Universal joint

Abstract

To provide a universal joint which has a larger movable area, is not broken easily, and is excellent in durability.SOLUTION: A universal joint comprises: a first rotating body 10 having a pair of arm parts 15, 16 protruding in a parallel manner along an axis direction from an outer peripheral surface of a first rotating body main part 11; a second rotating body 20 having a pair of arm parts 25, 26 protruding in a parallel manner along the axis direction from an outer peripheral surface of a second rotating body main part 21; and a joint cross 30 in which vertically-protruding shaft parts 31, 32 are rotatably inserted into the pair of arm parts 15, 16 of the first rotating body 10 and laterally-protruding shaft parts 33, 34 are rotatably inserted into the pair of arm parts 25, 26 of the second rotating body 20. A reinforcement body 40 is spanned between base parts of the pair of arm parts 15, 16 of at least one of the first rotating body 10 and the second rotating body 20.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] A conventional universal joint includes, for example, a first yoke 11, a second yoke 12, and a cross shaft 10. The cross shaft 10 is divided into a first joint shaft 21 supported at both ends by the first yoke 11 and a second joint shaft 22 supported at both ends by the second yoke 12. The first joint shaft 21 and the second joint shaft 22 are connected to each other so as to be able to swing freely about an axis O. An elastic member 18 is interposed between the first joint shaft 21 and the second joint shaft 22 in the swing direction of the first and second joint shafts 21, 22, and rotational force is transmitted between the first shaft 4 and the second shaft 5 via the elastic member 18 (see Patent Document 1). FIG. 1 of Patent Document 1 discloses a U-shaped first yoke 11 and a U-shaped second yoke 12. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2008-51159 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, in the universal joint, both the first yoke 11 and the second yoke 12 are simply U-shaped. Therefore, when a rotational force acts through the cross shaft 10, the distance between the fulcrums from the cross shaft 10 to the base of the first yoke 11 (second yoke 12) is long, and bending and torsional moments act in a complex manner, which makes the joint prone to breakage. In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a universal joint that has a larger range of motion, is less likely to break, and has excellent durability. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, the universal joint according to the present invention comprises: a first rotating body having a pair of arms that protrude parallel to each other along the axis from the outer circumferential surface of the first rotating body main body; a second rotating body having a pair of arms that protrude parallel to one another along the axis from the outer circumferential surface of the second rotating body main body; a cross shaft having shafts rotatably inserted through a pair of arms of the first rotating body and protruding upward and downward, and having shafts rotatably inserted through a pair of arms of the second rotating body and protruding left and right, A reinforcing member is bridged across the base portions of the pair of arms of at least one of the first rotating body and the second rotating body. [Effects of the Invention]

[0006] According to the present invention, a reinforcing body is bridged across the bases of a pair of parallel opposing arms, thereby increasing the second moment of area of ​​the first and second rotating bodies, increasing rigidity and improving durability.

[0007] As an embodiment of the present invention, At least one of the pair of arms may be detachably fixed to the rotating body main body. According to this embodiment, at least one of the arms can be constructed from a separate member from the rotating body, and a universal joint with good material utilization can be obtained.

[0008] Another universal joint according to the present invention is a first rotating body having a pair of arms that protrude parallel to each other along the axis from the outer circumferential surface of the first rotating body main body; a second rotating body having a pair of arms that protrude parallel to one another along the axis from the outer circumferential surface of the second rotating body main body; a first cross shaft having shafts rotatably inserted through a pair of arms of the first rotary body, the shafts protruding to the left and right; a second cross shaft having shaft portions rotatably inserted through a pair of arms of the second rotating body, the shaft portions protruding to the left and right; a pair of connecting bodies facing each other in parallel, with both ends rotatably inserted into shafts protruding upward and downward from the first cross shaft and the second cross shaft, A reinforcing member may be bridged across the bases of the pair of arms of at least one of the first rotating body and the second rotating body.

[0009] According to the present invention, a reinforcing body is bridged across the bases of a pair of parallel opposing arms, thereby increasing the second moment of area of ​​the first and second rotating bodies, increasing rigidity and improving durability. In particular, since the first and second rotating bodies are connected via a pair of connecting bodies, the degree of freedom in the rotational range is further increased, resulting in a universal joint with even greater versatility.

[0010] As an embodiment of the present invention, At least one of the pair of arms may be detachably fixed to the rotating body main body. According to this embodiment, at least one of the arms can be constructed from a separate member from the rotating body, so that a universal joint with good material utilization can be obtained.

[0011] Another embodiment of the present invention is At least one reinforcing member may be bridged between the opposing surfaces of the connecting member. According to this embodiment, the second moment of area of ​​the connecting body increases, the rigidity of the entire universal joint increases, and durability improves.

[0012] Another embodiment of the present invention is The reinforcement may be in the form of a plate. According to this embodiment, by attaching one reinforcing member, the second moment of area of ​​the connecting member is increased more significantly, the rigidity of the entire universal joint is increased, and durability is improved.

[0013] Different embodiments of the present invention include: The reinforcement may be rod-shaped. According to this embodiment, by selecting the number of reinforcing members as required, it is possible to obtain a universal joint having a desired rigidity. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0014] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view showing a first embodiment of a universal joint according to the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view of the universal joint shown in FIG. [Figure 3] 3 is a cross-sectional view of the universal joint shown in FIG. 1 taken along line III-III. [Figure 4] 4 is a cross-sectional view of the universal joint shown in FIG. 1 taken along line IV-IV. [Figure 5] 2 is a cross-sectional view of the universal joint shown in FIG. 1 taken along line VV. [Figure 6] FIG. 3 is a front view of the cross shaft shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 7] FIG. 3 is a right side view of the cross shaft shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 8] FIG. 3 is a plan view of the cross shaft shown in FIG. 2. [Figure 9] FIG. 4 is a front view showing a second embodiment of a universal joint according to the present invention. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a partial vertical cross-sectional view of the universal joint shown in FIG. 9. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional view of the universal joint shown in FIG. 9 as seen from below. [Figure 12] 10 is a cross-sectional view of the universal joint shown in FIG. 9 taken along line XII-XII. [Figure 13]FIG. 10 is a left side view of the universal joint shown in FIG. 9. [Figure 14] 10 is a cross-sectional view of the universal joint shown in FIG. 9 taken along line XIV-XIV. [Figure 15] 10 is a cross-sectional view of the universal joint shown in FIG. 9 taken along line XV-XV. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] As shown in Figures 1 to 8, the first embodiment of the universal joint according to the present invention is composed of a first rotating body 10, a second rotating body 20, a cross shaft 30 that rotatably connects the first rotating body 10 and the second rotating body 20, and a reinforcing body 40 that reinforces the first rotating body 10 and the second rotating body 20.

[0016] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the first rotating body 10 is fixed to a rotating body main body 11 with a pair of upper and lower arms 15, 16 protruding in parallel with each other by bolts 17. As shown in Figures 2 and 4, the rotating body main body 11 has a shaft hole 12 that penetrates along the axial direction and is provided with a key groove 13. It should be noted that the first rotating body 10 is not limited to the case where separate arm portions 15, 16 are fixed to the rotating body main body 11, and it is of course possible to manufacture it by cutting it out from a single material, for example.

[0017] Similar to the first rotating body 10, the second rotating body 20 has a pair of front and rear arms 25, 26 fixed to a rotating body main body 21 with bolts 27 so that they protrude in parallel. As shown in Figure 5, similar to the second rotating body 20, the rotating body main body 21 has a shaft hole 22 that penetrates along the axial direction and is provided with a key groove 23. It should be noted that the second rotating body 20 is not limited to the case where separate arm portions 25, 26 are fixed to the rotating body main body 21, and it is of course possible to manufacture it by cutting it out from a single material, for example.

[0018] As shown in Figures 6 to 8, the cross shaft 30 has four shafts 31, 32, 33, and 34 that protrude in a cross direction. As shown in Figure 3, the shafts 31 and 32 that protrude upward and downward are inserted through holes provided at the ends of the arms 15 and 16 of the first rotating body 10 via bearings 35 and are retained by a C-ring 36. This supports the first rotating body 10 so that it can rotate freely in the horizontal direction relative to the cross shaft 30. Furthermore, shafts 33, 34 protruding to the left and right of cross shaft 30 are inserted through through holes provided at the ends of arms 25, 26 of second rotating body 20 via bearings 35, 35, and are retained by a C-ring 36. This allows second rotating body 20 to be rotatably supported in the vertical direction relative to cross shaft 30.

[0019] 2, the reinforcing member 40 is fixed to the base of the arms 15, 16 via bolts 41, 41, and is bridged between the arms 15, 16 to reinforce the arms 15, 16. Similarly, a reinforcing member (not shown) is bridged between the arms 25, 26 via bolts 41 to reinforce the arms 25, 26. The reinforcing member 40 is not limited to one piece, but may be multiple pieces as needed, and is not limited to a simple circular cross section, but may be, for example, a rod or plate material with a square or rectangular cross section.

[0020] In the second embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 9 to 15, the first rotation body 10 and the second rotation body 20 are integrally connected via a pair of connecting bodies 50, 60 arranged in parallel. The same parts are designated by the same numbers and will not be explained again.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 10, the connecting bodies 50 and 60 have holes at one end thereof through which the shafts 31 and 32 projecting upward and downward from the cross shaft 30 are inserted via bearings 35, and are secured by C-rings 36. Similarly, the connecting bodies 50 and 60 have mating holes at the other ends thereof through which the shafts 71 and 72 protruding upward and downward from the cross shaft 70 are inserted via bearings 75, and are prevented from coming off by a C-ring 76. The central portions of the connecting bodies 50 and 60 are reinforced by fixing plate-shaped reinforcing bodies 80 with bolts 81 and 81, respectively. It should be noted that the reinforcing member 80 does not need to be in the form of a plate with the thickness described above, and may be in the form of a thicker plate, for example, and may be fixed with a total of eight bolts. Furthermore, the reinforcing member 80 does not necessarily have to be plate-shaped, and may, for example, be in the shape of at least one rod having a circular, square, or rectangular cross section, both ends of which may be fixed with bolts.

[0022] Next, the shafts 33, 34 protruding forward and backward from the cross shaft 30 assembled to the connecting bodies 50, 60 are inserted through the mating holes provided at the tips of the arms 15, 16 of the first rotating body 10 via bearings 35, and are secured with a C-ring 36. This allows the first rotating body 10 to be assembled to the cross shaft 30 so that it can rotate up and down. Similarly, shafts 73 and 74 protruding forward and backward from the cross shaft 70 are inserted through mating holes provided at the tips of the arms 25 and 26 of the second rotating body 20 via bearings 35, and are secured with a C-ring 76. This allows the second rotating body 20 to be mounted on the cross shaft 70 so as to be rotatable up and down.

[0023] As in the first embodiment, reinforcing members 40, 40 are respectively hung across the bases of the arms 15, 16 of the first rotating body 10 and the bases of the arms 25, 25 of the second rotating body 20.

[0024] According to the above-described embodiment, by arranging the connecting bodies 50 and 60, it is possible to rotate in accordance with more complex rotational movements than in the first embodiment, and the degree of freedom is increased, which has the advantage of providing a universal joint with even greater versatility. [Industrial Applicability]

[0025] The universal join according to the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and the design can of course be modified as required. [Explanation of symbols]

[0026] 10 1st moving object 11 First moving body 12 Shaft hole 13 Keyway 15 Arm 16 Arm 17 volts 18 Locking screw 20 2nd moving object 21 Second moving body 25 Arm 26 Arm 27 volts 28 Locking screw 30 cross axis 31 Shaft 32 Shaft 33 Shaft 34 Shaft 35 bearings 36 C-ring 40 Reinforcement 41 volts 50 Concatenation 60 Concatenation 70 cross axis 71 Shaft 72 Shaft 73 Shaft 74 Shaft 76 C-ring 80 Reinforcement 81 volts

Claims

1. a first rotating body having a pair of arms that protrude parallel to one another along an axial direction from an outer circumferential surface of the first rotating body main body; a second rotating body having a pair of arms that protrude parallel to one another along an axial direction from an outer circumferential surface of the second rotating body main body; a cross shaft having shafts rotatably inserted through a pair of arms of the first rotating body and protruding upward and downward, and having shafts rotatably inserted through a pair of arms of the second rotating body and protruding left and right, A universal joint characterized in that a reinforcing member is hung across the base portions of a pair of arms of at least one of the first rotating member and the second rotating member.

2. 2. The universal joint according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the pair of arms is detachably fixed to the rotating body.

3. a first rotating body having a pair of arms that protrude parallel to one another along an axial direction from an outer circumferential surface of the first rotating body main body; a second rotating body having a pair of arms protruding parallel to one another along an axial direction from an outer circumferential surface of the second rotating body main body; a first cross shaft having a shaft portion rotatably inserted through a pair of arms of the first rotating body and protruding to the left and right; a second cross shaft having shaft portions rotatably inserted through a pair of arms of the second rotating body, the shaft portions protruding to the left and right; a pair of connecting bodies facing each other in parallel, with both ends rotatably inserted into shafts protruding upward and downward from the first cross shaft and the second cross shaft, A universal joint characterized in that a reinforcing member is hung across the base portions of a pair of arms of at least one of the first rotating member and the second rotating member.

4. 4. The universal joint according to claim 3, wherein at least one of the pair of arms is detachably fixed to the rotating body.

5. 5. A universal joint according to claim 3, wherein at least one reinforcing member is provided between opposing surfaces of the connecting member.

6. 6. The universal joint according to claim 5, wherein the reinforcing member is plate-shaped.

7. 6. The universal joint according to claim 5, wherein the reinforcing member is rod-shaped.

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