Vehicle driveshaft assembly
AssigneeNissan North America, Inc.
InventorJonathan Nava Rodriguez
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A vehicle driveshaft assembly includes a first driveshaft axle and a first cap. The first driveshaft axle has a transaxle end for being installed to a vehicle transaxle. The first driveshaft axle having a wheel end for being installed to a first vehicle wheel. The first driveshaft axle further has a constant velocity joint disposed between the transaxle end and the wheel end. The first cap is provided over the transaxle end. The first cap has a corrugated portion that is compressible so that the first cap moves between a non-compressed state and a compressed state as the transaxle end is inserted into the vehicle transaxle.
Claims15
A vehicle driveshaft assembly comprising:
- a first driveshaft axle having a transaxle end for being installed to a vehicle transaxle, the first driveshaft axle having a wheel end for being installed to a first vehicle wheel, the first driveshaft axle further having a constant velocity joint disposed between the transaxle end and the wheel end;
- and
- a first cap provided over the transaxle end, the first cap having a corrugated portion that is compressible so that the first cap moves between a non-compressed state and a compressed state as the transaxle end is inserted into the vehicle transaxle.
A vehicle driveshaft cap comprising:
- a conical shaped main body defining an internal space of the vehicle driveshaft cap;
- a first end that is closed;
- a second end that includes an opening that leads to the internal space, the second end being a driveshaft receiving end, the internal space of the vehicle driveshaft cap being configured to receive a vehicle driveshaft;
- a corrugated portion that is compressible so that the vehicle driveshaft cap moves between a non-compressed state and a compressed state;
- and
- a first plurality of perforations extending from the second end to the first end, a second plurality of perforations extending across the closed first end, and a third plurality of perforations extending from the first end to the second end, the first, second and third plurality of perforations being configured to separate the vehicle driveshaft cap into a first piece separate from the second piece.
A method for installing a vehicle driveshaft to a vehicle transaxle, the method comprising:
- inserting a first cap over a transaxle end of a first driveshaft axle, the first drive axle having a wheel end that is an opposite end of the first driveshaft axle with respect to the transaxle end;
- inserting the transaxle end into a first opening of the vehicle transaxle;
- operating a user operations tab of the first cap to compresses the first cap at a corrugated portion;
- and
- removing the first cap from the transaxle end by breaking the first cap at perforations of the first cap so that the first cap separates into a first piece and a second piece.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.