JP6379426B2 - Ball joint - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a ball joint.

  An instrument panel or the like of a vehicle is provided with a blow-out device that blows out conditioned air sent from the air conditioner toward the vehicle interior. This type of blowing device includes a duct embedded and fixed in an instrument panel, a fin member having a blowing port disposed in the duct, a ball joint that connects the duct and the fin member in a swingable manner, It has.

  The ball joint described above includes a spherical portion disposed on the duct side, and a bearing member disposed on the fin member side and slidably fitted on the spherical portion (male and male coupling) (for example, , See Patent Document 1 below). According to this configuration, the wind direction of the conditioned air blown from the outlet is adjusted by the fin member swinging (swinging) with the center of the spherical surface as a fulcrum.

Here, the bearing member has a slightly smaller diameter than the spherical portion, and is externally fitted to the spherical portion in an elastically deformed state, and the inner peripheral surface of the bearing member is entirely on the outer peripheral surface of the spherical portion at the coupling portion. There is surface contact over the entire surface. As a result, the fin member is held in the swinging position by the frictional resistance between the bearing member and the spherical surface portion, and an appropriate operation load is applied during operation.
Further, the bearing member is configured to be elastically deformable by a relatively soft soft material such as synthetic resin or synthetic rubber. Thereby, the bearing member is deformed flexibly following the outer surface shape of the spherical surface portion, and the reduction of the operation load due to the change of the external environment such as heat and humidity and the secular change is suppressed.

Utility Model Registration No. 2570847

  However, in the conventional ball joint described above, since the inner peripheral surface of the bearing member and the outer peripheral surface of the spherical portion are in surface contact with each other at the coupling portion between the bearing member and the spherical portion, the contact is made. There was a tendency that the area was large and the operation load was high. Therefore, there is room for improvement in terms of improving the feeling.

Here, as a method of adjusting the operation load, it is conceivable to change the dimension (fitting) between the spherical surface portion and the bearing member. However, in this case, it is necessary to change the size of the outer peripheral surface of the spherical portion or the entire inner peripheral surface of the bearing member, which leads to a decrease in manufacturing efficiency and an increase in manufacturing cost. In addition, a desired operation load may not be applied to the spherical surface portion and the bearing member depending on dimensional accuracy.
Further, as a method of adjusting (lowering) the operation load, for example, changing the bearing member to a hard material can be considered. However, in this case, it is necessary to adjust the molding die accompanying the material change, review the molding conditions, etc., which also leads to a decrease in manufacturing efficiency and an increase in manufacturing cost. In addition, the operation load becomes low due to changes in the external environment and changes over time, and it is difficult to obtain a stable feeling over a long period of time.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made in view of the above-described circumstances, and its purpose is to improve the manufacturing efficiency and reduce the cost, and to achieve a desired operation load between the spherical surface portion and the bearing member. It is providing the ball joint which can provide.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention proposes the following means.
A ball joint according to the present invention includes a spherical portion, a bearing member slidably mounted on the spherical portion, and a socket that is externally mounted on the bearing member and swings integrally with the bearing member with respect to the spherical portion. And in the axial direction of the socket portion, both end edges of the bearing member are located on both sides with respect to the central portion of the spherical portion in the axial direction, and the spherical portion is only on the bearing member. and supported by, the socket portion, said toward the outer circumferential surface of the bearing member via the ground portion protruding abutting said bearing member, wherein the ground part, as well as to extend along the front Symbol axis direction, the The bearing member is disposed in contact with the outer peripheral surface of the portion of the bearing member covering the spherical portion over the entire axial direction, and is spaced apart in the circumferential direction of the socket portion . Small number of peripheral and outer peripheral surfaces Both are formed in a curved surface shape that follows the outer peripheral surface of the spherical portion, the grounding portion is formed in a shape that follows the outer peripheral surface of the bearing member, and the spherical portion intersects the axial direction. A guide protrusion protruding in the radial direction is disposed, the slit extending in the axial direction and accommodating the guide protrusion is formed in the socket portion, and the bearing member has the slit in the circumferential direction. It is characterized by being comprised by the cover member arrange | positioned on both sides .

According to this configuration, the socket portion comes into contact with the bearing member via the grounding portion, and is disposed with a space between the bearing member and the portion other than the grounding portion. Therefore, the contact area between the socket portion and the bearing member can be reduced as compared with the case where the entire inner peripheral surface of the socket portion and the entire outer peripheral surface of the bearing member are in surface contact. As a result, the operating load acting between the bearing member and the spherical surface portion can be released to the space formed between the bearing member and the socket portion, and the surface pressure acting between the bearing member and the spherical surface portion is achieved. Can be reduced. As a result, the feeling during operation can be improved. Further, since the socket portion is externally mounted on the spherical portion via the bearing member, even when a space is provided between the socket portion and the bearing member, the socket portion acts between the bearing member and the spherical portion. The operation load can be applied uniformly in the circumferential direction of the spherical portion.
In particular, according to the configuration of the present invention, the operation load acting between the bearing member and the spherical portion can be adjusted by adjusting the height dimension of the grounding portion. In this case, unlike the conventional configuration in which the operating load is adjusted by changing the size of the outer peripheral surface of the spherical surface or the entire inner peripheral surface of the bearing member, the operating load can be easily adjusted by adjusting the height dimension of the grounding portion. The aging period (period required for adjusting the operation load) can be shortened. As a result, it is possible to apply a desired operation load between the bearing member and the spherical portion after improving the manufacturing efficiency and reducing the cost. In addition, since a dimensional error is reduced as compared with the case where the dimension of the outer peripheral surface of the spherical portion or the entire inner peripheral surface of the bearing member is changed, a desired operation load can be more reliably applied.
Further, unlike the case where the operation load is adjusted by changing the material of the bearing member or the like, it is not necessary to adjust the molding die and review the molding conditions when the material is changed. In addition, since a soft material can be used for the bearing member, the bearing member is flexibly deformed following the outer surface shape of the spherical surface portion, and a reduction in operating load due to a change in the external environment or a change over time can be suppressed. As a result, it is possible to reliably improve the feeling after improving the production efficiency and reducing the cost.

Further, in the ball joint according to the present invention, the ground portion may extend in a rib shape.
In this case, since the grounding portions are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction, the operation load can be applied uniformly in the circumferential direction. Thereby, the improvement of the further feeling can be aimed at.

Further, in the ball joint according to the present invention, an engagement hole is formed in the grounding portion, and the bearing member is engaged in the engagement hole to connect the bearing member and the socket portion. An engaging claw may be formed .
In this case, by providing the engagement hole in the grounding portion of the socket portion, the thickness of the engagement hole can be ensured as compared with the case where the engagement hole is provided in a portion other than the grounding portion. Therefore, a sufficient amount of engagement between the engagement claw and the engagement hole of the bearing member can be ensured, and the bearing member can be prevented from coming off from the socket portion.

  According to the ball joint according to the present invention, it is possible to apply a desired operation load between the spherical surface portion and the bearing member while improving the manufacturing efficiency and reducing the cost.

It is a perspective view of the blowing device concerning an embodiment. It is a disassembled perspective view of the blowing device which concerns on embodiment. It is sectional drawing which follows the III-III line of FIG. It is the IV section enlarged view of FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the line VV in FIG. 3. It is the perspective view which looked at the socket part from the front.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the present embodiment, a case where the ball joint according to the present invention is applied to a blowing device will be described.

<Blowout device>
FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the blowing device 1, and FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the blowing device 1. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the blowing device 1 includes a duct 3 that is embedded and fixed in an instrument panel 2 (see FIG. 3) of a vehicle (not shown), and is disposed in the duct 3. , A ball joint 6 that pivotably connects the duct 3 and the fin member 5, and an opening / closing mechanism 7 that opens and closes the duct 3.

  In addition, the duct 3 and the fin member 5 are exhibiting the cylindrical shape arrange | positioned mutually coaxially. In the following description, a direction along the axis O of the duct 3 and the fin member 5 is simply referred to as an axial direction, and a direction perpendicular to the axis O in a plan view viewed from the axial direction is a radial direction, and a direction around the axis O is a direction. It is called the circumferential direction. The blowing device 1 of the present embodiment is mounted on a vehicle in a state where the axial direction thereof is along the front-rear direction of the vehicle. Therefore, in the following description, the opening / closing mechanism 7 side along the axial direction may be simply referred to as a front side (FR in the drawing), and the fin member 5 side may be simply referred to as a rear side.

(duct)
The duct 3 includes a cylindrical case 11 positioned on the front side (one end side in the axial direction) and a cylindrical spherical panel 12 connected to the rear end portion (the other end portion in the axial direction) of the case 11. ing. The case 11 and the spherical panel 12 are each made of a synthetic resin or the like.

The case 11 has an outer cylinder 13 and an inner cylinder 14, and a connecting portion 15 that connects the outer cylinder 13 and the inner cylinder 14.
A square skirt portion 16 is formed in a portion located on the front side of the outer cylinder 13. A supply duct of an air conditioner (not shown) is connected to the front end portion of the skirt portion 16. Thereby, the conditioned air sent out from the air conditioner is supplied into the blowing device 1.
In the outer cylinder 13, a front side accommodation portion 17 that accommodates the fin member 5 from the front side is connected to the rear end portion of the skirt portion 16. The front housing portion 17 gradually increases in diameter toward the rear, and has a convex hemispherical shape toward the outside in the radial direction. A guide recess 18 that is recessed outward in the radial direction is formed in a part of the front housing portion 17 in the circumferential direction. The guide recess 18 extends in the axial direction following the inner peripheral surface of the front housing portion 17.

The inner cylinder 14 has a cylindrical shape arranged coaxially with the outer cylinder 13, and is disposed on the rear side (inside the skirt portion 16) in the outer cylinder 13.
The connecting portion 15 extends radially from the outer peripheral surface of the inner cylinder 14 toward the inner peripheral surface of the outer cylinder 13. In the case 11, conditioned air flows through a gap between the connecting portions 15 adjacent in the circumferential direction.

The spherical panel 12 is connected to the rear housing portion 21 that houses the fin member 5 from the rear side and the front end portion of the rear housing portion 21, and is fitted to the front housing portion 17 of the case 11. Part 22.
The rear housing portion 21 is gradually reduced in diameter toward the rear, has a convex hemispherical shape toward the outside in the radial direction, and a rear end opening portion opens toward the vehicle interior. As for the rear side accommodating part 21, while the front-end edge is faced | abutted to the rear-end edge of the front side accommodating part 17 in a case in an axial direction, the inner peripheral surface is connected with the inner peripheral surface of the front side accommodating part 17 smoothly. The space defined by the front housing portion 17 and the rear housing portion 21 constitutes a housing space S (see FIG. 3) having a spherical inner peripheral surface. In the illustrated example, the inner circumferential surface of the storage space S extends radially inward from the central portion in the axial direction toward the both sides and has a convex spherical shape toward the radially outer side. The center is located on the axis O.
The fitting portion 22 has a cylindrical shape whose inner diameter is larger than that of the front housing portion 17 and surrounds the rear end portion of the front housing portion 17.

(Fin member)
The fin member 5 includes a housing 31 that is swingably housed in the housing space S described above, and a joint knob 32 that is rotatably attached to the housing 31 about the axis O. The housing 31 and the joint knob 32 are each made of synthetic resin or the like.

The housing 31 includes a cylindrical rim portion 33, a cylindrical hub portion 34 disposed radially inside the rim portion 33, and a rectifying plate 35 that connects the rim portion 33 and the hub portion 34. It is equipped with.
The outer circumferential surface of the rim portion 33 is gradually reduced in diameter as it goes from the intermediate portion in the axial direction to both sides, has a convex spherical shape toward the outer side in the radial direction, and has a diameter with respect to the inner circumferential surface of the accommodation space S. It is formed to follow the inner peripheral surface of the accommodation space S with a gap in the direction. The maximum outer diameter portion of the rim portion 33 is smaller than the minimum inner diameter portion of the accommodation space S (the front accommodation portion 17 and the rear accommodation portion 21). A guide piece (not shown) that protrudes forward is disposed at a part of the rim portion 33 in the circumferential direction. The guide piece is accommodated in the above-described guide recess 18 of the case 11 and restricts the rotation of the housing 31 around the axis O and moves in the guide recess 18 along with the swinging motion of the fin member 5. The swinging operation of the fin member 5 is guided.

The hub portion 34 has a length in the axial direction that is longer than that of the rim portion 33, and a rear end portion of the hub portion 34 projects rearward from the rim portion 33. The front inner peripheral surface of the hub portion 34 extends toward the outer side in the radial direction as it goes forward, and has a convex spherical shape toward the outer side in the radial direction. In addition, the rear end opening of the rim portion 33 and the rear end opening of the hub portion 34 described above constitute a blowout port 4 that blows out conditioned air toward the vehicle interior.
The current plate 35 extends radially from the outer peripheral surface of the hub portion 34 toward the inner peripheral surface of the rim portion 33. In this embodiment, the rectifying plate 35 is inclined and extended to one side in the circumferential direction as it goes outward in the radial direction. In the housing 31, conditioned air flows through a gap between the rectifying plates 35 adjacent in the circumferential direction.

The joint knob 32 is used for swinging the fin member 5 and opening / closing the opening / closing mechanism 7. Specifically, the joint knob 32 includes an insertion cylinder 41 inserted into the hub portion 34 and an operation cylinder 42 externally inserted into the hub portion 34.
The front end portion of the insertion tube 41 has an outer diameter that is smaller than that of the rear end portion, and has a radial gap between the front end portion and the hub portion 34. Locking claws 44 (see FIG. 4) projecting outward in the radial direction are formed at the front end portion of the insertion cylinder 41 at intervals in the circumferential direction.
The operation tube 42 has a rear end portion protruding rearward from the housing 31 and is connected to the rear end portion of the insertion tube 41.

(Ball joint)
4 is an enlarged view of a portion IV in FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view corresponding to the line VV in FIG.
As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the ball joint 6 is attached to the case 51 side and the housing 31 side, and can swing with respect to the joint portion 51 via the bearing member 52. And a socket portion 53 that is externally mounted.

The joint portion 51 is made of a synthetic resin or the like, has a cylindrical shape arranged coaxially with the case 11, and is supported by the case 11 so as to be rotatable around the axis O. Specifically, the joint portion 51 includes an attachment tube 55 attached to the inner tube 14 of the case 11, and a spherical portion 56 that is connected to the rear of the attachment tube 55 and has a spherical outer peripheral surface. Have.
The mounting cylinder 55 has a multistage cylindrical shape that gradually decreases in diameter toward the rear, and a front end portion of the mounting cylinder 55 is rotatably fitted in the inner cylinder 14.

The spherical portion 56 has a front end opening edge continuous with a rear end opening edge of the mounting cylinder 55 and faces a central portion in the radial direction and the axial direction in the accommodation space S. In the illustrated example, the outer peripheral surface of the spherical portion 56 has a center of curvature located on the axis O and a radius of curvature smaller than that of the inner peripheral surface of the accommodation space S.
The spherical surface portion 56 is provided with a guide protrusion 57 (see FIG. 5) that protrudes outward in the radial direction. A pair of guide protrusions 57 are disposed on the portion of the spherical surface portion 56 that is opposed to each other in the radial direction with the axis O interposed therebetween. A plurality of groove portions 58 that are recessed toward the inside in the radial direction are formed on the outer peripheral surface of the spherical surface portion 56. These groove portions 58 function as grease pockets for accommodating the grease interposed between the bearing members 52.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the socket portion 53 as viewed from the front.
As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the socket portion 53 is made of synthetic resin or the like, has a cylindrical shape that is coaxially arranged with the fin member 5, and is rotatably supported in the hub portion 34 of the fin member 5. Has been. Specifically, the socket portion 53 includes a connection tube 61 coupled to the joint knob 32 described above, and a storage tube 62 that extends forward from the connection tube 61 and stores the spherical surface portion 56 described above. doing.

The connection tube 61 is externally inserted into a portion of the joint knob 32 that is located on the inner side of the hub portion 34 in the above-described insertion tube 41. An outer flange portion 63 projects from the connection tube 61 toward the outer side in the radial direction. The outer flange portion 63 is close to or in contact with the rear end opening edge of the hub portion 34 from the front.
Further, the connection tube 61 is formed with locking holes 64 penetrating the connection tube 61 in the radial direction at intervals in the circumferential direction. In the locking hole 64, the above-described locking claw 44 of the insertion tube 41 is locked. As a result, the joint knob 32 and the socket portion 53 sandwich the hub portion 34 in the axial direction and are rotatable with respect to the hub portion 34. In addition, between the hub part 34 and the socket part 53, the control part (For example, the control part 67 shown in FIG. 6) which restrict | limits the rotation of the joint knob 32 and the socket part 53 around the axis line O with respect to the hub part 34 within a predetermined range. It may be arranged.

  The housing cylinder 62 gradually increases in diameter toward the outer side in the radial direction toward the front, and has a convex hemispherical shape toward the outer side in the radial direction. The housing cylinder 62 has a maximum outer diameter portion larger than the maximum outer diameter portion of the spherical surface portion 56, and the spherical surface portion 56 is accommodated from the front side thereof. In this way, since the accommodating cylinder 62 is gradually enlarged toward the outer side in the radial direction toward the front, it is possible to prevent undercutting and to secure desired dimensional accuracy.

A pair of slits 65 for separately accommodating the guide protrusions 57 are formed in a portion of the storage cylinder 62 that is located in the circumferential direction equivalent to the guide protrusions 57 described above. The slit 65 penetrates the housing cylinder 62 in the radial direction, extends along the axial direction, and opens at the front end edge of the housing cylinder 62.
A plurality of engagement holes (connection means) 66 penetrating the housing cylinder 62 in the radial direction are provided at the front end portion of the housing cylinder 62 at intervals in the circumferential direction. In the illustrated example, a pair of engagement holes 66 is provided in each portion of the accommodation cylinder 62 located between the slits 65 in the circumferential direction.

Here, grounding portions 71 and 72 projecting inward in the radial direction are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the housing cylinder 62. These grounding portions 71 and 72 have a first grounding portion 71 and a second grounding portion 72 that is narrower than the first grounding portion 71.
The first grounding portion 71 is a belt-like member extending in the axial direction along the inner peripheral surface of the housing cylinder 62, and has a curved surface shape whose inner end surface in the radial direction follows the inner peripheral surface of the housing cylinder 62. Presents. The 1st grounding part 71 is arrange | positioned at intervals in the circumferential direction. In the example shown in the drawing, the first grounding portions 71 are disposed one by one on a portion of the housing cylinder 62 located between the slits 65 (a portion located in the circumferential direction equivalent to the engagement hole 66). It is arrange | positioned in the part located in the direction equivalent to the slit 65, respectively. In the present embodiment, a pair of corresponding first grounding portions 71 are opposed to each other in the radial direction with the axis O interposed therebetween. In addition, since the 1st earthing | grounding part 71 is a strip | belt-shaped thing extended along the outer peripheral surface of the bearing member 52 in the axial direction, the rattling after an assembly | attachment can be reduced uniformly.

  The second grounding portion 72 is a rib-like member extending in the axial direction following the inner peripheral surface of the housing cylinder 62, and its radially inner end surface (tip portion) is directed radially inward. It has a convex curved surface. The second grounding portions 72 are arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction. In the illustrated example, the second grounding portion 72 is disposed in a portion of the housing cylinder 62 located between the first grounding portions 71 adjacent in the circumferential direction, and also disposed on the first grounding portion 71. Has been. In the present embodiment, a pair of corresponding second grounding portions 72 face each other in the radial direction with the axis O interposed therebetween. As described above, by setting the second grounding portion 72 on the first grounding portion 71, the radial height of the second grounding portion 72 is reduced. Thereby, the die processing man-hour of the 2nd earthing | grounding part 72 can be reduced.

  As shown in FIGS. 2, 4, and 5, the bearing member 52 has a halved structure including a pair of cover members 74, and these cover members 74 are opposed to each other in the radial direction, so that as a whole It has a cylindrical shape. Each cover member 74 has a semi-cylindrical shape which is configured to be elastically deformable by a soft material (for example, synthetic resin or synthetic rubber) softer than the joint portion 51 and the socket portion 53 in the ball joint 6. Each cover member 74 is disposed in a portion of the above-described storage cylinder 62 located between the slits 65 in the circumferential direction. Each cover member 74 has the same configuration.

  The bearing member 52 (each cover member 74) has an axial length equivalent to that of the housing cylinder 62 described above, and is entirely accommodated in the housing cylinder 62. At the front end portion of the bearing member 52, an engagement claw 76 that is engaged in the engagement hole 66 of the housing cylinder 62 is formed. The engaging claws 76 protrude outward in the radial direction and are formed at intervals in the circumferential direction.

  The outer peripheral surface of the bearing member 52 has a spherical shape that follows the inner peripheral surface of the housing cylinder 62, and is supported by the respective grounding portions 71 and 72 described above from the outside in the radial direction. In this case, the outer peripheral surface of the bearing member 52 is disposed at a radial interval K with respect to the inner peripheral surface of the housing cylinder 62, and is in contact with the housing cylinder 62 only through the grounding portions 71 and 72. Yes. Therefore, between the bearing member 52 and the housing cylinder 62, any one of the grounding portions 71, 72 and the spacing K are alternately arranged in the circumferential direction, and the first grounding portion 71 is in surface contact with the bearing member 52, and the second grounding portion 72 is in line contact with the bearing member 52.

Further, the bearing member 52 has an inner diameter slightly smaller than the spherical surface portion 56 of the joint portion 51 described above, and the spherical surface portion 56 is slidably fitted (gender coupling) on the inside thereof. The inner peripheral surface of the bearing member 52 has a spherical shape that follows the outer peripheral surface of the spherical surface portion 56, and constitutes a sliding surface that slidably contacts the outer peripheral surface of the spherical surface portion 56. In the illustrated example, the bearing member 52 has a rear end edge and a front end edge located on both sides with respect to the central portion in the axial direction of the spherical portion 56, and holds the spherical portion 56 from both sides in the axial direction.
From the above, the second grounding portion 72 is in line contact with the bearing member 52 to adjust the operation load to an appropriate value, the first grounding portion 71 is in surface contact with the bearing member 52, and both the grounding portions 71 and 72 are bearings. Since it extends along the outer peripheral surface of the member 52, the support of the spherical surface portion 56 by the bearing member 52 can be stabilized. Furthermore, the space K can appropriately reduce the surface pressure acting on the bearing member 52 via the spherical surface portion 56 when the housing 31 is operated, and the feeling during operation can be improved.

(Opening / closing mechanism)
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the opening / closing mechanism 7 includes a damper 81 that opens and closes the front end opening of the case 11, a rotating cylinder 82 that rotates in conjunction with the rotation operation of the joint knob 32, and a rotating cylinder 82. And a link mechanism 83 for connecting between the damper 81 and the damper 81.
The damper 81 is a so-called double door (a double door) provided with a pair of door plates 85, and is rotatably supported by the skirt portion 16 of the case 11 (the outer cylinder 13).

  The rotating cylinder 82 is fitted in the mounting cylinder 55 of the joint portion 51 in the inner cylinder 14 of the case 11 and rotates integrally with the joint portion 51. On the outer peripheral surface of the rotating cylinder 82, a guide rail 88 that protrudes outward in the radial direction extends in a spiral shape.

  The link mechanism 83 includes a movable cylinder 86 extrapolated to the rotary cylinder 82 and a pair of link arms 87 that connect the movable cylinder 86 and the door plates 85 respectively.

  The movable cylinder 86 has a half structure that sandwiches the rotary cylinder 82 from the outside in the radial direction, and is configured to be movable in the axial direction in conjunction with the rotation of the rotary cylinder 82. Specifically, a guide groove 89 that accommodates the above-described guide rail 88 of the rotary cylinder 82 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the movable cylinder 86. The guide groove 89 extends spirally following the guide rail 88. A restricting portion 91 that protrudes outward in the radial direction is disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the movable cylinder 86. The restricting portion 91 is accommodated in a restricting groove 92 whose outer end in the radial direction extends along the axial direction on the inner peripheral surface of the skirt portion 16, and restricts the rotation of the movable cylinder 86 around the axis O. .

  Each link arm 87 has one end portion rotatably connected to the movable cylinder 86 and the other end portion rotatably connected to each door plate 85.

  In the blowing device 1 configured as described above, the movable plate 86 moves in the axial direction in accordance with the rotation operation of the joint knob 32, whereby the door plate 85 rotates through the link arm 87. As a result, communication between the air conditioner and the blower 1 through the front end opening of the case 11 by the damper 81 is switched. In the opened state of the damper 81, the conditioned air sent out from the air conditioner through the supply duct flows into the duct 3 through the front end opening of the skirt portion 16. Thereafter, in the duct 3, the conditioned air flows through the inside and outside of the ball joint 6 and flows into the fin member 5, and passes through the gap between the rectifying plates 35 adjacent in the circumferential direction of the fin member 5 and the inside of the hub portion 34. It is supplied into the vehicle compartment from the outlet 4.

  When changing the air direction of the conditioned air, the socket portion 53 swings with the bearing member 52 within the conical range around the axis O with the center of the spherical surface portion 56 as a fulcrum as the joint knob 32 swings. As a result, the fin member 5 swings in the accommodation space S with respect to the duct 3. Thereby, the wind direction of the conditioned air which blows off from the blower outlet 4 can be changed.

  Here, in the present embodiment, the socket portion 53 is in contact with the bearing member 52 via the grounding portions 71 and 72, and is disposed with a space K between the bearing member 52 and portions other than the grounding portions 71 and 72. Will be. Therefore, the contact area between the socket portion 53 and the bearing member 52 can be reduced as compared with the case where the entire inner peripheral surface of the socket portion 53 and the entire outer peripheral surface of the bearing member 52 are in surface contact. As a result, the operating load acting between the bearing member 52 and the spherical surface portion 56 can be released to the space K formed between the bearing member 52 and the socket portion 53. The surface pressure acting during the period can be reduced. As a result, the feeling during operation can be improved. Further, since the socket portion 53 is externally mounted on the spherical portion 56 via the bearing member 52, the bearing member 52 and the spherical portion are provided even when the space K is provided between the socket portion 53 and the bearing member 52. The operation load acting between the two and 56 can be applied uniformly in the circumferential direction.

In particular, in this embodiment, the operation load acting between the bearing member 52 and the spherical surface portion 56 can be adjusted by adjusting the height dimension of the grounding portions 71 and 72. In this case, unlike the conventional configuration in which the operating load is adjusted by changing the size of the outer peripheral surface of the spherical portion 56 or the entire inner peripheral surface of the bearing member 52, the operating load can be easily adjusted, and the aging period (adjustment of the operating load) Time). As a result, it is possible to apply a desired operation load between the socket portion 53 and the spherical surface portion 56 while improving the manufacturing efficiency and reducing the cost. In addition, since a dimensional error is reduced as compared with the case where the size of the outer peripheral surface of the spherical surface portion 56 or the entire inner peripheral surface of the bearing member 52 is changed, a desired operation load can be more reliably applied.
Further, unlike the case where the operation load is adjusted by changing the material of the bearing member 52 and the like, it is not necessary to adjust the molding die and review the molding conditions when the material is changed. In addition, since a soft material can be used for the bearing member 52, the bearing member 52 is flexibly deformed following the outer surface shape of the spherical surface portion 56, and a reduction in operating load due to a change in the external environment or a change over time can be suppressed.
As a result, it is possible to reliably improve the feeling after improving the production efficiency and reducing the cost.

Moreover, in this embodiment, since the grounding parts 71 and 72 are arrange | positioned at intervals in the circumferential direction, an operation load can be made to act on the circumferential direction uniformly. Thereby, the improvement of the further feeling can be aimed at.
Furthermore, in the present embodiment, since the radially inner end surface of the second grounding portion 72 is a curved surface convex toward the radially inner side, the contact area between the second grounding portion 72 and the bearing member 52 is reduced. The operating load acting between the bearing member 52 and the spherical surface portion 56 can be reduced.

  Further, in the present embodiment, since the plurality of grounding portions 71 and 72 having different widths are provided, the operation load accompanying the change in the height dimension of the grounding portions 71 and 72 can be divided into a plurality of stages. . That is, by changing the height dimension of the first grounding portion 71, the operation load can be greatly changed (coarse adjustment), and by changing the height dimension of the second grounding portion 72, the operation load can be reduced. Can be changed (fine-tuned). Thereby, an appropriate operation load can be applied between the spherical surface portion 56 and the bearing member 52. In addition, when adjusting an operation load, it is preferable to change the height of the 2nd earthing | grounding part 72 preferentially.

Further, in the present embodiment, since the engaging hole 66 for coupling the bearing member 52 (the engaging claw 76) and a socket portion 53 is formed in an equivalent position in the first ground portion 71 and the circumferential direction, the socket among parts 53, the thickness of the engaging hole 66 (depth) can be secured as compared with the case where the first ground portion 71 other than the portion provided with connection means such as engagement holes. Therefore, a sufficient amount of engagement between the engagement claw 76 of the bearing member 52 and the engagement hole 66 of the socket part 53 can be ensured, and the bearing member 52 can be prevented from coming off from the socket part 53. In the present embodiment, the case has been described in which the engagement hole 66 in which the engagement claw 76 of the bearing member 52 is engaged is formed in the socket portion 53 as the connecting means. A configuration may be adopted in which the engaging claw is formed and the engagement hole is formed in the bearing member 52.

As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was explained in full detail with reference to drawings, the concrete structure is not restricted to this embodiment, The design change etc. of the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention are included.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the bearing member 52 has a half structure has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the bearing member 52 may be integrally formed in a cylindrical shape. However, the bearing member 52 having a halved structure has an effect that it is easy to ensure the accuracy of assembly with the socket portion 53.
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the socket portion 53 is formed separately from the joint knob 32 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the socket portion 53 may be formed integrally.
In the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the two types of grounding portions 71 and 72 having different widths are provided has been described. It doesn't matter. In addition, the design pitch of the grounding portions 71 and 72 can be changed as appropriate.
Furthermore, although embodiment mentioned above demonstrated the structure by which the grounding parts 71 and 72 were extended along the axial direction, it is not restricted to this. For example, the grounding portion may be extended along the circumferential direction or formed in a dot shape.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the joint portion 51 is provided on the duct 3 side and the socket portion 53 is provided on the fin member 5 side has been described. On the contrary, the socket portion 53 is provided on the duct 3 side, You may provide the joint part 51 in the fin member 5 side.
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the configuration in which the ball joint 6 of the present invention is employed in the vehicle blowing device 1 is described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the ball joint 6 of the present invention may be employed in various configurations. it can.

  In addition, in the range which does not deviate from the meaning of this invention, it is possible to replace suitably the component in the embodiment mentioned above by the well-known component, and you may combine the said modification suitably.

6 ... Ball joint 51 ... Joint part 52 ... Bearing member 53 ... Socket part 56 ... Spherical surface part 66 ... Engagement hole (connection means)
71 ... 1st grounding part (grounding part)
72. Second grounding part (grounding part)

Claims (3)

A spherical portion,
A bearing member slidably mounted on the spherical portion;
A socket part that is externally mounted on the bearing member and swings integrally with the bearing member with respect to the spherical surface part,
In the axial direction of the socket portion, both end edges of the bearing member are located on both sides with respect to the central portion in the axial direction of the spherical portion,
The spherical portion is supported only by the bearing member,
The socket portion abuts on the bearing member via a grounding portion protruding toward the outer peripheral surface of the bearing member,
The ground portion, while being extended along the front SL axis, the axis over the entire direction abuts against the outer peripheral surface of the part that the exterior of the spherical portion in the bearing member, and wherein It is arranged at intervals in the circumferential direction of the socket part,
At least a part of each of the inner peripheral surface and the outer peripheral surface of the bearing member is formed in a curved shape following the outer peripheral surface of the spherical portion,
The grounding portion is formed in a shape that follows the outer peripheral surface of the bearing member,
The spherical portion is provided with a guide protrusion protruding in a radial direction intersecting the axial direction,
The socket portion is formed with a slit that extends in the axial direction and accommodates the guide protrusion,
The ball joint according to claim 1, wherein the bearing member is configured by a cover member disposed in the circumferential direction with the slit interposed therebetween .   The ball joint according to claim 1, wherein the grounding portion extends in a rib shape. An engagement hole is formed in the grounding portion,
It said bearing member, according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the engagement claw connecting the said bearing member and said socket portion is engaged with the engaging hole is formed Ball joint.

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