JPH01307520A - Universal joint - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve assembling workability by monolithically forming a spherical part interposed between yoke portions with respect to one of shaft members. CONSTITUTION:A universal joint A is composed in such a way that a joint member B in which a first shaft member 2 and a spherical member 5 connecting a pair of yokes 3, 3 are integrated is connected to a second shaft member 4 having the yokes 3 and a cylindrical part 9 through the spherical part 5. A base part 11 of each yoke part 1 in a joint member B forms one part of a conical form having a virtual spherical face center P of the part 5 as its apex.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention provides a pair of yoke parts for each of adjacent shaft members, and a spherical part interposed between the yoke parts. The present invention relates to a universal joint in which the two wheel members are configured to be connectable and separable.

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, as shown in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 42-14012, for example, a part for holding a sphere is formed between the facing surfaces of a pair of yoke parts, and in this holding part, rotation of the shaft member is prevented. There is a known technology in which a groove is formed in which a sphere can be inserted and taken out in a direction substantially perpendicular to the axis, so that the shaft members can be assembled and disassembled freely by attaching and detaching the sphere. There is.

According to this conventional technology, the spheres are engaged and disengaged from the direction perpendicular to the rotating wheel center of the shaft members, and the shaft members are assembled by the engagement of the spheres, so the assembly work is as follows: It becomes like this.

That is, first, a sphere is fitted into one shaft member in a direction perpendicular to its rotation axis, and the sphere slides relative to the other shaft member therein in a direction perpendicular to its rotation axis. When fitted in this way, both wheel members will be connected via the sphere.

In other words, the assembly process consists of two steps, and a total of three parts are required: both wheel members and the sphere.

(Problems to be Solved by the Invention) According to the above-mentioned conventional technology, since the sphere itself is assembled as a single component, it is easily lost during assembly and transportation, and The spheres used in universal joints are usually small in diameter, so when assembling them by hand, it is difficult to position them (sometimes they fall), and the assembly process itself is difficult.

In view of the above-mentioned circumstances, it is an object of the present invention to improve work efficiency by preventing the sphere from being lost during assembly and transportation, and by making the assembly work itself easier to perform.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, the universal joint according to the present invention includes a pair of yoke portions provided on each of adjacent shaft members, and a spherical portion interposed between the yoke portions to connect the two shaft members. In the universal joint configured to be connectable and separable, the spherical portion is formed integrally with one shaft member.

The shaft member and the spherical portion may be made of the same material or may be made of different materials.

Furthermore, it is effective in terms of strength if ribs are provided at least on the yoke portion of the shaft member that does not have the spherical portion integrally formed therein.

Further, the shaft member and the spherical portion may be integrally formed by injection molding powder method.

[For production]

The operation of the universal joint according to the invention is as follows.

That is, since one shaft member and the spherical portion are integrally formed, there is no possibility that the spherical portion will come off from the shaft member. In addition, the number of parts that make up the universal joint is two in total.

Furthermore, providing ribs on the yoke portion improves the strength and rigidity of the yoke portion.

〔effect〕

With the above configuration, the universal joint according to the present invention has the following effects.

In the universal joint of claim 1, the problem of easily losing the sphere when transporting or assembling parts is completely solved, making it convenient to carry, and eliminating the step of assembling the sphere separately. This also solves the problem of difficulty in assembling the sphere. In addition, the number of parts that make up the universal joint is 2,
Since the number of assembly steps is only one step, it is possible to dramatically improve work efficiency and thereby reduce costs, making it possible to provide a universal joint that is extremely useful in practice.

In the universal joint according to claim 2, since the pair of yoke parts of the shaft member are integrally connected by the spherical part, the strength and rigidity are increased, which can contribute to improving the strength and rigidity of the universal joint as a whole. Become.

In the universal joint of claim 3, before the shaft member and the spherical part are integrally formed, the spherical part exists as a single item, so in addition to the advantage that the conventional spherical body and equipment can be shared, friction is reduced. It is also possible to select a material with a small coefficient or a material with a large compressive strength as necessary to improve the degree of freedom in design.

In the universal joint of claim 4, since the yoke portion of the shaft member in which the spherical portion is not formed is reinforced, the strength and rigidity' are increased, which can contribute to improving the strength and rigidity of the universal joint as a whole. Become something.

In the universal joint according to claim 5, when the shaft member and the spherical part are integrally formed by injection molding powder method, there is no waste of material during molding, and extremely high productivity can be realized, resulting in further improvement. This makes it possible to reduce costs.

〔Example〕

Next, an embodiment of the universal joint according to the present invention will be described.

As shown in FIG. 1, the universal joint (A) according to the present invention is
A pair of yoke parts (1), (1) and a cylindrical part (8)
A first shaft member (2) consisting of the yoke portion (1)
, (1) a joint member (B) integrally formed with a spherical part (5) that connects the two, and a pair of yoke parts (3), (3
) and a second shaft member (4) having a cylindrical portion (9) are connected via the spherical portion (5). The pedestal portion (11) of the yoke portion (1) in the joint member (B) forms part of a conical shape having the virtual spherical center (P) of the spherical portion (5) as its apex, as shown in FIG. The intersection angle (θ
) is 90°. FIG. 4 shows a side view of the single joint member (B) in FIG. 1, and in this case, the intersecting angle between the pedestals (11) (11) (11) is naturally 90°. Also, the pedestal part (11), (11
) and the spherical part (5), as shown in Fig. 4, passes through the center point (P) of the pair of yoke parts (1), (1) and the spherical part (5). Virtual vertical axis (R) and 90°
When viewed in the direction of , it is a straight line.

The second shaft member (4) has a pair of yoke portions (3).

truncated conical pedestals (12), (12) formed on mutually opposing surfaces of (3), and these pedestals (12),
Inner spherical surface (13) formed on the opposing surface of (12)
, (13).

The frustoconical pedestal (12), (12) is a third
As shown in the figure, the virtual apex of the conical shape is the same as that of the joint member' (P), and the intersection angle (θ'') is formed to be 90 degrees, as shown in Figure 2. In the assembled state, the pedestal part of the joint member (B) and the second
The shaft member is brought into contact with the pedestal.

The inner spherical surface (13), (13) has the spherical portion (
The passage part (6) has a shape along a part of the circumferential surface of a virtual cylindrical body having the same diameter as 5), and the passage part (6
) and (6) are arranged in succession in a direction making 90 degrees with the axis (4a) of the second shaft member.

As shown in FIG. 7, the universal joint (^) constructed in this way has the second shaft member (4) orthogonal to the joint member (B), and the pedestal ( 11) and the pedestal (12) are in contact with each other in the horizontal direction, and the spherical part (5) is inserted through the passage part (6) of the second shaft member.
It is assembled by fitting the inner spherical surfaces (13) and (13) together. In other words, assembly is completed with just this one step.

In addition, the pedestal parts (11) and (11) of the joint member (B)
and the pedestal (12) of the second shaft member (4),
The angle of the virtual apex of (12) may be approximately 90 degrees, and even if these angles are other than that, as shown in FIG. 2, the pedestal part (11) (11) (11)
It is sufficient if the value allows the pedestals (12) and (12) to come into contact with each other (for example, 95° and 85°). Therefore, the second
If the angle (θ'') of the shaft member (4) is made larger than the intersection angle (θ) of the joint member (B), the yoke portion of the joint member (B) connected by the spherical portion (5) While improving the balance between the strength of (1) and the strength of the yoke portion of the second shaft member (4), it is possible to improve the strength of the root portion (7) of each yoke portion.

As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the method for reinforcing the yoke portions is as shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. A lip (14) may be provided along the line. This lip is not particular about its shape, but at least the root part (7) of the yoke part.

It is preferable that it is provided over a range that covers (7). In this way, the root part of the yoke part of the second shaft member (4), which is inferior in strength and rigidity compared to the joint member (B), can be reinforced, and the joint member (B) and the second shaft member (
While improving the strength balance of 4), the strength of the universal joint as a whole can be improved. In addition, this paste,
The tab may be provided on the joint member (B) side.

As shown in FIG. 8, the joint member may be configured such that the spherical portion (10) and the first shaft member (2) are separate members and are integrally formed in an inseparable state. That is, the metal sphere (10) is inserted into the first shaft member (2) made of resin during molding and is then cast into the first shaft member (2) to integrally form the joint member (B). In other words, the joint member defined in the present invention is one in which the first shaft member and the spherical part are integrally or integrally constructed in a state where it is impossible to separate them without any deformation. It is something. Of course, it goes without saying that the first shaft member and the spherical portion may be integrally formed of the same material. And the second
The direction in which the passage portion (6) of the shaft member (4) is set is the same as the axis (2a) of the joint member (B) and the axis (4a) of the second shaft member (4) when used as a universal joint. The passage portion (6) of the second shaft member (4) is larger than the absolute maximum value of the angle (α) formed by the
is the angle (β) made with the axis (4a) of the second shaft member (4).
) may be determined to be larger. In other words, with such an angular relationship, it is possible to avoid the risk of separation of the joint member (B) and the second shaft member (4) during use as a universal joint, and the bending angle of a universal joint is usually 20°. In many cases, the angle is very gentle as shown below, so the setting direction of the passage section (6) is set to the axis (4a) of the second shaft member (4).
This allows the relative posture of the joint member (B) and the second shaft member (4) to be horizontal as shown in the assembled state diagram shown in Fig. 11 during assembly. Since they can be brought closer together, assembly is easier and work efficiency is improved. In other words, the passage portion (6) in the second shaft member (4)
It can be said that the setting direction can be changed depending on the usage situation as a universal joint.

Furthermore, as the joint member (B), one manufactured by an injection molding powder method may be used. This method is as follows. First, raw materials such as stainless steel copper powder and a suitable binder are sufficiently kneaded to coat the stainless steel powder with the binder. Then, in order to facilitate supply to an injection molding machine, this is granulated into pellets using a granulator. After heating, this pellet-like raw material is injection molded into a mold having a predetermined shape. This molded body is heated to an appropriate temperature to remove the binder, and then sintered. This sintering process causes a shrinkage of 30 to 40% when molded into the final product, and this large amount of shrinkage allows for high precision, dense structure, and extremely high strength. When a joint member is manufactured by this method, it has a characteristic that the yield is significantly higher than that manufactured by casting or press working. of course,
The second shaft member (4) may also be manufactured using this method.

In addition to the stainless copper powder mentioned above, ceramic powder, plastic powder, etc. can also be selected as raw materials depending on the purpose of the universal joint, and either of them can be molded with a good yield.

The first shaft member (2) and the spherical part (5) are completely integrated, and the base of the yoke parts (1) and (3) is formed into a rib (14).
As shown in the conventional technology, in the case where the yoke is reinforced with The existence of the spherical part (5) that connects the yoke parts, the yoke part (1),
(3) It is easy to avoid due to the presence of the rib (14) that restricts the expansion of the two.

In addition to the above-mentioned embodiments, various modifications are possible, such as using a hollow cylindrical portion of the joint member as a solid shaft. Furthermore, in the description of the embodiments, for convenience, a joint member is defined as an integral or integrally formed body of the first shaft member and the spherical portion.

Note that although numbers are written in the claims section for convenience of reference to the drawings, the present invention is not limited to the structure shown in the accompanying drawings.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

The drawings show an embodiment of the universal joint according to the present invention, FIG. 1 is a sectional view in the assembled state, and FIG.
-n line sectional view, Figure 3 is the m-m line sectional view of Figure 1,
The figure is a front view of the joint member, FIG. 5 is a sectional view of the second shaft member,
6 is a sectional view taken along the line TV-IV in FIG. 5, FIG. 7 is a plan view showing the assembly procedure of the universal joint according to the present invention, and FIG.
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a case where the joint member shown in the figure is formed integrally with the first shaft member and the spherical portion, which are separate from each other.
FIG. 10 is a front view of a universal joint used with a bending angle, and a sectional view of the second shaft member when the angle of the passage section is changed;
Fig. 11 is a plan view showing the assembly procedure of the universal joint using the second shaft member shown in Fig. 1O, Fig. 12 is a sectional view of the second shaft member with a reinforcing lip, and Fig. It is a side view of the 2nd shaft member shown in the figure. (1), (3)...Yoke part, (2),
(4)...Shaft member, (5)...Spherical portion, (14)...Rib.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Each of the adjacent shaft members (2) and (4) is provided with a pair of yoke portions (1), (1), (3), and (3), and the yoke portion (1), (1), (3), and the both shaft members (2) via the spherical part (5) interposed between (3).
, (4) can be connected and separated at will, wherein the spherical portion (5) is formed integrally with one shaft member (2). 2. The universal joint according to claim 1, wherein the shaft member (2) and the spherical portion (5) are integrally formed of the same material. 3. The universal joint according to claim 1, wherein the shaft member (2) and the spherical portion (5) are integrally formed of different materials. 4. Claims 1 and 2, wherein a rib (14) is provided on the yoke portion (3) of the shaft member (4) in which the spherical portion (5) is not integrally formed.
Or the universal joint described in 3. 5. The universal joint according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the shaft member (2) and the spherical portion (5) are integrally formed by an injection molding powder method.