Patent ID: 7699708
Filing Date: 2010-04-20
Classification: F16D

Abstract:
1. A shaft coupling mechanism disposed between two rotating shafts to couple the two rotating shafts by a pair of rotation transmitting members configured to transmit the rotation of one of the rotating shafts to another one of the rotating shafts, wherein the shaft coupling mechanism comprising one coupling base body coupled to the one or the other rotating shaft; and another coupling base body coupled to the other or the one rotating shaft, wherein said pair of rotation transmitting members are disposed between said coupling base bodies, wherein, with respect to the relative rotation of less than a fixed degree in a direction about an axis of the two rotating shafts between the two rotating shafts, said pair of rotation transmitting members are adapted to respond with the resistance of at least one of said rotation transmitting members in the direction about the axis, and with respect to the relative rotation of the fixed degree or greater in the direction about the axis between the two rotating shafts, said pair of rotation transmitting members are adapted to respond with the resistance of said one and another one of said rotation transmitting members in the direction about the axis, wherein said other rotation transmitting member has a rigidity smaller than the rigidity of said one rotation transmitting member with respect to the relative rotation of less than the fixed degree in the direction about the axis between the two rotating shafts, and has a rigidity greater than the rigidity of said one rotation transmitting member with respect to the relative rotation of the fixed degree or greater in the direction about the axis between the two rotating shafts, and wherein, with respect to the relative rotation of less than the fixed degree in the direction about the axis between the two rotating shafts, said one rotation transmitting member has a rigidity smaller than the rigidity of said other rotation transmitting member with respect to the relative rotation of the fixed degree or greater in the direction about the axis between the two rotating shafts, wherein said one rotation transmitting member includes a base portion and at least one pair of projections provided integrally with the base portion in such a manner as to project in a radial direction, and said other rotation transmitting member includes a base portion and at least one pair of projections which are provided integrally with the base portion in such a manner as to project in the radial direction, said pair of projections of said other rotation transmitting member having a rigidity smaller than the rigidity of the pair of projections of said one rotation transmitting member with respect to the relative rotation of less than the fixed degree in the direction about the axis between the two rotating shafts, said pair of projections of said other rotation transmitting member having a rigidity greater than the rigidity of the pair of projections of said one rotation transmitting member with respect to the relative rotation of the fixed degree or greater in the direction about the axis between the two rotating shafts, wherein, with respect to the relative rotation of less than the fixed degree in the direction about the axis between the two rotating shafts, the pair of projections of said one rotation transmitting member have a rigidity smaller than the rigidity of the pair of projections of said other rotation transmitting member with respect to the relative rotation of the fixed degree or greater in the direction about the axis between the two rotating shafts, and wherein each of said one and said other coupling base bodies has a base portion and projections provided integrally with the base portion in such a manner as to project in an axial direction, the projections of said one coupling base body and the projections of said other coupling base body being arranged alternately in the direction about the axis between the pair of projections of said one rotation transmitting member, between the pair of projections of said other rotation transmitting member, and between adjacent ones of the projections of said one and said other rotation transmitting members, respectively.