JPH01289770A - Tie rod adjusting device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make tie rod adjustment and toe adjustment performable accurately and speedily by installing a tie rod engaging means of a wrench or the like on a carriage being movement relatively with a stopper automobile via a play giving mechanism. CONSTITUTION:A slider 23 being free of traveling along a guide rail 22 on a base 21 is installed in a pit of an automobile servicing station, while a carriage 29 being free of vertical motion along a guide rail 28 installed at each side of a pair of columns 27 erected on the slider, and a base plate 32 is installed on a guide rail 30 on top of the carriage 29 free of reciprocation. In addition, an almost U-shaped first support 35 is installed in almost the center of the base plate 32 via a first connecting part 34 free of rotation around a vertical shaft, and there is provided with a second support 37 via symmetrically opposed second connecting parts 36 installed in this support 35. Then, an open end wrench 42 being free of rotation around a shaft 42b is attached to a block 41 being free of traveling on a guide rail 38 installed in the second support 37.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention] The present invention relates to a tie rod adjustment device,
In particular, the present invention relates to a tie rod adjustment device that makes it possible to automatically adjust the toe of an automobile.

雛】q[4 When adjusting the toe of a car, it is usually done by adjusting the car's tie rods. In this case, conventionally, an operator has manually adjusted the tie rod using a wrench or the like, which not only makes the work difficult but also has the disadvantage of being inefficient.

First, an example of toe adjustment by adjusting tie rods of an automobile will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. As shown in FIG. 2, a pair of drive shafts 1a and 1b extend left and right from a power unit P such as an engine mounted on an automobile V, and each drive shaft 1a.

A pair of front wheels Wfl and Wfr are rotatably attached to the tip of 1b. A pair of left and right tie rods 4 are installed at the ends of the knuckle arms 3, 3 of the left and right front wheels Wfl, Wfr, respectively.
4 are rotatably connected via ball joints J1 and Jl, respectively. - side, these left and right tie rods 4,
4 has a ball joint J2.4 at both ends of one relay rod 5. It is rotatably connected via J2.

The relay rod 6 is connected to the steering shaft 7 via the steering gear 6. Therefore, when the operator rotates the steering handle 8 in the left-right direction, the rotational movement is transmitted to the relay rod 5 in the left-right direction via the steering gear 6. Therefore, the left and right steering angles corresponding to the front wheels Wf1 and Wfr are given via the tie rods 4, 4.

As shown in FIG. 3, each tie rod 4 has a rod main body 11 connected to a ball joint J2, and a rod end member 10 connected to a ball joint J1. These rod main bodies 11 and rod end members 10
includes a male threaded portion 13 and a female threaded portion 12 that are screwed together, respectively.
The male threaded portion 13 is provided with a lock nut 16 for adjusting and fixing the screwing position with the female threaded portion 12.
are screwed together. Furthermore, the rod main body 11 has both ends formed as round bar parts 15a and 15b, and a square part 14 (hexagonal in the illustrated example) in the middle part.
is formed. The length of the tie rod 4 is adjusted by engaging a tool such as a wrench with this intermediate square portion 14 and rotating the rod body 11 in a desired direction.
, Wfr can be set to a desired value.

In this case, it is relatively difficult to perform tie rod adjustment and thus toe adjustment, since the tie rods 4 are located on the back side of the axle and cannot be easily approached by workers from outside the vehicle. It was a lot of work. Therefore, it is difficult to accurately adjust the tie rods and toe, and the adjustments have to be made differently for each vehicle.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and eliminates the drawbacks of the prior art as described above, and makes it possible to perform tie rod adjustment and toe adjustment extremely easily, accurately, and quickly. The purpose of the present invention is to provide a tie rod adjusting device for adjusting the tie rod.

! - According to the invention, it is possible to automatically adjust the tie rods or toe adjustment of a motor vehicle. The tie rod adjusting device of the present invention includes a carriage that is movable relative to a vehicle positioned at a predetermined position, and a tie rod engaging means such as a wrench that is provided on the carriage via at least one play providing mechanism. , the tie rod engaging means is engaged with the tie rod to adjust the tie rod. In a preferred embodiment, a rail is laid on the carriage and a base plate is provided so as to be able to freely run on the rail, and the first connecting means is connected to the base plate by means of a first connecting means capable of imparting play around a vertical axis. 1. A holding means is provided. Furthermore, the first
A second holding means is provided on the holding means via a second connecting means capable of imparting play around a horizontal axis, and a tie rod such as a wrench (preferably an open end wrench) is mounted on the second holding means. Attach the engagement means. Furthermore, preferably, an origin return mechanism is provided between the carriage and the base plate to automatically return the base plate to a predetermined origin position on the carriage.

In the tie rod adjusting device configured as described above, after the automobile is positioned at a predetermined position, the carriage is moved to position the tie rod below the automobile tie rod, and the tie rod engaging means such as an open end wrench is connected to the tie rod. engage with. In this case, the open end wrench is engaged with the rectangular portion of the tie rod, and the length of the tie rod can be adjusted by rotating the rod body of the tie rod with the open end wrench.

In one mode of operation, with the first and second coupling means free of play and the base plate positioned and maintained at its origin, the carriage is moved and the open end wrench is moved to the desired tie rod. engage with. In this case, in order to engage with the tie rod, the carriage will be moved approximately vertically upward.

After engaging the open end wrench with the tie rod,
Play is provided to the first and second connecting means, and the origin return mechanism is released, allowing the base plate to run on the rail. In this state, the length of the tie rod is adjusted by driving the open end wrench that is engaged with the tie rod. In this way, when adjusting the length of the tie rod, the wrench and the tie rod are freely engaged, and no unreasonable external force is applied from the wrench to the tie rod. Therefore, it is possible to accurately perform tie rod adjustment and toe adjustment.

After the adjustment work is completed, the carriage is lowered and returned to its original position. Furthermore, the base plate is returned to the origin position of the carriage by operating the origin return mechanism, and
Eliminating play between the first and second connecting means.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 4 shows a tie rod (toe) adjustment device 20 constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. The tie rod adjustment device 20 includes a base 21 that extends a predetermined distance in the lateral direction.
The base 21 is installed, for example, at the bottom of a bit in an automobile repair shop. A pair of parallel guide rails 22.22 are laid on the base 21. A slider 23 is mounted on this guide rail 22, 22 so as to be able to reciprocate along it. The slider 23 is screwed onto one end of a screw shaft 24.
The other end is connected via a ball screw 25 to a drive shaft of a reversely rotatable motor 26 fixed on the base 21. Therefore, by driving and rotating the motor 26 in a desired direction, the slider 23 is moved to the rail 22.2.
2 in a reciprocating direction.

A pair of support columns 27 are provided vertically on the slider 23. There is a guide rail 2 on the front side of the column 27.
8 are fixedly provided and these guide rails 28.
Carriage 29 is movable up and down along 28.
is provided.

Therefore, the carriage 29 can freely reciprocate in the horizontal direction along the horizontal guide rail 22, and can move freely back and forth along the vertical guide rail 22.
It can freely reciprocate in the vertical direction along 8. A pair of guide rails 30.30 are laid on the upper surface of the carriage 29, and a base plate 32 is provided so as to be movable back and forth along the guide rails 30.30. In addition, a stopper 31 is fixedly provided at the tip of the tip guide rail 30.30 of the carriage 29, and the base plate 3
2 is prevented from running beyond the guide rail 30, 30 and accidentally leaving.

A first connecting portion 34 is provided approximately at the center of the base plate 32, and the first holding body 3 is connected via this first connecting portion 34.
5 is provided. As will be described in detail later, the first connecting portion 3
4 is configured to be able to selectively give a predetermined r play J, and when this r play is given, the first holding body 35 is moved to the first Connecting part 34
It is rotatable relative to the base plate 32 over a predetermined angular range around a vertical axis that is the central axis of the base plate 32 .

In the illustrated example, the first holding body 35 is approximately U-shaped. The first holding body 35 has a pair of second connecting parts 36.3.
6 are provided facing each other on the left and right, and a second holding body 37 is provided via these second connecting portions 36 and 36. A second holder 37 is provided rotatably relative to the first holder 35 around a horizontal axis connecting the central axes of the second connecting portions 36, 36. Therefore, when the second coupling part 36.36 is locked, the second holding body 37 is integrated with the first coupling part 35, but the second coupling part 36.36
is unlocked and placed in the play state, the second holding body 37 is moved relative to the first holding body 35 over a predetermined angular range around the horizontal axis via the second connecting portion 36.36. It is said to be in a freely rotatable state.

A pair of guide rails 38.3 are provided on the upper part of the second holding body 37.
8 is laid, and a block 41 is provided on this guide rail 38, 38 so as to be freely movable. block 41
An open-end wrench 42 is attached to the open-end wrench 42 so as to be rotatable around a shaft 42b, and a notch 42a is formed at the end or tip. As will be described later, the open end wrench 42 is rotated to the vertical position and the notch 4 is opened.
The length of the tie rod is adjusted by inserting the tie rod into 2a and rotating the tie rod in a desired direction. A motor housing 43 is provided hanging down from the block 41, and a motor and a driving force transmission mechanism are housed within this motor housing 43. The open-end wrench 42 may be used, for example, in a utility model registration application filed on September 7, 1986.
6568) can be used.

5 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 4, and FIG.
The figure is its right side view. The motor 4 is installed at the top of the column 27.
5 is fixedly provided, and the drive shaft of the motor 45 is connected to a threaded shaft 49 via a ball screw 48.
The other end of the screw shaft 49 is screwed into a ball screw 50 fixed to the carriage 29 . Therefore, by reversibly rotating the motor 45 in a desired direction, it is possible to move the carriage 29 and all elements provided thereon in the vertical direction. The block 41, the open-end wrench 42 and the motor housing 43 attached thereto constitute an adjustment unit 40. Furthermore, block 4
1, a swing drive motor 46 and an adjustment motor 47 of the open-end wrench 42 are disposed. The adjustment motor 47 is operatively connected to the open end wrench 42 via an adjustment drive system, and adjusts the length of the tie rod engaged with the open end wrench 42.

On the other hand, the motor in the motor bouncing 43 is a locking motor and is operatively connected to the open-end wrench 42 via a lock drive system to lock the tie rod after adjustment.

7 to 9 show the carriage 29, the holding mechanism provided thereon, and the WR1! A more detailed configuration of unit 4° is shown. In particular, an origin return mechanism 60 is provided between the carriage 29 and the base plate 32. When this origin return mechanism 60 is locked,
The base plate 32 is returned to a predetermined origin position, and when the base plate 32 is unlocked, the base plate 32 can freely run on the guide rails 30, 30. As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, a width-feeding motor 51 is mounted on the second holding body 37, and the motor 51 is drivingly connected to a screw shaft 53 via a gear train 52. On the other hand, a protrusion 41a is provided which is integral with the block 41 and extends downward from the block 41, and the lower end of this protrusion 41a is screwed into a screw shaft 53.

Therefore, by driving and rotating the motor 51 in a desired direction, it is possible to position the block 41, and therefore the open-end wrench 42, at a desired position along the guide rail 38.

10 to 13 show detailed configurations of the first and second connecting portions 34 and 36 and the origin return mechanism 60 provided in the present tie rod adjusting device 20. FIG. 10 shows the origin return mechanism 60 provided between the carriage 29 and the base plate 32, and the base plate 32 and the first
A detailed configuration of the first connecting portion 34 provided between the holding body 35 and the holding body 35 is shown. First, the first connecting portion 34
Outer cylindrical member 1o fixed to the bottom plate of the holder 35
1, a bearing 102 disposed inside the bearing 102, and a connecting shaft 103 that partially extends inside the bearing 102. The connecting shaft 103 is fixed to the base plate 32 via a spacer 103a. Therefore, the base plate 32 and the first holder 35 are configured to be relatively rotatable around the axis of the connection shaft 103 via the bearing 102. The connecting shaft 103 is hollow, and a bolt 104 is provided extending inside the hollow portion.
A piston (not shown) is connected to the lower end of the piston 04 via a connecting portion 104a. This piston (not shown) is housed in a cylinder 105, while the cylinder 105 is fixed to a flange 106. The flange 106 is
A lower disk 108 is secured together via bolts 107 at a predetermined distance therefrom. Therefore,
By the operation of the piston and cylinder 105, the cylinder 105 and flange 106 can move vertically relative to the connecting shaft 103.

Furthermore, an upper disk 110 is provided integrally fixed to the bottom plate of the first holder 35, and this upper disk 110 is disposed opposite the lower disk 108. The upper disk 110 is fixed to the first holder 35, but the lower disk 108 is vertically movable by the cylinder 105, so that the upper disk 11
It is movable relative to 0. As can be seen particularly from FIG. 13, the upper disk 110 and the lower disk 10
A plurality of grooves 10 having a predetermined shape are formed in the opposing surfaces of the grooves 8.
8a and 110a are carved and distributed in the circumferential direction, and a locking member 109 is housed in each pair of opposing grooves. In addition, in the illustrated example of FIG. 13, the groove 10
Although the grooves 8a and 110a are approximately V-shaped, the grooves may have any other arbitrary shape. However, it is necessary that each groove has a shape that becomes narrower in the depth direction. Therefore, when the lower disk 108 is in the raised position adjacent to the upper disk 110, as shown by the dotted line in FIG. tightly sandwiched between them, thus both discs 10
8 and 110 are set in a predetermined relative positional relationship.

On the other hand, when the lower disk 108 is located in the lowered position away from the upper disk 110 as shown by the solid line, the locking member 109 is in an "idle" state between both disks 108 and 110, and therefore both disks A predetermined "play" is provided between 108 and 110. Therefore, in this state, the first holder 35 is attached to the base plate 32.
The shaft 103 is rotatable over a predetermined angular range around the vertical axis relative to the shaft 103. That is, by controlling the position of the lower disk 108, the first connecting portion 34 is in the locked state (i.e., the first holding body 35 and the base plate 3
2 are integrated) and unlocked state (i.e.

The first holder 35 and the base plate 32 can be controlled to be relatively rotatable over a predetermined angular range about the vertical axis. Note that the centering locking member 109 is not limited to a roller shape, but may also be a ball or any other desired shape.

FIG. 11 shows the detailed structure of a pair of second connecting parts 36° 36 interposed between the first holding body 35 and the second holding body 37. It is structurally the same as the first connecting portion 34, and accordingly, elements of the second connecting portion 36 that correspond to the first connecting portion 34 are given corresponding symbols with the hundreds place changed to r2J. The second connecting portion 36 is functionally different from the second connecting portion 361[1].
It is interposed between the holding body 35 and the second holding body 37,
In addition, when it is in the unlocked state, the first holding body 35
and the second holder 37 relative to each other around the horizontal axis. Therefore, for the explanation of the configuration of the second coupling part 36, the explanation regarding the first coupling part 34 will be used to avoid repetition of the explanation.

In FIGS. 10 to 12, a home return mechanism 60 is provided with a home return device $460 interposed between the carriage 29 and the base plate 32.
A roughly U-shaped mounting plate 120 is fixed to the plate 120, and a cam block 124 that is movable vertically along a groove cut in the plate 120 and has a V-shaped upper part is mounted. is fixedly attached to the lower part of the plate 120, and the cam block 124 and the rod 124
It has a cylinder device 121 which is operatively connected via a. Further, the origin return mechanism 60 includes a block 122 for mounting the roller fixed to the carriage 29, and a block 122 for mounting the roller fixed to the carriage 29.
22 and a roller 123 rotatably attached to the roller 123.

In the above configuration, the position of the cam block 124 is controlled between the raised position W (locked state) and the lowered position (unlocked state) by operating the cylinder device 121, and in this case, the cam block 124 is in the raised position. Then, the cam block 124 is engaged with the roller 123, and the roller 123 is positioned in the valley of the groove of the cam block 124, allowing the base plate 32 to return to its original position. On the other hand, cam block 1
24 is in the lowered position, a gap is formed between the roller 123 and the cam block 124, and therefore "play" is provided between the carriage 29 and the base plate 32 within the range of the gap. Within this "play", the base plate 32 can move on the guide rail 30 and change its relative position with the carriage 29.

In this tie rod adjustment device having the above configuration,
Until the open end wrench is engaged with the tie rod,
The first and second connecting portions 34, 36 and the origin return mechanism 60 are all locked to form an integral structure, and in this state, the open end wrench is moved to engage the tie rod.Next, First and second connecting parts 34
．． 36 and the origin return mechanism 60 are all unlocked, and in that state, the open end wrench is driven to adjust the tie rod. Therefore, when an open end wrench adjusts the tie rod, the first and second
Since the connecting portions 34 and 36 and the origin return mechanism 60 are all in the unlocked state, no unreasonable force is applied between the open end wrench and the tie rod, and therefore the tie rod am can be carried out with extremely high precision. is possible.

In the above embodiment, the tie rods are adjusted with all of the first and second connecting portions 34 and 36 and the origin return mechanism 60 in the unlocked state, but depending on the application state, at least some of them may be adjusted. It should be noted that it may be possible to perform tie rod 5N alignment with one unlocked.

Therefore, the aspect in which the tie rod adjustment is performed with the first and second connecting portions 34, 36 and the home return mechanism 60 all in the unlocked state should be understood as a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

As described in detail above, according to the present invention, it is possible to automatically adjust the tie rods, and it is also possible to adjust the tie rods quickly and accurately. Furthermore,
Uniform or uniform tie rod adjustment is possible for the same type of vehicle. As a result of the tie rod adjustment according to the present invention, it is possible to adjust the toe of the vehicle to a desired value.

Although specific embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention should not be limited only to these specific examples, and various modifications may be made without departing from the technical scope of the present invention. Of course, it is possible.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIGS. 1 to 3 are explanatory diagrams for explaining the principle of toe adjustment by adjusting the length of tie rods, and FIGS. 4 to 6 are tie rod adjustment devices constructed based on one embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 7 to 9 are a front view, a top view, and a side view showing the configuration on the carriage 29 in detail, and FIGS. The figure is a partial cross-sectional schematic diagram showing the detailed structure of the first and second connecting parts 34, 36 and the origin return mechanism 6o provided in the apparatus of Figure 1, and FIG. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between a disk and a locking member interposed therebetween. (Explanation of symbols) 29: Carriage 32: Base plate 34: First connecting portion 35: First holding body 36: Second connecting portion 37: Second holding body 42: Open end wrench 60: [Point return mechanism patent applicant Honda Giken Kogyo Co., Ltd.
Anzen Jidosha Co., Ltd. *1 Figure 2 r -------) Figure 6 ■. 6 Figure 7 Figure 8 Figure 9

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A carriage is provided to be movable relative to the automobile positioned at a predetermined position, a base plate is provided to be movable along a rail provided on the carriage, and A first holding means is provided on the base plate through a first connecting means capable of selectively imparting play, and a first retaining means is provided on the base plate through a second connecting means capable of selectively imparting play around a horizontal axis. 2. A tie rod adjusting device, characterized in that a second holding means is provided on the first holding means, and a tie rod engaging means capable of engaging with a tie rod of an automobile is provided on the second holding means. 2. In claim 1, an origin return mechanism is provided between the carriage and the base plate, and when the origin return mechanism is operated, the base plate is set in advance along the rail. A tie rod adjustment device that is characterized by returning to its original position. 3. The tie rod adjusting device according to claim 1, wherein the tie rod engaging means includes an open end wrench. 4. In claim 1, each of the first and second connecting means is provided with a first disk in which a plurality of first grooves are carved, and facing the first disk so as to be able to move toward and away from the first disk. and the same plurality of second grooves corresponding to the plurality of first grooves, respectively.
A tie rod adjusting device comprising: a second disk having a groove carved therein; and a locking body housed in a space defined by each pair of the first and second grooves.