Rotary shafts – gudgeons – housings – and flexible couplings for ro – Coupling accommodates drive between members having... – Tripod coupling
Utility Patent
1998-04-13
2001-01-02
Browne, Lynne H. (Department: 3629)
Rotary shafts, gudgeons, housings, and flexible couplings for ro
Coupling accommodates drive between members having...
Tripod coupling
C464S905000
Utility Patent
active
06168528
ABSTRACT:
This application claims the benefits of Japanese Application Nos. 9-12712 and 9-186018 filed Jun. 27, 1997, which are hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is related to a tripod type constant velocity joint which is disposed between rotating shafts connected with each other at a joint angle inside a drive system of, for example, an automobile, for transmitting a rotational torque at a constant velocity.
2. Related Background Art
Tripod type constant velocity joints have been widely used in the past as one type of constant velocity joints to be incorporated into automobile drive systems. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 63-186036 (Patent Publication No. 3-1529) and 62-233522 (Patent Publication No. 3-1528) disclose a tripod type constant velocity joint
1
, as shown in
FIGS. 8 and 9
. This constant velocity joint
1
is provided with a hollow cylindrical housing
3
which is secured to an end of a first rotating shaft
2
serving as a drive shaft or the like on the differential gear side, and a tripod
5
which is secured to an end of a second rotating shaft
4
serving as a driven shaft or the like on the wheel side.
Recesses
6
are formed at three locations on the internal face of the housing
3
at even spacing (a spacing of 120 degrees) in the circumferential direction. The tripod
5
secured to the second rotating shaft
4
is comprised of a boss
7
in which an end of the second rotating shaft
4
is fitted, and three trunnions
8
formed as cylindrical posts on the outer peripheral face of this boss
7
in the circumferential direction at even spacing (a spacing of 120 degrees). Around each of the trunnions
8
, a roller
9
having an arcuate outer peripheral face is supported by means of a needle bearing
10
so as to be freely rotatable thereabout and slightly displaceable in the axial direction. Then, the constant velocity joint is constituted by fitting these rollers
9
in the recesses
6
on the housing side. A pair of inner side faces
11
for constituting each of the recesses
6
is respectively formed as arcuate concave faces, and the roller
9
is supported to be able to swing and slide freely between this pair of inner side faces
11
.
With this constant velocity joint
1
, when, for example, the first rotating shaft
2
is rotated, the rotational torque thereof is transmitted from the housing
3
to the boss
7
of the tripod
5
through the rollers
9
, the needle bearings
10
, and the trunnions
8
, so as to rotate the second rotating shaft
4
which is secured to the boss
7
at one end thereof. Moreover, when the central axis of the first rotating shaft
2
and the central axis of the second rotating shaft
4
are out of alignment (or when there is a joint angle between the first rotating shaft
2
and the second rotating shaft
4
), the respective trunnions
8
swing around the boss
7
of the tripod
8
relative to the inner side faces
11
of the corresponding recesses
6
, accompanying rotation of these first and second rotating shafts
2
and
4
, as shown in
FIGS. 8 and 9
. In this case, the rollers
9
supported by the respective trunnions
8
are rolled on the inner side faces of the recesses
6
and, at the same time, moved axially along the trunnions
8
. Due to these movements, the constant velocity between the first and second rotating shafts
2
and
4
can be maintained, as well known in the art.
With the constant velocity joint
1
, when the first and second rotating shafts
2
and
4
are rotated with the joint angle therebetween, the respective rollers
9
carry out a complicated movement. That is to say, in this condition, the rollers
9
are moved in the axial direction of the housing
3
along the corresponding inner side faces
11
while changing their orientation, and also move and slide axially along the trunnions
8
. When the rollers
9
are subjected to such complicated movement, a relative movement between the outer peripheral face of each of the rollers
9
and the corresponding inner side face
11
is not always carried out smoothly, so that a relatively large frictional resistance may be produced between both the faces. In this case, in the constant velocity joint
1
shown in
FIGS. 8 and 9
, a relatively large three-dimensional axial force is generated for each rotation and, when a large torque is transmitted under large joint angle conditions in a drive system or the like of an automobile, a vibration known as shudder is generated.
A constant velocity joint la as shown in
FIGS. 10
to
12
is disclosed in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-186036, as a construction to suppress such vibrations arising from the above cause. In this improved type constant velocity joint
1
a
, a roller
9
a
supported on each of the trunnions
8
is composed of a set of an inner roller
12
and an outer roller
13
. The inner roller
12
is formed to have a cylindrical inner peripheral face and a spherical convex outer peripheral face, and is supported on each of the trunnions
8
through a bearing
14
. The outer roller
13
is formed with a cylindrical inner peripheral face and is fitted therein, so as to freely swing and move in the axial direction by the inner roller
12
. Moreover, the outer peripheral faces of the outer rollers
13
are in rolling contact with guide surfaces
31
which are formed in pairs for the respective recesses
6
formed on the inner face of the housing
3
so as to be able to move only along the axial direction of the housing
3
(in the left and right direction in
FIGS. 10 and 12
, and the front and rear direction in FIG.
11
).
In the constant velocity joint la, when the rollers
9
a
are moved along the axial direction of the housing
3
, the outer rollers
13
for forming these rollers
9
a
are rolled. Also, when the rollers
9
a
swing or rock around the tripod
5
or move back and forth along the axial directions of the trunnions
8
, the inner rollers
12
for forming the respective rollers
9
a
rock and slide relative to the corresponding outer rollers
13
. This movement of the outer peripheral faces of the outer and inner rollers
13
and
12
relative to the mating faces is simpler and more stable than the movement of the rollers
9
relative to the inner side faces
11
and the trunnions
8
in the construction shown in
FIGS. 8 and 9
. Consequently, an axial force which is produced accompanying the rotation of the constant velocity joint
1
a
is reduced, so that even when a large torque is transmitted with a large joint angle, the occurrence of the shudder is reduced.
DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR INVENTION
Further, a construction as shown in
FIGS. 13
to
16
is disclosed in the Japanese Patent Application Nos. 8-4073 and 8-138335 which are the basic patent applications of the International Application No. PCT/JP97/00017 filed by the present applicants (published under International Publication No. WO97/25545), as an improvement of the second example shown in
FIGS. 10
to
12
to enhance the durability of the tripod type constant velocity joint. Also in the case of this prior invention, an end of a first rotating shaft which is not shown in the figure is fitted in and fixed to the central part of one end (on the back face side in
FIG. 13
) of a hollow cylindrical housing
3
a
which is open on the other end side in the axial direction, and an end of a second rotating shaft which is also not shown in the figure is fitted in and fixed to a tripod
5
.
On the inner face of the housing
3
a
, recesses
6
a
are formed at three locations at even spacing in the circumferential direction. Moreover, a pair of guide recess grooves
15
are formed for each of the recesses
6
a
along the axial direction of the housing
3
a
(in the front and rear direction in FIG.
13
and in the right and left direction in
FIGS. 15 and 16
) at locations opposite to each other on the inner face of each of the recesses
6
a
. That is to say, parts opposite to each other on the inner face of each of the recesses
6
a
Ikeda Toshihiro
Ishijima Minoru
Mizukoshi Yasumasa
Binda Greg
Browne Lynne H.
NSK Ltd.
Vorys Sater Seymour and Pease LLP
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