Abstract
A boot can be fastened to a joint housing with a seal. The boot includes a first and a second fastening region, and a pleated region between them. The first fastening region comprises lobe regions and/or guide regions, and connecting regions and a connector seat region, which comprises at least two grooves in at least the lobe regions and/or the guide regions, starting from the connector seat region surface, said grooves being parabolic when viewed in the cross sections and having different depths inside the lobe regions and/or the guide regions.
Claims
1. A boot, comprising: a first fastening region, a second fastening region, and a pleated region between the first fastening region and the second fastening region; wherein the first fastening region includes connecting regions and at least one of lobe regions or guide regions, and further includes a connector seat region that includes at least two grooves in the lobe regions or the guide regions, starting from the connector seat region surface and, said grooves being parabolic and having depths inside the lobe regions or the guide regions such that each of the grooves has a varying depth inside the lobe regions or the guide regions.
2. The boot according to claim 1, wherein a material of the connector seat region located between the at least two grooves has a thickness D.sub.a at half the depth of the grooves in the lobe regions or the guide regions that corresponds to approximately 85% to 115% of a thickness D.sub.b, which is determined between an outer wall or an inner wall of the first fastening region and the respective groove wall of the groove facing it, at half the depth.
3. The boot according to claim 1, wherein there are reinforcing ribs located inside the grooves.
4. The boot according to claim 3, wherein at least one of the reinforcement ribs has a radial orientation.
5. The boot according to claim 3, wherein at least one of the reinforcement ribs is at an angle to a radial orientation of the boot.
6. The boot according to claim 1, wherein the grooves form annular grooves.
7. The boot according to claim 1, wherein a material thickness of the first fastening region is substantially the same underneath the grooves in the lobe regions and/or the guide regions.
8. The boot according to claim 1, wherein there are at least two sealing lips on an undersurface of the first fastening region facing away from the connector seat region surface.
9. The boot according to claim 8, wherein the sealing lips are located substantially beneath the grooves, at least in the lobe regions and/or the guide regions.
10. The boot according to claim 1, wherein there are two positioning ribs in the connecting regions.
11. The boot according to claim 10, wherein at least two sealing lips are located between the two positioning ribs.
12. The boot according to claim 11, wherein the sealing lips and the positioning ribs have different cross section profiles.
13. A joint-shaft connection comprising a boot, the boot including: a first fastening region, a second fastening region, and a pleated region between the first fastening region and the second fastening region; wherein the first fastening region includes connecting regions and at least one of lobe regions or guide regions, and further includes a connector seat region that includes at least two grooves in the lobe regions or the guide regions, starting from the connector seat region surface and having parabolic cross sections with depths in the lobe regions or the guide regions such that each of the grooves has a varying depth inside the lobe regions or the guide regions.
Description
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE DRAWINGS
(1) These and other advantages shall be explained below in greater detail based on the following figures. Therein:
(2) FIG. 1: shows a perspective view of a first example of a boot;
(3) FIG. 2: shows a rotated perspective view of the boot according to FIG. 1;
(4) FIG. 3: shows a sectional view through a groove base of a groove in the boot of FIG. 1;
(5) FIG. 4: shows a perspective view of a second example of a boot according to the disclosure;
(6) FIG. 5: shows a cross section through a groove base of a groove in a boot according to FIG. 4, with a section I-I indicated through two connecting regions;
(7) FIG. 6: shows a sectional view cut along the section I-I shown in FIG. 5, but still showing the entire first connector seat region 12;
(8) FIG. 7: shows a sectional view through a groove base of a groove in the boot according to FIG. 4, with a section II-II through a guide section and a lobe section;
(9) FIG. 8: shows a sectional view along to the section II-II in FIG. 7, but still showing the entire connector seat region 12;
(10) FIG. 9a: shows a cross section through a lobe region of a boot according to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8;
(11) FIG. 9b: shows the cross section through the lobe region according to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, with the connector mounted thereon;
(12) FIG. 10: shows a cross section through a guide section of the boot according to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8;
(13) FIG. 11: shows a cross section through a connecting region of the boot according to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, as well as through a portion of the pleated region;
(14) FIG. 12: shows a cross section through a connecting region of the boot according to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6;
(15) FIG. 13a: shows a cross section through a guide region of a third embodiment of the boot according to the invention; and
(16) FIG. 13b: shows a cross section through a guide section of a fourth embodiment of the boot according to the invention.
DESCRIPTION
(17) It should first be noted that the examples shown in the figures are not to be regarded as limiting. On the contrary, the features described in reference thereto can be combined with one another and with previously described features to obtain further designs. By way of example, there can also be more or fewer than a total of five sealing lips 62.1 to 62.5 on an undersurface 40 of a first fastening region 12. There can also be more than two parabolic grooves 52 and 54, e.g. three or four. The parabolic shape of the grooves 52 and 54 can also differ from that in the figures. There can also be no circumferential grooves 52 and 54, such that there are no grooves 52 and 54 in the connection regions 34. In this case, the groove segments of the grooves 52 and 54 are only located in the lobe regions 30 and the guide regions 32. The boot 10 can also have only three lobe regions 30 and three connecting regions 34, but no guide regions 32. The boot 10 can also have more or fewer pleats 18 in its pleated region, or it can have pleats 18 with a different shape, in particular pleats 18 that have a decreasing diameter toward the second fastening region 14. Furthermore, there do not need to be any positioning ribs 64.1 and 64.2. Lastly, it should be noted that the reference symbols used in the descriptions of the figures and in the claims do not limit the scope of protection of the present invention, but only refer to the examples shown in the figures. There can be a material accumulation 26, but this need not necessarily be the case.
(18) FIG. 1 shows a boot, indicated as a whole with the reference symbol 10, in a first example, which has a first fastening region 12, a second fastening region 14, and a pleated region 16 that has eight pleats 18.1 to 18.8 between them. There is a transition region 24 between the first fastening region 12 and the pleated region 16. There are two parallel circumferential grooves 52 and 54 in the first fastening region 12, which has a first connector seat region 36. The second fastening region 14 has a second connector seat region 37. There are reinforcement ribs 60 in the grooves 52 and 54 in the guide regions and lobe regions, not numbered here, of the boot 10.
(19) FIG. 2 shows the boot 10 of the first example according to FIG. 1, in a rotated view, in which the design of the first fastening region 12 can been seen in greater detail. The first fastening region 12 contains the lobe regions 30, guide regions 32, and connecting regions 34 between the lobe regions 30 and the guide regions 32. There are a total of five parallel circumferential sealing lips on an undersurface 40 of the first fastening region 12, of which only the sealing lip 62.1 is indicated. There are also two positioning ribs 64.1 and 64.2 in the connecting region 34, between which the sealing lips 62.1 to 62.5 are located. The positioning ribs 64.1 and 64.2 are substantially parallel to the sealing lips 62.1 to 62.5. The connector seat region 36 with its connector seat region surface 38, toward which the grooves 52 and 54 open, is located opposite the undersurface 40 of the first fastening region 12.
(20) FIG. 3 shows the first example of the boot 10 according to FIG. 1 in the form of a section through a first groove base of one of the two grooves 52 and 54 according to FIG. 1, showing the location of the reinforcement ribs 60.1 to 60.6 in the grooves 52 and 54. FIG. 3 shows all three of the lobe regions 30.1, 30.2 and 30.3, as well as the three guide regions 32.1, 32.2, and 32.3, in detail, wherein these are each connected to one another by connecting regions 34.1 to 34.6. The material in the first connector seat region 12 is somewhat thinner in the area of the connecting regions 34.1 to 34.6, and it is substantially identical in the lobe regions 30.1 to 30.3 and the guide regions 32.1 to 32.3. Lug-shaped projections 50.2 can also be readily seen in FIG. 3, as well as in FIG. 1. Lug-shaped projections 50.1 can also be located opposite these lug-shaped projections 50.2 in the edge region of the first fastening region 12, but offset thereto (see FIG. 1). The lug-shaped projections 50.1 and 50.2 facilitate the positioning of a connector, not shown here (see FIG. 9b) in the first fastening region 12. The reinforcement ribs 60.1, 60.2, 60.4 and 60.5 are formed at an angle to a radial orientation of the boot 10. In contrast, there are reinforcement ribs 60.3 and 60.6 in the lobe region 30.2 and guide region 32.1 that have a radial orientation.
(21) FIG. 4 shows a boot 10 in a second example, which only differs from that of the first example according to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 in that there are no reinforcement ribs in the grooves 52 and 54 in the lobe regions and the guide regions. This is particularly clear from the sectional view according to FIG. 5 through either of the grooves 52 or 54 shown in FIG. 4. In contrast to FIG. 3, no reinforcement ribs 60 (see FIG. 3) are visible. Otherwise, the design of this boot 10 according to the second example corresponds in this sectional view according to FIG. 5 to that in FIG. 3.
(22) FIG. 6 shows a sectional view through the boot 10 of the second example, along a section I-I, with the first connecting region 12 shown in its entirety. The design of the boot 16 with its eight pleats 18.1 to 18.8 can be readily seen, wherein the pleats 18.5 to 18.8 have substantially the same diameter, while the pleats 18.1 to 18.4 have decreasing diameters toward the second fasting region 14 with its connector seat region 37. There is a material accumulation 26 in the pleat part 22.4 between the pleats 18.3 and 18.4, which is also the case in the first example (see FIG. 2), which has an effect on the bending behavior of the boot 10. The transition region 24 transitions smoothly into a pleat trough 22.1, without a bulge or pleat crest. The section I-I passes through the connecting regions 34.3 and 34.6. A lobe regions 32.2 adjoins the connecting region 34.3, which is connected in turn to the guide region 32.3 via a connecting region 34.4. The guide region 34.3 in turn is connected to a lobe region 30.3 via the guide region 34.5. All of the guide regions contain the positioning ribs 64.1 and 64.2, as has been described above in conjunction with FIG. 2. As with the first example, there are five parallel, circumferential annular sealing lips 62, which are formed on an undersurface 40 of the first fastening region 40. Only the first sealing lip 62.1 is indicated therein.
(23) The two grooves 52 and 54, which open toward a connector seat surface 38, form annular grooves in this second example, as is also the case in the first example, and exhibit a shallow, constant depth in the connecting regions 34.3 and 34.6.
(24) FIG. 7 shows a sectional view in accordance with FIG. 5, but rotated such that the guide region 32.1 is on top, and the lobe region 30.2 is on the bottom. A section II-II is indicated. This section II-II can be seen in FIG. 8, wherein, however, the entire first fastening region 12 is shown in this case. The guide region 32.1 is connected to the lobe region 30.3 via the connecting region 34.6. The guide region 32.3 is connected to the lobe region 30.3 via the connecting region 34.5. The lobe region 30.2 is connected to the guide region 32.3 via the connecting region 34.4. The grooves 52 and 54 have a parabolic design with varying depths, wherein there is a shallower maximum depth between that connector seat region surface 38 and a groove base in the guide region 32.1 than in the lobe region 30.2. The design of the lobe region 30.2 and the guide region 32.1 is explained in greater detail below in reference to FIGS. 9a to 10.
(25) FIGS. 9a and 9b show a cross sectional view through a lobe region 30 of the boot according to the second example shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8. This shows a cross section through a plane that runs through the imaginary main axis of the boot 10 and passes through the second fastening region 14, not shown here (see FIGS. 4, 6 or FIG. 8) in the area of a lobe region 30. The first fastening region 12 comprises, in addition to the connector seat region surface 38 in the connector seat region 36 and the undersurface 40 of an outer wall 42 and an inner wall 44 lying opposite it, wherein the inner wall 44 faces the pleated region 16 (not shown here), while the outer wall 42 faces toward a joint housing, not shown. The two grooves 52 and 54 have a parabolic cross section with a maximum depth T1. Starting from this, a half depth T2 is indicated between a tangent to the groove base 58 and the connector seat region surface 38, which is parallel thereto. A thickness D.sub.a of a rib-shaped material 55 between the two grooves 52 and 54 can be determined at half the depth T2, wherein this thickness D.sub.a is substantially the same as, i.e., that corresponds to approximately 85% to 115%, possibly approximately 90% to 110%, and possibly approximately 93% to 106%, of, a thickness D.sub.b between the outer wall 42 and an adjacent groove wall 56.1, as well as between the inner wall 44 and an adjacent groove wall 56.2. A thickness S.sub.1 can be determined between the groove base 58, or a tangent thereto that is parallel to the undersurface of the first fastening region 12 and the plane of this undersurface 40. As shall be explained below, this thickness S.sub.1 is substantially identical to a thickness S2 that can be determined in the guide region 32 (see FIG. 10).
(26) A total of five sealing lips 62.1 to 62.5 can be readily seen (FIG. 9b) on the undersurface 40, which have a substantially triangular cross section with rounded peaks facing away from the undersurface 40. All of these sealing lips 62.1 to 62.5 lie within the region spanned by the grooves 52 and 54 on the connector seat region surface 38. The connector seat region 36 itself is delimited by an outer boundary wall 46 and an inner boundary wall 48. FIG. 9b shows the location of a connector 80 in the first fastening region 12. The forces generated by the connector 80 are transferred evenly into the material of the lobe regions 30 of the first fastening region 12, by means of which a good seal can be obtained in the boundary surface to the circumferential joint groove located in the joint housing, not shown, via the sealing lips 62.1 to 62.5.
(27) FIG. 10 shows a cross section, corresponding to FIGS. 9a and 9b, through the guide region 32, corresponding to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, which has the thickness S.sub.2 that substantially corresponds to the thickness S.sub.1 of the lobe region in FIGS. 9a and 9b. It can also be seen that the grooves 52 and 54 in this region are shallower than in the lobe region 30 shown in FIGS. 9a and 9b, wherein an opening of the grooves 52 and 54 toward the connector seat region surface 38 is identical, however, and the widths of the openings of the grooves 52 and 54 in the lobe region 30 and the guide region 32, as well as the connecting region 34 (see FIG. 11 and FIG. 12), are identical.
(28) FIG. 11 shows a cross section corresponding to FIGS. 9a and 9b, through the connecting region 34.6 shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, together with the adjacent portion of the pleated region 16 that has the pleats 18.1 and 18.2. The pleat 18.1 has a first pleat trough 22.1 between the transition region 24 and a pleat crest 20.1, and a second pleat trough 22.2 between the second pleat crest 20.2 and the pleat crest 20.1, wherein the pleat trough 22.2 is formed adjacent to the second pleat 18.2. The second pleat 18.2 is defined in turn by the region between the second pleat trough 22.2 and a region defining a third pleat trough 22.3, which contains the second pleat crest 20.2. The transition region 24 does not have a pleat peak, but instead transitions downward to the first pleat 22.1.
(29) The positioning ribs 64.1 and 64.2 can be seen in FIG. 11. It can be seen in the illustration in FIG. 12 that there are positioning ribs 64.1 and 64.2 on the undersurface 40 of the connecting region 34 that are not as high as the sealing lips 62.1 to 62.5, and have a wider base. The two grooves 52 and 54 are very shallow. In an alternative example the connecting region 34 can have no grooves 52 and 54, such that the connector seat region surface 38 of the connector seat region 36 is substantially flat between the outer boundary wall 46 and the inner boundary wall 48.
(30) FIG. 13a shows a third example of the boot, which has a guide region 32 and two parallel grooves 52 and 54 with a parabolic cross section, wherein the respective groove bases 58 thereof each have a dedicated sealing lip 62.1 and 62.2. In a fourth example, two parabolic grooves 52 and 54 are formed according to FIG. 13b in the first fastening region 12, in a guide region 32, wherein each of these grooves 52 and 54 have dedicated pairs of sealing lips 62.1, 62.2, and 62.3 and 62.4.
(31) A boot is described herein that can be located in a joint groove of a tri-lobe joint housing with a very good seal, while at the same time providing a good transference of the forces exerted by a connector thereon into a joint housing. In addition, a breaking of the connector is prevented when it is assembled thereon and fastened at a first fastening region of the boot on a joint housing.
