JP5585032B2 - Sliding tripod type constant velocity joint - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a sliding tripod type constant velocity joint.

  As a conventional sliding tripod type constant velocity joint, for example, there is one described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-98402 (Patent Document 1). A sliding tripod type constant velocity joint described in Patent Document 1 includes a bottomed cylindrical outer ring having three raceway grooves formed on an inner peripheral surface, and three tripod shaft portions inserted into the raceway grooves. , A roller inserted in each raceway groove, an intermediate member (ring) that is externally fitted to each tripod shaft and rotatably supports each roller, and can be rolled between the roller and the ring And an intervening rolling element (ball). When power is transmitted with this configuration, a large resistance is generated by slippage in addition to rolling resistance between the rolling element and the intermediate member and between the rolling element and the roller.

  Therefore, in order to reduce this resistance, for example, there is one described in Japanese Patent No. 2763624 (Patent Document 2). The sliding tripod type constant velocity joint described in Patent Document 2 uses a rolling element as a needle and eliminates the roller described above, so that the rolling element rolls in the raceway groove, and the rolling element is in the middle. It is comprised so that the outer periphery of a member (block) may be supported by the holder | retainer so that circulation is possible. In this case, a needle unit in which a plurality of needles, an intermediate member, and a cage are assembled is provided so as to be swingable with respect to the tripod shaft portion. Thereby, the resistance by the sliding between a rolling element and an intermediate member, and a rolling element and a raceway groove | channel can be reduced significantly.

JP-A-2005-98402 Japanese Patent No. 2763624

  By the way, the sliding tripod type constant velocity joint as described above is configured such that the tripod including the rolling element and the intermediate member assembled to the tripod shaft portion can move relative to the outer ring in the raceway extending direction of the outer ring. Has been. Therefore, when assembling to the vehicle, a slide stopper that restricts the relative movement of the tripod and the outer ring is required.

  Therefore, in the case of the sliding tripod type constant velocity joint described in Patent Document 1, a stopper structure in which a roller assembled to the tripod shaft portion is brought into contact with the bottom portion of the outer ring is conventionally employed. In this case, since the carburized parts having high strength are used for the roller, the roller is not damaged and no particular problem occurs.

  On the other hand, in the case of the sliding tripod type constant velocity joint described in Patent Document 2, when the stopper structure similar to the conventional one is adopted, the needle unit provided swingably with respect to the tripod shaft portion comes into contact with the bottom portion of the outer ring. It becomes a structure. However, since the needle unit usually includes a cage formed of a pressed steel plate having a lower strength than carburized parts and does not have a robust structure compared to the roller, when the needle unit comes into contact with the bottom of the outer ring There is a risk of deformation.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and solves the problem of realizing a slide stopper structure capable of avoiding deformation of the needle unit in a needle circulation type sliding tripod constant velocity joint. It should be a challenge.

In order to solve the above problem, the feature of the invention according to claim 1 is:
An outer ring formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape and having three raceway grooves extending in the outer ring rotation axis direction on the inner peripheral surface;
A boss portion coupled to the shaft, and three tripod shaft portions that are erected so as to extend radially outward of the boss portion from the outer peripheral surface of the boss portion and are inserted into the raceway grooves, respectively. Tripod,
A needle unit provided so as to be swingable with respect to the tripod shaft portion, and capable of rolling in the outer ring rotation axis direction along a side surface of the raceway groove;
With
The outer ring is provided on the outer ring bottom side of the side surface of the raceway groove, so that the needle unit that rolls in the direction of the outer ring rotation axis along the side surface of the raceway groove does not contact the bottom of the outer ring. It has a stopper part which regulates movement to the outer ring bottom part side.

The feature of the invention according to claim 2 is that in claim 1,
The needle unit is
An intermediate member provided on the outer periphery of the tripod shaft portion so as to be swingable with respect to the tripod shaft portion, and having an outer power transmission surface facing the side surface of the raceway groove on the outer surface;
A plurality of axial rolling elements provided between the side surface of the raceway groove and the outer power transmission surface so as to roll along the side surface of the raceway groove;
A cage that supports the shaft-like rolling element so that the shaft-like rolling element can circulate around the outer periphery of the intermediate member;
On both side surfaces of the raceway groove, a raceway recess is formed that extends in the extending direction of the raceway groove and is capable of rolling the axial rolling element,
The stopper portion is provided on an outer ring bottom portion side of at least one of the track recesses of each of the track grooves, and is configured by an inclined surface that is inclined so as to approach the shaft-like rolling element toward the outer ring bottom portion side. That is.

  A feature of the invention according to claim 3 is that, in claim 2, the inclined surface is an arc surface.

  A feature of the invention according to claim 4 is that, in claim 3, the radius of curvature of the arc surface is equal to or larger than the radius of the shaft-like rolling element. is there.

  A feature of the invention according to claim 5 is that, in claim 2, the inclined surface is a flat surface.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the second to fifth aspects, the needle unit is configured such that the shaft-shaped rolling element located between the intermediate member and the track recess is the stopper. It is comprised so that a part may be contacted.

  A feature of the invention according to claim 7 is that, in any one of claims 2 to 6, the stopper portion is provided in both the raceway recesses of each of the raceway grooves.

According to the invention according to claim 1 configured as described above, the outer ring is provided on the outer ring bottom side of the side surface of the raceway groove, and the needle unit that rolls in the direction of the outer ring rotation axis along the side surface of the raceway groove is the outer ring. A stopper portion is provided for restricting the movement of the needle unit toward the outer ring bottom portion side so as not to contact the bottom portion. As a result, when the tripod is slid to the outer ring bottom side with respect to the outer ring together with the needle unit swingably provided on the tripod shaft, the needle unit is moved toward the outer ring bottom by the stopper provided on the outer ring. Restricted to move. At this time, since the stopper portion is provided at a position where the needle unit does not contact the bottom of the outer ring, it is possible to avoid the possibility that the needle unit contacts the outer ring bottom and deforms. Thereby, the slide stopper structure which can avoid a deformation | transformation of a needle unit is realizable.

  According to the second aspect of the invention, the needle unit is provided on the outer periphery of the tripod shaft portion so as to be swingable with respect to the tripod shaft portion, and has an outer power transmission surface on the outer surface facing the side surface of the raceway groove. And a plurality of shaft-like rolling elements provided between the side surface of the raceway groove and the outer power transmission surface so as to roll along the side surface of the raceway groove, and the shaft-like rolling body can circulate around the outer periphery of the intermediate member. A retainer for supporting the shaft-shaped rolling element, and on both side surfaces of the track groove, a track recess extending in the extending direction of the track groove and allowing the shaft-shaped rolling element to roll is formed, and a stopper portion. Is provided on the outer ring bottom side of at least one track recess of each track groove, and is configured by an inclined surface that is inclined so as to approach the axial rolling element toward the outer ring bottom side.

  In the present invention, when the tripod is slid to the outer ring bottom side with respect to the outer ring together with the needle unit swingably provided on the tripod shaft, the raceway recess in which the axial rolling element of the needle unit is provided in the raceway groove is provided. Roll. When the shaft-like rolling element reaches the stopper portion formed of the inclined surface provided on the outer ring bottom side of the raceway recess, rolling of the shaft-like rolling element to the outer ring bottom side is restricted by the wedge effect of the inclined surface. . At this time, since the stopper portion is provided at a position where the needle unit does not contact the bottom of the outer ring, it is possible to avoid the possibility that the needle unit contacts the outer ring bottom and deforms. In addition, since a heat-treated component with high strength is usually used for the shaft-shaped rolling element, there is little risk of deformation when it comes into contact with the inclined surface of the stopper portion. In addition, the slide stopper structure of the present invention can be realized with a simple structure at a low cost because it is only necessary to provide a stopper portion made of an inclined surface on the outer ring bottom side of the raceway recess where the shaft-like rolling element rolls. .

  According to the invention which concerns on Claim 3, the inclined surface is formed in the circular arc surface. By doing in this way, the bottom face and inclined surface of the track | orbit recessed part which an axial rolling element rolls can be connected smoothly.

  According to the invention which concerns on Claim 4, the curvature radius of a circular arc surface is made equal to the radius of an axial rolling element, or larger than the radius of an axial rolling element. That is, the radius of curvature of the arc surface is not made smaller than the radius of the axial rolling element. By doing so, the axial rolling element can be prevented from coming into contact with the corner formed at the outer ring bottom side edge of the arcuate surface, so that damage to the axial rolling element can be avoided. .

  According to the invention of claim 5, the inclined surface is formed as a flat surface. By doing in this way, compared with the case where an inclined surface is formed in the circular arc surface, the biting of the axial rolling element by the wedge effect of an inclined surface can be suppressed advantageously.

  According to the invention which concerns on Claim 6, the needle unit is comprised so that the axial rolling element located between an intermediate member and a track | orbit recessed part may contact a stopper part. By doing in this way, when a shaft-like rolling element contacts a stopper part, since the amount of displacement with respect to the needle unit of the shaft-like rolling element which contacted can be decreased, it can control deformation of a needle unit. it can.

  According to the invention which concerns on Claim 7, the stopper part is provided in the track | orbit recessed part of each track groove. By doing so, it is possible to increase the wedge angle formed by the pair of inclined surfaces as compared with the case where the stopper portion is provided in one of the track recesses. The occurrence of biting of the moving body can be advantageously suppressed. Also, if the shape of the raceway recesses provided on both sides of the side surface of the raceway groove is different, the quenching pattern applied when manufacturing the outer ring is different on both sides of the side surface of the raceway groove. By providing the stopper portion, the outer ring can be easily manufactured.

It is a perspective view of the constant velocity joint 1, and shows the state where the outer ring 10 is cut in the axial direction. FIG. 3 is a view seen from the opening side of the outer ring 10 in a partly assembled state of the constant velocity joint 1. FIG. 3 is a radial sectional view of a part of the constant velocity joint 1. FIG. 4 is a sectional view in the axial direction of a part of the constant velocity joint 1 and shows a state in which the needle unit 30 is located at an intermediate portion of the raceway groove 16. FIG. 4 is a sectional view in the axial direction of a part of the constant velocity joint 1 and shows a state in which the needle unit 30 is located on the outermost ring bottom side of the raceway groove 16. 4 is a perspective view of only a split member 41 of the intermediate member 40. FIG. It is a perspective view of the state which assembled | attached the axial rolling element 50 to the holder | retainer 60. FIG. (A): It is a front view of the cage 60. (B): It is AA sectional drawing of (a). (C): It is BB sectional drawing of (a).

  Hereinafter, an embodiment in which the sliding tripod type constant velocity joint of the present invention (hereinafter simply referred to as “constant velocity joint”) is embodied will be described with reference to FIGS. Here, the case where the constant velocity joint of this embodiment is used for connection of a power transmission shaft of a vehicle will be described as an example. For example, it is a case where it uses for the connection part of the axial part connected with the differential gear, and the intermediate shaft of a drive shaft.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the constant velocity joint 1 includes an outer ring 10, a tripod 20, and a needle unit 30.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the outer ring 10 includes a cylindrical portion 11 and a connecting shaft portion 12. The cylindrical part 11 is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape. The connecting shaft portion 12 is coaxially and integrally formed with the tubular portion 11 so as to extend axially outward from the bottom portion of the tubular portion 11. The connecting shaft portion 12 is connected to a differential gear (not shown).

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, track grooves 16 extending in the outer ring rotating shaft direction (front-rear direction in FIG. 2) are formed on the inner peripheral surface of the cylindrical portion 11 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction of the outer ring rotating shaft. Three are formed. The cross-sectional shape orthogonal to the groove extending direction in each raceway groove 16 forms a U-shape that opens toward the center of the rotation axis of the outer ring 10. That is, each track groove 16 includes a groove bottom surface 161 formed in a substantially planar shape, and side surfaces 162 and 163 formed in a substantially planar shape orthogonal to the groove bottom surface 161 and facing each other in parallel.

  Track recesses 17 and 18 extending in the direction of the outer ring rotation axis are formed on the side surfaces 162 and 163, respectively. The track recesses 17 and 18 are formed at substantially the center in the radial direction of the outer ring 10 among the side surfaces 162 and 163 of the track groove 16. The opening widths (the vertical widths in FIGS. 2 and 3) of the track recesses 17 and 18 are formed so as to gradually increase toward the opening side. That is, the track recesses 17 and 18 have substantially flat bottom surfaces 17a and 18a and inclined side surfaces 17b and 18b. In the track recesses 17 and 18, a shaft-like rolling element 50 described later assembled to the needle unit 30 is disposed so as to roll on the bottom surfaces 17 a and 18 a of the track recesses 17 and 18.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the shaft-like rolling element 50 rolls further toward the outer ring bottom 10 a side of the track recesses 17 and 18 at the end of the track recesses 17 and 18 on the outer ring bottom 10 a side. Stoppers 13 and 14 are provided to restrict the movement. As shown in FIG. 5, the stopper portions 13 and 14 are provided at positions where the needle unit 30 does not come into contact with the outer ring bottom portion 10a. These stopper parts 13 and 14 are comprised by the inclined surface inclined so that it might approach the axial rolling element 50 as it goes to the outer ring | wheel bottom part 10a side.

  Specifically, the inclined surfaces of the stopper portions 13 and 14 in the present embodiment are arc surfaces in which the cross-sectional shape in the extending direction of the track recesses 17 and 18 is an arc shape. As shown in FIG. 4, the curvature radius R <b> 1 of the arc surface is set to be equal to or slightly larger than the radius R <b> 2 of the rolling surface portion 51 of the axial rolling element 50. ing. Thereby, the circular arc surfaces of the stopper portions 13 and 14 are connected to the bottom surfaces 17a and 18a of the track concave portions 17 and 18 so as to be smoothly continuous without any step. In addition, the shaft-like rolling element 50 is prevented from being damaged by preventing the shaft-like rolling element 50 from coming into contact with the corner formed on the edge of the arc surface on the outer ring bottom 10a side. .

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the tripod 20 is disposed inside the cylindrical portion 11 of the outer ring 10. The tripod 20 includes a boss portion 21 and three tripod shaft portions 22. The boss portion 21 has an annular shape, and an internal spline 21a is formed on the inner peripheral side thereof. The internal spline 21a is fitted and connected to the external spline at the end of the intermediate shaft 2. Moreover, the outer peripheral surface of the boss | hub part 21 is formed in the substantially spherical convex shape.

  Each tripod shaft portion 22 is erected so as to extend from the outer peripheral surface of the boss portion 21 outward in the radial direction of the boss portion 21. These tripod shaft portions 22 are formed at equal intervals (120 ° intervals) in the circumferential direction of the boss portion 21. And at least the front-end | tip part of each tripod shaft part 22 is inserted in each track groove 16 of the cylindrical part 11 of the outer ring | wheel 10. As shown in FIG. Each tripod shaft portion 22 is formed in a spherical convex shape. The center axis of each tripod shaft portion 22 (hereinafter also referred to as “tripod shaft”) is orthogonal to the rotation axis of the tripod 20 (rotation axis of the intermediate shaft 2).

  As shown in FIG. 1, the needle unit 30 has an annular shape as a whole, and is disposed on the outer peripheral side of each tripod shaft portion 22. Further, the needle unit 30 is fitted into the raceway groove 16 so as to be movable in the direction in which the raceway groove 16 extends. The needle unit 30 includes an intermediate member 40, a plurality of rolling elements 50, and a cage 60.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 to 5, the intermediate member 40 includes a pair of divided members 41 and 42. When the pair of divided members 41 and 42 are viewed integrally, the outer shape of the intermediate member 40 as an overall shape is substantially rectangular. Furthermore, when the intermediate member 40 is viewed as a whole, a portion corresponding to a circular hole is formed at the center of the intermediate member 40.

  The pair of divided members 41 and 42 are separately provided so as to have a plane-symmetric shape with respect to a plane passing through the tripod shaft (vertical direction in FIG. 3) and the rotation axis of the intermediate shaft 2 (front and rear direction in FIG. 3). Configured and independent of each other. And a pair of division member 41,42 is arrange | positioned so that the tripod shaft part 22 may be pinched | interposed from the both sides of the side surfaces 162,163 of the track groove 16, as shown in FIG.1 and FIG.3-5. That is, both the split members 41 and 42 are disposed so as to sandwich the tripod shaft portion 22 from both sides in the power transmission direction (the direction around the outer ring rotation axis or the intermediate shaft rotation axis). The pair of divided members 41 and 42 are provided so as to be swingable with respect to the tripod shaft portion 22 when viewed from all directions orthogonal to the tripod shaft portion 22.

  Here, with reference to FIG. 6, the detailed shape of one division member 41 is demonstrated. Since the other split member 42 has a symmetrical shape with the one split member 41 as described above, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  The dividing member 41 is formed in a rectangular block shape. The peripheral surface of the split member 41 has a tripod contact surface 41a, a power transmission surface 41b, and end surfaces 41c and 41d in the tripod rotation axis direction. Here, when the intermediate member 40 is viewed as an integral body, the tripod contact surface 41a forms the inner peripheral surface, and the power transmission surface 41b and the end surfaces 41c and 41d form the outer peripheral surface.

  The tripod contact surface 41a is formed in a partially spherical concave shape so as to come into contact with the tripod shaft portion 22 so as to be swingable when viewed from all directions orthogonal to the tripod shaft portion 22. The center of the spherical surface of the tripod contact surface 41a is in the vicinity of the center of the tripod contact surface 41a in the vertical direction width (the thickness of the dividing member 41) in FIG. 41 in the longitudinal direction). That is, the tripod contact surface 41a is fitted to the outer peripheral surface of the tripod shaft portion 22 and has a shape that does not separate in the axial direction of the tripod shaft portion 22 in the fitted state.

  The power transmission surface 41b is provided on the back surface side of the tripod contact surface 41a, that is, on the right front side in FIG. The power transmission surface 41b is substantially flat and rectangular. Both ends of the power transmission surface 41b in the direction of the outer ring rotation axis are formed to be slightly curved. That is, the central portion of the power transmission surface 41b protrudes most outward in the left-right direction in FIG.

  Each split member 41 is arranged such that the power transmission surface 41 b of one split member 41 faces the side surface 163 of the raceway groove 16 substantially in parallel. Similarly, the other split member 42 is arranged such that the power transmission surface faces the side surface 162 of the raceway groove 16 substantially in parallel. That is, in a posture in which the rotation axis of the outer ring 10 and the rotation axis of the intermediate shaft 2 coincide (joint angle 0 °), the power transmission surface 41 b passes through the central axis of the tripod shaft portion 22 and the rotation axis of the intermediate shaft 2. Almost parallel to the plane. And the power transmission surface 41b has the range which can contact the plurality (in this embodiment, 3-4 pieces) axial rolling element 50.

  The end surfaces 41c and 41d are parts located on the left front side and the right back side in FIG. The end surfaces 41c and 41d are flat surfaces that are substantially orthogonal to the power transmission surface 41b. That is, the end surfaces 41 c and 41 d are formed from a plane that is substantially orthogonal to the side surface 163 of the raceway groove 16.

  The shaft-like rolling element 50 is a needle as shown in FIGS. And as shown in FIG. 1, the some axial rolling element 50 is provided so that the outer periphery at the time of seeing the intermediate member 40 as integral may be circulated. Part of the plurality of shaft-like rolling elements 50 (3 to 4 in this embodiment) transmits power to the bottom surfaces 17a and 18a of the track recesses 17 and 18 of the track groove 16 and the pair of split members 41 and 42. It is provided between the surfaces 41b and 42b so as to roll along the bottom surfaces 17a and 18a and the power transmission surfaces 41b and 42b. That is, power is transmitted between the power transmission surfaces 41 b and 42 b and the bottom surfaces 17 a and 18 a of the track recesses 17 and 18 through the shaft-like rolling element 50.

  The shaft-shaped rolling element 50 has a cylindrical rolling surface portion 51 having a rolling surface 51a on the outer periphery, and a circular cross section cut in a direction perpendicular to the column extension (the left-right direction in FIG. 2) (see FIGS. 4 and 5). ), And protrusions 52 respectively protruding from both end surfaces in the axial direction of the rolling surface portion 51. The column extending length of the rolling surface 51a formed on the outer peripheral surface of the rolling surface portion 51 is equal to the width of the bottom surfaces 17a and 18a of the track recesses 17 and 18, or slightly shorter than the width of the bottom surfaces 17a and 18a. It is set to be.

  Both end surfaces of the rolling surface portion 51 are formed in a tapered shape. The tapered end surface 51b has substantially the same taper shape as the side surfaces 17b and 18b of the track recesses 17 and 18. That is, the rolling surface portion 51 is provided so that the portions of the rolling surface portion 51 located on the bottom surface 17a, 18a side of the raceway concave portions 17, 18 are fitted into the raceway concave portions 17, 18. More specifically, the tapered end surface 51 b can be engaged with the side surfaces 17 b and 18 b of the track recesses 17 and 18 in the axial direction of the axial rolling element 50. That is, the axial rolling element 50 is restricted from moving in the axial direction by the track recesses 17 and 18. Then, the rolling surface 51 a on the outer periphery of the rolling surface portion 51 can roll along the bottom surfaces 17 a and 18 a of the track recesses 17 and 18.

  The protrusion 52 is formed with a smaller diameter than the outer diameter of the rolling surface portion 51. The distance between the tips of the protrusions 52 on both sides, that is, the axial length of the axial rolling element 50 is formed larger than the opening width of the track recesses 17 and 18. That is, the protrusion 52 is located outside the track recesses 17 and 18.

  As shown in FIG. 7 and FIGS. 8A to 8C, the cage 60 has an annular shape as a whole. The cage 60 supports the shaft-like rolling element 50 so that the shaft-like rolling element 50 can circulate around the outer periphery of the intermediate member 40. The cage 60 is substantially accommodated in the raceway groove 16. The cage 60 includes a pair of circulation path forming members 61 and 62 that form a circulation path of the shaft-like rolling element 50 and a pair of connecting portions 63 and 64 that couple the pair of circulation path forming members 61 and 62. Is done.

  The pair of circulation path forming members 61 and 62 is located on the periphery of the cage 60 and has an oval shape. The pair of circulation path forming members 61 and 62 has a shape surrounding the pair of divided members 41 and 42. Specifically, the circulation path forming member 61 includes linear portions 61a and 61b facing each other and semicircular arc-shaped curved portions 61c and 61d connecting the linear portions 61a and 61b. The other circulation path forming member 62 is composed of a straight portion and a curved portion, like the circulation path forming member 61.

  Further, the pair of circulation path forming members 61 and 62 are disposed to face each other so as to sandwich the axial rolling element 50 in the axial direction. Each of the pair of circulation path forming members 61 and 62 is formed in a U-shaped cross-sectional shape so that the protrusion 52 of the shaft-like rolling element 50 is inserted thereinto. In this way, the pair of circulation path forming members 61 and 62 supports both protrusions 52. That is, the radial width (the distance between the inner peripheral edge and the outer peripheral edge) of the pair of circulation path forming members 61 and 62 is formed to be smaller than the maximum diameter of the rolling surface portion 51 of the axial rolling element 50. Accordingly, the rolling surface portion 51 of the shaft-shaped rolling element 50 protrudes outward from the outer peripheral edge of the pair of circulation path forming members 61 and 62 and also extends inward from the inner peripheral edge of the pair of circulation path forming members 61 and 62. It protrudes.

  The U-shaped opening sides of the respective circulation path forming members 61 and 62 are provided so as to face each other with a distance slightly longer than the axial length of the rolling surface portion 51 of the shaft-like rolling element 50. ing. Therefore, the maximum width in the facing direction of the pair of circulation path forming members 61 and 62 is set larger than the opening width of the track recesses 17 and 18. The pair of circulation path forming members 61 and 62 are accommodated inside the raceway groove 16 and are located outside the raceway recesses 17 and 18.

  Further, the width between the straight portions 61a and 61b of the pair of circulation path forming members 61 and 62 is set smaller than the groove width of the raceway groove 16 (the distance between the opening of the raceway recess 17 and the opening of the raceway recess 18). Has been. That is, the pair of circulation path forming members 61 and 62 are disposed with a gap from the side surfaces 162 and 163 of the raceway groove 16.

  A pair of connection parts 63 and 64 connect the circumferential direction center part (upper and lower end part of Fig.8 (a)) among the curved parts 61c and 61d of a pair of circulation path formation members 61 and 62, respectively. In other words, the space between the pair of circulation path forming members 61 and 62 is open at a portion other than the connecting portions 63 and 64.

  As shown in FIG. 8C, the connecting parts 63 and 64 are formed in a U-shape that opens to the outside of the cage 60. The U-shaped bottom opening opposite side of the connecting portions 63 and 64 (inside the retainer 60, hereinafter referred to as “bottom inner side surface”) is formed in a planar shape. And the inner surface of the bottom part of a pair of connection parts 63 and 64 is provided so that it may oppose in parallel. Further, the separation distance between the bottom inner surfaces of the pair of connecting portions 63 and 64 is substantially equal to the distance between the end surfaces 41a and 41b of the divided members 41 and 42 in the tripod rotation axis direction. Further, the U-shaped bottom opening side of the connecting portions 63 and 64 (outside of the retainer 60, hereinafter referred to as “bottom outer side surface”) is formed in a planar shape parallel to the bottom inner side surface.

  In addition, one of the end portions of the connection portions 63 and 64 on the opening side of the U-shape is connected to the respective circumferential center portions of the curved portions 61c and 61d of the circulation path forming member 61, and the other end portion is circulated. Each of the curved portions of the path forming member 62 is connected to a central portion in the circumferential direction.

  The shaft-like rolling element 50 is positioned closest to the bottom of the raceway groove 16 (upper side in FIG. 3) in the raceway recesses 17 and 18, and the cage 60 is the most to the raceway groove 16 with respect to the shaft-like rolling element 50. In the state of being located on the groove bottom side, a gap is set between the cage 60 and the groove bottom surface 161 of the raceway groove 16. This is the amount of axial movement of the track recesses 17 and 18 and the rolling surface portion 51, the amount of axial movement of the axial rolling element 50 and the cage 60, and the pair of circulation path forming members 61 and 62 of the cage 60. It is determined based on the axial thickness and the like.

  Furthermore, the opening of the raceway groove 16 is provided in the radially inner side of the outer ring 10 of the cage 60. In other words, the circulation path forming member 62 positioned radially inward of the cage 60 abuts on the axial rolling element 50 radially outward of the outer ring 10, but is not regulated inward of the outer ring 10 in the radial direction. Not.

  When assembling the constant velocity joint 1 configured as described above to the vehicle, an operator pushes the shaft 2 assembled with the tripod 20 and the needle unit 30 in the axial direction and slides it toward the outer ring bottom 10a side. The tripod 20 and the needle unit 30 are positioned on the innermost side (outer ring bottom 10a side) inside the outer ring 10. At this time, the shaft-like rolling element 50 of the needle unit 30 rolls along the track recesses 17 and 18 of the outer ring 10.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 5, when the shaft-like rolling element 50 reaches the stopper portions 13 and 14 provided at the end portions on the outer ring bottom portion 10 a side of the raceway concave portions 17 and 18, the intermediate member 40 of the needle unit 30 and Of the shaft-like rolling elements 50 positioned between the track recesses 17 and 18, the shaft-like rolling element 50 located closest to the outer ring bottom 10 a contacts the stopper portions 13 and 14. The shaft-like rolling element 50 in contact with the stopper portions 13 and 14 is restricted from further movement toward the outer ring bottom portion 10a by the wedge effect of the stopper portions 13 and 14. At this time, since the stopper parts 13 and 14 are provided at a position where the needle unit 30 does not contact the outer ring bottom 10a, there is no possibility that the needle unit 30 contacts the outer ring bottom 10a and deforms.

  As described above, according to the constant velocity joint 1 of the present embodiment, the outer ring 10 is a stopper that restricts the movement of the needle unit 30 toward the outer ring bottom 10a at a position where the needle unit 30 does not contact the outer ring bottom 10a. Since the portions 13 and 14 are provided, it is possible to realize a slide stopper structure that can avoid the possibility that the needle unit 30 contacts the outer ring bottom portion 10a and is deformed.

  In particular, the stopper portions 13 and 14 of the present embodiment are provided at the end portions of the raceway recesses 17 and 18 on the outer ring bottom 10a side, and are inclined so as to approach the axial rolling element 50 toward the outer ring bottom 10a side. It is composed of surfaces. Therefore, since the stopper portions 13 and 14 can be provided only by forming the inclined surface on the outer ring bottom portion 10a side of the track recesses 17 and 18, the slide stopper structure can be realized with a simple structure at low cost.

  Moreover, in this embodiment, since the inclined surface which comprises the stopper parts 13 and 14 is a circular arc surface, the bottom face 17a of the track | orbit recessed parts 17 and 18 to which the axial rolling element 50 rolls, and an inclined surface are connected smoothly. can do. Furthermore, the radius of curvature of the arc surfaces constituting the stopper portions 13 and 14 is set to be equal to or larger than the radius of the axial rolling element 50. Thereby, since it can prevent that the axial rolling element 50 contact | abuts to the corner | angular part formed in the edge by the side of the outer ring | wheel bottom part 10a of a circular arc surface, damage to the axial rolling element 50 can be avoided. .

  Further, the needle unit 30 of the present embodiment is configured such that the axial rolling element 50 located between the intermediate member 40 and the track recesses 17 and 18 contacts the stopper portions 13 and 14. Thereby, when the shaft-like rolling element 50 comes into contact with the stopper portions 13, 14, the amount of displacement of the contacted shaft-like rolling element 50 with respect to the needle unit 30 can be reduced, so that deformation of the needle unit 30 is suppressed. can do.

  Further, in the present embodiment, the stopper portions 13 and 14 are provided in both the track recesses 17 and 18 of the respective track grooves 16. This makes it possible to increase the wedge angle formed by the pair of inclined surfaces as compared with the case where the stopper portion is provided in one of the raceway recesses. It is possible to advantageously suppress the occurrence of clogging. Further, if the shape of the track recesses provided on both sides of the side surface of the track groove 16 is different, the quenching pattern applied when manufacturing the outer ring 10 is different on both sides of the side surface of the track groove 16. By providing the stopper portions 13 and 14 in the track recesses 17 and 18, the outer ring 10 can be easily manufactured.

  In the above embodiment, the inclined surfaces constituting the stopper portions 13 and 14 are arcuate surfaces, but the inclined surfaces may be flat. In this way, the biting of the axial rolling element due to the wedge effect of the inclined surface can be advantageously suppressed as compared with the case where the inclined surface is an arc surface.

  In the above embodiment, the stopper portions 13 and 14 are provided in both the track recesses 17 and 18 of each track groove 16, but only in one track recess 17 or 18 of each track groove 16. A stopper part may be provided. However, in this case, the effect obtained by providing the stopper portions 13 and 14 in both the raceway recesses 17 and 18 of the raceway groove 16 is not achieved.

1: constant velocity joint, 2: intermediate shaft, 10: outer ring, 10a: outer ring bottom part 11: cylindrical part, 12: connecting shaft part, 13, 14: stopper part, 16: raceway groove 161: groove bottom face, 162, 163 : Side surface 17, 18: Orbital recess 17a, 18a: Bottom surface, 17b, 18b: Side surface, 20: Tripod, 21: Boss portion 21a: Internal spline, 22: Tripod shaft portion, 30: Needle unit 40: Intermediate member, 41 , 42: division member, 41a: tripod contact surface 41b: power transmission surface, 41c, 41d: end surface, 50: axial rolling element, 51: rolling surface portion 51a: rolling surface, 51b: tapered end surface, 52: protrusion 60: Cage 61, 62: Circulation path forming member, 61a, 61b: Straight part, 61c, 61d: Bending part 63, 64: Connection part

Claims (7)

An outer ring formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape and having three raceway grooves extending in the outer ring rotation axis direction on the inner peripheral surface;
A boss portion coupled to the shaft, and three tripod shaft portions that are erected so as to extend radially outward of the boss portion from the outer peripheral surface of the boss portion and are inserted into the raceway grooves, respectively. Tripod,
A needle unit provided so as to be swingable with respect to the tripod shaft portion, and capable of rolling in the outer ring rotation axis direction along a side surface of the raceway groove;
With
The outer ring is provided on the outer ring bottom side of the side surface of the raceway groove, so that the needle unit that rolls in the direction of the outer ring rotation axis along the side surface of the raceway groove does not contact the bottom of the outer ring. A sliding tripod type constant velocity joint having a stopper for restricting movement toward the outer ring bottom. In claim 1,
The needle unit is
An intermediate member provided on the outer periphery of the tripod shaft portion so as to be swingable with respect to the tripod shaft portion, and having an outer power transmission surface facing the side surface of the raceway groove on the outer surface;
A plurality of axial rolling elements provided between the side surface of the raceway groove and the outer power transmission surface so as to roll along the side surface of the raceway groove;
A cage that supports the shaft-like rolling element so that the shaft-like rolling element can circulate around the outer periphery of the intermediate member;
On both side surfaces of the raceway groove, a raceway recess is formed that extends in the extending direction of the raceway groove and is capable of rolling the axial rolling element,
The stopper portion is provided on the outer ring bottom side of at least one of the track recesses of each of the track grooves, and is configured by an inclined surface that is inclined so as to approach the shaft-like rolling element toward the outer ring bottom side. A sliding tripod type constant velocity joint characterized by In claim 2,
A sliding tripod type constant velocity joint, wherein the inclined surface is an arc surface. In claim 3,
A sliding tripod type constant velocity joint characterized in that a radius of curvature of the arc surface is equal to or larger than a radius of the shaft-like rolling element. In claim 2,
The sliding type tripod type constant velocity joint, wherein the inclined surface is a flat surface. In claims 2-5,
The needle unit is configured such that the shaft-like rolling element located between the intermediate member and the raceway recess is in contact with the stopper portion. Joint. In any one of Claims 2-6,
The sliding tripod type constant velocity joint, wherein the stopper portion is provided in the raceway recesses of both the raceway grooves.

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