JPH11280780A - Universal joint - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To surely and temporary hold a shaft on a yoke to conspicuously improve workability, and also reduce a manufacturing cost, make constitution simple, lighten weight. SOLUTION: In this universal joint, a plate-metal-made clip 20, elastically deformable and to be mounted on a yoke previously, is equipped with a cylindrical body 21 to be inserted into the nut hole of a tub, and projection pieces 25 for temporary holding a shaft. The cylindrical body 21 has projections 22 to be engaged with the inner wall of the nut hole to be fixed, and engaging claws 23 to be engaged with the screw groove of a bolt to temporarily hold the bolt. The projection pieces 25 extend into a U-shaped groove from the cylindrical body 21, and is elastically deformed to be refuged when the shaft is inserted into the U-shaped groove, while is returned to an original position by elastic force after the shaft is housed in the U-shaped groove.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a universal joint for use in, for example, a steering device of a vehicle. It relates to a universal joint.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A steering shaft in a vehicle steering system is divided into a plurality of parts and connected to each other by a universal joint, and extends from the vehicle interior to the front of the vehicle body.

[0003] When this steering shaft is connected to a universal joint, in recent years, it has become possible to assemble it with a shaft having a simple shaft shape, to reduce the product cost and to improve the assemblability. A universal joint having a transverse insertion yoke in which a groove is formed has been used.

When connecting the shaft to the transverse insertion yoke of the universal joint, the shaft can be inserted and held from the open side into a U-shaped groove formed in the transverse insertion yoke. Since it is necessary to perform centering with respect to the U-shaped groove, it is necessary to insert a cam bolt or the like having a centering function into the bolt hole of the transverse insertion yoke and tighten a nut to the cam bolt or the like. Therefore, the operator must tighten the cam bolt and the nut while holding the shaft inserted in the U-shaped groove, so that the operator has to perform both hands, and the shaft must be inserted into the horizontal insertion yoke. The connection work may be complicated.

[0005] For this reason, in general, the shaft is temporarily held in the U-shaped groove by a sheet metal clip previously mounted on the horizontal insertion yoke to prevent the shaft from coming out of the U-shaped groove. While tightening work with cam bolts and nuts. Thus, the operator can connect the shaft to the horizontal insertion yoke by a simple one-handed operation.

For example, in JP-A-2-35222, a clip made of an elastically deformable sheet metal is previously mounted on a yoke, and a special nut having a special shape is temporarily inserted into a bolt hole while being pressed by a biasing force of the clip. Inserted. Thereby, when inserting the shaft into the U-shaped groove, the special nut is retracted from the bolt hole while resisting the urging force of the clip, and after the shaft is completely inserted into the U-shaped groove, The special nut is returned into the bolt hole by the urging force of the clip, and the shaft is temporarily held by the special nut.

In US Pat. No. 5,358,350, a clip made of sheet metal having an elastically deformable tongue is previously mounted on a yoke, and this tongue protrudes into a U-shaped groove. Thereby, when inserting the shaft into the U-shaped groove, the tongue of the clip is elastically deformed and retracted, and after the shaft is completely inserted into the U-shaped groove, the tongue of the clip is removed. The shaft is returned to the U-shaped groove by the urging force, and the shaft is temporarily held by the tongue.

[0008]

However, in the temporary holding method disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-35222, it is necessary to use a special nut having a special shape, and a general-purpose product cannot be used. In addition, there is a problem that the production cost rises. In addition, the clip is easily detached from the yoke, and in such a case, there is a problem that the temporary holding of the shaft cannot be reliably performed, which hinders the operation.

In the temporary holding method disclosed in US Pat. No. 5,358,350, the elastically deformable tongue of the clip is projected inside the U-shaped groove of the yoke. When inserting the elastically deformable tongue into the groove, the elastically deformable tongue protrudes by the thickness of the tongue, which makes it difficult to insert the shaft.

[0010] Therefore, it is necessary to depress the U-shaped groove by the thickness of the tongue, or to increase the angle of inclination of the open side of the U-shaped groove. However, when the U-shaped groove is recessed, there is a problem that the number of processing steps increases, and when the angle of inclination of the open side of the U-shaped groove is increased, the shaft holding force similar to the conventional product is required. In order to obtain it, it is necessary to increase the tightening force of a cam bolt or the like, and for this reason, it is sometimes difficult to reduce the manufacturing cost.

In the temporary holding method disclosed in US Pat. No. 5,358,350, there is also a problem that the clip needs to be broken after fastening with a cam bolt or the like, and the clip alone cannot be removed and reused.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and it is possible to remarkably improve the workability by securely holding a shaft temporarily on a yoke, and to reduce the manufacturing cost.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a simple and lightweight universal joint.

[0013]

In order to achieve the above object, a universal joint according to the present invention is characterized in that a shaft is inserted into a U-shaped groove of a yoke formed by a pair of tabs, and a resilient joint previously mounted on the yoke is provided. In a universal joint, the shaft is temporarily held in a U-shaped groove by a deformable sheet metal clip and bolts and nuts are mounted and tightened in bolt holes and nut holes formed in the pair of tabs. A cylindrical body formed with a convex portion which is inserted and mounted in the nut hole and is fixed by being engaged with the inner wall of the nut hole, and an engaging claw which is engaged with the screw groove of the bolt and temporarily holds the bolt. When the shaft is inserted into the U-shaped groove, the shaft is elastically deformed and retracted when the shaft is inserted into the U-shaped groove.
The clip is formed with at least one protruding piece which returns to an original position by elastic force after being housed in the groove.

As described above, according to the present invention, since the projection that is engaged with and fixed to the inner wall of the nut hole is formed in the tubular body that is mounted in the nut hole, the clip can be easily attached to the yoke. Can be attached to Next, when the shaft is inserted into the U-shaped groove, at least one of the protrusions is elastically deformed and retracts, and after the shaft is housed in the U-shaped groove, the shaft is returned to its original position by elastic force. As a result, the shaft can be temporarily and easily temporarily retained on the yoke. Next, to the cylindrical body attached to the nut hole,
Since an engaging claw that temporarily engages with the screw groove of the bolt is formed, a nut may be screwed into the temporarily held bolt and tightened. Therefore, the operator can connect the shaft to the horizontal insertion yoke by a simple one-handed operation.

Also, since the clip can be removed by removing the bolt, the clip can be reused and reassembled.

Further, since the same clip can be used for a yoke in which the bolts are inserted in the opposite direction, the uniformity is excellent.

Furthermore, no special processing is required, and the structure is simple and lightweight, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a universal joint according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 (a) is a front view of a universal joint according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1 (b) is a plan view of the same, and FIG. 2B is a plan view of the clip attached to the yoke of the universal joint shown in FIG. 2B, FIG. 2B is a side view thereof, and FIG. 2C is along a line cc in FIG. 2B. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of FIG.

In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG.
In a vehicle steering system, a shaft 1 is fitted to a yoke 2, and this yoke 2 is connected to another yoke 4 via a cross shaft 3. The yoke 2 includes a fitting portion 5 fitted to the shaft 1 and an arm portion 6 for connecting to the cross shaft 3, and is integrally formed by press molding.

In the fitting portion 5, as shown in FIG. 3, a U-shaped groove 9 having a U-shaped cross section corresponding to the shape of the shaft 1 is formed by a pair of tabs 7, 8. A nut hole 10 and a bolt hole 11 are formed in 7, 8.

As shown in FIG. 2, a cylindrical body 21 of a clip 20 is mounted in the nut hole 10. The cylindrical body 21 is made of sheet metal, and has a plurality of elastically deformable protrusions 22 formed on an outer peripheral surface thereof. Further, as shown in FIG. 2C, each convex portion 22
Each of the projections 22 protrudes outside the cylindrical body 21.
Has an engaging claw 23 that is bent inside the cylindrical body 21 and protrudes inside.

When the cylindrical body 21 is press-fitted and fixed in the nut hole 10, these convex portions 22 are elastically deformed with respect to the inner wall of the nut hole 10 and move radially inward of the nut hole 10. The inner wall of the nut hole 21 is pressed by a force, and the cylindrical body 21 is pressed and fixed in the nut hole 10 by the elastic repulsive force.

Further, as shown in FIG.
When the bolt (not shown) inserted into the bolt hole 11 is inserted into the nut hole 10, the second engaging claw 23 enters and engages with the screw groove of the bolt (not shown). Bolts (not shown) are temporarily held.

Further, a pair of extending pieces 24 and 2 are attached to the clip 20 from the cylindrical body 21 along the axial direction of the shaft 1.
4 are provided, and these extending pieces 24, 24 are respectively provided with:
Protrusion pieces 25 for temporarily holding the shaft 1 are formed. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, these projecting pieces 25, 25 are inclined and extend into the U-shaped groove 9, and when the shaft 1 is inserted into the U-shaped groove 9, After the shaft 1 is completely accommodated in the U-shaped groove 9 while being retracted by elastic deformation, the shaft 1 is returned to the original position by the elastic force, and the shaft 1 is securely held temporarily. .

The projections 25 are not provided on both sides of the U-shaped groove 9 but are provided on the U-shaped groove 9.
Are arranged in a line only on one side of the shaft, so that the protrusion of the plate thickness is not so large, and it is not complicated to insert the shaft 1 into the U-shaped groove 9.

Further, as shown in FIG.
A positioning piece 26 extending upward from the cylindrical body 21
Is provided. This positioning piece 26 is adapted to elastically engage with the top of the tab 7 and may be bent as shown in FIG. 4 or formed flat as shown in FIG. What is essential is that when the cylindrical body 21 is inserted into the nut hole 10, it plays a role of engaging and positioning with the top of the tab 7. The positioning piece 26 is not always essential, and may be omitted if necessary.

When connecting the shaft 1 to the fitting portion 5 of the yoke 2 using the clip 20 configured as described above, first, the clip 20 is attached to the yoke 2 in advance. Specifically, the cylindrical body 21 is press-fitted and fixed in the nut hole 10 of the tab 7 while the positioning piece 26 is engaged with the top of the tab 7. At this time, the convex portion 22 is elastically deformed with respect to the inner wall of the nut hole 10 and moves radially inward of the nut hole 10 to press the inner wall of the nut hole 21 by its elastic repulsive force, and the cylindrical body 21 Is pressed and fixed in the nut hole 10.

Next, the shaft 1 is inserted into the fitting portion 5 of the yoke 2 on which the clip 20 is mounted in advance. At this time, the projections 25, 25 are elastically deformed and retracted in the U-shaped groove 9, while the shaft 1 is completely housed in the U-shaped groove 9, as shown in FIGS. Then, it returns to the original position by the elastic force. Thereby, the shaft 1
Can be securely held temporarily.

Next, a bolt (not shown) is inserted from the bolt hole 11 of the tab 8 to the nut hole 10 of the tab 7. At this time, the engaging claw 23 formed at the tip of the convex portion 22 enters into and engages with the screw groove of the bolt (not shown), whereby the bolt (not shown) can be temporarily held.

Next, a nut (not shown) is mounted in the nut hole 10 of the tab 7, and a bolt and nut (not shown) are tightened while centering the shaft 1. Thus, the connection of the yoke 2 of the shaft 1 to the fitting portion 5 is completed.

As described above, in the present embodiment, since the projection 22 for fixing to the inner wall of the nut hole 10 is formed in the cylindrical body 21 mounted in the nut hole 10, the clip 2
0 can be easily attached to the yoke 2. Next, the U-shaped groove 9
When the shaft 1 is inserted into the U-shaped groove 9, the protrusions 25, 25 are elastically deformed and retracted, and after the shaft 1 is completely stored in the U-shaped groove 9, the shaft 1 returns to the original position by elastic force.
The shaft 1 can be temporarily and securely held on the yoke 2 temporarily. Next, at the tip of the convex portion 22 of the tubular body 21,
Since the engaging claw 23 that engages with the screw groove of the bolt (not shown) is formed, the bolt (not shown) can be temporarily held, and a nut (not shown) is attached to the temporarily held bolt (not shown). ) Is screwed and tightened, and the connection of the shaft 1 to the yoke 2 is completed. Therefore, the worker can connect the shaft 1 to the horizontal insertion yoke 2 by a simple one-handed operation.

Also, if the bolt (not shown) is removed, the clip 20 can be removed, so that the clip 20 can be reused and reassembled. Furthermore, even if the positions of the nut hole and the bolt hole 11 are reversed, the same clip 2
Since 0 can be used, the uniformity is excellent. Furthermore, no special processing is required, and the structure is simple and lightweight, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can be variously modified.

[0035]

As described above, according to the present invention,
Since the cylindrical body attached to the nut hole is formed with a projection that is engaged with and fixed to the inner wall of the nut hole, the clip can be easily attached to the yoke. Next, when the shaft is inserted into the U-shaped groove, at least one of the protrusions is elastically deformed and retracts, and after the shaft is housed in the U-shaped groove, the shaft is returned to its original position by elastic force. As a result, the shaft can be temporarily and easily temporarily retained on the yoke. Next, since the engaging claw that temporarily engages with the screw groove of the bolt and that temporarily holds the bolt is formed in the cylindrical body attached to the nut hole, the nut is screwed into the temporarily held bolt. Just tighten it. Therefore, the operator can connect the shaft to the horizontal insertion yoke by a simple one-handed operation.

Further, since the clip can be removed by removing the bolt, the clip can be reused and re-assembled.

Furthermore, since the same clip can be used for a yoke in which the bolt is inserted in the opposite direction, the uniformity is excellent.

Further, no special processing is required, and the structure is simple and lightweight, so that the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1A is a front view of a universal joint according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a plan view of the same.

2A is a plan view of a clip attached to a yoke of the universal joint shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 2B is a side view of the clip, and FIG. It is sectional drawing which followed the c line.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view of a main part of FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Shaft 2 Side insertion yoke 3 Cross shaft 4 Other yoke 5 Fitting part 6 Arm part 7 Tab 8 Tab 9 U-shaped groove 10 Nut hole 11 Bolt hole 20 Clip 21 Cylindrical body 22 Convex part 23 Engagement claw 24 Extension Piece 25 projection piece 26 positioning piece

──────────────────────────────────────────────────の Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code FI // B21D 53/88 F16D 1/02 L

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. A yoke U formed by a pair of tabs.
A shaft is inserted into the U-shaped groove, the shaft is temporarily held in the U-shaped groove by an elastically deformable sheet metal clip previously mounted on the yoke, and a bolt hole and a nut formed in the pair of tabs are provided. A universal joint for mounting and tightening a bolt and a nut in a hole, wherein the universal joint is inserted and mounted in the nut hole, and is engaged with a convex portion fixed to an inner wall of the nut hole and a screw groove of the bolt. A cylindrical body formed with an engaging claw for temporarily holding the bolt, and extending from the cylindrical body into a U-shaped groove, and elastically deforming when a shaft is inserted into the U-shaped groove. A universal joint, wherein said clip is formed with at least one projection piece which returns to its original position by elastic force after the shaft is housed in the U-shaped groove while being retracted.