JP2009168148A - Rotary shaft coupling - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rotary shaft coupling having a structure coping with vibrations in a peripheral direction in addition to an axial direction. <P>SOLUTION: This rotary shaft coupling RJ transmitting driving force is disposed in a portion where a rotating drive shaft and a driven shaft which are collinearly arranged are confronted with each other. The rotary shaft coupling includes a first rotary engagement portion set at the end of the rotating drive shaft, a second rotary engagement portion set at the end of the driven shaft, and an annular shock absorbing member 10 interposed between the first rotary engagement portion and the second rotary engagement portion. The shock absorbing member 10 is formed by laminating a plurality of annular plates 11. A plurality of vibration absorbing structures 20 absorbing vibration in the peripheral direction is equally spaced along the peripheral direction on the annular plate. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a rotary shaft joint that is disposed between two shafts that are opposed to each other on the same line and transmits a rotational force (torque). More specifically, the present invention relates to a rotary shaft joint suitable for transmitting one rotational force serving as a rotational drive shaft to the other driven shaft.

  As the rotary shaft joint, for example, a vehicle shaft joint used for a propeller shaft portion of a vehicle is well known. Such a rotary shaft joint is generally required to transmit smoothly without generating vibration or noise when transmitting the rotational force.

  Conventionally, from the viewpoint of suppressing vibrations and impacts, joints (rubber couplings, etc.) formed from elastic rubber materials or resin materials have been known. However, this type of joint made of an elastic material has a problem that the number of parts is large and the joint is easily increased in size, and use in a high temperature environment is restricted. Therefore, in recent years, for example, the rotary shaft joint of the propeller shaft portion is set on one side (first rotational engagement portion) of the joint set on the input shaft of the transmission and on the shaft body of the propeller shaft. A structure in which a metal buffer member is further provided between the other side (second rotational engagement portion) to suppress vibration and impact has been proposed.

For example, Patent Literature 1 and Patent Literature 2 disclose a structure of a vehicle shaft joint including a metal annular plate as a buffer member. In these patent documents 2, the structure which improves vibration absorption performance etc. is proposed by forming the connection arm part between the bolt insertion holes of an annular plate in a predetermined shape. Patent Document 3 discloses a structure in which a plurality of thin annular plates are stacked as an example of a buffer member that can increase the rigidity in the circumferential direction without causing a significant increase in bending rigidity.
JP 2001-349337 A JP 2001-349339 A JP 2002-168266 A

  As described above, conventionally, a plurality of proposals have been made for a rotary shaft joint having a structure in which a metal annular plate is interposed. However, all of the above patent documents are axial directions (directions in which a rotary drive shaft and a driven shaft extend). ) Related to the proposal to improve the structure and rigidity to suppress vibration. However, in the rotary shaft joint that connects the rotational drive shaft and the driven shaft and transmits the rotational force, vibration is generated in the circumferential direction (rotational direction). The vibration in the circumferential direction is also problematic as in the case of the axial vibration described above. However, since the above Patent Documents 1 to 3 do not consider such vibration, they cannot be effectively dealt with.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to solve the above-described conventional problems and to propose a rotary shaft coupling having a structure that can deal with vibrations in the circumferential direction as well as the axial direction.

For the above purpose, the rotary shaft joint according to the present invention is:
It is arranged at the abutting portion between the rotational drive shaft and the driven shaft arranged on the same line, and transmits the driving force,
The rotary shaft coupling includes a first rotation engagement portion set at an end portion on the rotation drive shaft side, a second rotation engagement portion set at an end portion on the driven shaft side, and the first An annular cushioning member interposed between the first rotation engagement portion and the second rotation engagement portion,
The buffer member is formed by stacking a plurality of annular plates, and a plurality of vibration absorbing structures for absorbing vibrations in the circumferential direction are arranged on the annular plate at equal intervals along the circumferential direction. Is characterized.

  According to the rotary shaft coupling of the present invention, since the buffer member is interposed between the first rotation engagement portion and the second rotation engagement portion, not only in the axial direction AD but also in the circumferential direction CD. It can cope with vibrations of

An embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view of a vehicle propeller shaft 1 as an application example of a rotary shaft coupling (coupling) according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, 2 is an input shaft extending from a transmission side (not shown), and 3 is a shaft body of a propeller shaft. In FIG. 1, the input shaft 2 and the shaft main body 3 serving as the output shaft correspond to the rotation drive shaft and the driven shaft connected to both sides of the rotary shaft joint. That is, here, the rotary shaft joint RJ of the present invention is arranged at the abutting portion between the input shaft 2 and the shaft body 3 arranged on the same line. The rotary shaft joint RJ has a first rotation engagement portion set at an end portion on the rotational drive shaft (input shaft 2) side and a second portion set at an end portion on the driven shaft (shaft body 3) side. This is a structure having a rotation engagement portion and an annular buffer member interposed between the engagement portions. The buffer member has a structure in which a plurality of thin annular plates are stacked as will be described later.

  More specifically, in the structure illustrated in FIG. 1, an annular buffer member 10 is inserted between the yokes 4 and 5 serving as the first and second rotational engagement portions, thereby rotating the rotating shaft. A joint RJ is formed. That is, the buffer member 10 is disposed between the yokes 4 and 5 serving as a pair of rotation engaging portions, and is clamped at the center position by being fastened by the bolt 6 and the nut 7. As described above, when the rotary shaft joint RJ includes the buffer member 10, vibrations and impacts generated when the rotational force is transmitted are reliably mitigated. In particular, the buffer member 10 has a configuration that copes with not only vibration in the axial direction AD but also vibration in the circumferential direction CD. This point will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 2 is a view showing an example of a buffer member that can be suitably used for the rotary shaft joint RJ. 2A is a front view of the buffer member 10A, and FIG. 2B is an external perspective view of the buffer member 10A. The buffer member 10A is formed by laminating a plurality of thin annular plates 11 made of metal (four in this example).

  For example, six insertion holes 12 are formed in each annular plate 11 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction CD. Bolts 6 and nuts 7 (see FIG. 1) for fastening the yokes 4 and 5 are alternately inserted into the insertion holes 12 in the circumferential direction, and the annular plates 11 are connected to face each other. The

  Each of the annular plates 1 has a circular outer periphery, and each insertion hole 12 is set to be positioned at the apex of a hexagonal shape. A substantially rectangular lightening hole 13 is formed between the adjacent insertion holes 12. Such a lightening hole is appropriately formed as necessary from the viewpoint of weight reduction and rigidity adjustment. In the case shown in the drawing, the connecting arm portion 14 between the insertion holes 12 is divided into a wide outer portion 14 a and a narrow inner portion 14 b by the lightening holes 13.

  Since the rotary shaft joint RJ has the above-described configuration, first, the driving torque of the input shaft 2 is transmitted to the buffer member 10A via the yoke 4, and further transmitted from the buffer member 10A to the shaft body 3 via the yoke 5. Is done. Here, since the buffer member 10A is formed by laminating the thin annular plate 11 and has the structure of the thin hole 13 or the like, the buffer member 10A is deformed appropriately, so that vibrations and impacts acting in the axial direction can be reliably absorbed.

  The buffer member 10A further includes a novel configuration as described below. Therefore, the rotary shaft joint RJ can cope with vibrations in the circumferential direction CD as well as the axial direction AD. The annular plate 11 is formed with a bellows portion 20 which is partly deformed to form a vibration absorbing structure in order to absorb the vibration in the circumferential direction CD. The bellows portions 20 are arranged at equal intervals along the circumferential direction CD of the annular plate 11. Each bellows portion 20 is formed by deforming a part of the annular plate 11 into a bellows shape (a cross section is a wave shape) in which peaks and valleys are repeated. The bellows portion 20 is disposed so as to absorb vibration by changing the belly width when receiving vibration in the circumferential direction CD. Specifically, as can be confirmed from FIG. 2B, the peaks and valleys are arranged in parallel to the radial direction RD with respect to the center point CP of the annular plate 11. This is a radial shape with respect to the center point CP when the arrangement of the bellows portion 20 is viewed as a whole.

  In addition, the bellows part 20 illustrated here is formed so as to be related to the above-described hole 13 and is divided into an outer part 20a and an inner part 20b. FIG. 3 is an arrow view of the bellows portion 20a at the arrow AR in FIG. Here, as a more preferable structural example, four (even) annular plates 11 are stacked, and the bellows portion 20 is set by arranging the valleys in reverse with the central portion in the thickness direction TD as a boundary. As described above, the annular plate 11 is made of a thin metal, and the shape can be easily manufactured by pressing or the like.

FIG. 3 schematically shows how the bellows portion 20 changes when vibration or impact in the circumferential direction CD acts on the buffer member 10A. As shown in the figure, the bellows part 20 absorbs this by deforming the width (belly width) of the valley when receiving vibrations in the circumferential direction CD or the like. Here, an even number of the annular plates 11 are stacked and the peaks and valleys are reversed with the central portion in the thickness direction TD as a boundary. Therefore, even when an external force in the thickness direction TD is further applied, this is dealt with. It has a more desirable structure that can stably cope with vibrations in the direction CD.
However, the structure shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 is an example. Not limited to this structure, the annular plate 11 may be an odd-numbered stack, and the valleys of the bellows portion 20 may be repeated in the same phase. By arranging the bellows portions at equal intervals along the circumferential direction of the annular plate 11, vibrations and impacts in the circumferential direction CD can be suppressed. Further, since the bellows portion 20 bends and deforms in cooperation with the structure of the lightening hole 13, it can contribute to vibration suppression in the axial direction.

  FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 are diagrams showing another embodiment relating to an annular buffer member. 4A is a front view of the buffer member 10B, and FIG. 4B is an external perspective view of the buffer member 10B. This buffer member 10B is also formed by laminating a plurality of thin annular plates 21 made of metal. Six insertion holes 22 and a lightening hole 23 are formed in the annular plate 21. The configuration so far is substantially the same as that of the buffer member 10A described above, but differs in the points described below.

  In the case of the buffer member 10B, notches 24 are formed in the annular plate 21 at equal intervals in the circumferential direction CD, and an elastic member 25 is loaded into the notches 24 to form a damper structure. The annular plate 21 is restricted in movement in the thickness direction TD by a ring-shaped caulking member 26 provided on the center side, and is set to be rotatable in the circumferential direction CD. As the elastic member 25, an elastic resin material, rubber material or the like may be appropriately selected. This damper structure functions similarly to the bellows portion 20 of the annular plate 11 described above.

  FIG. 5 is a front view of still another cushioning member 10C. This buffer member 10C has a damper structure similar to the buffer member 10B of FIG. In FIG. 5, parts corresponding to those in FIG. 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted. The shock absorbing member 10C has a damper structure in which a metal spring 30 is loaded as an elastic member in the notch 24. Thus, when the metal spring 30 is employed, a more preferable structure suitable for use in a high temperature environment can be realized.

  If the rotary shaft coupling RJ is configured such that the buffer member 10 described above is interposed between the first rotation engagement portion and the second rotation engagement portion, not only in the axial direction AD but also in the circumferential direction CD. It can cope with vibrations of Therefore, a propeller shaft or the like of a vehicle employing such a rotary shaft joint RJ can smoothly transmit torque while suppressing vibration, impact, and noise based on these.

  Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims. It can be changed.

  As described above, according to the present invention, since the buffer member having the vibration absorbing structure is interposed between the first rotation engagement portion and the second rotation engagement portion, only in the axial direction AD. In addition, it is possible to provide a rotary shaft joint that can cope with vibrations in the circumferential direction CD.

  Further, the vibration absorbing structure includes a structure in which a part of the annular plate is deformed to form a bellows portion, and the bellows portion absorbs vibration by changing the belly width when receiving vibration in the circumferential direction. Can be arranged. The buffer member has a structure in which an even number of the annular plates are stacked, and the bellows portion is set by arranging the valleys in reverse with the central portion in the thickness direction of the buffer member as a boundary. It may be.

  The vibration absorbing structure may include a damper structure including a notch provided in a peripheral portion of the annular plates stacked and an elastic member loaded in the notch.

It is a fragmentary sectional view of the vehicle propeller shaft used as the example of application of the rotating shaft coupling concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is the figure which showed one example of the buffer member which can be employ | adopted suitably for a rotating shaft coupling, (A) is a front view of a buffer member, (B) is the external appearance perspective view. It is the figure which shows typically a mode that a bellows part will change when the vibration and impact in a circumferential direction act on a buffer member. It is the figure shown about the other form example which concerns on a cyclic | annular buffer member. It is the figure shown about the other example of a form which concerns on a buffer member.

Explanation of symbols

1 Propeller shaft 2 Input shaft (rotary drive shaft)
3 Propeller shaft body (driven shaft)
4 Yoke (first rotation engagement part)
5 Yoke (second rotational engagement portion 10 buffer member 11 annular plate 20 bellows portion (vibration absorbing structure)
24 Notch 25 Elastic member RJ Rotary shaft coupling AD Axial direction CD Circumferential direction RD Radial direction TD Thickness direction

Claims (4)

A rotary shaft joint that is disposed at a butt portion between a rotational drive shaft and a driven shaft arranged on the same line, and transmits a driving force,
The rotary shaft coupling includes a first rotation engagement portion set at an end portion on the rotation drive shaft side, a second rotation engagement portion set at an end portion on the driven shaft side, and the first An annular cushioning member interposed between the first rotation engagement portion and the second rotation engagement portion,
The buffer member is formed by laminating a plurality of annular plates, and the annular plate is provided with a plurality of vibration absorbing structures that absorb vibrations in the circumferential direction at equal intervals along the circumferential direction. A rotary shaft coupling characterized in that.   The vibration absorbing structure includes a structure in which a part of the annular plate is deformed to form a bellows portion, and the bellows portion is arranged so as to change the belly width and absorb the vibration when subjected to vibration in the circumferential direction. The rotary shaft coupling according to claim 1, wherein the rotary shaft coupling is provided. The buffer member has a structure in which an even number of the annular plates are laminated,
The rotary shaft coupling according to claim 2, wherein the bellows part is set by arranging the valleys and valleys with the central part in the thickness direction of the buffer member as a boundary.   2. The rotating shaft according to claim 1, wherein the vibration absorbing structure includes a damper structure including a cutout portion provided in a peripheral portion of the annular plates stacked and an elastic member loaded in the cutout portion. Fittings.

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