Propeller shaft guard

Abstract

This invention provides a propeller shaft guard that restricts the movement of a detached propeller shaft back towards the vehicle body without adding any extra parts, thereby suppressing interference with surrounding components. [Solution] The propeller shaft guard 10 is arranged to surround the shaft locking portion 16c in the circumferential direction and includes a guard body 12 that prevents the detached shaft locking portion 16c from falling further, and a position regulating mechanism 14 that extends from an extension position 12b1 below the shaft locking portion 16c on the inner wall of the first guard portion 12b, which is on the side where the direction of the circumferential velocity of the propeller shaft 16 has a vertically upward component, toward the inside of the area surrounded by the guard body 12 in the circumferential direction, and the position regulating mechanism 14 restricts the movable range of the detached shaft locking portion 16c to below the position regulating mechanism 14.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a propeller shaft guard for suppressing the grounding of a propeller shaft that has fallen off the vehicle body.

Background Art

[0002] A propeller shaft guard for suppressing the grounding of a propeller shaft that has fallen off the vehicle body is known. For example, the propeller shaft guard described in Patent Document 1 is such a guard. Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for reducing the gap between the propeller shaft and the propeller shaft guard by changing the mounting position and mounting orientation of the propeller shaft guard, and suppressing the swinging range of the propeller shaft after dropping off.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] The propeller shaft is a rotating object, and after dropping off, it may lose restraint and swing while retaining kinetic energy. By the way, the technique described in Patent Document 1 can reduce the swinging range, but since the upward regulation is insufficient, there is a possibility that the suppression of interference with peripheral components is not sufficient. For example, since there is no restriction on the movement of the propeller shaft upward toward the vehicle body side, after the propeller shaft drops off, it may bounce back from the propeller shaft guard and damage body parts or the like.

[0005] This invention was made against the above circumstances, and its objective is to provide a propeller shaft guard that can restrict the movement of a propeller shaft that has detached from the vehicle body toward the vehicle body without adding any parts, and can suppress interference with surrounding parts. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The gist of the present invention is a propeller shaft guard that (a) prevents a propeller shaft that has fallen off the vehicle body from touching the ground, (b) a guard body disposed so as to surround the end of the propeller shaft in the circumferential direction and to prevent further falling of the detached propeller shaft, and (c) a position regulating mechanism in the guard body that extends inward from a position below the end of the propeller shaft on the inner wall on the side where the direction of the circumferential velocity of the propeller shaft has a vertically upward component toward the inside of the area surrounded by the guard body in the circumferential direction, and (d) the position regulating mechanism restricts the movable range of the detached end of the propeller shaft to below the position regulating mechanism. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] The propeller shaft detachment prevention device of the present invention comprises a guard body disposed to surround the end of the propeller shaft in the circumferential direction and to prevent further falling of the detached propeller shaft, and a position regulating mechanism extending inward from a position below the end of the propeller shaft on the inner wall of the guard body on the side where the direction of the circumferential velocity of the propeller shaft has a vertically upward component, toward the inside of the area surrounded by the guard body in the circumferential direction, wherein the position regulating mechanism restricts the movable range of the detached end of the propeller shaft toward the position regulating mechanism. As a result, when the propeller shaft detaches from the vehicle body, the movable range of the end of the propeller shaft is restricted toward the position regulating mechanism toward the position regulating mechanism, thereby restricting the movement of the detached propeller shaft toward the vehicle body without adding any parts and suppressing interference with surrounding parts.

[0008] Preferably, the guard body is positioned offset in the vehicle width direction such that the position of the rotational centerline of the propeller shaft in the vehicle width direction is between the tip of the position regulating mechanism and the guard body on the side opposite the tip. This ensures that the detached end of the propeller shaft moves downward from the position regulating mechanism by passing between the tip of the position regulating mechanism and the guard body on the side opposite the tip. Therefore, the detached end of the propeller shaft is reliably moved downward from the position regulating mechanism.

[0009] Preferably, the position regulating mechanism is bent diagonally downward from the middle of its extension. This makes it possible to guide the detached end of the propeller shaft to the lowest point within the area enclosed by the guard body, thereby restricting its movement toward the vehicle body. Furthermore, the position regulating mechanism may be formed with a shape having a diagonal downward curvature, or extended at an angle suitable for diagonal downward, as long as it is possible to guide the detached end of the propeller shaft to the lowest point. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] This diagram illustrates the configuration of a propeller shaft guard to which the present invention is applied. [Figure 2] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating how the propeller shaft guard restricts the range of movement of a detached propeller shaft. [Figure 3] This is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation that follows the operation shown in Figure 2. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] The present invention is applicable to engine-driven vehicles equipped with an engine as a driving force source, hybrid vehicles equipped with an engine and a driving rotating machine, i.e., a drive electric motor, as well as electric vehicles. Furthermore, the present invention can also be applied to electric vehicles equipped with only an electric motor as a driving force source. In addition, the present invention can be applied to four-wheel drive vehicles and two-wheel drive vehicles.

[0012] An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. Note that in the following embodiment, the drawings have been simplified or modified as appropriate, and the dimensional ratios and shapes of each part are not necessarily accurately depicted. [Examples]

[0013] Figure 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a propeller shaft guard 10 to which the present invention is applied. Figure 1(a) is a side view of the vehicle as seen from the vehicle width direction, and Figure 1(b) is a cross-sectional view of the AA axis in Figure 1(a) as seen from the front of the vehicle. The vehicle direction of travel is the X axis, the vehicle width direction is the Y axis, and the vehicle vertical direction is the Z axis. As shown in Figure 1, the propeller shaft guard 10 is arranged to surround the shaft locking portion 16c of the propeller shaft 16, which will be described later, in the circumferential direction.

[0014] The propeller shaft 16 is a power transmission shaft provided in the vehicle 18 to transmit power output from, for example, an engine (not shown) to a drive wheel (not shown). The propeller shaft 16 is connected, for example, to a transmission mechanism including a transmission (not shown) connected to the engine via a first universal joint 16a provided at one end, and to a differential mechanism including a vehicle differential gear (not shown) connected to the axle of the drive wheel via a second universal joint 16b provided at the other end. Figure 1(a) shows one of a pair of yokes that constitute the first universal joint 16a and the second universal joint 16b, respectively. The propeller shaft 16 is rotated around the rotation centerline C, and for example, rotates clockwise when the vehicle is moving forward.

[0015] The propeller shaft guard 10 is attached to the vehicle body 20 to prevent one end of the propeller shaft 16 (the first universal joint 16a) from touching the ground if, for example, the connection of the propeller shaft 16 at the first universal joint 16a of the propeller shaft 16 comes undone and the propeller shaft 16 falls off the vehicle body 20.

[0016] As shown in Figure 1(b), the propeller shaft guard 10 comprises a guard body 12 and a position regulating mechanism 14.

[0017] The guard body 12 is formed in a substantially U-shape, for example, from a thin steel plate, when viewed along the X-axis, i.e., in the direction of vehicle travel. The guard body 12 is also arranged to surround the shaft locking portion 16c in the circumferential direction so as to receive the shaft locking portion 16c at one end of the propeller shaft 16 (the first universal joint 16a) in the axial direction of the propeller shaft 16, i.e., the direction of vehicle travel, in the event that the propeller shaft 16 falls off. This portion 16c is positioned to catch the falling propeller shaft 16 and prevent it from falling further, and also prevents the end (first universal joint 16a) from touching the ground while it is caught. The shaft locking portion 16c corresponds to the "end of the propeller shaft" in this invention.

[0018] Furthermore, the guard body 12 is composed of fixing parts 12a1 and 12a2 to the vehicle body 20, a first guard part 12b on which the peripheral velocity of the shaft locking part 16c extending vertically downward from the fixing part 12a1 has a component in the vertically upward direction, a second guard part 12c on which the peripheral velocity of the shaft locking part 16c extending vertically downward from the fixing part 12a2 has a component in the vertically downward direction, and a curved part 12d that prevents the shaft locking part 16c connecting the first guard part 12b and the second guard part 12c from touching the ground. The guard body 12 is fixed to the vehicle body 20 by fastening connecting bolts (not shown) to the fixing parts 12a1 and 12a2.

[0019] The position regulating mechanism 14 is formed of, for example, a thin steel plate, and extends from an extending position 12b1 below the shaft locking portion 16c on the inner wall of the first guard portion 12b of the guard body 12 toward the inside of the range surrounded by the guard body 12 (the first guard portion 12b, the second guard portion 12c, and the curved portion 12d) in the circumferential direction. The position regulating mechanism 14 and the extending position 12b1 are fixed by, for example, welding or the like. Further, a downward slope 14b is provided midway along the extension toward the tip 14a of the position regulating mechanism 14. A gap S is formed between the tip 14a of the position regulating mechanism 14 and the second guard portion 12c on the side facing the tip 14a.

[0020] Further, the guard body 12 is arranged such that the Y-axis of the rotation center line C of the shaft locking portion 16c, that is, the position in the vehicle width direction, is shifted in the Y-axis direction so as to be between the gaps S.

[0021] In FIG. 1(b), the position regulating mechanism 14 is extended so that the gap S is formed on the side (the second guard portion 12c side) where the circumferential velocity direction of the shaft locking portion 16c has a vertically downward component, and the position in the Y-axis direction of the rotation center line C is shifted so as to be between the gaps S. When the shaft locking portion 16c falls off, it is moved below the position regulating mechanism 14 by the operation described later.

[0022] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram for explaining the operation in which the movable range of the fallen shaft locking portion 16c is restricted by the propeller shaft guard 10 configured as described above. The white arrows indicate the moving direction of the shaft locking portion 16c, and the broken line indicates the moving position of the shaft locking portion 16c.

[0023] If the connection of the propeller shaft 16 at the first universal joint 16a comes undone and the propeller shaft 16 detaches from the vehicle body 20, the rotation of the drive wheels during travel is transmitted from the second universal joint 16b. This rotational kinetic energy causes the propeller shaft 16 (shaft locking portion 16c) to swing out of restraint. The swing occurs in the same direction as the rotation of the propeller shaft 16 (shaft locking portion 16c), and in Figure 2, the rotation direction of the propeller shaft 16 (shaft locking portion 16c) is clockwise. Therefore, the shaft locking portion 16c attempts to move clockwise along the area enclosed by the guard body 12 due to the swing.

[0024] If the propeller shaft 16 falls off, in Figure 2, the position of the rotation centerline C in the Y-axis direction is shifted within the gap S, and the shaft locking portion 16c attempts to move clockwise due to its swing. As a result, the shaft locking portion 16c moves through the gap S along the second guard portion 12c toward a position 16c1 below the position regulating mechanism 14 shown in Figure 2.

[0025] Next, the shaft locking portion 16c, which has moved toward position 16c1, comes into contact with the curved portion 12d (see contact 1 in the figure), restricting its movement, and moves toward position 16c2 on the left side of the paper due to clockwise oscillation. At position 16c2, the shaft locking portion 16c comes into contact with the first guard portion and the position restricting mechanism 14 (see contact 2 in the figure), and its upward movement, i.e., toward the vehicle body 20, is restricted by the position restricting mechanism 14.

[0026] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the operation that continues from the operation shown in Figure 2. Similar to Figure 2, the white arrows indicate the direction of movement of the shaft locking part 16c, and the dashed lines indicate the position of the shaft locking part 16c. The shaft locking part 16c, having moved to position 16c2, moves to the right side of the paper due to clockwise oscillation, and at position 16c3 it comes into contact with the extension of the position regulating mechanism 14 from the bend 14b to the tip 14a (see contact 3 in the figure), changing its direction of movement downward and guiding it toward the lowest point of the area enclosed by the guard body 12, i.e., position 16c4.

[0027] Next, the shaft locking portion 16c, which has moved toward position 16c4, comes into contact with the curved portion 12d (see contact 4 in the figure), restricting its movement, and moves toward position 16c2 again due to clockwise oscillation. Thereafter, the movement due to clockwise oscillation is repeated in the order of position 16c2, position 16c3, and position 16c4, so the range of movement of the shaft locking portion 16c is restricted to below the position restricting mechanism 14.

[0028] The position, shape, and dimensions of the propeller shaft guard 10, such as the position of the shaft locking portion 16c on the propeller shaft 16 (X-axis position), the position of the guard body 12 relative to the shaft locking portion 16c (including the Y-axis displacement), shape, and dimensions, as well as the position, shape, and dimensions (extension length) of the position regulating mechanism 14, the position and bending angle of the bend 14b, and the width of the gap S, are set to suitable values ​​determined in advance through design or experimentation so that the shaft locking portion 16c operates in the manner described above.

[0029] As described above, the propeller shaft guard 10 of this embodiment includes a guard body 12 that is arranged to surround the shaft locking portion 16c in the circumferential direction and prevents the detached shaft locking portion 16c from falling further, and a position regulating mechanism 14 that extends from an extension position 12b1 below the shaft locking portion 16c on the inner wall of the first guard portion 12b, which is on the side where the circumferential velocity of the propeller shaft 16 has a vertically upward component, toward the inside of the area surrounded by the guard body 12 in the circumferential direction. The position regulating mechanism 14 restricts the movable range of the detached shaft locking portion 16c to below the position regulating mechanism 14. As a result, if the propeller shaft 16 detaches from the vehicle body 20, the position restricting mechanism 14 restricts the range of movement of the shaft locking portion 16c to below the position restricting mechanism 14. This restricts the movement of the detached propeller shaft 16 toward the vehicle body 20 without adding any parts, and suppresses interference with surrounding parts.

[0030] Furthermore, according to the propeller shaft guard 10 of this embodiment, the guard body 12 is positioned offset in the vehicle width direction such that the position of the rotational centerline of the propeller shaft 16 in the vehicle width direction is within the gap S. As a result, the detached shaft locking portion 16c is set to move through the gap S and downward from the position regulating mechanism 14. Therefore, the detached shaft locking portion 16c is reliably moved downward from the position regulating mechanism 14.

[0031] Furthermore, in the propeller shaft guard 10 of this embodiment, the position regulating mechanism 14 is bent diagonally downward 14b from the middle of its extension. This makes it possible to guide the detached shaft locking portion 16c to the lowest point of the area enclosed by the guard body 12, thereby restricting its movement toward the vehicle body 20.

[0032] Furthermore, the position regulating mechanism 14 is not limited to setting the bend 14b from the middle of its extension, as long as it can guide the detached shaft locking portion 16c to the lowest point. It may also be formed in a shape with a curvature diagonally downward, or extended diagonally downward from the extension position 12b1 at a suitable angle.

[0033] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the drawings, the above-described embodiment is merely one example, and the present invention can be implemented in various modified and improved forms based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art without departing from its spirit. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0034] 10: Propeller shaft guard 12: Guard body 12b1: Extension position (position) 14: Position regulating mechanism 16: Propeller shaft 16c: Shaft locking part (end of propeller shaft)

Claims

[Claim 1] A propeller shaft guard that prevents a propeller shaft that has detached from the vehicle body from touching the ground, A guard body is provided to surround the end of the propeller shaft in the circumferential direction and to prevent the detached propeller shaft from falling further. The guard body includes a position regulating mechanism that extends inward from a position below the end of the propeller shaft on the inner wall on the side where the direction of the circumferential velocity of the propeller shaft has a vertically upward component, toward the inside of the area enclosed by the guard body in the circumferential direction. The position regulating mechanism restricts the range of movement of the detached end of the propeller shaft to below the position regulating mechanism. A propeller shaft guard characterized by the following features.

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