WO2022185425A1 - Constant velocity joint - Google Patents

Abstract

In a constant velocity joint (100), when a load equal to or higher than a predetermined load is applied from a stub shaft (S) to an inner-side joint member (20) so that the inner-side joint member (20) is relatively moved from a first opening (10a) toward a second opening (10b) with respect to an outer-side joint member (10), the inner-side joint member (20) is first moved from the first opening (10a) toward the second opening (10b), to thereby separate the inner-side joint member (20) and a cage (40) from each other. Subsequently, in the constant velocity joint (100), a plurality of balls (30) are released toward the inside of the cage (40) as the inner-side joint member (20) and the cage (40) are separated from each other, and the cage (40) and the plurality of balls (30) pass through a second inner peripheral surface (12) to be released from the outer-side joint member (10).

Description

constant velocity joint

The present invention relates to constant velocity joints.

Patent Documents 1 to 3 disclose constant velocity joints having a collapse structure for reducing the impact applied to the vehicle body when an excessive load is applied. In the collapse structure of these constant velocity joints, all or part of the built-in parts are detached.

JP-A-2008-213650 JP 2017-089787 A Japanese Patent Publication No. 2017-531772

By the way, in the collapse structure of the constant velocity joint disclosed in Patent Document 1, all the built-in parts are integrally detached from the outer joint member, and the detached built-in parts move toward the tube connected to the outer joint member. . Therefore, in order to reduce the impact, it is necessary that the detached built-in component moves without interfering with the tube. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the inner diameter of the tube connected to the outer joint member.

Further, in the constant velocity joint collapse structure disclosed in Patent Documents 2 and 3, part of the built-in parts (balls, retainers, etc.) remains inside the outer joint member, and the remaining built-in parts are the outer joint member. The effect of reducing the impact associated with leaving from is reduced. Therefore, in order to further reduce the impact, it is necessary to increase the length of the stub shaft so that the stroke of the built-in part separated from the outer joint member is increased. As a result, when the constant velocity joint is used for the propeller shaft of a vehicle, which has a structure in which the constant velocity joint is combined with a hollow and thin-walled tube, the length of the tube must be shortened by the length of the stub shaft. do not have. In this case, the weight of the propeller shaft increases and the rigidity of the propeller shaft may decrease.

An object of the present invention is to provide a constant velocity joint excellent in impact reduction.

The constant velocity joint is formed in a cylindrical shape having a first opening and a second opening at each end, and has an outer ball groove extending along the central axis against the first inner peripheral surface on the side of the first opening. an outer joint member having a second inner peripheral surface adjacent to the second opening side of the first inner peripheral surface and having a smaller diameter than the groove bottom of the outer ball groove; An inner joint member having an inner ball groove extending along the central axis with respect to the outer peripheral surface of the outer ball groove and the inner ball groove arranged oppositely by housing the inner joint member inside the outer joint member a ball for transmitting torque between the outer joint member and the inner joint member; and a first inner peripheral surface of the outer joint member and an outer peripheral surface of the inner joint member. and a retainer having a window for receiving the ball, wherein the inner joint member extends from the first opening to the outer joint member with respect to at least one of the outer joint member and the inner joint member. When a load equal to or greater than a predetermined load is generated so as to relatively move toward the two openings, the inner joint member and the retainer are separated by moving the inner joint member from the first opening toward the second opening, As the inner joint member and the retainer are separated, the balls are separated toward the inside of the retainer, and the retainer and the balls pass through the second inner peripheral surface and are separated from the outer joint member.

According to this, when a load exceeding a predetermined load is generated so that the inner joint member moves relative to the outer joint member from the first opening toward the second opening, first, the inner joint member and the retainer are separated, and then the balls are released toward the inside of the retainer, so that the retainer and the balls can pass through the second inner peripheral surface and be detached from the outer joint member. That is, the impact can be reduced while all the built-in parts accommodated in the outer joint member are removed from the outer joint member in order.

As a result, the inner diameter of the tube connected to the outer joint member can be made smaller than when the internal parts are moved integrally, because the internal parts can be moved while being separated and detached. Moreover, since all the internal parts can be moved while separating and detaching the internal parts, the impact transmitted to the vehicle body can be effectively reduced. As a result, when the constant velocity joint is used for the propeller shaft of a vehicle, the stub shaft does not need to be lengthened. As a result, the weight of the propeller shaft can be reduced and the rigidity of the propeller shaft can be sufficiently ensured. .

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a propeller shaft including a constant velocity joint, showing a state where the joint angle of the constant velocity joint is zero degrees; FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a state in which a ball rolls in an outer ball groove and comes into contact with a connecting portion as the stub shaft moves from the first opening to the second opening; FIG. 3 is a view for explaining a state in which the inner joint member is separated from the retainer as the stub shaft further moves from the first opening to the second opening from the state in FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining a state in which the bearing presses the retainer via the boot as the stub shaft further moves from the first opening to the second opening from the state in FIG. 3 ; FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining a state in which balls are separated from outer ball grooves as the stub shaft moves from the first opening to the second opening from the state in FIG. 4 ; 6 is a diagram for explaining a state in which the balls and the retainer are separated from the outer joint member as the stub shaft moves from the first opening to the second opening from the state in FIG. 5; FIG. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a propeller shaft including a constant velocity joint according to a first example, showing a state where the joint angle of the constant velocity joint is zero degrees;

(1. Configuration of Constant Velocity Joint 100)
The constant velocity joint 100 of this example is a double offset type constant velocity joint (DOJ) among ball type constant velocity joints. The constant velocity joint 100 mainly includes an outer joint member 10, an inner joint member 20, a plurality of balls 30, a retainer 40, a partition member 50, and a boot 60, as shown in FIG. The inner joint member 20 , the plurality of balls 30 , the retainer 40 and the partition member 50 are built-in parts housed in the outer joint member 10 .

Then, the constant velocity joint 100 of this example is assembled to the propeller shaft P of the vehicle, as shown in FIG. The propeller shaft P is formed by connecting the stub shaft S to the inner joint member 20 of the constant velocity joint 100 and fixing the tube T to the outer joint member 10 of the constant velocity joint 100 . Here, the propeller shaft P is supported by a bearing V2 fixed to the stub shaft S via a damping mechanism V3 with respect to a support mechanism V1 fixed to the vehicle body of the vehicle.

The outer joint member 10 is formed in a cylindrical shape having a first opening 10a (left side in FIG. 1) and a second opening 10b (right side in FIG. 1) at each of both ends. The outer joint member 10 has a first inner peripheral surface 11, a second inner peripheral surface 12, a plurality of outer ball grooves 13, and a flange portion 14 on the inner diameter side. The first inner peripheral surface 11 is arranged on the side of the first opening 10a. The second inner peripheral surface 12 is arranged adjacent to the first inner peripheral surface 11 on the second opening 10b side in the direction of the central axis J1 of the outer joint member 10 .

The plurality of outer ball grooves 13 extend from the first opening 10a toward the second opening 10b in the first inner peripheral surface 11 in parallel with the direction of the central axis J1 of the outer joint member 10, and extend around the central axis J1. They are provided at regular intervals in the circumferential direction. Thereby, the outer ball groove 13 allows the inner joint member 20 , the plurality of balls 30 and the retainer 40 to move in the direction of the central axis J<b>1 of the outer joint member 10 . A snap ring is attached to the end of the outer ball groove 13 on the side of the first opening 10a, and the ball 30 rolling in the outer ball groove 13 and the inner joint member 20 engaged with the ball 30 are connected to the first opening 10a. It is prevented from coming off from the one opening 10a side.

At the end of the outer ball groove 13 on the side of the second opening 10b, as shown in FIG. (corresponding to )) is provided to connect with the second inner peripheral surface 12 having a smaller diameter. The connection portion 13 a regulates the plurality of balls 30 to roll within a predetermined range in the outer ball groove 13 . Here, in the plurality of cylindrical surfaces formed between the outer ball grooves 13 in the circumferential direction of the first inner peripheral surface 11, circular arcs with the same inner diameter centered on the central axis J1 are parallel to the direction of the central axis J1. , and the inner diameter of the second inner peripheral surface 12 is the same as the inner diameter of the cylindrical surface.

As a result, when the ball 30 rolling in the outer ball groove 13 moves to the end of the outer ball groove 13 on the side of the second opening 10b, the tapered connecting portion 13a contacts (abuts) the ball 30. , restricts the movement of the inner joint member 20, the balls 30, and the retainer 40, which move integrally in the direction of the central axis J1, toward the second opening 10b. In this example, the case where the tapered connection portion 13a is provided in each of the plurality of outer ball grooves 13 is illustrated. However, the tapered connection portion 13 a may be provided in at least one outer ball groove 13 .

The hollow columnar tube T is fixed to the flange portion 14 by welding, friction welding (crimping), or the like on the end face of the second opening 10b. In this example, the tube T is fixed to the flange portion 14 by friction welding. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 1, a so-called curl occurs at the joint portion between the flange portion 14 and the tube T due to friction welding.

The inner joint member 20 is cylindrically formed and housed inside the outer joint member 10 . The inner joint member 20 has a convex spherical outer peripheral surface 21 on which a plurality of inner ball grooves 22 are formed. The inner ball grooves 22 extend parallel to the direction of the central axis J2 of the inner joint member 20 so as to correspond to the outer ball grooves 13 of the outer joint member 10, and are equally spaced in the circumferential direction around the central axis J2. provided in A spline is formed on the inner peripheral surface 23 of the inner joint member 20, and the spline formed at the end of the stub shaft S is meshed with the inner joint member 20 and the stub shaft S. It is connected so that rotation (torque) can be transmitted.

A plurality of balls 30 are arranged in each of the outer ball grooves 13 and the inner ball grooves 22 facing each other around the center axis J1 and around the center axis J2 while the inner joint member 20 is accommodated inside the outer joint member 10. engage. The plurality of balls 30 are arranged so as to be able to roll in the outer ball grooves 13 and the inner ball grooves 22, respectively. Thereby, each ball 30 can move in the direction of the central axis J1 and the central axis J2 with respect to the outer joint member 10 and the inner joint member 20, and rotate between the outer joint member 10 and the inner joint member 20. (torque) can be transmitted.

The retainer 40 is arranged with a predetermined gap between the first inner peripheral surface 11 of the outer joint member 10 and the outer peripheral surface 21 of the inner joint member 20 . The retainer 40 is formed in an annular shape. The inner peripheral surface 41 of the retainer 40 includes a concave spherical portion 41a corresponding to the outer peripheral surface 21 (convex spherical shape) of the inner joint member 20, and a second opening 10b of the outer joint member 10 for the concave spherical portion 41a. and a cylindrical surface portion 41b connected adjacently to the side. The concave spherical portion 41a covers the outer peripheral surface 21 of the inner joint member 20 and separably holds the inner joint member 20 moving in the direction of the central axis J2. The inner diameter of the cylindrical surface portion 41b is set slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the outer peripheral surface 21 of the inner joint member 20 so that the inner joint member 20 can be inserted.

Further, the outer peripheral surface 42 of the retainer 40 is formed in a convex spherical shape. In this example, the outer diameter of the outer peripheral surface 42 is set slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the second inner peripheral surface 12 of the outer joint member 10 .

Here, as shown in FIG. 1, the spherical center Q1 of the convex spherical outer peripheral surface 42 of the retainer 40 is offset from the joint rotation center O toward the first opening 10a of the outer joint member 10. . Further, the spherical center Q2 of the concave spherical portion 41a of the inner peripheral surface 41 of the retainer 40 is offset from the joint rotation center O toward the second opening 10b of the outer joint member 10 . That is, the spherical center Q1 of the outer peripheral surface 42 and the spherical center Q2 of the concave spherical portion 41a are offset from the joint rotation center O in opposite directions. In the inner peripheral surface 41 of the retainer 40, the cylindrical portion 41b is connected to the concave spherical portion 41a on the second opening 10b side of the spherical center Q2.

Also, the retainer 40 has a plurality of windows 43 . The plurality of windows 43 are rectangular through holes formed at equal intervals in the circumferential direction. The windows 43 of the retainer 40 are formed in the same number as the balls 30 . One ball 30 is accommodated in each window portion 43 .

The partitioning member 50 is provided on the second inner peripheral surface 12 of the outer joint member 10 and partitions the grease-filled region of the first inner peripheral surface 11 . The grease-filled region is filled with grease (not shown) as a lubricant. Specifically, the partition member 50 is formed in a disk shape, and an outer peripheral surface 51 is formed by bending an outer edge portion, and the outer peripheral surface 51 is press-fitted into the second inner peripheral surface 12 . As a result, the partitioning member 50 partitions the grease-filled region of the first inner peripheral surface 11 of the outer joint member 10 from the inside of the tube T, and seals the grease in the grease-filled region so that it does not leak into the tube T. .

Here, when a large load is applied to the partitioning member 50 from the side of the first opening 10a toward the side of the second opening 10b, the partitioning member 50 is press-fitted by a press-fitting load capable of moving toward the side of the second opening 10b. be done. As a result, as will be described later, when an excessive load greater than or equal to a predetermined load is generated and the stub shaft S moves from the side of the first opening 10a toward the side of the second opening 10b, the stub shaft S The movement of the stub shaft S is not hindered by the movement of the partition member 50 that has been pressed.

The boot 60 has a conical boot body 61 , a support member 62 that supports the boot body 61 , and a clamp 63 . The boot body 61 is molded by a known molding method such as blow molding or injection molding using synthetic resin, rubber, or the like. The boot body 61 fluidly covers the first opening 10a side of the outer joint member 10 in a state where it is assembled to the propeller shaft P, thereby preventing leakage of the grease filled in the first inner peripheral surface 11 (grease filling area). In addition, foreign matter is prevented from entering the first inner peripheral surface 11 from the outside.

The support member 62 supports the base end side of the boot main body 61 while being engaged with the outer circumference of the outer joint member 10 . As will be described later, the support member 62 disengages the boot body 61 when the stub shaft S moves from the side of the first opening 10a toward the side of the second opening 10b. The clamp 63 fixes the tip side of the boot body 61 to the outer peripheral surface of the stub shaft S so as to be slidable.

(2. Operation of constant velocity joint 100)
Next, the operation of the constant velocity joint 100 described above will be described. When the constant velocity joint 100 is assembled to the propeller shaft P, as shown in FIG. 1, when the stub shaft S rotates, the rotation is transmitted to the spline-fitted inner joint member 20 . Although FIG. 1 exemplifies the case where the joint angle is zero, the same applies when the joint angle is other than zero.

The rotation of the inner joint member 20 is transmitted through the inner ball grooves 22 to the balls 30 accommodated in the window portions 43 of the retainer 40 and to the outer joint member 10 through the outer ball grooves 13 . As a result, the rotation is transmitted to the tube T friction-welded to the outer joint member 10, and the rotation (torque) is transmitted to the differential of the vehicle, for example.

Next, in the propeller shaft S, when the inner joint member 20 relatively moves in the direction of the central axis J2 (or the central axis J1) with respect to the outer joint member 10, an excessive load exceeding a predetermined load is generated. An operating state (collapse structure) in which the shaft S presses the inner joint member 20 will be described.

As shown in FIG. 2, when an excessive load, in other words excessive energy, is applied to the stub shaft S from the side of the first opening 10a of the outer joint member 10 toward the side of the second opening 10b, the propeller shaft At P, the bearing V2 fixed to the stub shaft S is separated from the support mechanism V1 and the damping mechanism V3 fixed to the vehicle body. As a result, the stub shaft S receives the energy absorption (energy consumption) associated with the disengagement of the bearing V2, in other words, reduces a part of the impact transmitted to the vehicle body, and the outer joint member 10 is moved to the second position. It moves from the one opening 10a side toward the second opening 10b side.

When the stub shaft S moves from the first opening 10a side of the outer joint member 10 toward the second opening 10b side, the inner joint member 20 is pressed toward the second opening 10b side. It moves integrally with the joint member 20 within a predetermined range to the tapered connection portion 13a provided on the second opening 10b side of the outer ball groove 13 . When the balls 30 contact (abut) the connecting portion 13a of the outer ball groove 13, the rolling of the balls 30 is restricted. Stop. As a result, the energy of the stub shaft S moving toward the second opening 10b, in other words, the impact transmitted to the vehicle body is further absorbed (consumed). Here, the contact position R1 between the ball 30 and the connection portion 13a is located outside the center R2 of the ball 30 in the radial direction of the outer joint member 10. As shown in FIG. In other words, a radially inward force of the outer joint member 10 acts on the ball 30 in contact with the connecting portion 13a.

In addition, in the retainer 40 of this embodiment, the inner peripheral surface 41 has a concave spherical portion 41a in which the spherical center Q2 is offset from the joint rotation center O toward the second opening 10b, and the inner joint member 20 can be inserted. and a cylindrical surface portion 41b. The load for releasing the restriction of the balls 30 by the tapered connection portion 13 a is greater than the load for releasing the restriction of the inner joint member 20 by the concave spherical portion 41 a of the retainer 40 . Therefore, when the stub shaft S moves further toward the second opening 10b, the inner joint member 20 separates from the retainer 40 as shown in FIG. In this example, the inner diameter of the cylindrical surface portion 41 b is set to be slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the outer peripheral surface 21 of the inner joint member 20 .

As a result, when the balls 30 and the retainer 40 are in contact with the connection portion 13a, the inner joint member 20 pushes the cylindrical surface portion 41b of the retainer 40 and inserts it into the second joint member 20 together with the stub shaft S. It continues to move toward the opening 10b. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 3, the stub shaft S and the inner joint member 20 are detached by pressing the partition member 50 press-fitted into the second inner peripheral surface 12, and are further removed from the second opening 10b side. , the inner joint member 20 moves into the interior of the tube T. As shown in FIG. As a result, most of the energy that moves the stub shaft S toward the second opening 10b is absorbed (consumed). Therefore, most of the impact transmitted to the vehicle body is reduced.

Here, among the built-in parts, first, the inner joint member 20 separated from the retainer 40 enters the inside of the tube T. In this case, the outer diameter of the inner joint member 20 is smaller than when the balls 30 and retainer 40 are assembled (see, for example, FIG. 2), and the inner diameter of the tube T is smaller. The outer diameter of the partitioning member 50 is also smaller than when the balls 30 and the cage 40 are assembled to the inner joint member 20 (for example, see FIG. 2). Therefore, the inner diameter of the tube T can be set smaller than the inner diameter set when the balls 30 and the retainer 40 are assembled to the inner joint member 20 . As a result, the diameter and weight of the tube T can be reduced.

When the stub shaft S and the inner joint member 20 move further toward the second opening 10b, as shown in FIG. break away. As a result, the energy of the stub shaft S moving toward the second opening 10b is further absorbed (consumed). In this case, the boot body 61 may be separated from the support member 62 by partially breaking. Since the boot body 61 detached from the support member 62 is fixed to the stub shaft S by the clamp 63, it moves together with the stub shaft S toward the second opening 10b and comes into contact with the retainer 40. .

By the way, the balls 30 are not supported by the inner ball grooves 22 when the inner joint member 20 is separated from the retainer 40 . Further, as described above, the balls 30 are subjected to radially inward force in the outer joint member 10 by coming into contact with the tapered connecting portions 13a. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5, the balls 30 leave the outer ball grooves 13 . When the balls 30 are separated from the outer ball grooves 13 , the retainer 40 can move from the first inner peripheral surface 11 toward the second inner peripheral surface 12 . Here, in this example, the outer diameter of the outer peripheral surface 42 of the retainer 40 is set slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the second inner peripheral surface 12 . Therefore, when the boot body 61 moving together with the stub shaft S contacts and presses the retainer 40, the retainer 40 passes through the second inner peripheral surface 12 and moves toward the second opening 10b. .

Furthermore, when there is still energy remaining to move the stub shaft S, the stub shaft S, the inner joint member 20, the balls 30 and the retainer 40 move inside the tube T as shown in FIG. As noted above, energy or impact is absorbed (consumed) at each stage, and movement of the stub shaft S then ceases.

As can be understood from the above description, according to the constant velocity joint 100, a predetermined load is applied so that the inner joint member 20 moves relative to the outer joint member 10 from the first opening 10a toward the second opening 10b. When the above load is generated, first, the inner joint member 20 and the retainer 40 are separated, and then the plurality of balls 30 are separated toward the interior of the retainer 40, whereby the plurality of balls 30 and the retainer 40 are separated. The container 40 can pass through the second inner peripheral surface 12 and be separated from the outer joint member 10 . That is, in the constant velocity joint 100, the inner joint member 20, the plurality of balls 30, and the retainer 40, which are built-in parts housed in the outer joint member 10, are all removed from the outer joint member 10 in order to reduce the impact. can be made

As a result, the inner diameter of the tube T connected to the outer joint member 10 can be made smaller than when the internal parts move integrally, because the internal parts can be moved while being separated and detached. Moreover, since all the internal parts can be moved while separating and detaching the internal parts, the impact transmitted to the vehicle body can be effectively reduced. As a result, when the constant velocity joint 100 is used for the propeller shaft P of a vehicle, the stub shaft S does not need to be lengthened. can be secured.

In the retainer 40, the spherical center Q1 of the convex spherical outer peripheral surface 42 is arranged in the first opening 10a, and the spherical center Q2 of the concave spherical portion 41a is arranged in the second opening 10b. 42 and the concave spherical portion 41a are offset. Thereby, when an excessive load is generated, the inner joint member 20 can be easily separated from the retainer 40 and the inner joint member 20 can be easily assembled to the retainer 40 .

Furthermore, in this example, a connecting portion 13 a that connects the groove bottom of the outer ball groove 13 and the second inner peripheral surface 12 and restricts rolling of the balls 30 can be provided. Thereby, when an excessive load is generated, the connection portion 13a can reliably restrict the rolling of the ball 30, and as a result, the energy can be efficiently absorbed (consumed). Further, when the ball 30 contacts (abuts) the connecting portion 13a, the contact position R1 between the ball 30 and the connecting portion 13a is located outside the center R2 of the ball 30 in the radial direction of the outer joint member 10. be able to. As a result, a force directed inward in the radial direction of the outer joint member 10 can be applied to the ball 30 in contact with the tapered connection portion 13a, and the ball 30 can be reliably moved along the connection portion 13a. can be separated from the outer ball groove 13 by pressing. As a result, the retainer 40 and the balls 30 can be moved toward the second opening 10b, and the impact transmitted to the vehicle body can be reduced.

(3. First example)
In the present example described above, a tapered connection portion 13a that connects the groove bottom and the second inner peripheral surface 12 is provided at the end portion of the outer ball groove 13 on the side of the second opening 10b. The connection portion that connects the groove bottom of the outer ball groove 13 and the second inner peripheral surface 12 is not limited to a tapered shape, and as shown in FIG. It is also possible to provide a portion 13b.

When the arc-shaped connecting portion 13b is provided, the length of the outer ball groove 13, in other words, the rolling distance of the balls 30, that is, a predetermined range can be secured, so the overall length of the outer joint member 10 can be shortened. It can be made compact. Also in the case of the first example, it is possible to reliably restrict the rolling of the ball 30 when an excessive load is generated. Other effects are equivalent to those of the present example described above.

(4. Other exceptions)
In the present example and the first alternative example described above, the case where the outer diameter of the outer peripheral surface 42 of the retainer 40 is set slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the second inner peripheral surface 12 of the outer joint member 10 is illustrated. That is, in the present example and the first example described above, the retainer 40 can move without contacting the second inner peripheral surface 12 when moving from the side of the first opening 10a toward the side of the second opening 10b. The case of becoming is exemplified.

By the way, it is also possible to set the outer diameter of the outer peripheral surface 42 of the retainer 40 to be larger than the inner diameter of the second inner peripheral surface 12 of the outer joint member 10 . In this case, when a load greater than or equal to a predetermined load is generated and the retainer 40 moves from the side of the first opening 10a toward the side of the second opening 10b, the outer peripheral surface 42 of the retainer 40 is 12, in other words, while the diameter of the outer peripheral surface 42 is reduced or the diameter of the second inner peripheral surface 12 is increased. Thereby, the energy caused by the excessive load can be absorbed (consumed), and as a result, the impact transmitted to the vehicle body can be reduced.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100... Constant velocity joint 10... Outer joint member 10a... First opening 10b... Second opening 11... First inner peripheral surface 12... Second inner peripheral surface 13... Outer ball groove 13a... Connection part , 13b... Connection part 14... Flange part 20... Inner joint member 21... Outer peripheral surface 22... Inner ball groove 23... Inner peripheral surface 30... Ball 40... Cage 41... Inner peripheral surface 41a Concave spherical portion 41b Cylindrical portion 42 Outer peripheral surface 50 Partitioning member 51 Outer peripheral surface 60 Boot 61 Boot body 61, 62 Supporting member 63 Clamp J1 ( center axis of the outer joint member, J2... center axis (of the inner joint member), O... joint rotation center, Q1... center of the spherical surface (of the outer peripheral surface of the retainer), Q2... center of the spherical surface (of the concave spherical portion), R1... contact position, R2... center (of ball), P... propeller shaft, V1... support mechanism, V2... bearing, V3... damping mechanism, S... stub shaft, T... tube

Claims (8)

It is formed in a cylindrical shape having a first opening and a second opening at each of both ends, and has an outer ball groove extending along the central axis with respect to the first inner peripheral surface on the side of the first opening, an outer joint member having a second inner peripheral surface adjacent to the second opening side with respect to the first inner peripheral surface and having a smaller diameter than the groove bottom of the outer ball groove;
an inner joint member formed in a cylindrical shape and having an inner ball groove extending along the center axis with respect to the convex spherical outer peripheral surface;
The inner joint member is accommodated inside the outer joint member and is supported to be rollable in the outer ball groove and the inner ball groove that are arranged to face each other, and the outer joint member and the inner joint a ball that transmits torque to and from the member;
a retainer formed in an annular shape, disposed between the first inner peripheral surface of the outer joint member and the outer peripheral surface of the inner joint member, and having a window portion for accommodating the balls;
A load equal to or greater than a predetermined load applied to at least one of the outer joint member and the inner joint member such that the inner joint member moves relative to the outer joint member from the first opening toward the second opening. occurs,
The inner joint member and the retainer are separated by moving the inner joint member from the first opening toward the second opening,
The balls are detached toward the interior of the cage as the inner joint member and the cage are separated, and
A constant velocity joint, wherein the retainer and the balls pass through the second inner peripheral surface and are separated from the outer joint member. The outer joint member is
a connecting portion that connects the groove bottom of the outer ball groove and the second inner peripheral surface, and regulates the balls so that they roll within a predetermined range in the outer ball groove;
The retainer is
a concave spherical portion that covers the convex spherical outer peripheral surface of the inner joint member to restrict relative movement of the retainer and the inner joint member along the center axis;
The load for releasing the restriction by the connecting portion on the balls rolling in the outer ball groove is greater than the load for releasing the restriction on the inner joint member by the concave spherical portion of the retainer, A constant velocity joint according to claim 1. The retainer is
having a convex spherical outer peripheral surface,
While housed inside the outer joint member,
3. The constant velocity joint according to claim 2, wherein the center of said outer peripheral surface is provided closer to said first opening than the center of said concave spherical portion. The retainer is
While housed inside the outer joint member,
4. The constant velocity joint according to claim 2, further comprising a cylindrical surface portion connected adjacently to said second opening side of said concave spherical portion with respect to the center thereof. The constant velocity joint according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the position at which the ball contacts the connecting portion is outside the center of the ball in the radial direction of the outer joint member. The constant velocity joint according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the outer diameter of the retainer is larger than the inner diameter of the second inner peripheral surface. The connecting part is
3. The constant velocity joint according to claim 2, wherein said outer ball groove has a tapered shape connecting said groove bottom and said second inner peripheral surface. The connecting part is
3. The constant velocity joint according to claim 2, wherein the axial cross-section connecting the bottom of the outer ball groove and the second inner peripheral surface is arc-shaped.

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