JP2008232403A - Bearing unit for strut - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a bearing for a strut sufficiently exerting a bearing function for a long period of time, even if loads in a vertical direction are repeatedly applied by up-and-down motions of a vehicle at low cost. <P>SOLUTION: A bearing unit 100 for a strut comprises: a pair of bearing rings 2, 3 vertically opposed to each other with sandwiching rolling elements 4 between them in a rotational axis L direction of the bearing 1 for a strut; and a pair of cover members 5, 6 sandwiching the bearing rings 2, 3 from above and below. Elastic seal members 7, 8 are integrally molded on both sides in a radial direction of a bearing ring mounting part 5r in a lower cover member 5. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a strut bearing unit used in a strut suspension device.

JP 2001-173658 A JP 2003-214425 A JP 2004-176728 A

  A strut suspension device that connects a wheel and a vehicle body is provided between an upper support that is fixed to the upper end of a strut shaft and an upper spring seat that supports the upper end side of a coil spring. A strut bearing is interposed, and rotation around the strut axis with respect to the upper support of the upper spring seat is allowed (Patent Documents 1 to 3).

  By the way, in the strut type suspension device, since the gap inside the strut bearing is easily exposed to fluid foreign matters such as water and muddy water on the road surface where the wheels are flipped up, rubber seal portions are provided at both ends of the gap. . Some conventional rubber seals are formed in a form integrally vulcanized with the lower race 3 as shown in FIG. The rubber seal portion 80 of FIG. 5 includes upper ends 7 and 8 having lip portions 7a, 8a, and 8b that are integrated with both ends of the lower race 3 and project toward the upper race 2, and upper ends 7 of the ends. , 8 so as to cover the side surface and the lower surface of the lower race ring 3 so as to cover each other, and a wrap portion 87 (thickness of about 0.1 mm to 0.2 mm) for connecting both the upper ends 7 and 8 together. It is formed in the form with. As described above, the conventional structure in which the rubber seal portions at both ends of the bearing ring are integrally vulcanized to the bearing ring is intended to simplify the manufacturing process and realize cost reduction by integrating the bearing ring and the rubber seal portion. Technology.

  However, the vertical load is repeatedly applied to the strut suspension device as the vehicle moves up and down. At this time, the vertical load is also repeatedly applied to the wrap portion 87. There is a possibility of wear and peeling. When the wraparound portion 87 is worn or peeled off, slippage is likely to occur between the lower race 3 and the lower cover member 5, leading to an early deterioration of the bearing function.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a strut bearing that can sufficiently exhibit a bearing function for a long period of time even when a vertical load is repeatedly applied by a vertical movement of a vehicle.

Means and actions / effects for solving the problems

In order to solve the above problems, the strut bearing unit of the present invention includes:
The upper raceway provided on the upper support side of the strut suspension device of the vehicle, the lower raceway provided on the coil spring side of the strut suspension device, and a plurality of rolling wheels arranged between the pair of raceways. A strut bearing having a moving body;
An upper cover member coupled to the opposite side of the raceway surface of the upper race ring in the rotation axis direction of the strut bearing, and a lower cover member coupled to the opposite side of the raceway plane of the lower race ring in the rotation axis direction. A pair of cover members consisting of
In at least one of the inner peripheral edge side and the outer peripheral edge side of each raceway with respect to the rotation axis, the peripheral edge portion of the first raceway ring forming one of the raceway rings protrudes from the peripheral edge of the second raceway ring also forming the other, A cover peripheral portion of the cover member coupled to the second race ring is projected from the periphery of the second race ring, and a peripheral portion of the first race ring is opposed to the cover peripheral portion. An elastic seal member that is in sliding contact with the peripheral edge portion is integrally formed.

  According to the above configuration of the present invention, there is no portion where the vertical load is supported by the vertical movement of the vehicle in the seal portion, and therefore there is no occurrence of wear or slip. Therefore, the bearing can sufficiently exhibit its function over a long period of time. Further, since the seal portion is integrally formed with the cover member, the cost is not greatly increased even when compared with the conventional case where the seal portion is integrally formed with the raceway ring.

  The elastic seal member can be a molded body made of thermoplastic elastomer or two-component mixed rubber. These materials are suitable for integrally molding the seal member and the cover member (two-color molding). Specifically, the elastic seal member can be a molded body made of silicone rubber.

  Each cover member can be formed with a bearing ring mounting portion for mounting a corresponding bearing ring. At this time, the elastic seal member can be integrated so that the bearing ring mounting portion and the cover peripheral portion are adjacent to each other. According to this configuration, since the concave portion forming the bearing ring mounting portion and the concave portion provided with the elastic seal member can be formed in a communicating lower shape, the shape of the cover member to be molded can be simplified.

  The cover peripheral portion may have a shape that is cut out in an L-shaped cross section in a cross section in the direction of the rotation axis including the rotation axis, and an elastic seal member may be integrated with the cutout portion. According to this structure, a cover peripheral part can be made into the simple shape of a cross-section L-shape. Moreover, since the sealing material can be closely adhered over the entire L-shaped wall surface, it is easy to firmly integrate the sealing member and the cover member.

  In addition, the elastic seal member can be formed in close contact with the second race ring mounted on the race ring mounting portion in the protruding direction of the peripheral portion of the first race ring from the periphery of the second race ring. . According to this configuration, the race can be positioned using the elastic seal member.

  The elastic seal member may be integrally formed only on the lower cover member. More specifically, with respect to the rotation axis, at least one of the inner periphery side and the outer periphery side of each track ring, the peripheral portion of the upper track ring protrudes in the radial direction from the periphery of the lower track ring, and the lower The cover peripheral portion of the lower cover member that is coupled to the side raceway and that protrudes from the peripheral edge of the lower raceway and the peripheral portion of the upper raceway are opposed to each other in the rotational axis direction, and are integrally formed with the cover peripheral portion. The elastic seal member can be configured to be in sliding contact with the peripheral edge of the upper race. According to this configuration, the elastic seal member has a configuration in which the base end portion is on the lower side and the sliding contact portion is positioned on the upper side. Since fluid foreign matters such as muddy water entering from the outside are affected by gravity, the inside of the bearing can be effectively sealed as compared with the case where the base end portion is on the upper side and the sliding contact portion is on the lower side.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of a strut shaft support structure according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of a strut suspension device, FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion P in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of a main part of FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a strut suspension device (strut bearing unit) 100 includes a strut shaft (suspension portion) 83 that is mounted on a support member 81 and supports a part of a vehicle body, and a tire built into the strut shaft 83. A coil spring 82 that absorbs vibrations and shocks from the side and an upper support (vehicle body side support) 70 that is fixed to the upper portion of the vehicle body are provided.

  The strut suspension device 100 has a lower side attached to a support member 81 on the vehicle body side, and has a role of supporting the entire vehicle body in a floating manner with respect to an axle or the like. Around the support member 81, an axle 93, a hub 90 fixed to the axle 93 and fitted with wheels, a brake disc 91 fixed to the hub 90, and a pad that presses the brake disc 91 with hydraulic pressure are provided inside. A provided caliper body 92 is disposed.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the internal structure of the upper portion of the strut suspension device 100 includes a strut shaft 83, a coil spring 82 disposed around the strut shaft 83, and an upper end of the coil spring 82 disposed around the strut shaft 83. The lower cover member 5 that supports the strut shaft L in the direction of the strut axis L (axial direction) and the strut shaft 83 is provided at the upper end of the strut shaft 83 so as to be rotatable integrally with the strut shaft 83. An upper support (vehicle body side connecting portion) 70 to be connected, an upper cover member 6 coupled so as to be integrally rotatable within a lower end opening of the upper support 70, and an interposition between the lower cover member 5 and the upper cover member 6 And a suspension bearing (a strut bearing; hereinafter, also simply referred to as a bearing) 1. Further, at the upper end of the strut shaft 83, a nut 86 and the like for fastening the strut shaft 83 and the upper support 70 so as to be integrally rotatable are also provided.

  The upper support 70 includes an elastic member 71, ring members 72 and 73 for fastening the upper support 70 to the strut shaft 83 so as to be integrally rotatable with a nut 86, and an inner end portion embedded in the elastic member 71. A ring member 74 in which a bolt fixing portion (not shown) to the vehicle body 79 is formed at the outer end, a metal plate 75 which forms a lower end portion of the upper support 70 and is coupled to the upper cover member 6 so as to be integrally rotatable, It consists of

  Between the lower cover member 5 and the upper cover member 6, a bearing disposition space 89 in which the bearing 1 is disposed is provided so as to open the radially outer side with respect to the strut shaft 83. The bearing 1 is arranged in the bearing arrangement space 89, and the bearing 1 is fixed to a concave bearing ring mounting portion 6r formed on the lower end surface of the upper cover member 6 so as to be integrally rotatable as shown in FIG. The upper race ring 2 that is formed, and the lower race ring 3 that is fixed to the concave race ring mounting portion 5r formed on the upper end surface of the lower cover member 5 that supports the upper end side of the coil spring 82 so as to be integrally rotatable. The rolling element row 4 is composed of a plurality of rolling elements arranged between the races 2 and 3. That is, the upper cover member 6 is coupled to the opposite side to the raceway surface 2r of the upper race 2 in the direction of the rotation axis L of the bearing 1, and is opposite to the raceway surface 3r of the lower raceway 3 in the same direction of the rotation axis L. The lower cover member 3 is coupled to the side, and the upper race ring 2 and the lower race ring 3 are rotatable relative to each other while sandwiching the plurality of rolling elements 4 in the direction of the axis (rotation axis) L of the strut shaft 83 The upper cover member 6 and the lower cover member 5 are held at a narrow pressure as the nut 86 is fastened.

  With respect to the strut axis L, the inner peripheral edge portion 21 of the upper race ring 2 protrudes inward in the radial direction from the peripheral edge 31 a of the lower race ring 3 on the radial peripheral side of each race ring 2, 3. And the peripheral part 21 of this upper track ring 2 and the cover peripheral part located in the place which protruded inward in the radial direction from the peripheral part 31a of this lower track ring 3 of the cover member 5 couple | bonded with the lower track ring 3 51 is facing. Further, the cover peripheral portion 51 is integrally formed with an elastic seal member 7 that is in sliding contact with the peripheral portion 21 of the upper race 2. On the other hand, similarly, on the outer peripheral edge side of each of the race rings 2 and 3 with respect to the strut axis L, the peripheral edge portion 22 of the upper race ring 2 projects outward in the radial direction from the peripheral edge 32 a of the lower race ring 3. And the peripheral part 22 of this upper track ring 2, and the cover peripheral part located in the place projected over the radial direction outward from the peripheral part of this lower track ring 3 of the cover member 5 couple | bonded with this lower track ring 3 52 is facing. Further, an elastic seal member 8 that is in sliding contact with the peripheral edge portion 22 of the upper race 2 is integrally formed on the cover peripheral edge portion 52.

  The cover members 6 and 5 are formed with bearing ring mounting portions 6r and 5r for mounting the corresponding bearing rings 2 and 3, and in this embodiment, the bearing ring mounting portion 5r and the cover peripheral portions 51 and 52 are provided. And the elastic seal members 7 and 8 are integrated with the cover member 5 in a form adjacent to each other in the radial direction. That is, the cover member 5 is a molded body (two-color molded body) in which the elastic seal members 7 and 8 are integrated by two-color molding. The cover peripheral portions 51 and 52 are cut out in a shape having an L-shaped cross section in the cross section in the direction of the axis L including the strut axis L, and the elastic seal members 7 and 8 are integrated with the cut out portions. . In the present embodiment, the seal portions 7 and 8 are provided with lip portions 7a, 8a, and 8b protruding toward the facing raceway (the upper raceway 2 in this embodiment) with respect to the facing raceway. They are arranged in contact. Further, the seal portion 8 located on the outer side in the radial direction has a double seal structure with two lip portions 8a and 8b, and the seal function on the outer side in the radial direction is liable to intrude into fluid foreign matters such as muddy water from the outside. Has been increased.

  In addition, the elastic seal members 7 and 8 in this embodiment are protruding directions from the peripheral edges 31a and 32a of the second race ring 3 (that is, radial direction in the present embodiment). Are closely attached to the second bearing ring 3 mounted on the bearing ring mounting portions 5r and 6r, and the second bearing ring 3 is positioned in the protruding direction (radial direction) by the elastic seal members 7 and 8. It has become a shape. The cover peripheral portions 51 and 52 are notched in an L-shaped cross section in the cross section in the direction of the rotation axis L including the rotation axis L, and an elastic seal member is integrated with the notch.

  The elastic seal members 7 and 8 can be formed from a thermoplastic elastomer or a two-component mixed rubber or the like. In the present embodiment, the molded body is made of silicone rubber, but other elastic materials may be used. The body portions of the cover members 6 and 5 excluding the elastic seal members 7 and 8 are resin molded bodies such as polyamide 66.

  The above-described bearing 1 can be assembled as shown in FIG. That is, first, as shown in FIG. 3A, the bearing 1 is disposed on the lower cover member 5. At this time, the lower bearing ring 3 of the bearing 1 is coupled to the bearing ring mounting portion 5 r of the lower cover member 5. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 3B, the upper cover member 6 is disposed on the upper race 2 of the bearing 1 disposed on the lower cover member 5. At this time, the upper bearing ring 2 of the bearing 1 is coupled to the bearing ring mounting portion 6 r of the upper cover member 6. As a result, as shown in FIG. 3C, the outer peripheral edge tip 6 a of the upper cover member 6 is formed at the outer edge in the radial direction of the lower cover member 5 even when an upward force is applied to the upper cover member 6. The upper cover member 6 is locked to the upper surface of the recessed portion 5a to prevent the upper cover member 6 from coming off upward. That is, the upper cover member 6, the lower cover member 5, and the bearing 1 inside thereof are fixed so as not to be separated.

  The assembly from FIG. 3B to FIG. 3C will be specifically described. The outer peripheral edge front end portion 6a of the upper cover member 6 has an inclined surface that is inclined radially outward toward the lower side in the axis L direction on the radially inner circumferential surface. When the upper cover member 6 is disposed on the upper race 2 of the bearing 1, the upper cover member 6 is pushed downward, and the upper end of the lower cover member 5 in the radial direction on the inclined surface of the outer peripheral edge tip 6a. The outer peripheral surface of the edge 5b is slid. At this time, the outer peripheral edge 6b of the upper cover member 6 is elastically deformed outward in the radial direction by the radially outer upper end edge 5b of the lower cover member 5. If 6a gets over, it will return elastically and the radially inner peripheral side of the outer peripheral edge tip 6a will enter the recess 5a of the lower cover member 5. Thereby, the upper cover member 6 is in the above-described retaining state with respect to the lower cover member 5. In other words, the assembling work is as simple as pushing the upper cover member 6 downward from above the upper race 2 of the bearing 1 arranged on the lower cover member 5.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, these are only illustrations to the last, and this invention is not limited to these, A various change is possible unless it deviates from the meaning of a claim. .

  For example, in the present invention, at least one of the inner peripheral edge side and the outer peripheral edge side of each of the race rings 2 and 3 with respect to the rotation axis L, the peripheral portion of the first race ring that forms one of the race rings 2 and 3 is also the other. A cover peripheral portion that protrudes from the peripheral edge of the second raceway ring, and a cover peripheral portion that protrudes from the peripheral edge of the second raceway ring and a peripheral edge portion of the first raceway ring. The elastic seal member which opposes and is slidably contacted with the peripheral part of a 1st track ring in the cover peripheral part can be comprised in the form integrally formed.

  Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, the elastic seal members 7 and 8 can be integrated with the upper cover member 6. Specifically, the peripheral edge portions 31 and 32 of the lower track ring 3 are more radial than the peripheral edges 21 a and 22 a of the upper track ring 2 on both the inner peripheral edge side and the outer peripheral edge side of each track ring 2 and 3 with respect to the axis L. Cover peripheral portions 61 and 62 and a lower track, which extend in the radial direction and are positioned in a radial direction from the peripheral edges 21a and 22a of the upper track ring 2 of the upper cover member 6 coupled to the upper track ring 2 The elastic peripheral members 31 and 32 of the ring 3 are opposed to each other, and elastic seal members 7 and 8 which are in sliding contact with the peripheral edges 31 and 32 of the lower race 2 are integrally formed with the cover peripheral portions 61 and 62.

  Moreover, the structure which integrates an elastic seal member on the one side of the radial direction of an upper cover member and the elastic seal member on the other side of the radial direction of a lower cover member may be sufficient. The elastic seal member may be integrated only on one side in the radial direction of the upper cover member or the lower cover member.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the pair of race rings are provided so as to face the strut axis L direction, but the pair of race rings face the strut shaft 83 in the radial direction, and the space between the race rings is The present invention may be applied to a configuration in which rolling elements are arranged.

The perspective view which shows an example of the strut type suspension apparatus with which the bearing for struts of this invention is applied. The expanded sectional view of the P section of Drawing 1 concerning a first embodiment of the present invention. The figure explaining the assembly | attachment method of the strut type suspension apparatus of FIG. The expanded sectional view of the P section of Drawing 1 concerning a second embodiment of the present invention. The expanded sectional view of the P section of Drawing 1 concerning a conventional embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

100 Strut suspension device (Strut bearing unit)
1 Suspension bearing (Strut bearing)
2 Upper track ring 21, 22 Peripheral edge (of upper race ring 2) 3 Lower race ring 31 a, 31 b (Lower race ring 3) peripheral edge 5 Lower cover member 51, 52 Cover peripheral edge 6 Upper cover member 7, 8 Elastic seal member 70 Upper support (vehicle body side support)
83 Strut shaft L Strut axis (rotation axis)

Claims (2)

An upper raceway provided on the upper support side of the strut suspension device of the vehicle, a lower raceway provided on the coil spring side of the strut suspension device, and a plurality of raceways disposed between the pair of raceways. A strut bearing having rolling elements;
The upper cover member is coupled to the opposite side of the raceway surface of the upper race in the rotation axis direction of the strut bearing, and is coupled to the opposite side of the raceway surface of the lower race in the rotation axis direction. A pair of cover members consisting of a lower cover member,
With respect to the rotation axis, at least one of the inner peripheral edge side and the outer peripheral edge side of each of the track rings, the peripheral edge portion of the first track ring that forms one of the track rings protrudes from the periphery of the second track ring that also forms the other. In addition, the cover peripheral portion that protrudes from the peripheral edge of the second race ring of the cover member coupled to the second race ring and the peripheral edge portion of the first race ring face each other, A strut bearing unit comprising an elastic seal member that is slidably in contact with the peripheral edge of the first raceway ring.   Each cover member is formed with a bearing ring mounting portion for mounting the corresponding bearing ring, and the elastic seal member is integrated so that the bearing ring mounting portion and the cover peripheral portion are adjacent to each other. The strut bearing unit according to claim 1.

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