JP3034434B2 - Axle equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an axle device provided for an industrial vehicle such as a forklift.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as this type of axle device, for example, there is one shown in FIG. That is, the king pin 61 is connected to the left and right ends of the upper axle plate 62 and the lower axle plate.
The knuckle 64 is inserted between the left and right ends and is rotatably held around the vertical axis.The knuckle 64 is fitted over the king pin 61 and provided between the upper axle plate 62 and the lower axle plate 63. Have been. An upper case 65, a lower case 66, and a thrust ball bearing 67 inserted between the two cases 65, 66 are provided between the upper axle plate 62 and the knuckle 64.

The two cases 65 and 66 and the thrust ball bearing 67 are fitted on the king pin 61, respectively. The lower case 66 includes a disk portion 66a inserted between the lower surface of the thrust ball bearing 67 and the upper surface of the knuckle 64, and a peripheral portion 66b rising upward from the outer peripheral edge of the disk portion 66a. The lower wheel 68 of the thrust ball bearing 67 is fitted. The upper case 65 includes a disk portion 65a inserted between the upper surface of the thrust ball bearing 67 and the lower surface of the upper axle plate 62.
And a peripheral portion hanging down from an outer peripheral edge of the disk portion 65a.
Thrust ball bearing
The upper wheel 69 of 67 is fitted. Peripheral edge of upper case 65
65b covers the peripheral edge 66b of the lower case 66 over the outer periphery. An injection hole 70 for injecting grease into the thrust ball bearing 67 is formed in the king pin 61.

According to this, since the grease injected from the injection hole 70 is filled between the upper case 65 and the lower case 66, the grease sufficiently spreads to the thrust ball bearing 67. Excess grease is discharged from a gap between the upper case 65 and the lower case 66. Further, the outer periphery of the thrust ball bearing 67 is formed on the periphery 65b of the upper case 65.
And the peripheral edge 66b of the lower case 66, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from entering the thrust ball bearing 67.

[0005]

However, in the above-described conventional type, two cases such as the upper case 65 and the lower case 66 are required.
Types of cases are required, and the upper case 65 and the lower case 66 are respectively provided with disk portions 65a, 66a and a peripheral portion 65a.
b, 66b, so that the processing is troublesome,
Cost was increased. In addition, it took time to incorporate the king pin 61. Further, the upper case 65 and the lower case 66 allow the upper axle plate 62
Since the height H to the lower surface of the axle device was increased, the size of the axle device was increased in the vertical direction.

[0006] The present invention solves the above-mentioned problems, and can reduce the cost, simplify the installation of the kingpin,
It is an object of the present invention to provide an axle device that can be downsized vertically.

[0007]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an axle device having a knuckle for steering a wheel in a steering direction at each of right and left ends of axle body via king pins. The axle body is formed of a pair of upper and lower axle plates, and the kingpin is inserted between the left and right ends of the upper axle plate and the left and right ends of the lower axle plate and held rotatably about a vertical axis. The knuckle is externally fitted to the kingpin and provided between the upper and lower axle plates, the bearing is externally fitted to the kingpin and inserted between the upper surface of the knuckle and the lower surface of the upper axle plate, and has a cylindrical shape around the outer periphery of the bearing. The case is externally fitted, and an injection hole for injecting lubricant into the bearing is formed in the kingpin, and the inner diameter of the case is larger than the outer diameter of the bearing.
Formed between the inner peripheral surface of the case and the outer peripheral surface of the bearing.
The height of the case is higher than the height of the bearing.
Is also formed low, under the top of the case and under the upper axle plate
Surface or between the lower surface of the case and the upper surface of the knuckle.
A gap was formed in any of them, and injected from the injection hole
Excess lubricant out of the lubricant passes through
Is discharged to In the second invention, the case is
It is supported on the upper surface of the vehicle. The third invention
Is a thrust body having an upper wheel and a lower wheel as bearings.
Roller bearings are used, and a cylindrical inner
A case is provided, and the case is provided via an inner case,
Either upper or lower thrust ball bearing wheel
It is one that is attached to the crab. The fourth invention relates to a shaft
As a bearing, a thrust bowl having an upper wheel and a lower wheel
A ring is used, and the inner peripheral surface of the case is
The protrusion protruding in the direction is integrally formed over the entire circumference,
The case has a thrust ball bearing
Attached to either the upper or lower wheel
It is.

[0008]

According to the above construction, since the lubricant injected from the injection hole is filled in the inside of the case, the lubricant is sufficiently distributed to the bearing. Excess lubricant passes through the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the bearing and the inner peripheral surface of the case, and is discharged from the gap between the upper end of the case and the lower surface of the upper axle plate or the gap between the lower end of the case and the upper surface of the knuckle. You. Further, since the outer periphery of the bearing is covered by the case, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from entering the bearing. As described above, by forming the case into a single cylindrical shape, the cost can be reduced and the incorporation of the kingpin can be simplified. Also,
Since the height from the upper surface of the knuckle to the lower surface of the upper axle plate only needs to be a space where the bearing can be mounted, the axle device can be downsized vertically.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A first embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. As shown in FIG. 4, an axle device 2 for a rear wheel is provided at a rear portion of a forklift 1 which is an example of an industrial vehicle. This axle device 2 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of left and right knuckles 5 for turning the rear wheel 4 in the steering direction, a pair of left and right tie rods 6a and 6b for rotatably connecting the two knuckles 5 to each other in the same direction. It is composed of a pair of left and right steering cylinders 7a and 7b for rotating the knuckle 5.

As shown in FIG. 1, the axle body 3
Are a pair of upper and lower axle plates 9 and a lower axle plate
10 and a vertical plate 11 connecting the upper axle plate 9 and the lower axle plate 10 to each other. The knuckles 5 are provided at both left and right ends of the axle main body 3 via king pins 12.

That is, both ends of the upper axle plate 9 and both ends of the lower axle plate 10 are respectively formed with pin holes 13 penetrating in the vertical direction so as to face each other. The king pin 12 is inserted through a pin hole 13 of the upper axle plate 9 and a pin hole 13 of the lower axle plate 10, and is rotatably held around a vertical axis 15 via a ferrule 14.

The knuckle 5 is provided between the upper axle plate 9 and the lower axle plate 10 so as to be fitted on the king pin 12. Knuckle 5 and Kingpin 12 are lock bolts
They are integrally fixed to each other by 16. As shown in FIG. 3, the outer peripheral surface of each knuckle 5 has a spindle portion.
17, a first arm 18 and a second arm 19 are provided.
As shown in FIG. 1, the hub of the rear wheel 4 is
20 are installed.

A thrust ball bearing 21 (an example of a bearing) which receives a thrust load acting on the knuckle 5 is inserted between the upper surface of the knuckle 5 and the lower surface of the upper axle plate 9. The thrust ball bearing 21 is externally fitted to the king pin 12 and
Is formed smaller than the outer diameter of the cylindrical portion 22 of the knuckle 5.

A cylindrical case 23 is fitted around the outer periphery of the thrust ball bearing 21. This case
23 is made of an elastic material such as rubber, a resin material such as plastic, or a metal material. As shown in FIG. 2, the inner diameter of the case 23 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the thrust ball bearing 21, and the outer diameter of the case 23 is
Slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the cylindrical part 22 of the
The height of 23 is formed slightly lower than the height of thrust ball bearing 21. As a result, a slight gap 25 is formed between the inner peripheral surface of the case 23 and the outer peripheral surface of the thrust ball bearing 21, and the case 23 is supported on the upper surface of the knuckle 5, and the upper surface of the case 23 and the upper surface A slight gap 26 is formed between the lower surface of the axle plate 9 and the lower surface.

Each kingpin 12 has an injection hole for injecting grease (an example of a lubricant) into the thrust ball bearing 21.
27 are formed. One end of this injection hole 27 is a kingpin
The upper end of the thrust ball bearing 21 is open at the other end and the other end is open at the outer peripheral surface of the king pin 12. A grease nipple 28 is attached to one end of the injection hole 27.

As shown in FIG. 3, the steering cylinders 7a and 7b are provided between the upper axle plate 9 and the lower axle plate 10 via a bracket 29, respectively. The tip of the piston rod 30a of one of the steering cylinders 7a is connected to the first arm 18 of the knuckle 5 on one side, and
The distal end of the piston rod 30b is connected to the first arm 18 of the knuckle 5 on the other side. The steering cylinders 7a and 7b operate in conjunction with the steering handle 31 of the forklift 1.

A center arm 33 is provided at the center of the axle body 3 and between the upper axle plate 9 and the lower axle plate 10 via a center pin 32 inserted vertically. Have been. This center arm 33
The free end of the knuckle 5 and the second arm 19 of the knuckle 5 on one side are connected by one tie rod 6a, and the free end of the center arm 33 and the second arm 19 of the knuckle 5 on the other side are connected to the other tie rod 6a. 6b.

The operation of the above configuration will be described below.
The grease injected from the grease nipple 28 fills the inside of the case 23 through the injection hole 27 as shown by a dotted arrow in FIG. 2, so that the grease sufficiently spreads to the thrust ball bearing 21. Excess grease is discharged from the gap 26. Furthermore, since the outer periphery of the thrust ball bearing 21 is covered by the case 23, foreign substances can be prevented from entering the inside of the thrust ball bearing 21. By forming the case 23 in a single cylindrical shape, the cost can be reduced and the incorporation of the king pin 12 can be simplified.

The height H from the upper surface of the knuckle 5 to the lower surface of the upper axle plate 9 is equal to the thrust ball bearing 21.
The axle device 2 can be downsized up and down since there is only a space for mounting the axle.

When the operator rotates the steering handle 31 to one side, the piston rod 30a of the one steering cylinder 7a extends and the knuckle 5 on one side moves in the steering direction as shown by the phantom line in FIG. The center arm 33 rotates through one tie rod 6a while rotating.
Rotates, and in conjunction with this, the other tie rod 6b swings and the knuckle 5 on the other side also rotates in the steering direction.

In the above embodiment, the axle device 2 of the forklift 1 which is an example of an industrial vehicle is described, but an axle device such as a wheel loader may be used. Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

The second embodiment has a structure in which a cylindrical inner case 41 is provided inside the case 23. That is, the inner case 41 is externally fitted in close contact with the upper wheel 42 of the thrust ball bearing 21. The case 23 is closely fitted to the inner case 41 and externally fitted thereto. As a result, the case 23 is attached to and held by the upper wheel 42 of the thrust ball bearing 21 via the inner case 41. A slight gap 43 is formed between the lower surface of the case 23 and the upper surface of the knuckle 5. The inner case 41 is made of an elastic material such as rubber, a resin material such as plastic, or a metal material.

According to this, the grease injected from the grease nipple 28 is filled into the inside of the case 23 through the injection hole 27 as indicated by a dotted arrow, so that the grease sufficiently spreads to the thrust ball bearing 21 and the excess The grease is discharged from the gap 43. Further, since the case 23 is mounted and held on the upper wheel 42 of the thrust ball bearing 21 via the inner case 41, it is possible to prevent the case 23 from rattling.

In the second embodiment, the case 23 is mounted on the upper wheel 42 of the thrust ball bearing 21, but may be mounted on the lower wheel 44 via the inner case 41. Hereinafter, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

The third embodiment has a structure in which the inner case 41 shown in the second embodiment is formed integrally with the case 23.
That is, at one end of the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical case 51, a projection 53 projecting in the direction of the axis 15 is formed integrally over the entire circumference. This projection 53 is the thrust ball bearing 21
Of the case 51
Is mounted and held on the upper wheel 42 of the thrust ball bearing 21. The case 51 is made of an elastic material such as rubber, a resin material such as plastic, or a metal material.

According to this, since the case 51 is attached to and held by the upper wheel 42 of the thrust ball bearing 21 via the projection 53, it is possible to prevent the case 51 from rattling. Further, since the protrusion 53 is formed integrally with the case 51, the number of components can be reduced as compared with the second embodiment, and the case 51 can be easily mounted.

In the third embodiment, the case 51 is mounted on the upper wheel 42 of the thrust ball bearing 21, but may be mounted on the lower wheel 44. In each of the above embodiments, the thrust ball bearing 21 is described as an example of the bearing, but this may be another bearing. Although grease is used as an example of the lubricant, lubricating oil may be used.

[0028]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the lubricant injected from the injection hole is filled inside the case,
Lubricant is sufficiently distributed to the bearing. Excess lubricant passes through the gap between the outer peripheral surface of the bearing and the inner peripheral surface of the case, and is discharged from the gap between the upper end of the case and the lower surface of the upper axle plate or the gap between the lower end of the case and the upper surface of the knuckle. You. Further, since the outer periphery of the bearing is covered by the case, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from entering the bearing. In this way, by forming the case into one cylindrical shape,
The cost can be reduced, and the incorporation of the kingpin can be simplified. In addition, since the height from the upper surface of the knuckle to the lower surface of the upper axle plate only needs to be a space in which the bearing can be mounted, the axle device can be downsized vertically.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a knuckle mounting structure of an axle device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a detailed cross-sectional view of a bearing case provided on a knuckle mounting portion of the axle device.

FIG. 3 is a partially cutaway plan view of the axle device.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a forklift having the axle device.

FIG. 5 is a detailed sectional view of a bearing case according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a detailed sectional view of a bearing case according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a knuckle mounting structure of an axle device in a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Axle device 3 Axle body 4 Rear wheel 5 Knuckle 9 Upper axle plate 10 Lower axle plate 12 King pin 15 Vertical shaft center 21 Thrust ball bearing (Bearing) 23 Case 27 Injection hole 51 Case

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on front page (58) Field surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) B62D 7/18

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. An axle device in which knuckles for steering wheels in a steering direction are provided at left and right ends of axle body via respective king pins, wherein the axle body is formed by a pair of upper and lower axle plates, and the king pin is formed by an upper axle. The knuckle is inserted between the left and right ends of the plate and the left and right ends of the lower axle plate so as to be rotatable about a vertical axis. A bearing is externally fitted to the kingpin and inserted between the upper surface of the knuckle and the lower surface of the upper axle plate, a cylindrical case is externally fitted to the outer periphery of the bearing, and a lubricant is injected into the kingpin into the bearing. injection holes are formed, the inner diameter of the case is formed larger than the outer diameter of the bearing
A gap is formed between the inner peripheral surface of the case and the outer peripheral surface of the bearing.
Is, the height of the case is formed lower than the height of the bearing,
Between the top of the case and the bottom of the upper axle plate or
A gap is formed between the bottom of the knuckle and the top of the knuckle.
Made that, among the injected lubricant from the injection hole, excess lubricant
The axle device is characterized in that the axle is discharged outside through the gaps . 2. A case is supported on an upper surface of a knuckle.
The axle device according to claim 1, wherein: 3. The bearing has an upper wheel and a lower wheel.
A thrust ball bearing is used, and a cylindrical inner case is provided inside the case, and the case is connected to a thrust ball bearing via the inner case.
Mounted on either the upper or lower ring of the ring
The axle device according to claim 1, wherein 4. A bearing having an upper wheel and a lower wheel.
A thrust ball bearing is used, and the inner peripheral surface of the case has a protrusion that projects in the direction of the vertical axis.
The case is formed integrally over the circumference, and the case is
Mounted on either the upper or lower wheel of the
The axle device according to claim 1, wherein: