical upper inner metal fitting 19 having a flange 19a at the upper end and an annular upper outer metal fitting 20 having a substantially L-shaped cross section, so that the upper divided body 18 is bonded. Is formed, and an annular lower elastic body 25 is formed by an annular lower inner circumferential metal fitting 23 disposed on the outer periphery of the lower end portion of the upper inner circumferential metal fitting 19 and an annular lower outer circumferential metal fitting 24 having a substantially L-shaped cross section. Is bonded to the bracket 7 by sandwiching the peripheral edge of the mounting hole 9 with the upper and lower outer peripheral metal fittings 19 and 23 from above and below. At the same time, the upper and lower inner peripheral metal fittings 20 and 24 are sandwiched between the head 14a of the mounting bolt 14 and the vehicle body so that both the metal fittings 20 and 24 are fixed to the mounting bolt 14 side. Fixed to the side Vibration damping bush 10 and the mounting bracket 20, 24 are connected via the elastic member 21 and 25 made of rubber-like elastic material is secured to the mounting bracket 19 and 23 and the mounting bolt 14 side is formed.
[0030]
The center bearing support is also provided with the following safety mechanism.
[0031]
In other words, the safety mechanism is provided with the separation guide portion 11 on the bracket 7 so that the center bearing support is automatically detached from the vehicle body in the event of a vehicle collision. In order to compensate for the lack of strength of the mounting portion 8 due to the formation of the notch 12, the notch 12 is fixed to the bracket 7 during normal use. A reinforcing member (also referred to as a reinforcing plate) 30 that closes and is released from the bracket 7 due to an impact at the time of a vehicle collision and opens the notch 12 is provided. The entire circumference is surrounded by the mounting member 8 and the rigid member of the reinforcing member 30.
[0032]
The reinforcing member 30 is as follows.
[0033]
That is, the reinforcing member 30 is formed into a planar rectangular flat plate shape by a rigid material such as a metal plate, and a pair of left and right projecting slide portions 31 are provided in parallel to each other on the lower surface thereof. A dovetail engaging portion 31 a is provided on the inner surface of the slide portion 31. Correspondingly, a pair of left and right protruding slide guide portions 29 are provided in parallel to each other on both sides of the notch 12 on the upper surface of the mounting portion 8 of the bracket 7. A dovetail engaging portion 29a is provided on the outer surface of each. The sliding portion 31 of the reinforcing member 30 is assembled so as to be slidable relative to the engaging portion 29a of the slide guide portion 29 of the mounting portion 8 at the engaging portion 31a. Therefore, the reinforcing member 30 slides relative to the mounting portion 8 and comes off the mounting portion 8 only when a load of a predetermined magnitude or more is input.
[0034]
In the center bearing support configured as described above, when the impact at the time of the vehicle collision is input to the bracket 7 via the propeller shaft and the center bearing support body that are to be bent into a “<” shape by this impact, the propeller shaft becomes large. Before bending in the shape of a “<”, the reinforcing member 30 is relatively disengaged from the mounting portion 8 of the bracket 7 to open the notch 12, and the notch 12 is attached to the mounting bolt 14 and the vibration isolating bush 10 that is extrapolated thereto. As a result, the bracket 7 is detached from the mounting bolts 14 and the vibration isolating bushing 10 and the center bearing support is detached from the vehicle body as a whole. Therefore, firstly, the propeller shaft is bent in a large “<” shape, and the bent portion is prevented from jumping into the vehicle interior, so that safety in the event of a vehicle collision can be ensured.
[0035]
Further, during normal use other than when the vehicle collides, the mounting hole 9 provided in the mounting portion 8 of the bracket 7 is surrounded by the mounting portion 8 and the reinforcing member 30 so that the vehicle travels. Even if a vibration load or the like accompanying the above is input to the bracket 7, extreme stress concentration does not occur at one peripheral edge of the mounting hole 9, and it is possible to prevent the mounting portion 8 from being cracked due to this stress concentration. be able to. Therefore, the strength of the mounting portion 8 of the bracket 7 can be increased and its durability can be improved. Further, if the strength of the mounting portion 8 is increased, the displacement of the bracket 7 when a vibration load or the like is input in the radial direction is reduced, and therefore, the welded portion between the bracket 7 and the center bearing support body is damaged. It can also be prevented from occurring.
[0036]
【The invention's effect】
The present invention has the following effects.
[0037]
In the center bearing support according to the first aspect of the present invention having the above-described configuration, a notch is provided as a separation guide part for automatically detaching the bracket from the vehicle body by an impact at the time of a vehicle collision, and is further fixed to the bracket during normal use. Since the reinforcing member that closes the notch and releases the notch from the bracket due to an impact at the time of a vehicle collision is provided, the mounting hole provided in the bracket mounting portion during normal use other than during the vehicle collision However, the entire circumference is surrounded by the mounting portion and the reinforcing member. Therefore, even if a vibration load or the like due to vehicle running is input to the bracket, extreme stress concentration does not occur at one peripheral edge of the mounting hole, and cracks and the like can be prevented from occurring due to this stress concentration. can do. Therefore, the strength of the bracket mounting portion can be increased, and the durability thereof can be improved. Further, in the event of a vehicle collision, the reinforcing member is disengaged relative to the bracket mounting portion, so that the entire center bearing support is reliably detached from the vehicle body. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the propeller shaft from being greatly bent into a “<” shape and the bent portion from jumping into the vehicle interior, and to ensure safety in the event of a vehicle collision.
[Brief description of the drawings]
1A is a plan view of a main part of a center bearing support according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. FIG. 3B is an explanatory view showing a fixing method of the reinforcing member in the center bearing support. FIG. 3A is an explanatory view showing a fixing method of the reinforcing member in the center bearing support. FIG. FIG. 4A is a plan view of a main part of a center bearing support according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD in FIG. [Fig. 5] (A) is a plan view in which a center bearing support according to a conventional example is partially cut out, and (B) is a front view in which the center bearing support is partially cut out. [Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Center bearing support main body 2 Elastic body 3 Bellow part 4 Inner ring 5 Outer ring 6 Center bearing 7 Bracket 8 Mounting part 9 Mounting hole 10 Anti-vibration bush 11 Detaching guide part 12 Notch 14 Mounting bolt 26, 30 Reinforcement member 27 Welding part 28 Brazing point 29 Slide guide part 29a, 31a Engagement part 31 Slide part

Claims (1)

The mounting bracket (7) is provided with a detachment guide portion (11) so that the center bearing support is detached from the vehicle body at the time of a vehicle collision, and the detachment guide portion (11) is provided at the peripheral portion of the mounting hole (9). In the center bearing support constituted by the notch (12),
Reinforcing members (26), (30) fixed to the bracket (7) during normal use, closing the notch (12), and coming off from the bracket (7) by an impact at the time of a vehicle collision to open the notch (12) Center bearing support characterized in that is provided.

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