KR20180052871A - Ball joint - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a ball joint. The ball joint according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a ball stud including a ball and a stud; a bearing coupled in a shape of covering the outer circumferential surface of the ball, and formed with at least one support protrusion at the outside of a lower end thereof; a ball casing accommodating the ball and the bearing therein; an insert charged in a space formed between the bearing and the inner circumferential surface of the ball casing and integrally coupled with the ball casing and the bearing; a support hole formed in a lower portion of the ball casing corresponding to the support protrusion so as to prevent movement of the bearing by a pressure generated in charging of the insert, and inserted with the support protrusion; and a dust cover fixed to one side of the stud at an upper end portion thereof, and fixed to an upper portion of the ball casing at a lower end portion thereof.

Description

Ball joint {BALL JOINT}

The present invention relates to a ball joint, and more particularly, to a ball joint in which a component is reduced, precision machining of a ball casing for seating of a bearing is removed, and a manufacturing cost is reduced, a weight is reduced, .

BACKGROUND ART [0002] Generally, a suspension of a vehicle is a device for connecting a vehicle body and a wheel. The suspension includes a spring for absorbing vibration or shock transmitted from the road surface to the vehicle body, a shock absorber for controlling the operation of the spring, .

Suspension arms or links of such suspensions can be moved relative to the vehicle body or wheels by ball joints or ball joints.

A conventional ball joint is a structure in which a ball of a ball stud is rotatably inserted into a housing, and includes a ball and a ball stud made of a rigid body, a case or a housing surrounding the ball stud, and a ball stud interposed between the case and the ball stud. A bearing for freeing the motion, and a dust cover for preventing the entry of foreign matter into the inside of the housing.

Conventional ball joints require precise machining so that bearings can be accurately seated on a ball casing and a separate washer is provided for fixing the bearings. As a result, an increase in the number of components increases the manufacturing cost and increases the weight .

The matters described in the background section are intended to enhance the understanding of the background of the invention and may include matters not previously known to those skilled in the art.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of reducing the number of components while improving the assembly stability of the bearing, So as to reduce manufacturing cost, weight, and manufacturing time.

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According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a ball joint comprising: a ball stud including a ball and a stud; A bearing coupled to the outer circumferential surface of the ball so as to surround the outer circumferential surface of the ball and having at least one support protrusion formed on a lower outer side thereof; A ball casing in which the ball and the bearing are housed; An insert which is filled in a space formed between the bearing and an inner circumferential surface of the ball casing and integrally joined with the ball casing and the bearing; A support hole formed at a lower portion of the ball housing corresponding to the support protrusion to prevent the bearing from flowing due to a pressure generated when the insert is filled, the support protrusion being inserted into the support hole; And a dust cover having an upper end fixed to one side of the stud and a lower end fixed to an upper portion of the ball casing.

The support protrusions may be formed in plural and extend axially from the outer surface of the bearing, and may be spaced at a certain angle along the circumferential direction.

Between each of the support protrusions, a connection groove may be formed to be connected to an outer circumferential surface of the bearing so that the insert resin flows into the space.

The lower end center of the bearing may be formed with a chamber for connecting one end of the coupling grooves toward the center of the bearing so that the insert resin is dispersedly introduced into the space through the coupling grooves.

The connection grooves may be respectively disposed at positions spaced by an angle of 60 degrees with respect to the chamber.

The support protrusions may be formed in a fan shape and may be arranged so that the overall shape of the support protrusions is circular, with each of the connection grooves therebetween.

The lower portion of the ball casing may be integrally formed with a fixing groove that is connected to the support hole to fix the insert to a lower portion of the ball casing and that is disposed radially outward of the ball casing.

The fixing groove may be formed with a recessed groove to fill the insert resin on one side of the ball housing with respect to the axial direction of the ball housing, where the support hole is located, to increase the coupling between the insert and the ball housing.

Wherein the insert has a semi-spherical cup-shaped insert body having an outer side surface and an inner side surface, the insert resin being inserted into the space and disposed between an outer circumferential surface of the bearing and an inner circumferential surface of the ball casing; And a fixing part integrally connected to the insert body by being cured in a state filled with the fixing groove and being coupled to the ball casing through the fixing groove.

At least one coupling groove may be formed on the inner circumferential surface of the ball casing in correspondence with the insert body.

The coupling grooves are spaced apart from each other in the axial direction of the ball casing, and may be formed in the circumferential direction on the inner circumferential surface of the ball casing.

Wherein the ball casing is formed in a cylindrical shape with one side facing the stud facing the support hole facing the ball with respect to the axial direction, the inner circumferential surface having one side opened toward the ball stud, As shown in FIG.

The dust cover may be fixed to the ball stud and the ball casing through ring clips provided in the upper and lower portions, respectively.

A seating groove may be formed in the upper portion of the ball casing along the circumferential direction on the upper side in the radial direction so that the lower end of the dust cover is seated.

The bearing may be disposed concentrically with the center of the ball.

As described above, according to the ball joint according to the embodiment of the present invention, at least one support protrusion is formed in the bearing surrounding the outer circumferential surface of the ball provided in the ball stud, and the support protrusion is inserted into the support hole formed in the ball casing Even if the injection pressure is applied to the bearing due to the injection of the insert resin into the mold, the bearing is not twisted or rotated by the interaction between the support protrusion and the support hole, Can be improved.

In addition, by reducing the number of components by removing the washer used for fixing the conventional bearing, the swaging process for securing the washer and the precise machining of the ball casing for bearing mounting are eliminated, thereby reducing manufacturing cost and weight. Time can be shortened.

Further, since the insert resin is injected in a state where the bearing is seated in the ball of the ball stud, the formability of the ball joint can be improved and the ball is properly wrapped around the ball stud, So that the operability and durability of the ball joint can be ensured.

1 is a sectional view of a ball joint according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a perspective view of a bearing applied to a ball joint according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a front view of a bearing applied to a ball joint according to an embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a rear view of a bearing applied to a ball joint according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a view showing a state before injection of an insert resin in a ball joint according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a view showing a coupling relationship of a ball joint after completion of injection of an insert resin in a ball joint according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

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

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, It should be understood that various equivalents and modifications may be present.

In order to clearly illustrate the present invention, parts not related to the description are omitted, and the same or similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals throughout the specification.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

And throughout the specification, when an element is referred to as " comprising ", it means that it can include other elements as well, without excluding other elements unless specifically stated otherwise.

It should be noted that terms such as " ... unit ", " unit of means ", " part of item ", " absence of member ", and the like denote a unit of a comprehensive constitution having at least one function or operation it means.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a ball joint according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 2 and 3 are a perspective view and a front view of a bearing applied to a ball joint according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a rear view of a bearing applied to a ball joint according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

1, a ball joint 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a ball stud 10, a bearing 20, a ball casing 30, an insert 40, and a dust cover 50 .

The ball stud 10 is made of a rigid body and may include a ball 12 provided at a lower portion thereof and a stud 14 formed integrally with the ball 12 so as to have a generally cylindrical shape.

The stud 14 can be assembled to a vehicle body frame, a knuckle of a wheel, a link or the like.

In this embodiment, the bearing 20 is coupled to surround the outer circumferential surface of the ball 12 so as to freely support the movement of the ball stud 10.

Here, the center of the ball 12 is disposed concentrically with the center of the bearing 20.

1, at least one support protrusion 22 may be formed on the outer side of the lower end of the bearing 20 in the axial direction of the ball stud 10.

2 to 4, the support protrusions 22 may be formed in plural and extend axially from the outer surface of the bearing 20, and may be spaced apart at a certain angle along the circumferential direction have.

As shown in FIG. 4, the support protrusions 22 are radially spaced along the circumferential direction with respect to the center of the lower end of the bearing 20. In the present embodiment, six .

In this embodiment, the support protrusions 22 are spaced at an angle of 60 to form six protrusions. However, the number of the support protrusions 22 is not limited thereto, Can be changed and applied.

In this embodiment, the ball casing 30 is accommodated with the ball 12 of the ball stud 10 and the bearing 20 therein.

The ball casing 30 is formed in a cylindrical shape with one side facing the stud 14 facing the support hole 32 facing the ball 12 with respect to the axial direction.

The insert 40 is filled with insert resin in a space S formed between the bearing 20 and the inner circumferential surface of the ball casing 30 and is integrally coupled with the ball casing 30 and the bearing.

Here, a support hole 32 is formed in the ball casing 30 so that the support protrusion 22 is inserted.

The support hole 32 is formed in the support hole 22 so as to prevent twisting or rotation of the bearing 20 due to an external pressure generated when the insert resin is injected to form the insert 40, Is formed in the lower portion of the casing (30).

That is, the support protrusions 22 are inserted into the support holes 32 to fix the bearings 20 in a state of being coupled to the ball casing 30.

When the insert resin is injected in this state, the support protrusions 22 are supported by the support holes 32. Therefore, even if injection pressure generated upon injection of the insert resin acts on the bearing 20, the bearing 20 can be prevented from being twisted or rotated and can maintain the correct position.

The insert 40 is connected to the support hole 32 so as to fix the insert 40 to the lower portion of the ball casing 30 and is disposed radially outward of the ball casing 30, The fixing grooves 34 to be arranged can be integrally formed.

The fixing groove 34 is formed with a concave groove 35 at a lower surface (reference to FIG. 1) on which the support hole 32 is located with respect to the axial direction of the ball casing 30.

The concave groove 35 is formed continuously in the circumferential direction on the lower end surface of the ball casing 30 in the axial direction so as to increase the coupling property between the insert 40 and the ball casing 30, do.

Accordingly, the insert 40 can be hardened with the insert resin filled in the concave groove 35, so that the coupling between the ball casing 30 and the insert 40 can be enhanced.

The inner circumferential surface of the ball casing 30 which is open toward the ball stud 10 may be formed as an inclined surface 36 inclined upward from the ball 12 toward the stud 14.

When the ball stud 10 flows, the inclined surface 36 is brought into contact with the stud 14 and the ball casing 30 while minimizing friction, and at the same time, So that it can play a role of securing the swinging angle performance of the ball stud 10.

Between each of the support protrusions 22, a connection groove 24 may be formed to be connected to the outer circumferential surface of the bearing 20 so that an insert resin flows into the space S.

The connection grooves 24 may be disposed at a position spaced apart at an angle of 60 ° with respect to the support protrusions 22 with respect to the chamber 26, respectively.

The lower end of the bearing 20 is provided with a pair of connecting grooves 22 extending toward the center of the bearing 20 so that the insert resin flows smoothly into the space S through the connecting grooves 24. [ A chamber 26 is formed.

When the insert resin for forming the insert 40 is injected, the chamber 26 functions to uniformly fill the space S by being smoothly dispersed and infused through the connection grooves 24 of the insert resin .

Accordingly, the support protrusions 22 are formed in a fan shape, and can be arranged so that the entire shape of the support protrusions 22 is circular, with each of the connection grooves 24 therebetween.

Meanwhile, the insert 40 includes an insert body 42 and a fixing portion 44.

The insert body 42 is inserted into the space S and inserted between the outer circumferential surface of the bearing 20 and the inner circumferential surface of the ball casing 30 so that the radially outer and inner surfaces And is formed into a hemispherical cup shape.

At least one coupling groove 38 may be formed on the inner circumferential surface of the ball casing 30 corresponding to the insert body 42.

The coupling grooves 38 may be spaced apart from each other in the axial direction of the ball casing 30 and formed in the circumferential direction on the inner circumferential surface of the ball casing 30.

That is, when the insert resin is filled in the space S formed between the bearing 20 and the ball casing 30 and is filled with the coupling groove 38 and then hardened, the ball casing 30 And the insert body 42 can be increased.

That is, not only the contact area between the ball casing 30 and the insert body 42 is increased by the coupling groove 38, but also due to the shape characteristic of the coupling groove 38, And the insert body 442 are increased in the axial direction, so that the ball casing 30 and the insert body 42 are not separated in the axial direction.

The fixing part 44 is fixed in the fixing groove 34 and is integrally connected to the insert body 42 and is coupled to the ball casing 30 through the fixing groove 34 .

When the insert resin is injected for forming the insert 40, the fixing part 44 is hardened in the state of being filled in the concave groove 35, so that the coupling with the ball casing 30 can be increased have.

As the insert 40 is coupled to the bearing and the ball casing 30 between the bearing 20 and the ball casing 30, the ball casing 30 is separated from the ball casing 30 by a separate Precision machining is not required, and it is possible to rapidly produce the material through turning or the like, thereby shortening the production time.

In this embodiment, the dust cover 50 has an upper end fixed to one side of the stud 14, and a lower end fixed to the upper portion of the ball casing 30. [

The dust cover 50 may prevent foreign matter from entering the ball stud 10, the bearing 20, the ball casing 30, and the insert 40.

To this end, the dust cover 50 is fixed on the opened top of the ball casing 30 through a ring clip 52 provided therein, and the upper end of the dust cover 50 Can be fixed to the ball stud (10) through a ring clip (52).

In this case, a seating groove 39 may be formed on the upper side of the ball casing 30 along the circumferential direction on the upper side in the radial direction so that the lower end of the dust cover 50 is seated.

Accordingly, the dust cover 50 is fixed through the ring clip 52 provided in the state in which the lower end of the dust cover 50 is stably installed in the seating groove 39, And is fixed to one side of the upper end of the stud 14 of the ball stud 10 through the ring clip 52 so that the ball stud 10 and the ball casing 30 can be stably coupled .

Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing the ball joint 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail.

FIG. 5 is a view showing a state before injection of an insert resin in a ball joint according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a ball joint according to an embodiment of the present invention, Joint relationship of a joint.

The process of manufacturing the ball joint 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described below. The ball casing 30 previously manufactured in the lower mold not shown is mounted and fixed and then the ball 12 Is inserted into the inside of the ball casing (30) in a state of being press-fitted into the bearing (20).

At this time, a lubricant such as grease can be injected between the ball 12 and the bearing 20.

5, the support protrusions 22 of the bearings 20 are inserted into the support holes 32 of the ball housing 30, and the bearings 20 and the ball casings 30, A predetermined space S in which the insert 40 is to be formed is formed between the inserts 30.

Here, the support protrusions 22 of the bearing 20 are inserted into and supported by the support holes 32, and the insert mold is closed by closing the upper mold (not shown).

The insert resin is injected through the injection passage of the upper mold, and the injection passage is disposed concentrically with the center of the ball 12. [ The insert resin injected from the injection path flows in the circumferential direction on the outer circumferential surface of the bearing 20 through each of the connecting grooves 24 while being introduced into the chamber 26 formed in the bearing 20, So that the space S and the fixing groove 34 are filled.

Here, the chamber 34 functions to uniformly fill the space S by being smoothly dispersed and infused through the connection grooves 24 of the insert resin.

The bearing 20 receives the injection pressure during the injection of the insert resin as described above. When the support protrusions 22 formed on the bearing 20 are inserted into the support hole 32, So that the bearing 20 can be held in the correct position without being twisted or rotated. As a result, it is possible to prevent the defective molding of the ball joint 1 and to improve the durability of the bearing 20. [

Thereafter, the ball stud 10 from which the insert 40 is injected is demolded from the upper and lower molds, and then the dust cover 50 is engaged with the stud 14 of the ball stud 10, 50 are fastened and fixed to the stud 14 and the ball casing 30 through the respective ring clips 52 provided inside the ball joint 50, the manufacture of the ball joint 1 is completed.

Therefore, when the ball joint 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention as described above is applied, the bearing 20, which surrounds the outer circumferential surface of the ball 12 provided in the ball stud 10, And the support protrusions 22 are inserted into the support holes 32 formed in the ball casing 30 so that the insert resin is injected into the mold so that the injection pressure acts on the bearings The bearing 20 is not twisted or rotated by the interaction between the support protrusions 22 and the support holes 32 and the stability of the bearing 20 can be improved by maintaining the correct position.

Further, by removing the washer applied to fix the conventional bearing, the components are reduced, and the swaging process for fixing the washer and the precise machining of the ball casing 30 for seating the bearing 20 are removed, Reduce weight and weight, and shorten production time.

Further, since the insert resin is injected in a state where the bearing 20 is seated in the ball 12 of the ball stud 10 at a predetermined position, the formability of the ball joint 1 can be improved, The ball 20 of the ball 12 is properly wrapped around the ball 12 so that the ball 12 can be smoothly rotated and the operability and durability of the ball joint 1 can be secured.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. It will be understood that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the appended claims.

1: ball joint
10: Ball Stud
12: Ball
14: Stud
20: Bearings
22: support projection
24: connection groove
26: chamber
30: Ball Casing
32: Support hole
34: Fixing groove
35: concave groove
36: slope
38: Coupling groove
39: seat groove
40: insert
42: insert body
44:
50: Dust cover

Claims (15)

A ball stud comprising a ball and a stud;
A bearing coupled to the outer circumferential surface of the ball so as to surround the outer circumferential surface of the ball and having at least one support protrusion formed on a lower outer side thereof;
A ball casing in which the ball and the bearing are housed;
An insert which is filled in a space formed between the bearing and an inner circumferential surface of the ball casing and integrally joined with the ball casing and the bearing;
A support hole formed at a lower portion of the ball housing corresponding to the support protrusion to prevent the bearing from flowing due to a pressure generated when the insert is filled, the support protrusion being inserted into the support hole; And
A dust cover having an upper end fixed to one side of the stud and a lower end fixed to an upper portion of the ball casing;
And a ball joint.
The method according to claim 1,
The support protrusions
Wherein the ball joint is formed as a plurality of balls, extends axially from the outer surface of the bearing, and is disposed at a predetermined angle along the circumferential direction.
3. The method of claim 2,
Between each of the support protrusions
Wherein a connecting groove is formed to be connected to the outer circumferential surface of the bearing so that the insert resin flows into the space.
The method of claim 3,
Wherein a chamber is formed at a lower center of the bearing to connect one end of the coupling grooves to the center of the bearing so that the insert resin is dispersedly introduced into the space through the coupling grooves.
5. The method of claim 4,
The connection grooves
And are disposed at positions spaced apart at an angle of 60 degrees with respect to the chamber.
The method of claim 3,
The support protrusions
Wherein the ball joint is formed in a fan shape and is arranged to have a circular shape with each of the connection grooves therebetween.
The method according to claim 1,
In the lower portion of the ball casing
And a fixing groove which is connected to the support hole so as to fix the insert to a lower portion of the ball casing and which is disposed radially outward of the ball casing is integrally formed.
8. The method of claim 7,
The fixing groove
Wherein a concave groove is formed on one surface of the ball casing on which the support hole is located to fill the insert resin to increase the coupling between the insert and the ball casing.
8. The method of claim 7,
The insert
A hemispherical cup-shaped insert body having a radially outer side surface and an inner side surface, the insert resin being introduced into the space and disposed between an outer circumferential surface of the bearing and an inner circumferential surface of the ball casing; And
A fixing part integrally connected to the insert body by being cured in a state filled with the fixing groove and being coupled to the ball casing through the fixing groove;
And a ball joint.
10. The method of claim 9,
The ball casing
And at least one coupling groove is formed on an inner circumferential surface of the insert body corresponding to the insert body.
11. The method of claim 10,
The coupling groove
Wherein two of the balls are spaced apart from each other in the axial direction of the ball casing and are formed in the circumferential direction on the inner circumferential surface of the ball casing.
The method according to claim 1,
The ball casing
And an inner circumferential surface of the one side facing the ball stud is formed to be inclined upward from the ball toward the stud, Wherein the ball joint is formed as an inclined surface.
The method according to claim 1,
The dust cover
And is fixed to the ball stud and the ball casing through a ring clip provided on the inside of the upper and lower portions.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein a seating groove is formed at an upper side of the ball casing in a circumferential direction at an upper portion in a radial direction so that a lower end portion of the dust cover is seated thereon.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the bearing is disposed concentrically with the center of the ball.

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