Phase matching device and phase matching method
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- WO · WO
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2026-01-06
- Publication Date
- 2026-08-13
Smart Images
Figure JP2026000117_13082026_PF_FP_ABST
Abstract
Description
Phase matching device and phase matching method
[0001] The present invention relates to a phase matching device and a phase matching method, and particularly to a phase matching device and a phase matching method for an inner joint member of a constant velocity universal joint.
[0002] As a method for assembling a constant velocity universal joint, conventionally, there is an automatic assembly method for a constant velocity ball joint described in Patent Document 1. This assembly method is for a constant velocity universal joint including an inner ring having a plurality of track grooves formed on a spherical outer surface, an outer ring having a plurality of track grooves formed on a spherical inner surface, balls that transmit torque intervening between the track grooves of the inner ring and the track grooves of the outer ring, and a cage that holds the balls intervening between the inner ring and the outer ring.
[0003] In this case, for the combination of the inner ring and the cage fitted on the outside thereof, after aligning the track grooves of the inner ring and the pockets of the cage, a reference ball insertion step of inserting a reference ball into one pocket is provided.
[0004] In Patent Document 1, phase matching is performed using a phase detection machine. The phase detection machine includes a pressing shaft 24 having a pin 21 as shown in FIG. 14. In this case, as shown in FIGS. 15A and 15B, by inserting the pin 21 into the track groove 23 of the inner ring 22 and rotating the inner ring 22 around its axis, the phase of the pocket (the pocket in which the ball is held, not shown) of the cage, which is pre-phased, and the track groove 23 of the inner ring 22 is matched.
[0005] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 60-176735
[0006] Incidentally, the inner ring (inner joint member 22) of a constant velocity universal joint may have track grooves 23 extending axially formed at a constant pitch (for example, a 45° pitch) along the circumferential direction, as shown in Figure 13A, or track grooves 23b and 23c that are inclined with respect to the axial direction may be formed alternately along the circumferential direction, as shown in Figure 13B. In this case, the track grooves 23b and 23c are inclined in opposite directions. That is, if one track groove 23b is inclined clockwise from one axial end to the other axial end, the other track groove 23c is inclined counterclockwise from one axial end to the other axial end. As a result, on the axial end face of either of the inner joint members 22, a small-spacing section 25A with a small track groove distance and a large-spacing section 25B with a large track groove distance are alternately arranged along the circumferential direction.
[0007] As shown in Figure 13A, in a constant velocity universal joint in which track grooves 23 extending along the axial direction are formed at a constant pitch (for example, a 45° pitch) along the circumferential direction, the phase alignment method using pins 21 as shown in Figures 15A and 15B described above can be performed without any problems. However, in a constant velocity universal joint as shown in Figures 15A and 15B, at each end face, small spacing sections 25A and large spacing sections 25B are formed alternately along the circumferential direction. As shown in Figure 15A, the pins can be fitted into track grooves 23c and the track groove 23c opposite to it, and as shown in Figure 15B, they can be fitted into track grooves 23b and the track groove 23b opposite to it. For this reason, if a pair of pins 21 as shown in Figure 14 is used, it is difficult to determine which track groove 23b (23c) the pins 21 are fitted into, making phase alignment difficult.
[0008] Therefore, in view of the above problems, the present invention provides a phase alignment device and a phase alignment method that can perform phase alignment even when the internal joint member does not have a plurality of track grooves formed along the axial direction at equal intervals.
[0009] The phase alignment device of the present invention is a phase alignment device for an inner joint member of a constant velocity universal joint, comprising an outer joint member having a plurality of track grooves formed on its inner diameter surface, an inner joint member having a plurality of track grooves formed on its outer diameter surface, a plurality of balls interposed between the track grooves of the outer joint member and the track grooves of the inner joint member to transmit torque, and a cage interposed between the outer joint member and the inner joint member having pockets for holding the balls, wherein the device comprises a positioning head that moves toward and away from the inner joint member along the axial direction of the inner joint member, and a positioning pin member that can be moved in and out from the end face of the positioning head on the inner joint member side, the pin member having a fitting recess that fits into a gap formed between adjacent track grooves along the circumferential direction on the end face of the inner joint member, and as the positioning head moves toward the inner joint member, the positioning head rotates so that the phase of the inner joint member and the cage, which has been pre-phase-aligned, matches with the fitting recess fitted into the gap.
[0010] According to the phase alignment device of the present invention, the positioning head rotates so that the phases of the inner joint member and the cage, which have been pre-aligned, are matched when the fitting recess of the pin member is moved toward the inner joint member side of the positioning head, with the fitting recess fitted into the space between adjacent track grooves. This makes it possible to align the phases of the inner joint member and the cage.
[0011] It is preferable that the positioning head is equipped with a guide shaft portion that protrudes from the end face on the inner joint member side and fits into the inner diameter portion, which is the inner diameter surface of the axial hole of the inner joint member. With this guide shaft portion, the inner joint member can be centered and stable phase alignment can be achieved.
[0012] The inner joint member of the constant velocity universal joint has, along the circumferential direction, alternately formed first portions of the spacing portion where the distance between adjacent track grooves is narrow, and second portions of the spacing portion where the distance between adjacent track grooves is wider than that of the first portion, and the fitting recess of the pin member is shaped to fit into the first portion but not into the second portion. Preferably, when the positioning head moves toward the inner joint member, the guide shaft portion fits into the inner diameter portion of the inner joint member, and with the fitting recess of the pin member fitted into the first portion of the inner joint member, the positioning head rotates so that the phase of the inner joint member and the cage, which has been pre-aligned in phase, match. Here, matching the phase means that the phase of the pockets provided in the cage (pockets into which balls as torque transmission members are fitted) matches the phase of the track grooves of the inner joint member.
[0013] By configuring the pin member in this way, the fitting recess of the pin member is fitted into the first portion of the inner joint member, so that even if the inner joint member does not have multiple track grooves formed along the axial direction at equal intervals, the phase of the inner joint member can be aligned with the phase of the cage which has been pre-aligned.
[0014] Furthermore, the inner joint member of the constant velocity universal joint has a first portion on its end face where the distance between adjacent track grooves is narrow, and a second portion where the distance between adjacent track grooves is wider than that of the first portion, which are alternately formed along the circumferential direction. The fitting recess of the pin member is shaped to fit into the first portion but not into the second portion. When the positioning head moves toward the inner joint member, the guide shaft is fitted into the inner diameter portion which is the inner diameter surface of the axial hole of the inner joint member, and the fitting recess of the pin member corresponds to the second portion of the inner joint member, the positioning head is rotated to make the fitting recess of the pin member correspond to the first portion of the inner joint member, thereby fitting the fitting recess of the pin member into the first portion of the inner joint member. In this state, the positioning head may rotate so that the phase of the inner joint member and the cage, which has been pre-aligned, are in phase.
[0015] Thus, even if the fitting recess of the pin member does not fit into the first portion but corresponds to the second portion when the positioning head moves toward the inner joint member, the pin member can be rotated to make the fitting recess of the pin member correspond to the first portion of the inner joint member, thereby fitting the fitting recess of the pin member into the first portion of the inner joint member. For this reason, the phase of the inner joint member and the phase of the cage, which has been pre-aligned, can be matched by the rotation of the positioning head.
[0016] The phase alignment method of the present invention relates to a constant velocity universal joint comprising an outer joint member having a plurality of track grooves formed on its inner diameter surface, an inner joint member having a plurality of track grooves formed on its outer diameter surface, a plurality of balls interposed between the track grooves of the outer joint member and the track grooves of the inner joint member to transmit torque, and a cage interposed between the outer joint member and the inner joint member having pockets for holding the balls. The method involves rotating the positioning head so that the phases of the inner joint member and the cage, which have been pre-aligned, are matched, with a guide shaft portion protruding from the end face of a positioning head that moves toward and away from the axial direction of the inner joint member fitted into the inner diameter portion of the inner joint member, and a fitting recess of a positioning pin member that can be moved in and out from the end face of the positioning head fitted into the spacing between adjacent track grooves along the circumferential direction on the end face of the inner joint member.
[0017] According to the phase alignment method of the present invention, by fitting the fitting recess of the pin member into the first portion of the inner joint member, the phase of the inner joint member can be aligned with the phase of a cage that has been pre-aligned, even if the inner joint member does not have a plurality of track grooves formed along the axial direction at equal intervals.
[0018] The inner joint member of the constant velocity universal joint has, on its end face, alternatingly formed along the circumferential direction, a first portion where the distance between adjacent track grooves is narrow and a second portion where the distance between adjacent track grooves is wider than that of the first portion. The fitting recess of the positioning pin member is shaped to fit into the first portion but not into the second portion. The positioning head may be rotated so that the phase of the inner joint member and the pre-aligned cage are matched when the positioning head is moved toward the inner joint member, the guide shaft is fitted into the inner diameter portion of the inner joint member, and the fitting recess of the pin member is fitted into the first portion of the inner joint member.
[0019] The inner joint member of the constant velocity universal joint has a first portion with narrow spacing between adjacent track grooves and a second portion wider than the first portion, which are alternately formed along the circumferential direction on the end face, and the fitting recess of the pin member is shaped to fit into the first portion but not into the second portion. When the positioning head is moved toward the inner joint member, the guide shaft is fitted into the inner diameter portion of the inner joint member, and when the fitting recess of the pin member corresponds to the second portion of the inner joint member, the positioning head is rotated so that the fitting recess of the pin member corresponds to the first portion of the inner joint member, and the fitting recess of the pin member is fitted into the first portion of the inner joint member. In this state, the positioning head may be rotated so that the phase of the inner joint member and the cage, which has been pre-aligned in phase, match.
[0020] Even if the internal joint member does not have multiple track grooves formed along the axial direction at equal intervals, phase alignment can still be performed.
[0021] This is a simplified perspective view of the main part of the phase alignment device according to the present invention. This is a bottom view of the positioning head and positioning pin member. This is a work process diagram of the phase alignment method. This is a simplified cross-sectional view of a constant velocity universal joint. This is a front view of the constant velocity universal joint shown in Figure 4. This is a perspective view of the outer joint member of the constant velocity universal joint shown in Figure 4. This is a perspective view of the inner joint member of the constant velocity universal joint shown in Figure 4. This is a front view of the inner joint member of the constant velocity universal joint shown in Figure 4. This is a perspective view of the cage of the constant velocity universal joint shown in Figure 4. This is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the pin member and the track groove of the inner joint member, where the pin member corresponds to the second part of the inner joint member. This is an explanatory diagram showing the relationship between the pin member and the track groove of the inner joint member, where the pin member is fitted into the first part of the inner joint member. This is a front view showing the state in which the pin member corresponds to the second part of the inner joint member. This is a front view showing the relationship between the pin member and the inner joint member, where the pin member is fitted into the first part of the inner joint member. This is an enlarged view of part A in Figure 12A, showing the relationship between the pin member and the inner joint member. Figure 14 shows a plan view of an internal joint member in which multiple track grooves extending in the axial direction are formed at equal pitches in the circumferential direction. Figure 14 shows a plan view of an internal joint member in which track grooves inclined with respect to the axial direction are formed alternately along the circumferential direction. Figure 14 shows a simplified diagram of a conventional phase indexing machine. Figure 14 shows a phase alignment method using the phase indexing machine shown, and is an explanatory diagram of a state in which a pin member is fitted into a track groove inclined clockwise toward one end face. Figure 14 shows a phase alignment method using the phase indexing machine shown, and is an explanatory diagram of a state in which a pin member is fitted into a track groove inclined counterclockwise toward one end face.
[0022] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 1 to 13B. Figure 1 shows the main part of the phase alignment device according to the present invention, which is used to align the phase during the assembly of a constant velocity universal joint, for example, as shown in Figure 4. Incidentally, a constant velocity universal joint (fixed constant velocity universal joint) comprises an outer joint member 3 having a plurality of track grooves 2 formed on its inner diameter surface 1, an inner joint member 6 having a plurality of track grooves 5 formed on its outer diameter surface 4 that are paired with the track grooves 2 of the outer joint member 3, a plurality of balls 7 interposed between the track grooves 2 of the outer joint member 3 and the track grooves 5 of the inner joint member 6 to transmit torque, and a cage 8 interposed between the inner diameter surface 1 of the outer joint member 3 and the outer diameter surface 4 of the inner joint member 6 to hold the balls 7.
[0023] The axial offset between the curvature center O1 of the track groove 2 of the outer joint member 3 and the curvature center O2 of the track groove 5 of the inner joint member 6 is set to 0. In other words, the curvature centers O1 and O2 are aligned with the joint center O.
[0024] As shown in Figures 5 and 6, in the outer joint member 3, each track groove 2 is inclined with respect to the axial direction. In this case, the inclination directions of adjacent track grooves 2 in the circumferential direction are opposite. That is, there are two types of track grooves 2, track groove 2A and track groove 2B, with the same inclination angle but opposite inclination directions.
[0025] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 7 and 8, in the inner joint member 6, each track groove 5 is inclined with respect to the axial direction. In this case, the inclination directions of adjacent track grooves 5 in the circumferential direction are opposite. That is, in this case there are two types of track grooves 5, track groove 5A and track groove 5B, with the same inclination angle but opposite inclination directions. Also, the inclination directions of the track groove 5A of the inner joint member 6 and the track groove 2A of the outer joint member 3 are opposite, and the inclination directions of the track groove 5B of the inner joint member 6 and the track groove 2B of the outer joint member 3 are opposite. In other words, if the track groove 2A is inclined counterclockwise from the inner joint side toward the joint opening side, then the track groove 5A will be inclined clockwise from the inner joint side toward the joint opening side, the track groove 2B will be inclined clockwise from the inner joint side toward the joint opening side, and the track groove 5B will be inclined counterclockwise from the inner joint side toward the joint opening side. Furthermore, the inclination angles of track grooves 2A and 5A are the same (although their inclination directions differ), and the inclination angles of track grooves 2B and 5B are the same (although their inclination directions differ). As a result, track groove 2A and the opposing track groove 5A cross each other, and track groove 2B and the opposing track groove 5B cross each other.
[0026] In the constant velocity universal joint configured in this way, the inner joint member 6 has, on one end face 6A, a first section H1 of spacing H where the distance between adjacent track grooves is narrow, and a second section H2 of spacing H where the distance between spacing H is wider than that of the first section H1, and the first section H1 and the second section H2 are formed alternately along the circumferential direction.
[0027] As shown in Figure 9, the cage 8 is an annular shape, and multiple pockets (cage windows) 8d for housing the balls 7 (see Figure 4) are formed along its circumferential wall.
[0028] Next, the phase alignment device will be described. As shown in Figure 1, the phase alignment device comprises a stage 10 on which the combined body M of the inner joint member 6 and the cage 8 is placed, and a positioning head 11 located above the stage 10. The positioning head 11 comprises a cylindrical head body 12, a guide shaft portion 13 protruding downward from the lower end of the head body 12, and a pair of pin members 14 protruding downward from the outer diameter side of the lower end of the head body 12. The axis of the guide shaft portion 13 coincides with the axis of the head body 12. The pin members 14 are positioned 180° opposite to the axis (center) of the head body 12 and are spaced the same distance apart from the axis of the head body 12.
[0029] Furthermore, each pin member 14 is attached to the head body 12 so as to be able to move up and down, but is elastically pressed by an elastic member (for example, a coil spring, etc.) (not shown) so as to protrude downward from the lower surface 12a of the head body 12. For this reason, in the free state, each pin member 14 protrudes downward by a predetermined amount from the lower surface 12a of the head body 12. However, if an external force is applied to push upward, each pin member 14 will be pushed upward against the elastic force of the elastic member. In Figure 2, the screw hole 17 is a screw hole provided on the lower surface 12a of the head body 12, and the pin member 14 can be attached to the lower surface 12a of the head body 12 by screwing a screw member (not shown) into this screw hole 17.
[0030] The head body 12 of the positioning head 11 is rotatable around its axis and can move up and down (lift and lower). That is, it moves up and down via a lifting mechanism (not shown) and rotates via a rotational drive mechanism (not shown). As the lifting mechanism, a known and commonly used cylinder mechanism, ball screw mechanism, or linear guide mechanism can be used. The rotational drive mechanism consists of, for example, a drive motor (servo motor, etc.) and a drive force transmission mechanism that transmits the rotational driving force of this drive motor to the head body 12. The drive force transmission mechanism can be composed of a gear mechanism, a belt mechanism, or the like.
[0031] Incidentally, the inner joint member 6 of the assembly M on the stage 10 is positioned such that one of its end faces is placed on the stage 10 so that its axial direction coincides with the vertical axis. Furthermore, the inner joint member 6 is rotatable around its axis and swings (moves) 360° on the stage 10 while maintaining the state in which its axial direction coincides with the vertical axis, and the cage 8 is fixed in a state where the phases are aligned.
[0032] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 2, the pin member 14 is made up of a rectangular block body in a direction perpendicular to the radial direction, and a fitting recess 14a is provided on its lower surface into which the first portion H1 of the end face of the inner joint member 6 fits. The fitting recess 14a is composed of an outer diameter side small recess 15 having a pair of curved sides 15a that widen from the outer diameter end toward the inner diameter side to correspond to the shape of the first portion H1, and an inner diameter side base recess 16 connected to this outer diameter side small recess 15. The base recess 16 extends in the longitudinal direction of the rectangular block body of the pin member 14, and opens at the inner diameter end at the short side end, as well as at the long side end on the inner diameter side. The four corner portions of the pin member 14 are convex-rounded in shape.
[0033] Therefore, when each pin member 14 is positioned to correspond to the second portion H2 on the end face of the inner joint member 6, the second portion H does not fit into the fitting recess 14a of the pin member 14, as shown in Figure 10A. Conversely, when each pin member 14 is positioned to correspond to the first portion H1 on the end face of the inner joint member 6, the first portion H1 fits into the fitting recess 14a of each pin member 14.
[0034] Next, a method for aligning the phase of the track groove 5 of the inner joint member 6 with the phase of the pocket 8d of the cage 8 using the phase alignment device configured as described above will be explained with reference to Figure 3 and other figures.
[0035] First, the setting process of step S1 is performed. Here, the setting process is the process of setting the assembly M on the stage 10, as shown in Figure 1. In this case, the pocket 8d of the cage 8 is set to the fixed position on the stage. That is, it is set in a phase-aligned state, and the inner joint member 6 is rotatable around its axis. Also, the positioning head 11 is raised to a position above the assembly M.
[0036] Subsequently, the process moves to step S2, where the positioning head 11 is lowered. In this case, as shown in Figure 11, the pin member 14 is lowered until it contacts the inner joint member 6. At this time, the guide shaft portion 13 is fitted into the axial hole of the inner joint member 6, and centering is performed. In this case, since the lower end portion 13a of the guide shaft portion 13 is a convex curved surface, even if the axis of the guide shaft portion 13 and the axis of the axial hole of the inner joint member 6 are slightly misaligned, the guide shaft portion 13 can correct the misalignment of the inner joint member 6 (by oscillating the inner joint member 6) and fit into the axial hole. This allows the inner joint member 6 to be centered.
[0037] Furthermore, if the fitting recess 14a of the pin member 14 does not correspond to the first portion H1 of the inner joint member 6, but rather to the second portion H2 as shown in Figure 11, then if the positioning head 11 is lowered further from this contact state, the pin member 14 will maintain its position on the second portion H2 as it is lowered, and the pin member 14 will be pushed into the head body 12 against the elastic force of the elastic member.
[0038] In other words, after step S2, the process moves to step S3 to determine whether the pin member 14 is fitted into the first part H1. If it is not fitted in step S3, the process moves to step S4 to perform a head rotation process in which the head 11 is rotated around its axis. When rotated in this way, the pin member 14 also rotates around the axis of the head body 12. At this time, the pin member 14 rotates while sliding its end face, which faces upward, in contact with the inner joint member 6.
[0039] Therefore, the pin member 14 comes into contact with the first portion H1 of the inner joint member 6. With this contact, the elastic force of the elastic member (not shown) causes the pin member 14 to descend, and as shown in Figures 12A and 12B, the first portion H1 of the inner joint member 6 fits into the fitting recess 14a of the pin member 14.
[0040] In other words, by performing the head rotation process in step S4, the pin member 14 is fitted into the first part H1 in step S3. Therefore, it is determined that it is fitted in step S3, and the process proceeds to step S5. In step S5, a phase alignment process is performed. That is, the positioning head 11 is rotated around its axis, and the inner joint member 6 is rotated around its axis, so that the phase of the track groove 5 of the inner joint member 6 can be aligned with the phase of the pocket 8d of the cage 8. In other words, since it is fitted into the fitting recess 14a of the pin member 14, it is impossible to align it to the wrong phase.
[0041] When the fitting recess 14a of the pin member 14 is fitted into the first portion H1 of the inner joint member 6, the phases of the inner joint member 6 and the cage 8, which have been pre-aligned, are set to match, so the phases of the inner joint member 6 and the cage 8 can be aligned.
[0042] In a configuration where the positioning head 11 is equipped with a guide shaft portion 13 that protrudes from the end face on the inner joint member 6 side and fits into the inner diameter portion N (see Figures 10A and 10B, etc.) of the inner diameter surface 6a (see Figures 10A and 10B, etc.) of the axial hole (center hole) of the inner joint member 6, the inner joint member can be centered and stable phase alignment can be achieved.
[0043] Even if the inner joint member 6 of the constant velocity universal joint has a first portion H1 at its end face where the distance between adjacent track grooves 5 is narrow, and a second portion H2 where the distance between adjacent track grooves 5 is wider than that of the first portion, which are formed alternately along the circumferential direction, the phase of the inner joint member 6 can be aligned with the phase of the cage 8, which has been pre-aligned, by fitting the fitting recess 14a of the pin member 14 into the first portion H1 of the inner joint member 6, even if the inner joint member 6 does not have a plurality of track grooves 5 formed along the axial direction at equal intervals.
[0044] Also, even when the fitting recess 14a of the pin member 14 corresponds to the second portion H2 without fitting into the first portion H1 due to the movement of the positioning head 11 toward the inner joint member 6 side, the pin member 14a side can be rotated to align the fitting recess 14a of the pin member 14 with the first portion H1 of the inner joint member 6, and the fitting recess 14a of the pin member 14 can be fitted into the first portion H1 of the inner joint member 6. Therefore, the phase of the inner joint member 6 can be aligned with the phase of the cage 8 that has been pre-aligned.
[0045] As described above, the embodiments of the present invention have been described. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments and can be variously modified. For example, as the constant velocity joint, it can be a fixed constant velocity joint such as a Zepa type, an undercut-free type, etc. that is not a cross-track type, and the number of balls is not limited to the 8-ball type.
[0046] It can be used for the automatic assembly of a constant velocity ball joint. Even when the inner joint member does not have a plurality of track grooves formed at equal intervals along the axial direction, phase alignment can be performed. Explanation of Signs
[0047] 1 Inner diameter surface, 2, 2A, 2B Track groove, 3 Outer joint member, 4 Outer diameter surface, 5, 5A, 5B Track groove, 6 Inner joint member, 7 Ball, 8 Cage, 8d Pocket, 11 Positioning head, 12 Head body, 13 Guide shaft portion, 14 Pin member, 14a Fitting recess, N Inner diameter portion, H Spacing portion, H1 First portion, H2 Second portion
Claims
1. A phase alignment device for an inner joint member of a constant velocity universal joint, comprising: an outer joint member having a plurality of track grooves formed on its inner diameter surface; an inner joint member having a plurality of track grooves formed on its outer diameter surface; a plurality of balls interposed between the track grooves of the outer joint member and the track grooves of the inner joint member to transmit torque; and a cage interposed between the outer joint member and the inner joint member having pockets for holding the balls, the device comprising: a positioning head that moves toward and away from the inner joint member along the axial direction of the inner joint member; and a positioning pin member that can be moved in and out from the end face of the positioning head on the inner joint member side, wherein the pin member has a fitting recess that fits into a gap formed between adjacent track grooves along the circumferential direction on the end face of the inner joint member, and the positioning head rotates so that the phase of the inner joint member and the cage, which has been pre-phase-aligned, matches when the positioning head moves toward the inner joint member, with the fitting recess fitted into the gap.
2. The phase alignment device according to claim 1, further comprising a guide shaft portion that protrudes from the end face of the positioning head on the inner joint member side and fits into the inner diameter portion which is the inner diameter surface of the axial hole of the inner joint member.
3. The phase alignment device according to claim 1, wherein the inner joint member of the constant velocity universal joint has alternating first portions along the circumferential direction in which the spacing portion has narrow spacing between adjacent track grooves and second portions in which the spacing between adjacent track grooves is wider than that of the first portions, and the fitting recess of the pin member is shaped to fit into the first portions but not into the second portions, and as the positioning head moves toward the inner joint member, the guide shaft portion fits into the inner diameter portion which is the inner diameter surface of the axial hole of the inner joint member, and the positioning head rotates so that the phase of the inner joint member and the cage, which has been pre-aligned in phase, are aligned, with the fitting recess of the pin member fitted into the first portion of the inner joint member.
4. The phase alignment device according to claim 1, wherein the inner joint member of the constant velocity universal joint has, on its end face, alternatingly formed first portions where the spacing between adjacent track grooves is narrow and second portions where the spacing between adjacent track grooves is wider than that of the first portions, and the fitting recess of the pin member is shaped to fit into the first portions but not into the second portions, and when the positioning head moves toward the inner joint member, the guide shaft portion fits into the inner diameter portion which is the inner diameter surface of the axial hole of the inner joint member, and when the fitting recess of the pin member corresponds to the second portion of the inner joint member, the positioning head is rotated to make the fitting recess of the pin member correspond to the first portion of the inner joint member, and the fitting recess of the pin member fits into the first portion of the inner joint member, and in this state, the positioning head rotates so that the phase of the inner joint member and the cage which has been pre-phase-aligned match.
5. A method for aligning the phase of an inner joint member of a constant velocity universal joint, comprising an outer joint member having a plurality of track grooves formed on its inner diameter surface, an inner joint member having a plurality of track grooves formed on its outer diameter surface, a plurality of balls interposed between the track grooves of the outer joint member and the track grooves of the inner joint member to transmit torque, and a cage interposed between the outer joint member and the inner joint member having pockets for holding the balls, the method being characterized by inserting a guide shaft portion protruding from the end face of a positioning head that moves along the axial direction of the inner joint member into the inner diameter portion which is the inner diameter surface of the axial hole of the inner joint member, and rotating the positioning head so that the phase of the inner joint member and the cage, which has been pre-aligned, are matched, with the fitting recess of a positioning pin member that can be inserted and removed from the end face of the positioning head fitted into the spacing between adjacent track grooves along the circumferential direction on the end face of the inner joint member.
6. The phase alignment method according to claim 5, wherein the inner joint member of the constant velocity universal joint has, on its end face, alternatingly formed along the circumferential direction, a first portion where the distance between adjacent track grooves is narrow and a second portion where the distance between adjacent track grooves is wider than that of the first portion, and the fitting recess of the positioning pin member is shaped to fit into the first portion but not into the second portion, and the positioning head is rotated so that the phase of the inner joint member and the cage, which has been pre-aligned in phase, are matched when the positioning head is moved toward the inner joint member, the guide shaft is fitted into the inner diameter portion of the inner joint member, and the fitting recess of the pin member is fitted into the first portion of the inner joint member.
7. The phase alignment method according to claim 5, wherein the inner joint member of the constant velocity universal joint has, on its end face, alternately formed along the circumferential direction, a first portion where the distance between adjacent track grooves is narrow and a second portion where the distance between adjacent track grooves is wider than that of the first portion, and the fitting recess of the pin member is shaped to fit into the first portion but not into the second portion, and the positioning head is moved toward the inner joint member to insert the guide shaft into the inner diameter portion of the inner joint member, and when the fitting recess of the pin member corresponds to the second portion of the inner joint member, the positioning head is rotated so that the fitting recess of the pin member corresponds to the first portion of the inner joint member, and the fitting recess of the pin member is fitted into the first portion of the inner joint member, and in this state, the positioning head is rotated so that the phase of the inner joint member and the cage which has been pre-aligned in phase match.