JPS6237251B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Technical Field of the Invention The present invention provides two joint halves,
Between the mating parts of these joint halves there is a substantially triangular space, with the flat surface of the mating part of the first joint half and the mating part of the second joint half. The present invention relates to an elastic joint in which the plane-shaped surfaces are arranged obliquely to a radial surface extending through the respective space.

PRIOR ART Such an elastic joint is disclosed in DE 27 42 442 A1.
Such joints are used to connect rotatable shafts of two machines. The joint halves are each coupled so as not to rotate in one of the shafts. The coupling halves of the known coupling are configured as externally toothed sun gears, which are surrounded by planetary gears containing radially inwardly directed teeth. The teeth of the planetary gear are nested within a space formed by the teeth themselves arranged around the outer periphery of the sun gear. When transmitting torque, the shape of the space changes and the teeth of the planetary gear are pushed radially outwards against elastic forces. When a load is applied, the opening angle of the space becomes smaller. In known joints,
The teeth of the planetary gear are deformable. Since the teeth of the planetary gear are weakly deformable, they can additionally accommodate changes in the spatial geometry if the axes of the joint halves or of the mutually connected shafts are not aligned exactly parallel. However, only relatively small alignment errors in the axes can be compensated for. Furthermore, if the axial alignment of the coupling halves or of the mutually connected shafts is not very precise, there is a risk that the teeth of the planetary gear will no longer be in complete contact with the teeth of the coupling half, resulting in too high a surface pressure. There is.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION The object of the invention is to create a coupling of the type mentioned at the outset, in such a way that a precisely parallel alignment of the mutually abutting surfaces is guaranteed in all operating conditions, and the torque can be transmitted over as large a surface as possible. The goal is to improve. Furthermore, the joint should be of simple construction and can be manufactured at a reasonable cost.
Elasticity should be easily defined.

Structure of the Invention In order to solve this problem, the present invention proposes the following. That is, in the space between the mating parts of the coupling halves, the individual wedges are arranged separately and radially movably;
It is elastically supported on a retaining ring arranged coaxially with respect to the axis of rotation, and a rolling member is arranged between the mesh and the wedge, with at least one such rolling element in each space. A member is provided, and the rolling member has a spherical or cylindrical rolling surface, and the rolling surface is supported by a support surface formed in a hollow spherical or hollow cylindrical shape. A support surface is arranged on the wedge or on the engagement part, and the rolling member has flat surfaces which contact the plane faces of the engagement part or the wedge.

The rolling members are swingable to ensure that the torque transmission surfaces are aligned parallel to each other and in full contact with each other for any load condition of the joint. The wedge is rigid and in particular made of steel. According to the rolling member, the deformation of the space is matched. Furthermore, the rolling element compensates for incorrect alignment of the joint halves or the shaft. By selecting the appropriate number of wedges or spaces, the joint can be easily adapted to any application. Since the joint is a symmetrical structure, there are at least two spaces. In order to avoid, or at least reduce, unbalances, it is advantageous for the spaces to be distributed symmetrically over the circumference, with three or four spaces proving desirable in terms of production costs. In my experience, there is no point in having more than 12 spaces at most. This is because the manufacturing costs would simply become too high. A retaining ring is used to radially support the wedge. The retaining ring may be located radially inwardly of the interlocking portion and the wedge, or alternatively radially outwardly. If the joint rotates at high rotational speeds, it is advantageous for the retaining ring to be arranged radially inward of the wedge and mesh. The elasticity of the joint can be predetermined by the configuration of the elastically deformable retaining ring. A relatively thin wall thickness of the retaining ring allows for easy deformation and relatively high elasticity. On the other hand, if the wall thickness is increased, the elasticity will be decreased.

Furthermore, the elasticity of the joint also depends on the opening angle of the space. With a small opening angle, the radial force component transmitted through the wedge to the elastic retaining ring is smaller than with a large opening angle. However, it is assumed that the torque to be transmitted is the same in both cases. The opening angle is at least large enough to overcome the frictional forces between the wedge and the joint halves and to allow radial movement of the wedge when the joint is loaded. Since frictional force acts during load fluctuations, uneven rotation or large fluctuations in the torque to be transmitted can be attenuated. If the torque changes, the rolling surfaces of the rolling elements oscillate in a suitable support surface of the wedge or mesh, and the frictional forces must be overcome. Even when the wedge slides in the radial direction, frictional forces must be overcome between the mutually contacting planes of the rolling member and the meshing part or the wedge, respectively. In principle, it is sufficient to provide one rolling element for each wedge. For reasons of symmetry and to avoid imbalances, it is advantageous to assign two rolling elements to each wedge. The coupling has a compact structure and is able to transmit relatively large torques even with a small construction volume.

Description of examples Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 schematically shows a section in an axial plane transverse to the axis of rotation 70 of the joint, and according to FIG. It has a ring-shaped joint half body 14. 1st
The coupling halves 12 have first axially and radially extending mating portions 178, 180. Second
The joint half 14 of the corresponding second engaging portion 1
It has 66,168. The meshing portion includes two joint halves 1 that are axially opposed to each other in the direction of the rotating shaft 70.
2 or 14 on the end face 13 or 15. The engaging portion is arranged such that four wedge-shaped spaces 34, 35 exist in which wedges 42, 44, 46, 48 of approximately triangular cross section are arranged, with respect to radial surfaces 134, 135 perpendicular to each other. ing. These wedges are the meshing part 16
6,168 and 178,180 as will be explained in more detail below. Wedge 42,4
4, 46, 48 have radially outwardly curved bearing surfaces 182, 187, 186, 184, these bearing surfaces of these wedges are connected to the resilient retaining ring 98.
is in contact with The retaining ring 98 has at least wedges 42 , 44 , 46 , 48 in the direction of the axis of rotation 70 .
and are radially spaced apart and surround the engaging portion. retaining ring 98
forms a radially elastic support for the wedge. There is a radial spacing 91 between the retaining ring 98 and the mating portion.

The wedges 42, 44, 46, 48 are each 2
It has two rolling members 74 and 82. These rolling members 74, 82 each have one spherical rolling surface 94.
, whereby the rolling members are supported within the hollow spherical support surface 96 of the wedge. The rolling elements 74, 82 are pivotable about the center 72 in accordance with the radius of the spherical rolling surface 94.

Within the scope of the invention, it is also possible to design the rolling surface 94 to be cylindrical and the support surface 96 to be hollow cylindrical. At this time, the rolling members 74, 82 can swing around an axis extending parallel to the rotating shaft 70 through the center.

First engaging portion 17 of first joint half 12
8,180 is a flat surface 1 disposed obliquely at a predetermined angle with respect to the radial surface 134 or 135;
It has 6. Similarly, the mating portions 166, 168 of the second joint half 14 have flat surfaces 24. Flat surface 56 or 58 of rolling member 74 or 82
is in contact with said surface 16 or 24 of the meshing part.

FIG. 3 schematically shows a radial view of the circumference of the joint with the retaining ring removed, developed in the plane AB of FIG. 1. FIG. For reasons of simplicity, rolling members are also not shown here. The wedge 42 is
It is located between the mating portion 180 of the first joint half 12 and the mating portion 166 of the second joint half 14 .
When the joint is loaded, the joint halves 12 and 14
rotates in the opposite direction in the direction of arrows 220 and 222. Thereby, for example, a force applied in the direction of the arrow 220 through the joint half 12 is
0 through a rolling member (not shown) to the wedge 4.
2 and acts from there on the interlocking portion 166. Support surface 96 of wedge 42, 44, 46, 48
are schematically indicated by dashed lines.

FIG. 4 shows the joint under torque load. The retaining ring 98 made of elastic steel is deformed by this load, the deformation being shown greatly enlarged for clarity. The outer circumference of the retaining ring 98 before torque loading corresponds to FIG. 1 and is shown in dashed lines. The torque causes arrows 220 and 2 to appear between the fitting halves 12, 14.
22, forces in opposite directions act. These forces are transmitted via rolling members 74, 82 to the wedge 42,
46. In this case, wedge 42 or 46
A force component directed radially outwards, corresponding to the arrow 37, acts in each case. The elastically deformable retaining ring 98 is deformed radially outwards by the wedges 42, 46 in the area of the radial surface 134. The shape of the rigid wedges 42, 44, 46, 48 remains unchanged. In this case, the surfaces 56, 58 of the rolling members 74, 82
slides in plane 24 or 16 of interlocking part 168 or 178. The opening angle between the surfaces 16 and 24 of the two spaces 34 narrows by an angle corresponding to the relative rotation angle φ of the two joint halves. The wedges 42, 46 are pushed radially outward in the direction of arrow 37 against the elastic force of the retaining ring 98. Even if the opening angle between the planes 16 and 24 of the meshing portion changes, the planes 56 and 58 of the rolling members 74 and 82 actually change.
The entire part is in contact with the meshing part. According to the invention, this is ensured by the cylindrical or spherical configuration of the rolling surface 90 and the support in the hollow cylindrical or hollow spherical bearing surface 96 of the wedge. If the rolling member according to the invention is not used, there will be no surface contact, and even at a small rotation angle, the meshing portion and the wedge will only be in line contact, resulting in a large surface pressure. Joints formed according to the invention are capable of transmitting large torques with small structural volumes. This is because the rigid wedge contacts the meshing part via the rolling member and the plane of the rolling member.

When the coupling is subjected to a torque load, the wedges 44, 48, which are also within the radial surface 135, are pushed radially inward in the direction of arrow 38. The opening angle of the space 35 in the range of the radial surface 135 increases in accordance with the rotation angle φ. The rolling elements 74, 82 of the wedges 44, 48 can again adjust to the change in the opening angle between the interlocking parts 168 and 180 forming the space 35.

Wedges 42, 44, 4 that move radially outward or inward when a load is applied or when the load changes
6, 48 are the rolling member and the plane 5 of the rolling member
6, 58 on the planes 16, 24 of the interlocking part. The frictional forces that act during sliding are advantageous with respect to vibrations that may occur between the two joint halves. Furthermore, frictional forces occur between the rolling surfaces of the rolling elements 74, 82 and the associated support surfaces 96,
These frictional forces are also advantageous with respect to possible vibrations. Due to the frictional force mentioned above, rotational irregularities or impact loads of the shafts connected by the joint can be easily attenuated.

FIG. 5 shows an enlarged view of the wedge 42 with two rolling members 74, 82. Rolling member 7
Rolling surfaces 94, here spherical, of 4 and 82 are each supported for rotation about center 72 in support surfaces 96 concentric with respect to these rolling surfaces.

FIG. 6 shows a view in the direction of the arrow, in which the circular plane 54 of the rolling member 82 is clearly visible.

FIG. 7 shows an enlarged portion of an embodiment in which a roller element 206 is disposed between the rolling member 82 and the engagement portion 180. These roller elements 206
is a sufficiently well known component of a needle bearing, and there is no need to describe it in detail here. Such roller elements are advantageous if the axes of the shafts to be connected to one another do not lie exactly in a straight line with respect to one another, but form at least a predetermined angle. When the axes of the joint halves according to the present invention intersect with each other, that is, when the driving and driven shafts that are coupled to each other are not in a straight line but have an angular deviation, the parts other than the center of the opposing joint halves are subject to rotation. At the same time, they make relative movements toward or away from each other in the axial direction.
This relative axial movement causes axial friction between the meshing parts and the rolling members that are in contact with each other. By arranging the roller element 206 between the meshing part and the rolling member according to the invention, the effect of the frictional forces occurring here is considerably reduced. The adverse reactions between the joint halves, which have to be absorbed by the mutually connected machine supports, can be reduced.

The rolling element 74 is likewise associated with roller elements 224, the axes of which are substantially parallel to the axis of rotation of the joint. Such an arrangement of the roller elements is advantageous if the mutually connected axes are parallel to each other but not coaxial. When the shafts or joint halves are offset in this way, the respective parts of the opposing joint halves undergo relative radial movement during rotation. This relative movement also causes radial friction between the mating parts and the rolling members in contact with each other. If a roller element 224 is arranged between the meshing part and the rolling element, rotated by 90 DEG with respect to the arrangement of the roller element 206, the effect of the frictional forces occurring here is likewise reduced. The effects of unfavorable forces are thereby considerably reduced.

FIG. 8 shows a further embodiment in a radial view similar to FIG. In this embodiment, torque can only be transmitted if the first joint half 12 is rotated relative to the second joint half 14 in the direction of arrow 220. In this embodiment, the direction of rotation cannot be reversed. Both coupling halves 12 or 14 have angularly designed interlocking portions 178, 180 or 166, 168.

FIG. 9 shows an enlarged and developed cross-section along the line - in FIG. 8. In contrast to the initially described embodiment, the rolling members 74, 82 are not located within the wedge 42, but rather within the meshing portion 166 or 180.
It is located in The wedge 42 has two planes 5
2, 54, to which the flat surfaces 52, 54 of the rolling members 74, 82 are in contact. This variant embodiment likewise provides the functions and advantages already mentioned above.

FIG. 10 shows an embodiment in which the radially inner side of the wedge 342 is supported by a retaining ring 398. As can be seen in connection with FIG. 11, which shows a section along the line XI--XI, two further wedges 3
44, 346 are supported by a retaining ring 398 which is also radially inward. Joint half body 12
has engaging portions 370, 372, 374 symmetrically distributed around the circumference. Similarly, the joint half 14 has three engaging parts 366, 368, 3.
It has 80. The cylindrical shape or bellows 246 are secured to the joint halves 12 by two tightening rings 250, respectively.
and 14, and can prevent dirt from entering the inside of the joint. Jiyahara 246
are made of a resilient material, such as rubber or plastic, and do not provide for the transmission of forces from one half-fitting half to the other half-fitting. The shafts to be connected to each other can be pushed into the holes 102 or 104 of the joint halves 12 or 14, and these shafts can be connected to said joint halves in any suitable manner.

FIG. 11 shows a section along the line XI--XI of FIG. 10, in which the joint is subjected to a torque corresponding to arrows 220 and 222. In this embodiment, the direction of rotation cannot be reversed. As the applied torque increases, the radial end faces 335 and 333 of the meshing portions 366 and 370 come into contact with each other, and the joint then acts as a rigid joint. Furthermore, depending on the magnitude of the torque, the space 3 between the further radial end faces of the meshing part
51 changes. In this embodiment as well, the planes 56, 58 of the rolling elements 74, 82 correspond to the planes 316, 3 of the associated meshing parts of the two joint halves 12, 14.
It is completely in contact with 24. meshing part 366,
Screws 327, 328, 330 are screwed into 368, 380, and a retaining ring 398 contacts the radially inner ends of these screws. The screw is
It forms a stop for the retaining ring. When the fitting is in an unloaded condition, the retaining ring 398 is not in contact with the threads. Wedge 34 from retaining ring 398
The elastic spring force that can be exerted on 2, 344 and 346 can be varied by said screws.

Finally, FIG. 12 shows a cross section similar to FIG. 2 of a further embodiment. The joint halves 12, 14 have meshing parts 178, 180 or 166, 1 arranged side by side with a small spacing in the direction of the axis of rotation 70.
68, the wedge 42 extending in the direction of the axis of rotation 70 over the entire width of the engagement part. The rolling members 74, 82 of the meshing portions 166 and 180 are swingably supported. Both fitting halves 12, 14 are marked with arrows 220, 222.
Torque is applied as shown. This torque forces the wedge 42 radially, and thus perpendicularly to the plane of the drawing, as described above, away from the face 112 of the engagement part 178 or the face 312 of the engagement part 168. Rolling member 7
The planes 56, 58 of 4, 82 are completely tangent to the surfaces 54, 52 of the wedge 42, which is again formed flat. The axial end face 73 of the wedge 42 opens into a retaining ring, not shown here. If no torque is applied to the fitting, plane 1 as described above
12 and 312 may similarly abut wedge 42. In this embodiment, the meshing portion 16
6,168 or 178,180 may be formed into a triangular shape like the teeth of a gear.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 shows a cross section transverse to the axis of the joint.
Moreover, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line - in FIG. 2, FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line - in FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the joint under torque, similar to FIG. 1 but shown along the line - in FIG. 2; FIG. 5 shows a wedge with two rolling members; FIG. An enlarged view, FIG. 6 is a view of the wedge seen in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 5, FIG. 7 is a view showing an embodiment in which a roller element is attached to the rolling member, and FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a part of another embodiment developed on the drawing plane when viewed in the radial direction, and FIG. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of the joint in which the retaining ring is disposed radially inside the meshing portion; FIG. FIG. 12, a sectional view taken along the line XI--XI, is a sectional view similar to FIG. 2 showing another embodiment of the joint. 12, 14... Joint half body, 13, 15... Axial end face, 16, 24... Plane of meshing part, 34, 35
...Space, 42, 44, 46, 48...Wedge, 5
2, 54... Plane of wedge, 56, 58... Plane of rolling member, 73... Axial end surface of wedge, 74, 82
...Rolling member, 94...Rolling surface, 96...Supporting surface, 98
...Retaining ring, 166, 168, 178, 180
...Meshing portion, 206, 224...Roller element, 3
44,346,348...wedge, 351...space,
366, 368, 380, 370, 372, 37
4...Matching portion, 398...Retaining ring.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. Two joint halves 12 and 14 are provided, and the engaging portions (178, 18
0 or 166, 168), substantially triangular spaces 34, 35 are present between the flat-shaped surfaces 16 of the mating parts 178, 180 of the first joint half 12 and the second In an elastic joint in which the flat surfaces 24 of the mating parts 166, 168 of the joint halves 14 are arranged obliquely to the radial surfaces 134, 135 extending through the respective spaces 34, 35. , space 3 between the meshing parts of the joint halves 12 and 14
4,35, the individual wedges 42,44,
46 , 48 are separately and radially movably arranged, and the wedges 42 , 44 , 46 , 48 are arranged on the axis of rotation 70 .
retaining ring 98, 398 coaxially arranged with respect to
The rolling members 74, 82 are disposed between the meshing portions 166, 168, 178, 180 and the wedges 42, 44, 46, 48, and the rolling members 74, 82 are disposed in the respective spaces 34, 35. At least one such rolling member 74, 82 is provided, the rolling member 74, 82 having a spherical or cylindrical rolling surface 94, the rolling surface 94 having a hollow spherical or hollow cylindrical shape. The rolling members 74, 82 have planar surfaces 56, 58, and are supported on shaped support surfaces 96 which are arranged in a wedge or in a meshing manner. The surface is the flat surface 1 of the engaging part
6, 24 or the flat surfaces 52, 54 of the wedge. 2. Claim in which the wedges 42, 44, 46, 48 have curved support surfaces 182, 184, 186, 188 and are supported via these surfaces on elastically formed retaining rings 98, 398 The joint described in item 1 of the range. 3 The retaining rings 98, 398 are attached to the engaging portion 16
Claim 1 or 2 having a radial spacing of 91 relative to 6,168,178,180
Fittings listed in section. 4 The joint halves 12 and 14 are formed as ring discs, and the engaging portions (178, 1
80 or 166, 168) are arranged,
Joint according to one of claims 1 to 3. 5 At least one of the two coupling halves 12, 14 has a radial stop, in particular a screw 327, 328, 3
30 are arranged and retaining rings 98, 398 are attached to these screws depending on the magnitude of the torque acting on them.
A joint according to one of claims 1 to 4, in which the joints are in contact with each other. 6 The retaining ring 98 is attached to the wedges 42, 44, 4
6, 48 and the engaging portion are surrounded from the outside in the radial direction, with the spaces 34, 35 expanding radially outward.
A fitting according to one of the paragraphs. 7 The retaining ring 398 is attached to the wedges 42, 44, 4
6, 48 are arranged radially inwardly of the meshing portion, the spaces 34, 35 widening radially inwardly.
A coupling according to one of clauses 4.