Drive shaft assembly
AssigneeNissan Motor Co., Ltd.
InventorsHiroshi Okuzumi, Yoshinori Hirano
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A two piece type drive (propeller) shaft assembly comprises first and second shafts and a middle elastic member which resiliently connects the first and second shafts end to end so that power can be transmitted. At least one weight is fixed to each shaft at a predetermined unbalance position to shift a principal axis of inertia of the shaft to a desired orientation to suppress whirling motion of the shaft. In each shaft, the at least one weight is located at such a position that the distance of the unbalancing at least one weight from the connected end of the shaft is substantially equal to one third of length of the shaft.
Claims14
A drive shaft assembly comprising first and second shafts each of which has first and second ends;
- a connecting means for resiliently connecting said first ends of said first and second shafts with each other so that power can be transmitted from one of said first and second shaft to the other;
- a first unbalancing means fixed to said first shaft, said first unbalancing means being located at a first unbalance position of said first shaft, said first unbalance position being radially spaced from a center axis of said first shaft, said first unbalance position being separated from said first end of said first shaft by a distance which is substantially equal to one third of the length of said first shaft;
- and
- a second unbalancing means fixed to said second shaft, said second unbalancing means being located at a second unbalance position of said second shaft, said second unbalance position being radially spaced from a center axis of said second shaft, said second unbalance position being separated from said first end of said second shaft by a distance which is substantially equal to one third of the length of said second shaft,
- wherein said first unbalancing means is fixed to said first shaft so as to make a principal axis of inertia of said first shaft approximate an inclined straight line which intersects said center axis of said first shaft at said second end of said first shaft and which is apart from said center axis of said first shaft at said first end of said first shaft, and said second unbalancing means is fixed to said second shaft so as to make a principal axis of inertia of said second shaft approximate an inclined straight line which intersects said center axis of said second shaft at said second end of said second shaft and which is apart from said center axis of said second shaft at said first end of said second shaft.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.