JP2549881Y2 - Drive shaft - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a drive shaft provided with a shaft and a shaft receiving member which are fitted in such a manner that they cannot rotate relative to each other, and a connecting device for detachably connecting the shaft and the shaft receiving member.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art As a drive shaft having such a connecting device, there is one described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-195022.

As shown in FIG. 4, the drive shaft connecting device described in this publication includes: an annular ball receiving groove 100 provided on the peripheral surface of the shaft 60; A plurality of balls 80 movably held in the radial direction at positions spaced apart from each other; and-a ball holding position for projecting the balls 80 radially inward at the outer periphery of the shaft housing member 20 (see FIG. 4B). And the ball release position to move the ball radially outward ((a) in FIG. 4)
Slidably in the axial direction between the flat spring
A sliding sleeve 140 for pressing the ball to the ball holding position by a load of 360; and a ball holding member 380 provided on the sliding sleeve for pressing the ball radially inward when the sliding sleeve assumes the ball holding position. -An annular stopper means 440 provided on the outer periphery of the shaft receiving member 20 so as to limit the axial movement of the sliding sleeve to the ball holding position; and-the sliding sleeve in the sliding sleeve 140 in the axial direction. Is relatively immovable with respect to, but is movably arranged in the radial direction. When the sliding sleeve is moved to the ball release position (see FIG. 4A) against the spring load, the radius of the ball is reduced. Restriction ring means 220, 240 for restricting movement outside the direction
-When the sliding sleeve is moved to the ball release position, the restriction ring means 220, 240 at least partially engages the end faces of the restriction ring means 220, 240 facing the ball holding position;
220,240, sliding sleeve 140 and ball holding member 380
And a detent ring means 400 provided on the outer periphery of the shaft housing member 2 so as to prevent the return to the ball holding position.

In the ball holding position (see FIG. 4B), the restricting ring 240 of the restricting ring means is moved to the detent ring 400.
And slidably contact the outer side of the detent ring 400.

When the sliding sleeve 140 is manually moved from the ball holding position (see FIG. 4B) to the ball releasing position (see FIG. 4A) against the pressing force of the spring 360. The restriction ring 240 moves along with the sliding sleeve 140 and the ball holding member 380 along the detent ring 400,
When the ball holding member 380 moves to a position where the ball is not pressed inward in the radial direction, the leaf spring 220 of the limiting ring means can move the limiting ring 240 in the radial direction. As a result, a part of the end surface of the restriction ring 240 facing the direction of the ball pressing position is engaged with the detent ring 400, and it is not necessary to manually hold the sliding sleeve 140 at the ball release position, and the sliding sleeve 140 and Ball holding member
The assembly 380 is prevented from returning by the force of the spring 360, and is automatically held at the ball release position. At this time, since the ball 80 can freely move radially outward within the range of the restriction ring 240, the shaft 60 can be inserted and removed from the shaft housing member 20.

When the sliding sleeve 140 is held at the position where the ball can be released, when the shaft 60 is inserted into and removed from the shaft receiving member 20, the shaft 60 between the end face 12 of the shaft 60 and the ball receiving groove 100 is removed. When the ball rides on the outer periphery of the ball and pushes the ball radially outward evenly, the restriction ring 240
400 and become concentric, and the sliding sleeve 14
0, the assembly of the ball restraining member 380 and the limiting ring means 220, 240 automatically and resiliently under the action of the spring 360, FIG.
To the ball holding position shown in FIG. To prevent the sliding sleeve 140 from coming off the shaft receiving member 20, a spring 360
The axial movement of the sliding sleeve 140 toward the ball holding position of the sliding sleeve 140 with respect to the shaft housing member 20 due to the pressing of the shaft sleeve 20 is limited by the annular stopper means 440.

[0007]

In such a conventional drive shaft connecting device, two types of retaining rings, namely, a stopper means 440 and a detent ring 400, were required. Further, since the stopper means is provided at the end of the shaft housing member, when the sliding sleeve resiliently returns from the ball release position to the ball holding position, the hand is pinched between the sliding sleeve and the stopper means. There was danger.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to improve the prior art described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-195022 filed by the present applicant, and does not require two types of retaining rings, and can be safely released. The aim is to obtain a drive shaft with a coupling device.

[0009]

In order to achieve this object, in the drive shaft according to the present invention, the detent means is a ring having an L-shaped cross section, and one end of the L-shaped cross section is used as the shaft receiving member. And the free end of the other end of the L-shaped section comes to a position slightly outside the ball receiving opening in the radial direction outside the ball receiving opening, and the sliding sleeve is moved to the ball holding position. At one time, the free end of the other end of the L-shaped cross section is engaged with the ball pressing member so that the L-shaped ring also functions as stopper means.

[0010]

[Function] When the sliding sleeve is in the ball holding position,
The free end of the L-shaped ring of the detent means engages the opposite end face of the ball holding member, and functions as a stopper means for limiting the movement of the sliding sleeve assembly in the axial direction toward the ball holding position. No means is required.

[0011]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the connecting device provided on the shaft receiving member 2 according to the present invention has a sliding sleeve 14 slidable in the axial direction outside the shaft receiving member 2. A ball pressing member 38 is fixed to a substantially central portion of the sliding sleeve 14. The assembly of the sliding sleeve 14 and the ball pressing member 38 is biased toward a position where the ball pressing member 38 presses the ball 8 inward in the radial direction by the spring 36 disposed on the sliding sleeve 14. . In order to prevent the sliding sleeve 14 from moving outward in the axial direction beyond the ball holding position, a ring-shaped stopper means having a L-shaped cross section and extending substantially in the circumferential direction, that is, the stopper ring 3 is provided. Is provided.

The stopper ring 3 is attached to the shaft housing member 2 with one leg of the L-shaped cross section, that is, the inner peripheral edge of the ring approaching the ball housing opening 5 for housing the ball 8. The stopper ring 3 is preferably configured as a partially cut-out C-clip, as shown in the plan view of FIG. 2a.

The other leg of the L-shaped cross section of the stopper ring 3, that is, the free end of the outer peripheral edge of the ring is disposed above the ball receiving opening 5 so as to slightly overlap the peripheral edge of the ball receiving opening, The movement of the ball 8 outward in the radial direction is restricted.

In the front part of the sliding sleeve 14 there is arranged a limiting ring means, ie a limiting ring 24 and a leaf spring 22 for applying a radial pressing force to the limiting ring 24. As shown in FIG. 3, the leaf spring 22 has both ends in contact with the inner surface 26 of the front portion of the sliding sleeve 14 so that a radial pressing force is applied to the restriction ring 24. The inner diameter of the restriction ring 24 is extremely slightly larger than the outer diameter of the stopper ring 3.

The movement of the sliding sleeve 14 in the direction toward the ball release position is performed by a shoulder 9 provided on the outer peripheral surface of the shaft housing member 2.
Restricted by.

When the sliding sleeve 14 is pushed by hand to the extreme position in the direction toward the ball release position against the force of the spring 36, as shown in FIG.
Freed from repression by 38. At this time, the restriction ring 24 is moved radially inward at an axial position aligned with the ball 8 by the action of the leaf spring 22, and a part of the restriction ring 24 is engaged with the stopper ring 3. As a result, the sliding sleeve 14 is automatically locked at the ball release position even when the manual pushing force on the sliding sleeve 14 is released. Therefore, this stopper ring also functions as a detent ring in the conventional drive shaft coupling device.

FIG. 4 shows a conventional example including a problem to be solved by the present invention. Parts corresponding to the embodiment of FIG. 1 of the present invention are denoted by reference numerals to which "0" is added. .

In the ball release position as shown in FIG. 4 (a), the ball 8 can freely move in the radial direction within the range of the radially movable restriction ring 24. Therefore, the shaft 60 that is spline-fitted to the shaft housing members 2 and 20 can be inserted and removed. When the shaft 60 is inserted or removed as described above, when the ball 8 rides on the outer surface between the ball receiving groove 100 provided on the peripheral surface of the shaft 60 and the shaft end portion 120, that is, the land portion, the restriction ring 24 is stopped by the stopper. The stopper ring 3 comes out of engagement with the ring 3 and becomes substantially concentric with the stopper ring 3. At this time, the sliding sleeve 14 resiliently returns to the ball holding position shown in FIGS. 1 and 4 (b) by the force of the spring 36 together with the limiting ring means 22 and 24.

[0020]

According to the present invention, according to the present invention, the stopper ring disposed close to the ball receiving groove performs both the stopper function of the sliding sleeve and the detent function of the restricting ring. Since the number of points is reduced and the number of assembling steps is reduced, the cost can be reduced.

Further, according to the present invention, it is not necessary to provide a stopper means at the end of the shaft housing member as in the prior art.
When the sliding sleeve resiliently returns from the ball release position to the ball holding position, there is no danger of the hand being caught between the sliding sleeve and the stopper means.

Further, conventionally, since the stopper means is provided at the end of the shaft accommodating member, it has been difficult to clean dust accumulated between the outer stopper means and the inner detent ring. According to this, since there is no need to provide this outer stopper means, cleaning becomes extremely easy, and
The service life is also extended.

The free end of the L-shaped cross section of the stopper ring 3 projects above the ball receiving opening so as to partially overlap the ball receiving opening, so that the ball moves radially outward. A situation in which one of the balls protrudes too far in the radial direction to make the restriction evenly, so that the ball on the opposite side cannot escape radially outward, so that the shaft cannot be inserted or removed from the shaft receiving member. (This situation often occurs in the case of the conventional coupling device).

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of a coupling device portion of a drive shaft according to the present invention.

2A is a front view of a stopper ring of the drive shaft connecting device according to the present invention, and FIG. 2B is a longitudinal sectional view.

FIG. 3 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the arrangement of the restricting ring means of the drive shaft coupling device according to the present invention;

FIG. 4A is a longitudinal sectional view showing a ball released state of a conventional drive shaft connecting device portion, and FIG. 4B is a longitudinal sectional view showing a ball holding position state.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2,20 Shaft receiving member 3 Stopper ring 5 Ball receiving opening 8,80 Ball 9 Shoulder 14,140 Sliding sleeve 22,220 Leaf spring 24,240 Restriction ring 26,260 Inner surface 36,360 Spring 38,380 Ball holding member 60 Axis 100 Ball receiving groove 120 Axis end 400 Detent ring 440 Stopper means

Claims (1)

(57) [Scope of request for utility model registration] 1. A shaft and a shaft receiving member which are fitted so as to be relatively non-rotatable, and a connecting device for detachably connecting the shaft and the shaft receiving member, the connecting device being provided on a peripheral surface of the shaft. An annular ball receiving groove, a plurality of balls movably held in the radial direction at positions equidistant from each other in the circumferential direction of the shaft receiving member, and the balls radially inward at the outer periphery of the shaft receiving member. A sliding sleeve which is slidably arranged in the axial direction between a ball holding position for projecting and a ball releasing position for moving the ball radially outward, and which is pressed to the ball holding position by a flat spring load; Provided on the sleeve, when this sliding sleeve takes the ball holding position,
A ball pressing member for pressing the ball inward in the radial direction, an annular stopper provided on an outer periphery of the shaft housing member so as to limit the axial movement of the sliding sleeve to a ball pressing position, and When the sliding sleeve is disposed in the sleeve so that it cannot move relative to the sliding sleeve in the axial direction, but can move in the radial direction, and moves the sliding sleeve to the ball release position against the spring load, Restriction ring means for restricting radial movement of the ball; and, when the sliding sleeve is moved to the ball release position, the restriction ring means is at least partially engaged with an end face of the restriction ring means which is directed to the ball holding position. A drive shaft comprising a limiting ring means and a detent ring means provided on the outer periphery of the shaft housing member so as to prevent the sliding sleeve from returning to the ball pressing position; The detent means is a ring having an L-shaped cross section, one end of the L-shaped cross section is fixed to the shaft receiving member, and the free end of the other end of the L-shaped cross section is a ball receiving opening. When the sliding sleeve is at the ball pressing position, the free end of the other end of the L-shaped cross section engages with the ball pressing member when the sliding sleeve is at the ball pressing position. A drive shaft characterized in that the L-shaped ring also functions as stopper means.