Vehicular dust cover assembly and manufacturing method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9630471-B2
Application number	US-201514957037-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 2, 2015
Priority date	Mar 12, 2014
Publication date	Apr 25, 2017
Grant date	Apr 25, 2017

Abstract

A vehicular dust cover assembly including: an upper support; a bound stopper and a dust cover assembled to the upper support; and an engaging step provided on an outer circumferential surface of the bound stopper. A top end part of the dust cover is externally fit to a top end part of the bound stopper. The upper support includes an outer metal fitting having a fitting recess within which the top end part of the bound stopper is fit and assembled. An engaging projection is provided projecting on an inner surface of the fitting recess to be engaged with the engaging step with the dust cover interposed therebetween. The bound stopper includes an axial pushing operation surface exposed facing axially downward which is provided at a lower side than the engaging step and at a position inside the fitting recess.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicular dust cover assembly comprising:
an upper support configured to mount a shock absorber to a vehicle body;
a bound stopper and a dust cover assembled to the upper support; and
an engaging step provided on an outer circumferential surface of the bound stopper, wherein
a top end part of the dust cover is externally fit to a top end part of the bound stopper while being overlapped on the engaging step,
the upper support includes an outer metal fitting configured to be fixed to the vehicle body, and having a fitting recess within which the top end part of the bound stopper is fit and assembled,
an engaging projection is provided projecting on an inner surface of the fitting recess and the engaging projection is engaged with the engaging step with the dust cover interposed therebetween so that the bound stopper and the dust cover are retained and held in relation to the outer metal fitting, and
the bound stopper includes an axial pushing operation surface exposed facing downward in an axial direction of the dust cover, the pushing operation surface being provided at a lower side than the engaging step of the bound stopper and at a position inside the fitting recess of the outer metal fitting.

2. The vehicular dust cover assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the engaging projection of the outer metal fitting includes an engaging surface located at a top side than its apex and overlapping the engaging step of the bound stopper with the dust cover interposed therebetween and a tapered guide surface that gradually expands facing downward located at a lower side than the apex, and
an external diameter dimension of the pushing operation surface is made to be larger than an inner diameter dimension of the engaging projection of the outer metal fitting.

3. The vehicular dust cover assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the outer metal fitting includes a tapered abutting surface that gradually narrows facing upward provided on an inner circumferential surface upward from the engaging projection in the fitting recess thereof,
the bound stopper includes a tapered overlapping surface that gradually narrows facing upward on the outer circumferential surface upward from the engaging step, and
the overlapping surface of the bound stopper is covered by the top end part of the dust cover while being overlapped on the abutting surface of the outer metal fitting sandwiching the dust cover.

4. The vehicular dust cover assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the engaging step of the bound stopper and the engaging projection of the outer metal fitting are both formed along an entire circumference in a circumferential direction.

5. The vehicular dust cover assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the pushing operation surface of the bound stopper is formed along an entire circumference in a circumferential direction.

6. The vehicular dust cover assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the bound stopper includes a groove-shaped constricted part extending in a circumferential direction provided on the outer circumferential surface thereof, and the pushing operation surface is located to an upper side than the constricted part.

7. The vehicular dust cover assembly according to claim 1 , wherein at the lower side than the engaging step of the bound stopper, the bound stopper inserted internally in the dust cover inside the fitting recess of the outer metal fitting is assembled in a non-compressed state in a radial direction without pressing on an inner circumferential surface of the dust cover.

8. The vehicular dust cover assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the outer metal fitting is a die cast molded article of an aluminum alloy.

9. The vehicular dust cover assembly according to claim 1 , wherein the dust cover is made of an elastomer.

10. A manufacturing method of a vehicular dust cover assembly including an upper support configured to be mounted on a vehicle body and a bound stopper configured to be externally inserted and mounted on a piston rod of a shock absorber, upon fitting and assembling a top end part of the bound stopper into a fitting recess of an outer metal fitting of the upper support, the method comprising steps of:
preparing the bound stopper to have an engaging step provided on its outer circumferential surface, and a pushing operation surface with a larger outer diameter than an inner diameter of the engaging step provided at a lower side than the engaging step;
preparing the outer metal fitting to have an engaging projection provided projecting on an inner surface of the fitting recess, the engaging projection being configured to be engaged with the engaging step of the bound stopper so as to retain and hold the bound stopper with respect to the fitting recess;
externally fitting a dust cover, which covers the piston rod, on the top end part of the bound stopper, while overlapping and mounting the dust cover on the engaging step; and then
applying an assembly external force upward in an axial direction against the pushing operation surface of the bound stopper positioned inside the fitting recess of the outer metal fitting and exposed facing downward in the axial direction inside the dust cover so as to push and assemble the top end part of the bound stopper, for which the dust cover is externally fit, into the fitting recess of the outer metal fitting.

Assignees

• Sumitomo Riko Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kato Kenichi

Classifications

• B60G99/002 Primary

  Suspension details of the suspension of the vehicle body on the vehicle chassis · CPC title

• F16F9/38 Primary

  Covers for protection or appearance · CPC title

• B60G2204/125

  Mounting of rubber type springs · CPC title

• B60G2202/32

  The spring being in series with the damper and/or actuator · CPC title

• B60G2204/128

  Damper mount on vehicle body or chassis · CPC title