Steering ball pin structure and steering knuckle assembly with same

Abstract

The invention relates to the field of steering systems, in particular to a steering ball pin structure and a steering knuckle assembly with the steering ball pin structure. The ball pin comprises a ball pin body, and a mounting ring table is arranged on the ball pin body; through the arrangement of the mounting ring table, the connecting mode of a traditional sealing sheath is changed, the sealing sheath directly abuts against the end face of the mounting ring table of the ball pin, and the original matching relation between the steering ball pin and the steering knuckle in the height direction is converted into the control relation of the internal size of the same part (machining in the height direction of the ball pin); the dimensional tolerance accumulation in the height direction is reduced, the consistency of the compression amount of the sealing sheath is ensured, and the sealing effect of the sheath is further ensured; due to the fact that the end face of the sealing protective sleeve is not matched with the end face of the steering knuckle, the technical problems of deformation, edge curling and the like of the rubber protective sleeve in the whole vehicle assembling process are solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of steering systems, in particular to a steering ball pin structure and a steering knuckle assembly having the steering ball pin structure. Background Art

[0002] When the car is turning, the tie rod assemblies on both sides of the steering gear pull the steering knuckles on both sides to swing, so that the tires produce an angular deflection in the front and rear directions to achieve the purpose of steering the entire vehicle.

[0003] The connection method between the steering tie rod and the steering knuckle is to use a steering ball pin passing through the through hole of the steering knuckle, and fasteners are used to fix the two together, and a rubber sleeve is used to seal the end surface. That is, the traditional connection structure between the steering ball pin and the steering knuckle is composed of a tie rod (ball seat), a ball pin, a sealing sleeve, and a steering knuckle. The sealing sleeve needs to tightly seal the steering ball pin between the steering knuckle and the ball seat to prevent impurities such as mud and water from entering the ball seat through the end surface of the sealing sleeve, causing abnormal wear of the ball pin.

[0004] The sealing sleeve relies on the extrusion elastic deformation force of the bellows to press the end face of the sealing sleeve against the end face of the steering knuckle.

[0005] However, one or more of the following problems often exist:

[0006] 1. Since the steering knuckle and the steering ball pin are produced by different manufacturers, during the assembly process of the whole vehicle, it is easy to cause the rubber boot to be improperly assembled when the steering ball pin is installed into the steering knuckle (the rubber boot seal may curl or deform);

[0007] 2. In addition, the dimensional errors of the two parts in the matching height are accumulated, which makes it difficult to ensure the consistency of the tightening force of the sheath extrusion deformation after assembly, reducing the tightening and sealing effect of the end face.

[0008] 3. Since the sealing sleeve is a rubber part, it is easy to oxidize and age. The corrugated sleeve is easy to deform after a period of expansion and contraction. The deformation resilience of the bellows will be greatly reduced, resulting in the lip end face and the steering knuckle end face cannot fit tightly, which in turn causes mud and water and other impurities to slowly penetrate into the ball seat through the sealing sleeve end face, causing wear gaps between the ball pin and the ball seat during movement, and ultimately causing abnormal steering noises during steering, seriously affecting the customer's driving comfort of the entire vehicle.

[0009] Judging from the after-sales claim data, the abnormal noise caused by the increased wear gap inside the ball pin and ball seat due to the poor sealing of the steering boot accounts for the vast majority of the claims for abnormal noise in the steering tie rod.

[0010] Existing patent: 202122619231.9 - A steering intermediate shaft sleeve sealing mechanism does not clearly solve the technical problems mentioned above.

[0011] Therefore, in order to improve or solve at least one of the above problems, it is necessary to optimize the connection structure between the existing steering knuckle and the ball pin. Summary of the invention

[0012] The object of the present invention is to provide a steering ball pin structure which can provide an installation position for a sealing sleeve.

[0013] In order to achieve the above object, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is:

[0014] A steering ball pin structure comprises a ball pin; the ball pin comprises a ball pin body, and a mounting ring platform is arranged on the ball pin body.

[0015] The mounting ring is arranged on the ball pin body, and the mounting ring is coaxially arranged with the ball pin body; the mounting ring is in a frustum shape.

[0016] The ball pin body is provided with a limiting ring rib.

[0017] A steering knuckle assembly comprises a steering knuckle, wherein the steering knuckle is connected to a ball seat via a steering ball pin structure; a sealing sleeve is arranged between the steering ball pin structure and the ball seat; one end of the sealing sleeve is connected to a mounting ring platform, and the other end is connected to the ball seat.

[0018] The steering knuckle is provided with a through hole, which is also a frustoconical hole; the minimum inner diameter of the through hole is smaller than the minimum outer diameter of the mounting ring; the maximum inner diameter of the through hole is larger than the minimum outer diameter of the mounting ring; and a locking nut is provided at the end of the ball pin in the steering ball pin structure.

[0019] The sealing sleeve comprises a sleeve body, the interior of which is hollow to form a sleeve hole; one end of the sealing sleeve is sleeved on the ball seat, and the other end is pressed against the mounting ring on the ball pin body.

[0020] The sealing sleeve is provided with a clamping ring groove at one end close to the steering knuckle; the sealing sleeve is clamped on the limiting ring rib on the ball pin body through the clamping ring groove.

[0021] An extrusion ring rib is arranged at the end of the sheath body; and a lap lip is arranged at the edge of the sheath body.

[0022] The sealing sleeve is provided with an annular retaining spring; the sealing sleeve is sleeved on the ball pin body through the annular retaining spring.

[0023] An embedded clamp is provided at one end of the sealing sleeve close to the ball seat, and the sealing sleeve is a bellows-type elastic sleeve; the sealing sleeve is riveted on the ball seat through a press-fitting process.

[0024] The advantages of the present invention are:

[0025] The invention discloses a steering ball pin structure and a steering knuckle assembly having the steering ball pin structure.

[0026] The present invention changes the connection method of the traditional sealing sleeve by setting the mounting ring. The sealing sleeve is directly pressed against the end face of the mounting ring of the ball pin, and the original matching relationship in the height direction between the two product parts of the steering ball pin and the steering knuckle is converted into a control relationship of the internal dimensions of the same part (machining in the height direction of the ball pin), thereby reducing the accumulation of dimensional tolerances in the height direction, ensuring the consistency of the compression amount of the sealing sleeve, and further ensuring the sealing effect of the sleeve.

[0027] Since the end face of the sealing sleeve no longer matches the end face of the steering knuckle, process problems such as deformation and curling of the rubber sleeve during vehicle assembly are eliminated. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] The following is a brief description of the contents expressed in the drawings of the present invention and the symbols in the drawings:

[0029] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of the steering knuckle assembly in the present invention.

[0030] Figure 2 It is a partial enlarged view of the connection between the sealing sleeve and the ball pin in the present invention.

[0031] The marks in the above figure are:

[0032] 1. Ball pin, 2. Ball seat, 3. Steering knuckle, 4. Lock nut, 5. Sealing sleeve, 6. Circular retaining ring, 7. Mounting ring. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The specific implementation of the present invention will be further explained in detail below by describing the optimal embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0034] A steering ball pin structure comprises a ball pin 1; the ball pin 1 comprises a ball pin body, on which a mounting ring 7 is provided; the present invention changes the connection mode of a traditional sealing sleeve 5 by setting the mounting ring 7, the sealing sleeve 5 is directly pressed against the end face of the mounting ring 7 of the ball pin 1, and the original matching relationship between the steering ball pin 1 and the steering knuckle 3 in the height direction is converted into a control relationship of the internal dimensions of the same part (machining of the ball pin 1 in the height direction), thereby reducing the accumulation of dimensional tolerances in the height direction, ensuring the consistency of the compression amount of the sealing sleeve 5, and further ensuring the sealing effect of the sleeve.

[0035] Since the end face of the sealing sleeve 5 is no longer matched with the end face of the steering knuckle 3, the generation of process problems such as deformation and curling of the rubber sleeve during the vehicle assembly process is also eliminated.

[0036] The steering ball pin structure disclosed in the present invention is suitable for a steering system, and the steering ball pin structure disclosed in the present invention mainly comprises a ball pin 1; the ball pin 1 is an axle structure, and is subsequently mainly used for connection with a steering knuckle 3; in the present invention, the ball pin 1 comprises a ball pin body, and the ball pin body as a whole is a columnar structure, and the present invention provides a mounting ring 7 on the ball pin body; the mounting ring 7 is equivalent to forming a boss structure on the outer side of the ball pin body, and in subsequent use, the position of the end of the sealing sleeve 5 can be limited, avoiding the trouble of the traditional sealing sleeve 5 needing to be directly connected to the universal joint.

[0037] Furthermore, in the present invention, the mounting ring 7 is arranged on the ball pin body, and the mounting ring 7 is coaxially arranged with the ball pin body; the mounting ring 7 is in the shape of a cone; the setting of the mounting ring 7 of the present invention has a function of limiting, which is convenient for the subsequent cooperation with the locking nut 4 to realize the connection between the steering knuckle 3 and the ball pin 1. In addition, the mounting ring 7 also plays a good end limiting role to ensure the stability of the longitudinal position of the sealing sleeve 5.

[0038] Furthermore, a limiting ring rib 11 is provided on the ball pin body in the present invention; the limiting ring rib 11 is provided in the present invention mainly to limit the position of the sealing sleeve 5 to prevent the sealing sleeve 5 from moving along the axial direction of the ball pin 1.

[0039] A steering knuckle assembly includes a steering knuckle 3, wherein the steering knuckle 3 is connected to a ball socket 2 via a steering ball pin structure; a sealing sleeve 5 is provided between the steering ball pin structure and the ball socket 2; the steering knuckle 3 of the present invention is connected to the ball socket 2 via the steering ball pin structure, which facilitates the connection between the tie rod and the steering knuckle 3 during actual use; and the provision of the sealing sleeve 5 plays a good role in isolation and protection, preventing external impurities from entering the interior of the ball socket 2.

[0040] In the present invention, one end of the sealing sleeve 5 is connected to the mounting ring 7, and the other end is connected to the ball seat 2; such a configuration facilitates the connection between the sealing sleeve 5 and the ball pin 1 and the ball seat 2.

[0041] In the present invention, a through hole 31 is provided on the steering knuckle 3. The setting of the through hole 31 facilitates the plug-in installation of the ball pin 1 and the steering knuckle 3. In the present invention, the ball pin 1 is connected to the steering knuckle 3, and the mounting ring 7 on the ball pin 1 is pressed against the through hole 31, thereby realizing the installation limit of the ball pin 1 and the steering knuckle 3.

[0042] In addition, in the present invention, the steering knuckle 3 is connected to the ball seat 2 through the steering ball pin structure; the ball seat 2 is a part of the tie rod assembly; the steering ball pin structure plays a good bridging role, and such a setting facilitates the connection between the steering knuckle and the ball seat 2.

[0043] Furthermore, in the present invention, the through hole 31 is also a frustum-shaped hole; the minimum inner diameter of the through hole 31 is smaller than the minimum outer diameter of the mounting ring 7; the maximum inner diameter of the through hole 31 is larger than the minimum outer diameter of the mounting ring 7; based on such a setting, a limiting function is provided between the inner wall of the through hole 31 and the mounting ring 7 to prevent the ball pin 1 from moving on the steering knuckle 3; in addition, a locking nut 4 is provided at the end of the ball pin 1 in the steering ball pin structure; during subsequent use, the locking nut 4 cooperates with the ball pin 1 to squeeze the mounting ring 7 and the through hole 31 against each other, thereby playing a good connection locking role and preventing the ball pin 1 from moving relative to the steering knuckle 3.

[0044] Furthermore, the sealing sleeve 5 described in the present invention includes a sleeve body, and the interior of the sleeve body is hollow to form a sleeve hole; in the present invention, the sealing sleeve 5 is sleeved on the ball pin 1, which plays a good protective role. In the present invention, one end of the sealing sleeve 5 is sleeved on the ball seat 2, and the other end is pressed against the mounting ring 7 on the ball pin body; the sealing sleeve 5 disclosed in the present invention is mainly a rubber sleeve structure, which can achieve the sealing of the connection between the ball pin 1 and the ball seat 2; in addition, the sealing sleeve 5 disclosed in the present invention is connected to the mounting ring 7, such a setting makes the sealing sleeve 5 not directly contact the steering knuckle 3, and the sealing sleeve 5 and the ball pin 1 form a steering ball pin 1 assembly; such an installation method converts the original height direction matching relationship between the steering ball pin 1 and the steering knuckle 3 into a control relationship of the internal dimensions of the same part (steering ball pin 1 assembly) (machining of the ball pin 1 in the height direction), reduces the dimensional tolerance accumulation in the height direction, ensures the consistency of the sleeve compression amount, and thus ensures the sealing effect of the sleeve. Since the end face of the sealing sleeve 5 is no longer matched with the end face of the steering knuckle 3, the generation of process problems such as deformation and curling of the rubber sleeve during the vehicle assembly process is also eliminated.

[0045] Furthermore, in the present invention, a snap ring groove 51 is provided at one end of the sealing sleeve 5 close to the steering knuckle 3; the sealing sleeve 5 is snapped onto the limiting ring rib 11 on the ball pin body through the snap ring groove 51; the sealing sleeve 5 is provided with the snap ring groove 51, which facilitates the snap connection to the limiting ring rib 11 during subsequent use, thereby realizing the snap connection and fixation of the sealing sleeve 5 on the ball pin 1, increasing the difficulty of its axial movement along the ball pin 1; and at the same time, it also plays a good role in installation and positioning.

[0046] Furthermore, in the present invention, an extrusion ring rib 52 is provided at the end of the sheath body; the extrusion ring rib 52 is essentially an annular protrusion provided at the end of the sheath body, which is conducive to ensuring the tightness of the mounting ring 7 and the sealing sheath 5.

[0047] In addition, in the present invention, a lap lip 53 is provided at the edge of the sleeve body; the lap lip 53 is arranged at the edge of the end of the sleeve body, serving as an lap flange, which is beneficial to ensure the sealing performance of the sealing sleeve 5 and the mounting ring 7.

[0048] Furthermore, in the present invention, an annular retaining spring 6 is provided on the sealing sleeve 5; the sealing sleeve 5 is sleeved on the ball pin body through the annular retaining spring 6; the annular retaining spring 6 plays a good binding and limiting role to ensure the stability of the connection between the sealing sleeve 5 and the ball pin 1, and in the present invention, an embedded annular groove 61 is provided on the sealing sleeve 5, and the annular retaining spring 6 is embedded in the embedded annular groove 61, and the embedded annular groove 61 is arranged on the outer side surface of the sealing sleeve 5; at the same time, in order to ensure the binding effect, in the present invention, the embedded annular groove 61 and the clamping annular groove 51 are relatively distributed on the inner wall and the outer wall of the sealing sleeve 5; such a setting makes the annular retaining spring 6 equivalent to being squeezed on the outside of the limiting ring rib 11; better ensuring the tightness of the connection between the sealing sleeve 5 and the ball pin 1.

[0049] Furthermore, in the present invention, the sealing sleeve 5 is provided with an embedded clamp at one end close to the ball seat 2, which ensures the strength of the end of the sealing sleeve 5. At the same time, the sealing sleeve 5 is riveted to the ball seat 2 through a press-fitting process, which facilitates the connection between the sealing sleeve 5 and the ball seat 2.

[0050] In addition, the sealing sheath 5 in the present invention is a bellows-type elastic sheath; such a configuration ensures that the sealing sheath 5 has good deformation ability, and the sealing sheath 5 can be made of rubber material.

[0051] specific:

[0052] The steering knuckle assembly disclosed in the present invention comprises a steering knuckle 3, wherein the steering knuckle 3 is connected to the ball seat 2 via the steering ball pin structure; a sealing sleeve 5 is arranged between the steering ball pin structure and the ball seat 2; the essence of the present invention is to optimize the existing connection mode between the ball pin 1 and the steering knuckle 3, and to improve the structural mode of the ball pin 1 and the sealing sleeve 5, so as to achieve the purpose of improving the sealing performance and use effect of the sleeve, and to prevent the ball pin 1 and the ball seat 2 from entering impurities and causing wear.

[0053] The specific improved structure is to add a mounting ring 7 to the original ball pin 1 shaft to form a stepped shaft structure. The stepped shaft is designed to be a wedge-shaped structure, one end face structure is designed to be a vertical shape, and the other end face is designed to be a tapered shape. The stepped shaft and the ball pin 1 are assembled together using a riveting process or a machining process.

[0054] At the same time, a taper through hole 31 is processed at the end surface of the steering knuckle 3, so that the through hole 31 and the tapered surface on the pin stepped shaft cooperate with each other to form installation positioning.

[0055] The sealing sleeve 5 adopts a bellows-type elastic sleeve, one end of which is connected by a press-fitting process to clamp the sleeve wall on the end face of the ball seat 2, and the other end directly utilizes the tightening force of the deformation of the rubber sleeve to directly tighten the sleeve end face to the end face of the stepped shaft of the ball pin 1 (instead of the traditional structure to tighten to the end face of the steering knuckle 3).

[0056] At the same time, an annular retaining spring 6 structure is added to the cylindrical outer ring of the sealing sleeve 5, and an annular embedded structure is added to the inner ring of the sealing sleeve 5, so that the sealing sleeve 5 and the end face of the ball pin 1 are better mechanically fixed together.

[0057] By changing the connection mode between the ball pin 1 and the steering knuckle 3 as mentioned above, the sealing end face of the steering sleeve is directly pressed against the end face of the mounting ring platform 7 of the ball pin 1 shaft, and the original matching relationship between the two products of the steering ball pin 1 and the steering knuckle 3 in the height direction is converted into a control relationship of the internal dimensions of the same part (steering ball pin 1 assembly) (machining of the ball pin 1 in the height direction), thereby reducing the accumulation of dimensional tolerances in the height direction, ensuring the consistency of the compression amount of the sleeve, and further ensuring the sealing effect of the sleeve.

[0058] Since the end face of the sealing sleeve 5 is no longer matched with the end face of the steering knuckle 3, the generation of process problems such as deformation and curling of the rubber sleeve during the vehicle assembly process is also eliminated.

[0059] The newly added limiting ring rib 11 of the ball pin 1 is embedded in the structure of the internal clamping ring groove 51 of the end face of the sealing sleeve 5, and is fixed and clamped using an annular retaining spring 6 at the outer end of the sleeve, thereby achieving a mechanical fixing effect of clamping both ends of the sleeve with retaining springs; while improving the sealing performance, it also prevents aging deformation caused by the expansion and contraction of the sleeve, which leads to failure of the tightening force and poor end face sealing.

[0060] In actual production, the sealing sleeve 5, the ball seat 2, and the ball pin 1 are processed and assembled at the same production site (the same product assembly is supplied), which also provides a process guarantee for adding a retaining spring structure to the outer end of the sleeve of the ball pin 1 after assembly.

[0061] The present invention provides a connection method between a ball pin 1 and a steering knuckle 3. The overall structure is divided into six parts: a ball pin 1, a sealing sleeve 5, an annular retaining ring 6, a mounting ring 7, and a ball seat 2 (transverse tie rod).

[0062] The inner hole size of the mounting ring 7 is smaller than the outer diameter size of the ball pin 1 at the taper. Based on this arrangement, the mounting ring 7 and the ball pin 1 can be designed as two components, which facilitates the replacement of the mounting ring 7 as needed.

[0063] After the sealing sleeve 5 is installed into the end surface of the ball seat 2, the mounting ring 7 is fixed to the steering ball pin 1 by riveting or machining.

[0064] After the ball pin 1 and the steering knuckle 3 are installed on the vehicle, the steering ball pin 1 passes through the through hole 31 of the steering knuckle 3, and the outer conical surface of the mounting ring 7 is directly mounted and matched with the conical through hole 31 of the steering knuckle 3, and is locked and fixed using the locking nut 4.

[0065] A sealing sleeve 5 is used to seal between the ball pin 1 and the ball seat 2; an annular protrusion structure is added to the sealing opening of the ball pin 1 and the small end of the sealing sleeve 5, which is the limiting protrusion disclosed in the present invention, and the inner side of the port of the sealing sleeve 5 is designed to be a concave annular structure, which is the clamping ring groove 51 disclosed in the present invention. After assembly, the two are embedded in each other to position the sealing sleeve 5 in the height direction of the ball pin 1 to ensure the consistency of the end face compression, and an annular retaining spring 6 structure is designed on the outer cylindrical surface of the small end of the sealing sleeve 5, and the annular retaining spring 6 is used to clamp and fix the small end of the rubber sealing sleeve 5 to the shaft end of the ball pin 1.

[0066] The large end of the sealing sleeve 5 is connected and sealed with the end surface of the ball seat 2 by riveting using a clamp (embedded type).

[0067] Through the improvements of the present invention, the sealing effect of the dynamic parts of the ball pin 1 is greatly enhanced, and the natural expansion and contraction mode of the original rubber sleeve is changed to a controllable spring-fixed mechanical structure, which greatly improves the sealing effect and reduces the failure risk in the process of assembly, so that the sealing performance of the ball pin 1 sealing sleeve 5 is effectively guaranteed.

[0068] Obviously, the specific implementation of the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned methods. As long as various non-substantial improvements are made using the method concept and technical solution of the present invention, they are all within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A steering ball pin structure, characterized in that: It comprises a ball pin; the ball pin comprises a ball pin body, and a mounting ring is arranged on the ball pin body.

2. A steering ball pin structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mounting ring is arranged on the ball pin body, and the mounting ring is coaxially arranged with the ball pin body; the mounting ring is in a frustum shape.

3. A steering ball pin structure according to any one of claims 1-2, characterized in that: The ball pin body is provided with a limiting ring rib.

4. A steering knuckle assembly, characterized in that: It includes a steering knuckle, which is connected to a ball seat through a steering ball pin structure as described in any one of claims 1 to 3; a sealing sleeve is provided between the steering ball pin structure and the ball seat; one end of the sealing sleeve is connected to a mounting ring, and the other end is connected to the ball seat.

5. A steering knuckle assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that: The steering knuckle is provided with a through hole, which is also a frustoconical hole; the minimum inner diameter of the through hole is smaller than the minimum outer diameter of the mounting ring; the maximum inner diameter of the through hole is larger than the minimum outer diameter of the mounting ring; and a locking nut is provided at the end of the ball pin in the steering ball pin structure.

6. The steering knuckle assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that: The sealing sleeve comprises a sleeve body, the interior of which is hollow to form a sleeve hole; one end of the sealing sleeve is sleeved on the ball seat, and the other end is pressed against the mounting ring on the ball pin body.

7. The steering knuckle assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that: The sealing sleeve is provided with a clamping ring groove at one end close to the steering knuckle; the sealing sleeve is clamped on the limiting ring rib on the ball pin body through the clamping ring groove.

8. The steering knuckle assembly according to claim 6, characterized in that: An extrusion ring rib is arranged at the end of the sheath body; and a lap lip is arranged at the edge of the sheath body.

9. The steering knuckle assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sealing sleeve is provided with an annular retaining spring; the sealing sleeve is sleeved on the ball pin body through the annular retaining spring.

10. The steering knuckle assembly according to claim 9, characterized in that: An embedded clamp is provided at one end of the sealing sleeve close to the ball seat, and the sealing sleeve is a bellows-type elastic sleeve; the sealing sleeve is riveted on the ball seat through a press-fitting process.

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