KR102033575B1 - Ball joint assembly - Google Patents

Abstract

In the ball joint assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the ball joint assembly includes a ball stud including a spherical ball and a rod extending upward of the ball, a bearing in which the ball is accommodated, an inner circumferential surface spaced apart from an outer circumferential surface of the bearing, and a bearing. A case including a stopper for supporting an upper end of the case, and an insert molding filling a space between the outer circumferential surface of the bearing and the inner circumferential surface of the case and surrounding at least a portion of the lower part of the case and the lower part of the bearing, thereby fixing the bearing to the case. Contains wealth.

Description

Ball joint assembly {BALL JOINT ASSEMBLY}

The present disclosure relates to a ball joint assembly.

Suspension of a vehicle is a device which connects a vehicle body and a wheel. Conventional suspensions generally include a spring that absorbs vibrations or shocks transmitted from the road surface to the vehicle body, a shock absorber that regulates the operation of the spring, and a suspension arm or suspension link that controls the operation of the wheel.

Such suspensions can be classified into swing arm type, wishbone type or Macpherson strut type according to the method of controlling the operation of the wheel. For example, the wishbone suspension device has a suspension arm (lower control arm) that connects the knuckle engaged with the wheel to the vehicle body. Under such a configuration, one end of the suspension arm may be connected to a cross member or subframe constituting the vehicle body, and the other end of the suspension arm may be connected to the knuckle through a ball joint. Here, the ball joint includes a ball stud having a ball and a rod, a bearing for receiving the ball and a case for accommodating the ball, and an insert molding part is formed between the upper outer circumferential surface of the bearing and the upper inner circumferential surface of the case. Through such a configuration, the suspension arm supports the wheel to the vehicle body and appropriately controls the toe-in of the wheel according to the driving situation of the vehicle, thereby improving the straight running and steering stability of the vehicle.

When the insert molding part is injected between the upper outer circumferential surface of the bearing and the upper inner circumferential surface of the case, the bearing may move or rotate relative to the case by the injection pressure of the insert molding part. Such movement or rotation can improve the defective rate in the manufacture of the ball joint and reduce the productivity of the ball joint. Furthermore, the durability of the ball joint can be reduced when the ball joint is used in such a bearing.

The present disclosure is to solve the above-described defects of the prior art, and provides a ball joint assembly in which the bearing can be held in position with respect to the case even when the insert molding part is ejected.

Embodiments in accordance with one aspect of the present disclosure relate to a ball joint assembly. According to an exemplary embodiment, a ball joint assembly includes a ball stud including a spherical ball and a rod extending upwardly of the ball; A bearing in which the ball is accommodated, and an inner circumferential surface spaced apart from the outer circumferential surface of the bearing; A case including a stopper supporting an upper end of the bearing; And an insert molding part filled in a space between the outer circumferential surface of the bearing and the inner circumferential surface of the case and surrounding at least a portion of the lower part of the case and the lower part of the bearing, thereby fixing the bearing to the case.

In one embodiment, the plurality of cutouts in the bearing may be formed concave downward from the top of the bearing. The plurality of cutouts may be spaced apart at equal intervals along the circumferential direction.

In one embodiment, the insert molding portion may be filled in a plurality of cutouts.

In one embodiment, the stopper may have a ring shape extending inward from the upper end of the inner peripheral surface of the case.

In one embodiment, the inner diameter of the stopper may be smaller than the maximum outer diameter of the ball.

In one embodiment, the inner diameter of the top of the bearing may be smaller than the maximum outer diameter of the ball.

In one embodiment, the bearing may further include a plurality of first guide ribs protruding from the outer circumferential surface of the bearing and spaced at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the outer circumferential surface.

In one embodiment, each of the plurality of first guide ribs may include a vertical extension extending downward from the maximum outer diameter of the bearing.

In one embodiment, the case may include a vertical cylinder that abuts the vertical extension.

In one embodiment, the bearing has a plurality of second guide ribs protruding from the outer circumferential surface of the bearing and spaced at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the outer circumferential surface between adjacent first guide ribs of the plurality of first guide ribs. It may further include.

In one embodiment, the inner circumferential surface of the case may be formed by alternating a plurality of recesses and a plurality of convex portions in the vertical direction.

According to the ball joint assembly according to one embodiment, the outer peripheral surface of the bearing is spaced from the inner peripheral surface of the case, the upper end of the bearing is supported by the stopper of the case, the bearing is moved relative to the case by the injection pressure of the insert molding portion Or rotating can be prevented. The failure rate during the manufacture of the ball joint assembly can be lowered to improve the productivity of the ball joint assembly. In addition, when the ball joint assembly is used in such a bearing, the durability of the ball joint assembly can also be improved.

1 is a perspective view showing a ball joint assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the ball joint assembly shown in FIG. 1.
3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III shown in FIG. 1.
4 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VV of FIG. 1.
6 is an enlarged partial view of FIG. 5.
7 is a front view of the bearing shown in FIG. 2.
8 is a bottom view of the bearing shown in FIG. 2.
9 is a plan view of the bearing shown in FIG.

Embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated for the purpose of describing the technical spirit of the present disclosure. The scope of the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments set forth below or the detailed description of these embodiments.

All technical and scientific terms used in the present disclosure, unless defined otherwise, have the meanings that are commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. All terms used in the present disclosure are selected for the purpose of more clearly describing the present disclosure, and are not selected to limit the scope of the rights according to the present disclosure.

As used in this disclosure, expressions such as "comprising", "including", "having", and the like, are open terms that imply the possibility of including other embodiments unless otherwise stated in the phrase or sentence in which the expression is included. It should be understood as (open-ended terms).

As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

In the present disclosure, when a component is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another component, that component can be directly connected to or connected to another component, or a new different configuration It is to be understood that the connection may be or may be connected via an element.

Directional instructions such as "up" and "up" used in the present disclosure are based on the direction in which the rod stud rod is positioned with respect to the ball in the accompanying drawings, and the direction indicators such as "down" and "down" It means the opposite direction. Rods and balls shown in the accompanying drawings may be otherwise oriented, and these direction indicators may be interpreted accordingly.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the accompanying drawings, the same or corresponding components are given the same reference numerals. In addition, in the following description of the embodiments, it may be omitted to duplicate the same or corresponding components. However, even if the description of the component is omitted, it is not intended that such component is not included in any embodiment.

1 is a perspective view illustrating a ball joint assembly 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the ball joint assembly 100 shown in FIG. 1. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III shown in FIG. 1. 4 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 3.

1 and 2, the ball joint assembly 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a ball stud 110, a bearing 120, a case 130, and an insert molding part 140. have.

As shown in FIG. 2, the ball stud 110 includes a spherical ball 111 and a rod 112. The rod 112 may extend from the top of the ball 111 and be integrally formed with the ball 111. As shown in FIG. 2, the lower end of the rod 112 is connected to the upper end of the ball 111 and the upper end of the rod 112 is configured to couple to the knuckle of the vehicle.

The bearing 120 may receive at least a portion of the ball 111 of the ball stud 110. According to an embodiment, the inner circumferential surface 121 of the bearing 120 may be formed in a partial spherical shape so as to contact the ball 111 of the ball stud 110. In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, the inner diameter ID1 of the upper end 123 of the bearing 120 may be set smaller than the maximum outer diameter OD1 of the ball 111. Therefore, the ball 111 can be prevented from being separated from the bearing 120.

The case 130 is configured to include an inner circumferential surface 131 and a stopper 132. As shown in FIG. 3, the inner circumferential surface 131 of the case 130 is configured to be spaced apart from the outer circumferential surface 122 of the bearing 120. Accordingly, a separation space may be formed between the inner circumferential surface 131 of the case 130 and the outer circumferential surface 122 of the bearing 120. According to one embodiment, the stopper 132 is configured to support the top 123 of the bearing 120. Under such a configuration, even if the injection molding is performed at a high pressure toward the lower portion of the bearing 120 in the molten state of the insert molding part 140, the bearing 120 is supported by the stopper 132, and thus is relatively relative to the case 130. It can be prevented from moving or rotating. In addition, since the bearing 120 is supported by the stopper 132 when the ball joint assembly 100 is used, the bearing 120 may be prevented from moving upward with respect to the case 130.

According to an embodiment, the insert molding part 140 may be injected from below the bearing 120 in a molten state. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 3, the space may be filled between the outer circumferential surface 122 of the bearing 120 and the inner circumferential surface 131 of the case 130. Since the insert molding part 140 is injected and cured to completely surround the outer circumferential surface of the bearing 120, the insert molding part 140 may press the bearing 120 at a uniform pressure with respect to the ball 111. Therefore, a uniform friction force acts between the ball 111 and the bearing 120, and the ball 111 can rotate smoothly with respect to the bearing 120. As a result, the low torque specification of the ball joint assembly 100 can be realized.

The insert molding unit 140 may be formed to surround at least a portion of the lower portion of the case 130 and the lower portion of the bearing 120 to fix the bearing 120 to the case 130. The insert molding unit 140 may be cured from the molten state to fix the bearing 120 to the case 130 or to couple the bearing 120 and the case 130 to each other. In order to increase the coupling force between the insert molding part 140 and the case 130, the insert molding part 140 and the case 130 may have a complementary uneven shape.

In an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of cutouts 124 may be formed in the bearing 120 to be concave downward from the upper end 123 of the bearing 120. The plurality of cutouts 124 are spaced apart at equal intervals along the circumferential direction. Since the plurality of cutouts 124 are formed at the upper end 123 of the bearing 120, the bearing 120 manufactured in a predetermined shape may be easily separated from a mold for manufacturing the bearing 120. In addition, the ball 111 may be easily received inside through the upper end 123 of the bearing 120.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line VV of FIG. 1. The V-V line shown in FIG. 1 is located on two opposing cutouts 124. 6 is an enlarged partial view of FIG. 5.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the insert molding part 140 may be filled in the plurality of cutouts 124. For example, the insert molding part 140 forms the same curved surface as the inner circumferential surface 121 of the bearing 120, and the upper end 141 of the insert molding part 140 has the same height as the upper end 132 of the bearing 120. Filled in the plurality of cutouts 124 to achieve. In addition, the upper end 141 of the insert molding part 140 filled in the plurality of cutouts 124 abuts on the stopper 132 of the case 130. That is, the upper end 123 of the bearing 120 illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4 and the upper end 141 of the insert molding unit 140 illustrated in FIGS. 5 and 6 contact the stopper 132. Under such a configuration, since the contact area between the bearing 120 and the insert molding part 140 is widened, the coupling force between the bearing 120 and the insert molding part 140 may be increased. In addition, since the insert molding part 140 is filled in the plurality of cutouts 124 intermittently arranged, the bearing 120 rotates relative to the insert molding part 140 when the bearing assembly 100 is used. Can be prevented.

In an embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the stopper 132 may have a ring shape extending inwardly from an upper end of the inner circumferential surface 131 of the case 130. As shown in FIG. 3, the inner diameter ID2 of the stopper 132 may be set smaller than the maximum outer diameter OD1 of the ball 111. Therefore, even when a strong force acts in the direction in which the ball stud 110 is separated from the bearing 120, the ball 111 may be supported by the ring-shaped stopper 132. That is, since the case 130 includes a ring-shaped stopper 132 having an inner diameter ID2 smaller than the maximum outer diameter OD1 of the ball 111, the maximum strength of the case 130 restrains the ball 111. Can be improved. Thus, the durability of the ball joint assembly 100 can be improved.

In one embodiment, the case 130 may be made of a metal material including carbon steel or chromium-molybdenum steel. For example, the case 130 made of a metal material may be manufactured through a forging process. In another embodiment, the case 130 may be manufactured by press molding a pipe material. In this case, the process is relatively simple, manufacturing cost of the case 130 can be reduced.

7 is a front view of the bearing shown in FIG. 2. 8 is a bottom view of the bearing shown in FIG. 2. 9 is a plan view of the bearing shown in FIG.

In an embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the bearing 120 protrudes from the outer circumferential surface 122 of the bearing 120 and is spaced at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the outer circumferential surface 122. It may include a plurality of first guide ribs (125). The first guide rib 125 may prevent the bearing 120 from moving or rotating relative to the case 130 when the insert molding part 140 is injection molded. For example, as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, four first guide ribs 125 may be formed, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Three or more first guide ribs 125 may be formed in the bearing 120. It may be formed to protrude from the outer circumferential surface 122. In addition, the first guide rib 125 may have a plate shape. The first guide rib 125 may be configured to include a vertical extension 125a extending downward from the maximum outer diameter portion 120a of the bearing 120. The maximum outer diameter portion 120a of the bearing 120 corresponds to the maximum outer diameter OD2 of the bearing 120. The maximum outer diameter OD2 of the bearing 120 is formed larger than the maximum outer diameter OD1 of the ball 111.

3 to 6, the case 130 may include a vertical cylindrical portion 133 contacting the vertical extension 125a of the first guide rib 125. When the bearing 120 coupled to the ball 111 is positioned inside the case 130, the upper end 123 of the bearing 120 maintains contact with the stopper 132 of the case 130 and extends vertically. The portion 125a may maintain a state of being in contact with the vertical cylindrical portion 133 of the case 130. Under such a configuration, even if the insert molding part 140 is injected at a high pressure toward the lower part of the bearing 120 in a molten state, the upper end 123 of the bearing 120 is not only supported by the stopper 132 but also the first. The guide rib 125 may be supported by the vertical cylindrical portion 133. That is, the bearing 120 may be supported by the case 130 at the top and bottom of the bearing 120. Accordingly, during injection molding of the insert molding part 140, the bearing 120 may be effectively prevented from moving or rotating relative to the case 130. Furthermore, since the insert molding part 140 is filled in the space formed by the plurality of first guide ribs 125, the outer circumferential surface 122 of the bearing 120, and the inner circumferential surface 131 of the case 130, the ball joint assembly 100 is provided. The rotation of the bearing 120 relative to the case 130 or the insert molding part 140 may be prevented.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the bearing 120 protrudes from the outer circumferential surface 122 of the bearing 120 and the adjacent first guide rib of the plurality of first guide ribs 125. The plurality of second guide ribs 126 may be further spaced apart at regular intervals along the circumferential direction of the outer circumferential surface 122 of the bearing 120 between the 125. The plurality of second guide ribs 126 may form a flow path such that the insert molding part 140 in a molten state is evenly distributed to the outer circumferential surface 122 of the bearing 120 when the injection molding of the insert molding part 140 is performed. . Therefore, even if the insert molding part 140 is injected at a high pressure toward the lower portion of the bearing 120 in a molten state, the outer circumferential surface 122 of the bearing 120 may receive a constant injection pressure. As a result, during injection molding of the insert molding part 140, the bearing 120 may be prevented from moving or rotating relative to the case 130.

3 to 6, a plurality of concave portions 134 and a plurality of convex portions 135 may be alternately formed on the inner circumferential surface 131 of the case 130 in the vertical direction. Can be. For example, the concave portion 134 and the convex portion 135 may be formed as an uneven portion or an uneven surface. Since the insert molding part 140 is filled to contact the plurality of recesses 134 and the plurality of convex parts 135, the contact area between the inner circumferential surface 131 of the case 130 and the insert molding part 140 may be widened. Can be. As a result, the coupling force between the case 130 and the insert molding part 140 may be increased.

2 and 9, in one embodiment, a plurality of grooves 127 may be formed on the inner circumferential surface 121 of the bearing 120. The groove 127 may include a plurality of first grooves 127a extending in a direction perpendicular to the upper end 123 of the bearing 120. For example, the plurality of first grooves 127a may be arranged at equal intervals along the circumferential direction. The groove 127 may include a plurality of second grooves 127b extending in a direction parallel to the upper end 123 of the bearing 120. One of a plurality of first grooves 127a or a plurality of second grooves 127b is formed on the inner circumferential surface 121 of the bearing 120 or a plurality of first grooves 127a and a plurality of second grooves 127b. All can be formed. A plurality of grooves 127 may be injected with a lubricating material, for example grease, to help the ball 111 rotate smoothly in the bearing 120.

The ball joint assembly 100 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may be manufactured to include the insert molding part 140 and may be mounted and used on various suspension arms. In another embodiment, the ball joint assembly 100 does not include the insert molding part 140, and the insert molding part of the hybrid suspension arm formed at the time of manufacturing the hybrid suspension arm fixes the bearing 120 to the case 130. It may be configured to.

While the technical spirit of the present disclosure has been described with reference to some embodiments and the examples shown in the accompanying drawings, the technical spirit and scope of the present disclosure may be understood by those skilled in the art. It will be appreciated that various substitutions, modifications, and alterations can be made in the scope. Also, such substitutions, modifications and variations are intended to be included within the scope of the appended claims.

100: ball joint assembly, 110: ball stud, 111: ball, 112: rod, 120: bearing, 121: inner circumferential surface, 122: outer circumferential surface, 123: top, 124: cutout, 125: first guide rib, 125a: vertical Extension part, 126: 2nd guide rib, 127: groove, 127a: 1st groove, 127b: 2nd groove, 130: case, 131: inner peripheral surface, 132: stopper, 133: vertical cylindrical part, 134: recessed part, 135 : Convex, 140: insert molding, 141: top

Claims (11)

A ball stud comprising a spherical ball and a rod extending upwardly of the ball;
A bearing in which the ball is accommodated;
A case including an inner circumferential surface spaced apart from an outer circumferential surface of the bearing and a stopper supporting an upper end of the bearing; And
An insert molding part filled in a space between the outer circumferential surface of the bearing and the inner circumferential surface of the case and surrounding at least a portion of the lower portion of the case and the lower portion of the bearing to fix the bearing to the case.
Including,
The bearing has a plurality of cutouts are formed concave downward from the top of the bearing,
The insert molding part is filled in the plurality of cutouts and hardened ball joint assembly. The method of claim 1,
And the plurality of cutouts are spaced at equal intervals along the circumferential direction. delete The method of claim 1,
The stopper is a ball joint assembly, the ring shape extending inward from the upper end of the inner peripheral surface of the case. The method of claim 4, wherein
The inner diameter of the stopper is smaller than the maximum outer diameter of the ball. The method of claim 1,
The inner diameter of the top of the bearing is less than the maximum outer diameter of the ball. The method of claim 1,
The bearing further comprises a plurality of first guide ribs protruding from the outer circumferential surface of the bearing and spaced at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the outer circumferential surface. The method of claim 7, wherein
Wherein each of the plurality of first guide ribs includes a vertical extension extending downward from the maximum outer diameter of the bearing. The method of claim 8,
And the case includes a vertical cylinder that abuts the vertical extension. The method of claim 7, wherein
The bearing further includes a plurality of second guide ribs which protrude from the outer circumferential surface of the bearing and are spaced at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the outer circumferential surface between adjacent first guide ribs of the plurality of first guide ribs. Ball joint assembly. The method of claim 1,
Ball joint assembly is formed on the inner circumferential surface of the case alternately formed with a plurality of recesses and a plurality of convex portions in the vertical direction.

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