Patent ID: 6533666
Filing Date: 2003-03-18
Classification: B62D,F16D,Y10T

Abstract:
A motor vehicle intermediate steering shaft comprising:a shaft element, a yoke, a torsion sleeve rigidly attached to the shaft element, an elastomeric coupling operable to transfer steering torque between the yoke and the torsion sleeve while twisting about a longitudinal centerline of the intermediate steering shaft through an angle proportional to the magnitude of the steering torque and to interrupt the transfer of torsional vibration between the torsion sleeve and the yoke, and a rigid coupling operable to directly transfer steering torque through direct material-to-material contact between the yoke and the torsion sleeve parallel to the elastomeric coupling when the angle of twist of the elastomeric coupling attains a predetermined magnitude; wherein the elastomeric coupling comprises: a cylindrical outside surface on the torsion sleeve, a pair of diametrically opposite short radial lugs on the cylindrical outside surface of the torsion sleeve each having a length dimension constituting a fraction of the length of the cylindrical outside surface on the torsion sleeve, a tubular elastomeric bushing having a diametrically opposite pair of integral resilient lugs on a cylindrical outside surface thereof and a pair of grooves in a cylindrical inside surface thereof under respective ones of the pair of integral resilient lugs and a length dimension substantially equal to the length dimension of the pair of short radial lugs, an attachment operable to rigidly attach the cylindrical inside surface of the elastomeric bushing to the cylindrical outside surface of the torsion sleeve with the pair of short radial lugs in respective ones of the pair of grooves in the cylindrical inside surface of the elastomeric bushing and thereby embedded in respective ones of the pair of integral resilient lugs, and a bushing cavity in the yoke having the elastomeric bushing interference fitted therein with the pair of integral resilient lugs in respective ones of a pair of grooves in the bushing cavity parallel to the longitudinal centerline of the intermediate steering shaft.