SLIDING UNIVERSAL JOINT

Abstract: In a sliding universal joint including a cylindrical outer member (3) connected to one transmitting shaft (1) and having an inner periphery formed with a plurality of axially extending grooves (5) equally spaced circumferentially, an inner member (4) connected to another transmitting shaft (2) and having a plurality of trunnions (8) radially extending to project into said transmitting grooves, an inner roller (9) slidably engaged with an outer periphery of each trunnion, a holder (10) relatively oscillatably engaging with an outer periphery of said inner roller, and an outer roller (12) rotatably engaging with an outer periphery of said holder and engaged with each transmitting groove; the improvement comprising a restriction flange (13) integrally formed with said holder, said restriction flange abutting against a bottom surface (61) of said transmitting groove and restricting inclination of said holder.

Description: A. Object of the Invention (1) Technical Field The present invention relates to a sliding universal joint to be mounted at a bending portion of a bendable drive axle in an automobile, for example, and more particularly to an improvement in a joint including a cylindrical outer member connected to one transmitting shaft and having an inner periphery formed with a plurality of transmitting grooves arranged circumferentially equally spaced from each other and extending axially, an inner member connected to another transmitting shaft and having a plurality of trunnions radially extending to project into the transmitting grooves, an inner roller slidably engaged with an outer periphery of each trunnion, a holder relatively oscillatably engaging with an outer periphery of the inner roller, and an outer roller rotatably engaging with an outer periphery of the holder and engaged with each transmitting groove. (2) Prior Art This type of universal joint is known as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 57-13211 and in GB-A-2 070 195 (3) Problem to be Solved by the Invention In the conventional joint, when both the transmitting shafts are bent relative to each other during transmission of torque, the outer roller is reciprocatingly rolled in the transmitting groove as permitting inclination of the trunnion. The inclination of the trunnion follows just inclination of the outer roller, causing an increase in rolling resistance of the outer roller to generate vibration. The present invention has been achieved to solve the above problem, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a sliding universal joint which may reliably prevent that the outer roller is inclined in association with the inclination of the trunnion. B. Constitution of the Invention (1) Measures for Solving the Problem According to the present invention, there is provided in a sliding universal joint, the improvement comprising a restriction flange integrally formed with the holder, said restriction flange abutting against a bottom surface of the transmitting groove and restricting inclination of the holder. (2) Operation With this arrangement, during rotation of the universal joint, the restriction flange integrally formed with the holder is urged against the bottom surface of the transmitting groove by a centrifugal force, thereby reliably maintaining an abutting condition of the flange against the bottom surface of the transmitting groove. Accordingly, even when the trunnion is inclined, the holder is reliably prevented from being inclined owing to the abutment of the restriction flange against the bottom surface of the transmitting groove. Accordingly, the outer roller supported to the holder is also prevented from being inclined, and it can be smoothly rolled on the inner surface of the transmitting groove. (3) Preferred Embodiment There will now be described a preferred embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. Fig. 1 is a vertical sectional view of the first preferred embodiment of the sliding universal joint according to the present invention; Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross section taken along the line II-II in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a cross section taken along the line III-III in Fig. 3; Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the second preferred embodiment of the sliding universal joint according to the present invention; Fig. 5 is a cross section taken along the line V-V in Fig. 4; and Fig. 6 is a cross section taken along the line VI-VI in Fig.5. Referring first to Figs. 1 and 2, two transmitting shafts 1 and 2 are connected to each other through a sliding universal joint J of the present invention. The joint J primarily comprises a cylindrical outer member 3 integrally formed with an end portion of the transmitting shaft 1 which outer member 3 is open at one end thereof, and an inner member 4 fixed to an end portion of the transmitting shaft 2 and received in the outer member 3. The outer member 3 is formed on its inner peripheral surface with three axially extending transmitting grooves 5 circumferentially equally spaced from each other, and each groove 5 is provided with a pair of first rail portions 6₁ at both side portions of a bottom surface of the groove 5 and with a pair of second rail portions 6₂ opposed to the first rail portions 6₁. The inner member 4 fixed to the transmitting shaft 2 is formed with a boss 7, and the boss 7 is integrally formed on its outer peripheral surface with three trunnions 8 projecting into the three transmitting grooves 5. An inner roller 9 having a spherical outer periphery is slidably engaged with an outer periphery of each trunnion 8 in such a manner that the center of the inner roller 9 lies on an axis of the trunnion 8. A holder 10 is relatively oscillatably engaged with the spherical outer periphery of the inner roller 9. A cylindrical outer roller 12 is rotatably supported through a needle bearing 11 to the outer periphery of the holder 10, and is rollingly engaged with the inner surface of the transmitting groove 5. The holder 10 is integrally formed at its outer end with a restriction flange 13 slidably abutting against the first rail portions 6₁ of the transmitting groove 5. A presser plate 14 is mounted at an inner end portion of the holder 10 by a circlip 15. The presser plate 14 cooperates with the restriction flange 13 to restrict an axial movement of the outer roller 12. The presser plate 14 is arranged in opposed relationship to the second rail portions 6₂ of the transmitting groove 5. As shown in Fig. 3, the restriction flange 13 is formed in a rectangular shape such that opposite two sides of the flange 13 are parallel to the longitudinal direction of the transmitting groove 5. Further, the restriction flange 13 has a side length along a transverse direction of the transmitting groove 5 slightly smaller than an outer diameter of the outer roller 12, and has the other side length along the longitudinal direction of the transmitting groove 5 greater than the outer diameter of the outer roller 12. With this arrangement, the restriction flange 13 abuts against the first rail portions 6₁ to effectively restrict inclination of the holder 1 without hindering the rolling motion of the outer roller 12 on the inner side surfaces of the transmitting groove 5. The presser plate 14 may be formed in a rectangular shape similar to the restriction flange 13, or it may be formed in a circular shape. In the latter case, the outer diameter of the presser plate 14 is made smaller than the outer diameter of the outer roller 12, so as not to hinder the rolling motion of the outer roller 12. Referring back to Fig. 1, a flexible boot 18 is provided between the outer member 3 and the transmitting shaft 2 to cover the front opening of the outer member 3. A rear end of the flexible boot 18 is engaged with an outer circumferential groove 19 of the outer member 3, and is tightened by a band 20, while a front end of the flexible boot 18 is engaged with an outer circumferential groove 21 of the transmitting shaft 2, and is tightened by a band 22. In operation, when a torque is applied to the transmitting shaft 1, for example, the torque is transmitted from the outer member 3 to the inner member 4, that is, from one side surface of the transmitting groove 5 through the outer roller 12, the holder 10 and the inner roller 9 to the trunnion 8 and the boss 7, and is finally transmitted to the transmitting shaft 2. During such transmission of the torque, the restriction flange 13 integrally formed with the holder 10 is urged against the first rail portions 6₁ of the transmitting groove 5 by a centrifugal force of the holder 10, and such an abutting condition of the restriction flange 13 against the rail portions 6₁ is reliably maintained. Accordingly, even when the trunnion 8 is inclined in the transmitting groove 5 in association with the bending operation of the transmitting shafts 1 and 2, the holder 10 is reliably prevented from being inclined owing to the abutment of the restriction flange 13 against the first rail portions 6₁. Accordingly, the outer roller 12 supported to the holder 10 is also prevented from being inclined and is allowed to be smoothly rolled on the side surfaces of the transmitting groove 5. On the other hand, when the trunnion 8 is inclined, the inner roller 9 is oscillated relative to the holder 10 as slightly sliding on the trunnion 8, so that an inclination moment to be applied to the holder 10 may be made small. During low-speed rotation of the joint J, the centrifugal force of the holder 10 and the like is small, and an end of the restriction flange 13 is moved away from the first rail portions 6₁ by the small inclination moment applied from the inner roller 9 to the holder 10, causing a tendency of inclination of the holder 10. However, one end of the presser plate 14 is immediately brought into abutment against the second rail portions 6₂ to suppress further inclination of the holder 10, thus maintaining a proper rolling condition of the outer roller 12. Further, also in the case that both the transmitting shafts 1 and 2 are axially displaced, the outer roller 12 is not inclined, but it can be smoothly rolled on the opposite side surfaces of the transmitting groove 5. As described above, there is formed a restriction flange integrally with the holder which flange abuts against the bottom surface of the transmitting groove and restricts inclination of the holder. With this arrangement, during rotation of the joint, the abutting condition of the restriction flange against the bottom surface of the transmitting groove is maintained by a centrifugal force, thereby reliably preventing the inclination of the holder and always maintaining a proper rolling condition of the outer roller. Accordingly, a rolling resistance of the outer roller is reduced to thereby reduce a power loss and also suppress the generation of vibration. Referring next to Figs. 4 and 5 which show a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, two transmitting shafts 1 and 2 are connected to each other through a bipot type universal joint J of the present invention. The joint J primarily comprises a cylindrical outer member 3 integrally formed with an end portion of the transmitting shaft 1 which outer member 3 is open at one end thereof, and an inner member 4 fixed to an end portion of the transmitting shaft 2 and received in the outer member 3. The outer member 3 is formed on its inner peripheral surface with two axially extending transmitting grooves 5 diametrically opposed to each other, and each groove 5 is provided with a pair of rail portions 6 inwardly projecting from opposite inner side edges of the groove 5 toward an opening of the groove 5. The inner member 4 fixed to the transmitting shaft 2 is formed with a boss 7, and the boss 7 is integrally formed on its outer peripheral surface with two trunnions 8 projecting into the two transmitting grooves 5. A spherical inner roller 9 is slidably engaged with an outer periphery of each trunnion 8 in such a manner that a center of the inner roller 9 lies on an axis of the trunnion 8. A holder 10′ is relatively oscillatably engaged with the spherical outer periphery of the inner roller 9. A cylindrical outer roller 12 is rotatably supported through a needle bearing 11 to the outer periphery of the holder 10′, and is rollingly engaged with the inner surface of the transmitting groove 5. To suppress inclination of the holder 10′ in the transmitting groove 5, an outer end of the holder 10′ slidably abuts against the bottom surface of the transmitting groove 5, and the holder 10′ is integrally formed at its inner end with a restriction flange 13 slidably abutting against the rail portions 6. Thus, the rail portions 6 and the restriction flange 13 constitute the restriction means of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 6, the restriction flange 13 is formed in a rectangular shape such that at least its one side extending across the width of the transmitting groove 5 is slightly smaller than an outer diameter of the outer roller 12, so as not to hinder the rolling motion of the outer roller 12. Further, a presser plate 14 is mounted on the holder 10′ by a circlip 15. The presser plate 14 cooperates with the restriction flange 13 to restrict an axial movement of the outer roller 12. As shown in Fig. 4, a flexible boot 16 is provided between the outer member 3 and the transmitting shaft 2 to cover the front opening of the outer member 3. In operation, when a torque is applied to the transmitting shaft 1, for example, the torque is transmitted from the outer member 3 to the inner member 4, that is, from one side surface of the transmitting groove 5 through the outer roller 12, the holder 10′ and the inner roller 9 to the trunnion 8 and the boss 7, and is finally transmitted to the transmitting shaft 2. During such transmission of the torque, when the transmitting shafts 1 and 2 are bent relative to each other in a plane including the axes of the transmitting shafts 1 and 2 and perpendicular to the axis of the trunnions 8, the outer rollers 9 are rotated relative to the trunnions 8. On the other hand, when the transmitting shafts 1 and 2 are bent relative to each other in a plane including the axes of the transmitting shafts 1 and 2 and also including the axes of the trunnions 8, the inner roller 9 is oscillated in the holder 10′ in such a manner as to permit the inclination of the trunnion 8, and is simultaneously slid on the trunnion 8, while the outer roller 12 is reciprocatingly rolled on one side surface of the transmitting groove 5. At this time, as the restriction flange 13 is in abutment against the rail portion 6 to restrict the inclination of the holder 10′ in the transmitting groove 5. Accordingly, the outer roller 12 supported to the holder 10′ is always hindered from being inclined, thereby allowing the outer roller 12 to be smoothly rolled on the opposite side surfaces of the transmitting groove 5. Further, also in the case that both the transmitting shafts 1 and 2 are axially displaced, the outer roller 12 is not inclined, but it can be smoothly rolled on the opposite side surfaces of the transmitting groove 5. As described above, there is provided in a sliding universal joint the improvement comprising an inner roller slidably engaged with an outer periphery of each trunnion, a holder relatively oscillatably engaged with an outer periphery of the inner roller, an outer roller engaged with an outer periphery of the holder and adapted to be rolled on side surfaces of the transmitting groove, and a restriction means provided between the outer member and the holder for restricting inclination of the holder. With this arrangement, even when the trunnion is inclined, the inclination of the holder is restricted by the restriction means to thereby always maintain a proper rolling condition of the outer roller and allow a smooth reciprocating motion thereof in the transmitting groove. Accordingly, a sliding friction of the outer roller may be substantially nullified, and a power loss and vibration due to the sliding friction may be prevented.

Claims: In a sliding universal joint (I) including a cylindrical outer member (3) connected to one transmitting shaft (1) and having an inner periphery formed with a plurality of pairs of juxtaposed transmitting grooves (5) arranged circumferentially equally spaced from each other and extending axially, an inner member (4) connected to another transmitting shaft (2) and having a plurality of trunnions (8) radially extending to project between each pair of said transmitting grooves (5), an inner roller (9) slidably engaged with an outer periphery of each trunnion (8), a holder (10, 10') relatively oscillatably engaging with an outer periphery of said inner roller (9), and an outer roller (12) rotatably engaging with an outer periphery of said holder (10, 10') and engaged with each transmitting groove (5), characterized in that a restriction flange (13) is integrally formed with said holder (10, 10') and overlapping with its inner face the one end face of said outer roller (12) and abutting slidably with its outer face against corresponding side faces (6₁; 6), said restriction flange (13) abutting against a bottom surface of said transmitting grooves (5) and restricting inclination of said holder (10, 10'). The sliding universal joint as defined in claim 1, wherein said restriction flange (13) is rectangular such that opposite two sides of said flange (13) are parallel to a longitudinal direction of said transmitting groove (5). The sliding universal joint as defined in claim 1 or claim 2, wherein a pressure plate (14) is fixed to said holder (10, 10') overlapping with its inner face the other end face of said outer roller (12). The sliding universal joint as defined in claim 2 or claim 3, wherein the restriction flange (13) has a side length along the transverse direction of said transmitting grooves (5) slightly smaller than the outer diameter of said outer roller (12) and has a side length along the longitudinal direction of said transmittting grooves (5) slightly larger than the outer periphery of said outer roller (12)

Inventors: ESAKI, SEIJI, HASHIMOTO, YASUSHI, KURITA, SHIGEO, SASAKI, AKIRA
Applicants: HONDA GIKEN KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Application year: 1988
Main classification: F16D3
IPC codes: F16D3