JPH0450142B2 - - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Industrial Application Field) The present invention provides an apparatus for automatically fitting the open end of a tuppy-shaped elastic membrane attached to a shaft onto the outer periphery of a component connected to the shaft. Regarding.

(Prior Art) A power transmission mechanism is essential for transmitting the rotational force of an engine as a prime mover to drive wheels, such as in an automobile, to drive the automobile as a driven object. This mechanism is shown in ``Automobile Engineering Complete Book Volume 9, Power Transmission Device, Editor: Automobile Engineering Complete Book Editorial Committee, Published by Sankaido Co., Ltd.''.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view of a main part of an automobile drive shaft in which a constant velocity joint is assembled to the shaft as the power transmission mechanism.

In this driveshaft, a tripod type constant velocity joint 2 is attached to the left side of the shaft 1 in the figure, and a bell type constant velocity joint 3 is attached to the right side of the figure.
is installed. These constant velocity joints 2 and 3 are essential for front wheel drive so-called FF vehicles, and have the function of maintaining a constant rotational speed transmitted from the shaft to the joint even if the front wheels roll.

In this case, the tripod type constant velocity joint 2 is on the final drive side (wheel side), and includes an inner race 6 in which a female serration 5 corresponding to the male serration 4 formed on the shaft 1 is cut, and an inner race 6 formed on the shaft 1. Spiders 7 are arranged on the outer periphery of the inner race 6 at three equal intervals in the circumferential direction and protrude;
A spherical roller 8 rotatably held on the outer periphery of the spider 7, a housing 9 that accommodates these so as to be slidable in the axial direction, and a boot 10 made of a rubber material or the like to keep the inside waterproof and dustproof. have A circlip 11 for preventing the shaft 1 from coming off from the inner race 6 is attached to the shaft. Further, a final drive side shaft 12 is connected to the housing 9.

In such a tripod type constant velocity joint 2, the inner race 6 and the spherical roller 8 attached to the end of the shaft 1 slide against the inner peripheral wall of the housing, so that the shaft 1 is aligned with the axis of the final drive side shaft 12. However, the rotational force is transmitted at a constant speed despite this.

In addition, in this case, the bell-shaped constant velocity joint 3 is
an inner race 13 that is on the wheel side (drive side) and has female serrations 5 cut therein that correspond to the male serrations 4 formed on the shaft 1;
A steel ball 1 rotatably held in a ball cage 14 on the outer periphery of this inner race 13
5, a housing 16 in which the steel ball 15 is inscribed, and a rubber boot 17 for keeping the interior waterproof and dustproof. Also in the case of this constant velocity joint 3, a circlip 11 for preventing the shaft 1 from coming off from the inner race 13 is attached to the shaft. Further, a wheel-side shaft 18 is connected to the housing 16. In such a bell-shaped constant velocity joint 3, the inner race 13 attached to the end of the shaft 1 and the steel balls 15 held in the ball cage 14 come into sliding contact with the inner peripheral wall of the housing 16, so that the shaft 1 is moved toward the wheel side. Allowing the shaft 18 to tilt relative to its axis,
Despite this, rotational force is transmitted at a constant speed.

In the case of this drive shaft, within the tri-port type constant velocity joint 2 on the final drive side, the spider 7 attached to the end of the shaft 1 slides on the inner peripheral surface of the housing 9 in the axial direction, and heat is generated. Axial movement of the shaft 1 due to strain or other causes is absorbed there. Furthermore, regardless of the movement of the shaft 1 in the axial direction, the rotational force of the shaft 1 is effectively transmitted to the final drive side shaft 12 via the housing 9.

Each joint 2, 3 has a sliding contact portion (inner race 6, 13, spider 7, spherical roller 8, steel ball 15, etc.). Since it is necessary for this sliding contact portion to slide smoothly, it is necessary to inject a predetermined amount of grease into the housings 9 and 16.

As a pre-process of injecting a predetermined amount of grease into the housings 9, 16, the small-diameter open ends of the boots 10, 17, which are elastic membrane bodies in the form of elastic membranes, are inserted into the boot mounting grooves 1a, 1b formed in the shaft 1. The work of attaching the parts 10b and 17b, the work of assembling the joints 2 and 3 to both ends of the shaft with the boots 10 and 17 attached to the shaft, and the work of assembling the joints 2 and 3 to both ends of the shaft with the boots 10 and 17 attached to the shaft. Large diameter open end 10a of boots 10, 17,
17a to the outer periphery of each casing 9, 16 is required.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) In the assembly process of such a drive shaft, the large-diameter open ends 10a, 17a of the boots 10, 17 as the elastic membrane bodies are connected to the respective casings 9,
The work of fitting it onto the outer periphery of No. 16 has conventionally been carried out as follows.

As shown in FIG. 9, first, the shaft 1 is fixed with some kind of tool or device, and the axis of the wheel-side shaft 18 in the joint 3 assembled at the end of the shaft 1 is tilted with respect to the shaft 1, and the casing 16 is A part of the outer periphery of is located inside the boot 17. Next, a part of the large diameter end 17a of the boot 17 is expanded using a tool such as a driver 19. At the same time, the wheel side shaft 18
When the casing 16 is rotated so that the axis of the boot 17 is aligned with the axis of the shaft 1, the large-diameter open end 17a of the boot 17 fits onto the outer periphery of the casing.

In this way, the boot 17 as an elastic membrane body
The work of fitting the large-diameter open end 17a onto the outer periphery of the casing has been completed, but all of the above work was done manually. Therefore, the work requires skill, and inexperienced workers have to open the boot several times using a tool such as a screwdriver, which takes a long time. Furthermore, there is a risk of damaging the soft rubber boots with tools such as screwdrivers, and if they are damaged, it will be necessary to reassemble joints 2 and 3, which will significantly delay the process time. This may lead to an increase in manufacturing costs.

The present invention has been made by focusing on such conventional problems, and the present invention has been made by mechanically attaching the open end of a boot, which is a latch-shaped elastic membrane body attached to a shaft, to the outer periphery of a component connected to the shaft. By automatically fitting the parts, the purpose is to shorten working time, improve work reliability, and ultimately reduce manufacturing costs.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention achieves the above object by fitting an open end of a wrapper-shaped elastic membrane attached to a shaft onto the outer periphery of a component connected to the shaft. An apparatus for fitting an open end of an elastic membrane body includes a centering grip part that grips the open end from both sides and aligns the center of the open end with the center of an outer periphery of the component; a fitting grip part that grips a portion other than the open end of the elastic membrane body gripped by the holding part; and a fitting grip part that grips the elastic membrane body with the centering grip part released It is characterized by having a gripping part moving means for moving the gripping part in the axial direction toward the component.

(Example) The present invention will be described below based on an example shown in the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a side view of the device for fitting an open end of an elastic membrane body according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view of a partially broken surface taken along the line - shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a front view of the present elastic membrane. 4 is a partially cutaway side view of the entire device in which the body open end fitting device is used; FIG. 4 is a plan view along the line shown in FIG. 3; FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram showing the operation of the positioning device shown in FIG. 3, FIGS. , 9 are designated by the same reference numerals, and their explanations will be partially omitted.

In this embodiment, the device 80 for fitting an open end of an elastic membrane body according to the present invention, which is shown in detail in FIGS. used for. Since this work process is all performed automatically, it is necessary to align the opening end fitting device 80 of the elastic membrane body according to the present invention with the shaft 1 and the joints 2 and 3, which are the workpieces. First and second positioning devices 32 and 33 are connected to the open end fitting device 80 .

Therefore, before explaining in detail the device 80 for fitting an open end of an elastic membrane body according to the present invention, first, the first and second positioning devices 32 and 33 will be explained.

As shown in Figure 3, in the previous process, shaft 1
The shaft component to which the tripod type constant velocity joint 2 and the bell type constant velocity joint 3 are assembled is held approximately at the center of the shaft 1 by a pallet 31,
It is located between the first positioning device 32 and the second positioning device 33.

The first positioning device 32 is installed on a first base 35 that is guided by a guide rail 34 and can move forward and backward in the axial direction of the shaft 1. The first base 35 is NC (numerical control) not shown.
The first base is driven by a motor to control the forward and backward movement of the first base with considerable precision.

This NC motor serves as a first driving means for a first gripping means, which will be described later.

A stopper 36 is fixed to the right end of the first base 35 in FIG.
Cylinders 38 and 39 that move 7 forward and backward in two stages.
are connected. These cylinders 38 and 39 are fixed to the first base 35 by a rotation stopper 40.

As shown in detail in FIG. 4, the rod 37 has a lever receiving portion 37a formed at its tip, and one tip 41a of the dogleg-shaped levers 41, 41 is attached to the lever receiving portion 37a. , 41a are connected. This "dog" shaped lever 41, 4
1 is rotatably connected to brackets 43, 43 by support shafts 42, 42, and the brackets 43, 43 are connected to side walls 4 erected on the base 35.
It is fixed at 4,44. The other end portions 41b, 41b of the levers 41, 41 are connected to the side walls 44, 44.
Two upper and lower guide bars 45, 4 spanned between
The arms 47, 47 are connected to one ends 47a, 47a of the arms 47, 47, which move while being guided by the arms 6. Arm 47,
Clamp claws 48, 48 serving as first gripping means are fixed to the other ends 47b, 47b of 47.

The clamp claws 48, 48 are provided with an outer periphery of the wheel-side shaft 18 at a joint 3 in which the intersection angle of the axis of the wheel-side shaft 18 with respect to the shaft 1 is variable within a predetermined range, and the joint 3 is connected so as to be immovable in the axial direction. A clamping edge 48a is formed that abuts and fixes the axial position of the clamping edge 48a (see FIG. 3). Further, the clamp claws 48, 48 have seat surfaces 48b, 48b that come into contact with the first reference surface 16a formed on the joint 3. This first reference surface 16a serves as a reference for the relative axial position of the shaft 1 with respect to the joint 21, since the shaft 1 and the joint 3 cannot move relative to each other in the axial direction.

The seat surfaces 48b, 48b are moved to the first base 3 by an NC motor (not shown) as a first driving means.
5 moves forward relative to shaft 1, the first
The first reference surface 16a, which is in contact with the reference surface 16a and is at position a in FIG.
It is adapted to be moved in the axial direction to the initial position b. At that time, the cylinder 38 is actuated to move the rod 37 in the direction of arrow A in FIG.
1 in the direction of arrow B, and rotate the arm 47 in the direction of arrow C.
direction, and the wheel-side shaft 18 is clamped in the middle. Here, the intermediate clamp is a state in which the shaft 18 is not completely gripped, but the axial center of the shaft 18 is fixed to the shaft 1.
This refers to the state in which the shaft is held to the extent that it is approximately aligned with the axis of the shaft.

When the first reference surface 16a is moved forward to a predetermined initial position b by the NC motor as the first driving means, the clamp claw 48 as the first gripping means is moved between the cylinders 38 and 39. It is designed to completely grip the wheel side shaft 18 by its action. At that time, the seat surface 48b is in contact with the first reference surface 16a. After that, the clamp claw 48 as this first gripping means
grips the wheel-side shaft 18 and moves the joint 3 and the shaft 1 backward by moving the first base 35 backward with the NC motor serving as the first driving means, and the first reference plane 16 is moved backward.
a is positioned at the first reference plane position C.

On the other hand, the first positioning device 33 is installed on a second base 57 that is guided by a guide rail 56 and can move forward and backward in the axial direction of the shaft 1. This second base 57 is driven by a pressure cylinder or the like (not shown), and the shaft 1 is moved by the pallet 31 to the first and second positioning devices 32 and 33.
When it is conveyed between the two, it moves forward in one direction of the shaft.

A movable base 59 is held on the second base 57 via a guide rail 58 so as to be movable forward and backward in the axial direction of the shaft 1 . Cylinders 61 and 62 are connected to the movable base 59 via a fixing portion 60, and the cylinders 61 and 62 are fixed on the first base 57 with a rotation stopper 63. Further, the axial movement of the cylinders 61 and 62 is regulated by a stopper 64 fixed on the second base 57, and by the expansion and contraction of the respective cylinders 61 and 62, the movable base 59 is moved in two steps in the axial direction of the shaft 1. It is designed so that it can move forward and backward. These two cylinders 61 and 62 serve as a second driving means for driving a second gripping means, which will be described later.

Cylinders 65 and 66 are connected to the fixed part 60 fixed on the movable base 59 on the side opposite to the side to which the cylinders 61 and 62 are connected, and these cylinders 65 and 66 are fixed to the movable base 59 by a detent 67. It is installed above. And cylinder 6
A rod 68 is attached to the cylinders 5 and 66, and the cylinders 65 and 66 are moved forward and backward in two stages by expansion and contraction.

This rod 68 corresponds to the rod 37 shown in FIG. 4, and similarly has a lever receiving portion 68a at its tip.
(corresponding to the reference numeral 37a shown in FIG. 2) is formed, and the tip of a lever 69 (corresponding to the reference numeral 41 in the figure) is connected thereto. The lever 69 rotates about the support shaft in the same way as the lever 41 shown in FIG. , 45 and 46). At the tip of the arm 70, there is a clamp claw 48 as a first gripping means shown in FIG.
A clamp claw 73 as a second gripping means corresponding to
is fixed.

This clamp claw 73 has exactly the same structure as the clamp claw 48 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, and as shown in FIG. It has a clamping edge 73a that comes into contact with the outer periphery of the side shaft 12 and fixes its axis position. Similarly, the clamp claw 73 has a seat surface 73b that comes into contact with a second reference surface 9a formed on the joint 2. This reference surface 9a serves as a reference for the relative position of the joint 2 with respect to the shaft 1 in the axial direction.

The seat surface 73b abuts on the second reference surface 9a when the cylinders 61 and 62 as the second driving means are driven and extends, and the movable base 59 moves forward relative to the shaft 1, and as shown in FIG. The second reference plane 9a, which was at position d, is moved to a predetermined second position along with the joint 2.
It is arranged to move in the axial direction to the initial position e. At that time, the cylinder 65 is extended, drives the rod 68 and the lever 69, and the clamp claw 73 clamps the shaft 12 in the middle.
Here, the intermediate clamp refers to a state in which the shaft 12 is not completely gripped, but is held to such an extent that the axis of the shaft 12 is substantially aligned with the axis of the shaft 1.

When the second reference surface 9a moves to the second initial position e, the clamp claw 73 as the second gripping means
The final drive side shaft 12 is aligned with the seat surface 7 on the second reference surface 9a by the action of the cylinders 65 and 66.
It is designed to be completely gripped with 3b in contact with it. Thereafter, with the clamp claw 73 gripping the shaft 12, the joint 2 is moved backward to position the second reference surface 9a at the second reference position f. This backward movement is performed by driving and contracting only the cylinder 61 and moving the movable base 59 backward by that amount.

The axial positioning device consisting of the first and second positioning devices 32 and 33 is, as shown in FIG.
The distance La between the first and second reference positions c and f is kept constant, and the distance from the first and second reference positions c and f to the ends 17a and 10a of each boot 17 and 10.
Since Lb and Lc are constant, each boot end 1
Identify the absolute positions of 7a and 10a. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, each boot end 17a,
Open end fitting device 8 of each elastic membrane body to 10a
0 relative positional deviation is prevented.

Next, the structure of the elastic membrane opening end fitting device 80 according to the present invention will be described in detail.

This opening end fitting device 80
It is installed on the first and second bases 35 and 57 in the positioning devices 32 and 33.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the opening end fitting device 8
Reference numeral 0 denotes an alignment gripping part 81 that grips the large-diameter open end 17a of the boot 17, which is a wrapper-shaped elastic membrane mounted in the groove of the shaft 1, from both sides.
It has 81. These centering grips 81, 81
has approximately the same structure as the fitting gripping portions 82, 82 that grip the boot 17 from both sides at a portion other than the open end, and has a semicircular claw portion 83 having an inner diameter approximately the same as the outer diameter of the boot 17. ,83. However, the fitting gripping parts 82, 82 are attached to the small diameter end 1 of the boot 17.
In that it has auxiliary gripping parts 82a, 82a in which semicircular claw parts 83a, 83a for gripping 7b are formed,
This is different from the centering grips 81, 81.

A pair of arms 84 and 85 are connected to each gripping portion 81 and 82, respectively. These arms 84, 85 are configured to rotate (in the direction of arrow D in FIG. 2) about a support shaft 87 fixed to a moving unit 86 as a gripping section moving means.
Projections 88 and 88 are formed on these arms 84 and 85, respectively.
88 comes into contact with the stopper 89, the rotation in the direction of arrow D in the figure is restricted, and each claw part 83, 83
This prevents the boot 17 from being crushed more than a predetermined amount. Further, a pair of drive levers 90, 91 are connected to the tips of these arms 84, 85, respectively, and rods 92, 93 interlocked with these drive levers 90, 91 are moved in the direction of arrow E by cylinders 94, 95. The arms 84, 8 are driven
5 is configured to rotate in the direction of arrow D.

The arms 84, 85 and cylinders 94, 95
A moving unit 86 as a means for moving the gripping part, etc., has a guide 97 on a rail 96 formed between the side walls 44 erected on the first base 35.
It is attached so that it can move forward and backward through the. and,
This moving unit 86 is connected to a cylinder 99 fixed on the side wall 44 via a rod 98, and when the cylinder 99 is driven and the rod 98 moves in the axial direction, it moves the shaft 1 in the axial direction. It is configured to move relative to the shaft 1.

In the above description, the open end fitting device 80 that attaches the open end 17a of the boot 17 attached to one end of the shaft 1 to the outer periphery of the joint 3 has been described. An open end fitting device 80 for fitting the open end 10a of the boot 10 attached to the outer periphery of the joint 2 has a similar structure.

Next, the operation of the apparatus for fitting an open end of an elastic membrane according to the present invention will be explained.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 6, when the axial positioning of the shaft 1 to which the joints 2, 3 are assembled is completed by the first and second positioning devices 32, 33, each boot 17, 10 is It is positioned on the open end fitting device 80 without any displacement.

Then, the cylinder 94 shown in FIG. 1 is driven, the rod 92 moves backward, and the arms 84, 8
4 are rotated in the direction of arrow D in FIG. When the arms 84, 84 rotate in a direction in which they approach each other, the centering grips 81, 81 connected thereto also approach each other, and the semicircular claws formed on the grips 81, 81 83 abuts and grips the large-diameter open end 17a of the boot 17 from both sides thereof. This state is shown in FIG. 7A, where the boot 17 (indicated by a two-dot chain line in the figure), which was initially tilted, is gripped by the centering grips 81, 81, and the center of the open end 17a is aligned with the joint 3. Centered around the center of the outer periphery.

Next, the cylinder 95 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is driven, the rod 93 moves backward, and the arms 85, 85
are rotated in the direction of arrow D in the center of FIG. When the arms 85, 85 rotate in a direction in which they approach each other, the respective fitting grips 82, 82 connected thereto also approach each other, and the semicircular claws 83 formed on the respective grips 82, 82 , 83 and each auxiliary gripping section 82a, 82 connected thereto.
The semicircular claw portions 83a, 83a formed in the outer circumference of the boot 17 come into contact with the outer periphery of the boot 17 from both sides so as to grip the boot 17. This state is shown in FIGS. 1 and 7B, in which the boot 17 is held by the centering grip 81, the fitting grip 82, and the auxiliary grip 82a.

Next, the cylinder 94 shown in FIG. 1 is driven again, the rod 92 moves forward, and each arm 84, 8
4 are rotated in directions away from each other along the direction of arrow D in the center of FIG. Then, each arm 84, 8
The centering grips 81, 81 connected to the centering handles 4 also rotate in the direction of separation, and the grip on the open end 17a of the boot 17 is released. This state is shown in FIG. 7C, where the open end 17a of the boot 17
The fitting grip part 8 is aligned with the center of the outer periphery of the casing 16 at the joint 3.
2 is holding the boot 17.

Next, the cylinder 99 shown in FIG. 1 is driven,
The rod 98 moves backward in the direction of arrow F in the figure, and the moving unit 86 as a gripping section moving means also moves in the direction of arrow F. Moving unit 8 in the state shown in Fig. 7C
6 moves in the direction of arrow F, the arm 85, the fitting and welding gripping part 82, and the auxiliary gripping part 82a also move into the boot 1.
7 in the direction of arrow F, and the large-diameter open end 17a of the boot 17 fits onto the outer periphery of the casing 16 at the joint 3. This state is shown in FIG. 7D, and at the same time that the large-diameter open end 17a of the boot 17 is fitted, the small-diameter open end 17a of the boot 17 is fitted.
It can be seen that b also moves in the axial direction and is fitted into the boot fitting groove 1b in the shaft 1.

The open end 17a of the boot 17 as an elastic membrane body attached to the shaft 1 in this way is connected to the joint 3 as a component connected to the shaft 1.
The work process of fitting it onto the outer periphery of is completed. and,
The opening end fitting device 80 releases the grip of the boot 17 by the fitting grip portion 82 in order to perform the fitting device for the next component, and the moving unit 86 returns to the initial position.

Thereafter, the pallet 31 shown in FIG. 3 transports the shaft 1 on which the fitting operation has been completed to the next process, and also conveys a new shaft 1 that has not been fitted, and repeats the above-mentioned fitting operation.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but includes a work step of fitting the open end of the elastic membrane body in the shape of a wrapper attached to the shaft onto the outer periphery of a component connected to the shaft. All can be applied when automating.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the present invention, the elastic membrane body fits the open end of the elastic membrane body in the shape of a wrapper attached to the shaft onto the outer periphery of the component connected to the shaft. In the open end device, the open end is gripped from both sides and is gripped by the centering grip part that aligns the center of the open end with the center of the outer periphery of the component; a fitting grip part that grips a portion of the elastic membrane body other than the open end; and with the centering grip part released, the fitting grip part is moved together with the elastic membrane body toward the component. Since the holding part moving means is provided to move the holding part in the axial direction, the work of fitting the open end of the elastic membrane body in the shape of a wrapper attached to the shaft onto the outer periphery of the component connected to the shaft is automated. This has excellent effects in that working time is shortened, work reliability is improved, and manufacturing costs are reduced.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of the device for fitting an open end of an elastic membrane body according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view of a partially broken surface taken along the line - shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a front view of the present elastic membrane. 4 is a partially cutaway side view of the entire device in which the body open end fitting device is used; FIG. 4 is a plan view along the line shown in FIG. 3; FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing the operation of the positioning device shown in FIG. 3, FIG. FIG. 9 is a partially cutaway side view of a main part of a drive shaft for an automobile, and is a partially cutaway side view showing a conventional process of fitting an open end of an elastic membrane. 1...shaft, 2, 3...constant velocity joint,
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10, 17... Boot, 10a, 17a... Open end, 80... Open end fitting device, 81... Holding part for centering, 82... Holding part for fitting, 86... Moving unit, 99 ……Cylinder.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. In an elastic membrane opening end fitting device for fitting an open end of a wrapper-shaped elastic membrane attached to a shaft onto the outer periphery of a component connected to the shaft, the opening end is gripped from both sides. a centering gripper that aligns the center of the open end with the center of the outer periphery of the component; and a centering gripper that grips a portion of the elastic membrane other than the open end that is gripped by the centering gripper. an elastic membrane body, the elastic membrane body having a gripping part for fitting, and a gripping part moving means for moving the gripping part for fitting together with the elastic membrane body in the axial direction in the direction of the component in a state in which gripping by the alignment gripping part is released. Open end fitting device.