JPH10141353A - Ball joint and wiper link device - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Problem] To reduce the deformation of the ball 12 when the ball 12 is fixed in the ball joint 9 for rotatably connecting the wiper link 1 and the tie rods 7 and 8, and To stabilize the rotation. A ball fixing portion is provided on a wiper link, and a ball is fixed to the ball fixing portion by welding. Seat 15 is connected to tie rods 7 and 8, and ball is seated.
Slidably engage with 12. Since the ball 12 is fixed to the wiper link 1 by welding, the deformation of the ball 12 when fixing the ball 12 is reduced and the rotation between the ball 12 and the seat 15 is stabilized as compared with the case where the ball 12 is fixed by caulking. .

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a ball joint for rotatably connecting a pair of members and a wiper link device using the ball joint.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a ball joint has been used for a wiper link device for driving a wiper of an automobile, for example, as described in Japanese Utility Model Laid-Open No. 4-18719.

[0003] In the wiper link device, it is possible to swing 2
A tie rod is connected between the two wiper links, and a tie rod is connected between one wiper link and the rotary link. When the rotary link is rotated by a motor drive, the wiper link swings through the tie rod. Then, the wiper integrally attached to the wiper link swings. Further, ball joints are used at connection points between the wiper link and the tie rods.

The ball joint is composed of a ball stud integrally formed with a ball portion and a shaft portion, and a seat slidably engaged with the ball portion of the ball stud. The ball stud is fixed to a wiper link, Is fixed to the tie rod. In order to fix the ball stud to the wiper link, the shaft of the ball stud is inserted from one side of the wiper link, and the tip of the shaft penetrating the other side of the wiper link is swaged and fixed to the other side of the wiper link. .

[0005]

However, in the structure of the conventional ball joint, the ball stud is fixed by caulking to the wiper link, and the ball portion on the opposite side to the shaft portion is pressed while the ball portion is pressed. Since the tip must be caulked, the ball portion is easily deformed, the accuracy of the spherical surface of the ball portion is reduced, the rotation of the ball joint becomes unstable, and the operating noise of the wiper increases.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and reduces deformation of a ball when the ball is fixed.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a ball joint and a wiper link device capable of stabilizing rotation between a ball and a seat.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a ball joint for rotatably connecting a pair of members, wherein a ball fixing portion provided on the one member is welded to the ball fixing portion. And a seat slidably engaged with the ball and coupled with the other member. Then, by fixing the ball to the ball fixing portion of one of the members by welding, the deformation of the ball is reduced and the rotation of the ball and the seat is stabilized, as compared with the conventional case of caulking and fixing.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the ball joint according to the first aspect, the ball fixing portion is a projection protruding from one of the members. Prevent interference with members.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the wiper link device, a wiper link, a rotating body driven to rotate, a tie rod connected between the wiper link and the rotary body, and one of the pair of members is a tie rod. The ball joint according to claim 1 or 2 is provided at a place where the tie rod is connected, and reduces the operating noise of the wiper as compared with the conventional case of caulking and fixing.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the wiper link device, a plurality of wiper links, a rotating body driven to rotate, and a wiper link connected between the one wiper link and the rotating body and between adjacent wiper links. A plurality of tie rods connected to each other, and one of the pair of members is a tie rod, and the ball joint according to claim 1 or 2 is provided at a position where the tie rod is connected. The operating noise of the wiper is reduced as compared with the case of caulking and fixing.

The wiper link device according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the wiper link device according to the fourth aspect, wherein a ball fixing portion is provided on each of the front and back surfaces of the wiper link to which two adjacent tie rods are connected. The balls are fixed by welding, and a seat provided on each tie rod is slidably engaged with each ball, and two adjacent tie rods operate without interfering with each other.

[0012]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 2 shows a front view of the wiper link device,
This wiper link device is disposed inside a body below a windshield of an automobile, for example, and swings and drives two wipers that slide on the surface of the windshield.

In FIG. 2, reference numerals 1 and 2 denote metal wiper links as one member.
Is rotatably attached to the body of the automobile by the attachment shaft member 3. Then, each of the wiper links 1 and 2
The wipers are respectively attached to the mounting shaft members 3, and the wiper links 1 and 2 and the wiper are swung integrally.

A motor 4 is used to drive each of the wiper links 1 and 2.
And one end of a rotating lever 6 as a rotating body is fixedly connected to a driving shaft 5 of the motor 4. The other end of the rotary lever 6 and the other end of one wiper link 1 are respectively connected to both ends of a tie rod 7 as the other member, and the other ends of the wiper links 1 and 2 are connected to the other end as the other member. Both ends of the tie rod 8 are connected to each other.

One wiper link 1 and each tie rod 7,
The connection point 8 is rotatably connected by a ball joint 9, and the connection point between the rotary lever 6 and the tie rod 7 and the connection point between the other wiper link 2 and the tie rod 8 are rotatably connected by a ball joint 10. . A substantially L-shaped connecting portion 1a is formed at the other end of one of the wiper links 1, and two ball joints 9 are arranged in parallel at the connecting portion 1a.

FIG. 1 shows a ball joint 9. A columnar projection 11 as a ball fixing portion is formed in parallel on the front and back surfaces of a connecting portion 1a of one wiper link 1 by press molding. A metal ball 12 is fixed to the distal end face, for example, by resistance welding, and studs 13 are formed. Each of the tie rods 7 and 8 is formed with a coupling hole 14 having a diameter larger than that of the ball 12.
Are joined by press fitting or insert molding. Each sheet 15 is formed in a cup shape having a ball press-fitting opening 16 on one end surface. Then, the ball joints 9 of the corresponding studs 13 are press-fitted into the respective seats 15 through the ball press-fitting openings 16 of the respective seats 15 of the tie rods 7 and 8, whereby the ball joints 9 are connected to each other.

FIG. 3 shows the ball joint 10, in which a mounting hole 17 is formed in the other wiper link 2.
The stud 18 is fixed by swaging. Stud 18
The ball portion 19 and the shaft portion 20 are integrally formed, and the flange portion 21 is integrally formed between the ball portion 19 and the shaft portion 20. The shaft portion 20 is formed from one side of the wiper link 2. The tip of the shaft portion 20 that is inserted into the mounting hole 17 and penetrates the other side surface of the wiper link 2 is caulked and fixed to the other side surface of the wiper link 2. Ball part 19 on tie rod 8
A coupling hole 22 having a larger diameter is formed, and a resin sheet 23 is coupled to the coupling hole 22 by press fitting or insert molding. The seat 23 has a ball press-fitting opening on one end surface.
It is formed in a cup shape having 24. Then, the ball joint 19 is press-fitted into each seat 23 through the ball press-fitting opening 24 of the seat 23 of the tie rod 8, thereby connecting the ball joint 10 to the ball joint. In addition, the ball joint at the connecting point of the rotating lever 6 and the tie rod 7
10 has a similar structure.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described.

By the operation of the motor 4, the rotary lever 6 rotates about the drive shaft 5 as a fulcrum, and the tie rod 7 connected to the rotary lever 6 reciprocates, and the wiper link 1 is attached to the mounting shaft member via the tie rod 7. 3 swings around a fulcrum, and a tie rod 8 connected to the wiper link 1.
Reciprocates, and the wiper ring 2 swings about the mounting shaft member 3 via the tie rod 8. Therefore,
The pair of wiper links 1 and 2 swing synchronously, and the wiper swings integrally with each wiper link 1 and 2.

Then, a ball joint 9 used at a connecting portion between one wiper link 1 and each of the tie rods 7 and 8 is provided.
Since the ball 12 is fixed to the projection 11 of the wiper link 1 by welding, compared to the conventional case of fixing by caulking,
The deformation of the ball 12 when fixing the ball 12 can be reduced,
The rotation (rotation torque) between the ball 12 and the seat 15 is stabilized, and the operation noise of the wiper can be reduced.

In addition, a projection protruding from the wiper link 1
Since the ball 12 is fixed to the stud 13 to form the stud 13, the ball 12 can be fixed away from the wiper link 1 surface, and the seat 12 can be fixed.
15 can be prevented from interfering with the wiper link 1.

Further, two adjacent tie rods 7, 8
Is connected to the wiper link 1
The tie rods 7, 8 connected to the stud 13 via the seat 15 can be operated without interfering with each other even if the studs 13 are provided close to each other.

In the above-described embodiment, the structure of the ball joint 9 is used at the connection between the wiper link 1 and the tie rods 7, 8, but the connection between the rotary lever 6 and the tie rod 7 and the other wiper. The same operation and effect can be obtained even when used at the connecting portion between the link 2 and the tie rod 8.

Although the ball 12 is fixed to the wiper link 1 by welding, the ball 12 may be fixed to the tie rods 7 and 8 by welding.

Also, a ball 12 is attached to the projection 11 of the wiper link 1.
Is preferable in that the manufacture of the wiper link 1 and the ball 12 is easy and cost reduction is achieved.
A stud in which a ball portion and a shaft portion are integrally formed may be used, and the shaft portion of the stud may be fixed to the wiper link 1 by welding.

The application of the structure of the ball joint 9 is not limited to the wiper link device for driving two wipers as in the above embodiment, but to a wiper link device for driving one wiper or three or more wipers. Can also be applied,
Alternatively, the present invention is not limited to the wiper link device, and can be applied to a portion where a pair of members are rotatably connected.

[0028]

According to the ball joint of the first aspect, since the ball is fixed to the ball fixing portion of one of the members by welding, the ball is fixed at the time of fixing the ball as compared with the conventional case of caulking and fixing. Can be reduced, and the rotation of the ball and the seat can be stabilized.

According to the ball joint of the second aspect, in addition to the effect of the ball joint of the first aspect,
Since the ball fixing portion is a projection protruding from one member, the ball can be fixed away from the one member, and the seat can be prevented from interfering with the one member.

According to the wiper link device according to the third aspect, since the ball joint according to the first or second aspect is provided at a location where the tie rod is connected, the operating noise of the wiper can be reduced.

According to the wiper link device of the fourth aspect, since the ball joint according to the first or second aspect is provided at a place where a plurality of tie rods are connected, the operating noise of the wiper can be reduced.

According to the wiper link device of the fifth aspect, in addition to the effect of the wiper link device of the fourth aspect, the wiper link to which two adjacent tie rods are connected is ball fixed to the front and back surfaces of the wiper link. Since the tie rods are provided and the balls are fixed to the respective ball fixing portions by welding, the tie rods connected to the respective balls via the seat can be operated without interfering with each other.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional view of a ball joint of a wiper link device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the wiper link device.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of another ball joint used in the wiper link device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1, 2 Wiper link as one member 6 Rotating lever as rotating body 7, 8 Tie rod as other member 9 Ball joint 11 Projection as ball fixing part 12 Ball

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Masahiro Yamada 500 Furukawa-cho, Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture Inside Somic Ishikawa Hamamatsu Plant (72) Inventor Toshiro Kurusu 1 Toyota Town, Toyota City, Aichi Prefecture Inside Toyota Motor Corporation

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A ball joint for rotatably connecting a pair of members, a ball fixing portion provided on the one member, a ball fixed to the ball fixing portion by welding, and sliding on the ball. A seat that is freely engaged and to which the other member is coupled. 2. The ball joint according to claim 1, wherein the ball fixing portion is a projection protruding from one of the members. 3. A wiper link, a rotating body driven to rotate, a tie rod connected between the wiper link and the rotary body, and one of the pair of members is a tie rod, and the tie rod is connected. A wiper link device comprising: the ball joint according to claim 1 provided at a location. 4. A plurality of wiper links, a rotating body driven to rotate, and a plurality of tie rods connected between the one wiper link and the rotating body and respectively connected between adjacent wiper links. A wiper link device comprising: a tie rod; and the ball joint according to claim 1 or 2 provided at a location where the tie rod is connected. 5. A wiper link, to which two adjacent tie rods are connected, is provided with ball fixing portions on the front and back surfaces thereof, and the balls are fixed to each ball fixing portion by welding, and each ball has a seat provided on each tie rod. The wiper link device according to claim 4, wherein the wiper link device is slidably engaged.