Fasteners and vehicles

Abstract

To provide a fastener which fixes another member to a chassis frame of a vehicle, has a small protrusion amount portion, and hardly catches an object.SOLUTION: A fastener 20 for fixing another member to a chassis frame 10 of a vehicle 1 comprises: an upper side member 21; a lower side member 22; and screw members 25, 26 which fasten the upper side member 21 and the lower side member 22 in such a state that at least the chassis frame 10 and the other member are held therebetween. The upper side member 21 and the lower side member 22 have seat parts 27, 28, 32, 33 engaged with the screw members 25, 26 on both ends. The seat part includes a hole through which the screw member is inserted. The seat part protrudes in the width direction from the chassis frame and the other member. At least one seat part is an offset type seat part 33 provided at a position deviating toward the upper side member or the lower side member at opposing positions.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a fastener for fastening another member, such as a subframe, to a main frame of a vehicle, and also to a vehicle in which a subframe is fixed to a chassis frame. [Background technology]

[0002] Specially equipped vehicles such as dump trucks, sprinkler trucks, water tankers, concrete pumps, mixer trucks, tanker trucks, powder and granular material transport vehicles, garbage collection trucks, and detachable body vehicles are known. Specially equipped vehicles are vehicles that have wheels and other components fixed to the main body of the vehicle, allowing it to travel. For example, a subframe is fixed to the main frame of the vehicle, and the components are attached via the subframe. In addition, in van trucks and flatbed trucks, the cargo bed may be attached via a subframe.

[0003] Fasteners for attaching a subframe to a mainframe are disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2. Fig. 10 shows a fastener 100 disclosed in Patent Document 1. The fastener 100 disclosed in Patent Document 1 has upper and lower rectangular substrates 101, which are fastened together with a screw member 102. Screws 105 are formed on both ends of the screw member 102, and nuts 106 and 107 are engaged with the screws 105 to fasten the fastener together. Patent Documents 1 and 2 also disclose embodiments using U-bolts. Patent Document 2 also discloses an embodiment in which fasteners are welded directly to the subframe. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 4-69290 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 1000-318640 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the conventional fastener 100 shown in Figure 10, the lower ends of the two screw members 102 protrude downward significantly. This can cause the ends of the screw members 102 to catch on the worker's clothing, work rope, etc. In particular, screw members 102 placed on the outside of a vehicle are prone to getting caught on objects if they protrude downward significantly. The same is true when using fasteners that use U-bolts or fasteners that are welded to the subframe, as the amount of protrusion of the screw member tends to be large and objects can easily get caught on them. Furthermore, there is dissatisfaction with the method of welding fasteners to the subframe because of poor workability.

[0006] The present invention focuses on the above-mentioned problems of the prior art and aims to provide a fastener for fixing other components to a chassis frame of a vehicle, which has a small protruding portion and is less likely to catch on objects. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] An aspect for solving the above-mentioned problem is a fastener for fixing another member to a chassis frame of a vehicle, the fastener having an upper side member, a lower side member, and a screw member for fastening the upper side member and the lower side member with at least the chassis frame and the other member sandwiched therebetween, the upper side member and the lower side member having seats at both ends into which the screw members engage, the seats having holes through which the screw members are inserted, and at least one seat being an offset type seat provided in a position shifted toward the upper side member or the lower side member in an opposing position.

[0008] The holes through which the screw members are inserted may be simple holes or threaded holes. In the fastener of this aspect, some of the seats that engage the screw members are provided at positions shifted toward the upper side member or the lower side member that is located in the opposing position. Therefore, the protrusion of the screw member is small and it is difficult for objects to get caught.

[0009] In the above-mentioned aspect, it is desirable that the upper side member and the lower side member have a main body region that contacts the upper or lower surface of the chassis frame or other member directly or via another member, and that there is an extension portion that extends from one end of the main body region toward the upper side member or the lower side member located at an opposite position, and that the offset-type seat portion is provided on the extension portion.

[0010] In each of the above aspects, it is desirable that there be a side wall that covers the periphery of the offset seat portion.

[0011] According to this aspect, the end of the screw member is covered by the side wall, so that objects are less likely to get caught.

[0012] In each of the above-described aspects, it is desirable that a side wall be provided on one of the sides of the seat portion, extending toward the upper side member or the lower side member that is located in an opposing position.

[0013] An aspect relating to a vehicle is a vehicle having a chassis frame and a subframe and equipped with a running function, characterized in that the subframe is attached to the chassis frame by the above-mentioned fastener.

[0014] In the vehicle of this aspect, the screw members do not protrude much from the chassis frame or subframe, so that objects are less likely to get caught on the screw members. [Effects of the Invention]

[0015] When a subframe or other member is fixed to a vehicle body frame using the fastener of the present invention, the screw member protrudes only slightly, making it difficult for objects to get caught on the screw member. In the vehicle of the present invention, objects are less likely to get caught on the threaded members of the fasteners. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view of a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a detailed cross-sectional perspective view of the combined portion of the body frame, subframe, and fasteners of the vehicle of FIG. 1. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the fastener of the present embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the fastener of FIG. 3. [Figure 5] 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 1. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a perspective view of a fastener according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a detailed cross-sectional perspective view of the combined portion of the vehicle body frame, subframe, and fastener shown in FIG. 6. [Figure 8] 8 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 7 taken along line B-B. [Figure 9] 10(a) and 10(b) are cross-sectional views showing a state in which a subframe is fixed to a body frame using a fastener according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 1 is a front view of a subframe secured to a body frame using a conventional fastener. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described. The vehicle 1 of this embodiment is a specially equipped vehicle, specifically a vehicle with a detachable body. The vehicle 1 has a vehicle body (vehicle) 2 to which a mounted object 3 is attached, similar to known specially equipped vehicles. The vehicle body 2 is equipped with an engine (not shown) and can travel by rotating wheels 6. The vehicle body 2 has a chassis frame 10, and as shown in Figures 2 and 5, a subframe 12 is mounted on the chassis frame 10 via spacers 11. The subframe 12 is fixed to the chassis frame 10 with fasteners 20, and the mounted object 3 is fixed to the chassis frame 10 via the subframe 12. In other words, the mounted object 3 is fixed to the chassis frame 10 with the subframe 12 as an intermediate member.

[0018] The fastener 20 that secures the subframe 12 to the chassis frame 10 has an upper side member 21, a lower side member 22, and screw members 25 and 26, as shown in FIGS. The upper side member 21 is a plate-like member, and has seats 27 and 28 at both ends with which the screw members 25 and 26 are engaged. 2 to 5, the upper side member 21 has a main body region 23 in the longitudinal center that contacts the upper surface of the subframe 12, and the protruding portions on the outside of the main body region 23 function as seats 27, 28. The seats 27, 28 are provided with holes 30, 31 as shown in FIG.

[0019] The lower side member 22 also has seats 32, 33 at both ends to engage with the screw members 25, 26. However, in the lower side member 22, the position of one of the seats 33 is shifted toward the opposing upper side member 21. In other words, one of the seats 33 is provided at a position shifted upward in the vertical direction based on the mounting posture on the vehicle body 2, as shown in Figures 2, 3, and 5. That is, as shown in Figures 3 to 5, the lower side member 22 has a main body region 35 in the center of its longitudinal direction that contacts the underside of the chassis frame 10, and a protruding portion protruding on one side of the main body region 35 functions as a seat portion 32. The other end of the main body region 35 is bent toward the opposing upper side member 21 to form an extension portion 40, and the tip end of the extension portion 40 is folded back horizontally to form a seat portion 33. The seat portion 33 is an offset seat portion 33 provided at a position offset from the main body region 35 toward the opposing upper side member 21.

[0020] The offset seat portion 33 has a rectangular planar shape, three of whose sides are covered by side walls 41, 42, and 43 in a U-shape. That is, a rear side wall (hereinafter referred to as a rear wall) 42 is formed by an extension portion 40 that is bent from the main body region 35 toward the upper side member 21. Also, left and right side walls 41, 43 are provided on both sides of the side wall (rear wall) 42. The lower side member 22 also has holes 45 and 46 formed in the seat portion 32 and the offset seat portion 33 .

[0021] The screw members 25 and 26 are each composed of a long bolt 47 and 48 and two nuts 50 and 51. The bolts 47, 48 are each composed of a hexagonal head 55 and a shaft 56. In this embodiment, the male thread 57 is formed only on the tip portion of the shaft 56, but the male thread 57 may be formed on the entire shaft 56.

[0022] Next, a structure for fixing the subframe 12 to the chassis frame 10 using the fasteners 20 will be described. As described above, the subframe 12 is mounted on the chassis frame 10 of the vehicle body 2 via the spacer 11 . In this state, the lower side member 22 of the fastener 20 is applied to the lower part of the chassis frame 10 , and the upper side member 21 is applied to the upper surface of the subframe 12 . The lower side member 22 of the fastener 20 has a main body region 35 that contacts the chassis frame 10 , and the seat portions 32 and offset seat portions 33 at both ends protrude in the width direction of the chassis frame 10 . The same is true for the seat portions 27 and 28 of the upper side member 21, with the main body region 23 contacting the sub-frame 12 and the seat portions 27 and 28 at both ends protruding in the width direction of the sub-frame 12.

[0023] Bolts 47, 48 of the screw members 25, 26 are inserted between holes 30, 31 provided in the seats 27, 28 of the upper member 21 and holes 45, 46 provided in the seat 32 and offset seat 33 of the lower member 22. The ends of the bolts 47, 48 protrude from holes 45, 46 formed in the seat portion 32 and the offset seat portion 33 of the lower side member 22, and two nuts 50, 51 are engaged with the protruding portions.

[0024] The heads 55 of the bolts 47 and 48 of the screw members 25 and 26 engage with the seats 27 and 28 of the upper member 21, and the nuts 50 engage with the seats 32 and offset seats 33 of the lower member 22, fastening the upper member 21 and the lower member 22 together with the chassis frame 10, spacer 11, and subframe 12 sandwiched therebetween by the screw members 25 and 26. As a result, the subframe 12 is fixed to the chassis frame 10 on the vehicle body 2 side by the fasteners 20.

[0025] 2 and 5, the screw member 26 on the side of the fastener 20 facing the outside of the vehicle 1 engages with the offset seat portion 33 on the side of the lower side member 22 facing the outside of the vehicle 1. The offset seat portion 33 is positioned offset toward the upper side member 21 and above the underside of the chassis frame 10. Therefore, the tip of bolt 48 is located higher than in the prior art (fastener 100 in FIG. 10), and is located above the underside of chassis frame 10, and does not protrude below the underside of chassis frame 10. Therefore, objects are less likely to get caught. Furthermore, the tip of the bolt 48 is covered in a U-shape by the side walls 41, 42, and 43, so that the sharp part is not exposed to much, and objects are less likely to get caught.

[0026] Furthermore, in the lower side member 22 of the fastener 20 of this embodiment, the other end side of the main body region 35 is bent toward the opposing upper side member 21 to form an extension portion 40, and as shown in Fig. 5, the back surface of the extension portion 40 is in contact with the chassis frame 10. Therefore, the fastener 20 is positioned by the extension portion 40, and displacement of the fastener 20 in the width direction of the chassis frame 10 (direction of arrow X) is suppressed.

[0027] Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following embodiment, the same components as those in the previous embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted. In the fastener 20 of the above-described embodiment, the upper side member 21 is plate-shaped, and the bolt 48 of the screw member 26 is a bolt. The portion between the seat portion 28 of the upper side member 21 and the offset seat portion 33 of the lower side member 22 has no surrounding material, and the bolt 48 is exposed. The present invention is not limited to this configuration, and a member surrounding the middle portion of the bolt 48 may be provided, as in the fastener 60 shown in FIG. The fastener 60 shown in FIG. 7 has side walls 61, 62, and 63 extending toward the lower side member 22 on the underside of the seat portion 28 of the upper side member 21. In fastener 60, one of the seat portions 28 has a rectangular planar shape, and as shown in Figure 8, a side wall (hereinafter referred to as the boundary wall) 61 hangs down from the boundary between seat portion 28 and main body region 35, and left and right side walls 62 and 63 are provided on both sides of boundary wall 61. As shown in FIG. 8, the distance L2 between the back surface of the boundary wall 61 provided on the lower side member 22 and the screw member 26 is equal to the distance L1 between the back surface of the extension portion 40 provided on the upper side member 21 and the screw member 26.

[0028] In the fastener 60 of this embodiment, a boundary wall 61 protruding from the opposing lower side member 22 contacts the chassis frame 10. Therefore, the fastener 60 is positioned by the side wall 61, and the fastener 60 is prevented from shifting in the width direction of the chassis frame 10 (the direction of the arrow X). Furthermore, the boundary wall 61 on the upper side member 21 side and the extension portion 40 on the lower side member 22 side are provided on the same side in the width direction of the chassis frame 10. This makes it easy to attach the fastener 20 to the chassis frame 10 and has the effect of suppressing relative positional deviation of the fastener 20. As described above, the distance L2 between the back surface of the boundary wall 61 provided on the lower member 22 and the screw member 26 is equal to the distance L1 between the back surface of the extension portion 40 provided on the upper member 21 and the screw member 26, so that the axis of the hole 31 provided in the upper member 21 and the axis of the hole 46 provided in the lower member 22 are aligned when the boundary wall 61 and the extension portion 40 are in contact with the side surface of the chassis frame 10. This makes it easy to insert the bolt 48, and the bolt 48 is in a vertical position.

[0029] The fastener 70 shown in Figure 9(a) has an upper side member 21 with the seat portion thereof configured as an offset seat portion 33. In the fastener 70 shown in Figure 9(a), one of the screw members 75 is a round bar with threads formed on both ends. The fastener 71 shown in FIG. 9( b ) has two seats of the lower side member 22 that are offset seats 33 . Although not shown, a member surrounding the middle portion of the bolt 47 may be provided on the left side of the fasteners 70 and 71 shown in FIGS. 9(a) and 9(b). In the embodiment described above, the holes 45 and 46 provided in the lower side member 22 are simply drilled holes, but they may also be threaded holes. Similarly, the holes 30 and 31 provided in the upper side member 21 may be screw holes.

[0030] The embodiment described above shows a structure in which the subframe 12 is fixed to the chassis frame 10 by fasteners, but the use of the fasteners is not limited to fixing the subframe 12 to the chassis frame 10. For example, there are specially equipped vehicles in which, instead of intermediate members of a framework such as the subframe 12, simpler straight members such as joists or crosspieces are fixed to the chassis frame, and the mounted object 3 is fixed to the chassis frame 10 using the straight members as intermediate members. The fastener of the present invention can also be used to fix simpler intermediate members such as straight members to the chassis frame 10. In the vehicle 1 of the embodiment described above, the subframe 12 is mounted on the chassis frame 10 via the spacer 11. In other words, the two members, the spacer 11 and the subframe 12, are fixed to the chassis frame 10 by fasteners. The present invention is not limited to applications in which two members are fixed in this way, and the spacer 11 may be omitted and the subframe 12 alone may be fixed to the chassis frame 10. The present invention may also be used in applications in which three or more members are stacked and fixed to the chassis frame 10. [Explanation of symbols]

[0031] 1 vehicle 2 Vehicle body (vehicle) 3 Bodywork 6 wheels 10 Chassis frame 12 subframes 20, 60, 70, 71 Fasteners 21 Upper side member 22 Lower side member 23 Main body area 25, 26, 75 screw parts 27, 28 seat 32 Seat area 33 Offset seat 35 Main body area 40 Extension section 41, 42, 43 side wall 61, 62, 63 side wall

Claims

1. A fastener for fixing other members to a chassis frame of a vehicle, an upper side member, a lower side member, and a screw member that fastens the upper side member and the lower side member together with at least the chassis frame and the other member sandwiched therebetween; The upper and lower members have seats near both ends thereof with which the screw members engage, and holes through which the screw members are inserted are provided in the seats, At least one of the seats is an offset seat provided at a position offset toward the upper side member or the lower side member, which are located at opposing positions, the upper side member and the lower side member have a main body region that is in contact with an upper surface or a lower surface of the chassis frame or the other member directly or via the other member, In addition, at least one of the main body regions has an extension portion extending from one end thereof toward the upper side member or the lower side member located at an opposing position, the extension portion being formed integrally with the main body region, and the offset type seat portion is provided on the extension portion, The fastener is further characterized in that the extension portion contacts a side surface of the chassis frame or the other member.

2. A fastener as described in Claim 1, characterized in that at least one of the seats of the lower side member is an offset type seat.

3. 3. A fastener according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that there is a side wall surrounding the offset seat.

4. 4. The fastener according to claim 1, wherein a side wall is provided on one edge of the seat portion, extending toward the upper side member or the lower side member located at the opposite position.

5. A fastening device as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that a nut is engaged with the protruding portion of the screw member protruding from the hole provided in the offset type seat portion to perform the fastening.

6. A vehicle having a chassis frame and a subframe and equipped with a running function, wherein the subframe is attached to the chassis frame by a fastener according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

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