JPS59213523A - Propeller shaft cover of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To protect a hard cover pipe, namely, the enclosure for the approximately full length of a propeller shaft from excessive load by making one end of said pipe engaged with a power unit casing via a resilient bush and the other end thereof engaged with a wheel drive unit casing via another bush. CONSTITUTION:A rough-road tricycle has a wheel drive unit D and a power unit P mounted thereon at the rear and in the middle of a main frame F, respectively. The drive unit D drives left and right drive wheels Wr and is provided with a differential gear 23. While the power unit P has an output shaft 6 which is driven by a counter-shaft 3 via bevel gears 4 and 5 and which is linked to the input shaft 10 of the drive unit D via a propeller shaft 14. Before the propeller shaft 14 is covered with a cover pipe 17 throughout the approximately full length thereof, the shaft 14 is lined with resilient bushes 18 and 19 at both ends thereof and the bushed shaft ends are then engaged in the rear and front open parts 8 and 12 of unit casings 2p and 2d, respectively.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention The present invention provides a vehicle in which each casing of a power unit and a wheel drive unit is fixed to a vehicle body frame, and an output member of the power unit and an input member of a wheel drive device are connected via a propulsion shaft. This invention relates to a cover device that protects the propulsion shaft from muddy water, earth and sand, flying stones, etc.

Although each casing of the power unit and wheel drive device of this type of vehicle is fixed to the vehicle body frame, it is not always held accurately in a fixed position due to manufacturing errors, and in severe driving conditions, the body frame Due to elastic deformation, the relative positions of both units change somewhat.

Despite such fluctuations in the relative position of both units, in order to always protect the propulsion shaft from muddy water and sand,
Conventionally, the propulsion shaft is surrounded by a bellows, and both ends of the bellows are fixed to the casings of the power unit and wheel drive unit, so that fluctuations in the relative position of both units are absorbed by the deformation of the bellows. In this case, it is necessary to take various measures to provide the bellows with sufficient durability against vibrations and flying stones, which inevitably increases the overall cost.

The present invention aims to provide a simple and effective cover device that solves such problems.
The feature is that the propulsion shaft is surrounded by a hard cover pipe over almost its entire length, and one end of this cover pipe is connected to the casing of the power unit through a first elastic bushing, and the other end is connected to the casing of the power unit through a second elastic bushing. and the second
In addition to the first feature, the feature of
A reinforcing ring is embedded in at least one of the bushes, and flanges are formed at both ends of the reinforcing ring to restrict the depth of engagement between the elastic bushing, the housing, and the propulsion shaft.

Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the present invention is applied to a three-wheeled motor vehicle for traveling on rough terrain will be explained with reference to the drawings.
ff and a pair of left and right drive wheels Wγ.

JVγ is arranged, and each wheel If, IP'r, Wr
is equipped with balloon tires.

The steering wheel Wf is pivotally supported by a front fork 1 that is steerably connected to the front end of the vehicle body frame F, and is supported by driving wheels Wr, l.
r/r is connected to a wheel drive unit D mounted on the rear end of the vehicle body frame F, and the connection structure will be described later. Furthermore, a power unit P consisting of an engine and a transmission is mounted in the middle of the vehicle body frame F. The power unit P and wheel drive unit D are mounted by fixing their respective casings 2p and 2d to the vehicle body frame F with bolts.

The power unit P has a counter shaft 3 and an output shaft 6 driven from the counter shaft 3 via bevel gears 4 and 5. This output shaft 6 is supported by a casing 2P via a bearing 7, and its rear end is connected to the casing 2p. rear opening 8
The output shaft 6 is located behind the bearing 7.
An oil seal 9 in contact with is attached to the casing 2P.

On the other hand, the wheel drive unit D has an input shaft 10, and this input shaft 10 has a pair of front and rear bearings 11 mounted on the casing 2d.
, 11', and has its tip facing the front opening 12 of the casing 2d, and an oil seal 13 that contacts the input shaft 10 in front of the bearing 11 is attached to the casing 2d.

The output shaft 6 and the input shaft 10 are arranged on the same axis,
A propulsion shaft 14 is disposed between the two shafts 6 and 10, and the propulsion shaft 14 is connected to the output shaft 6 and the input shaft 10 via splines 15 and 16, respectively.

The propulsion shaft 14 is surrounded over substantially its entire length by a hard cover pipe 17 made of, for example, a steel pipe.

A first elastic bushing 18 and a second elastic bushing 1 made of rubber, for example, are provided at the front end and the rear end of the cover pipe 17.
9 are fitted in each.

That is, as clearly shown in FIG. 4, the first elastic bushing 18 is tightly fitted to the cover pipe 17 so as to cover the outer circumferential surface of the front end thereof, and the first elastic bush 18 is tightly fitted to the front end of the cover pipe 17 to ensure that the bushing does not come off. 17.7 and is baked or glued as required. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5, the second elastic bushing 19 is tightly fitted to the cover pipe 17 so as to cover the outer peripheral surface of the rear end thereof, and is baked or bonded as required.

A reinforcing ring 20 made of a steel plate is embedded in this bushing 19. The reinforcing ring 20 is integrally equipped with an outward flange 21 at the front end and an inward flange 22 at the rear end, and the inward flange 22 faces the rear end of the cover pipe 17 and is connected to the second elastic bush 19 and the cover. The depth of fitting with the pipe 17 is regulated. Thus, the first elastic bushing 18 is press-fitted into the rear opening 8 of the casing 2p, and the second elastic bushing 19 is fitted into the front opening 12 of the casing 2d.
It is also fitted by press fitting. At this time, by engaging the outward 7 flange 21 of the reinforcing ring 20 with the outer end surface of the casing 2d, the second elastic bushing 19 and the cover pipe 1
The depth of engagement with 7 is regulated. In this way, the mounting position of the cover pipe 17 relative to the casing 2d is determined by the reinforcing ring 2o.
determined by

In FIG. 3, the wheel drive unit D includes a differential gear 23
The differential case 24 is supported by the casing 2d via a pair of left and right bearings 25.
The input shaft 1o is connected to a bevel gear 26 and a ring gear 27.
connected via.

The differential device 23 includes a plurality of pinion gears 29 and a pair of left and right side gears 30. Left and right rear axles 31.31 are spline-coupled to these side gears 30, 30, respectively.The rear axles 31.31 are supported at their intermediate portions by the casing 2d via bearings 32.32, with each tip extending outside the casing 2d. It stands out,
The respective hubs 33 of the drive wheels Fr and Wr are removably fixed to these tips with nuts 34, respectively.

In addition, in FIGS. 1 and 2, 35 is a fuel tank;
6 is a sheet, and 37 is a step.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be explained. When assembling the vehicle, even if there is some variation in the relative positions of both units P and D due to manufacturing errors, it will not be affected by the first and second elastic bushings 18.
This is absorbed by the deformation of 19 and the play of splines 15 and 16, so the cover pipe 17
, 2d, and the propulsion shaft 14 can be reliably attached to the output shaft 6 and the input shaft 1o, respectively, without any problems.

When the power unit P is operated and its output shaft 6 is driven, its driving torque is transmitted to the input shaft 10 of the wheel drive unit D via the propulsion shaft 14, and is further transmitted to the bevel gear 26.
, ring gear 27, differential case 24 and pinion shaft 28
is sequentially transmitted to the pinion gear 29.29, and then distributed to the left and right side gears 30.30, and the distributed drive torque is transmitted to the drive wheel F via the rear axle 31.31.
r.

11'r to drive these and make the vehicle run.

For example, if dirt, mud, pebbles, etc. fly toward the propulsion shaft 14 while driving on rough ground, the hard cover pipe 1
7 receives them and protects the propulsion shaft 14, and first and second elastic bushings 18 and 19 prevent muddy water and the like from entering the openings 8 and 12 of each casing 2p and 2d. Furthermore, if the vehicle body frame F is bent or twisted due to harsh driving, and this causes some variation in the relative position of the power unit P and wheel drive unit D, the variation will be different from that during assembly as described above. Similarly, both elastic bushings 18.1
9 and the play of the splines 15 and 16, so do not apply excessive load to the cover pipe 17 (each casing 2P).

2d openings 8 and 120 can be maintained in a good sealing state, and power can be transmitted between the output shaft 6, the propulsion shaft 14, and the input shaft 10 without any problem.

Note that the present invention is applicable to the case where the casings of the power unit and the wheel drive unit are fixed to the vehicle body frame.
It can also be applied to motorcycles, four-wheeled vehicles, etc.

As described above, according to the first invention, in a vehicle in which the casings of the power unit and the wheel drive unit are fixed to the vehicle body frame, and the output member of the power unit and the input member of the wheel drive unit are connected via the propulsion shaft, The shaft is surrounded by a hard cover pipe over almost its entire length,
One end of this cover pipe was fitted into the power unit casing via the first elastic bushing, and the other end was fitted into the wheel drive unit casing via the second elastic bushing, making the hard cover pipe durable. It has a high resistance to vibration, and can protect the propulsion shaft from muddy water, earth and sand, flying stones, etc. for a long period of time, and does not interfere with the propulsion shaft due to vibration. Moreover, the deformation of the first and second elastic bushings can absorb fluctuations in the relative positions of the common power unit and the wheel drive unit. It is possible to avoid the effect of excessive load on the Therefore, in addition to the sealing function, both elastic bushings have a function of absorbing relative positional fluctuations between the two units, so there is no need to provide a flexible part in the middle of the cover pipe, and the structure is extremely simple.

According to the second invention, in addition to the structure of the first invention, a reinforcing ring is embedded in at least one of both elastic bushings, and each end of the reinforcing ring is provided with each fitting depth between the elastic bushing, the housing, and the propulsion shaft. Since the flange is formed to restrict the elastic bushing, the attachment position of the cover pipe to the casing is determined by the reinforcing ring that reinforces the elastic bushing, and the attachment can be easily and reliably performed.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a tricycle to which an embodiment of the device of the present invention is applied, FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway plan view, FIG. 4 and 5 are enlarged views of the section V in FIG. 3. D...Wheel drive unit, F...Vehicle frame, P
...Power unit, II/f...Steering wheel, Wr.
・・Drive wheel 2d・・・Casing of the wheel drive unit,
2p...Casing of the power unit, 6...Output shaft %8...Rear opening, 1o...Manpower shaft, 12...
Front opening, 14... Propulsion shaft, 17... Cover pipe, 18... First elastic bushing, 19... Second elastic bushing, 2o... Reinforcement ring, 21... Outward flange, 22...-inward flange

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) In a vehicle in which the casings of the power unit and wheel drive unit are fixed to the vehicle body frame, and the output member of the power unit and the input member of the wheel drive unit are connected via a propulsion shaft, the propulsion shaft is rigid over almost its entire length. one end of the cover pipe is fitted into the casing of the power unit via a first elastic bushing, and the other end of the cover pipe is fitted into the casing of the wheel drive unit via a second elastic bushing. , a propulsion shaft cover device in a vehicle. (2) In a vehicle in which the casings of the power unit and wheel drive unit are fixed to the vehicle body frame, and the output member of the power unit and the input member of the wheel drive unit are connected via a propulsion shaft, the propulsion shaft is rigid over almost its entire length. One end of this cover pipe is fitted into the casing of the power unit via a first elastic bushing, and the other end of the cover pipe is fitted into the casing of the wheel drive unit via a second elastic bushing. A propulsion device for a vehicle in which a reinforcing ring is embedded in at least one of both elastic bushings, and seven langes are formed at both ends of the reinforcing ring to regulate the depth of engagement between the elastic bushing, the nozzle, and the propulsion shaft. Shaft cover device.