JP3880557B2 - Ball joint - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a ball joint used to connect two parts that are displaced relative to each other in a rotatable and swingable manner.

  The hole joint can rotate and swing two parts that are relatively displaced, such as a connection part between a stabilizer and a shock absorber in a suspension mechanism part of a vehicle and a connection part between a stabilizer and a suspension arm. Used to connect.

  This type of ball joint includes a ball stud, a synthetic resin ball seat, a metal housing, and the like. A male thread portion is provided on one end side of the ball stud. A nut is screwed into the male screw portion. A ball-shaped knuckle portion is provided in the axial direction intermediate portion of the ball stud, and the nut is tightened in a state where an attachment counterpart member is sandwiched between the knuckle portion and the nut. The ball stud has a spherical portion on the other end side.

A ball seat is accommodated in the housing. The ball seat has a spherical recess that fits with the spherical portion of the ball stud so as to be relatively rotatable and swingable. The spherical portion of the ball stud is fitted in the concave portion of the ball seat so that it can slide freely in the circumferential direction. As a result, the ball stud is capable of swinging (swinging) the ball seat and rotating around the axis of the ball stud at the same time. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1 or 2.)
Utility Model Registration Publication No. 2601387 (paragraphs 0008 to 0014, FIG. 1) JP-A-8-82318 (paragraphs 0026 to 0035, FIG. 1)

  Incidentally, since the synthetic resin ball sheet is integrally formed by injection molding, it may be deformed when the male mold is removed. Therefore, the ball seat needs to be formed in anticipation of deformation when the male mold is removed. Further, the ball seat is accommodated in the housing by being press-fitted into the housing while being elastically deformed. Therefore, even if the ball seat is formed as designed in anticipation of deformation when the male mold is removed, the ball seat may be deformed when accommodated in the housing.

  Therefore, the shape of the ball seat is not fixed until it is assembled as a ball joint, and in some cases, a gap is generated between the ball seat and the housing, and the ball seat may not be fixed well to the housing.

  As a method for fixing the ball sheet to the housing through an adhesive layer, conventionally, there has been known a method in which a pin is provided on an end surface of the ball sheet, the pin is passed through a hole formed in the housing, and heat is caulked by heating or pressing. ing. However, in this method, since a part (pin) on the end surface side of the ball sheet is exposed to the outside of the housing, the ball sheet may be destroyed when an excessive external input directly acts on this part. is there.

  This invention is made | formed based on such a situation, and it aims at providing the ball joint which can fix a ball seat favorably with respect to a housing.

The ball joint of the present invention includes a ball stud having a spherical portion, a ball seat having a spherical ball fitting recess that is rotatably and swingably fitted to the spherical portion, and a seat that houses the ball sheet. A housing having a housing recess, and a rubber dust cover having one end supported by a first slip stopper recess formed in the ball stud, the housing having a bottomed cylindrical housing body; An edge portion bent in a curved shape with the opening end of the housing body facing outward, and an R portion formed of a curved surface formed between the housing body and the edge portion, has an edge turned the ball seat and outwardly projecting upwardly from the open end of the housing body in a state accommodated in the sheet accommodating recess, outside said ball seat The surface, together with a peripheral groove along its circumferential direction is formed, the adhesive layer is provided between the inner peripheral surface forming the outer peripheral surface and the sheet accommodating recess of said housing of said ball seat and said ball seat An adhesive escape groove is formed on the outer circumferential surface of the adhesive in a direction intersecting with the outer circumferential groove, and an end of the adhesive escape groove on the opening end side forms a curved surface along the R portion of the housing. A second displacement-preventing recess is formed along the circumferential direction at the edge of the ball seat, and the other end of the dust cover is connected to the upper surface of the edge of the housing and the ball. The sheet is supported by the second misalignment recess while being sandwiched between the lower surface of the edge of the sheet .

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the ball joint which can fix a ball seat favorably with respect to a housing is obtained.

Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
As shown in FIG. 1, the ball joint 1 includes a ball stud 2, a synthetic resin ball sheet 3, a metal housing 4, an adhesive layer 5 provided between the ball sheet 3 and the housing 4, and rubber. Dust cover 8 or the like.

  The ball stud 2 includes a stud bolt 11 made of metal such as steel and a ball member 12 made of a thermosetting synthetic resin material or a thermoplastic synthetic resin material. The stud bolt 11 has a shaft portion 11a. A male screw portion 11b is provided on the outer peripheral surface of one end side (upper side in FIG. 1) of the shaft portion 11a. A nut (not shown) is screwed into the male screw portion 11b. An intermediate portion of the stud bolt 11 in the axis L direction is provided with a hook-shaped knuckle portion 11c that is formed integrally with the shaft portion 11a. A stud member 11 (not shown) is sandwiched between the knuckle portion 11c and the nut, and the stud bolt 11 is fixed to the mounting member by tightening the nut. The knuckle portion 11c may be formed integrally with the shaft portion 11a of the stud bolt 11, or a part separate from the shaft portion 11a, such as a nut, may be screwed into the male screw portion 11b. The ring-shaped component may be fixed to the shaft portion 11a by fixing means such as press-fitting the ring-shaped component into the ball stud 2.

  The ball member 12 has a spherical portion 12a and a cylindrical tubular portion 12b formed integrally with the spherical portion 12a. The spherical portion 12 a covers the other end side (lower side in FIG. 1) of the shaft portion 11 a of the stud bolt 11, and the center O1 of the sphere imagined by the spherical portion 12 a is located on the axis L of the stud bolt 11. is doing. The cylindrical part 12b is formed in a shape surrounding a part of the shaft part 11a of the stud bolt 11 over the entire circumference. On the outer peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 12b, a first slip prevention recess 24 that supports one end of the dust cover 8 is formed.

  The ball stud 2 may have a metal spherical portion. Such a ball stud 2 can be realized by, for example, integrally forming the shaft portion and the spherical portion by forging or shaving.

  The housing 4 has a sheet accommodating recess 4 a that accommodates the ball sheet 3. Specifically, the housing 4 includes a bottomed cylindrical housing main body 13 and an edge portion 14 formed by bending the open end of the housing main body 13 in a curved surface shape toward the outside in the horizontal direction. Therefore, a curved portion R (round corner) 15 is formed between the housing main body 13 and the edge portion 14. The inside of the bottomed cylindrical housing body 13 is a sheet accommodating recess 4a. Further, a rod-shaped frame 16 (only a part is shown) is provided on the outer surface of the housing body 13. For example, the frame 16 is provided so as to be orthogonal to the outer peripheral surface of the housing body 13.

  The ball sheet 3 is made of, for example, polyacetal. The ball seat 3 has a spherical ball fitting recess 3a that is fitted to the spherical portion 12a of the ball stud 2 so as to be relatively rotatable and swingable. The spherical portion 12a of the ball stud 2 is fitted in the ball fitting recess 3a of the ball seat 3 so that it can slide freely in the circumferential direction.

  The ball sheet 3 is divided into two along the direction of the axis L of the ball stud 2 in a state where the ball stud 2 is disposed so as to be orthogonal to the frame 16 (see FIG. 1). The members 17 and 18 are provided. In the present embodiment, the ball sheet 3 includes first and second ball sheet members 17 and 18 that are divided in half in the longitudinal direction so as to divide the end surface 33.

  These ball sheet members 17 and 18 can be formed by injection molding, for example. The joint surface 17a of the first ball seat member 17 is provided with at least one engagement protrusion 19 as a first engagement portion. In this embodiment, a pair of engaging protrusions 19 are provided on both sides of the joint surface 17a facing each other across the ball fitting recess 3a (see FIG. 1). Further, a pair of engaging recesses 20 as a second engaging portion that fits with the pair of engaging protrusions 19 corresponds to the pair of engaging protrusions 19 on the joint surface 18 a of the second ball seat member 18. (See FIG. 3). The first and second ball sheet members 17, 18 constitute the ball sheet 3 by bringing the joint surfaces 17 a, 18 a into contact with each other and engaging the engagement protrusions 19 with the engagement recesses 20. Yes.

  Lubricating oil such as grease is applied to the sliding surface between the ball sheet 3 and the spherical portion 12a. Therefore, the inner surface 31 forming the ball fitting recess 3a of the ball seat 3 extends along the inner surface 31 of the ball fitting recess 3a from the center O2 at the bottom of the ball fitting recess 3a as shown in FIGS. A plurality of grease relief grooves 21 extending radially are formed at equal intervals. In the present embodiment, the eight grease relief grooves 21 are formed on the inner surface 31 forming the ball fitting recess 3a so as to be shifted from each other by 45 ° in a state where the ball seat 3 is viewed from above (see FIG. 5). . In FIG. 3, only the second ball sheet member 18 is shown, but the first ball sheet member 17 is similarly formed with a grease relief groove 21.

  As shown in FIG. 2, at least one outer circumferential groove 6 along the circumferential direction, for example, two outer circumferential grooves 6 are formed on the outer circumferential surface 32 of the ball seat 3 in parallel with each other. The cross-sectional shape of the outer peripheral groove 6 is, for example, a substantially semicircular shape. The outer circumferential groove 6 is preferably wide (0.8 mm or more) and deep (0.3 mm or more) in consideration of the viscosity (fluidity) of the adhesive forming the adhesive layer 5, and thus By doing, an adhesive agent can be flowed favorably. On the other hand, in order to support the ball stud 2 satisfactorily, it is better that the ball seat 3 has high rigidity. In consideration of this, the outer peripheral groove 6 has a narrow width (2 mm or less) and a shallow depth (0.8 mm). The following is preferable. Therefore, it is preferable that the outer peripheral groove 6 has a maximum groove width of 0.8 mm or more and 2 mm or less, and a depth of the deepest part of the groove is 0.3 mm or more and 0.8 mm or less.

  In addition, at least one adhesive relief groove 22, for example, eight adhesive relief grooves 22, are formed on the outer peripheral surface 32 of the ball sheet 3 in parallel with each other. These adhesive relief grooves 22 are used to escape excess adhesive forming the adhesive layer 5 provided between the ball sheet 3 and the housing 4 from the outer circumferential groove 6 and are formed in a direction intersecting with the outer circumferential groove 6. Has been. These adhesive relief grooves 22 can be provided, for example, in a direction substantially orthogonal to the outer peripheral grooves 6 so as to connect the two outer peripheral grooves 6.

  The adhesive relief groove 22 also plays a role of releasing air when the ball seat 3 is inserted into the housing 4. Therefore, the ball sheet 3 and the housing 4 need to be formed so that the adhesive relief groove 22 communicates with the outside in a state where the ball sheet 3 is accommodated in the housing 4. In the present embodiment, since the curved portion R is formed between the housing body 13 and the edge portion 14, in order to realize this, in the state where the ball seat 3 is accommodated in the housing 4, the bonding is performed. The end of the agent escape groove 22 on the open end side passes through the R stop of the R portion 15 (the boundary portion between the outer surface of the R portion 15 (bending region) and the lower outer surface of the edge portion 14 (horizontal region)) 15a. The ball seat 3 and the housing 4 may be respectively designed so as to be positioned above the height (see FIG. 4) located above or the R stop 15a.

  In the present embodiment, the eight adhesive relief grooves 22 are formed on the outer peripheral surface 32 of the ball fitting recess 3a so as to be shifted from each other by 45 ° in a state where the ball seat 3 is viewed from above (see FIG. 5). ). As the number of the adhesive relief grooves 22 increases, the fluidity of the adhesive can be improved. Therefore, the adhesive relief grooves 22 are designed in consideration of the usable space of the outer peripheral surface 32 and the strength of the ball sheet. Therefore, it is preferable to form as many as possible. The adhesive relief groove 22 may be formed on the inner peripheral surface 41 forming the sheet receiving recess 4 a of the housing 4. Although only the first ball sheet member 17 is shown in FIG. 2, the outer peripheral groove 6 and the adhesive relief groove 22 are similarly formed in the second ball sheet member 18.

  By the way, if the adhesive relief groove 22 and the grease escape groove 21 are provided to face each other, the portion becomes thin and fragile. Therefore, it is preferable to form the adhesive escape groove 22 so as to face the region between the grease escape grooves 21 adjacent to each other. In the present embodiment, the adhesive relief grooves 22 and the grease relief grooves 21 are alternately arranged so that the adhesive relief grooves 22 and the grease relief grooves 21 are shifted from each other by 22.5 ° when the ball seat 3 is viewed from above. Is formed.

  Further, the ball sheet 3 has an edge portion 23 formed by bending the open end outward. The edge 23 protrudes upward from the open end of the housing body 13 in a state where the ball seat 3 is accommodated in the seat accommodating recess 4a of the housing 4 (see FIG. 1). On the lower surface of the edge portion 23, a second slip stopper recess 25 that supports the other end portion of the dust cover 8 is formed along the circumferential direction.

  As described above, the ball sheet 3 is housed in the sheet housing recess 4 a of the housing 4, and the adhesive layer 5 is provided between the ball sheet 3 and the housing 4. The adhesive layer 5 is fixed to the housing 4. In the present embodiment, the adhesive layer 5 is provided between the outer peripheral surface 32 and the end surface 33 of the ball sheet 3 and the inner peripheral surface 42 that forms the sheet accommodating recess 4 a of the housing 4.

  As the adhesive, an adhesive that does not damage (deteriorate) the material of the dust cover 8 is preferable. Further, the adhesive may be a so-called one-component adhesive that exhibits an effect as an adhesive with one liquid agent, or a so-called two-component adhesive that cures by mixing two liquid agents. Good. The adhesive also has a specific curing time. Accordingly, the adhesive may be appropriately selected according to the convenience of the production line, such as one having a curing time of 24 hours or 48 hours. Note that the ball seat 3 is also formed integrally. When it is desired to avoid only the resin exposure of the ball sheet 3, the ball sheet 3 may be an integral object.

  The dust cover 8 is provided above the ball seat 3. One end of the dust cover 8 is supported by the first detent recess 24 and the other end is supported by the second detent recess 25. The dust cover 8 is provided to prevent the lubricant from flowing out of the sliding surface and to suppress wear of the sliding surface due to foreign matters such as dust entering the sliding surface from the outside. Yes. The dust cover 8 is made of a material such as flexible rubber, and can flexibly follow the rotational motion and the swing motion of the ball stud 2.

The ball joint 1 is assembled as follows.
First, the engagement protrusion 19 is engaged with the engagement recess 20 with the joint surfaces 17a and 18a being in contact with each other. Thus, the ball sheet 3 is assembled by the first and second ball sheet members 17 and 18.

  A predetermined amount of adhesive is put into the sheet receiving recess 4 a of the housing 4. Thereafter, the ball sheet 3 is accommodated (press-fitted) into the sheet accommodating recess 4 a of the housing 4. As a result, the adhesive spreads between the outer peripheral surface 32 and the end surface 33 of the ball seat 3 and the inner peripheral surface 42 and the bottom surface forming the sheet accommodating recess 4 a of the housing 4. Further, this adhesive also enters the inside of the outer peripheral groove 6 that forms a part of the outer peripheral surface 32 of the ball sheet 3. The surplus of the adhesive escapes to the adhesive escape groove 22 through the outer peripheral groove 6. Therefore, the excess adhesive does not press between the ball sheet 3 and the housing 4.

  Allow to stand at room temperature for a predetermined time until the adhesive is completely cured. Note that the adhesive may be cured quickly by heat treatment or the like. Thereby, the space between the ball sheet 3 and the housing 4 is satisfactorily filled with the adhesive layer 5 formed by curing the adhesive.

  Incidentally, the polyacetal forming the ball seal and the adhesive generally have a poor affinity, and it is difficult to ensure a stable adhesive force (fixing force) between them. In the present embodiment, as described above, the adhesive layer 5 also enters the inside of the outer peripheral groove 6 along the outer peripheral surface 32 of the ball sheet 3, so that the portion of the adhesive layer 5 that enters the outer peripheral groove 6 is the key. Play the role. That is, even when a load is applied to the ball joint 1 so that the ball sheet 3 moves in the direction of the axis L with respect to the housing 4, the portion of the adhesive layer 5 that enters the outer peripheral groove 6 is the outer periphery of the ball sheet 3. Since it is caught in the groove 6, the movement of the ball sheet 3 in the direction of the axis L is suppressed. Therefore, the ball seat 3 can be fixed to the housing 4 satisfactorily.

  Grease is applied in the ball fitting recess 3a. Thereafter, the spherical portion 12a of the ball stud 2 is fitted into the ball fitting recess 3a. Thereby, the grease spreads on the sliding surface between the ball sheet 3 and the spherical portion 12a. The surplus grease escapes into the grease relief groove 21.

  As described above, the ball stud 2 can simultaneously swing and swing with respect to the ball seat 3 and rotate about the axis L of the ball stud 2. Finally, the dust cover 8 is attached.

  As described above, according to the ball joint 1 of the present embodiment, the outer circumferential groove 6 along the circumferential direction is formed on the outer circumferential surface 32 of the ball seat 3. Accordingly, the portion of the adhesive layer 5 formed by curing the adhesive that has entered the outer peripheral groove 6 plays the role of a key, so that the ball sheet 3 is fixed to the housing 4 with the adhesive layer 5. Nevertheless, the ball seat 3 can be fixed to the housing 4 well.

  Moreover, in the ball joint 1 of this embodiment, since the ball sheet 3 can be satisfactorily fixed to the housing 4 by the adhesive layer 5, the ball sheet is used as in the method of fixing the ball sheet to the housing by heat caulking. It is not necessary to expose a part (pin) of the outside of the housing. Therefore, the rigidity of the ball seat 3 can be kept good, and the breakage from the exposed portion (pin) and its vicinity can be eliminated. In addition, since it is not necessary to align the pins of the ball seat 3 and the holes formed in the housing 4 (alignment in the rotational direction about the axis L), assembly is easy. Furthermore, since a part of the ball seat 3 is not exposed to the outside of the housing 4, it can be made less susceptible to the influence of the outside air temperature or the like than a ball joint that heats the ball seat to the housing.

  In addition, on the outer peripheral surface 32 of the ball sheet 3, an escape groove for escaping the surplus adhesive that forms the adhesive layer 5 from the outer peripheral groove 6 is formed in a direction intersecting the outer peripheral groove 6. Therefore, even if a surplus occurs in the adhesive, it is possible to suppress the surplus from being cured and pressing between the ball seat 3 and the housing 4.

  Furthermore, since the ball seat 3 includes the first and second ball seat members 17 and 18 divided into two along the axis L direction of the ball stud 2, the ball ball 3 is an integrated ball. Compared to the sheet 3, there is less deformation that occurs when the mold is removed. Moreover, deformation when the ball seat 3 is press-fitted into the housing 4 can also be suppressed.

  Further, the outer peripheral surface 32 of the first and second ball seat members 17 and 18 is restricted at the time of being accommodated in the housing 4. Therefore, even when the ball sheet 3 is formed by a half-divided body such as the first and second ball sheet members 17 and 18, the same operation and effect as the integrated ball sheet 3 can be obtained.

  Furthermore, the integrated ball seat 3 may break when it is press-fitted into the housing 4. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the ball seat 3 includes first and second ball seat members 17 and 18 that are divided into two along the axis L direction of the ball stud 2. Therefore, it is difficult to break when press-fitting into the housing 4.

  In addition, since the integral ball sheet 3 has a parting line of the mold at the time of injection molding at the tip of the edge 23, a minute step generated by mold matching occurs at the tip of the edge 23. The step may damage the dust cover 8. Therefore, when the integrated ball sheet 3 is applied, it is necessary to take measures to prevent the dust cover 8 from being damaged by the ball sheet 3. On the other hand, the first and second ball sheet members 17 and 18 can be formed, for example, by using the upper die as the inner surface side of the ball sheet 3 and the lower die as the outer surface side. . Therefore, the parting line does not occur at the tip of the edge 23. Therefore, damage to the dust cover 8 can be suppressed. Further, since a measure for suppressing the damage of the dust cover 8 by the ball sheet 3 is unnecessary, the manufacturing process can be reduced.

  Further, when the ball seat 3 is removed from the mold or press-fitted into the housing 4, a load that causes elastic deformation is applied to the ball seat 3. For this reason, conventionally, the depth of the part that reduces the rigidity partially, such as the grease release groove 21, is limited by the thickness of the ball seat 3. On the other hand, in this embodiment, since the load applied to the ball seat 3 when the ball seat 3 is removed from the mold or press-fitted into the housing 4 can be reduced, the grease relief groove 21 and the like are partially rigid. Can be formed deeper than the integrated ball sheet 3 (about half the thickness of the ball sheet 3). Further, when the shape (depth) of the grease release groove 21 and the like is constant, the thickness of the ball seat 3 can be reduced.

  Further, since the ball sheet 3 is removed from the ball sheet 3 or is press-fitted into the housing 4 while elastically deforming the ball sheet 3, the integrated ball sheet 3 has an opening in the ball fitting recess 3a. There is a limit to reducing the size. On the other hand, in the present embodiment, since the ball sheet 3 is formed from a half-divided body like the first and second ball sheet members 17 and 18, the size of the opening of the ball fitting recess 3a. Can be made narrower than the integrated ball seat 3. Therefore, if the vibration angle required for the ball stud 2 is satisfied, that is, if the opening is within a range that does not hinder the movement of the ball stud 2, the size of the opening of the ball fitting recess 3a should be made narrower. Thus, inadvertent dropping of the spherical portion 12a from the ball sheet 3 can be suppressed.

  Further, at least one engagement protrusion 19 is provided on the joint surface 17 a of the first ball sheet member 17, and the engagement protrusion 19 is formed so as to correspond to the engagement protrusion 19 on the joint surface 18 a of the second ball sheet member 18. The engagement recessed part 20 which fits is provided. Therefore, by engaging the engagement protrusion 19 and the engagement recess 20, the first and second ball seat members 17, 18 can be handled as an integrated object as a ball seal.

  In the present embodiment, the adhesive relief groove 22 is provided so as to communicate with the outside in a state where the ball seat 3 is accommodated in the housing 4. Therefore, when the ball seat 3 is press-fitted into the housing 4, the air in the housing 4 sealed by press-fitting the ball seat 3 into the housing 4 can be released to the outside through the adhesive release groove 22. . Therefore, the ball seat 3 can be easily accommodated in the housing 4 (in the sheet accommodating recess 4a). Further, since the dust cover 8 is resistant to the adhesive, even if the adhesive overflows from the adhesive escape groove 22, the dust cover 8 does not deteriorate.

Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the present embodiment, a total of four engagement protrusions 19 are provided on the joint surface 17a of the first ball seat member 17 on both sides facing each other across the ball fitting recess 3a (FIGS. 6 and 6). 7). Further, on the joint surface 18a of the second ball seat member 18 that is the other seat member, four engagement recesses 20 that are fitted to the engagement protrusions 19 are provided so as to correspond to the four engagement protrusions 19. (See FIG. 7). The engagement protrusion 19 is a protrusion having a rectangular cross section, and the engagement recess 20 is a groove-shaped recess having a rectangular cross section that fits into the engagement protrusion 19.

  In the present embodiment, the outer peripheral surface 32 is provided intermittently along the circumferential direction of the outer peripheral surface 32 of the ball seat 3. Furthermore, the outer peripheral groove 6 is formed so as to avoid the vicinity of the joint surface 18a so that the outer peripheral groove 6 does not interfere with the engaging recess 20. Since other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment described above including a portion not shown, overlapping descriptions will be omitted by attaching the same reference numerals to the drawings.

  According to the present embodiment, the plurality of engaging protrusions 19 and the engaging recesses 20 are arranged in the vertical direction on both sides facing each other across the ball fitting recess 3a, so that the first and second ball seats The engagement between the members 17 and 18 can be made more stable than in the first embodiment.

Hereinafter, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the present embodiment, the second engagement having the same length as the depth of the ball fitting recess 3a on both sides of the joint surface 18a of the second ball sheet member 18 facing each other across the ball fitting recess 3a. A pair of elongate engaging projections 20 are provided as parts (see FIG. 9). Further, a pair of engaging grooves 19 as a first engaging portion that fits with the engaging protrusions 20 are formed on the joint surface 17 a of the first ball seat member 17 so as to correspond to these engaging protrusions 20. (See FIGS. 8 and 9).

  As shown in FIG. 10, the engagement protrusion 20 has a cross-sectional shape that is wider than the neck portion 20a provided on the joining surface 18a side and the neck portion 20a provided on the distal end side of the engagement protrusion 20. The shape has a portion 20b. The cross-sectional shape of the engagement groove 19 is a shape having a neck portion 19 a provided on the joint surface 17 a side and a wide portion 10 b wider than the neck portion 19 a provided on the bottom side of the engagement groove 19.

  In the present embodiment, the outer peripheral groove 6 is formed so as to avoid the vicinity of the joint surface 17a so that the outer peripheral groove 6 does not interfere with the engaging groove 19. Since other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment described above including a portion not shown, overlapping descriptions will be omitted by attaching the same reference numerals to the drawings.

  According to this embodiment, since the elongated engagement protrusion 20 and the engagement groove 19 having the same length as the depth of the ball fitting recess 3a are provided, the first and second ball seat members 17, Engagement with 18 can be made more stable than in the first embodiment. The engaging protrusion 20 has a neck portion 20a and a wide portion 20b, and the engaging groove 19 has a neck portion 19a and a wide portion 19b. Therefore, once the second ball sheet member 18 is engaged with the first ball sheet member 17, the wide portion 20b of the engagement protrusion 20 is caught by the neck portion 19a of the engagement groove 19, so that the second ball Inadvertent dropping of the sheet member 18 from the first ball sheet member 17 can be suppressed.

Hereinafter, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
In the present embodiment, the inner peripheral groove 7 is formed on the inner peripheral surface 42 forming the sheet receiving recess 4 a of the housing 4 so as to approach the bottom side. The inner circumferential groove 7 has a substantially right-angled triangle having an inclined portion whose cross-sectional shape is inclined so as to expand from the edge 14 side toward the bottom side of the housing body 13 (inclined from the inside to the outside), for example. It is formed to have a shape. Since other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment described above including a portion not shown, overlapping descriptions will be omitted by attaching the same reference numerals to the drawings.

  In the present embodiment, at least one inner circumferential groove 7 along the circumferential direction is formed on the inner circumferential surface 42 forming the sheet housing recess 4 a of the housing 4, and the outer circumferential surface 32 of the ball seat 3 and the seat housing of the housing 4 The ball sheet 3 is fixed to the housing 4 by providing the adhesive layer 5 between the inner peripheral surface 42 forming the recess 4 a. That is, the adhesive also enters the inner circumferential groove 7. Therefore, the portion of the adhesive layer 5 formed by curing the adhesive that has entered the inner circumferential groove 7 serves as a key, and the movement of the housing 4 in the direction of the axis L with respect to the ball seat 3 is suppressed. Therefore, the housing 4 can be fixed to the ball seat 3 satisfactorily.

Hereinafter, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the present embodiment, an inner circumferential groove 7 that faces the outer circumferential groove 6 of the ball joint 1 is formed on the inner circumferential surface 42 that forms the sheet receiving recess 4 a of the housing 4. The cross-sectional shape of the outer peripheral groove 6 and the inner peripheral groove 7 is substantially semicircular. Since other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment described above including a portion not shown, overlapping descriptions will be omitted by attaching the same reference numerals to the drawings.

  In the present embodiment, the adhesive layer 5 enters the inside of the outer peripheral groove 6 along the outer peripheral surface 32 of the ball sheet 3 and the inner peripheral groove 7 along the inner peripheral surface 41 of the housing 4. Therefore, the portion of the adhesive layer 5 formed by curing the adhesive that enters the outer peripheral groove 6 plays a role of a key, and the movement of the ball sheet 3 in the direction of the axis L with respect to the housing 4 is suppressed. Similarly, the part of the adhesive layer 5 formed by curing the adhesive that enters the inner circumferential groove 7 plays the role of a key, and the movement of the housing 4 in the direction of the axis L with respect to the ball sheet 3 is suppressed. Therefore, since the relative movement between the ball seat 3 and the housing 4 can be suppressed more favorably, the ball seat 3 can be fixed to the housing 4 more favorably.

Hereinafter, a sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.
In the present embodiment, an inner circumferential groove 7 that faces the outer circumferential groove 6 of the ball joint 1 is formed on the inner circumferential surface 42 that forms the sheet receiving recess 4 a of the housing 4. The cross-sectional shape of the outer peripheral groove 6 and the inner peripheral groove 7 is substantially rectangular. Since other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment described above including a portion not shown, overlapping descriptions will be omitted by attaching the same reference numerals to the drawings. In the present embodiment, the same effect as in the fifth embodiment can be obtained.

The seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.
In the present embodiment, an inner circumferential groove 7 that faces the outer circumferential groove 6 of the ball joint 1 is formed on the inner circumferential surface 42 that forms the sheet receiving recess 4 a of the housing 4. The cross-sectional shape of the outer peripheral groove 6 and the inner peripheral groove 7 is substantially semi-elliptical. Since other configurations are the same as those of the first embodiment described above including a portion not shown, overlapping descriptions will be omitted by attaching the same reference numerals to the drawings. In the present embodiment, the same effect as in the fifth embodiment can be obtained.

  In the ball joint of the present invention, the cross-sectional shapes of the outer circumferential groove 6 and the inner circumferential groove 7 are not limited to a substantially semicircular shape, a substantially elliptical shape, a substantially rectangular shape, and a substantially triangular shape. The outer peripheral groove 6 and the inner peripheral groove 7 have, for example, a portion that expands from the opening end side toward the bottom side, such as a substantially semicircular shape or a substantially elliptical shape, or a portion that extends horizontally such as a substantially rectangular shape. What is necessary is just to be a shape where the part which entered the inside of the outer periphery groove | channel 6 or the inner periphery groove | channel 7 among the adhesive layers 5 formed by hardening | curing adhesives etc. plays the role of a key.

  Further, the shape, number, and formation position of the engagement protrusion 19 and the engagement recess 20 are arbitrary. Further, the engagement protrusion 19 and the engagement recess 20 can be omitted. The ball sheet 3 may be formed by joining the first and second ball sheet members 17 and 18 or may be integrally formed.

1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a ball joint according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The side view which looked at the 1st ball seat member with which the ball joint concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention is provided from the peripheral surface side. The side view which looked at the 2nd ball seat member with which the ball joint concerning a 1st embodiment of the present invention is provided from the joined surface side. Sectional drawing which expands and shows a part of ball joint which concerns on the 1st Embodiment of this invention. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a ball joint according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The side view which looked at the 1st ball seat member with which the ball joint concerning a 2nd embodiment of the present invention is provided from the joined surface side. The cross-sectional view which shows the ball joint which concerns on the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The side view which looked at the 1st ball seat member with which the ball joint concerning a 3rd embodiment of the present invention is provided from the joint surface side. The cross-sectional view which shows the ball joint which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention. The cross-sectional view which shows a part of ball seat with which the ball joint which concerns on the 3rd Embodiment of this invention is provided. The longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the ball joint which concerns on the 4th Embodiment of this invention. The longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the ball joint which concerns on the 5th Embodiment of this invention. The longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows a part of ball joint which concerns on the 5th Embodiment of this invention. The longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows a part of ball joint which concerns on the 6th Embodiment of this invention. The longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows a part of ball joint which concerns on the 7th Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Ball joint, 2 ... Ball stud, 3 ... Ball seat, 4 ... Housing, 5 ... Adhesive layer, 6 ... Outer peripheral groove, 7 ... Inner peripheral groove, 12a ... Spherical part, 17 ... First ball seat member, 18 2nd ball seat member, 17a, 18a ... Joining surface, 19 ... 1st engagement part, 20 ... 2nd engagement part, 22 ... Adhesive escape groove, 32 ... Outer peripheral surface, 41 ... Inner peripheral surface

Claims (6)

A ball stud having a spherical portion;
A ball seat having a spherical ball-fitting recess that fits relative to the spherical portion so as to be rotatable and swingable relative to the spherical portion;
A housing having a sheet receiving recess for receiving the ball seat;
A rubber dust cover whose one end is supported by a first slip prevention recess formed in the ball stud ;
The housing is
A bottomed cylindrical housing body;
An edge that is bent in a curved shape with the open end of the housing body facing outward,
An R portion formed of a curved surface formed between the housing body and the edge portion;
The ball seat has an edge that protrudes upward from the opening end of the housing body and bends outward in a state in which the ball seat is accommodated in the seat accommodating recess,
On the outer peripheral surface of the ball sheet, an outer peripheral groove is formed along the circumferential direction, and an adhesive layer is provided between the outer peripheral surface of the ball sheet and the inner peripheral surface forming the seat accommodating recess of the housing , Further, an adhesive escape groove is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the ball seat in a direction intersecting with the outer peripheral groove, and an end of the adhesive escape groove on the opening end side is a curved surface along the R portion of the housing. And located above the R portion,
A second slip stopper is formed along the circumferential direction at the edge of the ball sheet;
The other end of the dust cover is supported by the second detent recess in a state of being sandwiched between the upper surface of the edge of the housing and the lower surface of the edge of the ball seat. Characteristic ball joint. The escape groove which escapes the surplus part of the adhesive forming the adhesive layer from the outer peripheral groove is formed on the outer peripheral surface of the ball sheet in a direction perpendicular to the outer peripheral groove. Ball joint. 2. The ball joint according to claim 1, wherein an inner peripheral groove facing the outer peripheral groove of the ball seat is formed on an inner peripheral surface forming a seat accommodating recess of the housing. Ball joint according to claim 1 on an inner peripheral surface forming the seat accommodating recess before Symbol housing, characterized by the Turkey have been formed inner peripheral groove along its circumferential direction.   5. The ball joint according to claim 1, wherein the ball seat includes first and second ball seat members divided into two.   The first and second ball seat members have joint surfaces facing each other, a first engagement portion is provided on the joint surface of the first ball seat member, and the first 2. A second engagement portion that fits with the first engagement portion is provided on a joint surface of the two ball seat members so as to correspond to the first engagement portion. 5. A ball joint according to 5.

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