Ball joint and bearing seat thereof
AssigneeKabushiki Kaisha Somic Ishikawa
InventorToyoaki Yokohara
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A bearing seat of a ball joint improved in lubricity is provided. By opening a plurality of dimples that are opened on a spherical sliding surface that rotatably holds an approximately globular ball portion of a ball stud and house a grease, the dimples can be provided in a balanced manner in proximity to each other, therefore, the grease spreads out between the respective dimples even when sway of the ball portion is relatively small, and lubricity can be improved.
Claims4
A bearing seat provided in a socket with a socket opening, and a spherical sliding surface for rotatably holding an approximately globular ball portion of a ball stud arranged in the socket and wherein the bearing seat has a latitudinal direction, a longitudinal direction, and a bearing seat opening for approximately coinciding with the opening in the socket, comprising:
- a plurality of housing concave portions that are along first and second adjacent longitudinal direction positions on the sliding surface in a manner opposed to an outer circumferential surface of the ball portion for housing a lubricant;
- wherein
- the housing concave portions comprise:
- a plurality of first dimples respectively arranged apart from each other so as to form at least one tier along the latitudinal direction, opened in approximately circular forms, and having opening areas approximately equal to each other;
- and
- a plurality of second dimples including:
- a plurality of small diameter dimples respectively arranged apart from each other along the latitudinal direction at positions of a side opposite the socket opening with respect to the at least one tier of the first dimples forming a tier, opened in approximately circular forms, and having opening areas approximately equal to each other;
- and
- a plurality of large diameter dimples respectively arranged apart from each other along the latitudinal direction at positions of a side of the socket opening with respect to the small dimples, opened in approximately circular forms, and having opening areas larger than those of the first dimples and approximately equal to each other.
A ball joint comprising:
- a socket with an opening portion;
- a bearing seat provided in the socket;
- and
- a ball stud having:
- an approximately globular ball portion rotatably held in the bearing seat and housed in the socket;
- and
- a stud portion provided in a protruding condition from this ball portion and to be inserted through the opening portion,
- wherein the bearing seat includes:
- a spherical sliding surface rotatably holding the ball portion and has a latitudinal direction and a longitudinal direction;
- an opening approximately coinciding with the opening portion;
- and
- a plurality of housing concave portions that are opened on the sliding surface in a manner opposed to an outer circumferential surface of the ball portion and house a lubricant, wherein the plurality of housing concave portions includes:
- a plurality of first dimples respectively arranged apart from each other so as to form at least one tier along the latitudinal direction, opened in approximately circular forms, and having opening areas approximately equal to each other;
- and
- a plurality of second dimples including:
- a plurality of small diameter dimples respectively arranged apart from each other along the latitudinal direction at positions of a side opposite the opening with respect to the at least one tier of the first dimples, opened in approximately circular forms, and having opening areas approximately equal to each other;
- and
- a plurality of large diameter dimples respectively arranged apart from each other along the latitudinal direction at positions of a side of the opening with respect to the small dimples, opened in approximately circular forms, and having opening areas larger than those of the first dimples and approximately equal to each other.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.