LUBRICATABLE CAB MOUNTING ASSEMBLY

Abstract

A cab mounting assembly connecting a cab and a frame is configured so that grease is supplied to contact portions to prevent wear and noise. The cab mounting assembly hinge-connects a frame of a vehicle and a cab in which an occupant sits. A collar is disposed outside a fixing bolt hinge-connecting the frame and the cab. A hinge cushion is fitted around the collar to buffer vibration transmitted to the cab. At least one surface of an internal surface of the hinge cushion and an external surface of the collar is provided with a groove through which oil supplied into the hinge cushion flows to an end portion of the hinge cushion.

Claims

1. A lubricatable cab mounting assembly hinge-connecting a frame of a vehicle and a cab in which an occupant sits, the lubricatable cab mounting assembly comprising: a collar disposed outside a fixing bolt hinge-connecting the frame and the cab; and a hinge cushion fitted around the collar to buffer vibration transmitted to the cab, wherein at least one surface of an internal surface of the hinge cushion and an external surface of the collar is provided with a groove through which oil supplied into the hinge cushion flows to an end portion of the hinge cushion.

2. The lubricatable cab mounting assembly of claim 1, wherein the hinge cushion includes: an external housing; an internal housing positioned inside the external housing at a predetermined distance from the external housing to form a space therebetween; and a cushion rubber filling the space between the external housing and the internal housing.

3. The lubricatable cab mounting assembly of claim 2, wherein the hinge cushion further includes: an internal sleeve provided inside the internal housing and being in contact with the collar, wherein an internal surface of the internal sleeve is provided with an internal groove through which the oil flows.

4. The lubricatable cab mounting assembly of claim 3, wherein the internal groove includes a spiral shape.

5. The lubricatable cab mounting assembly of claim 3, wherein the cushion rubber includes a protrusion on one end portion of the cushion rubber to protrude in a circumferential direction of the hinge cushion.

6. The lubricatable cab mounting assembly of claim 5, wherein the groove is formed in the protrusion and the groove of the protrusion includes: cushion grooves provided at predetermined distances from each other in the circumferential direction of the hinge cushion to fluidically communicate with each other in a radial direction of the hinge cushion, a first communication groove provided on one end portion of the internal housing to fluidically communicate with the cushion grooves, and a second communication groove provided on one end portion of the internal sleeve to fluidically communicate with the first communication groove, wherein the cushion grooves, the first communication groove, and the second communication groove fluidically communicate with each other to form the groove in the hinge cushion so that the oil flows from an external circumferential surface of the hinge cushion into the hinge cushion therethrough.

7. The lubricatable cab mounting assembly of claim 6, wherein the internal groove fluidically communicates with the cushion grooves.

8. The lubricatable cab mounting assembly of claim 6, wherein the hinge cushion is in plural and adjacent hinge cushions are disposed so that protrusions thereof are butted against each other, constructing a hinge cushion unit.

9. The lubricatable cab mounting assembly of claim 8, wherein the adjacent hinge cushions of the hinge cushion unit are disposed to be in contact with each other so that a cushion groove of one of the adjacent hinge cushions coincide with a cushion groove of another of the adjacent hinge cushions.

10. The lubricatable cab mounting assembly of claim 8, wherein the hinge cushion unit includes a center groove defined by the protrusions, the center groove allowing the oil to flow in a circumferential direction of the adjacent hinge cushions.

11. The lubricatable cab mounting assembly of claim 8, wherein external circumferential portions of the adjacent hinge cushions of the hinge cushion unit are fixed by a cab hinge bracket fastened to the frame and a cab hinge cover fastened to the cab hinge bracket, and wherein the fixing bolt extending through a connecting arm bracket connected to the cab extends through the plurality of the hinge cushions.

12. The lubricatable cab mounting assembly of claim 11, wherein the cab hinge bracket is provided with an oil supply line through which the oil is supplied to the plurality of the hinge cushions.

13. The lubricatable cab mounting assembly of claim 12, wherein the oil supply line is connected to contact portions of the adjacent hinge cushions butted against each other.

14. The lubricatable cab mounting assembly of claim 5, further including a side stopper provided on a first end portion of the hinge cushion opposite to a second end portion of the hinge cushion on which the protrusion is provided, the side stopper being configured to provide a buffer between the hinge cushion and a connecting arm bracket connected to the cab.

15. The lubricatable cab mounting assembly of claim 14, wherein the side stopper includes a through-hole extending therethrough, and wherein the internal groove fluidically communicates with the through-hole.

16. The lubricatable cab mounting assembly of claim 5, further including a sealing lip fitted to the protrusion to block the oil from leaking in an axial direction of the hinge cushion.

17. The lubricatable cab mounting assembly of claim 1, wherein an external circumferential portion of the hinge cushion is fixed by a cab hinge bracket fastened to the frame and a cab hinge cover fastened to the cab hinge bracket, and wherein the fixing bolt extending through a connecting arm bracket connected to the cab extends through the hinge cushion.

18. The lubricatable cab mounting assembly of claim 17, wherein the cab hinge bracket is provided with an oil supply line through which the oil is supplied to the hinge cushion.

19. The lubricatable cab mounting assembly of claim 18, wherein the oil supply line is connected to contact portions of two hinge cushions butted against each other.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] FIG. 1 is a perspective view exemplarily illustrating typical connecting portions of a cab and a frame;

[0034] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 1 to illustrate the structure of a hinge cushion according to the related art;

[0035] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view exemplarily illustrating a state in which the lubricatable cab mounting assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is mounted;

[0036] FIG. 4 is a perspective view exemplarily illustrating the hinge cushion in the lubricatable cab mounting assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0037] FIG. 5 is a perspective view exemplarily illustrating a state in which the hinge cushions are fitted to each other in the lubricatable cab mounting assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0038] FIG. 6 is a perspective view exemplarily illustrating a state in which the collar and the side stoppers are fitted to the hinge cushions in the lubricatable cab mounting assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0039] FIG. 7 is a side view exemplarily illustrating the hinge cushion in the lubricatable cab mounting assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0040] FIG. 8, FIG. 9, FIG. 10 and FIG. 11 are schematic views exemplarily illustrating a process of supplying grease in the lubricatable cab mounting assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0041] It may be understood that the appended drawings are not necessarily to scale, presenting a somewhat simplified representation of various features illustrative of the basic principles of the present disclosure. The predetermined design features of the present disclosure as included herein, including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, locations, and shapes will be determined in part by the particularly intended application and use environment.

[0042] In the figures, reference numbers refer to the same or equivalent portions of the present disclosure throughout the several figures of the drawing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0043] Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present disclosure(s), examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings and described below. While the present disclosure(s) will be described in conjunction with exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, it will be understood that the present description is not intended to limit the present disclosure(s) to those exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. On the other hand, the present disclosure(s) is/are intended to cover not only the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, but also various alternatives, modifications, equivalents and other embodiments, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

[0044] Hereinafter, a lubricatable cab mounting assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0045] The lubricatable cab mounting assembly according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is a cab mounting assembly hinge-connecting a vehicle frame and a cab 101 in which an occupant sits. The lubricatable cab mounting assembly includes: a collar 32 disposed around a fixing bolt 33 hinge-connecting the frame and the cab 101; and hinge cushions 20 fitted around the collar 32 to buffer vibration transmitted to the cab 101. An internal groove 24b is formed in at least one of the internal surface of each of the hinge cushions 20 and the external surface of the collar 32, and includes a configuration allowing oil supplied into the hinge cushions 20 to flow toward end portions of the hinge cushions 20.

[0046] A commercial vehicle such as a truck includes a structure in which the cab 101 in which an occupant sits is mounted on the frame of the vehicle. The front end portion of the cab 101 is hinged to the front end portion of the frame, and the rear end portion of the cab 101 is fixed to the frame. When maintenance or repair are required for the vehicle, the maintenance or repair are performed by lifting the rear end portion of the cab 101.

[0047] A portion of the cab 101 hinged to the frame is hinged to the frame by fastening a connecting arm bracket 13 mounted on the front bottom end of the cab 101 and a cab hinge bracket 11 fastened to the frame using a fixing bolt 33 and a fixing nut 34. The hinge cushions 20 for providing a buffer are mounted between the connecting arm bracket 13 and the cab hinge bracket 11.

[0048] The hinge cushion 20 includes a buffering cushion rubber 23 between an external housing 21 and an internal housing 22, each of which includes the shape of a cylinder and is formed of a steel material. An internal sleeve 24 is fitted into the internal housing 22.

[0049] The hinge cushion 20 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is configured so that the cushion rubber 23 is exposed at one end portion of the hinge cushion 20. The cushion rubber 23 includes a protrusion 23a formed on one end portion of the hinge cushion 20 in the circumferential direction of the hinge cushion 20. The protrusion 23a is designed to form a radial groove 27 allowing lubricating oil, such as grease, to flow radially in the circumferential direction of the hinge cushions 20 when two hinge cushions 20 butted against each other are disposed between the connecting arm bracket 13 and the cab hinge bracket 11. The protrusion 23a has cushion grooves 23b formed at predetermined distances from each other, the cushion grooves 23b fluidically-communicating with each other in the radial direction of the hinge cushion 20. The cushion grooves 23b are configured to serve as passages through which the oil flows from the external circumferential surface of the hinge cushion 20 into the hinge cushion 20.

[0050] First communication grooves 22a and second communication grooves 24a fluidically-communicating with the cushion grooves 23b are formed on one end portion of the internal housing 22 and one end portion of the internal sleeve 24.

[0051] The cushion grooves 23b, the first communication grooves 22a, and the second communication grooves 24a communicate with each other, forming the radial groove 27 provided as a passage through which the oil may flow from the external circumferential surface of the hinge cushion 20 into the hinge cushion 20.

[0052] Two hinge cushions 20 are provided by butting the hinge cushions 20 against each other so that the protrusions 23a are in contact with each other. When a single hinge cushion unit 20 is constructed by arranging two hinge cushions 20 to be in contact with each other in a line symmetrical manner, a center groove 26 allowing the oil to flow therethrough is formed in a middle portion of the hinge cushion unit 20 in the circumferential direction thereof. That is, the center groove 26 includes spaces defined by the protrusions 23a protruding from the corresponding end portions of the cushion rubbers 23. The hinge cushion unit 20 is constructed by arranging the two hinge cushions 20 to be butted against each other, inserting the collars 32 into the hinge cushions 20, and coupling side stoppers 31 to (external end portions of the hinge cushions 20 corresponding to) both end portions of the hinge cushion unit 20.

[0053] Furthermore, the internal groove 24b allowing the oil to move from one end portion to the other end portion of the hinge cushion 20 is formed in the internal surface of the internal sleeve 24.

[0054] The side stoppers 31 are mounted on both end portions of the hinge cushion unit to buffer impact between the hinge cushion unit 20 and the connecting arm bracket 13 by movement of the cab 101 during traveling of the vehicle.

[0055] The side stopper 31 includes a through-hole 31a extending through the side stopper 31. The through-hole 31a is configured to fluidically communicate with the internal groove 24b. Due to the present configuration, the oil that has flown through the internal grooves 24b flows through the side stoppers 31, i.e., through the through-holes 31a of the side stoppers 31.

[0056] The cylindrical collar 32 is fitted into the hinge cushions 20 of the hinge cushion unit 20 to be positioned between the internal sleeve 24 and the fixing bolt 33. In the fastening of the fixing bolt 33, the collar 32 is positioned inside the connecting arm bracket 13 and supports the connecting arm bracket 13 so as not to press the hinge cushion unit 20.

[0057] Because the external circumferential surface of the collar 32 is in contact with the internal surface of the internal sleeve 24, wear and noise may occur from the contact surfaces.

[0058] To prevent this, the internal groove 24b is formed in the internal surface of the internal sleeve 24 to allow the oil to be supplied between the external circumferential surface of the collar 32 and the internal surface of the internal sleeve 24. The passage through which the oil is supplied may be formed in the external circumferential surface of the collar 32, but may be formed in the internal surface of the internal sleeves 24 formed of a synthetic resin.

[0059] The internal groove 24b is formed in the shape of a spiral. Because the internal grove 24b is formed in the shape of a spiral, the oil may be uniformly applied in the circumferential direction and the longitudinal direction between the external circumferential surface of the collar 32 and the internal surface of the internal sleeve 24.

[0060] The hinge cushion unit 20 is fixed to the cab hinge bracket 11 by fastening a cab hinge cover 15 to the cab hinge bracket 11 in a state in which the hinge cushion unit 20 is accommodated on the cab hinge bracket 11. Here, in the hinge cushion 20, sealing lips are fitted to the protrusions 23a to prevent the oil flowing through the center groove 26 from leaking.

[0061] Furthermore, the hinge cushion unit 20 is positioned inside the connecting arm bracket 13, and is mounted on the connecting arm bracket 13 using the fixing bolt 33 extending through the hinge cushion unit 20 and the connecting arm bracket 13.

[0062] Thus, the hinge cushions 20 are mounted between the cab hinge bracket 11 and the connecting arm bracket 13 so that the cab hinge bracket 11 and the connecting arm bracket 13 are hinged to each other.

[0063] The cab hinge bracket 11 is provided with an oil supply line 11a fluidically-communicating with the center groove 26. Oil may be supplied from an external source to the hinge cushion unit 20 through a nipple 18 of the oil supply line 11a. The oil supply line 11a is connected to the contact portions of the two hinge cushions 20 butted against each other.

[0064] A process of supplying oil through the lubricatable cab mounting assembly including the above-described configuration according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will now be described hereinafter.

[0065] As illustrated in FIG. 8, oil, i.e., grease, is supplied through the nipple 18 from an external source. The oil supplied through the nipple 18 is supplied toward the hinge cushion 20 through the oil supply line 11a (see {circle around (1)} in FIG. 8).

[0066] The oil supplied toward the hinge cushion 20 is supplied to flow around the hinge cushion 20 through the radial groove 27 (see {circle around (2)} in FIG. 9). Furthermore, the oil is supplied into the hinge cushion 20 through the center groove 26 while moving through the radial groove 27 (see {circle around (3)} in FIG. 9).

[0067] Afterwards, the oil is supplied from one end portion of the hinge cushion 20 to the other end portion of the hinge cushion 20 through the internal groove 24b (see {circle around (4)} in FIG. 10). The internal groove 24b includes the contact surfaces of the internal sleeve 24 and the collar 32, and is configured as a passage through which the oil is supplied. Furthermore, because the internal groove 24b is formed in the shape of a spiral in the internal surface of the internal sleeve 24, the internal groove 24b may supply the oil to the entire external circumferential surface of the collar 32 while causing the oil to spirally flow along the external circumferential surface of the collar 32.

[0068] Because the oil is applied on the contact surfaces of the internal sleeve 24 and the collar 32, the oil may prevent wear and noise from occurring between the internal sleeve 24 and the collar 32.

[0069] The oil that has flown through the internal groove 24b flows to the other end portion of the internal sleeve 24, passes through the through-hole 31a of the side stoppers 31, and then is supplied between the side stoppers 31 and the connecting arm bracket 13.

[0070] Consequently, it is possible to prevent friction noise occurring between the side stoppers 31 and the connecting arm bracket 13 due to the movement of the cab 101 during traveling of a vehicle, preventing the contact portions from corroding (see {circle around (5)} in FIG. 11).

[0071] For convenience in explanation and accurate definition in the appended claims, the terms upper, lower, inner, outer, up, down, upwards, downwards, front, rear, back, inside, outside, inwardly, outwardly, interior, exterior, internal, external, forwards, and backwards are used to describe features of the exemplary embodiments with reference to the positions of such features as displayed in the figures. It will be further understood that the term connect or its derivatives refer both to direct and indirect connection.

[0072] The term and/or may include a combination of a plurality of related listed items or any of a plurality of related listed items. For example, A and/or B includes all three cases such as A, B, and A and B.

[0073] The foregoing descriptions of specific exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have been presented for purposes of illustration and description. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present disclosure to the precise forms disclosed, and obviously many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The exemplary embodiments were chosen and described in order to explain certain principles of the invention and their practical application, to enable others skilled in the art to make and utilize various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, as well as various alternatives and modifications thereof. It is intended that the scope of the present disclosure be defined by the Claims appended hereto and their equivalents.