Assembly device and assembly method for constant velocity universal joint

Abstract

The assembly device is provided with a phase alignment device (20) for phase alignment of a cartridge (11) in which an inner joint member (3) and a holder (5) are fitted so as to be relatively rotatable about a central axis (Oi) of the inner joint member (3), such that the circumferential position of an inner track groove (9) of the inner joint member (3) and the circumferential position of a pocket (10) of the holder (5) coincide. The phase alignment device (20) has a pair of moving bodies (23) that synchronously move in opposite directions, and each moving body (23) slides in a direction orthogonal to an axis parallel plane (P) including the central axis (Oi) with respect to the axis parallel plane (P) in a state where a tip portion (a protrusion (24) provided on the tip portion) is inserted into the pocket (10).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an assembling device and an assembling method for a constant velocity universal joint. Background Art

[0002] A constant velocity universal joint has a structure that connects two shafts, namely a driving shaft and a driven shaft, and can transmit torque at a constant speed even when the two connected shafts are relatively angularly displaced. Among such constant velocity universal joints, there are fixed types that only allow relative angular displacement of the above two shafts and sliding types that allow relative angular displacement and axial displacement of the above two shafts. A ball cage type (also referred to as "Birfield type") constant velocity universal joint (BJ), which is a type of fixed constant velocity universal joint, includes: an outer coupling member having a plurality of outer raceway grooves extending in the axial direction formed on its spherical inner peripheral surface; an inner coupling member having a plurality of inner raceway grooves extending in the axial direction formed on its spherical outer peripheral surface; a plurality of balls rotatably disposed between a pair of outer raceway grooves and inner raceway grooves; and a cage having a spherical outer peripheral surface fitted to the spherical inner peripheral surface of the outer coupling member and a spherical inner peripheral surface fitted to the spherical outer peripheral surface of the inner coupling member, and having a plurality of pockets for receiving the balls respectively provided at intervals in the circumferential direction.

[0003] In this ball cage type constant velocity universal joint, since the cup-shaped portion of the outer coupling member that houses the internal components of the coupling (inner coupling member, cage, and balls) has an undercut shape (spherical inner peripheral surface) in which its inner diameter dimension gradually decreases toward one end opening, it takes effort to insert the internal components of the coupling into the inner periphery of the outer coupling member. For example, in Patent Document 1 described below, an automatic assembly of a ball cage type constant velocity universal joint is described by sequentially performing the following first to third steps.

[0004] · First step: A step of inserting a ball (reference ball) into one pocket after performing phase alignment to align the circumferential positions of the inner raceway grooves and the pockets for a case in which an inner coupling member and a cage are fitted so as to be relatively rotatable about the central axis of the inner coupling member.

[0005] · Second step: A step of fitting the reference ball between a pair of outer raceway grooves and inner raceway grooves after inserting the case with the reference ball inserted into one pocket into the inner periphery of the outer ring.

[0006] · Third step: A step of inserting the balls one by one into all the remaining pockets in a prescribed order.

[0007] In Patent Document 1, a pair (two) of pockets that are opposed to each other across the center of the retainer among a total of six ball pockets provided in the retainer are formed as "long pockets", and the remaining four pockets are formed as "short pockets" whose circumference (circumferential opening dimension) is shorter than that of the long pockets. In the first step, a reference ball is inserted into one of the total of four short pockets. Therefore, the phase alignment of the inner coupling member (inner raceway groove) and the retainer (pocket) performed in the first step is carried out by fitting the protrusions provided on a pair of arms that radially sandwich the cartridge (the retainer constituting the cartridge) into the long pockets of the retainer. Thus, when the protrusions are fitted into the long pockets of the retainer, the short pocket that is the insertion target of the reference ball is disposed opposite to the ball supply port of the ball insertion machine (Figure 8 of Patent Document 1).

[0008] Prior Art Documents

[0009] Patent Documents

[0010] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Publication No. 6-15885 Summary of the Invention

[0011] Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0012] In the above-described conventional assembling apparatus and method, in order to assemble a constant velocity universal joint efficiently and with high precision, for example, when the cartridge is radially clamped by a pair of arms in the first step, it is necessary to smoothly fit the protrusions provided on each arm into the long pockets of the retainer. Therefore, for example, if the protrusions are smaller than the long pockets, when the difference in circumference between the long pockets and the short pockets is very small, the protrusions may fit into the short pockets, and it may not be possible to insert the reference ball into the specified pocket. In addition, if a large gap is formed between the long pockets and the protrusions that fit into them, it is not possible to align the phase of the inner coupling member and the retainer with high precision. For these reasons, the shape and size of the protrusions provided on the arms need to be substantially the same as the shape and size of the long pockets. However, in this case, it is difficult to smoothly and accurately fit the protrusions into the long pockets, and the phase alignment operation of the inner coupling member and the retainer is repeatedly performed. As a result, the cycle time required for assembling the cartridge, and thus the constant velocity universal joint, becomes longer, and the manufacturing cost of the constant velocity universal joint increases.

[0013] In addition, the conventional assembling apparatus and method require the protrusions provided on each arm to be fitted into the long pockets of the retainer when the cartridge is clamped by a pair of arms. Therefore, it is necessary to prepare and maintain arms having protrusions corresponding to the shape and size of the long pockets, and the arm replacement operation needs to be performed whenever the retainer constituting the cartridge is changed. Therefore, there are also problems such as lack of versatility, increased equipment investment, and difficulty in improving the operation rate of the apparatus.

[0014] In view of the above actual situation, the main object of the present invention is to provide a technical means for efficiently and automatically assembling a constant velocity universal joint (fixed constant velocity universal joint) having an outer coupling member with an undercut shape (spherical inner peripheral surface) as a constituent member without requiring a large amount of investment.

[0015] Means for solving the problem

[0016] The present invention, which has been completed to achieve the above object, relates to an assembling device for a constant velocity universal joint, the constant velocity universal joint including: an outer coupling member having a plurality of outer race grooves formed in a spherical inner peripheral surface; an inner coupling member having a plurality of inner race grooves formed in a spherical outer peripheral surface; a plurality of balls rollably disposed between a pair of the outer race grooves and the inner race grooves; and a retainer having a plurality of pockets spaced apart in the circumferential direction for receiving the balls respectively, characterized in that

[0017] the assembling device for the constant velocity universal joint includes a phase alignment device that performs phase alignment to make the circumferential positions of the inner race grooves and the pockets coincide with each other for a case where the inner coupling member and the retainer are fitted together so as to be relatively rotatable about the central axis of the inner coupling member.

[0018] The phase alignment device has a pair of moving bodies that move synchronously in opposite directions. Each moving body slides and moves in a direction orthogonal to an axis-parallel plane including the central axis in a state where the front end portion is inserted into one pocket.

[0019] According to the above phase alignment device, if the pair of moving bodies with the front end portions inserted into the pockets move synchronously away from each other with the axis-parallel plane as a reference until the front end portions respectively abut against the circumferential one side and the other side end portions of the inner wall surfaces of the pockets, the circumferential central portion of the pocket can be made to coincide with the axis-parallel plane, that is, the moving reference of the pair of moving bodies. Therefore, if the circumferential central portion of the inner race groove coincides with the axis-parallel plane (the moving reference of the pair of moving bodies), phase alignment can be performed to make the circumferential positions (circumferential central portions) of the inner race groove and the pocket coincide with each other. In addition, according to the pair of moving bodies provided in the above phase alignment device, even if the circumference of the pocket into which the front end portion is inserted is changed, as long as the front end portion can be inserted, the above phase alignment can be accurately performed without replacing the moving body. Therefore, without requiring a large amount of investment, a case with the circumferential positions of the inner race groove and the pocket coinciding with each other and a fixed constant velocity universal joint assembled with the case on the inner periphery of the outer coupling member can be efficiently obtained.

[0020] In the above-described phase alignment device, a rotating mechanism can also be provided. The rotating mechanism rotates the inner coupling member and / or the retainer that make up the cartridge around the central axis by rotating around the central axis.

[0021] In this way, if a rotating mechanism different from the above-described pair of moving bodies is provided, either the inner coupling member or the retainer that make up the cartridge can be rotated independently of the other, so that the phase alignment operation can be carried out with high precision and high efficiency.

[0022] In the above-described phase alignment device, a measuring unit can also be provided. The measuring unit measures the sliding movement amount of the moving body from the movement reference. In this case, for example, if the movement amount of the moving body is measured by the measuring unit at the moment when the above-described phase alignment is completed, the circumference of the pocket into which the pair of moving bodies are inserted can be calculated. Therefore, for example, in the case of a cartridge using a retainer provided with two types of pockets (long pockets and short pockets) having different circumferences, it is possible to accurately grasp whether the pocket into which the moving body is inserted is a long pocket or a short pocket, and further, it is possible to accurately grasp whether the next operation process (for example, the process of inserting balls into a specified pocket) can be carried out on the cartridge that has completed the above-described phase alignment.

[0023] In addition, in order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, there is provided an assembling method of a constant velocity universal joint, the constant velocity universal joint including: an outer coupling member having a plurality of outer race grooves formed on a spherical inner peripheral surface; an inner coupling member having a plurality of inner race grooves formed on a spherical outer peripheral surface; a plurality of balls rotatably disposed between the paired outer race grooves and inner race grooves; and a retainer having a plurality of pockets respectively accommodating the balls, characterized in that

[0024] the assembling method of the constant velocity universal joint includes a phase alignment process. In the phase alignment process, a cartridge in which the inner coupling member and the retainer are fitted so as to be relatively rotatable around the central axis of the inner coupling member is subjected to phase alignment to make the circumferential positions of the inner race grooves and the pockets coincide.

[0025] In the above phase alignment process, a pair of moving bodies capable of synchronously moving in opposite directions with their front ends inserted into one pocket of the retainer are slidably moved in a direction orthogonal to the axial parallel plane with the axial parallel plane including the central axis as a reference.

[0026] According to the assembling method having this structure, the same effects as those of the assembling device of the present invention can be obtained.

[0027] In the phase alignment process, it is also possible to calculate the circumference of the pocket into which the front ends of the pair of moving bodies are inserted based on the sliding movement amount of the moving body from the movement reference.

[0028] Advantages of the Invention

[0029] As described above, according to the present invention, when assembling a constant velocity universal joint (fixed constant velocity universal joint) having an outer joint member with an undercut shape (spherical inner peripheral surface) as a constituent member, a case formed by combining an inner joint member and a retainer, which is required for the assembly, can be assembled efficiently and with high precision without a large investment. Accordingly, a constant velocity universal joint produced through an operation of fitting the above-described case into the inner periphery of the outer joint member can be manufactured at low cost and efficiently. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030] Figure 1A is a longitudinal sectional view of a constant velocity universal joint including a case obtained by using an assembling apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a sectional view taken along line A - O - A of Figure 1B the same.

[0031] Figure 1B is a transverse sectional view of the constant velocity universal joint.

[0032] Figure 2 is a view showing Figure 1A the assembling process (assembling sequence) of the constant velocity universal joint shown in the same.

[0033] Figure 3 is a partial schematic side view of a phase alignment apparatus that constitutes an assembling apparatus for a constant velocity universal joint according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Figure 4 is Figure 3 a partial schematic plan view of the phase alignment apparatus shown in the same.

[0035] Figure 5 is a schematic view of a measurement unit provided in the phase alignment apparatus.

[0036] Figure 6A is a partially enlarged view showing an intermediate stage of a phase alignment process (phase alignment operation) performed by the phase alignment apparatus.

[0037] Figure 6B is a partially enlarged view showing a stage where phase alignment in the phase alignment process is completed.

[0038] Figure 7 is a partial perspective view of the phase alignment apparatus.

[0039] Figure 8 is a view showing the operating state of a rotation mechanism provided in the phase alignment apparatus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0040] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the drawings.

[0041] First, based on Figure 1A the longitudinal sectional view in the state of the working angle of 0° shown ( Figure 1B the sectional view along the A - O - A line of Figure 1B ), and the transverse sectional view shown, an example of a constant velocity universal joint including a case assembled by using the assembling device and method of the present invention will be briefly described. Figure 1A , Figure 1B The constant velocity universal joint 1 shown is a component of a drive shaft that transmits the rotational power output from a drive source such as an engine or an electric motor mounted on the chassis of a motor vehicle to a wheel, and is a fixed constant velocity universal joint (ball cage type constant velocity universal joint) disposed on the wheel side and allowing only the angular displacement of the two shafts to be connected.

[0042] The constant velocity universal joint 1 includes an outer coupling member 2, an inner coupling member 3, a plurality of balls 4, and a retainer 5. On the spherical inner peripheral surface 6 of the outer coupling member 2, a plurality of (a total of eight) outer raceway grooves 7 extending in the axial direction are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction. On the spherical outer peripheral surface 8 of the inner coupling member 3, a plurality of inner raceway grooves 9 extending in the axial direction are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction. The balls 4 are rotatably disposed in the ball race formed between the opposed outer raceway grooves 7 and inner raceway grooves 9. The retainer 5 has a spherical outer peripheral surface fitted to the spherical inner peripheral surface 6 of the outer coupling member 2 and a spherical inner peripheral surface fitted to the spherical outer peripheral surface 8 of the inner coupling member 3, and a plurality of (a total of eight) pocket portions 10 for holding the balls 4 are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction.

[0043] Among the total of eight pocket portions 10 (10A to 10H) provided on the retainer 5, there are two types of pocket portions (long pocket portions and short pocket portions) having different circumferences (opening dimensions in the circumferential direction), and in Figure 1B , the long pocket portions and the short pocket portions are alternately arranged in the circumferential direction. Here, the pocket portions 10A, 10C, 10E, and 10G are long pocket portions, and the pocket portions 10B, 10D, 10F, and 10H are short pocket portions having a circumference shorter than that of the long pocket portions. The difference in circumference between the long pocket portions and the short pocket portions is very small, for example, on the order of 1 mm or less.

[0044] The constant velocity universal joint 1 having the above structure is assembled in sequence through the processes S1 of case manufacturing, S2 of phase alignment, S3 of reference ball insertion, S4 of component assembly, and S5 of ball insertion as Figure 2 shown, and then, the qualified products that have passed the quality inspection performed in an inspection process (not shown) are carried out to subsequent processes. The characteristic of the assembling method of the constant velocity universal joint according to the embodiment of the present invention mainly lies in the phase alignment process S2 among the above processes S1 to S5. Therefore, hereinafter, after briefly describing the processes other than the phase alignment process S2, the phase alignment process S2 will be described in detail.

[0045] [Process S1 for manufacturing the case 11]<

[0046] In this process S1, the spherical inner peripheral surface of the retainer 5 is fitted to the spherical outer peripheral surface 8 of the inner coupling member 3 to manufacture the case 11 in which the inner coupling member 3 and the retainer 5 are fitted so as to be relatively rotatable about the central axis of the inner coupling member 3.

[0047] [Process S3 for inserting the reference ball 4]<

[0048] In this process S3, a ball 4 (reference ball 4) is inserted into one of a total of eight recessed pockets 10 (10A to 10H) of the retainer 5 provided in the case 11 that has been phase-aligned in the phase alignment process S2 described in detail later (see Figure 3 etc.). Thus, an assembly composed of the inner coupling member 3, the retainer 5, and one reference ball 4 is obtained, and the relative rotation of the inner coupling member 3 and the retainer 5 is restricted by this reference ball 4.

[0049] Note that the reference ball 4 is automatically inserted into a specified recessed pocket 10 (here, any one of the long recessed pockets 10A, 10C, 10E, 10G) using a ball inserter (not shown). After the phase alignment is completed, this ball inserter is arranged in the radial outer side of the case 11 (the insertion position where the ball 4 can be inserted into the recessed pocket 10) in the form of replacing the first rotation mechanism 22 that constitutes the phase alignment device 20 described later, and performs the ball insertion operation for the recessed pocket 10. When the ball insertion operation is completed, the ball inserter moves to a retracted position where the ball 4 cannot be inserted into the recessed pocket 10 in the form of replacing the first rotation mechanism 22.

[0050] [Process S4 for assembling the assembly]<

[0051] In this process S4, the above-mentioned assembly is loaded into the inner periphery of the separately prepared outer coupling member 2 (the cup-shaped portion). Although not shown, the loading of the assembly into the inner periphery of the outer coupling member 2 is performed in the same manner as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 of Patent Document 1.

[0052] That is, the assembly is centered on its central axis (the central axis Oi of the inner coupling member 3: see Figure 4)(It is inserted into the inner circumference of the outer coupling member 2) in a state orthogonal to the central axis of the outer coupling member 2 and with the reference ball 4 disposed outside the outer coupling member 2 (refer to Fig. 2 of Patent Document 1). At the start of the insertion of the assembly, two pocket recesses 10 (for example, pocket recesses 10C and 10G as long pocket recesses) that face each other across the central axis of the assembly are engaged with the spherical inner circumferential surface 6 of the outer coupling member 2 (the convex portion provided between two adjacent outer raceway grooves 7 and 7 in the circumferential direction) (refer to Fig. 3 of Patent Document 1). Thereby, interference between the outer coupling member 2 and the retainer 5 can be avoided.

[0053] If a part of the assembly is inserted into the inner circumference of the outer coupling member 2, by rotating the assembly around the central axis of the outer coupling member 2, the spherical inner circumferential surface 6 of the outer coupling member 2 is engaged with the spherical outer circumferential surface of the retainer 5, and the circumferential positions of the pocket recesses 10 of the retainer 5 and the outer raceway grooves 7 are made to coincide (refer to Fig. 4 of Patent Document 1). After that, if the assembly is rotated 90° around an axis extending in the radial direction of the outer coupling member 2, the assembly is loaded into the inner circumference of the outer coupling member 2 with its central axis coinciding with the central axis of the outer coupling member 2.

[0054] [Ball Insertion Step S5]

[0055] In this step S5, balls 4 are inserted one by one into the pocket recesses 10 (10A to 10H) of the retainer 5 loaded into the inner circumference of the outer coupling member 2, except for the long pocket recess 10A into which the reference ball 4 is inserted. The balls 4 are inserted into the respective pocket recesses 10B to 10H in a specified order. If a specific order is exemplified, the balls 4 are inserted in the order of short pocket recess 10F → long pocket recess 10C → long pocket recess 10G → long pocket recess 10E → short pocket recess 10B → short pocket recess 10D → short pocket recess 10H. It should be noted that when inserting the balls 4 into the respective pocket recesses 10B to 10H, the pocket recess to be inserted with the ball is exposed to the outside of the outer coupling member 2 by angularly displacing the cartridge 11 (inner coupling member 3 and retainer 5) relative to the outer coupling member 2.

[0056] Hereinafter, refer to Figures 3 to 8 The phase alignment step S2 will be described. In the phase alignment step S2, for the cartridge 11 manufactured in the cartridge manufacturing step S1, a phase alignment operation is performed to make the circumferential central portions of the inner raceway grooves 9 and the pocket recesses 10 coincide in circumferential position by relatively rotating the inner coupling member 3 and the retainer 5 around the central axis Oi of the inner coupling member 3. This phase alignment operation can be automatically performed using Figure 3 the phase alignment device 20 of the embodiment of the present invention shown in etc.

[0057] Figure 3 andFigure 4 They respectively represent a partial schematic side view and a partial schematic top view of the phase alignment device 20. The phase alignment device 20 includes: a support member 21 that supports the cassette 11 from the lower side; a first rotation mechanism 22 that slightly rotates the holder 5 of the cassette 11 supported by the support member 21 around the central axis Oi of the inner coupling member 3; and a second rotation mechanism 30 that rotates the inner coupling member 3 or the holder 5 of the cassette 11 supported by the support member 21 around the central axis Oi. The second rotation mechanism 30 functionally corresponds to the "rotation mechanism" in the technical solution.

[0058] The support member 21 supports the cassette 11 in a horizontal posture with the central axis Oi of the inner coupling member 3 along the vertical direction ( Figure 3 the arrow Z direction as shown, etc.). The support member 21 moves up and down by receiving the driving force of a driving mechanism (not shown).

[0059] As Figure 3 and Figure 4 shown, the overall configuration of the first rotation mechanism 22 is disposed outside the cassette 11 in the radial direction. The rotation mechanism 22 has a pair of moving bodies 23, 23 that move synchronously in opposite directions. Each moving body 23 slides along a horizontal direction ( Figure 3 the arrow X direction as shown, etc.) orthogonal to the vertical plane P with the axis parallel plane (vertical plane) P including the central axis Oi as a reference. In addition, the pair of moving bodies 23, 23 can slide in the horizontal direction along the vertical plane P ( Figure 3 the arrow Y direction as shown, etc.), that is, in the direction of approaching and separating from the cassette 11. A protrusion 24 that can be inserted into the recessed pocket 10 of the holder 5 is provided at the front end of each moving body 23.

[0060] The first rotation mechanism 22 includes a measurement unit 26 as Figure 5 shown. The measurement unit 26 measures the sliding movement amount of the moving body 23 (either one of the pair of moving bodies 23, 23) from the movement reference, and uses a measurement unit including a sensor body 27 installed on a stationary side member (for example, a structure) of the phase alignment device 20 and a terminal 28 installed on either one of the pair of moving bodies 23, 23. In this case, for example, if each moving body 23 slides in opposite directions from the movement reference (refer to Figure 4 ) where it abuts against the other moving body 23 on the vertical plane P to increase the separation distance from the other moving body 23, the movement amount of the terminal 28 installed on one moving body 23 is measured by the sensor body 27. Therefore, if this measured value is set to 2 times, the separation distance of the pair of moving bodies 23, 23 can be calculated, and further the circumference of the recessed pocket 10 into which the protrusions 24, 24 are inserted can be calculated.

[0061] As Figure 7 and Figure 8 shown, the second rotating mechanism 30 has a rotating head 31, which is coaxially arranged with the support member 21 and is rotationally driven about the central axis of the support member 21, that is, about the central axis Oi of the inner coupling member 3 of the cartridge 11 supported by the support member 21 by receiving the output of a rotation drive source such as a servo motor (not shown). The rotating head 31 includes: a positioning pin 32, which is coaxially arranged with the support member 21 and can be inserted into the shaft hole of the inner coupling member 3; and a single engaging pin 33, which is arranged radially outside the positioning pin 32 and can be inserted into the inner raceway groove 9 of the inner coupling member 3. The entire rotating head 31 is lifted and lowered by the driving force of a driving mechanism (not shown).

[0062] The phase alignment device 20 generally has the above structure, and the phase alignment operation for aligning the circumferential central portion of the inner raceway groove 9 with the circumferential central portion of the recessed pocket 10 is performed as follows.

[0063] First, the cartridge 11 manufactured in the cartridge manufacturing process S1 is set on the support member 21 in a horizontal posture with the central axis Oi of the inner coupling member 3 along the vertical direction. Then, the first rotating mechanism 22 (a pair of moving bodies 23, 23) is moved closer to the cartridge 11, and the protrusions 24 provided at the front ends of the respective moving bodies 23 are inserted into the recessed pockets 10 of the holder 5 (see Figure 6A ).

[0064] At this time, the cartridge 11 is positioned on the support member 21 by inserting the positioning pin 32 of the rotating head 31 into the shaft hole of the inner coupling member 3. In addition, by bringing the rotating head 31 into contact with the holder 5 of the cartridge 11, it is clamped by the rotating head 31 and the support member 21. Although not shown, a thrust bearing capable of rotating it about the above-mentioned central axis Oi (vertical axis) is installed in the support member 21. Therefore, the holder 5 of the cartridge 11 can rotate about the vertical axis together with the above-mentioned thrust bearing (and the support member 21) even in a state of being clamped by the support member 21 and the rotating head 31. In this way, the holder 5 can rotate about the vertical axis not only when the moving body 23 having the protrusion 24 inserted into the recessed pocket 10 operates in the manner described below, but also when the rotating head 31 rotates. Therefore, for example, when the protrusion 24 cannot be inserted into the recessed pocket 10 due to circumferential misalignment of the recessed pocket 10 with respect to the protrusion 24, by rotationally driving the rotating head 31 to rotate the holder 5, the recessed pocket 10 of the holder 5 can be arranged at a position where the protrusion 24 can be inserted. Therefore, it is preferable to perform the insertion operation of the protrusion 24 into the recessed pocket 10 (the approach movement of the pair of moving bodies 23, 23 with respect to the cartridge 11) while rotationally driving the rotating head 31.

[0065] When the projections 24, 24 are inserted into the recessed pockets 10 of the retainer 5, each moving body 23 slides in a horizontal direction (arrow X direction) orthogonal to the vertical plane P so as to increase the separation distance from the moving body 23 on the other side [refer to Figure 6A the blackened arrow in]. Further, when one projection 24 abuts against one circumferential end of the recessed pocket 10 and the other projection 24 abuts against the other circumferential end of the recessed pocket 10, the sliding movement of the pair of moving bodies 23, 23 stops.

[0066] By supporting the cartridge 11 (the retainer 5 thereof) in the above-described manner, until the projections 24 provided on the pair of moving bodies 23 respectively abut against one circumferential end and the other circumferential end of the recessed pocket 10, the retainer 5 is rotated (minutely rotated) about the vertical axis by the sliding movement force of the projections 24. When each projection 24 abuts against the ends on one circumferential side and the other circumferential side of the recessed pocket 10 respectively, the circumferential position of the circumferential center portion of the recessed pocket 10 of the retainer 5 coincides with the vertical plane P including the central axis Oi of the inner coupling member 3. Thus, the first phase alignment operation of making the circumferential position of the circumferential center portion of the recessed pocket 10 coincide with the vertical plane P is completed. Further, at this time, the separation distance between the pair of moving bodies 23, 23 is measured by the measuring unit 26, and thereby the circumference of the recessed pocket 10 into which the projections 24, 24 are inserted is measured and calculated. Further, if it is determined by a determination unit (not shown) that the circumference of the measured and calculated recessed pocket 10 is the circumference of the long recessed pocket, a second phase alignment operation of making the circumferential position of the circumferential center portion of the recessed pocket 10 coincide with the circumferential position of the circumferential center portion of the inner raceway groove 9 is performed (details will be described in the latter part).

[0067] On the other hand, if it is determined that the circumference of the measured and calculated recessed pocket 10 is the circumference of the short recessed pocket, the retainer 5 (and the inner coupling member 3) is rotated by a predetermined amount (here, one pitch amount of the recessed pocket 10, i.e., 45°) in a state where the retainer 5 of the cartridge 11 is clamped between the rotating head 31 and the support member 21. Thus, the retainer 5 (and the inner coupling member 3) is rotated so that the recessed pocket 10 adjacent to the recessed pocket 10 into which the projections 24, 24 are first inserted is disposed on the vertical plane P. Then, by operating the first rotation mechanism 22 in the same manner as described above, the first phase alignment operation of making the circumferential position of the circumferential center portion of the recessed pocket 10 coincide with the vertical plane P is performed, and the circumference of the recessed pocket 10 is measured (it is determined which of the long recessed pocket and the short recessed pocket the recessed pocket 10 is). It should be noted that, in the structure of the retainer 5 of the present embodiment in which the long recessed pocket and the short recessed pocket are alternately provided in the circumferential direction, the recessed pocket 10 necessarily becomes the long recessed pocket.

[0068] The second phase alignment operation is performed as follows. First, the rotating head 31 and / or the support member 21 are moved up and down, and, if necessary, the rotating head 31 is rotated. As a result, without using the support member 21 and the rotating head 31 to hold the holder 5 of the cartridge 11, the engagement pin 33 provided on the rotating head 31 is inserted into the raceway groove 9 of the inner coupling member 3 (see Figure 8 ). In this state, that is, a very small gap is provided between the rotating head 31 and the holder 5. When the rotating head 31 is rotationally driven in a state where the holder 5 is not held by the rotating head 31 and the support member 21, the engagement pin 33 engages with the inner coupling member 3 in the rotational direction of the rotating head 31. On the other hand, the rotational force of the rotating head 31 is not transmitted to the holder 5, so only the inner coupling member 3 is subjected to the rotational force of the rotating head 31 and rotates about the central axis Oi. As shown in Figure 6B , the rotation amount of the rotating head 31 is controlled such that the circumferential central portion of the inner raceway groove 9 is located on the vertical plane P. Thus, the second phase alignment operation of making the circumferential central portion of the concave pocket 10 coincide with the circumferential central portion of the inner raceway groove 9, that is, the phase alignment process S2, is completed.

[0069] When the phase alignment is completed as described above, as described above, the ball inserting machine is arranged in the radial outer side of the cartridge 11 in the form of replacing the first rotation mechanism 22, and the reference ball 4 is inserted into the concave pocket 10 of the cartridge 11 supported by the support member 21 through this ball inserting machine.

[0070] According to the phase alignment device 20 of the present embodiment described above, if the pair of moving bodies 23 (the protrusions 24 provided at their front ends) inserted into the concave pocket 10 synchronously move away from each other with the vertical plane P as a reference and abut against the circumferential one side and the other side ends of the inner wall surface of the concave pocket 10 respectively, the circumferential central portion of the concave pocket 10 can be made to coincide with the vertical plane P, that is, the movement reference of the pair of moving bodies 23. Therefore, if the circumferential central portion of the inner raceway groove 9 is made to coincide with the above vertical plane P, the phase alignment of making the circumferential position of the inner raceway groove 9 coincide with the concave pocket 10 can be performed. In addition, according to the above pair of moving bodies 23, 23, even if the circumference of the concave pocket 10 as the insertion object thereof is changed, as long as the protrusions 24 provided at the front ends of the respective moving bodies 23 can be inserted, the above phase alignment can be accurately performed without replacing the moving bodies.

[0071] In addition, a rotating head 31 is provided in the phase alignment device 20 as a rotating mechanism (second rotating mechanism 30). The rotating head 31 rotates around the central axis Oi of the inner coupling member 3 of the cartridge 11 supported by the support member 21, so that the inner coupling member 3 or the retainer 5 constituting the cartridge 11 rotates around its central axis. Thus, if a rotating mechanism different from the above-described pair of moving bodies 23 (first rotating mechanism 22) is provided, either the inner coupling member 3 or the retainer 5 constituting the cartridge 11 can be rotated independently of the other, and therefore, the phase alignment operation between the inner coupling member 3 and the retainer 5 can be performed with high precision and efficiency.

[0072] In the phase alignment device 20 of the present embodiment, a measurement unit 26 is also provided. The measurement unit 26 measures the sliding movement amount of the moving body 23 from the movement reference (the sliding movement amount in the horizontal direction orthogonal to the vertical plane P). In this case, for example, if the movement amount of the moving body 23 is measured by the measurement unit 26 at the moment when the above-described phase alignment is completed, the circumference of the pocket 10 into which the pair of moving bodies 23 are inserted can be calculated. Therefore, as described above, in the case of the cartridge 11 using the retainer 5 provided with the long pocket and the short pocket having different circumferences, it is possible to accurately determine which of the long pocket and the short pocket is the pocket 10 into which the moving body 23 (the projection 24 provided on the moving body 23) is inserted, and further, it is possible to accurately determine whether the next operation process (reference ball insertion process S3) can be performed on the cartridge 11 that has completed the above-described phase alignment.

[0073] In summary, the phase alignment device 20 (phase alignment method) of the present embodiment does not require a large investment, and can efficiently produce the cartridge 11 in which the circumferential central portions of the inner raceway groove 9 and the pocket 10 are in the same circumferential position. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently and inexpensively produce the constant velocity universal joint 1 in which the cartridge 11 (and a plurality of balls 4) are inserted into the inner circumference of the outer coupling member 2.

[0074] The above describes one embodiment of the present invention, but the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto.

[0075] For example, the above description has been made on the case where the phase alignment device 20 of the embodiment of the present invention is used in the assembly of the constant velocity universal joint 1 having the retainer 5 with two types of pockets (long pocket and short pocket) having different circumferences. However, the phase alignment device 20 has the feature of being able to efficiently perform the phase alignment operation of making the circumferential positions of the inner raceway groove 9 provided in the inner coupling member 3 and the pocket 10 provided in the retainer 5 coincide. Therefore, of course, it can also be used in the assembly of the constant velocity universal joint 1 having the retainer 5 in which the circumferences of all the pockets are equal.

[0076] The present invention is not limited by any of the above-described embodiments, and can also be implemented in various ways without departing from the gist of the present invention. That is, the scope of the present invention is represented by the technical solution, and also includes the equivalent meanings described in the technical solution and all changes within the scope.

[0077] Description of reference numerals:

[0078] 1 Constant velocity universal joint (fixed constant velocity universal joint)

[0079] 2 Outer coupling member

[0080] 3 Inner coupling member

[0081] 4 Ball

[0082] 5 Retainer

[0083] 7 Outer raceway groove

[0084] 9 Inner raceway groove

[0085] 10 Pocket

[0086] 11 Case

[0087] 21 Support member

[0088] 22 First rotating mechanism

[0089] 23 Moving body

[0090] 24 Projection

[0091] 26 Measuring unit

[0092] 30 Second rotating mechanism (rotating mechanism)

[0093] 31 Rotating head

[0094] 32 Positioning pin

[0095] 33 Engaging pin

[0096] Oi Central axis of the inner coupling member

[0097] P-axis parallel plane.

Claims

1. An assembling device for a constant velocity universal joint, the constant velocity universal joint comprising: an outer joint member having a plurality of outer race grooves formed in a spherical inner peripheral surface; an inner joint member having a plurality of inner race grooves formed in a spherical outer peripheral surface; a plurality of balls rotatably disposed between the paired outer race grooves and the inner race grooves; and a cage having a plurality of pockets respectively receiving the balls. Characterized in that, The assembling device for the constant velocity universal joint is provided with a phase alignment device, and the phase alignment device performs phase alignment to make the circumferential positions of the inner race grooves and the pockets coincide for a cartridge formed by fitting the inner joint member and the cage so as to be relatively rotatable about the central axis of the inner joint member. The phase alignment device has a pair of moving bodies that move synchronously in opposite directions, and each moving body slides and moves in a direction orthogonal to the axial parallel plane with the axial parallel plane including the central axis as a reference while the front end portion of the moving body is inserted into one pocket of the cage.

2. The assembling device for the constant velocity universal joint according to claim 1, Wherein, The phase alignment device further includes a rotation mechanism that rotates the inner joint member and / or the cage about the central axis by rotating about the central axis.

3. The assembling device for the constant velocity universal joint according to claim 1 or 2, Wherein, The phase alignment device further includes a measurement unit that measures the sliding movement amount of the moving body from the movement reference.

4. An assembling method for a constant velocity universal joint, which is a method for assembling a constant velocity universal joint, the constant velocity universal joint comprising: an outer joint member having a plurality of outer race grooves formed in a spherical inner peripheral surface; an inner joint member having a plurality of inner race grooves formed in a spherical outer peripheral surface; a plurality of balls rotatably disposed between the paired outer race grooves and the inner race grooves; and a cage having a plurality of pockets respectively receiving the balls. Characterized in that, The assembling method for the constant velocity universal joint includes a phase alignment step, in which phase alignment is performed to make the circumferential positions of the inner race grooves and the pockets coincide for a cartridge formed by fitting the inner joint member and the cage so as to be relatively rotatable about the central axis of the inner joint member. In the phase alignment step, a pair of moving bodies capable of moving synchronously in opposite directions with the front end portions inserted into one pocket of the cage slide and move in a direction orthogonal to the axial parallel plane with the axial parallel plane including the central axis as a reference.

5. The assembling method for the constant velocity universal joint according to claim 4, Wherein, In the phase alignment step, based on the sliding movement amount of the moving body from the movement reference, the circumference of the pocket into which the front end portions of the pair of moving bodies are inserted is calculated.

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