Joints and connections – Having a joining piece extending through aligned openings in...
Reexamination Certificate
2002-05-21
2004-04-13
Lagman, Frederick L. (Department: 3673)
Joints and connections
Having a joining piece extending through aligned openings in...
C267S141000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06719482
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a floating support structure, and more specifically to a floating support structure, which can restrain conduction of vibrations from a wiper frame of a wiper apparatus to a vehicle body.
2. Description of Related Art
A wiper apparatus is generally arranged at a lower end of a windshield of a vehicle. Some previously proposed wiper apparatuses have a wiper frame, which is installed to a vehicle body. A wiper motor and a wiper link mechanism are connected to the wiper frame. The wiper link mechanism coverts rotation of the wiper motor to rotational reciprocating movement of a pivot shaft. A wiper arm is secured to the pivot shaft, and a wiper blade is connected to a distal end of the wiper arm. During operation of the wiper apparatus, the rotation of the wiper motor is converted to reciprocatory pushing and pulling movements of the wiper link mechanism. The reciprocatory pushing and pulling movements of the wiper link mechanism generate vibrations in the wiper link mechanism and are conducted to the wiper frame. Also, vibrations are generated in the wiper motor and are also conducted to the wiper frame. Thus, in a process of installing the wiper frame to the vehicle body, a floating support structure (vibration damping rubber) is provided between the wiper frame and the vehicle body to restrain conduction of the vibrations from the wiper frame to the vehicle body.
FIG. 11
is a partial schematic cross-sectional view, showing a previously proposed floating support structure. A pivot holder
51
is integrally connected to a wiper frame (not shown) and rotatably supports a pivot shaft (not shown). The pivot holder
51
has a mounting portion
52
. A mounting hole
52
a
penetrates through the mounting portion
52
, and a vibration damping rubber
53
is inserted into the mounting hole
52
a
of the mounting portion
52
. The vibration damping rubber
53
includes a receiving through hole
54
, which penetrates through the vibration damping rubber
53
. A collar
55
is inserted into the receiving through hole
54
. The collar
55
includes a cylindrical body
56
and a flange
57
. The flange
57
extends radially outwardly from one end (lower end in
FIG. 11
) of the cylindrical body
56
. A through hole
56
a
axially penetrates through the cylindrical body
56
and is formed as a threaded hole. A fastening hole
58
a
penetrates through a vehicle body
58
.
A bolt
59
is inserted through the fastening hole
58
a
of the vehicle body
58
and is threaded into the threaded hole
56
a
of the collar
55
, which is, in turn, inserted into the receiving through hole
54
of the vibration damping rubber
53
. Thus, the mounting portion
52
is floatingly supported by the vehicle body
58
through the vibration damping rubber
53
. At this stage, the other end
56
b
(upper end in
FIG. 11
) of the cylindrical body
56
of the collar
55
abuts against a circumferential edge of the fastening hole
58
a
of the vehicle body
58
. In this way, excessive compression of the vibration damping rubber
53
between the vehicle body
58
and the flange
57
of the collar
55
upon tightening of the bolt
59
is restrained by the other end
56
b
of the collar
55
. Thus, a reduction in vibration damping performance of the vibration damping rubber
53
is advantageously restrained. As shown in
FIG. 12
, the collar
55
can be insert molded into the vibration damping rubber
53
.
In the above state where the other end
56
b
of the cylindrical body
56
abuts against the circumferential edge of the fastening hole
58
a
, when the bolt
59
is further threadably tightened, an excessive force can be applied from the other end
56
b
of the cylindrical body
56
due to the fact that an end surface area of the other end
56
b
of the cylindrical body
56
is relatively small. This excessive force applied from the other end
56
b
of the cylindrical body
56
can generate a crack, such as a crack K shown in
FIG. 13A
, around the circumferential edge of the fastening hole
58
a
. Furthermore, the relatively small surface area of the other end
56
b
of the cylindrical body
56
can also cause the other end
56
b
of the cylindrical body
56
to be inserted into the fastening hole
58
a
when the bolt
59
is further threadably tightened, as shown in FIG.
13
B.
To address the above disadvantage, it is conceivable to enlarge the fastening hole
58
a
, so that the other end
56
b
of the cylindrical body
56
is inserted through the fastening hole
58
a
and directly abuts against the bolt
59
. However, when the fastening hole
58
a
is enlarged to have a clearance between the circumferential edge of the fastening hole
58
a
and the other end
56
b
of the cylindrical body
56
, a mounting position of the wiper frame relative to the vehicle body
58
can be improperly shifted.
Furthermore, it is also conceivable to provide two collars
60
,
61
, which are inserted into the vibration damping rubber
53
, as shown in FIG.
14
. The collar
61
has a relatively large flange
61
a
, which abuts against the circumferential edge of the fastening hole
58
a
of the vehicle body
58
. However, the provision of the two collars
60
,
61
increases the number of the components and the number of the manufacturing steps, causing an increase in the manufacturing costs.
Furthermore, when the bolt
59
is tightened or loosened relative to the threaded hole
56
a
of the cylindrical body
56
of the collar
55
, it could happen that the collar
55
rotates together with the bolt
59
relative to the vibration damping rubber
53
, so that the bolt
59
cannot be further tightened or further loosened. This is likely to happen particularly when the bolt
59
is rusted.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention addresses the above disadvantages. Thus, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a floating support structure that can securely mount a mountable member to a mount member without causing a substantial increase in a manufacturing cost of the floating support structure.
To achieve the objective of the present invention, there is provided a floating support structure for floatingly supporting a mountable member relative to a mount member. The floating support structure includes a mount assembly. The mount assembly has a collar and a vibration damping member. The collar includes a hollow cylindrical body, a larger diameter flange and a stopper. The hollow cylindrical body has female threads formed along an inner circumferential surface of the cylindrical body. The female threads of the cylindrical body are threadably engageable with a screw member, which is inserted through a fastening hole of the mount member, to secure the collar to the mount member. The larger diameter flange is provided at one end of the cylindrical body located apart from the mount member. The stopper protrudes from the larger diameter flange generally in an axial direction of the cylindrical body on a cylindrical body side of the larger diameter flange and is located between opposed side walls of a mouth of a recessed opening that is recessed in a mounting portion of the mountable member in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the cylindrical body of the collar. The vibration damping member includes a tubular body, a first flange and a second flange. The tubular body extends in the axial direction of the cylindrical body of the collar and has a receiving through hole. The receiving through hole axially penetrates through the tubular body and receives the cylindrical body of the collar. The tubular body is received in the recessed opening of the mounting portion of the mountable member. The first flange is provided at one end of the tubular body located adjacent to the mount member. The second flange is provided at the other end of the tubular body located apart from the mount member. The vibration damping member is clamped between the larger diameter flange of the collar and the mount member when the screw member is thre
Asmo Co. Ltd.
Lagman Frederick L.
Posz & Bethards, PLC
LandOfFree
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