Patent ID: 7621816

Claim:
A driveshaft comprising: a first universal joint; an intermediate shaft; and a second universal joint, wherein said first universal joint is a constant velocity universal ball joint in the form of a counter track joint comprising an outer joint part with first and second outer ball tracks, an inner joint part with first and second inner ball tracks, wherein said first outer ball tracks, together with said first inner ball tracks, form a first pair of tracks which widen (α) in a first axial direction (Ri 1 ), and wherein said second outer ball tracks, together with said second inner ball tracks, form a second pair of tracks which widen (β) in a second axial direction (Ri 2 ); a plurality of balls which are guided in said pairs of tracks and whose ball centers (Z) are positioned on a pitch circle radius (PCR) around a joint centre (M); a ball cage with circumferentially distributed cage windows, in which said ball cage said balls are held in a common central plane (E) and, when said first universal joint is articulated, are guided on to an angle-bisecting plane, wherein between said outer joint part and said ball cage on the one hand and between said ball cage and the inner joint on the other hand there are provided axial clearances which permit a relative axial displacement (S) between said outer joint part and said inner joint part, and wherein at said first universal joint, the ratio between a total axial displacement (S) and said pitch circle radius (PCR) of said balls—when said first universal joint is in an aligned condition—ranges between 0.01 and 0.09 (0.01<S/PCR<0.09).