JP2001289259A - Fixed type uniform universal joint - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an easy-to-assemble fixed type uniform universal joint. SOLUTION: Torque transmission balls 31 are built in between a track groove 3 of an outer ring 1 and a track groove 13 of an inner ring 11, and pockets 24 for accommodating the torque transmission balls 31 are formed on a cage 21 built in between the outer ring 1 and the inner ring 11. Openings 25 are formed from an end face at an outer ring opening side to the pockets 24 of the cage 21, the torque transmission balls 31 are built in the pockets 24 from the openings 25, and the inner ring 11 is inserted into the cage 21 in a state that the direction to coaxially assemble the cage 21 and the inner ring 11 is kept, to keep the assembling workability of the uniform universal joint. A rim member 28 is fixed to one end part of the cage 21 to hold the uniform universal joint in an assembled state.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates generally to a fixed type constant velocity universal joint incorporated between a wheel drive shaft and a wheel of an automobile.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a fixed type constant velocity universal joint incorporated in an automobile, the one shown in FIG. 9 is conventionally known. This fixed type constant velocity universal joint has curved track grooves 4 on the spherical inner surface 42 of the outer race 41 and the spherical outer surface 44 of the inner race 43, respectively.
5 and 46 are formed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction, and the outer ring track grooves 4 are formed.
A torque transmission ball 47 is assembled between the outer race 41 and the inner race 43, and the cage 4 is assembled between the outer race 41 and the inner race 43.
8, a plurality of pockets 49 for accommodating the torque transmitting balls 47 are formed.

The cage 48 is provided with a spherical inner surface 4 of the outer race 41.
2, a spherical outer surface 50 contacted and guided by the spherical outer surface 44 of the inner ring 43 and a spherical inner surface 51 guided by the spherical outer surface 44 of the inner ring 43 are formed.

To assemble the fixed type constant velocity universal joint as described above, a cage 48 is assembled into an outer race 41, and then an inner race 43 is assembled into the cage 48, or the inner race 43 is assembled into the cage 48. After that, the cage 48 is connected to the outer ring 41.
Then, the torque transmitting ball 47 is incorporated into the pocket 49 of the cage 48.

Here, when the cage 48 is incorporated into the outer race 41, as shown in FIG.
After the cage 48 is inserted into the outer race 41, the outer race 41 and the cage 48 are relatively rotated until the two central axes coincide with each other.

On the other hand, when assembling the inner ring 43 into the cage 48, as shown in FIG.
And the inner ring 43 are arranged such that their central axes are
8, the cage 48 and the inner race 43 are inserted.
Are relatively rotated until both central axes coincide.

As shown in FIG. 11, when the torque transmitting ball 47 is incorporated into the pocket 49 of the cage 48, the cage 48 is inclined with respect to the outer ring 41, and one of the pockets 49 formed in the cage 48 is connected to the outer ring 41. The torque transmitting ball 47 is inserted into the pocket 49 in a state where the cage 48 is inclined from the opening end of the cage to the position facing the outside.

[0008]

As described above, in the conventional fixed type constant velocity universal joint, when the cage 48 is assembled into the outer race 41 or when the inner race 43 is assembled into the cage 48, the outer race 41 and the cage 48 are assembled. And the inner ring 43 and the cage 48 are fitted to each other at an angle of 90 ° relative to each other, and after the fitting, the inner and outer parts need to be rotated by 90 ° to each other. When assembling the 47, it is necessary to incline the cage 48 by the number of the pockets 49, so that there is an inconvenience that the assembling is very troublesome.

Further, the cage 4 with respect to the center axis of the outer race 41 is provided.
8 is tilted by 90 ° and the cage 48 is
Therefore, it is necessary to secure a space at the bottom of the outer ring 41 such that the insertion-side tip of the cage 48 does not interfere with the bottom surface of the outer ring 41, so that the axial length of the outer ring 41 can be reduced. I can't do it.

Further, when the fixed type constant velocity universal joint takes an operating angle to transmit torque between the outer ring 41 and the inner ring 43, the torque transmitting ball 47 moves in the pocket 49 in the cage circumferential direction. May be determined in consideration of the amount of movement of the torque transmitting ball 47 when the constant velocity universal joint takes the maximum operating angle to transmit the torque. Since it is necessary to incline the valve 48 to an angle larger than the maximum operation angle of the constant velocity universal joint, the circumferential length of the pocket 49 into which the torque transmitting ball 47 is lastly assembled is determined by the maximum velocity of the constant velocity universal joint. Must be larger than the amount of movement of the torque transmitting ball when transmitting torque.
8, the outer diameter of the constant velocity universal joint cannot be reduced in the radial direction.

Further, the cage 48 is inserted into the outer race 41 by using two pockets 49 at positions opposite to the plurality of pockets 49 formed in the cage 48, or
Since the inner ring 43 is inserted therein, it cannot be assembled with a constant velocity universal joint having an odd number of balls. For this reason, the degree of freedom of design is small, and an advantageous design cannot be made in terms of vibration.

In addition, when the inner ring 43 is assembled, it is necessary to insert the inner ring 43 into the cage 48 in a state where the inner ring 43 is tilted by 90 ° with respect to the cage 48. Can not.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a fixed type constant velocity universal joint which is easy to assemble and can be reduced in length in the radial and axial directions.

[0014]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to the present invention, curved track grooves are formed at equal intervals in a circumferential direction on a spherical inner surface of an outer race and a spherical outer surface of an inner race, respectively. A torque transmitting ball is incorporated between the track groove and the inner ring track groove, and a cage having a spherical outer surface and a spherical inner surface that is guided between the outer ring and the inner ring by the spherical inner surface of the outer ring and the spherical outer surface of the inner ring is incorporated into the cage. In the fixed type constant velocity universal joint having a pocket for accommodating a torque transmitting ball, the cage is provided with an opening for opening the pocket on a ball holding surface on the outer ring opening side of the cage, and is fitted to the opening. The rim member having the ball holding surface formed thereon is fixed to the cage.

[0015] As described above, the pocket formed in the cage is opened at one end face of the cage on the outer ring opening side, and the rim member that closes the opening is fixed to the cage. In this case, since the torque transmitting ball can be incorporated into the pocket from the opening of the cage, it is not necessary to largely tilt the cage with respect to the outer race unlike the related art.

The inner ring is inserted into the cage through the pocket opening of the cage such that the column formed between the pockets of the cage corresponds to the track groove of the inner ring. Angle of formation of 1
The inner ring can be assembled by relatively rotating the cage and the inner ring by an angle corresponding to / 2.

Therefore, it is not necessary to insert the inner ring into the cage after tilting the inner ring by 90 ° with respect to the cage, and it is possible to facilitate the assembly of the constant velocity universal joint.

Here, the width of the opening formed in the cage between the pair of side surfaces opposed in the circumferential direction of the cage may be slightly smaller or larger than the ball diameter of the torque transmitting ball. In this manner, by providing the opening, the inclination angle of the inner ring for incorporating the ball can be greatly reduced, and the circumferential length of the pocket can be reduced. Can be made more compact. Further, when the width of the opening is larger than the spherical shape of the torque transmitting ball, the ball can be inserted without inclining the inner ring, so that all the balls can be inserted at the same time and the assembly becomes easy. In addition, the torque transmission ball can be smoothly inserted into the opening, preventing the outer periphery of the torque transmission ball from being damaged by contact with the side surface of the opening or the ball holding surface when the torque transmission ball is assembled. can do.

In order to fix the rim member, the rim member is abutted against the end face of the cage and welded, and the rim member is fitted on a rim support piece formed between the openings of the cage, and the rim is fitted. A method in which a retaining ring is attached to an engagement groove formed on the outer periphery of the tip of the support piece, or a rim member is fitted on a rim support piece formed between the openings of the cage, and the tip of each rim support piece Can be adopted.

In the constant velocity universal joint according to the present invention, if the outer diameter of the cage at the ball holding surface perpendicular to the center axis of the cage is smaller than the inner diameter at the open end of the outer ring, the center axis of the outer ring and the center axis of the cage are provided. By adjusting the phase of the outer ring and the cage so that the pillars formed between the pockets of the cage correspond to the track grooves of the outer ring, the cage can be inserted from the open end of the outer ring to the inside, The assemblability of the constant velocity universal joint can be further improved.

In the constant velocity universal joint according to the present invention, the number of torque transmitting balls may be an even number or an odd number.

[0022]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the fixed type constant velocity universal joint includes an outer ring 1, an inner ring 11, a cage 21, and a torque transmission ball 31.

The outer race 1 has a spherical inner surface 2 on which seven curved track grooves 3 are formed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction.

The inner race 11 has a spherical outer surface 12 on which seven curved track grooves 13 are formed.

The center of curvature O of the track groove 3 in the outer race 1
₁ and the center of curvature O ₂ of the track groove 13 in the inner race 11 are offset by the same distance from the angular center O ₀ of the constant velocity universal joint, and the torque transmission ball 31 is incorporated between the outer race track groove 3 and the inner race track groove 13. ing.

The cage 21 is installed between the outer ring 1 and the inner ring 11. The cage 21 has a spherical outer surface 22 guided in contact with the spherical inner surface 2 of the outer ring 1 and a spherical outer surface 1 of the inner ring 11.
2 is formed with a spherical inner surface 23 which is guided in contact.

In the above embodiment, the cage 21 has the center of curvature of the spherical outer surface 22 and the center of curvature of the spherical inner surface 23 offset from the angular center of the constant velocity universal joint by the same distance to the left and right. The center of curvature of 22 and the center of curvature of the spherical inner surface 23 may coincide with the angular center O ₀ of the constant velocity universal joint.

The cage 21 has a torque transmitting ball 31.
Are formed in each pocket.
The pocket 24 extends long in the circumferential direction of the cage, and has a length that does not interfere with the torque transmitting balls 31 moving in the pocket 24 when the outer ring 1 and the inner ring 11 transmit torque at the maximum operating angle. I have. Each of these pockets 2
4 have the same length in the cage circumferential direction.

As shown in FIGS. 2 (I) and (II), the cage 21 is provided with an opening 25 for opening each pocket 24 at one end on the outer ring opening side. The width dimension A between the pair of side surfaces of the opening 25 that oppose each other in the cage circumferential direction is a size that allows the torque transmission ball 31 to be inserted. In this case, the width dimension A may be smaller than the ball diameter of the torque transmitting ball 31 or larger than the ball diameter of the torque transmitting ball 31.

In the cage 21 in which the opening 25 is formed, the outer diameter of the cage 21 on a plane perpendicular to the central axis of the cage 21 and including a pair of end faces of the pockets 24 facing each other in the direction of the cage axis is D. _{If it is 1} , its outer diameter D ₁
Is the inner diameter d ₁ at the open end of the outer ring 1 shown in FIG.
It has a smaller diameter.

For this reason, as shown in FIGS. 4 (I) and (II), the outer race 1 and the cage 21 are arranged coaxially and the cage 2
The cage 21 can be inserted into the outer race 1 by adjusting the phase so that the pillars 26 formed between the pockets 24 correspond to the outer race track grooves 3.

Further, by forming an opening 25 in the cage 21, the cage 21 and the inner ring 11 are coaxially arranged as shown in FIGS. The rim support piece 27 formed in the inner ring track groove 1
By adjusting the phase to correspond to 3, the inner ring 11 can be inserted into the cage 21.

As shown in FIG. 1, a rim member 28 for closing the opening 25 is provided on the end surface of the cage 21 on the outer ring opening side. As shown in FIG. 3, the rim member 28 has a ball holding surface 28b fitted into the opening 25 at one end of an annular portion 28a. The outer periphery of the rim member 28
As shown in FIG. 1 (I), the spherical surface 22 has the same diameter as the spherical outer surface 22 of the cage 21, and the inner diameter of the annular portion 28a is the same as the inner diameter of the cylindrical surface 29 formed at one end of the cage 21. ing.

The rim member 28 is fixed to one end of the cage 21 after the torque transmission ball 31 is inserted into the pocket 24 from the opening 25 of the cage 21. In this fixing, the annular portion 28a is welded to one end surface of the cage 21 here.

The fixed type constant velocity universal joint shown in the embodiment has the above-described structure. When assembling the constant velocity universal joint, the cage 21 is incorporated into the outer race 1 and the cage 21
After the inner ring 11 is assembled therein, the torque transmitting ball 31 is inserted into the pocket 24 from the opening 25 formed in the cage 21. After the torque transmission ball 31 is assembled, the rim member 28 is fixed to one end of the cage 21 on the outer ring opening side.

Incorporation of the cage 21 into the outer race 1
As shown in FIGS. 4 (I) and (II), the outer race 1 and the cage 21
Are arranged coaxially, and the phases of the outer ring 1 and the cage 21 are adjusted so that the column portions 26 formed between the pockets 24 of the cage 21 correspond to the outer ring track grooves 3, and then the cage 21 is inserted into the outer ring 1. I do.

At this time, since the outer diameter D ₁ of the cage 21 on the ball holding surface 24 a orthogonal to the central axis of the cage 21 is smaller than the inner diameter d ₁ at the open end of the outer ring 1, the cage 21 Can be inserted. After the insertion, the outer race 1 and the cage 21 are relatively rotated by an angle corresponding to a half of the angle formed by the outer race track groove 3, so that the outer race track groove 3 and the pocket can be inserted. 24 face each other,
The cage 21 can be in an assembled state.

As shown in FIGS. 5 (I) and 5 (II), the inner ring 11 is incorporated into the cage 21 by arranging the cage 21 and the inner ring 11 coaxially and forming a rim support piece formed on the cage 21. After adjusting the phases of the cage 21 and the inner ring 11 so that 27 corresponds to the track groove 13 of the inner ring 11, the inner ring 11 is inserted into the cage 21.

After the inner race 11 is inserted, the inner race 11 and the cage 21 are relatively rotated by an angle corresponding to a half of the angle formed by the inner race track groove 13 so that the track groove 13 of the inner race 11 is The inner ring 11 can be brought into an assembled state, facing the pocket 24.

The incorporation of the torque transmitting ball 31 into the pocket 24 of the cage 21 is performed on the cage 21 in a state where the cage 21 is arranged coaxially with the outer race 1 as shown in FIGS. Pocket 2 from the opening 25
The torque transmission ball 31 is inserted into 4.

At this time, by making the dimension between the pair of side surfaces of the opening 25 facing each other in the cage circumferential direction larger than the ball diameter of the torque transmitting ball 31, the torque transmitting ball 3
1 can be prevented from being damaged by the contact of the outer periphery with the side surface of the opening 25.

After the torque transmitting ball 31 is assembled as described above, as shown in FIG. 7, the ball holding surface 2 protrudes by abutting the rim member 28 on one end surface of the cage 21.
8b is fitted into the opening 25 of the cage 21 and the annular portion 28a of the rim member 28 is welded to the end surface of the cage 21 to complete the assembly of the constant velocity universal joint.

As described above, the cage 21 can be inserted into the outer race 1 while maintaining the orientation during the assembly of the constant velocity universal joint, and the inner race 21 can also be inserted into the cage 21 while maintaining the orientation during the assembly. Since the cage 21 does not need to be tilted when the torque transmitting ball 31 is assembled, the constant velocity universal joint can be assembled very easily.

Further, since the cage 21 can be inserted into the outer race 1 while maintaining the orientation at the time of assembly, there is no need to secure a space for assembling the cage 21 at the bottom of the outer race 1, and the constant velocity universal joint is not required. It is only necessary to secure a small space such that the cage 21 or the inner ring 11 does not interfere when transmitting torque at the maximum operating angle, so that the axial length of the constant velocity universal joint can be reduced. .

Further, since it is not necessary to tilt the cage 21 when the torque transmitting ball 31 is assembled, the cage 21
The circumferential length of the pocket 24 formed in the cage may be a length that only takes into account the amount of movement of the torque transmitting ball 31 when the constant velocity universal joint takes the maximum operating angle and transmits torque. Since the cage 24 can have the same length in the cage circumferential direction, the constant velocity universal joint can be made compact in the radial direction.

Further, since the inner race 11 can be inserted into the cage 21 while maintaining the orientation at the time of assembly, FIG.
As shown in (1), the shaft 14 can be assembled on the inner race 11 in advance. In this case, the inner ring 11 and the shaft 14
Are connected by a spline, and when the spline has a torsion angle, there is no need to apply an axial pressing force for inserting the shaft to the constant velocity universal joint, which is advantageous.

In the embodiment, the number of the torque transmitting balls 31 is an odd number of seven, but may be an even number.
Since the number of the torque transmission balls 31 is odd, the track grooves 3 of the outer race 1 are shifted from the opposing positions, so that the rigidity is increased, and the weight and the size can be reduced.

Further, since the optimum number of balls can be selected, the degree of freedom in design is increased, and an advantageous design can be made in terms of vibration.

8 (I) and (II) show another example of fixing the rim member 28. FIG. In FIG. 8 (I), the cage 21
A step is formed between the outer periphery of the rim support piece 27 formed between the openings 25 and the spherical outer surface 22 of the cage 21, and the rim member 28 is fitted on the rim support piece 27, and each rim support piece 27
The rim member 28 is fixed by caulking the tip of the rim member 28.
Reference numeral 27a denotes a caulking piece.

In FIG. 8 (II), the outer periphery of the rim support piece 27 formed between the openings 25 of the cage 21 and the cage 2
A step is provided between the spherical outer surface members and the rim support piece 27 is provided.
The rim member 28 is fitted thereon, and the retaining ring 30b is engaged with the engaging groove 30a formed on the outer periphery of the distal end portion of each rim support piece 27, thereby fixing the rim member 28. Here, in the rim member 28 shown in FIG. 8 (II), a ball holding surface 28d inserted into the opening 25 is provided on the inner periphery of the annular portion 28c fitted to the rim support piece 27.

[0051]

As described above, in the present invention, the cage is provided with an opening in the ball holding surface on the opening side of the outer ring of the cage having the pocket, and the pocket is opened on the ball holding surface of the cage. A torque transmission ball can be incorporated into a pocket from an opening when coaxially arranged, and an inner ring can be inserted into a cage when a cage and an inner ring are coaxially arranged. The assemblability of the speed universal joint can be improved.

Further, since the inclination angle of the cage can be reduced to zero or large when the torque transmitting ball is assembled, the cage may interfere with the bottom of the outer ring when the constant velocity universal joint takes the maximum operating angle to transmit the torque. It is only necessary to secure a space that does not cause the size of the constant velocity universal joint to be reduced in the axial direction, and the cage formed in the cage has the maximum circumferential length of the pocket formed in the cage. The length may be determined in consideration of the amount of movement of the torque transmitting ball when transmitting torque at an angle, and the circumferential length of all pockets can be the same length. It is possible to reduce the size in the radial direction.

Further, by making the cage outer diameter on a plane including a pair of end faces opposed to each other in the cage axial direction of the pocket perpendicular to the central axis of the cage smaller than the inner diameter at the open end of the outer ring, the cage is formed. The assembly can be inserted from the opening end of the outer ring to the inside while maintaining the assembly direction, and the assemblability of the constant velocity universal joint can be further improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 (I) is a longitudinal sectional front view of a constant velocity universal joint according to the present invention, and (II) is a longitudinal sectional side view.

FIG. 2 (I) is a side view of the cage shown in FIG. 1, and (II) is a front view.

FIG. 3 (I) is a front view of the rim member shown in FIG. 1, (II)
Is a side view

FIG. 4 (I) is a longitudinal sectional front view showing a state before assembling the cage shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 (II) is a side view.

FIG. 5 (I) is a longitudinal sectional front view showing a state before assembling the inner race shown in FIG. 1, and (II) is a side view.

6 (I) is a partially cutaway front view showing a state before assembling the torque transmitting ball shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 (II) is a side view showing a state after assembling the ball.

FIG. 7 is a front view showing an assembled state of a cage and a rim member of the constant velocity universal joint shown in FIG. 1;

8 (I) and (II) are longitudinal sectional front views showing another example of fixing the rim member.

FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional front view showing a conventional constant velocity universal joint.

10 (I) is a sectional view showing a state during the assembly of the cage of the constant velocity universal joint shown in FIG. 9, and (II) is a sectional view showing the state during the assembly of the inner race.

11 is a longitudinal sectional front view showing an assembled state of the torque transmitting ball of the constant velocity universal joint shown in FIG. 9;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Outer ring 2 Spherical inner surface 3 Track groove 11 Inner ring 12 Spherical outer surface 13 Track groove 21 Cage 22 Spherical outer surface 23 Spherical inner surface 24 Pocket 24a Ball holding surface 25 Opening 26 Column part 27 Rim support piece 28 Rim member 28b Ball holding surface 28c Ring part 28d Ball holding surface 30a Engagement groove 30b Retaining ring

Claims (9)

[Claims] A curved track groove is formed on each of a spherical inner surface of an outer race and a spherical outer surface of an inner race at equal intervals in a circumferential direction, and a torque transmitting ball is assembled between the outer race track groove and the inner race track groove. In the fixed type constant velocity universal joint, a cage having a spherical outer surface and a spherical inner surface guided by contact with the spherical inner surface of the outer ring and the spherical outer surface of the inner ring is incorporated therebetween, and the cage is provided with a pocket for accommodating the torque transmitting ball. An opening for opening the pocket at a ball holding surface on the outer ring opening side of the cage, and a rim member having a ball holding surface fitted into the opening is fixed to the cage. Characterized fixed constant velocity universal joint. 2. The fixed type constant velocity universal joint according to claim 1, wherein a width dimension between a pair of side surfaces of the opening which oppose each other in a cage circumferential direction is larger than a ball diameter of the torque transmitting ball. 3. The fixed type constant velocity universal joint according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of pockets in the cage have substantially the same length in the cage circumferential direction. 4. The fixing according to claim 1, wherein an outer diameter of the cage at a ball holding surface orthogonal to a central axis of the cage is smaller than an inner diameter at an open end of the outer ring. Type constant velocity universal joint. 5. The fixed type constant velocity universal joint according to claim 1, wherein said rim member is abutted and welded to an end face of a cage. 6. The rim member is fitted on a rim support piece formed between the openings of the cage, and the rim member is fixed by caulking a tip end of each rim support piece. The fixed type constant velocity universal joint according to any one of 1 to 4. 7. A rim by fitting a rim member on a rim support piece formed between openings of the cage, and fitting a retaining ring into an engagement groove formed on an outer periphery of a tip end of each rim support piece. The fixed type constant velocity universal joint according to claim 1, wherein the member is fixed. 8. The fixed type constant velocity universal joint according to claim 1, wherein the number of the torque transmitting balls is an odd number. 9. The fixed constant velocity universal joint according to claim 1, wherein the number of the torque transmitting balls is seven.