Joints and connections – Articulated members – Lockable at fixed position
Reexamination Certificate
1999-11-30
2001-08-14
Browne, Lynne H. (Department: 3629)
Joints and connections
Articulated members
Lockable at fixed position
C403S363000, C074S586000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06273631
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION AND RELATED ART STATEMENT
This invention relates to a connecting rod or a con rod which is provided with a pair of ball joints at both ends of a rod-like connecting portion, and more particularly, to an improvement of a connecting rod which is capable of freely adjusting the distance between pivoting centers of these ball joints by means of the connecting portion.
In transmission control parts of automobiles, link mechanism parts of height control sensors and various other automatic machines or the like, many examples where a link motion mechanism uses a connecting rod provided with a pair of ball joints at both ends of a rod-like connecting portion have been observed. To ensure the smooth and accurate operation of such a link mechanism, in some cases, it becomes necessary to perform the adjustment of the distance between pivoting centers of a pair of ball joints (hereinafter called the adjustment between the centers).
Conventionally, as such a connecting rod which is capable of performing the adjustment between the centers, connecting rods disclosed in Japanese laid-open patent publication Hei 10-159818 and the like have been known. In these connecting rods, female threaded portions for connection are respectively formed in a pair of ball joints such that the female threaded portions have threading directions opposite from each other, and on both ends of the rod-like connecting portion to which these ball joints are joined, male threaded portions which are engaged with the female threaded portions are formed. By rotating the connecting portion, an amount of thread engagement between the male threaded portion and the female threaded portion is adjusted and hence, the distance between the centers of a pair of ball joints can be adjusted. Furthermore, lock nuts are respectively engaged with respective male threaded portions of the connecting portion and they prevents the relative rotation between the connecting portion and respective ball joints by fastening these lock nuts after the completion of the adjustment so as not to spoil the adjusted distance between the centers by an unintentional rotation of the connecting portion.
In these conventional connecting rods, however, at the time of performing the adjustment between centers, a pair of lock nuts must be loosened first and then the connecting portion must be rotated to adjust an amount of thread engagement between the female threaded portion and the male threaded portion, and after the completion of the adjustment, a pair of lock nuts must be fastened again and hence, there has been a problem that the operation to perform the adjustment between the centers is cumbersome.
In addition, there has been a problem that it is necessary to perform tapping of the female threaded portions and the male threaded portions at respective ball joints and the connecting portion so that the machining cost is increased by an amount corresponding to such an additional machining, while a pair of lock nuts are necessary so that the number of parts is increased thus pushing up the manufacturing cost.
OBJECT OF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems and it is an object of the present invention to provide a connecting rod equipped with ball joints which can easily adjust the distance between pivoting centers of a pair of ball joints provided to both ends of a connecting portion and can manufacture the connecting rods at a low cost.
To achieve the above-mentioned object, in the connecting rod equipped with ball joints according to the present invention which comprises first and second ball joints which are made of ball-shanks and holders tiltably connected with ball-shanks and a connecting portion which connects the holders of the first and second ball joints and is capable of adjusting the distance between the centers of a pair of the ball-shanks, the improvement is characterized in that the connecting portion is comprised of first and second connecting arms which are integrally formed with the holders of the first and second ball joints and on which a plurality of positioning teeth which are meshed with each other are respectively arranged in a longitudinal direction, and fixing means which makes the first and second connecting arms engaged with each other in the condition that the positioning teeth of the first and second connecting arms are meshed with each other.
Due to such a technical means, by engaging the first and second connecting arms which are integrally formed with holders of the first and second ball joints with each other by means of the fixing means, the connecting portion which connects the holders of the first and second ball joints is formed. Here, a plurality of positioning teeth are arranged on the first and second connecting arms respectively in a longitudinal direction and the connecting arms are engaged with each other in the condition that these positioning teeth are meshed with each other and hence, by merely loosening the engaged condition produced by the fixing means and thereafter shifting the meshed position of the teeth of the first connecting arm and the teeth of the second connecting arm, the length of the connecting portion, that is, the distance between the centers of the first ball joint and the second ball joint can be easily adjusted.
Furthermore, by arranging the positioning teeth at a given pitch relative to respective connecting arms, at the time of changing the distance between the centers of the first ball joint and the second ball joint, the distance between the centers can be easily shortened or extended by an aimed distance by counting the number of these positioning teeth.
Furthermore, the first and second connecting arms can be molded integrally with the holders by die casting or the like at the time of forming the holders. In such a case, since the above-mentioned positioning teeth can be simultaneously molded with respective connecting arms, the connecting rods can be easily manufactured and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.
On the other hand, with respect to the above-mentioned fixing means, the specific construction thereof can be properly changed so long as the first and second connecting arms can be engaged in the condition that the positioning teeth are meshed with each other. In the simplest case, the fixing means may be comprised of a bolt which passes through the first and second connecting arms and a nut which is engaged with the bolt so as to fasten these connecting arms. In case the bolt and the nut are used as the fixing means, the adjustment between the centers can be readily performed by merely loosening the connecting arms fastened by the bolt and the nut first, and then changing the meshed condition of the positioning teeth, and thereafter fastening the connecting arms by the bolt and the nut again.
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Abstract of Japanese Patent Publ. No. 10159818; dated Jun. 16, 1998.
Sakae Takashi
Takahashi Kunihisa
Arent Fox Kintner & Plotkin & Kahn, PLLC
Bochna David E.
Browne Lynne H.
THK Co. Ltd.
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