A universal joint characterized by the addition of a new hinge operation excessive bending prevention section that prevents excessive hinge operation of the hinge operation section of a joint yoke in which the yoke section acts as a seesaw operation section and a pair of joint sections acts as a hinge operation section.

Abstract

The joint yoke is provided with a hinge operating portion and a seesaw operating type connecting portion, and the angle of inclination of the hinge operating portion due to the hinge operation is prevented from inclining and bending from the connecting portion by an angle greater than an arbitrarily determined inclination angle, such as 30 degrees. [Solution] The present invention adds a hinge operating part excessive bending prevention part for limiting the tilt angle to the hinge operating part, or adds a hinge operating part excessive bending prevention part to the yoke base or the connecting part, so that when the hinge is bent beyond an arbitrary angle such as 30 degrees, the hinge operating part excessive bending prevention part comes into contact with the connecting part, the joint yoke base, the power transmission shaft or the hinge operating part, thereby preventing excessive bending.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a universal joint. [Background technology]

[0002] A typical universal joint can transmit rotational power even when the input and output shafts of the power transmission shaft are bent at an angle of about 30 degrees. When rotating at high speeds, measures were needed to prevent non-uniform motion. As a countermeasure, in particular for a universal joint in which a joint yoke is provided with a connecting part that performs a seesaw operation and a bifurcated hinge operating part that performs a hinge operation from the connecting part, The hinge operating section and the seesaw operating type connecting section on the other side of the power transmission shaft, which is joined by a pair of joint sections at the bifurcated section, tilt sequentially in four directions (up and down and left and right) toward the power transmission shaft in accordance with the rotation of the power transmission, thereby enabling stable power transmission at a constant speed of rotation. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7353611 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The object of the present invention is to Patent Document 1: Patent No. 7353611 In claim 1, In universal joints,

[0005] The joint yoke that is joined to one of the power transmission shafts comprises a pair of joint portions, a connecting portion, and a yoke base portion, The other power transmission shaft transmits power to the one power transmission shaft via a cross shaft, which is a universal joint, or without the cross shaft; the pair of joints are fixed to a shaft rod of the cross shaft or to a shaft rod fixed to the other power transmission shaft so as to be perpendicular to the power transmission shaft, the yoke base is joined to the one power transmission shaft and has a slidable space capable of accommodating a part of the connecting portion, The connecting portion is fixed to the pair of joint portions, a portion of which is housed in the slidable space, and an intermediate position between the pair of joint portions is connected to the yoke base portion via a fulcrum pin or a fastener, thereby allowing the connecting portion to swing freely relative to the yoke base portion. Alternatively, the connecting portion fixed to the pair of joint portions is formed into a rod shape curved in a semicircular shape, The universal joint is characterized in that a part of the connecting portion is accommodated at a position of the yoke base on a circumferential line of rotation of the pair of joint portions around a center point that is an intermediate position on a line connecting the pair of joint portions, and the slidable space is provided to allow the pair of joint portions to move back and forth in the circumferential direction, thereby allowing the universal joint to swing freely relative to the yoke base,

[0006] In claim 2, In universal joints, The joint yoke that is joined to one of the power transmission shafts comprises a connecting portion and a yoke base portion, a hinge operating portion is provided on a member that is joined to the other power transmission shaft; the yoke base is joined to the one power transmission shaft and has a slidable space capable of accommodating a part of the connecting portion, the connecting portion includes a hinge rotation shaft, a portion of which is housed in the slidably movable space, and an axially intermediate position of the hinge rotation shaft is connected to the yoke base via a fulcrum pin or a fastener, thereby allowing the connecting portion to swing freely relative to the yoke base; The universal joint is characterized in that a pair of joint portions is provided at the hinge operating portion, and the pair of joint portions and the hinge rotation shaft are connected,

[0007] In claim 3, In universal joints, The joint yoke that is joined to one of the power transmission shafts comprises a joint portion, a hinge operating portion, a connecting portion, and a yoke base portion, The other power transmission shaft is provided with a member to which an end is fixed, the yoke base is joined to the one power transmission shaft and has a slidable space capable of accommodating a part of the connecting portion, the connecting portion includes a hinge rotation shaft connected to the hinge operating portion, a portion of which is housed in the slidably movable space, and an axially intermediate position of the hinge rotation shaft is connected to the yoke base via a fulcrum pin or a fastener, thereby allowing the connecting portion to swing freely relative to the yoke base; a joint portion is provided at an intermediate position of the hinge operating portion in the hinge rotation axis direction, the joint portion being directed toward the other power transmission shaft; The universal joint is characterized in that the member to which the end of the other power transmission shaft is fixed and the joint portion are fixed non-rotatably.

[0008] this is, The above-mentioned claim 1 The connecting part can tilt and swing like a seesaw around the fulcrum pin at the base of the yoke, which has a space for free sliding movement. Two joint parts are provided to join to the other power transmission shaft, and this acts as a bifurcated metal fitting for the joint yoke. The pair of joints fixed to the connecting portion can be inclined so as to be aligned at a right angle on the center line of the power transmission shaft on the other side, Or, when the pair of joint parts are joined to the cross shafts that act as intermediaries of the joint yokes provided at the ends of the input shaft and output shaft of the power transmission shaft, The pair of joints can be tilted so as to match the tilt angle caused by the rotational movement of the cross shaft itself without pulling the cross shaft together, The non-uniform speed motion of the cross shaft is suppressed to improve the efficiency of rotational power transmission.

[0009] In addition, in claim 2, a hinge rotation axis and a hinge operating portion are further provided on a tip side of the connecting portion, which is the other side facing the power transmission axis of the connecting portion, and the pair of joint portions are provided on the hinge operating portion, By making it possible to perform the hinge operation of the hinge operation part in the direction perpendicular to the swing operation line in addition to the tilt swing operation of claim 1, The pair of joint parts can tilt and swing in all directions by the rotation of both the connecting part that moves in a seesaw motion from the yoke base and the hinge action part. Even when the pair of joint portions provided on the hinge operating portion are joined to the shaft rod provided perpendicular to the other side of the power transmission shaft, as well as to the cross shaft joined to the other side of the power transmission shaft, The pair of joints provided on the hinge operating section are tilted toward the cross shaft so as to approach each other, enabling the transmission of rotational motion. When the connected power transmission shafts are in a loose state where they can move closer to each other, When a cross shaft is used as an intermediary between the joint yokes, The hinge joint connected to the cross axis may move at an excessive bending angle of 90 degrees or more, causing the cross axis at the intermediate position to bend. There is a risk of disturbances in the rotation of the power transmission.

[0010] In addition, in the state where the power transmission shafts described in claim 1 are movable toward each other, The angle of inclination of the connecting part, which can swing like a seesaw, is limited to a maximum of about 45 degrees due to the shape of the yoke base and connecting part. Even if an excessive refraction angle occurs, The input shaft and output shaft are connected at a right angle across the cross shaft. If one of the connecting parts is tilted vertically to the maximum, The other joint has a horizontal inclination angle of 0 degrees, Both the input shaft and the output shaft rotate, reaching 0 degrees twice per rotation, Any excess tilt beyond the bending angle of the connection between the power transmission shafts is corrected each time the shaft reaches 0 degrees during rotation, and the shaft rotates while always maintaining the bending angle, so there is no problem with excessive tilt of the connecting part that moves in a seesaw motion. Furthermore, in claim 3, a joint via a cross shaft is not a prerequisite, so excessive tilt is not an issue. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In order to solve the above problems, the following measures were adopted. In claim 1 of the present invention, As a universal joint, The joint yoke that is joined to one of the power transmission shafts comprises a pair of joint portions, a connecting portion, and a yoke base portion, The other power transmission shaft transmits power to the one power transmission shaft via a cross shaft, which is a universal joint, or without the cross shaft; the pair of joints are fixed to a shaft rod of the cross shaft or to a shaft rod fixed to the other power transmission shaft so as to be perpendicular to the power transmission shaft, the yoke base is joined to the one power transmission shaft and has a slidable space capable of accommodating a part of the connecting portion, The connecting portion is fixed to the pair of joint portions, a portion of which is housed in the slidable space, and an intermediate position between the pair of joint portions is connected to the yoke base portion via a fulcrum pin or a fastener, thereby allowing the connecting portion to swing freely relative to the yoke base portion. Alternatively, the connecting portion fixed to the pair of joint portions is formed into a rod shape curved in a semicircular shape, a yoke base portion that accommodates a part of the connecting portion at a position on a circumferential line of rotation of the pair of joint portions, the pair of joint portions being centered on a midpoint on a line connecting the pair of joint portions, and a slidable space that allows the pair of joint portions to reciprocate in the circumferential direction, thereby allowing the universal joint to swing freely relative to the yoke base portion;

[0012] next, The joint yoke that is joined to one of the power transmission shafts comprises a connecting portion and a yoke base portion, A hinge operating portion is provided on the member that is joined to the other power transmission shaft or cross shaft and is fixed integrally with the pair of joint portions, the yoke base is joined to the one power transmission shaft and has a slidable space capable of accommodating a part of the connecting portion, the connecting portion includes a hinge rotation shaft, a portion of which is housed in the slidably movable space, and an axially intermediate position of the hinge rotation shaft is connected to the yoke base via a fulcrum pin or a fastener, thereby allowing the connecting portion to swing freely relative to the yoke base; A universal joint characterized in that the hinge operating portion and the hinge rotation shaft are connected to each other, the hinge operating portion being provided by fixing the pair of joint portions,

[0013] next, The joint yoke that is joined to one of the power transmission shafts comprises a joint portion, a hinge operating portion, a connecting portion, and a yoke base portion, The other power transmission shaft is provided with a member to which an end is fixed, the yoke base is joined to the one power transmission shaft and has a slidable space capable of accommodating a part of the connecting portion, the connecting portion includes a hinge rotation shaft connected to the hinge operating portion, a portion of which is housed in the slidably movable space, and an axially intermediate position of the hinge rotation shaft is connected to the yoke base via a fulcrum pin or a fastener, thereby allowing the connecting portion to swing freely relative to the yoke base; a joint portion is provided at an intermediate position of the hinge operating portion in the hinge rotation axis direction, the joint portion being directed toward the other power transmission shaft; The member to which the end of the other power transmission shaft is fixed and the joint portion are fixed in a non-rotatable manner. A universal joint consisting of a joint yoke provided with a hinge operating portion and a seesaw operating type connecting portion,

[0014] In order to prevent the angle of inclination of the hinge operating portion during hinge operation from being inclined and bent from the connecting portion by more than an arbitrarily determined inclination angle such as 30 degrees, a hinge operating portion excessive bending prevention portion comprising a tilt angle limiting protrusion or a tilt angle limiting annular portion for limiting a tilt angle is added to any portion of the joint yoke comprising the yoke base, the connecting portion, or the hinge operating portion, When the hinge operating portion is bent to an angle of 30 degrees or more, When the hinge operating portion excessive bending prevention portion is provided in the hinge operating portion, the hinge operating portion excessive bending prevention portion comes into contact with the joint yoke base portion, the connecting portion, or the power transmission shaft connected to the joint yoke,

[0015] or A universal joint characterized in that when a hinge operating portion excessive bending prevention portion is provided at any portion of the joint yoke other than the hinge operating portion, the hinge operating portion excessive bending prevention portion abuts against the hinge operating portion, thereby preventing excessive bending. It states that: [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] In Patent Document 1 (JP Patent No. 7353611) for transmitting rotational power between an input shaft and an output shaft, a four-way bending type joint yoke is provided with a connecting part that tilts like a seesaw and a hinge operating part that operates as a hinge from the connecting part, In a joint where the power transmission axis is fixed in position and the bending angle is kept constant, The hinge operating part always faces the shaft rod of the connecting partner at right angles, allowing for smooth rotation of the power transmission at a constant speed. When the power transmission shaft is not fixed in position but is free to move, There was a risk that the hinge operating part located at the tip of the connecting part would bend excessively, causing problems with the transmission of rotational power. By providing the excessive bending prevention portion of the hinge operating portion of the present invention, bending of the hinge operating portion by the hinge operation of more than a predetermined angle can be prevented. Since the joint remains stable even when the cross shaft is loose, it can be used in a wider range of applications as a joint yoke. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view of the joint yoke of Universal Joint Patent No. 7353611, in which the protrusion-shaped hinge operating portion excessive bending prevention portion 11 of the present invention is provided at the yoke base 20. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a side view of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cross shaft that suppresses non-uniform motion. [Figure 5] 1, a front view, FIG. 3, a side view, and FIG. 4, a cross shaft view. [Figure 6] 1 is a front view of a joint yoke of Universal Joint Patent No. 7353611, in which a protrusion-shaped hinge operating portion excessive bending prevention portion 11 of the present invention is provided at a connecting portion 21. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a plan view of FIG. [Figure 8] FIG. 7 is a side view of FIG. [Figure 9] 6, a front view of FIG. 8, a side view of FIG. 8, and a cross shaft of FIG. 4. [Figure 10] 1 is a front view of the joint yoke of Universal Joint Patent No. 7353611, in which the annular-shaped hinge operating portion excessive bending prevention portion 12 of the present invention is provided in the hinge operating portion 22. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a plan view of FIG. [Figure 12] FIG. 11 is a side view of FIG. [Figure 13] 10, a front view of FIG. 12, a side view of FIG. 13, and a cross shaft of FIG. 4. [Figure 14] 1 is a front view of the joint yoke of Universal Joint Patent No. 7353611, in which the annular-shaped hinge operating portion excessive bending prevention portion 13 of the present invention is provided in the hinge operating portion 22. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a plan view of FIG. [Figure 16] FIG. 15 is a side view of FIG. [Figure 17] 14, a side view of FIG. 16, and a cross shaft of FIG. 4. [Figure 18] 1 is a front view of the joint yoke of Universal Joint Patent No. 7353611, in which the annular-shaped hinge operating portion excessive bending prevention portion 13 of the present invention is provided in the hinge operating portion 22. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a plan view of FIG. [Figure 20] FIG. 19 is a side view of FIG. 18. [Figure 21] 18, a front view of FIG. 20, a side view of FIG. 21, and a cross shaft of FIG. 4. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] In a four-way bending type joint yoke having a connecting portion 21 that tilts like a seesaw and a hinge operating portion 22 that operates as a hinge from the connecting portion 21, as disclosed in Patent Document 1 (JP Patent No. 7353611) for transmitting rotational power between a power transmission shaft 40 of an input shaft and an output shaft, In order to prevent the angle of inclination of the hinge operating portion 22 during hinge operation from being inclined and bent from the connecting portion 21 by more than an arbitrarily determined inclination angle such as 30 degrees, The hinge operating portion 22 is provided with an excessive bending prevention portion 12 or an excessive bending prevention portion 13 for limiting the inclination angle, Alternatively, a hinge operating portion excessive bending prevention portion 11 may be added to the yoke base portion 20 or the connecting portion 21, When the yoke is bent to an angle of 30 degrees or more, the hinge operating portion excessive bending prevention portion 11 provided on the yoke base portion 20 or the connecting portion 21 comes into contact with the hinge operating portion 22, thereby preventing excessive bending. Alternatively, excessive bending is prevented by the hinge operating portion excessive bending prevention portion 12 or the hinge operating portion excessive bending prevention portion 13 provided on the hinge operating portion 22 coming into contact with the connecting portion 21, the joint yoke base portion 20 or the power transmission shaft 40. [Example]

[0019] FIG. 1 is a front view showing the joint yoke base 20 fixedly connected to the upper end of the lower power transmission shaft 40 in FIG. 1. The joint yoke base 20 has two fixed stoppers 11 for preventing excessive bending of the hinge operating portion, each of which is represented by a vertically long rectangular pillar, at two positions on the upper side thereof. The hinge operating portion excessive bending prevention stopper 11 is also provided at a similar position on the surface of the joint yoke base 20 on the back side of the connecting portion 21,

[0020] The joint yoke base 20 has a pivot pin 26 at its upper end, which is a pivot point for pivoting the joint yoke 21 in a swinging space 25, allowing it to swing like a seesaw. Furthermore, hinge shafts 23 are provided on both sides of the upper portion of the connecting portion 21 and are fixed integrally with the connecting portion 21, The hinge shaft 23 passes through the hinge shaft through-holes 27 on both sides, The hinge operating portion 22 having the hinge shaft through-hole 27 is provided so as to be able to freely hinge upward around the hinge shaft portion 23, Joint portions 24 are provided on both upper sides of the hinge operating portion 22, which is a bifurcated yoke portion.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a plan view of FIG. 1, and shows the hinge operating part 22 represented by the horizontally elongated rectangular hinge operating part intermediate post 28 at the center and the joint parts 24 on both sides of the hinge operating part intermediate post 28, in the foreground in FIG. 2. The two broken lines on both sides are the joint opening holes 29 of the joint part 24, and the small rectangles visible on both sides are the hinge shafts 23 located at the rear. The four vertically long squares seen above and below the rectangular prism-shaped hinge operating part intermediate post part 28 are the hinge operating part excessive bending prevention stop parts 11 of the present invention, The inclined surface and the tip surface of the hinge operating portion excessive bending prevention stop portion 11 are shown by two thin lines, respectively, At the back center, the conical joint yoke base 20 is visible, with the upper and lower sections separated by the hinge operating section intermediate pillar 28 and the hinge operating section excessive bending prevention stop 11.

[0022] FIG. 3 is a side view of FIG. 1, and above the lower power transmission shaft 40 is the joint yoke base 20 provided with the power transmission shaft mounting cylinder portion 41 of the yoke base. The vertical rectangle in the swing space 25 provided at the center of the upper part of the joint yoke base 20 is the connecting part 21, the top of the connecting part 21 is the hinge operating part 22, the round part at the bottom of the hinge operating part 22 is the hinge shaft 23, the two broken lines above the hinge shaft 23 indicate the position of the hinge operating part intermediate post part 28, and at the top is the joint part 24 provided with a joint part opening hole 29, The rectangular protruding portions extending obliquely upward from the left and right sides of the upper side of the joint yoke base portion 20 are the prismatic hinge operating portion excessive bending prevention stoppers 11 of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 4 shows the cross shaft of a cross shaft type universal joint, in which two shafts perpendicular to each other slide off each other and can tilt and swing independently toward the power transmission shaft. The structure allows both of the two shafts forming the cross to rotate freely from the other shaft toward the power transmission shaft of the input shaft and the output shaft, allowing for a tilting and swinging motion. The male shaft rod 31 can be rotatably swung within the female shaft ring portion swaying space 34 provided inside the female shaft ring portion 33 of the female shaft rod 32, and is prevented from falling off by the male shaft rod slip-out prevention disk portion 35, The female shaft 32 is also rotatable around the male shaft 31 as an axis.

[0024] FIG. 5 shows an embodiment in which the joint yoke 10 shown in the front view of FIG. 1 and the joint yoke 10 shown in the side view of FIG. 3 are joined to the cross shaft 30 of FIG. 4. The hinge operating portion 22 of the upper right joint yoke 10 is hinged downward at an angle of 30 degrees from the horizontal connecting portion 21 together with the joint yoke base 20, and is joined to the female shaft rod 32 of the cross shaft 30. The vertically rising joint yoke 10 at the lower position is inclined at a seesaw angle of 30 degrees from the joint yoke base 20 to the connecting portion 21 in a diagonal rightward direction. The hinge operating portion 22 at the tip is in a state of being joined to the male shaft rod 31 of the cross shaft 30 in a perpendicular direction from the connecting portion 21 at a bending angle of 0 degrees without being bent as a hinge. The male shaft 31 of the cross shaft 30 at the intermediate position is also rotated from the female shaft 32 and tilted by 30 degrees. Each of the shafts is inclined at an angle of 30 degrees, and the power transmission shafts 40 are connected together at a right angle of 90 degrees overall.

[0025] In order to connect the power transmission shafts 40 at a right angle of 90 degrees, it is important that the hinge operating part 22, which is the tip of the joint yoke 10, maintains an inclination angle of about 30 degrees. If there is no measure to maintain the 30-degree inclination angle in the hinge operating portion 22 and the power transmission shafts 40 are in a floating state where they can approach each other, there is a risk that the hinge operation will bend the shafts by 90 degrees or more, causing problems with the transmission of rotational power.

[0026] The hinge operating portion excessive bending prevention stop of the present invention prevents such excessive hinge bending, and The upper right side of Figure 5 shows a state in which the rectangular pillar-shaped hinge operating part excessive bending prevention stopper 11, which is fixed to the joint yoke base 20 of the joint yoke 10, abuts against the hinge operating part intermediate pillar 28, indicated by two diagonal lines, of the hinge operating part 22, blocking and preventing further hinge bending of the hinge operating part 22.

[0027] Fig. 6 is a front view similar to Fig. 1, but The connecting portion 21 has two circular hinge operating portion 22 stoppers 11 at its upper part to prevent excessive bending of the hinge operating portion 22. The hinge operating part excessive bending prevention stopper 11 is cylindrical and protrudes perpendicularly from two points on each of the front and back sides of the connecting part 21 in FIG. 6. In FIG. 6, only the tip of the front side is shown. The basic configuration of each part of the joint yoke 10 is almost the same as in Figure 1. When the hinge operating part 22 is bent to an inclination angle of about 30 degrees to either the front or rear side, the cylindrical hinge operating part excessive bending prevention stop part 12 abuts against the hinge operating part intermediate pillar part 28, blocking and preventing excessive hinge bending.

[0028] FIG. 7 is a plan view of the hinge operating portion of the present invention shown in FIG. 6, in which the stopper portion 11 for preventing excessive bending is provided on the connecting portion 21. The four squares on the top and bottom of the middle of the hinge operating part middle pillar part 28 on both sides are the hinge operating part excessive bending prevention stop parts 11 made of a cylinder of the present invention, Other basic components are almost the same as those in Figure 2.

[0029] FIG. 8 is a side view of the hinge operating portion of the present invention shown in FIG. 6, in which the stopper portion 11 for preventing excessive bending is provided on the connecting portion 21. The rectangular shapes on the left and right sides of the rounded tip of the hinge shaft 23, located between the joint yoke base 20 and the hinge operating part 22, represent the cylindrical hinge operating part over-bending prevention stoppers 11 of the present invention. Furthermore, the small, thin rod-shaped parts indicated by dashed lines on both sides of the round part of the hinge shaft 23 are the connecting part rotation fulcrum pins 26, Other basic components are almost the same as those in Figure 3.

[0030] FIG. 9 shows an embodiment in which the joint yoke 10 shown in the front view of FIG. 6 and the joint yoke 10 shown in the side view of FIG. 8 are joined to the cross shaft 30 of FIG. 4. Other basic components are almost the same as in Figure 5. The upper right side of Figure 9 shows a state in which the cylindrical hinge operating part excessive bending prevention stopper 11, which is fixed to the connecting part 21 of the joint yoke 10, abuts against the hinge operating part intermediate pillar part 28, indicated by two diagonal lines, of the hinge operating part 22, blocking and preventing further hinge bending of the hinge operating part 22.

[0031] FIG. 10 is a front view similar to FIG. 1, but The hinge operating part intermediate pillar part 28 of the forked metal fittings extended to the left and right has The hinge operating section intermediate post 28 is provided with a hinge operating section over-bending prevention stop 12 of the present invention, which is fixed at the center position of the center of the hinge operating section intermediate post 28 and is shown in a downward inverted T-shape, The hinge operating portion excessive bending prevention stopper 12 is explained in FIG. 10. The hinge operating portion excessive bending prevention stopper portion 12 is made up of a cylindrical rod, and the cylindrical rod is extended downward while protruding and curving from a fixed position at the center of the hinge operating portion intermediate pillar portion 28 so as to protrude horizontally outward, which is the front side of the drawing, A cylindrical rod is provided that is further curved in both lateral directions from the lower tip of the cylindrical rod, The cylindrical rod is curved sideways at a circumferential angle that matches the circumference of the wall surface of the triangular pyramidal joint yoke base 20, When the hinge operating portion 22 is bent to an inclination angle of approximately 30 degrees to either the front or rear side, the sideways curved portion of the hinge operating portion excessive bending prevention stop portion 12 abuts against the triangular pyramid-shaped portion of the joint yoke base 20 so as to fit into the triangular pyramid-shaped portion, thereby blocking and preventing excessive hinge bending.

[0032] FIG. 11 is a plan view showing the hinge operating portion of the present invention shown in FIG. 10, in which the stopper 12 for preventing excessive bending of the hinge operating portion is provided on the intermediate post 28 of the hinge operating portion. The vertically elongated cylindrical sections extending symmetrically from the middle of the hinge operating part middle column section 28 and the cylindrical sections extending laterally and curved from the tips of the vertically elongated cylindrical sections are the hinge operating part excessive bending prevention stoppers 12 of the present invention. Other basic components are almost the same as those in Figure 2.

[0033] FIG. 12 is a side view of the hinge operating portion of the present invention shown in FIG. 10, in which the stopper 12 for preventing excessive bending of the hinge operating portion is provided on the intermediate post 28 of the hinge operating portion. Near the center of the hinge operating part 22, there are shown cylindrical parts curved obliquely downward from both sides of the hinge operating part intermediate post part 28 position indicated by two broken lines, and there are also shown hinge operating part excessive bending prevention stop parts 12, which are further cylindrical parts provided sideways at the tip of the cylindrical parts and are shown as short cylindrical parts when viewed from the side. Other basic components are almost the same as those in Figure 3.

[0034] FIG. 13 shows an embodiment in which the joint yoke 10 shown in the front view of FIG. 10 and the joint yoke 10 shown in the side view of FIG. 12 are joined to the cross shaft 30 of FIG. 4. Other basic components are almost the same as in Figure 5. The upper right side of Figure 13 shows a state in which the cylindrical hinge operating part excessive bending prevention stopper 12, which is fixed to the hinge operating part intermediate pillar portion 28 of the joint yoke 10, abuts against the joint yoke base portion 20, blocking and preventing further hinge bending of the hinge operating part 22.

[0035] FIG. 14 is a front view similar to FIG. 1, but The hinge operating part 22, which functions as a bifurcated yoke part, has a vertically long rectangular part at the bottom where the left and right joint parts 24 are provided. The right and left rectangular parts are connected and fixed to the bottom of the vertically long rectangular part. The round ring-shaped hinge operating part excessive bending prevention part 13 of the present invention is shown as a horizontally long thin rectangle. The diagram of other basic components is almost the same as Figure 5. When the hinge operating portion 22 is bent to an inclination angle of approximately 30 degrees to either the front or rear side, a portion of the ring-shaped hinge operating portion excessive bending prevention portion 13 abuts against the joint yoke base portion 20, blocking and preventing excessive hinge bending.

[0036] FIG. 15 is a plan view of the hinge operating portion 22 provided with the stopper 13 for preventing excessive bending of the hinge operating portion of the present invention shown in FIG. 10, and the diagram of the other basic components is almost the same as FIG. 2. In FIG. 15, the stopper 13 for preventing excessive bending of the hinge operating part, which is fixed to the rear part of the joint part 24 on both sides, is shown to be a circular ring-shaped type. The circular part in the center is the joint yoke base 20, and is shown lightly shaded to make it easier to distinguish it from the hinge operating portion excessive bending prevention stop 13.

[0037] FIG. 16 is a side view of the hinge operating portion 22 provided with the stopper 13 for preventing excessive bending of the hinge operating portion of the present invention shown in FIG. 10. Other basic components are almost the same as those in Figure 3. The hinge operating portion excessive bending prevention stopper 13 of the present invention is fixed to the lower part of the hinge operating portion 22 and has a horizontally long, thin rectangular portion extending to the left and right in a circular shape with a round ring.

[0038] FIG. 17 shows an embodiment in which the joint yoke 10 shown in the front view of FIG. 10 and the joint yoke 10 shown in the side view of FIG. 12 are joined to the cross shaft 30 of FIG. 4. The diagram of other basic components is almost the same as Figure 5. 1 shows a state in which an annular hinge operating portion excessive bending prevention stopper 13 fixed to the hinge operating portion 22 of the upper right joint yoke 10 abuts against the joint yoke base 20, blocking and preventing further hinge bending of the hinge operating portion 22. It is also shown that the annular hinge operating portion excessive bending prevention stopper 13, which is fixed to the hinge operating portion 22 portion of the joint yoke 10 on the lower side facing vertically upward, is abutting against the joint yoke base 20.

[0039] FIG. 18 is a front view similar to FIGS. 1 and 14, but The hinge operating part 22 functions as a bifurcated yoke, and the left and right joint parts 24 are provided at the bottom of the vertically long rectangular part. A rectangular ring part extension column 15 extends downward from the bottom, and a round annular hinge operating part excessive bending prevention part 13 is provided at the tip of the extension column. The joint yoke base 20 shown in FIG. 18 is smaller in size than the joint yoke base 20 shown in FIG. 14 and earlier. It becomes difficult for the annular hinge operating portion excessive bending prevention portion 13 provided on the hinge operating portion 22 to abut against the miniaturized joint yoke base portion 20. The hinge operating portion excessive bending prevention portion 13 is lowered downward by a rectangular column-shaped ring portion extension column 15 and abuts against the power transmission shaft 40, thereby blocking and preventing excessive bending of the hinge. One method of lowering the hinge operating portion excessive bending prevention portion 13 downward is to change the lower part of the hinge operating portion excessive bending prevention portion 13 to a round tube-shaped cylinder and use the tip side of the round tube as the hinge operating portion excessive bending prevention portion 13 as it is.

[0040] Figure 19 is a plan view of Figure 18; In FIG. 19, the rectangular column-shaped ring extension column 15 extending to the rear of the left and right joint sections 24 of the hinge operating section 22 is not visible due to a blind spot. The round annular hinge operating portion excessive bending prevention portion 13 provided at the tip of the rectangular column-shaped ring portion extension column 15 is shown in a circular shape, The compact joint yoke base 20 is shown behind the central hinge operating section intermediate post 28.

[0041] FIG. 20 is a side view of the hinge operating portion 22 provided with the stopper 13 for preventing excessive bending of the hinge operating portion of the present invention shown in FIG. 18. The diagram of other basic components is almost the same as Figure 3, but The hinge operating part 22 has a ring extension column 15 at its lower part, and the hinge operating part over-bending prevention part 13 of the present invention is at its lower part. The hinge operating part 22, the ring part extension column 15 and the hinge operating part excessive bending prevention part 13 are fixed together, Behind the hinge operating portion 22 and ring portion extension column 15 are the miniaturized joint yoke base 20, the power transmission shaft mounting tube portion 41 of the yoke base, and the power transmission shaft 40, some of which are not visible due to blind spots.

[0042] FIG. 21 shows an embodiment in which the joint yoke 10 shown in the front view of FIG. 18 and the joint yoke 10 shown in the side view of FIG. 20 are joined to the cross shaft 30 of FIG. 4. The diagram of other basic components is almost the same as Figure 5, The side view of the joint yoke 10 connected to the horizontal power transmission shaft 40 at the upper right side shows the hinge operating portion 22 tilting diagonally downward to the left from the connecting portion 21 of the joint yoke 10, and the ring-shaped hinge operating portion excessive bending prevention portion 13 at the tip of the ring-shaped extension post 15 are also shown tilting together.

[0043] This shows a state in which the annular hinge operating portion excessive bending prevention stopper 13 abuts against the power transmission shaft 40, blocking and preventing further hinge bending of the hinge operating portion 22. The hinge operating portion 22 of the joint yoke 10, which is facing vertically upward in the front view on the lower side, is also inclined at an angle of 30 degrees to the upper right from the joint yoke base 20 together with the connecting portion 21. The ring extension column 15 fixed integrally to the lower part of the hinge operating part 22 and the annular hinge operating part excessive bending prevention part 13 provided at the tip thereof are also shown in an inclined state. This shows the state in which the annular hinge operating portion excessive bending prevention stopper 13 abuts against the power transmission shaft 40 extending from below, blocking and preventing further hinge bending of the hinge operating portion 22. [Industrial Applicability]

[0044] It is a universal joint that tilts in four directions and rotates at a uniform speed depending on the movement of the connecting part and hinge operating part. By preventing the occurrence of problems caused by excessive bending angles of the hinge operating parts, stable transmission of rotational power can be achieved more safely. It will be useful for industrial development. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 10 Joint Yoke 11 Hinge operating part excessive bending prevention part (protrusion type) 12 Hinge operating part excessive bending prevention part (projection type with tip contact part curved cylindrical type) 13 Hinge operating part excessive bending prevention part (ring-shaped type) 14 Ring portion (annular-shaped hinge operating portion of excessive bending prevention portion 13) 15 Ring extension column 19 Hinge operating part excessive bending prevention part 20 Joint yoke base (Universal Joint Patent No. 7353611) 21 connection part (freely swingable in a seesaw rotation motion from the yoke base part 20) 22 Hinge operating portion (a bifurcated portion that can swing freely by hinge operation from the connecting portion 21) 23 Hinge shaft 24 Joint 25 Swing Space 26. Connection rotation fulcrum pin 27 Hinge shaft through hole 28 Hinge operating part intermediate pillar part 29 Joint opening hole 30 cross axis 31 Male shaft 32 Female shaft 40 Power transmission shaft

Claims

[Claim 1] As a universal joint, The joint yoke connected to one of the power transmission shafts comprises a pair of joint portions, a hinge operating portion, a connecting portion, and a yoke base portion; The other power transmission shaft transmits power to the first power transmission shaft via a cross shaft, which is a universal joint. The pair of joints are fixed to the shaft rod of the cross shaft, the hinge operating portion is integrally fixed to the pair of joint portions so as not to rotate relative to each other, the yoke base is joined to the one power transmission shaft and has a slidable space capable of accommodating a part of the connecting portion, the connecting portion includes a hinge rotation shaft, a portion of which is housed in the slidably movable space, and an axially intermediate position of the hinge rotation shaft is connected to the yoke base via a fulcrum pin or a fastener, thereby allowing the connecting portion to swing freely relative to the yoke base; In the universal joint, the hinge operating portion and the hinge rotation shaft are connected to each other, and the pair of joint portions are fixedly provided, In order to prevent the angle of inclination of the hinge operating portion due to hinge operation from being bent from the connecting portion and inclined by more than an arbitrarily determined inclination angle such as 30 degrees, a hinge operating portion excessive bending prevention portion comprising a tilt angle limiting protrusion or a tilt angle limiting annular portion for limiting a tilt angle is added to any of the yoke base portion, the connecting portion, or the hinge operating portion, When refracted at an angle of 30 degrees or more, When the hinge operating portion is provided with the hinge operating portion excessive bending prevention portion, the hinge operating portion excessive bending prevention portion comes into contact with the joint yoke base portion, the connecting portion, or the power transmission shaft connected to the joint yoke, or When the hinge operating portion excessive bending prevention portion is provided on any portion of the joint yoke other than the hinge operating portion, the hinge operating portion excessive bending prevention portion abuts against the hinge operating portion, thereby preventing excessive bending. This universal joint is characterized by the following.

Images