JPH01295766A - Open end wrench - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To miniaturize the whole open end wrench and improve maneuverability by providing two systems of mechanisms for adjusting a tie rod and locking independently in a housing. CONSTITUTION:When the relative positional relationship between an adjusting gear 441 and a pair of disk plates 442, 423 is varied in the rotational direction, the radial position of a roller 445 is varied along a cam surface forcibly in the adjusting gear 441. Then, a plurality of rollers 445 are moved to approach the center axis of the adjusting gear 441 and engage a rod body of a tie rod. Then, the respective roller are tightly pressed against the rod body to clamp the rod body firmly. Thus once the rollers engage the rod body, the engaging condition is maintained as it is and is not released so long as the adjusting gear and the disk plate are not forcibly moved in the opposite direction to vary the relative positional relationship.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION The present invention relates to an open end wrench. In particular, the present invention relates to an open-end wrench suitable for use in a tie rod adjustment device that enables automatic toe adjustment of an automobile.

When adjusting the toe of an automobile, it is usually done by adjusting the automobile's tie rods. In this case, conventionally, an operator has manually adjusted the tie rod using a wrench or the like, which has the drawback of not only making the work difficult but also having low efficiency.

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 a single beam rod 5. It is rotatably connected via J2.

The relay rod 5 is connected to a steering shaft 7 via a 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 body 11 connected to a ball joint J2.

Rod end member 1 connected to ball joint J1
0. A male threaded portion 13 and a female threaded portion 12 are screwed into the rod body 11 and the rod end member 10, respectively, and the male threaded portion 13 is threaded with the female threaded portion 12. A lock nut 16 for adjusting and fixing the position is screwed together. Furthermore, the rod body 11
has round bar portions 15a and 15b at both ends thereof, and a square portion 14 (hexagonal in the illustrated example) at its intermediate portion. This middle square part 14
It is possible to adjust the length of the tie rod 4 by engaging a tool such as a wrench and rotating the rod body 11 in a desired direction, and at the same time setting the toe between the front wheels Wfl and Wfr to a desired value. It is.

In this case, the tie rod shoulders and the resulting toe adjustment are relatively difficult to perform since the tie rods 4 are located behind the wheels and cannot be easily accessed by personnel from outside the vehicle. It was a difficult task. 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 provides an open door system that 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 is to provide end wrenches.

■--According to the present invention, it is possible to automatically adjust the tie rod of an automobile, that is, toe adjustment.The open end wrench of the present invention engages with the rod body of the tie rod to adjust the length of the tie rod. a second engaging means that is provided in parallel with the first engaging means, is movable toward and away from the first engaging means in the longitudinal axis direction of the tie rod, and is capable of engaging with a lock nut of the tie rod. It has A first driving force transmission system that transmits driving force to the first engagement means;
The second driving force transmission system that transmits the driving force to the engagement means is housed in the same housing.

Preferably, a pair of first and second drive sources are provided, the first drive source being drivingly coupled to the first engagement means; - the force cylinder 2 drive source being driven to the second engagement means; Connect. Further, each of the first and second driving force transmission systems has a gear train consisting of a predetermined number of gears. One of the plurality of gears of the second driving force transmission system
one of the gears is wide, and the gear meshing with the gear is substantially narrower than the other, and the narrow gear is configured to be relatively movable in parallel with the wide gear, and the first engagement means and Second
It is possible to control the relative positional relationship between the engagement means and the engagement means.

In a preferred embodiment, the first engagement means includes a generally C-shaped adjustment gear, the outer peripheral surface of the adjustment gear being provided with teeth, while the inner peripheral surface thereof is provided with teeth. A cam surface having a predetermined shape is formed. The opening of the adjustment gear is formed to be somewhat larger than the rod body of the tie rod, so that the rod body of the tie rod can be inserted into the adjustment gear. The adjustment gear is rotatably supported around its axis, and a pair of disc plates are disposed on both sides of the adjustment gear. Each disk plate is formed with a suitable number of circumferentially distributed and radially extending slots. on the other hand,
A suitable number of rollers are disposed inside the adjusting gear, and the rollers are in rolling contact with the cam surface of the adjusting gear. Each roller is equipped with a pin as a central axis.
This pin is loosely fitted into a pair of corresponding slots of a pair of disc plates. Each roller is therefore radially movable within the adjustment gear via its pin and slot engagement. The cam surface of the adjustment gear is circumferentially segmented into a suitable number of segments, each segment corresponding to one roller. Each segment has a cam surface shape formed by connecting a position furthest in the radial direction from the rotation axis of the adjustment gear and a position closest to the rotation axis with a smooth curve (for example, a spiral curve). ing.

Therefore, when the relative positional relationship between the adjusting gear and the pair of disk plates changes in the rotational direction, the roller is forcibly changed in its radial position within the adjusting gear along the cam surface.

In particular, the rollers are moved radially inwardly, with the rollers being moved toward each other towards the central axis of the adjusting gear and engaging the rod body of the tie rod. In that case, each roller is pressed tightly against the rod body,
The rollers tightly grip the rod body. Therefore, −
When the rotation roller is engaged with the rod body, the engaged state is maintained as it is, and this engaged state is released unless the relative positional relationship between the adjusting gear and the disc plate is forcibly changed in the opposite direction. Therefore, there is no such thing.

According to the open-end wrench of the present invention, the first engagement means can sufficiently engage and grip not only the rectangular engagement portion of the rod body of the tie rod but also the round bar portion of the rod body.

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 2o suitable for application with an open-end wrench constructed in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

The tie rod adjustment device 20 has a base 21 that extends a predetermined distance in the lateral direction, and the base 21 is laid, for example, at the bottom of a pit 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. Slider 23
One end of the screw shaft 24 is screwed together, and the other end of the screw shaft 24 is connected via a ball screw 25 to the drive shaft of a reversely rotatable motor 26 fixed on the base 21. There is. Therefore, by driving and rotating the motor 26 in a desired direction, it is possible to cause the slider 23 to run in the reciprocating direction along the rail 22.22.

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 "play", and when this "play" is given, the first holding body 35 is moved to the first position via the first connecting portion 34. 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 holding body 35, but the second coupling part 36.36
is unlocked and placed in the "idle" state, the second holder 37 is moved relative to the first holder 35 over a predetermined angular range around the horizontal axis via the second connection 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 length of the tie rod is adjusted by rotating the oven end wrench 42 to a desired position, inserting the tie rod into the notch 42a, and rotating the tie rod in the desired direction. The motor housing 43 hangs down.
is provided, and inside this motor housing 43,
The motor and driving force transmission mechanism are housed there. As the open-end wrench 42, it is preferable to use one having a structure according to the present invention, which will be described in detail later.

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. 2 shows a more detailed structure of the holding mechanism and adjustment unit 40 provided thereon. In particular, an origin return mechanism 60 is provided between the carriage 29 and the base plate 32. When the origin return mechanism 60 is locked, the base plate 32 is returned to a predetermined origin position, whereas when it is unlocked, the base plate 32 is returned to the predetermined origin position.
is in a state where it can run freely on the guide rails 30 and 30. As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the second holding body 37
A width feed motor 51 is installed on the top, 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 thus 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 10 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 connected shirts 1-103 via the bearing 102. The connecting shaft 103 is hollow, and a bolt 104 is provided extending inside the hollow portion, and a piston (
(not shown) is connected. This piston (not shown) is housed in the cylinder 105, while the cylinder 105
is fixed to the flange 106. A lower disk 108 is integrally secured to the flange 106 via bolts 107 at a predetermined distance therefrom. Therefore, the cylinder 105 and the flange 106 are movable in the vertical direction relative to the connecting shaft 103 by the operation of the piston and the cylinder 105.

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 108 A predetermined "play" is given between the time 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 in the unlocked state (i.e., the first holding body 3
5 and the base plate 32 are relatively rotatable over a predetermined angular range about the vertical axis). In addition, the locking member 109 for centering is
It is possible to use not only a roller shape but also 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 part 34, and therefore, the elements of the second connecting part 36 that correspond to the first connecting part 34 are given corresponding symbols with the hundreds place changed to [2]. . The second connecting portion 36 is functionally different from the first connecting portion 34 in that the second connecting portion 36 is different from the first connecting portion 34.
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.

10 to 12, an origin return mechanism 60 is provided interposed between the carriage 29 and the base plate 32. As shown in FIGS. The origin return mechanism 60 is.

A roughly U-shaped attachment fixed to the base plate 32 is attached to the plate 120, and the attachment is provided so as to be movable in the vertical direction along a groove carved in the plate 120, and the upper portion is attached to the plate 120.
The cam block 124 is shaped like a letter and is mounted on plate 1.
It is fixedly attached to the bottom of the cam block 1.
24 and a cylinder device 121 which is operatively connected via a rod 124a. Further, the origin return mechanism 60 has a roller fixed to the carriage 29 mounted on the block 12.
2, and a roller 1 rotatably attached to the block 122.
It has 23.

In the above configuration, by operating the cylinder device 121, the position of the cam block 124 is changed between the raised position (locked state) and the lowered position I! ! (unlocked state), and in that case, when the cam block 124 is in the raised position, the cam block 124 is in the engaged state with the roller 123, and therefore the roller 123 is
Since it is located in the trough of the groove, it is possible to return the base plate 32 to its original position. On the other hand, when the cam block 124 is placed in the lowered position, a gap is formed between the roller 123 and the cam block 124.

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.6.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 home 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, extremely high precision tie rod adjustment can be performed. is possible.

still.

In the above embodiment, the first and second connecting portions 34°36
Although the tie rods are adjusted with all of the origin return mechanisms 60 and 60 in the unlocked state, depending on the application state, it may be possible to adjust the tie rods with at least one of them in the unlocked state. It should be noted that

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

Next, a detailed description will be given of a specific structure of an open end wrench constructed based on one embodiment of the present invention and suitable for application to the tie rod adjusting device as described above. 14 to 16 show an open end wrench 400 constructed based on one embodiment of the present invention, and this open end wrench 400 is used as the open end wrench 42 provided in the tie rod adjustment device described above. It is suitable for

As shown in the figure, the open end wrench 400 has a base 4
10, and a pair of adjustment motors 411 (not shown) and a swing drive motor 412 are provided in parallel in the base 410. A drive gear 412b is fixed to the drive shaft 412a of the swing drive motor 412, and the drive gear 412b is connected to the open end wrench 4.
00 housing 413 horizontal shaft housing 41
It meshes with a gear carved on the base end of 3a. Therefore, by reversibly driving the swing drive motor 412, the horizontal shaft housing 413a is rotationally controlled around its longitudinal axis, and the wrench housing 413b, which extends in the radial direction and is integrally attached to the distal end of the horizontal shaft housing 413a, is controlled to rotate around its longitudinal axis. Control the swing position. - On the other hand, a drive gear (not shown) fixed to a drive shaft of an adjustment motor 411 (not shown) is a gear 414 fixed to a base end of a cylindrical external shaft 414.
It meshes with a. A suitable number of bearings are interposed between the shaft housing 413a and the cylindrical external shaft 414, and the shaft housing 413a and the cylindrical external shaft 414 are supported so as to be relatively rotatable. Furthermore, a solid inner shaft 41 is disposed within the cylindrical outer shaft 414.
The inner shaft 415 is also rotatably provided relative to the outer shaft 414, and its base end side is connected to the motor housing 4 of the tie rod adjustment device.
It is operatively connected to a lock drive motor disposed within 3.

A gear 414b is integrally formed at the tip of the external shaft 414, and the gear 414b is connected to the adjustment gear of the tie rod adjustment section 440 via a first gear train disposed in the wrench housing 413b. 441. That is, the first gear train includes a first gear 414c, a second gear 414d, and a pair of third gears 414el and 414c.
14e2. The first gear is rotatably supported around a first shaft 416 fixed to the wrench housing 413b, and meshes with a gear 414b formed at the tip of the external shaft 414. 2nd gear 4
14d is a second shaft 421 fixed to the wrench housing 413b and located outside the first shaft.
The first gear 414c is rotatably supported around the first gear 414c.
It meshes with. A pair of third gears 414al, 414e
A pair of third shafts 417 and 417 are arranged side by side in the lateral direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the wrench housing 413b, and are respectively fixed to the wrench housing 413b.
is rotatably supported around the second gear 4, and at the same time the second gear 4
It meshes with 14d. Furthermore, these pair of third gears 4
14al and 414e2 are meshed with the adjustment gear 441 at the same time. Therefore, the adjustment drive motor 411 (not shown)
The rotational driving force is transmitted from the external shaft 414 to the adjustment gear 441 via a series of gears 414b, 414c, 414d, and 414e.

The tie rod adjustment section 440 includes an adjustment gear 441 and a pair of disc plates 442 and 44 located on both sides of the adjustment gear 441.
3, and a plurality of (three in the illustrated example) rollers 445 disposed inside the adjustment gear 441. In particular, as best shown in FIGS. 21 and 23, the adjustment gear 441 has a roughly C-shape, and teeth 441c are formed on its outer circumferential surface, while teeth 441c are formed on its inner circumferential surface. A cam surface 441b having a predetermined shape is formed. The opening 441a of the adjustment gear 441 is.

A portion of the tooth 441c is cut out and communicates with the cam surface 441b on the inner peripheral surface. The width of this opening 441a is set to a size that allows the portion of the rod body of the tie rod to be engaged to pass therethrough.

That is, as shown in FIG. 22, the tie rods are as follows.

It has a rod end member 10 and a rod body 11, the rod end member 10 is connected to a knuckle arm etc. and does not rotate around its longitudinal axis, while the rod body 11 is formed at its tip. The threaded portion 13 is threadedly engaged with a thread threaded inside the tip of the rod end member 1o, and is rotatably provided around its longitudinal axis. Therefore, by controlling the rotation of the rod body 11 around its longitudinal axis relative to the rod end member 10, the amount of protrusion of the rod body 11 from the rod end member 10 can be appropriately controlled, and the length of the tie rod can be controlled. becomes.

The rod main body 11 usually includes a pair of round bar portions 15a.

15b and an intermediate square portion 14 located in between. For example, when a worker manually adjusts the length of the tie rod using a wrench or the like.

The wrench is engaged with the square portion 14 of the rod body 11 to rotate the rod body 11.

In the open-end wrench 400 of the present invention, the opening 441a of the adjustment gear 441 allows the rod introduction path 45 to
1 is formed, therefore, the rod body 11 is positioned inside the adjustment gear 441 by passing through this introduction path 451. In this case.

As will be described later, the main adjustment part 440 is configured to be able to engage and grip not only the square part 14 of the rod body 11 but also the round bar part 15a or 15b, so it is possible to adjust any part of the rod body 11. It may also be located inside the gear 441. However, preferably the square portion 1 of the rod body 11
4 through the introduction path 451 and positioned inside the adjustment gear 441.

As shown in FIGS. 21 and 23, the adjustment gear 441
The cam surface 441b on the inner circumferential surface of
It is divided into segments with the same shape. The center of each segment of the cam surface 441b is located at the farthest position from the rotation center axis of the adjustment gear 441, and the segment gradually moves smoothly from the center to a position closer to the rotation center axis of the adjustment gear 441. It is symmetrically formed by a predetermined curve that changes. Therefore, the adjustment gear 44
In the illustrated example, the cam surface on the inner circumferential surface of No. 1 is approximately in the shape of a three-leaf clover. Furthermore, three rollers 445 are arranged inside the adjustment gear 441, and each roller 445 is in rolling contact with the cam surface 441b of the corresponding segment. Therefore, by rolling the roller 445 along the cam surface 441b of the corresponding segment, the relative positional relationship of the roller 445 with respect to the rotation center axis of the adjustment gear 441 is controlled to retreat. Each roller 445 has a pin 444 integrally formed therewith.

Furthermore, it should be noted that since the adjustment gear 441 is approximately C-shaped, a portion thereof is cut out by the opening 441a. However, the adjustment gear 441
is a pair of gears 414el.

414e2, and the distance between the pair of gears 414el and 414e2 is the same as that of the adjustment gear 414e2.
Since the width is set larger than the width of the opening 441a of the pair of gears 414el.

414e2 is opposed to the opening 441a of the adjustment gear 414, the other gear 4
Since the gear 14e maintains its meshing state with the adjustment gear 441, the transmission of driving force to the adjustment gear 441 is not interrupted.

As best shown in FIGS. 17 and 18, there are a pair of disc plates 442 on both sides of the adjustment gear 441,
443 are arranged coaxially.

As best shown in FIGS. 16 and 19.

These disc plates 442 and 443 also have notches 44.
2a, 443a are formed, and these notches 44
2a and 443a are approximately the same as the opening 441a of the adjustment gear.
, and is set to be large enough to insert the rod body 11 of the tie rod into it. Each of the disk plates 442 and 443 has a plurality of pieces (three pieces in the illustrated example).
A slot 444 is formed. These slots 442b are spaced apart from each other in the circumferential direction, and
Moreover, it is formed to extend in the circumferential direction. These slots 442b accommodate the pair of disk plates 442, 44.
3, and the pin 44 of each roller 445
4 are loosely fitted into a pair of corresponding slots 442b, 443b of these disk plates 442, 443. The -pair of disc plates 442 and 443 are integrally assembled so that they can move toward and away from the adjustment gear 441 to some extent. Therefore, when the adjustment gear 441 is driven to rotate, the pair of disc plates 442 and 443 are also rotated together due to contact friction, and in this case, each roller is positioned at the deepest position of the cam surface 441b due to centrifugal force. ing.

On the other hand, as will be described in detail later, when a braking force is applied to the disc plate 443 by the brake member 443a, the adjustment gear 441 rotates relative to the disc plate 443, and therefore the roller 445 rolls along the cam surface 441b. As a result, the roller 445 is moved closer to the rotation center axis of the adjustment gear 441. In that case, if the rod body 11 is located at the center position of the adjustment gear,
It is pressed from the periphery by each roller 445 and brought into an engaged and gripped state. In this way, when the rod body 11 is locked by the roller 445 of the adjustment gear, even if the brake member 433a is disengaged from the disc plate 443, the engagement state of the rod body 11 by the roller 445 is released. The engaged state is maintained. On the other hand, when the adjusting gear 441 is rotated in the opposite direction after being brought into the engaged state, each roller 445 is moved radially outward and the engaged state with the rod body 11 is released. In this way, the adjustment part 440 of the single open-end wrench 4oO is configured so that the rod body 11 is bitten from the periphery by the plurality of rollers 445 to establish the engaged state. First, it is possible to engage with the round bar portion 15 if desired.

Furthermore, it is possible to forcibly release the engaged state simply by rotating in the opposite direction.

Next, a separate lock nut locking control system provided in the wrench housing 413b will be explained. A gear 415a is fixed to the tip of the shaft 415, and meshes with this gear to form a series of gears 415b, 415c,
415d is provided and drivingly connected to locking gear 450. That is, the gear 415a is a wide fourth gear 415b rotatably supported by the first shaft 416.
It meshes with the This fourth gear 415b is a fifth gear mounted around a cylinder box 423 that is rotatable around the second shaft 421 and is provided so as to be able to reciprocate a predetermined distance along the axial direction of the second shaft 421. It meshes with 415c. This fifth gear 415c has a narrow width of 1
It can freely reciprocate over a predetermined distance along the axial direction while maintaining a meshing state with the wide fourth gear 415b.

A piston member 422 is provided that extends in the cylinder box 423 in a disk shape to form a piston and is fixed to the second shaft 421 . Therefore, the piston member 422 divides the cylinder chamber defined within the cylinder box 423 into two parts, and forms an operating air chamber 424a in the other half. on the other hand.

Inside the second shaft 421, an air supply port 421a communicates with an operating air chamber 424a via a communication path 421c, and the communication path 421c is connected to a freely closable discharge port 421b.
It is connected to. Therefore, when compressed air is supplied to the air supply port 421a with the discharge port 421b closed, the compressed air flows into the working air chamber 424a through the communication path 421c, and therefore the cylinder box 423 is connected to the second shaft 421. is moved to the right along In this case, the fifth gear 415c, which is integral with the cylinder box 423, also moves to the right. In this case, since the fourth gear 415b is wide, the meshing state between the fourth gear 415b and the fifth gear 415c is maintained.

In this case, another air chamber 424b of the cylinder box 423 is communicated with the atmosphere via another communication path (not shown). In one embodiment, the air chamber 424,b is always communicated with the atmosphere, and a spring is provided in the air chamber 424b to constantly bias the cylinder box 423 to the left, so that the cylinder box 423 is always kept open. is placed on the left side. In this state, by supplying compressed air to the working air chamber 424a, the cylinder box 423 moves to the right against the elastic force of the spring. On the other hand, by stopping the supply of compressed air to the first operating air chamber 424a and communicating the operating air chamber 424a to the atmosphere, the cylinder box 423 returns to the left position due to the return force of the spring. On the other hand, as another embodiment, the left air chamber 424b
The configuration allows compressed air to be supplied through another route to
It is also possible to return the cylinder box 423 to the left position by supplying compressed air to this air chamber 424b. Therefore, the second shaft 421.

With the piston member 422 and the cylinder box 423.

It constitutes a left-right position control mechanism 420 for the locking gear 450.

A brake mechanism 43o is arranged above the position control mechanism 420. The brake mechanism 430 is.

Cylinder device 43 fixed to wrench housing 413b
4, and a cylinder chamber 4 formed within the cylinder device 434.
The piston 433 is slidably housed within the piston 35. A brake member 433a that protrudes from the tip of the piston 433 perpendicularly to the axis is integrally formed. The tip portion of this brake member 433a is located adjacent to the outer peripheral portion of the inner disk plate 443.

Therefore, when the piston 433 moves forward in the direction of protruding from the cylinder device 434, the brake member 433a comes into contact with the outer peripheral portion of the inner disc plate 443, and the contact friction applies braking force to the disc plate 443, so that the disc plate 443 The relative positional relationship in the rotational direction with the adjustment gear 441 is changed. piston 4
A recess is bored in the tip of the spring 33, and one end of the spring 432 is housed in the recess, and the other end is in contact with the left end of the adjustment screw 431.

Therefore, the piston 433 is always subjected to an urging force in the direction of being pushed into the cylinder chamber 435. Cylinder chamber 43
5 is connected to a compressed air supply port 434b via a passage 434a. Therefore, by supplying compressed air to the cylinder chamber 435 through the passage 434a, the piston 433 is advanced to bring the brake member 433a into contact with the disc plate 443 to brake the plate 443, while leaving the cylinder chamber 435 open to the atmosphere. By communicating with the brake member 4, the piston 433 is pushed into the cylinder chamber 435 by the return force of the spring 432.
33a is removed from the plate 443.

Further, on both the left and right sides of the cylinder device 434, a pair of support shafts 419, 419 are installed in the wrench housing 413b, and these support shafts 419
, 419, a pair of sixth gears 41
5dl and 415d2 are provided. These pair of sixth gears 415dl and 415d2 are arranged in parallel with each other at a predetermined distance apart from each other left and right, and are both arranged in parallel with the fifth gear 415c.
is engaged with. These pair of sixth gears 415dl
, 415d2 is the distance between the pair of third gears 4 described above.
The distances between 14el and 414a2 are set to be approximately the same. A locking gear 450 is provided to mesh with the pair of sixth gears 415dl and 415d2. The locking gear 450 is formed with a notch 450a,
This notch 450a is formed on the disk plate 44 described above.
The cutout portion 442a (443a) of No. 2 (443) is formed in substantially the same shape. As is clear from FIGS. 19 and 20, at the upper end of the wrench housing 413b,
A tie rod guide portion 452 having a shape that widens toward the end and a tie rod insertion portion 451 that communicates with the tie rod guide portion 452 are formed. The notch 450a of the locking gear 450 is also approximately the same as the guide portion 452.
and has a shape that follows the insertion portion 451. In the illustrated example, a nut-shaped portion 45 corresponding to the outer shape of the lock nut is provided in the valley of the notch 450a of the locking gear 450.
0b is formed. Therefore, when the tie rod lock nut 16 (see FIG. 22) is brought into engagement with the lock gear 450, the lock nut 16 is integrally coupled with the lock gear 450 in the rotational direction. Therefore, by driving and rotating the locking gear 450 in a predetermined direction, it is possible to tightly attach the lock nut 16 to the tip of the rod end member 10 along the threaded portion 13 to establish a locked state.

It should be noted that the fifth gear 415C.

The sixth gear 415d and the locking gear 450 are approximately the same.
The width of these gears is 415
It is set considerably smaller than the width of b. Furthermore,
The fifth gear 415C, the sixth gear 415d, and the locking gear 450 are a pair of left and right connecting plates 418a, 4
1.8b and their connecting plate 418a
, 418b. Therefore,
The positions of these gears 415c, 415d, and 450 in the left-right direction are simultaneously controlled by a position control mechanism 420. In the state shown in phantom lines in FIG. 17, the lock nut 16 of the tie rod is connected to the adjusting gear 441 and the locking gear 4.
50, but if the position control mechanism 420 is operated and the cylinder box 423 is moved to the right,
The locking gear 45o is simultaneously moved to the right by the pair of connecting plates 418a and 418b, and the locking gear 450 engages with the locking nut 16.

In this case, the lock gear 450 is moved to the right while being rotated in the desired rotation direction.

By doing this, even if the notch 450a of the locking gear 450 does not correspond to the outer shape of the lock nut 16, it is possible to match the relative arrangement of the two by rotating the locking gear 450. It is.

Next, the operation of the oven end wrench 400 of the present invention having the above configuration will be explained. The swing drive motor 412 is driven to raise the neck of the main wrench 400 and set it to a desired state. In this state, use the main wrench 400, for example.
As explained in connection with the tie rod adjustment device described above, the tie rod is moved and inserted into the insertion port 4 through the guide portion 452.
51. In this case, the air operating chamber 42
4a and move the locking gear 450 to the left position.
Therefore, it is located at a position separated from the adjustment gear 441. Further, the brake mechanism 430 is made inactive,
The brake member 433a is placed in a position separated from the disc plate 443. In this state, the tie rod is inserted into the insertion portion 451 of the main wrench 400, but the rod body 11 of the tie rod is placed in the adjustment gear 441. Further, the lock nut 16 is positioned between the adjustment gear 441 and the lock gear 450.

In this state, the adjustment motor 411 (not shown) is driven, and the external shaft 414. First system gear train (414b,
414c, 414d, 414e) to drive and rotate the adjustment gear 441. In this case, a pair of disk plates 442 and 443 located on both sides of the adjustment gear 441 and integrated by a pair of bolts 447 also rotate simultaneously due to friction. Next, when the brake device 4.30 is operated to move the brake member 433a forward, the brake member 433a comes into contact with the inner disc plate 443 to apply braking force, so that the pair of disc plates 442 and 443 are used for adjustment. The position in the rotational direction relative to the gear 441 is changed. In that case, the slot 442b in the pair of disk plates 442, 443
roller 445 supported via (443b)
are rolled along the cam surface of the adjustment gear 441b, and at this time each roller 445 is displaced radially inward. Therefore, each roller 445 is engaged with the rod body 11 (preferably the square portion 14) of the tie rod. In this case, the rod main body 11 is pressed from the periphery by the three rollers 445 into the engaged state. Next, the brake device 430 is rendered inactive and the brake member 433a is separated from the disc plate 443. Even if the brake force is removed in this way, the adjustment section 440
The rod body 11 is maintained in an engaged state by the roller 445.

In this way, with the rod body 11 engaged with the adjustment part 440, a rotational force is further applied to the adjustment gear 441 to rotate the rod body 11, and at that time, the length of the tie rod is adjusted to the desired length. Adjust to. Therefore, in this case, the toe of the axle is set to the desired value.
(not shown) in the opposite direction to drive and rotate the adjustment gear 441 of the adjustment section 440 in the opposite direction. Then, each roller 445 is rolled along the cam surface 441b to its trough, and at this time, the roller 445 is disengaged from the rod main body 11 and released from the engaged state.

Next, the position control mechanism 420 is operated to supply compressed air into the working air chamber 424a and move the cylinder box 428 and therefore the locking gear 450 toward the adjusting gear 441. In this case, the locking gear 450 is rotated and moved to fit the lock nut 16 of the tie rod into the notch 450a of the locking gear 450.

Next, the locking gear 450 is driven and rotated in a desired direction to tighten the locking nut 16 into a locked state.Next, the position control mechanism 420 is operated to move the locking gear 450 to the left side and engage the locking nut 16. Release the engaged state. After this, the entire single wrench 400 is moved downward and removed from the tie rod.

As explained in detail above, the open-end wrench of the present invention has two independent mechanisms for adjustment and locking in one housing, making it compact as a whole and easy to operate. The characteristics have been improved. Furthermore, the locking system is provided so that it can be moved closer and closer to the adjustment system, so it can be used simply for locking without moving the entire wrench.

It is possible to lock the tie rod lock nut by only partially displacing the system.

Therefore, the workability has been significantly improved. Furthermore, since the adjustment part 440 is configured to engage and hold the rod body using a cam surface and a plurality of rollers rolling on the cam surface, it is possible to use not only a square part of the rod body but also a round bar part. It is possible to engage and hold it. Further, the engagement state of the rod body in the adjustment portion can be established and released reliably and quickly.

In the illustrated example described above, as shown in FIG.
It is possible to position the adjustment gear 441 to the origin position by providing an origin mark 441b on at least one of the three.3 and detecting the origin mark 441b.

In this case, for example, a proximity switch can be used.

Alternatively, it is also possible to use a configuration in which the origin mark 441b is a through hole and a photo sensor is used. or.

It is desirable that the locking gear 450 is also provided with an origin position mark. In such a configuration, it is possible to automatically return the adjustment gear 441 and the locking gear 450 to the origin position. It is possible. In other words, this open-end wrench can be operated fully automatically when the tie rods of a large number of automobiles are adjusted continuously.

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 can be made without departing from the technical scope of the present invention. Of course, it is possible.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figures 1 to 3 are explanatory diagrams for explaining the principle of toe adjustment by adjusting the tie rod length, and Figures 4 to 6 are tie rod adjustment suitable for applying the open end wrench of the present invention. FIGS. 7 to 9 are front views, side views, and plan views showing the configuration on the carriage 29 in detail;
Figures 10 to 12 show the first
FIG. 13 is a partial cross-sectional schematic diagram showing detailed configurations of the second connecting portions 34 and 36 and the origin return mechanism 60, and FIG. 13 shows a pair of disks in each connecting portion and a locking member interposed therebetween. An explanatory diagram showing the relationship, FIG. 14 is a left side view of an open end wrench 400 constructed based on one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 15 is a partially sectional front view thereof, and FIG. 16 is a right side view of the part. 17 is a cross-sectional front view of the main part of this open rainbow trench, and FIG. 18 is a partial cross-sectional front view showing a cross section of the same but different part of FIG. 17.
9 is a partial right side view of the same, FIG. 20 is a left side view of the open end wrench shown in FIG. A tie rod that can be adjusted with an open-end wrench. FIG. 23 shows the shape of the cam surface formed on the inner surface of the adjustment gear 441 of this open-end wrench and the state of contact with the three rollers 445 that are in rolling contact with the cam surface. FIG. (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 6o: Origin return mechanism 4oO: Open end wrench 413: Housing 420: Position controller end 430 Nibrake mechanism 433a Nibrake member 440: 94 adjustment part 441: Adjustment gear 422.423: Disc plate 445: Roller 450: Locking gear Patent applicant Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
Anzen Jidosha Co., Ltd. Figure 1 Figure 2, ------- m-) ＼ Figure 6 ＼ ゝ26 Figure 7 A1 29. Figure 8, 42 Doso 29 Figure 9 Figure 19 Figure 21 Figure 22 Figure 23

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An open red wrench that engages with the tie rod of an automobile to adjust the length of the tie rod, which is capable of engaging the housing and the rod body of the tie rod, and is capable of moving the rod body in a desired direction. a first engaging means that adjusts the length of the tie rod by rotating around an axis; a first driving force transmitting means disposed within the housing for transmitting driving force to the first engaging means; and a tie rod. a second engaging means disposed within the housing to engage the lock nut to lock the lock nut;
An open-end wrench characterized by having a second driving force transmission means for transmitting the driving force to the engagement means. 2. In claim 1, the second engaging means is arranged in parallel with the first engaging means, and is located close to the first engaging means so as to engage with the lock nut of the tie rod. and a remote position that is spaced apart from the tie rod and does not engage with the lock nut of the tie rod, the first engaging means being movably moved toward and away from the first engaging means in the axial direction of the tie rod. Open end wrench. 3. In claim 1, the first engaging means comprises an adjusting gear having a roughly C-shape with teeth formed on its outer circumferential surface and a cam surface formed on its inner circumferential surface, and the adjusting gear. a pair of disc plates arranged on both sides of the gear and having an appropriate number of slots formed therein, and each of the pair of disc plates arranged so as to be able to roll on the cam surface inside the adjustment gear; a suitable number of rollers each having a pin loosely fitted into a corresponding pair of slots of the tie rod, the rod body of the tie rod being positioned therein through the opening of the adjustment gear; By controlling the rotational positional relationship between the adjustment gear and the disc plate, the radial position of the roller is controlled by the cam surface, and the roller engages with the rod body of the tie rod. open end wrench. 4. According to claim 3, a brake means is disposed within the housing, and when the brake means is operated, it comes into frictional contact with at least one of the pair of disc plates, and the brake means is in frictional contact with at least one of the pair of disc plates. An open-end wrench that causes a relative positional change in a rotational direction between the adjusting gear and the adjusting gear. 5. Claim 3, characterized in that the adjustment gear is provided with an origin mark and a detection means for detecting the origin mark is provided to automatically return the adjustment gear to the origin. Open end wrench.