Structure for fixing center bearing for propeller shaft

Abstract

The present invention relates to a structure for fixing a center bearing for a propeller shaft, the structure enabling the position of a center bearing for a propeller shaft to be adjusted vertically and horizontally, and thus being capable of reducing the vibration of the propeller shaft during driving, which may occur due to errors in the manufacture of various components such as a vehicle body.

Description

Propulsion shaft center bearing fixed structure

[0001] The present invention relates to a propulsion shaft center bearing fixing structure, and more specifically, to a propulsion shaft center bearing fixing structure for fixing a center bearing used to support a body of a propulsion shaft that transmits the driving force of an engine among the driving devices of a vehicle to an axle to a body in a position-adjustable manner.

[0002] In general, a conventional center bearing that supports a vehicle's propulsion shaft to a vehicle body is mounted on the boundary between the input side shaft member (102) and the output side shaft member (104) of the propulsion shaft (P) through a support case (103), as shown in FIG. 1, and is fastened to a tab on the bottom of the vehicle body by a fastening bolt (107), thereby supporting the vehicle body.

[0003] The center bearing (110) fixed to the body in this way may be misaligned due to manufacturing errors in the body, propulsion shaft, and front and rear drive parts, and such misalignment causes vibration in the propulsion shaft (P) during driving. In addition, the vibration of the propulsion shaft (P) increases as the rotation speed increases, and in particular, the problem of causing vibration in the drive system frequently occurs in high-speed vehicles.

[0004] Therefore, in the vehicle development stage, in order to suppress the vibration of the propulsion shaft (P) while driving, the front and rear drive parts of the propulsion shaft have been assembled with bush-type fixed parts such as rubber bushes or have had their characteristics such as stiffness adjusted, and in severe cases, the rigidity of the vehicle body has been increased.

[0005] The present invention has been devised to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and its purpose is to reduce vibration of the propulsion shaft during driving caused by manufacturing errors of various parts such as the body by making it possible to adjust the center bearing position of the propulsion shaft up, down, left, and right.

[0006] The present invention provides a propulsion shaft center bearing fixing structure comprising: a support case coaxially surrounding a circumference of a propulsion shaft center bearing of a vehicle; a position-variable plate interposed between the support case and a body of the vehicle to vary an assembly position of the support case; and a plurality of fastening bolts that penetrate the support case and the position-variable plate and are screw-connected to a bottom surface of the body; wherein the support case has slot holes arranged in the longitudinal direction of the support portion at both ends of a support portion extending laterally from a ring portion surrounding the center bearing, and the position-variable plate has fixing protrusions protruding from both ends of the bottom surface so as to be aligned with an upper surface of the support portion while restricting lateral movement of the support portion, and insertion holes aligned with the slot holes are respectively penetrated into the inside of each of the fixing protrusions, wherein the position-variable plates are provided in a plurality of pieces in which the positions of the insertion holes are respectively arranged differently.

[0007] In addition, it is preferable that the position-changing plate is provided in multiple pieces, each having the same position of the insertion hole but different thicknesses.

[0008] In addition, a height-variable washer is fitted to the above-mentioned fastening bolt to adjust the gap between the center bearing and the body by interposing it between the position-variable plate and the body, and it is preferable that the height-variable washers are provided in multiple pieces, each having a different thickness.

[0009] In addition, a height-variable washer is fitted between the position-variable plate and the support member to adjust the gap between the center bearing and the body, and it is preferable that the height-variable washers are provided in multiple pieces, each having a different thickness.

[0010] In addition, it is preferable that the length of the slot hole be determined to match the maximum range in which the lateral position adjustment of the center bearing is required.

[0011] In addition, it is preferable that the position variable plate is provided so as to divide the length of the slot hole into equal intervals and in a number that is one more than the number of equal divisions.

[0012] According to the propulsion shaft center bearing fixing structure of the present invention, when the slot hole of the support case supporting the center bearing, the insertion hole of the position-variable plate, and the height-variable washer are inserted in a row into the fastening bolt and combined with the tab of the vehicle body, by varying the position or thickness of the insertion hole of the position-variable plate or the thickness of the height-variable washer, it is possible to correct the left-right and up-down deviation of the center bearing caused by manufacturing errors of the vehicle body or related parts, and thus it is possible to reduce or eliminate vibration of the propulsion shaft and related drive system caused by misalignment of the center bearing.

[0013] Figure 1 is a front view showing a typical propulsion shaft.

[0014] Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view of part A of Figure 1.

[0015] Figure 3 is a perspective view of a propulsion shaft center bearing fixing structure according to the present invention.

[0016] Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of Figure 3.

[0017] Fig. 5 is a plan view comparing the support case illustrated in Fig. 4 with various types of position-variable plates.

[0018] Fig. 6 is a side view comparing the support case and two types of position-variable plates illustrated in Fig. 5.

[0019] Hereinafter, a propulsion shaft center bearing fixing structure according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings.

[0020] The fixing structure of the propulsion shaft center bearing of the present invention is a structure for fixing the center bearing (10) that supports the propulsion shaft (P) to the vehicle body, as shown by reference numeral 1 in FIGS. 3 and 4, and is largely composed of a support case (3), a position-variable plate (5), and a plurality of fastening bolts (7).

[0021] Here, the support case (3) is a structure that coaxially wraps around the entire circumference of the center bearing (10) to secure the center bearing (10) to the bottom of the body, as can be seen in the conventional propulsion shaft center bearing fixing structure as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, and is composed of a ring portion (11) that wraps the center bearing (10) as shown and a support portion (13) that extends laterally to the upper end of the ring portion (11).

[0022] Accordingly, the center of the ring portion (11) passes through the center bearing (10) to pass the propulsion shaft (P), and slot holes (15) for inserting the fastening bolts (7) are formed through and through both ends of the support portion (13), and each slot hole (15) is in the form of a long hole extending in the longitudinal direction of the support portion (13), that is, in the transverse direction, so that the insertion position of the fastening bolt (7) can be varied according to the position of the insertion hole (19) of the position-variable plate (5).

[0023] The above-mentioned position-changing plate (5) is a part that actually changes the assembly position of the center bearing (10) laterally or vertically, and is interposed between the support case (3) and the body as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4. Preferably, it is aligned with the upper surface of the support portion (13) of the support case (3). For this purpose, the overall shape is bent to be the same as the upper surface shape of the support portion (13) and extended in the transverse direction. In addition, the position-changing plate (5) has fixed protrusions (17) protruding from both ends of the bottom surface to prevent the support portion (13) from moving laterally, and the lateral movement of the support portion (13) is restricted by the fixed protrusions (17).

[0024] In addition, the position variable plate (5) has one insertion hole (19) that is aligned with the slot hole (15) of the support member (13) on the inside of each fixed jaw (17), and various types can be provided in which the positions of the insertion holes (19) are arranged differently, as shown in FIG. 5. That is, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, the length of the slot hole (15) is evenly divided into unit lengths (u) for adjusting the lateral movement of the center bearing (10), and position variable plates (5) are provided in a number (4) greater than the number of equal divisions (3), and insertion holes (19) are arranged from the inner end (In) of the slot hole (15) to the outer end (Out) with a deviation of the unit length (u) on each position variable plate (5). At this time, the slot hole (15) should naturally have a sufficient length so as to include the maximum range necessary for adjusting the lateral position of the center bearing (10).

[0025] Meanwhile, the position-variable plate (5) can absorb the lateral deviation of the center bearing (10) by changing the position of the insertion hole (19) as described above, and can also absorb the vertical deviation of the center bearing (10) by varying the thickness. To this end, the position-variable plate (5) is provided in multiple numbers with the same position of the insertion hole (19) but different thicknesses, so that the distance from the body to the support (13) is adjusted by the thickness difference of the selected position-variable plate (5).

[0026] Finally, the plurality of fastening bolts (7) are a means for fixing the support member (13) to the bottom of the vehicle body while interposing the position-changing plate (5), and as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, they penetrate the slot hole (15) of the support member (13) and the insertion hole (19) of the position-changing plate (5) and are fastened to a tab (not shown) of the bottom of the vehicle body, thereby fixing the center bearing (10) to the vehicle body.

[0027] At this time, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, by inserting a height variable washer (21) into the fastening bolt (7) so as to be interposed between the position variable plate (5) and the body or, although not shown, between the position variable plate (5) and the support (13), the gap between the center bearing (10) and the body can be adjusted without changing the thickness of the position variable plate (5), or in parallel therewith. Similarly, the thickness of the height variable washer (21) can be varied to vary the adjustment height.

[0028] Now, the operation of the propulsion shaft center bearing fixing structure (1) according to the present invention configured as above will be described as follows.

[0029] According to the fixed structure (1) of the present invention, the fixed position of the center bearing (10) can be varied laterally or vertically, and as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, by inserting a fastening bolt (7) into the support case (3) and the position-variable plate (5) and connecting them to the tab of the bottom of the body, when the center bearing (10) is fixed to the body, the assembly deviation occurring in other parts of the body can be absorbed by changing the position of the center bearing (10).

[0030] That is, in order to absorb the lateral deviation, as illustrated in Fig. 6, the position-variable plate (5') in which the insertion hole (19') is moved from the reference position is placed on the support member (13). Then, the insertion hole (19'), the slot hole (15), and the fastening bolt (7) are aligned with the tab (T) of the body, and then the fastening bolt (7) is inserted into the slot hole (15) and the insertion hole (19') and coupled to the tab (T), so that the center bearing (10) can be fixed by transversely moving by the deviation (L) that requires position adjustment more than when coupled through the position-variable plate (5) in which the insertion hole (19) is at the reference position.

[0031] Likewise, although not shown separately, when trying to absorb the vertical deviation of the center bearing (10), a position variable plate (5) that is thicker or thinner than the deviation above or below the reference position is used, or when the same position variable plate (5) is used, a height variable washer (21) that is thicker or thinner than the reference thickness is used, so that the center bearing (10) can be easily moved up and down and fixed.

[0032] According to the present invention, vibration of a propulsion shaft and related drive system caused by misalignment of a center bearing can be reduced or eliminated, and the present invention is a technology that can be widely used in the vehicle and parts industry to realize its practical and economic value.

Claims

1. A support case (3) coaxially surrounding the circumference of the vehicle's propulsion shaft center bearing (10); A position-changing plate (5) interposed between the support case (3) and the body of the vehicle to change the assembly position of the support case (3); and It is composed of a plurality of fastening bolts (7) that penetrate the above support case (3) and the position-changing plate (5) and are screw-connected to the bottom surface of the vehicle body; The above support case (3) has slot holes (15) arranged in the longitudinal direction of the support part (13) extending transversely from the ring part (11) surrounding the center bearing (10) at both ends thereof, respectively. The above position-variable plate (5) is provided with a fixed projection (17) protruding from each end of the bottom surface to restrict the lateral movement of the support member (13) while being aligned with the upper surface of the support member (13), and an insertion hole (19) that is aligned with the slot hole (15) is penetrated through the inside of each of the fixed projections (17), and the position-variable plate (5) is provided in multiple places with the positions of the insertion holes (19) being differently arranged.

2. In paragraph 1, The above position variable plate (5) is a propulsion shaft center bearing fixing structure characterized in that it is provided in multiple pieces with the same position of the insertion hole (19) but different thicknesses.

3. In paragraph 1 or 2, A propulsion shaft center bearing fixing structure characterized in that a height variable washer (21) is fitted between the position variable plate (5) and the body to adjust the gap between the center bearing (10) and the body, and the height variable washer (21) is provided in multiple pieces, each having a different thickness.

4. In paragraph 1 or 2, A propulsion shaft center bearing fixing structure characterized in that a height variable washer (21) is fitted between the position variable plate (5) and the support member (13) to adjust the gap between the center bearing (10) and the body, and the height variable washer (21) is provided in multiple pieces, each having a different thickness.

5. In paragraph 1, A propulsion shaft center bearing fixing structure characterized in that the length of the above slot hole (15) is determined to match the maximum range required for lateral position adjustment of the above center bearing (10).

6. In paragraph 2, A propulsion shaft center bearing fixing structure characterized in that the above position variable plate (5) is provided in a number that is one more than the number of equal divisions by dividing the length of the above slot hole (15) into equal intervals.

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