Tripod-type universal joint with a snap-on retainer
AssigneeToyota Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorKatsuyuki Kobayashi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A tripod type universal joint wherein the ball rollers and the needle rollers on which they turn are retained on the trunnions by holding constructions which comprise each: a circlip engaged in a groove on the end of the trunnion; and an annular retainer, which is formed with an inner cylindrical surface which fits snugly over the trunnion, a cutaway with a tapered entrance which guides the circlip into the hole of the retainer and compresses it by a sliding and squeezing action, a circlip stop face which stops the retainer from coming off the trunnion, when the circlip has expanded so as to oppose the stop face, and ball roller and needle roller stop faces which retain the ball roller and the needle rollers on the trunnion.
Claims11
A tripod-type universal joint, comprising:
- a central hub member;
- a trunnion of cylindrical outer surface shape protruding from the central hub member which has a groove formed around its periphery near its tip portion;
- a plurality of needle rollers arranged around the outer surface of the trunnion;
- a ball roller of part-spherical outer shape and with a cylindrical hole through it, which is engaged over the needle rollers so as to rotate on them around the axis of the trunnion;
- an elastic circlip which is engaged around the trunnion in the said groove, which in its unstressed state has an outer approximately circular shape which is larger in radius than the cylindrical surface of the trunnion and an inner approximately circular shape which is smaller in radius than the cylindrical surface of the trunnion, and which is radially thinner than the groove is deep;
- and a generally annular retainer, fitted over the tip of the trunnion and the circlip, which is formed with:
- an inner cylindrical surface slightly larger than the cylindrical surface of the trunnion and conforming snugly thereto;
- an annular needle roller stop face which opposes the ends of the needle rollers which are remote from the central hub;
- an annular ball roller stop face which opposes the end of the ball roller which is remote from the central hub;
- a cutaway extending from the needle roller stop face and tapering down to the inner cylindrical surface;
- and a first circlip stop face which joins the inner cylindrical surface at its edge remote from the central hub, and which opposes the circlip, thereby preventing the retainer from coming off the end of the trunnion away from the central hub;
- the retainer thereby retaining the needle rollers and the ball roller on the trunnion.
The joint of any preceding claim, wherein the opening of the cutaway, where it borders on the needle roller stop face, is large enough to allow unrestricted commencement of entry of the circlip in its unstressed condition.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.