JPH08156832A - Protection structure for tie rod boot - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To avoid scattered objects from the front of a vehicle and to prevent direct accumulation of muddy water, snow, ice, and the like on a tie rod boot from the upper part. CONSTITUTION: A splash shield 31, which is fixed in a cross member 26 by its upper end part 32 and is curved and suspended from the upper part to the front part of a tie rod boot 25, is provided, so that direct accumulation of scattered objects on the upper part of the tie rod boot 25 is prevented, and as a result, freezing and damage of the tie rod boot 25 in snowfall or the like can be prevented. On the other hand, the splash shield 31 can be freely oscillated, and the scattered objects accumulating on the splash shield 31 are dropped spontaneously by means of vibration of the splash shield 31 itself, so that the scattered objects from the front of the vehicle is avoided, while direct accumulation of muddy water, snow, ice, and the like on the tie rod boot 25 from the upper side is prevented.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a tie rod boot protection structure for protecting a boot covering a connecting portion between a steering gear and a tie rod in a rack and pinion type steering device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 5 schematically shows a general rack-and-pinion type steering device. A rack and pinion type steering device 1 is provided with a rack bar 2 which is a steering gear along the vehicle width direction, and tie rods 4 connected to wheels 3 are connected to both ends of the rack bar 2 respectively. There is. The connecting portion between the rack bar 2 and the tie rod 4 is formed by the rack bar 2 during steering.
It is covered with a bellows-shaped tie rod boot 5 that absorbs the stroke. A cross member 6 that constitutes an engine room is provided in the width direction of the vehicle, and the rack bar 2 is arranged along the cross member 6. Reference numeral 7 in FIG. 5 is a side member extending in the front-rear direction of the vehicle.

By the way, since the tie rod boot 5 absorbs the stroke of the rack bar 2 during steering, the rigidity cannot be increased more than necessary. Therefore, when mud, snow, ice or the like is scattered from the wheel 3 side to the tie rod boot 5 during snowfall or traveling in a snowy area, the tie rod boot 5 may be damaged. Therefore, in order to protect the tie rod boot 5, as shown in FIG. 5 (see Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 4-27742), a shielding member 8 such as a rubber material located on the wheel 3 side of the tie rod boot 5 is attached to the side member 7. It is installed. Mud and snow scattered from the wheel 3 side by the shielding member 8,
The ice and the like are blocked, mud, snow and ice are prevented from scattering on the tie rod boot 5, and the tie rod boot 5 is not damaged.

[0004]

According to the conventional protection structure shown in FIG. 5, the shielding member 8 can prevent mud, snow, ice, etc. scattered from the wheel 3 side, but from the front and above of the vehicle. Can't stop the scattered objects. For this reason, mud, snow, ice, etc. may be directly accumulated from above and fixed to the tie rod boot 5, and the stroke of the rack bar 2 may not be absorbed. On the other hand, a protective structure has been proposed in which an undercover is extended to cover the lower side and the front side of the tie rod boot in order to prevent scattered matter from the front side (see Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 3-30219). However, in this case, similarly to the protection structure shown in FIG. 5, it is not possible to prevent scattered objects from above the vehicle, and mud, snow, ice, etc. are directly deposited from above and the stroke of the rack bar 2 can be absorbed. There was a risk of disappearing.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a tie rod boot protection structure that prevents scattered matter from the front of the vehicle and prevents mud, snow, ice, etc. from directly depositing on the tie rod boot from above. The purpose is to provide.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the structure of the present invention is such that a steering gear is arranged in front of a cross member at the front of the vehicle along the vehicle width direction, and both ends of the steering gear are respectively arranged. While connecting the tie rods,
In a steering device in which a connecting portion between the steering gear and the tie rod is covered with a tie rod boot, an upper end portion is fixed to the cross member, and a protector hanging from an upper portion of the tie rod boot is provided.

A bead is formed on a portion of the protector which covers the upper portion of the tie rod boot. Also, the protector is curved over the front portion of the tie rod boot. Further, the protector is formed of a hard resin. Further, the steering gear is mounted on the cross member. The cross member supports the suspension.

[0008]

The protector has its upper end fixed to the cross member and hangs down from the upper portion of the tie rod boot, so that the protector can vibrate. Since the protector vibrates, scattered matter from above the vehicle is blocked by the protector. The scattered material accumulated on the protector naturally falls due to the vibration of the protector itself. Further, by forming the bead on the portion that covers the upper portion of the tie rod boot, the state in which vibration is likely to occur is maintained and the protector is not deformed toward the tie rod boot side. Further, since the protector is curved over the front portion of the tie rod boot, scattered matter from the front of the vehicle is blocked by the protector.

[0009]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a steering device to which a tie rod boot protection structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.
2 is a plan view of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a view taken along the line III-III in FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 is a view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG.

As shown in the figure, a rack and pinion type steering device 21 is provided with a rack bar 22 which is a steering gear along the vehicle width direction, and both ends of the rack bar 22 are connected to the wheels 23 side. Tie rods 24 are connected to each other. The connecting portion between the rack bar 22 and the tie rod 24 is used for the rack bar 2 during steering.
Bellows-shaped tie rod boots that absorb 2 strokes 2
Covered with 5. A cross member 26 that constitutes an engine room is provided in the width direction of the vehicle, and the rack bar 22 is arranged along the cross member 26 on the front side of the cross member 26. Reference numeral 27 in FIG. 1 is a strut type shock absorber.

A splash shield 31 is provided as a protector which is curved and hung from the upper portion to the front portion of the tie rod boot 25.
The upper end 32 is fixed to the cross member 26 with a bolt 33. The splash shield 31 extends substantially horizontally from the upper end portion 32 toward the front of the vehicle and extends toward the front of the vehicle.
5 is formed by an upper wall 34 that covers the upper part of the tie rod 5, and a vertical wall 35 that curves from the upper wall 34 and hangs downward to cover the front part of the tie rod boot 25. The splash shield 31 is a molded product of hard resin, and has an upper end portion 32 fixed and cantilevered, so that the splash shield 31 has a structure that easily vibrates. A bead 36 is formed on the upper wall 34 of the splash shield 31 to ensure the rigidity of the upper wall 34.
Even if the thickness of the splash shield 31 is reduced to facilitate vibration, the bead 36 ensures the rigidity of the upper wall 34, so that the splash shield 31 is not deformed. Further, the rigidity of the upper end portion 32 fixed to the cross member 26 by the bead 36 is also secured at the same time.

In the above-mentioned protective structure for the tie rod boot 25, the splash shield 31 covers the front and the upper side of the tie rod boot 25, so that the wheel 23 is covered.
Further, muddy water, snow, ice, etc., which are wound up by a drive shaft (not shown), are prevented from being scattered to the tie rod boots 25, so that they are not directly deposited. Further, since the lower portion of the splash shield 31 is in an open state, muddy water, snow, ice, etc., which have entered from the lateral direction, will not come into contact with the tie rod boots 2.
In No. 5, it is hard to deposit. The splash shield 31 has a top end 32 fixed to the cross member 26 and is in a cantilevered state, so that the splash shield 31 can easily vibrate. For this reason, even if muddy water, snow, ice, or the like is deposited on the upper wall 34, the splash shield 31 itself falls off due to vibration, and a large amount of muddy water, snow, ice, or the like is not deposited on the upper wall 34. Further, the rigidity of the upper wall 34 is ensured by the beads 36, so that the upper wall 34 will not be deformed toward the tie rod boot 25 side even if the thickness of the splash shield 31 is reduced in order to facilitate vibration.

Therefore, by providing the above-mentioned protective structure for the tie rod boot 25, muddy water, snow, ice, etc. are directly deposited on the tie rod boot 25 during snowfall or traveling in a snowy area, and the rack bar 22 during steering is steered. Stroke absorption is no longer hindered. In addition, since muddy water, snow, ice, etc., which are wound up by the wheels 23 and the drive shaft, do not directly deposit on the tie rod boot 25,
It becomes possible to prevent the tie rod boot 25 from freezing or being damaged. In the embodiment described above, the bead 36 is provided on the upper wall 34 to secure the rigidity. However, if the rigidity is sufficiently secured by the material of the splash shield 31 and the bead 36 can be easily vibrated, the bead 36 is not always required. There is no need to provide it.

[0014]

According to the tie rod boot protection structure of the present invention, since the upper end is provided with the protector which is fixed to the cross member and hangs down from the upper portion of the tie rod boot, scattered matter can be directly deposited on the upper portion of the tie rod boot. It is possible to prevent tie rod boots from freezing or being damaged during snowfall. In addition, the protector has its upper end fixed to a cross member that supports the suspension and hangs down from the upper part of the tie rod boot, so it can vibrate freely, and the scattered material accumulated on the protector naturally falls due to the vibration of the protector itself. It does not accumulate in large quantities. Further, since the bead is formed on the portion that covers the upper portion of the tie rod boot, it is possible to keep the state where vibration is likely to occur and prevent the protector from being deformed toward the tie rod boot side. Furthermore, since the protector is curved and hung down over the front part of the tie rod boot, the protector blocks the scattered matter from the front part of the vehicle to the tie rod boot, which adversely affects the operation of the steering gear mounted on the cross member. Never give. As a result, scattered matter from the front of the vehicle can be prevented, and muddy water, snow, ice, etc. do not directly accumulate on the tie rod boots from above, and there is no risk of adversely affecting the steering operation.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a steering device to which a tie rod boot protection structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a view taken along the line III-III in FIG.

4 is a view taken along the line IV-IV in FIG.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a general rack-and-pinion type steering device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 21 Steering device 22 Rack bar 23 Wheels 24 Tie rod 25 Tie rod boot 26 Cross member 27 Strut type shock absorber 31 Splash shield 32 Upper end 33 Bolt 34 Upper wall 35 Vertical wall 36 Bead

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A steering gear is provided in front of a cross member at a front portion of a vehicle along a vehicle width direction, and tie rods are connected to both ends of the steering gear, and a connecting portion between the steering gear and the tie rod. A tie rod boot protective structure in which the upper end is fixed to the cross member and is provided with a protector hanging from the upper portion of the tie rod boot. 2. The protective structure for a tie rod boot according to claim 1, wherein a bead is formed on a portion of the protector that covers an upper portion of the tie rod boot. 3. The tie rod boot protection structure according to claim 1, wherein the protector is curved over a front portion of the tie rod boot. 4. The protective structure for a tie rod boot according to claim 1, 2, or 3, wherein the protector is made of a hard resin. 5. The protective structure for a tie rod boot according to claim 1, wherein the steering gear is mounted on the cross member. 6. The protection structure for a tie rod boot according to claim 1, wherein the cross member supports a suspension.