Cooling device for universal joint of propeller shaft

Abstract

A cooling device for a universal joint of a propeller shaft according to the present invention is provided with not only heat-dissipating fin members in the part where yokes and a cross-shaft are coupled to effectively dissipate the friction-induced heat, but also a fan that supplies wind, by means of the the rotational power of the propeller shaft, toward the heat-dissipating fin members to aid in dissipating heat rapidly therefrom, thereby preventing the sticking phenomenon that occurs between the components due to frictional heat to thus improve durability of the universal joint.

Description

Cooling device of the universal joint of the propulsion shaft

[0001] The present invention relates to a propulsion shaft for a vehicle, and more particularly, to a cooling device for a universal joint of a propulsion shaft capable of improving the durability of the universal joint by installing a heat dissipation fin on the universal joint and installing a fan on the propulsion shaft to cool the universal joint.

[0002] Typically, in rear-wheel drive vehicles, the rotational power generated by the engine is converted into torque appropriate for driving through the transmission, and then transmitted to the rear wheels through the propulsion shaft to drive.

[0003] Additionally, a universal joint is a device that connects two axes so that they can freely transmit power when the two axes intersect at a certain angle.

[0004] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a universal joint of a vehicle propeller shaft according to a prior art, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the propeller shaft shown in FIG. 1.

[0005] As shown in Fig. 1, a universal joint of a propulsion shaft according to a conventional technology includes a propulsion shaft (10) that connects a transmission (2) and a differential device (4) to transmit the driving force of the transmission (2) to the rear wheel (6) through the differential device (4), and a universal joint (20) is mounted on both ends of the propulsion shaft (10) to smoothly transmit the driving force.

[0006] The above universal joint (20) is mounted between one end of the drive shaft (8) of the transmission (2) and the propulsion shaft (10), and is mounted between the differential shaft (12) of the differential device (4) and the other end of the propulsion shaft (10).

[0007] The above universal joint (20) is composed of a yoke portion (22)(24) provided at the ends of two axes, and a cross shaft (26) fitted between the yoke portions (22)(24) to connect the yoke portions (22)(24) at a right angle.

[0008] The above yoke part (22)(24) is composed of a joint yoke (22) provided at the end of the propulsion shaft (10), a sleeve yoke (24) connected at a right angle to the joint yoke (22) by a cross shaft (26), and provided at the end of the drive shaft (8) and the differential shaft (12).

[0009] A fitting hole (28) is formed in each of the above joint yoke (22) and sleeve yoke (24), and a needle bearing (30) that supports both sides so that they can rotate is inserted between the fitting hole (28) and the cross shaft (26).

[0010] Additionally, a bearing cap (32) is inserted into the inner surface of the fitting hole (28) to surround the needle bearing (30).

[0011] Meanwhile, lubricating oil is contained inside the bearing cap (32) to prevent overheating due to friction between the needle bearing (30) and the cross shaft (26), and a rubber seal (not shown) is installed to prevent the lubricating oil from leaking.

[0012] The operation of the universal joint of a conventional vehicle propulsion shaft configured as described above is as follows.

[0013] First, when the driving force is applied from the transmission (2) and the drive shaft (8) connected to the transmission (2) rotates, the rotational force of the drive shaft (8) is transmitted to the propulsion shaft (10) through the cross shaft (26) mounted between the sleeve yoke (24) and the joint yoke (22).

[0014] At this time, the cross shaft (26) rotates at a certain angle between the sleeve yoke (24) and the joint yoke (22) to transmit driving force to the propulsion shaft (10) while compensating for angle changes on both sides.

[0015] When the driving force is transmitted to the above propulsion shaft (10), the driving force is transmitted to the differential device (4) through the universal joint (20) mounted between the propulsion shaft (10) and the differential shaft (12) of the differential device (4).

[0016] When driving force is transmitted to the above differential device (4), the rear wheel (6) is rotated through the rear axle connected to the above differential device (4).

[0017] However, in the universal joint (20) of the vehicle propulsion shaft according to the prior art, when the cross shaft (26) rotates, friction is generated due to the rotational force between the cross shaft (26), the bearing cap (32), and the needle bearing (30), and the lubricating oil has a cooling effect, but under harsh usage conditions, the inside of the universal joint (20) rises above a certain temperature due to the heat generated by the friction, so there is a limit to the cooling effect of the lubricating oil.

[0018] Accordingly, a sticking phenomenon occurs between the parts inside the universal joint (20), which not only prevents smooth power transmission, but also shortens the lifespan of the universal joint (20).

[0019] The present invention has been devised to solve the problems of the above-mentioned prior art, and its purpose is to provide a cooling device for a universal joint of a propulsion shaft that can improve durability by preventing temperature rise due to frictional heat inside the universal joint.

[0020] The cooling device of the universal joint of the propulsion shaft according to the present invention for solving the above-mentioned problem is characterized by comprising a universal joint comprising a yoke portion provided on each of two shafts and a cross shaft interconnecting the yoke portions, and a heat dissipation fin member provided at a joint portion of the cross shaft and the yoke portion of the universal joint to dissipate heat generated at the joint portion.

[0021] The cooling device of the universal joint of the propulsion shaft according to the present invention configured as described above not only efficiently releases frictional heat generated at the joint portion by installing a heat dissipation fin member at the joint portion of the yoke portion and the cross shaft, but also helps to quickly release heat from the heat dissipation fin member by installing a blower fan that supplies wind toward the heat dissipation fin member by the rotational force of the propulsion shaft, thereby preventing a sticking phenomenon that occurs between parts due to frictional heat, thereby having the effect of improving the durability of the universal joint.

[0022] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a universal joint of a vehicle propulsion shaft according to the prior art.

[0023] Fig. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the universal joint illustrated in Fig. 1.

[0024] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram showing a universal joint of a vehicle propulsion shaft according to the present invention.

[0025] Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing the cooling device of the universal joint illustrated in Fig. 3.

[0026] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings.

[0027] FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a universal joint of a vehicle propulsion shaft according to the present invention, and FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view showing a cooling device of the universal joint shown in FIG. 3.

[0028] The cooling device of the universal joint of the propulsion shaft according to the present invention, as illustrated in FIG. 3, is configured to include a propulsion shaft (70) that connects a transmission (60) and a differential device (62) to transmit the driving force of the transmission (60) to the rear wheels (68) through the differential device (62), a universal joint (80) mounted on both ends of the propulsion shaft (70), and a heat dissipation fin member (90) that dissipates heat generated from the universal joint (80).

[0029] The above universal joint (80) is mounted between the drive shaft (64) of the transmission (60) and one end of the propulsion shaft (70), and is mounted between the differential shaft (66) of the differential device (62) and the other end of the propulsion shaft (70).

[0030] The above universal joint (80) is composed of a yoke portion (82) (84) provided at the ends of two axes, and a cross shaft (86) fitted between the yoke portions (82) (84) to connect the yoke portions (82) (84) at a right angle.

[0031] The above yoke portion (82)(84) is composed of a joint yoke (82) provided at the end of the propulsion shaft (70), a sleeve yoke (84) connected at a right angle to the joint yoke (82) by a cross shaft (86), and provided at the end of the drive shaft (64) and the differential shaft (66).

[0032] A fitting hole (88) is formed in each of the above joint yoke (82) and sleeve yoke (84), and a needle bearing (98) that supports both sides so that they can rotate is inserted between the fitting hole (88) and the cross shaft (86).

[0033] And, a bearing cap (100) that surrounds the needle bearing (98) is inserted into the inner surface of the fitting hole (88).

[0034] In addition, lubricating oil is contained inside the bearing cap (100) to prevent overheating due to friction between the needle bearing (98) and the cross shaft (86), and a rubber seal (not shown) is installed to prevent the lubricating oil from leaking.

[0035] Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 4, the heat dissipation fin member (90) is composed of a plate body (92) installed in the yoke part (82) (84) and a plurality of heat dissipation fins (94) installed vertically to the plate body (92).

[0036] The above plate part (92) is positioned on the outside of the yoke part (82) (84) so ​​that it can receive heat generated from the inside of the bearing cap (100) and release it to the outside by being placed against the upper surface of the bearing cap (100) inserted into the fitting hole (88), and is fastened and fixed to the yoke part (82) (84) by a bolt (102) which is a fastening member.

[0037] In addition, a blower fan (96) is installed on the propulsion shaft (70) to supply wind toward the universal joint (80) using the rotational force of the propulsion shaft (70).

[0038] The above blower fan (96) is an axial fan that is fitted around the circumference of the propulsion shaft (70) and supplies cool air toward the heat dissipation fin (94) so ​​that heat can be quickly released from the heat dissipation fin (94).

[0039] The operation of the present invention configured as above is as follows.

[0040] First, when the driving force is applied from the transmission (60) and the drive shaft (64) connected to the transmission (60) rotates, the rotational force of the drive shaft (64) is transmitted to the propulsion shaft (70) through the universal joint (80).

[0041] When the above propulsion shaft (70) rotates, driving force is transmitted to the differential device (62) through the universal joint (80) connecting the propulsion shaft (70) and the differential shaft (66) of the differential device (62).

[0042] When driving force is transmitted to the above differential device (62), the rear wheel (68) is rotated through the rear axle connected to the above differential device (62).

[0043] At this time, as the cross shaft (86) of the universal joint (80) rotates, friction due to rotational force occurs between the cross shaft (86), the bearing cap (100), and the needle bearing (98).

[0044] The heat generated by friction is transferred to the heat dissipation fin member (90) and released to the outside.

[0045] In addition, as the propulsion shaft (70) rotates, the blower fan (96) connected to the propulsion shaft (70) also rotates, supplying wind toward the universal joint (80).

[0046] Accordingly, the wind supplied from the blower fan (96) passes between the heat dissipation fins (94) so ​​that heat is quickly released from the heat dissipation fins (94).

[0047] The present invention relates to a cooling device for a universal joint of a propulsion shaft, which can improve the durability of the universal joint by installing a heat dissipation fin on the universal joint and installing a fan on the propulsion shaft to cool the universal joint, and is a technology that can be widely used in the vehicle and parts industries to realize its practical and economic value.

Claims

1. A universal joint comprising a yoke section provided on each of the two axes and a cross shaft interconnecting the yoke sections; A cooling device for a universal joint of a propulsion shaft, characterized in that it comprises a heat dissipation fin member provided at the joint portion of the cross shaft and yoke portion of the universal joint, and configured to dissipate heat generated at the joint portion.

2. In paragraph 1, A cooling device for a universal joint of a propulsion shaft, characterized in that the universal joint comprises a yoke portion formed at the ends of two axes, a cross shaft fitted into a fitting hole formed in the yoke portion, a needle bearing fitted between the cross shaft and the fitting hole, and a bearing cap inserted into the inner surface of the fitting hole and surrounding the needle bearing.

3. In paragraph 2, A cooling device for a universal joint of a propulsion shaft, characterized in that the above-mentioned heat dissipation fin member comprises a plate body part coupled to the outer side of the yoke part and a plurality of heat dissipation fins installed vertically to the plate body part.

4. In paragraph 3, A cooling device for a universal joint of a propulsion shaft, characterized in that the plate part is fastened and fixed by a fastening member on the outside of the yoke part so as to cover the upper surface of the bearing cap inserted into the fitting hole.

5. In any one of paragraphs 1 to 4, A cooling device for a universal joint of a propulsion shaft, characterized in that a blower fan is installed on at least one of the two axes and supplies wind toward the universal joint using the rotational force of the axle.

6. In paragraph 5, A cooling device for a universal joint of a propulsion shaft, characterized in that the above-mentioned blower fan is an axial fan fitted around the circumference of the above-mentioned shaft.

7. Universal joint mounted between two axles; A cooling device for a universal joint of a propulsion shaft, characterized in that it comprises a blower fan installed on at least one of the two axes and supplying wind toward the universal joint using the rotational force of the axle.

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