Universal joint and universal joint assembly method

Abstract

The present invention relates to the field of universal joints, and in particular, to a universal joint and a method for assembling the universal joint. The universal joint comprises: a cross shaft, a bearing, a skeleton assembly, and a sealing assembly; the skeleton assembly comprises a skeleton unit; the skeleton unit comprises a skeleton body and a first release groove; the skeleton body is tubular; the first release groove extends from one end face of the skeleton body toward the other end face of the skeleton body; the height of the first release groove is equal to the thickness of the skeleton body, and the extension length of the first release groove is less than the width of the skeleton body; the outer circumferential surface of the skeleton body and the inner circumferential surface of one end of the bearing are interference fit; wherein the universal joint comprises a first working state; the first working state comprises that when the skeleton body is acted upon by an external force, the size of the first release groove along the circumference of the skeleton body becomes smaller. In this way, the problem that the skeleton in the sealing ring squeezes the bearing outward to expand, resulting in a reduction in the contact surface between the sleeve and the needle roller, thereby affecting the service life of the needle roller is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to the field of universal joints, and in particular to a universal joint and an assembling method of the universal joint. Background Art

[0002] The universal joint is the "joint" component of the universal transmission device of the automobile drive system, which includes a cross shaft, a needle bearing, and a sealing ring. The sealing ring is mostly composed of a frame and a sealing lip. When the needle bearing is sleeved on the journal of the cross shaft, the sealing lip is rotatably connected to the journal of the cross shaft by interference fit of the frame and the sleeve of the needle bearing, thereby achieving sealing of the needle bearing.

[0003] However, when the skeleton of the existing sealing ring has an interference fit with the sleeve, the skeleton will squeeze the sleeve, causing the sleeve to expand outward at the interference fit between the sleeve and the skeleton, resulting in a reduction in the contact area between the sleeve and the needle roller, causing uneven force on the needle roller during use of the universal joint, thereby affecting the service life of the needle roller. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to solve the problem that the framework in the sealing ring squeezes the bearing to expand outward, the present invention provides a universal joint and an assembly method of the universal joint.

[0005] In a first aspect, the present invention provides a universal joint, comprising:

[0006] A cross shaft, the cross shaft comprising a shaft body and four shaft journals; the four shaft journals are fixedly connected to the shaft body; the four shaft journals are evenly spaced along the circumference of the shaft body;

[0007] A bearing, wherein the bearing is sleeved on the shaft neck and is rotatably connected to the shaft neck;

[0008] A skeleton component, the skeleton component comprises a skeleton unit; the skeleton unit comprises a skeleton body and a first release groove; the skeleton body is tubular; the first release groove extends from one end surface of the skeleton body toward the other end surface of the skeleton body; the height of the first release groove is equal to the thickness of the skeleton body, and the extension length of the first release groove is less than the width of the skeleton body; the outer circumference of the skeleton body is interference fit with the inner circumference of one end of the bearing;

[0009] A sealing assembly, one side of which is fixedly connected to the inner circumference of the skeleton body, and the other side of which is rotatably connected to the journal;

[0010] Wherein, the universal joint includes a first working state; the first working state includes that when the skeleton body is acted upon by an external force, a size of the first release groove along the circumference of the skeleton body becomes larger or smaller.

[0011] In some embodiments, the skeleton body also includes a second release groove; the second release groove extends from one end face of the skeleton body toward the end face of the skeleton body close to the first release groove; the height of the second release groove is equal to the thickness of the skeleton body, the extension length of the second release groove is less than the width of the skeleton body, and the second release groove is spaced apart from the first release groove.

[0012] In some embodiments, the second release grooves are evenly spaced apart along the circumference of the skeleton body, and the first release grooves are evenly spaced apart along the circumference of the skeleton body.

[0013] In some embodiments, the sealing assembly is filled in the first relief groove and / or the second relief groove.

[0014] In some embodiments, the bearing includes a sleeve and a needle roller; the sleeve includes a connecting part, a bearing part, and an end part; the bearing part is fixedly connected to the connecting part, and the bearing part is connected to the end part with a fixed hardware; the thickness of the connecting part is less than the thickness of the bearing part, and the needle rollers are evenly spaced along the inner circumference of the bearing part, and the needle rollers abut against the inner circumference of the bearing part; when the bearing sleeve is arranged on the shaft neck, the shaft neck is located in a cavity formed by the connecting part, the bearing part, and the end part, the needle rollers abut against the shaft neck, and the skeleton body has an interference fit with the connecting part.

[0015] In some embodiments, a groove is provided on the connecting portion, and the groove extends from the inner circumferential surface of the connecting portion in a radial direction toward the outer circumferential surface of the connecting portion, and the grooves are arranged at circumferential intervals along the connecting portion; the skeleton assembly also includes a protrusion, which is fixedly connected to the outer circumferential surface of the skeleton body, and the protrusions are arranged at circumferential intervals along the skeleton body; the number of the grooves is equal to the number of the protrusions, and when the skeleton body and the connected portion are interference fit, the protrusions are interference fit with the grooves.

[0016] In some embodiments, the grooves are evenly spaced apart along the circumference of the connecting portion, and the protrusions are evenly spaced apart along the circumference of the skeleton body.

[0017] In some embodiments, a groove is provided on the connecting portion, and the groove extends from the inner circumferential surface of the connecting portion along the outer circumferential surface of the connecting portion; the groove is arranged in a circumferential ring shape along the connecting portion, and the skeleton assembly also includes a protrusion, which is arranged in a circumferential ring shape on the outer circumferential surface of the skeleton body along the circumferential ring shape of the skeleton body and is fixedly connected to the skeleton body; when the skeleton body and the connected portion are interference fit, the protrusion is interference fit with the groove.

[0018] In some embodiments, the inner circumferential surface of the connecting portion protrudes in a circular arc shape along the radial direction of the connecting portion toward the central axis of the connecting portion; the maximum thickness of the connecting portion is h2, the minimum thickness is h1, and the ratio of h2 to h1 is 1.02-1.04; the outer circumferential surface of the skeleton body is concave in a circular arc shape along the radial direction of the skeleton body toward the central axis of the skeleton body; when the connecting portion and the skeleton body are interference fit, the outer surface of the connecting portion protruding in a circular arc abuts against the inner surface of the skeleton body concave in a circular arc.

[0019] In a second aspect, the present invention provides a method for assembling a universal joint, which is applied to the assembly of the universal joint in the first aspect, and comprises the following steps:

[0020] S11: The inner circumferential surface of the skeleton body is fixedly connected to one side of the sealing assembly, and the other side of the sealing assembly is rotatably connected to the journal;

[0021] S12: Based on the other side of the sealing assembly being rotatably connected to the shaft journal, the bearing sleeve is mounted on the shaft journal;

[0022] S13: Based on the bearing being sleeved on the journal, an outer circumferential surface of the skeleton body is interference-fitted with an inner circumferential surface of the bearing;

[0023] S14: Based on the interference fit between the outer circumference of the skeleton body and the inner circumference of the bearing, the bearing squeezes the skeleton body, and when an external force acts on the skeleton body, the size of the first release groove along the circumference of the skeleton body becomes smaller.

[0024] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0025] By arranging the first release groove on the skeleton body, when the skeleton body and the bearing are interference fit, the bearing squeezes the skeleton body and the skeleton body is acted upon by an external force, the size of the first release groove along the circumference of the skeleton body becomes smaller, thereby achieving the release of part of the force between the skeleton body and the bearing, ensuring that the bearing sleeve and the needle roller always maintain a good contact surface, and the needle roller has a long service life, thereby solving the problem in the prior art that the skeleton body excessively squeezes the sleeve, resulting in a reduction in the contact surface between the sleeve and the needle roller, causing uneven force on the needle roller during use of the universal joint, thereby affecting the service life of the needle roller. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 It is a structural schematic diagram of some embodiments of a universal joint;

[0027] Figure 2 It is a structural schematic diagram of some embodiments of a universal joint;

[0028] Figure 3for Figure 2 A local enlarged schematic diagram of the middle A;

[0029] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the structure of the skeleton assembly in some embodiments;

[0030] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of the structure of the skeleton assembly in some embodiments;

[0031] Figure 6 Schematic diagram of the structure of the skeleton assembly in some embodiments;

[0032] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the interference fit between the skeleton component and the shaft sleeve in some embodiments;

[0033] Figure 8 for Figure 7 Sectional view along the AA direction;

[0034] Fig. 9 for Figure 8 A local enlarged schematic diagram of point B in the middle.

[0035] In the figure: 10, cross shaft; 11, shaft body; 12, journal; 20, bearing; 21, sleeve; 211, connecting part; 212, bearing part; 213, end; 22, needle roller; 23, retaining frame; 30, skeleton assembly; 31; skeleton unit; 311, skeleton body; 312, first release groove; 313, second release groove; 32, protrusion; 40, sealing assembly; 41, sealing body; 42, first sealing lip; 43, second sealing lip. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The present disclosure will now be discussed with reference to several exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that these embodiments are discussed only to enable those skilled in the art to better understand and thus implement the present disclosure, rather than implying any limitation on the scope of the present disclosure.

[0037] As used herein, the term "including" and its variants are to be interpreted as open-ended terms meaning "including but not limited to". The term "based on" is to be interpreted as "based at least in part on". The terms "one embodiment" and "an embodiment" are to be interpreted as "at least one embodiment". The term "another embodiment" is to be interpreted as "at least one other embodiment". The orientation or position relationship indicated by the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "front", "back", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", "vertical", "horizontal", "lateral", "longitudinal" and the like is based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. These terms are mainly for better describing the present application and its embodiments, and are not used to limit the indicated devices, elements or components to have a specific orientation, or to be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. In addition, in addition to being used to indicate an orientation or position relationship, some of the above terms may also be used to indicate other meanings, such as the term "upper" may also be used to indicate a certain dependency or connection relationship in some cases. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of these terms in this application can be understood according to the specific circumstances. In addition, the terms "install", "set", "provided with", "connected" and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral structure; it can be a mechanical connection, or an electrical connection; it can be directly connected, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or it can be an internal connection between two devices, elements or components. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to the specific circumstances. In addition, the terms "first", "second", etc. are mainly used to distinguish different devices, elements or components (the specific types and structures may be the same or different), and are not used to indicate or imply the relative importance and quantity of the indicated devices, elements or components. Unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more.

[0038] This embodiment discloses a universal joint, such as Figure 1 , Figure 4 As shown, including:

[0039] A cross shaft 10, the cross shaft 10 comprises a shaft body 11 and four shaft journals 12; the four shaft journals 12 are fixedly connected to the shaft body 11; the four shaft journals 12 are evenly spaced along the circumference of the shaft body 11;

[0040] A bearing 20, wherein the bearing 20 is sleeved on the shaft neck 12 and is rotatably connected to the shaft neck 12;

[0041] The skeleton component 30 includes a skeleton unit 31; the skeleton unit 31 includes a skeleton body 311 and a first release groove 312; the skeleton body 311 is tubular; the first release groove 312 extends from one end surface of the skeleton body 311 toward the other end surface of the skeleton body 311; the height of the first release groove 312 is equal to the thickness of the skeleton body 311, and the extension length of the first release groove 312 is less than the width of the skeleton body 311; the outer circumference of the skeleton body 311 is interference fit with the inner circumference of one end of the bearing 20;

[0042] A sealing assembly 40, one side of which is fixedly connected to the inner circumference of the skeleton body 311, and the other side of which is rotatably connected to the journal 12;

[0043] The universal joint includes a first working state; the first working state includes that when the skeleton body 311 is acted upon by an external force, the size of the first release groove 312 along the circumference of the skeleton body 311 becomes larger or smaller.

[0044] In this embodiment, by setting the first release groove 312 on the skeleton body 311, when the skeleton body 311 and the bearing 20 are interference fit, the bearing 20 squeezes the skeleton body 311. Under the action of external force, the size of the first release groove 312 along the circumference of the skeleton body 311 becomes smaller, thereby achieving the release of part of the force between the skeleton body 311 and the bearing 20, avoiding the outward expansion of the sleeve 21 in the bearing 20, ensuring that the sleeve 21 of the bearing 20 and the needle roller 22 always maintain a good contact surface, and the needle roller 22 has a long service life, and solves the problem of excessive squeezing of the sleeve 21 by the skeleton body 311 in the prior art, the sleeve 21 expands outward, resulting in a reduction in the contact surface between the sleeve 21 and the needle roller 22, so that the needle roller 22 is unevenly stressed during the use of the universal joint, thereby affecting the service life of the needle roller 22.

[0045] In this embodiment, if Figure 2 , Figure 3 As shown, the sealing assembly 40 includes a sealing body 41, a first sealing lip 42, and a second sealing lip 43. One side of the first sealing lip 42 and one side of the second sealing lip 43 are fixedly connected to one side of the sealing body 41 respectively, the other sides of the first sealing lip 42 and the second sealing lip 43 are rotatably connected to the shaft neck 12, and the other side of the sealing body 41 is fixedly connected to the inner circumferential surface of the skeleton body 311.

[0046] In this embodiment, the first release groove 312 is arranged to extend from one end face of the skeleton body 311 toward the other end face of the skeleton body 311; the height of the first release groove 312 is equal to the thickness of the skeleton body 311, and the extension length of the first release groove 312 is less than the width of the skeleton body 311, so that the first release groove 312 can be part of the cross-section of the skeleton body 311 and the wall thickness of the skeleton body 311, so that when the skeleton body 311 is squeezed, the size of the skeleton body 311 along the circumferential direction becomes smaller, and the skeleton can still have a large compressive strength, thereby ensuring the sealing of the universal joint.

[0047] In some embodiments, Figure 4 As shown, the skeleton body 311 also includes a second release groove 313; the second release groove 313 extends from one end face of the skeleton body 311 toward the end face of the skeleton body 311 close to the first release groove 312; the height of the second release groove 313 is equal to the thickness of the skeleton body 311, the extension length of the second release groove 313 is less than the width of the skeleton body 311, and the second release groove 313 is spaced apart from the first release groove 312.

[0048] In this embodiment, a second release groove 313 is provided on the skeleton body 311, and the second release groove 313 extends from one end face of the skeleton body 311 toward the end face of the skeleton body 311 close to the first release groove 312, and the height of the second release groove 313 is equal to the thickness of the skeleton body 311, and the extension length of the second release groove 313 is smaller than the width of the skeleton body 311. The second release groove 313 and the first release groove 312 are spaced apart, so that when the skeleton body 311 is subjected to external pressure, its contraction in the radial direction is more uniform, thereby avoiding the situation that the skeleton body 311 is unevenly deformed due to external pressure, resulting in excessive local stress in the skeleton body 311, thereby reducing the service life of the skeleton body 311.

[0049] In some embodiments, Figure 4 As shown, the second release grooves 313 are evenly spaced along the circumference of the skeleton body 311 , and the first release grooves 312 are evenly spaced along the circumference of the skeleton body 311 .

[0050] In this embodiment, the second release grooves 313 are evenly spaced along the circumference of the skeleton body 311, and the first release grooves 312 are evenly spaced along the circumference of the skeleton body 311, so that the first release grooves 312 and the second release grooves 313 are evenly distributed on the skeleton body 311. When the skeleton body 311 is subjected to external forces, its deformation along the radial direction can be more uniform, which can ensure that the skeleton body 311 is in good contact with the bearing 20, and can also avoid the uneven deformation of the skeleton body 311, resulting in excessive local stress, which affects and reduces the service life of the skeleton body 311.

[0051] In some embodiments, the sealing assembly 40 is filled in the first release groove 312 and / or the second release groove 313 .

[0052] In the present embodiment, part of the material of the sealing body 41 in the sealing assembly 40 is filled in the first release groove 312 and / or the second release groove 313. Since the compressive strength of the sealing body 41 is less than that of the skeleton body 311, when the skeleton body 311 is subjected to external pressure, the filling material is deformed along the circumference of the skeleton body 311. While ensuring that the skeleton body 311 does not excessively squeeze the bearing 20, it can also compensate for the problem that the compressive strength of the skeleton body 311 is reduced due to the provision of the first release groove 312 and / or the second release groove 313 on the skeleton body 311, resulting in a loose connection between the skeleton body 311 and the bearing 20. In addition, as a part of the sealing body 41, the filling material can also increase the surface area of ​​the sealing body 41, so that when the sealing body 41 is fixedly connected to the skeleton body 311, the fixed connection effect is better, thereby enhancing the sealing effect of the universal joint.

[0053] In some embodiments, Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, the bearing 20 includes a sleeve 21 and a needle roller 22; the sleeve 21 includes a connecting portion 211, a bearing portion 212, and an end portion 213; the bearing portion 212 is fixedly connected to the connecting portion 211, and the bearing portion 212 is connected to the end portion 213 by a fixed hardware; the thickness of the connecting portion 211 is less than the thickness of the bearing portion 212, the needle rollers 22 are evenly spaced along the inner circumference of the bearing portion 212, and the needle rollers 22 abut against the inner circumference of the bearing portion 212; when the bearing 20 is sleeved on the journal 12, the journal 12 is located in a cavity formed by the connecting portion 211, the bearing portion 212, and the end portion 213, the needle rollers 22 abut against the journal 12, and the skeleton body 311 is interference fit with the connecting portion 211.

[0054] In this embodiment, the bearing 20 also includes a retaining frame 23 for fixing the needle roller 22, which is interference fit between the skeleton body 311 and the connecting portion 211 of the sleeve 21, and a first release groove 312 is provided on the skeleton body 311, so that when the skeleton body 311 and the sleeve 21 are interference fit, the sleeve 21 squeezes the skeleton body 311, and when the skeleton body 311 is acted upon by an external force, the size of the first release groove 312 along the circumferential direction of the skeleton body 311 becomes smaller, thereby achieving partial release of the force between the skeleton body 311 and the sleeve 21, avoiding outward expansion of the sleeve 21, ensuring that the sleeve 21 and the needle roller 22 always maintain a good contact surface, and making the needle roller 22 have a longer service life, solving the problem in the prior art that the skeleton body 311 excessively squeezes the sleeve 21, the sleeve 21 expands outward, resulting in a reduction in the contact surface between the sleeve 21 and the needle roller 22, and the needle roller 22 is unevenly stressed during use of the universal joint, thereby affecting the service life of the needle roller 22.

[0055] In some embodiments, Figure 3 , Figure 6 As shown, the connecting portion 211 is provided with grooves, the grooves extend from the inner circumferential surface of the connecting portion 211 along the radial direction toward the outer circumferential surface of the connecting portion 211, and the grooves are arranged at circumferential intervals along the connecting portion 211; the skeleton assembly 30 also includes protrusions 32, the protrusions 32 are fixedly connected to the outer circumferential surface of the skeleton body 311, and the protrusions 32 are arranged at circumferential intervals along the skeleton body 311; the number of the grooves is equal to the number of the protrusions 32, and when the skeleton body 311 and the connecting portion 211 are interference fit, the protrusions 32 are interference fit with the grooves.

[0056] In this embodiment, grooves are arranged at intervals on the connecting portion 211, and spaced protrusions 32 are arranged on the skeleton body 311, and the number of the grooves and the protrusions 32 are the same. When the skeleton body 311 and the connecting portion 211 are interference fit, the protrusions 32 are interference fit with the grooves. By arranging the protrusions 32 on the skeleton body 311, the protrusions 32 can enhance the firmness of the connection between the skeleton body 311 and the connecting portion 211 when they are interference fit, thereby avoiding the situation where the compressive strength of the skeleton body 311 is reduced when the first release groove 312 and / or the second release groove 313 are opened on the skeleton body 311, resulting in the connecting portion 211 being tight when the skeleton body 311 and the connecting portion 211 are interference fit.

[0057] In some embodiments, Figure 6 As shown, the grooves are evenly spaced along the circumference of the connecting portion 211 , and the protrusions 32 are evenly spaced along the circumference of the skeleton body 311 .

[0058] In this embodiment, by evenly arranging the grooves along the circumference of the connecting portion 211 and evenly arranging the protrusions 32 along the circumference of the skeleton body 311, it is possible that after the skeleton body 311 and the connecting portion 211 are interference fit, when the skeleton body 311 is subjected to pressure from the connecting portion 211, the pressure exerted on the protrusions 32 is more uniform, thereby achieving an effect of always maintaining a close fit between the skeleton body 311 and the transition portion, and the grooves can also limit the position of the protrusions 32 to prevent the protrusions 32 from moving along the axial direction of the sleeve 21, thereby enhancing the firmness of the installation of the skeleton body 311.

[0059] In some embodiments, Figure 3 , Figure 5 As shown, a groove is provided on the connecting portion 211, and the groove extends from the inner circumferential surface of the connecting portion 211 along the outer circumferential surface direction of the connecting portion 211; the groove is arranged in a circumferential ring shape along the connecting portion 211, and the skeleton component 30 also includes a protrusion 32, and the protrusion 32 is arranged in a circumferential ring shape on the outer circumferential surface of the skeleton body 311 along the circumferential ring shape of the skeleton body 311, and is fixedly connected to the skeleton body 311; when the skeleton body 311 is interference fit with the connecting portion 211, the protrusion 32 is interference fit with the groove.

[0060] In this embodiment, an annular groove is provided on the connection part 211, and an annular protrusion 32 is provided on the skeleton body 311. The annular protrusion 32 can be interference fit with the annular groove, so that the skeleton body 311 and the connection part 211 are connected more tightly when they are interference fit, which can well avoid the situation that the compression strength of the skeleton body 311 is reduced when the first release groove 312 and / or the second release groove 313 are provided on the skeleton body 311, so that the skeleton body 311 and the connection part 211 are not connected tightly. Moreover, by providing the annular protrusion 32 and the annular groove, the annular groove is regarded as a part of the skeleton body 311, which can increase the contact area between the skeleton body 311 and the connection part 211, thereby improving the sealing effect of the bearing 20. The protrusion 32 is prevented from moving along the axial direction of the sleeve 21, and the firmness of the installation of the skeleton body 311 is enhanced.

[0061] In some embodiments, Figure 7 , Figure 8 , Fig. 9As shown, the inner circumferential surface of the connecting portion 211 protrudes in an arc shape toward the central axis of the connecting portion 211 along the radial direction of the connecting portion 211; the maximum thickness of the connecting portion 211 is h2, the minimum thickness is h1, and the ratio of h2 to h1 is 1.02-1.04; the outer circumferential surface of the skeleton body 311 is concave in an arc shape toward the central axis of the skeleton body 311 along the radial direction of the skeleton body 311; when the connecting portion 211 and the skeleton body 311 are interference fit, the outer surface of the connecting portion 211 protruding in an arc shape abuts against the inner surface of the skeleton body 311 concave in an arc shape.

[0062] In this embodiment, the inner circumferential surface of the connecting portion 211 protrudes in an arc shape toward the central axis of the connecting portion 211 along the radial direction of the connecting portion 211; the maximum thickness of the connecting portion 211 is h2, the minimum thickness is h1, and the ratio of h2 to h1 is 1.02-1.04; the outer circumferential surface of the skeleton body 311 is recessed in an arc shape toward the central axis of the skeleton body 311 along the radial direction of the skeleton body 311; when the connecting portion 211 and the skeleton body 311 are interference fit, the outer surface of the connecting portion 211 protruding in an arc shape abuts against the inner surface of the skeleton body 311 recessed in an arc shape, which can increase the thickness of the connecting portion 211 and enhance the compressive strength of the connecting portion 211 when it is squeezed by the skeleton body 311, avoid the connecting portion 211 from expanding outward, causing a gap between the needle roller 22 and the sleeve 21, so that the needle roller 22 is subjected to uneven force during use, thereby reducing the occurrence of a reduction in the service life of the needle roller 22. Furthermore, when the protrusion on the connecting portion 211 abuts against the depression on the skeleton body 311, the protrusion can also disperse the direction of the pressure of the skeleton body 311 on the connecting portion 211, and disperse the force along the radial direction of the connecting portion 211 into a force that forms a certain angle with the radial direction of the connecting portion 211, thereby increasing the force-bearing portion of the connecting portion 211 and enhancing the pressure resistance of the connecting portion 211, thereby preventing the sleeve 21 from expanding outward when pressure is applied by the skeleton body 311, resulting in a gap between the contact surface between the bearing portion 212 of the sleeve 21 and the needle roller 22, causing the needle roller 22 to be subjected to uneven force during use and resulting in a reduced service life.

[0063] In the above, the material of the skeleton body 311 can be a hard steel ring. When the protrusion 32 is provided on the skeleton body 311, the material of the skeleton body 311 can also be a material with certain plasticity such as rubber. When the material of the skeleton body 311 is a material with certain plasticity such as rubber, the skeleton body 311 without the first release groove 312 and the second release groove 313 can be used as needed.

[0064] This embodiment discloses a method for assembling a universal joint, comprising the following steps:

[0065] S11: The inner circumferential surface of the skeleton body 311 is fixedly connected to one side of the sealing assembly 40 , and the other side of the sealing assembly 40 is rotatably connected to the journal 12 ;

[0066] S12: Based on the other side of the sealing assembly 40 being rotatably connected to the shaft journal 12, the bearing 20 is sleeved on the shaft journal 12;

[0067] S13: Based on the bearing 20 being sleeved on the journal 12 , the outer circumferential surface of the skeleton body 311 is interference-fitted with the inner circumferential surface of the bearing 20 ;

[0068] S14: Based on the interference fit between the outer circumference of the skeleton body 311 and the inner circumference of the bearing 20, the bearing 20 squeezes the skeleton body 311. When an external force acts on the skeleton body 311, the size of the first release groove 312 along the circumference of the skeleton body 311 becomes smaller.

[0069] In this embodiment, by combining the skeleton body 311 with the first release groove 312 and the bearing 20, when the skeleton body 311 and the bearing 20 are interference fit, the bearing 20 squeezes the skeleton body 311. Under the action of external force, the size of the first release groove 312 of the skeleton body 311 along the circumference of the skeleton body 311 becomes smaller, thereby achieving the release of part of the force between the skeleton body 311 and the bearing 20, avoiding the outward expansion of the sleeve 21 in the bearing 20, ensuring that the sleeve 21 of the bearing 20 always maintains a good contact surface with the needle roller 22, and the needle roller 22 has a long service life, and solves the problem of excessive squeezing of the sleeve 21 by the skeleton body 311 in the prior art, the sleeve 21 expands outward, resulting in a reduction in the contact surface between the sleeve 21 and the needle roller 22, so that the needle roller 22 is unevenly stressed during the use of the universal joint, thereby affecting the service life of the needle roller 22. In this embodiment, the first release groove 312 is arranged to extend from one end face of the skeleton body 311 toward the other end face of the skeleton body 311; the height of the first release groove 312 is equal to the thickness of the skeleton body 311, and the extension length of the first release groove 312 is less than the width of the skeleton body 311, so that the first release groove 312 can be part of the cross-section of the skeleton body 311 and the wall thickness of the skeleton body 311, so that when the skeleton body 311 is squeezed, the size of the skeleton body 311 along the circumferential direction becomes smaller, and the skeleton can still have a large compressive strength, thereby ensuring the sealing of the universal joint.

[0070] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the above-mentioned embodiments are specific examples for implementing the present disclosure, and in actual applications, various changes may be made thereto in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A universal joint, characterized in that: The universal joint comprises: A cross shaft, the cross shaft comprising a shaft body and four shaft journals; the four shaft journals are fixedly connected to the shaft body; the four shaft journals are evenly spaced along the circumference of the shaft body; A bearing, wherein the bearing is sleeved on the shaft neck and is rotatably connected to the shaft neck; A skeleton component, the skeleton component comprises a skeleton unit; the skeleton unit comprises a skeleton body and a first release groove; the skeleton body is tubular; the first release groove extends from one end surface of the skeleton body toward the other end surface of the skeleton body; the height of the first release groove is equal to the thickness of the skeleton body, and the extension length of the first release groove is less than the width of the skeleton body; the outer circumference of the skeleton body is interference fit with the inner circumference of one end of the bearing; A sealing assembly, one side of which is fixedly connected to the inner circumference of the skeleton body, and the other side of which is rotatably connected to the journal; Wherein, the universal joint includes a first working state; the first working state includes that when the skeleton body is acted upon by an external force, the size of the first release groove along the circumference of the skeleton body becomes larger or smaller; The bearing comprises a sleeve and a needle roller; the sleeve comprises a connecting portion, a bearing portion, and an end portion; the bearing portion is fixedly connected to the connecting portion, and the bearing portion is connected to the end portion with a fixed component; The connecting portion is provided with grooves, which extend from the inner circumferential surface of the connecting portion in a radial direction toward the outer circumferential surface of the connecting portion, and the grooves are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the connecting portion; the skeleton component also includes protrusions, which are fixedly connected to the outer circumferential surface of the skeleton body, and the protrusions are arranged at intervals along the circumference of the skeleton body; the number of the grooves is equal to the number of the protrusions, and when the skeleton body and the connected portion are interference fit, the protrusions are interference fit with the grooves.

2. A universal joint according to claim 1, characterized in that: The skeleton body also includes a second release groove; the second release groove extends from one end face of the skeleton body toward the end face of the skeleton body close to the first release groove; the height of the second release groove is equal to the thickness of the skeleton body, the extension length of the second release groove is less than the width of the skeleton body, and the second release groove is spaced apart from the first release groove.

3. A universal joint according to claim 2, characterized in that: The second release grooves are evenly spaced along the circumference of the skeleton body, and the first release grooves are evenly spaced along the circumference of the skeleton body.

4. A universal joint according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: The sealing component is filled in the first relief groove and / or the second relief groove.

5. A universal joint according to claim 1, characterized in that: The thickness of the connecting portion is smaller than that of the bearing portion, and the needle rollers are evenly spaced along the inner circumference of the bearing portion, and the needle rollers abut against the inner circumference of the bearing portion; when the bearing sleeve is arranged on the journal, the journal is located in a cavity formed by the connecting portion, the bearing portion, and the end portion, the needle rollers abut against the journal, and the skeleton body and the connecting portion have an interference fit.

6. A universal joint according to claim 5, characterized in that: The grooves are evenly spaced along the circumference of the connecting portion, and the protrusions are evenly spaced along the circumference of the skeleton body.

7. A universal joint according to claim 5, characterized in that: The connecting part is provided with a groove, and the groove extends from the inner circumferential surface of the connecting part along the outer circumferential surface direction of the connecting part; the groove is arranged in a circumferential ring shape along the connecting part, and the skeleton component also includes a protrusion, which is arranged in a circumferential ring shape on the outer circumferential surface of the skeleton body along the circumferential ring shape of the skeleton body and is fixedly connected to the skeleton body; when the skeleton body and the connected part are interference fit, the protrusion is interference fit with the groove.

8. A universal joint according to claim 5, characterized in that: The inner circumferential surface of the connecting part protrudes in an arc shape toward the central axis of the connecting part along the radial direction of the connecting part; the maximum thickness of the connecting part is h2, the minimum thickness is h1, and the ratio of h2 to h1 is 1.02-1.04; the outer circumferential surface of the skeleton body is concave in an arc shape toward the central axis of the skeleton body along the radial direction of the skeleton body; when the connecting part and the skeleton body are interference fit, the outer surface of the connecting part protruding in an arc shape abuts against the inner surface of the skeleton body concave in an arc shape.

9. A method for assembling a universal joint, used for the universal joint according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: S11: The inner circumferential surface of the skeleton body is fixedly connected to one side of the sealing assembly, and the other side of the sealing assembly is rotatably connected to the journal; S12: Based on the other side of the sealing assembly being rotatably connected to the shaft neck, the bearing sleeve is mounted on the shaft neck; S13: Based on the bearing being sleeved on the journal, an outer circumferential surface of the skeleton body is interference-fitted with an inner circumferential surface of the bearing; S14: Based on the interference fit between the outer circumference of the skeleton body and the inner circumference of the bearing, the bearing squeezes the skeleton body, and when an external force acts on the skeleton body, the size of the first release groove along the circumference of the skeleton body becomes smaller.

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